The Walking Dead – Simon’s Incoherent Blog

The Last of Us: season 1, episode 1 – When You’re Lost in the Darkness

“Viruses can make us ill, but fungi can alter our very minds.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

I’ve got a confession to make. I may seem like the nerd’s nerd, with my extensive knowledge of science fiction, fantasy and horror, in books, comics, movies and TV shows. But I’ve never been a gamer. Even before video games got huge, I never even played Dungeons and Dragons (I’ve tried since and hated it). To me, Zelda is stilled the wizened villainess of Gerry Anderson’s Terrahawks, and I remain baffled by how any Fantasy can be Final when there’s been fifteen of them.

The Walking Dead: Season 9, Episode 8 – Evolution

“You are where you do not belong.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

After last week’s rather dreary talkathon, this week The Walking Dead limped to its mid-season finale with at least a little more pace. Though, it has to be said, this was still a pretty slow and uninteresting affair, only enlivened by some last minute Walker/Whisperer shenanigans that slightly advanced the plot.

The Walking Dead: Season 9, Episode 7 – Stradivarius

“They came together as an answer to defeat.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

The Walkers may be learning to talk, but it’ll be a while before they’re as talky as this episode was. Written by Vivian Tse and directed by former cast member Michael Cudlitz (Abraham), this was intended as a character piece; but with comparatively little plot advancement or Walker action, it seemed more like a post-apocalyptic soap opera than anything else.

The Walking Dead: Season 9, episode 6 – Who are You Now?

“Weeks, months, even years go by while you try to make sense of it all.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Last time, I wondered if the loss of the character who’s been the lead since the beginning (and still is in the comics) would make a whole new show of The Walking Dead. It certainly had that potential, for the show to diverge more thoroughly from its source material than before, and become its own, more unpredictable story.

The Walking Dead: Season 9, Episode 5 – What Comes After

“You need to wake up.”
“What’s your wound?”
“I need to find my family”.

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Well that was a bit of a game changer. I’m still not all that sure it was a great episode, but The Walking Dead is not going to be the same after this one. Continue reading “The Walking Dead: Season 9, Episode 5 – What Comes After”

The Walking Dead: Season 9, Episode 4 – The Obliged

“We’re the same. All or nothing. You’re trapped, same as me, you’re connected to the dead, same as me. We are the same, and you can’t stand that we’re the same.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

This felt very much like a continuation of the previous episode – it probably didn’t help that I watched them back to back, but the tone and the content was so nearly identical I had to check to see if it was the same writer – no, this ep was down to Rosemary Rodriguez after Corey Reed’s stint last week. Continue reading “The Walking Dead: Season 9, Episode 4 – The Obliged”

The Walking Dead: Season 9, Episode 3 – Warning Signs

“We gave Rick’s way a chance. It’s time to see Negan.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

After the previous, quite focused episode, The Bridge, this week’s Walking Dead felt more like filler, enlarging on the already-established tensions between the now uneasily-at-peace communities but not resolving anything. On the face of it, it was a fairly uneventful episode (albeit with a bit of Walker action shoehorned in to give it a bit of pace). Continue reading “The Walking Dead: Season 9, Episode 3 – Warning Signs”

The Walking Dead: Season 9, Episode 2 – The Bridge

“I get what you’re trying to do here, and it’s the right thing. But maybe for some of them – they’re just not ready for it.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Showrunner Angela Kang took a backseat after last week’s underwhelming season opener for veteran (and lengthily named) scripter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick this week. And the result was an episode that, while ostensibly more low key, felt a lot more satisfying. Yes, there were still multiple narratives, but these ones were more satisfyingly intertwined than last time. The pacing was better too; rather than starting with the action then tailing off to the talking, this one built up the other way round. Continue reading “The Walking Dead: Season 9, Episode 2 – The Bridge”

The Walking Dead: Season 9, Episode 1 – A New Beginning

“We deserve to live in peace. Negan and the Saviors tried to take that away from us. Alexandria, the Hilltop, the Kingdom and Oceanside came together. To fight for a better future.

“We won.

“Not without painful losses. Today, we try to heal. We try to forgive. Now, the work begins. The new world begins.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Fine words, Rick Grimes. This is indeed a new world for The Walking Dead. A world where showrunner Scott Gimple has been replaced by veteran scriptwriter Angela Kang. A world with a plot other than about Negan. A world where Carl Grimes, alive in the comics, is dead – and his father is about to join him. Continue reading “The Walking Dead: Season 9, Episode 1 – A New Beginning”

The Walking Dead: Season 8, Episode 16 – Wrath

“All this is just what was. There’s gotta be something after.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

So finally, FINALLY, that’s a wrap on the All Out War, in a mostly satisfying and thoughtful season finale for The Walking Dead. It’s been two and a half seasons since we first encountered antagonists the Saviors; that’s over two years ago now. Their presence has been, since then, almost a default format for the show, and it’s a format that’s got real tired. Thank heavens the series can finally do something else. Continue reading “The Walking Dead: Season 8, Episode 16 – Wrath”