Walking Dead Season 5 (No Comic Spoilers) Part 4

[l2 0 5 5]

Two of the goriest death scenes in the series tonight. That was gruesome.

[Elba the Intoner]

I did not see that ending with Gabriel coming!

[Mazrick]

Pretty good episode.

Aiden and Nicholas were scum, and I hope the latter gets what is coming to him.

I'm curious If Rick's going to really kill Dr. Drunk. There seems like other ways to resolve that situation rather than killing him.

Also, fuck Gabriel. I'm glad Maggie was there to see what kind of Judas they have on their hands with him.

Hyped for the rest of the season.

[Elba the Intoner]

Pretty good episode.

Aiden and Nicholas were scum, and I hope the latter gets what is coming to him.

I'm curious If Rick's going to really kill Dr. Drunk. There seems like other ways to resolve that situation rather than killing him.

Also, fuck Gabriel. I'm glad Maggie was there to see what kind of Judas they have on their hands with him.

Hyped for the rest of the season.

Seriously. I think HE is the satan disguised as an angel of light that the Alexandrians should watch out for.

[Commodore]

not that it bothers me one way or another, but black characters are dropping like flies

are the writers are oblivious to the trend everyone has talked about, or do they just not care?

And is Gabriel sincere in his fear of Rick's crew, or is he just afraid they will reveal Gabriel's own shame?

[BaseBornBastard]

Gabriel, you motherfucker! How the fuck could he do something like that? If it wasn't for Rick's group, he would have been walker food a long time ago. And this betrayal comes from the fact that they hacked a few cannibals to death? Cannibals that were trying to kill and fucking eat them? They should have left him back at the church with a bullet in his head.

I'm very saddened at Noah's death. I had really warmed up to that character, and was hoping that he would stick around a while longer. Aidan and Nicholas were walking shitstorms. So much loss could have been avoided if they hadn't been a part of the forage.

I'm thinking things are really gonna heat up next week. Gabriel has poisoned Deanna's mind with distrust regarding the group, and now they're going to show up and tell her that her son is dead. I have a sneaky suspicion that Nicholas (the sickening coward that he is) is going to lie about what happened, and stitch up Glenn and Co. in order to save his own skin.

Excellent episode. Can't wait til next week.

[Dr. Pepper]

Saw Gabriel's doomsday Judas act coming from a mile away. There just really isn't any other function for a priest in this genre. It's always leader of a cult or doomsdayer, so very rare for them to just be normal. What disappoints me is that Deanna actually looked like she took him seriously. While I still think Alexandria is generally on the up and up (meaning, they aren't out to cannibalize or have a leader putting heads in fish tanks, just normal people with normal problems), I'm having a bit of second guessing Deanna. No rational, sane person gives the crazy dude bleeting "satan satan" the time of day.

Seriously bummed about Noah. He was probably the best character that has been introduced since the original group. I knew he was going to go, just because this show has a serious issue with keeping black people around, but wished it wouldn't have happened so fast. They could have had the same impact (meaning, a genuinely good person the group would be greatly saddened to go) if Tara had been the one offed. It might have been even more of an impact since Tara had some deep blonds with almost everyone.

[Jack Bauer 24]

Gabriel, you motherfucker! How the fuck could he do something like that? If it wasn't for Rick's group, he would have been walker food a long time ago. And this betrayal comes from the fact that they hacked a few cannibals to death? Cannibals that were trying to kill and fucking eat them? They should have left him back at the church with a bullet in his head.

I'm very saddened at Noah's death. I had really warmed up to that character, and was hoping that he would stick around a while longer. Aidan and Nicholas were walking shitstorms. So much loss could have been avoided if they hadn't been a part of the forage.

I'm thinking things are really gonna heat up next week. Gabriel has poisoned Deanna's mind with distrust regarding the group, and now they're going to show up and tell her that her son is dead. I have a sneaky suspicion that Aidan (the sickening coward that he is) is going to lie about what happened, and stitch up Glenn and Co. in order to save his own skin.

Excellent episode. Can't wait til next week.

Nicholas, not Aidan.

[BaseBornBastard]

Nicholas, not Aidan.

Oops. I corrected it. Thanks.

[The Mother of The Others]

The priest is butt-born and his opinions are turdish, but remember his first real glimpse of the group was when he saw them dispatch the Terminus crew with what looked to him (a newbie) like uncalled-for hyper uber viciousness. .... So that would make him believe these aren't the people you'd want to let inside Eden II, because their next violent crimes could befoul any comeback humanity might make--- like Cane's murder of Abel set the tone for humanity's ugly history the first time around. I can see how a "godly" man wouldn't want to let this group ruin a golden chance to do things differently in Eden II. But, as a counterpoint to that, he's a butt who doesn't deserve to climb back up above them and judge from his pulpit; he's a lot closer to being what his God despises. Which is why, even though he claims the group is the devil, he's the one who actually tears the bible apart.

