Category: Walking Dead Recaps

Walking Dead Recaps

The Walking Dead – Rick Grimes’ Cheap Conclusion

Bonnie Byrne
Rick Grimes
A Fitting Farewell?: AMC touted last night’s episode as Rick Grimes final.

I wanted to write an ode to Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) this week. AMC has been promoting the whole “Rick Grimes final episodes” on The Walking Dead for months now. As it turned out, it was just another clever marketing ploy to trick viewers into watching the first couple of season 9 episodes.

Well, they got me. I thought they were going to kill off Rick, but the mysterious helicopter we’ve been seeing for a while now (part of Jadis’ human trafficking network) swooped in, scooped up Rick and saved his life in the nick of time.

Once again, showrunner Scott M. Gimple and AMC pulled a second-rate ratings scam (anyone remember the whole Glenn under the dumpster debacle?) and viewers should be pissed. But likely they’re not, because their hero Rick Grimes is still alive.

The episode itself, entitled What Comes After, leading up to this cheap conclusion, wasn’t all bad. When last week’s episode ended, Rick’s horse had thrown him onto a rebar. The dead were approaching and it looked like he was a goner. Continue reading “The Walking Dead – Rick Grimes’ Cheap Conclusion” →

Walking Dead Recaps

Fear The Walking Dead Season 4 Finale Recap – The Morgan Show

Bonnie Byrne
Weak: Morgan is not a strong enough character to lead a show, in particular Fear The Walking Dead.

Fear the Walking Dead’s season 4 finale, entitled I Lose Myself, was not just hokey, it was completely ludicrous. There were enough plot holes in it to fill a leaking ethanol tanker truck (more on that later).

Since showrunners Scott M. Gimple, Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg took over for season 4, Fear has changed from a drama about a family trying to survive in the zombie apocalypse, to The Morgan Show. Don’t get me wrong – I have nothing against the character of Morgan, or Lennie James – I liked the character when he was on The Walking Dead, but he was a supporting character. Morgan is not a strong enough character to lead a series.

As the episode begins, we see Althea has survived and is pointing a rifle at Martha and her pet walker Jim and for once, I’m rooting for her. Please shoot this bitch and put an end to this lame Filthy Woman character once and for all. But instead of shooting her, she lets Martha get the better of her and ends up knocked to the ground. Continue reading “Fear The Walking Dead Season 4 Finale Recap – The Morgan Show” →

Walking Dead Recaps

Fear The Walking Dead Recap – I Lose People

Bonnie Byrne
Stranded No More: Strand, John, Charlie and Alicia are back together again. AMC.

Season 4, episode 15 begins with Morgan’s group trapped on the hospital roof, mainly because the writers thought Morgan was the only one who could lead them. When Wendell asks why “Mo Mo” is standing far away from them, Jimbo says what many of us are thinking: “What the hell are you waiting for him to do? He got us into this. You’re on your own now.”

Morgan obviously blames himself for becoming the leader and leading his people into what looks like an unwinnable situation, but really Morgan, don’t blame yourself, blame the showrunners for foisting this role upon you.

Fortunately, the whole episode doesn’t just focus on Morgan and we get to one of the highlights of the episode, Alicia calling out to Strand and John, who are across the water, then hearing June on the walkie and telling her John is safe.

Charlie and Alicia go into town to search for a boat or a canoe (any type of watercraft that can float) so they can rescue their friends.

Meanwhile, Jim continues to whine, which makes me wonder why Morgan, Wendell or Sarah are avoiding the inevitable and don’t just stick a pole through his head.

Alicia and Charlie spot a canoe and suddenly Martha starts shooting at them. Alicia sees she’s bleeding and offers to help, but of course this one trick pony replies with: “I don’t need any help,” and falls to the ground. As Alicia approaches her, gun drawn, Charlie says: “It’s the woman on the walkie.” Why thanks, Captain Obvious. Continue reading “Fear The Walking Dead Recap – I Lose People” →

Walking Dead Recaps

Fear The Walking Dead Recap – MM 54

Bonnie Byrne
Nick Clark Ready To Detonate: Maybe he could also blow up this whole season, oh wait, Scott M. Gimple already did! AMC.

Fear The Walking Dead’s ratings are plummeting like a stone, or like many stones, collapsing after a dam explosion. The previous showrunners had no idea how prescient their season 3 finale was, as the current showrunners blow Fear apart piece by piece.

Wherefore Art Thou, Daniel?: Salazar is MIA in this train wreck of a season. AMC.

The first quarter hour of season 4, episode 14 is a flashback to the story of the Filthy Woman, who now has a name, Martha. Is there anyone else out there who doesn’t care about Martha’s backstory, not to mention how weakly written it was? I just want this ludicrous character to go away. I would rather find out what happened to Daniel Salazar after the dam explosion. But he had nothing to do with Scott M. Gimple and his minions’ (Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg) distorted and cavalier vision of what they thought this season of Fear should be, so I assume we’ll never see him again.

Last night’s episode was another waste of time, with Morgan’s crew trapped inside a zombie filled hospital, and Alicia trying to get Charlie to a beach (why she’s doing her brother’s murderer any favours, is beyond me).

Continue reading “Fear The Walking Dead Recap – MM 54” →

Walking Dead Recaps

Fear The Walking Dead – Recap – BlackJack

Bonnie Byrne
Do You Always Drink, Victor?: Pretty much any chance I get. AMC TV.

In this week’s Season 4 episode (13) of Fear The Walking Dead, we finally meet Sarah and Wendell’s “Polar Bear,” but before we get to him, Morgan, June and Al are searching for Quinn, who we know has turned into a zombie.

