Just when we thought we’d get to see the world outside Roarton, our hopes—like Kieren’s—were dashed. With the Vicar’s death, changes are afoot. None of them beneficial for the undead. Before we get into what happens in the episode, let’s have a quick rundown.
From BBC:
Kieren’s dreams of escape are left in tatters when Maxine imposes an Undead travel ban on Roarton, also introducing stringent measures for PDS Sufferers to pay back their debt to society. However, being thrust together with Simon on Maxine’s ‘Give Back’ scheme has its benefits. The two have a connection, and Kieren agrees to go to Simon’s Undead party that night, where Simon makes a surprising declaration.
Jem is troubled at school. A 19-year-old amongst 16-year-olds, she feels completely alienated, until she’s revealed to be an ex-HVF war hero. Jem’s reputation soars and she is befriended by the popular girls. However, when a PDS prank goes wrong, resulting in a terrifying rabid in the corridors, Jem is humiliated in front of her classmates. She gravitates to Gary, finding solace in a world she understands – hunting rabids in the woods. But it’s here that disaster strikes.
Kieren’s escape route is blocked. He’s denied what he considers a chance to start again in a city that may or may not allow him to be himself, unlike the small minds in Roarton. Given the fact that his father insisted to send him on his way with a French-themed breakfast—complete with awful “French” music, berets, French-pressed coffee, and French toast (the latter two Kieren can’t even enjoy)—the poor kid needs to get away. Instead he’s ordered back to town after being refused a train ticket. Amy, too even though she wasn’t trying to leave. She tagged along to convince Kieren to stay, acting on Simon’s orders. Most of what Amy has to say comes from the heart, though. Kieren is running away from his problems. He isn’t trying to fix anything. This trip isn’t so much about finding himself as putting distance between him and the painful emotions in Roarton—his parents’ failure to understand who he really is, the town’s small-minded anti-gay sentiment, and Rick’s second and final death. Try as he might to start over, Kieren’s problems start and end with his inability to accept himself. He’s hiding behind layers of makeup, lies, and evasion.
Amy said it best: “How many miles will you have to travel to be able to take it all off?”
What’s so special about the undead in Roarton? This underlying question has filtered through the first episodes for series two. The longer they pull out this question, it becomes more and more apparent that Kieren is the man of the hour. Everyone is focused on him, from Simon and his mission passed down from the Undead Prophet to Maxine and her hush-hush info search through the town records. Could Kieren be the first risen? What does that mean for the PDS community?
The government plans to use PDS sufferers as slave labor. They’ve concocted a scheme in which the undead “give back” to their communities after leaving rehab. If they’re good, their cases are reviewed after six months and their rights as a living person renewed. It sounds almost reasonable. Until you stop and really think about it. They’re making people who had no control over their return from the dead earn a place in society again as though they’re car thieves and drug addicts. We make criminals work community service hours in order to prove they can be trusted and let off the leash, so to speak. And there is no guarantee PDS people will actually regain their rights. The law is written to only promise their cases be reviewed, nothing more. It’s entirely possible that every PDS sufferer whose case is reviewed in six months is ordered to complete more “give back” hours. A reality Kieren is now considering after a talk with Simon.
Naughty Phillip, the newest council member in Roarton, has been visiting PDS prostitutes. But not necessarily for the obvious reason. He’s using them to replicate his fleeting relationship with Amy. Which I’m pretty sure was a just a one-night-stand. Someone is watching him. They know what he’s up to. The fall-out from his nightly visits will rattle the council again.
The major focus of the episode wasn’t so much Kieren and the other PDS trapped in town—who make the most of it by partying and getting high on lamb’s brains—but Jem’s continuing failure to seek treatment for her PTSD. She has a fleeting moment where everything seems okay. The kids at school find out she’s a HVF “hero” and the harassment turns into a form of worship. She’s bringing friends home to hang out. Going out to spend time with the girls. Sure, Jem still suffers hallucinations, but they’re easier to brush off. Until an idiot PDS kid gets his hands on Blue Oblivion and turns rabid at school. Of course everyone will think sending the hero in to kill the rabid undead is a good idea. They don’t understand what it was like for Jem—who was only fourteen during her first mission—during the rising. Of course she panics at the school. Fails to dispatch the “rotter”, which is a good thing because the drug does wear off. Something we hadn’t seen before. Instead of talking it out, getting help for her PTSD, Jem decides to arm up and resume patrolling for rotters. And kills an innocent PDS boy who had the biggest crush on her.