Yet he's on to something, even if he's the wrong person to voice it: the tension is real between the older and newer residents, and since Carol and Rick are ready to conquer this place like Alexander (its namesake), the established residents do have good cause to wonder if it's a mistake to allow this group to push them aside. So the priest added real fuel to the coming fire even if his opinions themselves are tinged with rectal odour. Deanna knows to disregard this poophead as a person but she can't disregard the feeling that she made a mistake letting Rick's crew in. Because the bad side effects of letting the power shift happen are piling up real fast. Like her son's death. That's going to be real crappy, and it'll make the preacher's nightsoiled sermon smell true.

In one part of their brains Alexandrians want to get the town into better shape for survival, but another part of their brains doesn't want to do the hard work it takes to get in shape. Being soft and full of cookies is preferable to being austere and hardass. So they're balking. That guy who dropped out of running the wall expansion project was happy to take a back seat to Abe, but Deanna had pictured that guy as her trusted supporter who'd help balance out Rick's influence, so she's not happy at the changing face of things not being a melting pot so much as a changing of the guard.

And my God that little guy sure does LOVE cookies, I kept saying. Then it became clear he was more a fan of the other thing Carol was capable of cooking up: security.

[Howdyphillip]

I know that I will probably be the minority opinion in this, but Carol is a rabid dog at this point that probably should be put down Old Yeller style. To escalate from the things that she suspects, straight to murder is what will probably be the downfall of this little society. The character is beautifully written as there is an understanding what has brought her to this position, but she is so far down the rabbit hole at this point, I don't think she can come back. I am not quite certain of this, but I expect her to not make it through the rest of the season.

As for Gabriel, I wish his scene would have been more nuanced. The Satan spiel was just too over the top, and it didn't ring true with how we have seen the character and what he has been through. He could have delivered the same warning a lot differently and came off more believable.

[Cyvasse Khal]

Wow, I had Noah idea that death was coming. Steven Yeun played being traumatized really well, I felt for him. That's actually a great story arc if they go with it - Glen has been slowly built up as a badass and a leader for 5 seasons, but witnessing that could knock him down to being a shivering fetus in the corner for a while.

I love how Carol isn't even pretending to be mother hen with the kid anymore, now I'd love to see her try an intimidate and manipulate an adult.

Tara will be fine I think, mainly because it's always seemed like they're just waiting for a storyline to give her. She's been a tree in the background for her entire run so far so it wouldn't make sense for her to die otherwise there's no point having her there in the first place.

Father Gabriel, it doesn't bother me that he's a turncoat and wants to sell Rick's group out, it doesn't bother me that he's a hypocrite, it bothers me that he's such a moron. Even now he's like 4 or 5 steps behind what's going on. What does he do all day? He makes no effort to find out what Rick's groups' plans are and he also seems to have little grasp on what Deanna knows and what her intentions are.

[igrewupinKL]

I really don't think Deanna took him seriously, she was just playing politician. Deanna knows that Rick's group have done terrible things, but she knows deep down they are reasonable people. That fact was all over this episode- with Glenn not leaving anyone behind (EVEN NICK GRRRRRRR) and Abraham going ham and saving that woman.

Gabriel's 'confession' is not going to change her mind about them staying- and if it turns out Deanna goes ape shit after she finds out her son is dead than the group can survive without the saftey of Alexandria anyway.

Most shocking death was Noah's. Really think this will be the catalyst for chaos inside Alexandria. Glenn will want Nick dead but the Alexandrians probably wont. And after Rick saves the woman and the kid possibly resulting in the death of her husband, things will be tense next episode.

Where was Michonne? i hate how they leave out characters every episode

[Elba the Intoner]

OK, so here are some things that I am puzzled about. First of all, where did Gabriel get the collar from? Did they just happen to have a supply in the Church? I thought he gave it up on the road to Alexandria. I guess his putting it back on should have been a hint to how he would turn into the doomsayer spokesperson against our group because as Dr. Pepper mentioned above that is a common trope, but it had seemed to me like he was giving that up. I guess that's why I didn't see the ending with him coming.

Also, I was wondering why Sam would go back to Carol's house in the first place after her malicious threat to him last week. At first it didn't seem realistic that this kid would go back to her house and try to befriend her the way he was doing but then it became clear that he was seeing her as a way to get away from something bad that was going on at his home. So, the rationalization I am going with on this is that he is experiencing more abuse at home so he'd rather hang out with this woman who makes delicious cookies despite her threats than hang at his house and he's also interested in the guns. Carol even when being scary can't hide her motherly vibes.

By the way, Eugene was great this episode! Loved seeing him step up to save Tara and how he didn't want to leave without Glenn and Noah.

That guy who was the leader of the construction site crew seemed all too happy to give control to Abraham. Between him and that guy Nicholas (who I thought for the first half hour was Eric because the actors look alike to me) and the confessions that they leave people behind when there is an attack, it's a wonder that any of them have survived up to this point. It's like most of this town is made up of a bunch of cowards who also arguably are just as bad as the "bad" things Rick and his group have done. For this reason I am glad that Glenn didn't leave Nicholas behind because that would make him like they are.