Morgan talks to Sarah on the walkie, telling her to wait for them while they look. “What the hell is this, an airport shuttle?” Sarah says, just before she heads into the woods when they hear a walker. As Jim and Wendell wait for her, a walker approaches and we find out Wendell has a kick-ass button on the arm of his wheelchair, he pushes it and it releases spikes out the back, which efficiently skewers the walker.

Still calling for Quinn, they get a moaning, walker’s voice in return. Then the filthy woman on the walkie says she helped him “become what he was meant to be.” Morgan recognizes her voice. She tells him if he keeps leaving the boxes at the mileposts, she is going to come after him to make him “strong again”.

Then we cut to the best characters currently on this show, Victor Strand and John Dorie, who, after the hurricane, are now stranded on a ranger station. They have supplies, but as a disappointed Victor points out, no booze. John is building a raft out of logs because he wants to get off the station to find June. Victor doesn’t particularly feel like leaving, especially when they see an alligator waiting to ambush them in the water near the shore they are trying to get to. Continue reading “Fear The Walking Dead – Recap – BlackJack” →

Walking Dead Recaps

Fear The Walking Dead Recap – Weak

Bonnie Byrne
Come Out Wherever You Are: June faces her share of challenges on this week’s Fear. AMC TV.

Weak is a fitting title for the entire run of Fear The Walking Dead Season 4 so far, although Episode 12 – entitled Weak, while not particularly strong, isn’t predominantly weak either.

June and Althea are going nowhere fast. The hurricane has left them stranded. Al’s SWAT van has run out of diesel, they have no food and water and Al is getting sick. But not all hope is lost, as they hear someone coming through on their walkie-talkie. The problem is, the voice is not recognizable due to all the static and feedback.

At the beginning of the episode, and before we realize just how dire Al and June’s situation really is, June is watching John Dorie’s (Garret Dillahunt) video interview, where he talks about how he is certain he will find his “Laura”. She watches the video over and over again and talks to him on the walkie-talkie, receiving no reply. Could it be John’s staticky voice she and Al end up hearing? Will June and John finally be reunited? Continue reading “Fear The Walking Dead Recap – Weak” →

Walking Dead Recaps

Fear The Walking Dead Recap – The Code

Bonnie Byrne

Fear’s Season 4, 11th episode – The Code, begins with Morgan looking for Alicia in the hurricane, to no avail. It is raining so hard he has to take refuge in the back of a transport truck.  There are boxes inside with the words: “Take what you need, leave what you don’t” written on them and he takes a peanut butter protein bar, smiling as he bites into it.

The next morning, the storm has passed and Morgan disembarks from the truck, only to see a sign outside that says Flip-Flop Truck Stop, Mississippi. He walks inside the gas station calling out “hello”. No one answers.

Breaker Breaker: Morgan makes his decision at the bridge. AMC TV.

A woman’s voice comes over a radio, looking for “Polar Bear”. Morgan tells her he doesn’t know any Polar Bear and that he is at a truck stop in Mississippi. She tells him to take what he needs and leave what he doesn’t. He flips a switch, the electricity comes on and he brews himself some coffee. The look of delight on his face as he takes the first sip is something many viewers could relate to. How long has it been since he’d had a cup of coffee? Then, he gets to use an actual toilet with actual toilet paper. Continue reading “Fear The Walking Dead Recap – The Code” →

Walking Dead Recaps

Fear The Walking Dead Recap – Close Your Eyes

Bonnie Byrne

Considering the abysmal failure that has been Fear The Walking Dead Season 4, it’s time to celebrate when an actual decent episode rolls around. So pop open the champagne – last night’s 10th episode, entitled Close Your Eyes, was decent. Not great but not bad either.

The hurricane has hit and Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) has found refuge in an abandoned house. She kills a couple of zombies and looks for food, only to hear a noise upstairs. When she investigates, she finds none other than her brother Nick’s murderer, Charlie, played by Alexa Nisenson.

Ticket to Die: Alicia tries to open the car door. AMC TV.

Alicia plans to drive away from the house in a car parked outside but she can’t open the driver’s side door. A gust of wind blows it open full force and she ends up falling to the ground and passing out. When next we see her, she wakes up inside the house and it appears Charlie has dragged her there. Alicia calls her but she’s in a bedroom with the door locked. Continue reading “Fear The Walking Dead Recap – Close Your Eyes” →

Walking Dead Recaps

Fear The Walking Dead’s Fall From Grace

Bonnie Byrne

With the loss of its lead character, Madison (Kim Dickens), in the Mid-Season 4 finale this past June, Fear the Walking Dead has continued the journey of eviscerating its female characters.

From Strong to Sulky: Luciana brooding over Nick. AMC Studios.

When we initially saw the character of Luciana (Danay Garcia) in Season 2, Episode 9, she was a hard-core warrior. Encountering Nick (Frank Dillane) for the first time, she attacked him with a baseball bat and subsequently spurned his romantic advances until he eventually won her over. In Season 3, Luciana was strong enough to leave Nick in the dust at Broke Jaw Ranch when she realized those running it were not what they seemed. With new showrunners Andrew Chambliss, Ian Goldberg and executive producer Scott M. Gimple at the helm for Season 4, this fierce female character was relegated to lying around a mansion, moping over her lost love, on last night’s mid-season premiere.

Meanwhile, Strand (Colman Domingo) reunited with his lost love, alcohol, and the scenes of him stumbling around the mansion that boasts a “fully stocked wine cellar” were the highlight of the episode. I couldn’t help wondering, though, how much more entertaining these scenes could have been if his drinking buddy Madison had been with him. Continue reading “Fear The Walking Dead’s Fall From Grace” →