The next episode should be interesting. There’s a lot secrets in the air and given what Jem’s done, what Kieren is beginning to understand about the way his people are being treated, a whole world of chaos is about to fall on Roarton. Hang on to your hats.
We’re still trucking along with BBC’s “In the Flesh” here in the ZSC command center. By “we,” I mean I am still watching. Everyone else is busy cleaning weapons and ignoring my requests for show time snacks. Would it hurt them to take a little time to bring in a leg of someone delicious? Really, sometimes I feel trapped in this gig. What’ve the folks in Roarton been up to during the series break? Nothing good.
From BBC:
Kieren Walker, in the now seemingly PDS-friendly world of Roarton, is keeping his head down, working soul destroying shifts in the Legion pub and squirrelling money into his ‘escape fund’. The only problem is that he can’t escape himself.
In the wider world, tensions are re-igniting. The radical pro-living party, Victus, is whipping up hatred and the Undead Liberation Army is retaliating violently. When Victus MP Maxine Martin enters Roarton, Kieren is dismayed, sensing that danger is encroaching. And when Vicar Oddie violently clashes with her, it seems Kieren’s instincts are right.
Kieren is also overjoyed by the return of his BDFF (best dead friend forever), Amy Dyer, though his delight is cut short by a tense encounter with Amy’s opinionated beau, ULA member Simon. When Amy and Simon reveal the prejudice still bubbling under the surface in Roarton, Kieren knows he needs to leave the village immediately.
The episode opened with a supposed ULA attack on a busload of innocent bystanders—including the man who killed Bill Macy during the first series finale and his young son. This is only the second time they’ve shown the effects of the Blue Oblivion drug, and it doesn’t look like a good time for anyone involved. Blue Oblivion negates the effects of daily government mandated Neurotripteline treatments. PDS sufferers must use the treatments in order to pass from the rehab facilities back into the world. Without, they’re considered rabid and put down or held in rehab and forced to receive treatment. The legalities around PDS abuse isn’t clear. How many rights do they retain after release from rehab? It’s clear they are capable of finding jobs, as Kieren has once the village calmed down and accepted the returned citizens. They even disbanded the HVF and declared the village a weapons-free zone. To protect themselves or their PDS citizens? Who knows? It’s just a good thing the guns are gone, some of the former HVF “heroes” can’t let go of the past and are itching to stir up trouble everywhere they go. Dead guys can land jobs, but these HVF members can’t be bothered to try, blaming Kieren and his kind for their unemployed status. Not their bad attitudes, lack of hygiene, and lack of motivation to get off their backsides.
Despite the tension rife within almost every character interaction, the tone for the second series is, so far, much lighter. Even the color pallets are brighter. Except Kieren. He’s still a blob of drab compared to Amy’s vibrancy. Part of it may well be that he wants to blend in as much as possible. Fall into the background, work, earn money, and get gone before people realize he’s still there. Still the loner. And most importantly, still the boy who killed himself and rose from the dead. How often each day does Kieren curse his family for burying him instead of cremating him, as he’d requested? His parents are coping. Slowly. Sue fell back to her role of, “don’t rock the boat,” “everything is normal.” Steve’s adjustment period is taking much longer. He’s at the over-sharing stage of talk therapy. Anything and everything bothering him comes out his mouth. Unfortunately, it’s usually something that pains Kieren or embarrasses him. Jem, unlike the others, is having the hardest time moving on. She’s back in school. A loner now, like her brother. Worse is the PTSD she won’t talk about with anyone, but it’s begun to affect her life day and night.
Maxine Martin is a new/old face in Roarton, with a completely unknown agenda. She’s supposedly there on official business, but there’s glimmers of something under the surface of what she’s saying to the Vicar and others in the village. She’s hunting for something. Or someone. And her fixation on the PDS sufferers in town, especially Kieren, is unsettling. Could she be connected to Lisa, the girl Kieren ate before Jem found him and sent him to the rehab facility? Is she searching for a loved one who was buried in Roarton, hoping they rose and simply weren’t found or reported? We have no clue. It is clear, though, that she’ll do whatever necessary to obtain information and keep her cards close to her chest about her true intentions. Just ask the Vicar. Oh, wait . . . . That ship may have sailed.