[Cyvasse Khal]

Where was Michonne? i hate how they leave out characters every episode

It's an inevitable problem though. Before Alexandria I believe Rick's group was 15 strong. The new storyline brought in Aaron, Aaron's bf, Deanna, Deanna's husband, Aiden, her other son, Blonde woman (Kelly?), Dr Douche, Sam, Nicholas, Enid, a few more minor community folk. That's a recurring cast of around 25-30. You can't service all of them in one episode. People would start to complain if the same half a dozen of Rick's group is shown doing not much every episode (Hershel's farm). We need to lose a bunch of people now (which has started), the newer characters need to be focused on so we care about them. Then process starts again when a new bunch of people are brought in to liven and stir up the plot. And that's why the show may continue on forever.

[The Mance]

Deanna knows to disregard this poophead as a person but she can't disregard the feeling that she made a mistake letting Rick's crew in. Because the bad side effects of letting the power shift happen are piling up real fast. Like her son's death. That's going to be real crappy, and it'll make the preacher's nightsoiled sermon smell true....

...That guy who dropped out of running the wall expansion project was happy to take a back seat to Abe, but Deanna had pictured that guy as her trusted supporter who'd help balance out Rick's influence, so she's not happy at the changing face of things not being a melting pot so much as a changing of the guard.

Yeah, for all of Gabriel's crazy talk, he is not wrong. And i think the core of his message, that Rick and crew would put themselves before the people of Alexandria, may have struck a nerve with Deanna.

I'm curious to see what narratives are presented to explain what went wrong with the foraging mission. On the one hand, that fact that everything went south was ultimately Aiden's fault. But will Deanna hold Glen responsible as the more experienced member and her (wink wink) leader of the expedition? Also, she may be inclined to listen to Nick if he tries to say that Glen "chose" to save Tara over Aiden, which is sort of arguable in that by dividing the group they didn't fully commit to saving Aiden. Kind of a stretch, but it does fit the narrative that Gabriel was preaching.

And this right on the heels of Abraham's actions at the construction site, which, while seemingly totally contradicting what Gabriel was saying, may be taken by Deanna as threatening to the loyalty of her group. She did seem oddly dubious of that whole incident as related by her guy, and I can't see why unless it was that she was disturbed by his obvious admiration of Abraham.

By the way, Eugene was great this episode! Loved seeing him step up to save Tara and how he didn't want to leave without Glenn and Noah.

Yeah, glad to see they are making use of Eugene's brain, too. I knew he had it in him!

And I'm conflicted about Carol. On the one hand, yeah, jumping straight to murder seems extreme, and maybe she is overly biased by her experiences. On the other, maybe she just has more insight into abuse in general, and the realities of dealing with abusers in a zombie apocalypse. Also, she may not necessarily be saying that Rick should just run over and shoot the guy right then and there. It may just be that she is foreseeing that whatever more moderate steps to intervene are taken are not going to work, and that ultimately, after everything else has failed, Rick is going to wind up having to kill the guy.

[Dr. Pepper]

The deal with Gabriel's crazy talk is that Deanna should be aware of what sort of person Gabriel is. He turns on his people. That's his thing. His crazy talk should be ignored on the best of days. With his history, Deanna would have to know that he's basically talking about himself. I mean, unless somehow Gabriel had no audition and not one single person in the group spoke about how they found him.

[l2 0 5 5]

I'm curious to see what narratives are presented to explain what went wrong with the foraging mission. On the one hand, that fact that everything went south was ultimately Aiden's fault. But will Deanna hold Glen responsible as the more experienced member and her (wink wink) leader of the expedition? Also, she may be inclined to listen to Nick if he tries to say that Glen "chose" to save Tara over Aiden, which is sort of arguable in that by dividing the group they didn't fully commit to saving Aiden. Kind of a stretch, but it does fit the narrative that Gabriel was preaching.

I'm not sure how this is gonna go. I know Deanna was glad Glen knocked Aiden on his ass a couple episodes back, but his death will obviously be another story. I doubt she'll consider the context of Glen's side of things. Aiden was pinned by shrapnel while Tara was not; she clearly had a better chance at survival. Very doubtful indeed that Aiden would have lived after being pulled from the shrapnel, let alone making it through the revolving doors that claimed Noah.

Doubtful she gets that full story, or would even consider believing it.

ETA: Mix Aiden's death in with the bible verses that Gabriel spewed at her, and Deanna may think that the foraging mission was a conspiracy by RIck's group to off her son. However, at least Glen has a solid rebuttal in 'Why would I let one of my own guys die for a conspiracy?'

[The Mance]

The deal with Gabriel's crazy talk is that Deanna should be aware of what sort of person Gabriel is. He turns on his people. That's his thing. His crazy talk should be ignored on the best of days. With his history, Deanna would have to know that he's basically talking about himself. I mean, unless somehow Gabriel had no audition and not one single person in the group spoke about how they found him.

Well I don't think that Deanna was convinced by anything he said just because he said it. Its more about hearing her own concerns voiced aloud, no matter the source. The real life equivalent of hearing something on the radio, or seeing a billboard that makes you pause, or see something in a new light.

[The Amethyst Empress]

Gabriel you son of a bitch!They should have left him in the church to die.I'm really pissed.

Poor Noah,he wanted to be an architect :frown5: