The Walking Dead - Season 10 - SPOILERS!

[scottydog]

The only really interesting thing about this episode was that Alpha seemed to recognize the guy under the mask.

Yes. Plus I liked her exchange with her daughter:

Daughter: Is that man a monster?
Alpha: Now we're all monsters.

[RJDiogenes]

Yeah, I think she was crazy long before the Zombie Apocalypse.

[RJDiogenes]

New episode tonight!

[scottydog]

I wonder who will die tonight?

[scottydog]

Well that's more like it. A very good episode, despite the continued rehabilitation of Negan.

Too bad Michonne didn't allow Carol to kill Alpha. How do these arch villains manage to have 9 lives?

I loved the scene where Carol imagines herself married to Daryl. I give the series a lot of credit for never forcing that obvious relationship down our throats.

[RJDiogenes]

Well, that sounds like an interesting fantasy sequence. I started watching it today, but I didn't get far. I should be able to watch it all in the morning.

[scottydog]

Good. I really liked this episode and I'm curious what you think.

[RJDiogenes]

Okay, so Carol has a bit of a pill problem. That kind of came out of left field. I wonder how it got started. Did she find some crates of Schedule II narcotics in the hold of her boat, or what? It seems unlike her to get caught up in something like that, and I wonder where it will lead. Her hallucinations were kind of interesting, especially that scene of domestic bliss with Daryl.

Similarly, the doc is seeing things, too, but in his case it looks more like flashbacks to Alpha's massacre. Seems to be a combination of trauma and survivor's guilt. I wonder if any of the communities have any behavioral health providers among their citizens. Probably not, because they're not generally the type of people who would survive a Zombie Apocalypse. But what was really interesting was that it was his asshole assistant who understood what was happening and came to his aid. I wonder how that relationship will develop.

And speaking of assholes, we have Negan who is congenitally unable to stop being an asshole, yet seems to be genuinely attempting to adjust to his new status quo. Or is it a plot? It's been six or seven years since he was deposed and locked up and he's just seeing the light of day now. Could he still have ambitions of taking over? Or does he just not care anymore? In any case, he saved Abraham, although it seemed like he was thinking over his options at first.

Meanwhile, the Whisperer plot trudges on, with Alpha demanding territorial concessions, and Carol failing to assassinate her-- but succeeding in wounding one of her followers. I think that the three Whisperers that Carol saw were real, and that this girl was one of them-- but are they doing Alpha's bidding or are they rogues?

[scottydog]

we have Negan who is congenitally unable to stop being an asshole, yet seems to be genuinely attempting to adjust to his new status quo. Or is it a plot? It's been six or seven years since he was deposed and locked up and he's just seeing the light of day now. Could he still have ambitions of taking over? Or does he just not care anymore? In any case, he saved Abraham, although it seemed like he was thinking over his options at first.

They've made his character impossible to read. Which means he can do anything, become anything, and we'll just have to roll with it.

[RJDiogenes]

I have a feeling he will end up saving the day and dying in the process.

[scottydog]

I have a feeling he will end up saving the day and dying in the process.

Yeah, that's what seems to be unfolding. I won't buy into his heroism, but whatever. The writers really do need to consult with us!

[RJDiogenes]

I think the fate of the character in the books was tied to Rick, so that means all bets are off-- unless Negan will be in the movies, too.

[RJDiogenes]

New episode tonight!

[scottydog]

I wonder who will die tonight?

[RJDiogenes]

^^ A minor character, but with major consequences.

Well, we had some interesting developments this week. Society has rebounded to the point where internal conflict and violence is becoming a threat, even more so given that there is a hostile foreign power lurking just out of sight-- I wonder if this was an intentional metaphor for the current Zeitgeist. In any case, their little board of directors is proving itself to be inadequate to handling law enforcement-- if they even have any laws outside of their constitution-- and they probably need to think about establishing some more formal system of justice.

In any case, Negan is on the lam, ironically after doing the right thing for once in his life. That little group of self-appointed justice vigilantes probably would have killed Lydia if he hadn't intervened, but he intervened a little too hard. I wonder if his next step will be to attempt to manipulate the Whisperers. Maybe he thinks he can take over.

And poor Ezekiel seems to have been on the verge of doing something drastic. He's a great character who has been kind of sidelined lately, so I hope this doesn't portend his demise. Not only would it be a waste of a good character, but it would nudge Carol even closer to the edge.