So far, this series of “In the Flesh” is much more complex than the last. Can’t wait to see how it unfolds over the next five episodes.
The final episode in the short first season of BBC’s “In the Flesh” is a doozy. Grab your Kleenex, a favorite stuffed animal, and something to muffle your sobs before you watch. I’ll wait . . . . Got yourself together? Then let’s get to it.
From BBC:
After visiting the supermarket where he used to hunt with Amy, Kieren remembers that Jem once spared his life. Together, brother and sister confront the demons in their pasts and visit Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster. Kieren feels momentarily better, but then has to say goodbye to Amy who is leaving Roarton in search of The Prophet. Will Kieren and Rick be able to find peace and acceptance as PDS sufferers in this highly-charged new world?
On the heels of the previous episode, we see Rick ditch Kieren in favor of driving back into town with his father, Bill. Of course, Bill takes advantage of this. Thinks he’s got his son firmly on his side when it comes to his position on PDS victims. The problem is, Bill still doesn’t see his son as one of the undead. As long as Rick keeps up appearances, he continues to treat Rick like he always has and Kieren is the devil. Sadly, that’s how Bill has always seen Kieren. Because he had the audacity to love Rick. Just like Bill can’t accept Kieren’s PDS, he also couldn’t tolerate the love Rick shared with the boy. Though never stated outright, Rick’s decision to go into the army was instigated by his father. As was the fact that Rick left without a word to Kieren, and none of ‘Ren’s letters reached his friend while he was in the service.
Where Bill failed to accept reality, Jem, Kieren, and their mother Sue have begun to adapt to the new reality. Sue attends a counseling group for parents of PDS victims, where she’s finally able to vocalize her anger over her son’s suicide. Once it’s out of her system, she can move onto the idea of a new start with him. Jem and Kieren make a pilgrimage to the house of his final victim on the heels of a flashback showing that Jem spared his life when he was rabid. She was the sole reason ‘Ren and Amy went into the rehab facility when the standing HVF orders in Roarton were to kill Rotters on sight. Somehow, through seeing the hope and pain Lisa’s parents deal with every day, the siblings are able to finally bond—their guilt is a better glue than all the yelling and fighting that’s gone on since he came home. Guilt gave them equal footing. A way to see the world from the same vantage point. Which is a good thing, because by the end of the episode, Kieren’s going to need as much support from his family as possible. But more on that later.
Say goodbye to Amy. Hopefully not for good, though. After a council mandate stating all PDS households be marked, one of the HVF members tasked with the job takes extreme offense to Amy’s acceptance of her new lifestyle. He attacks her, in her own bedroom, and forces her to put on the flesh-toned makeup all PDS victims are presented with when released from the rehab facility. It’s a stark reminder that, though seemingly free to do as she wishes, Amy has no one to protect her. She lives alone. There’s no family to step in on her behalf. If she stays in Roarton, either she denies her new identity and covers up, or the HVF put her down like a rabid Rotter. For them, there’s no distinction between a treated PDS victim and the rabid animals out in the woods. They’re so tied up in what the undead uprising means in relation to their faith, they can’t begin to see the truth—this is a second chance for many to do things right in their lives. Or have a life at all, in Amy’s case.
The last portion of the episode were difficult to watch. When Rick finally strips off the human disguise he’d hidden behind since returning home and refuses to kill Kieren, Bill snaps. We don’t know how bad it is until Rick’s truly dead body is found propped against the Walker family home. And of course Kieren is the one to find his best friend’s corpse. Back at the Macy house, Bill goes through a psychotic snap, forcing himself to forget Rick’s return as a PDS victim. To him, it’s been five years since he saw his son. But not really. He knows what he did. Bill can’t face his actions. Lies to his wife. It isn’t until Kieren confronts him about it that we see how far gone Bill truly is. He’s bought the Vicar’s bull. Fully believes this round of undead visitors is temporary—there will be a second rising, one where only those who deserve it will return to life as true humans, not PDS. Something snaps Bill out of it, blood on his hands from the fight with Kieren. Bill runs from the argument, from his wife’s mourning. Only to wind up with a chest full of lead, a gift from a man whose wife Bill shot down in the first episode.
Bill reaped what he sowed. Unfortunately, he took his son with him and almost took Kieren down as well. One good thing came from the tragedy—the Walker family finally pulled their heads out of the sand and talked openly and honestly about everything that’s happened since Kieren’s suicide. They’re in a better place emotionally. How long will peace last, though? There’s still the Vicar, who wields manipulation better than a surgeon with a scalpel. He won’t stand for PDS people being in Roarton.
We’ll revisit this quaint town soon with the first episode of season two. Maybe things will be better for the undead. One can only hope.
These little visits with the not-so-nice people of Roarton have become the highlight of my week. What are they up to in the second episode of BBC’s “In the Flesh”? Lies, lies, and—surprise—more lies.
From BBC:
Feeling trapped at home, Kieren escapes to his grave where he is reunited with his old hunting partner, Amy Dyer, who persuades him to take a dangerous day trip. After fleeing when he is spotted, Kieren discovers that Rick, his former best mate who died in Afghanistan, is back in town and is persuaded by Amy to go and see him at partisan local pub, The Legion. After an awkward reunion, Kieren finds himself on an HVF hunting mission in the woods, where the night patrol has reported live rabid zombies roaming free.
Which liar to tackle first? Might as well make that liars and point out the Swiss cheese logic fueling the Walker Family. Kieren is being treated like a mental case from the good ol’ days, back when the mentally disturbed were treated with ice baths, overdoses of opiates, and left to wallow in their filth until such time as they became mindless zombies, easily manipulated by doctors. Once they were free from the asylum, their families secreted them away. A dirty family secret best left locked in the cellar. Jem, despite still hating her brother for killing himself, knows the lies their parents feed Kieren are wrong and will only hurt him. She’s constantly talked over in this episode, and at some points walked out of the room before she says anything to undermine the fantasy Sue and Steve have created for their new way of existing. They’re living in a yacht on the Nile, so far removed from reality it’s going to bite them in the backside like a starving crocodile.
Which is exactly what happens when they leave Kieren alone in the house for the afternoon. He gets cabin fever and takes a walk. To a cemetery. Because all well-adjusted zombies like to take a stroll to their own grave. Except Kieren isn’t well-adjusted. He’s an emotionally traumatized and bullied teen who thought he’d finally ended his pain when he cut his wrists four years ago. Not only did he return, but was dumped right back into the same awful place which forced him to take his life. And this time there’s no way out. No friend to buffer him from the cruelest alpha-male jockstraps walking around Roarton. He’s an artist, or was before his death. Small town men don’t understand him. Small town women don’t trust him to be capable of providing for them. Aside from his seriously dysfunctional and lying family, he’s alone.
Enter Amy—who’s a few crumbs short of a cookie and doesn’t care. Really, she doesn’t. In a breath of fresh, possibly insane air, she swoops in and saves Kieren from being, well, himself. She points a shining mirror at his life. Questions everything he’s done since returning home. Amy even invades his home, spills a bunch of lie-abolishing truth about PDS people on his family’s dinner conversation, and makes him seriously think about his quality of life and the lies he’s allowed his parents to live in.
“They don’t like admitting that I’m—”
“What? The undead?”
“Yeah.”
“Shouldn’t they start getting used to it?”
“No.”
“Shouldn’t you start getting used to it?”
She’s also the only person who’s stopped and really talked to Kieren about his suicide. Not blame him and hate him like Jem, but try to understand why he did it. Show a little sympathy for the decision he made. And then point out how stupid he was to waste the life he’d been given, when she’d had no choice—dead from leukemia before ever truly living.
Every PDS person returning to normal life needs their own Amy. Rick Macy, son of HVF leader Bill Macy, could learn a lot from her. From the second he steps off the transport truck, he’s telling similar lies to the one’s the Walkers peddle with every single breath. Rick tries too hard to be normal, to make his father believe nothing’s changed—because Rick knows the second he acts like a zombie, his father won’t respect him. Zombies are not normal. They won’t make their father’s proud. They can’t continue the family name. What good is a dead person to a man like Bill Macy? So Rick lies. He commits self-harming actions, like drinking and eating even though PDS bodies cannot process anything they ingest and get violently ill. The one good thing Rick accomplishes amidst his lies and acts of normalcy is reclaiming his position as buffer in Kieren’s life. But does Kieren really need that buffer now that Amy made him stop and examine where his future could lead?
It’d appear she’s done some good. When Kieren and Rick help the HVF track down a pair of rabid Rotters in the woods, he steps in and uses sound reasoning to keep first Rick, then Bill and his cronies from slaughtering the zombies. Sure, Rick is now diminished in his father’s eyes—why would anyone listen to a pansy who slit his own wrists? But Kieren may have found a purpose to his second life. If he takes Rick down a similar path, they’ll be golden.
Can Rick and Kieren break the habits hanging on from their old lives to start something better or will Bill’s grip on their lives derail the positive influence of Amy’s presence? There’s one more episode in season one of “In the Flesh.” We’ll find out which way the guys go soon.
A review of “In the Flesh” season 1 episode 1
By A. Zombie
They’re trying something a little different in the ZSC command center this summer. This time around, my assignment is to tackle the BBC’s breakout hit “In the Flesh.” Let’s not waste any time getting into episode one.
From BBC:
Partially Deceased Syndrome sufferer Kieren Walker returns home to the cauldron of Roarton, but doesn’t receive a warm welcome from all. His parents, Steve and Sue, are undoubtedly pleased to see him, but his sister, Jem, isn’t so ready to pick up where they left off when Kieren died back in 2009. Meanwhile, the zombie-hating Human Volunteer Force, led by the violent Bill Macy, are ready to take action against any PDS sufferer reintegrated on their patch.
Right out of the gate, the show is visually impressive. Detailed, but not overly done effects makeup on the undead. Fully dressed sets. The cinematography adds movement to the first moments, which could’ve been a boring one-sided walkie-talkie conversation. But they killed it when viewers realize they’ve used an age-old trope—opening a show with an action-packed dream or flashback sequence. It’s been done to death. Even with them working it into the plot, explaining that the rehabilitated zombies will suffer side-effects such as flashbacks, it’s not a strong start story-wise.
Where they catch interest is in the way they handle a beaten-to-death zombie plotline. Yes, the zombies rose from the dead. Yes, for quite some time humans were forced to fight against ravenous hordes or die. But instead of seeking to wipe out the undead population, the humans found a way to reboot a zombie’s mind with Neurotripteline and make them mostly human again. The rehabilitated zombies are slowly reintroduced into society. Sure, they have to put on colored contacts and paint their pallid flesh to resemble the living, but it’s worth it to be at home again. Much to the delight of folks in backward small towns.
That was sarcasm.
In Roarton, we’re introduced to the main cast. Some of whom we’ll no doubt grow to like or at least tolerate, like Kieren’s family. Others we can only hope will find the toothy end of a rabid rotter—slang for an untreated zombie. Of the latter are Bill Macy and his pal Vicar Oddie. Bill runs the local zombie killing group, the HVF. In its heyday, the HVF were heroes. Always on the front line against the zombies. But since the rehabilitation program and the PDS Protection Act went into law, most cities disbanded their local HVF chapters. But not good ol’ Roarton. There’s little to no official government involvement in a town so small. The Parish Council rules all, and most of them side with the HVF. Vicar Oddie has his fingers in all the pies. He knows what buttons to push to send his wild dog—Bill Macy—off on the hunt. He uses Bill’s anger after his son’s death for his own gain. Why should these zombies be allowed to come back and live with them when Bill’s son, Rick, remained dead in Afghanistan? We’re shown a brutal example of Bill’s hate toward the end of the episode. What would he do if he knew Kieren were back in town and that one of his own HVF soldiers, Jem, was protecting a zombie? Pretty sure we’ll find out soon enough.
“In the Flesh” may have fresh-faced actors in the lead roles, resembling Warm Bodies, but where the film made light out of the zombie condition—curing it with the power of love—the show shines a blinding light on the hate that can manifest when normal people are faced with something they don’t comprehend. Jem calls her brother a demon when he returns home. She refuses to believe Kieren is actually back until he tells her something only he’d know. And even then, she still hates him because she cannot understand why he killed himself four years prior. Ignorance is the perfect breeding ground for turmoil, and there’s plenty of that in Roarton.
How long until the humans turn on each other? Hate can’t be contained to just one set of people, or not-quite-people in this case. Eventually tempers will get the better of everyone.
Mason Jones is a good, strong character, and as the story progresses, we learn a little here and there about the Army Ranger. His development is paced nicely, and the story has enough action to keep one reading. When all hell breaks loose in the zombie testing facility, the action is non-stop, edge of your seat to the end.
Though I did the copy edit on this novella, I am always about giving honest reviews, and Better Hero Army asked if I would do so. I would definitely recommend this novella and its prequel if you’re into action-packed zombie stories. I look forward to working with Better Hero Army again and to see where he takes this story line. Even though I received this story as work, I did purchase the novella.
I give this novella 5 Jinxes (stars) per my star rating system: 1=hated it, 2=disliked it, 3=liked it, 4=really liked it, and 5=loved it.
You can grab a copy of the book by clicking on the cover photo above or by clicking HERE.
Another season of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” has come and gone, taking bits of our collective sanity with it. For the first half of season four, viewers waited for the inevitable—the Governor’s attack on a now peaceful survivor group making a home in a rundown prison. The second half lulled fans into a false sense of security, slowing the pace to nearly a standstill until the finale. Was it a smart move? Hard to say. While the events in the finale were indeed shocking—ample amounts of yelling echoed through the ZSC Command Center—some fans abandoned ship (and hope) before the episode aired, stating there wasn’t enough action to keep their interest. With a few exceptions (Look at the flowers…) the second half of season four didn’t pack the same punch as previous story arcs. It led up to a heck of a plot twist, though.
You know the drill, there’s spoilers in this review. If you haven’t watched the finale, do so before reading on.
To dig the knife in fan’s hearts a little more, the finale contained numerous flashbacks to life at the prison after the Governor’s first failed attack. Hershel played a key part in Rick’s life during that time, and fans were treated to Scott Wilson’s return to TWD, if only for one last episode. Hershel was the one to turn Avenger Rick into Farmer Rick by pointing out the potential in the land within the prison fences. Seeing Hershel again acted as a reminder that no matter how much one does for others, in the end kindness won’t stop a bullet, or sword, from taking their life.
Hershel saved Rick, gave him something other than vengeance and death to motivate him, get him out of bed every day. Rick in turn attempted to save Carl the same way. We saw how well Hershel’s guidance worked. Rick withdrew from the inner-workings of the survivor group, true. But his focus laid on providing the group with something new, something thought impossible after months on the run—sustainable food sources. An idea we’ll touch on again when Rick and company hit Terminus, but for a whole different reason.
A huge part of the weight dragging down Carl and his father is the question, who are they now? Rick long ago abandoned his notion of being a good cop, that part of his personality slaughtered by Shane, Lori, and the Governor. Carl grew up the instant he killed Shane’s reanimated corpse to save his father, and turned even colder after he put a bullet in his mother’s head to keep her from coming back undead. They went from a moderately happy family (the tension between Rick and Lori was established in episode one) to a man and his son, both baptized in blood and gore. How can anyone come back from what they’ve seen, what they’ve done in the name of survival? What would they say to Judith—should they find her again—to justify their actions? At last Rick seems able to cope with the turn in their life. Carl still struggles, wondering what they’ll say to the people at Terminus when they arrive. Rick answers, “We’re going to tell ’em who we are.” Carl isn’t appeased. “How can you say that? Who are we?”
“I was just another monster . . . . I was gone for a long time.”
Michonne faced the same struggle after her son’s death. She mutilated her boyfriend and friend after they were turned walker (while stoned, failing to protect young Andre) and lost herself amongst the walker herds until she stumbled across Andrea.
Admitting how far off the reservation she’d gone wasn’t easy, but Michonne wanted to drive home the quality and kind-hearted people Carl had been surrounded by, citing that Andrea, Rick, and the others saved her. They could save Carl as well, even if only through remembering their strength.
Too bad they weren’t there the night Joe and his gang attacked.
To make it short, sweet, and not rehash possible abuse triggers . . . Joe’s group deserved their brutal deaths. They thought they could be a law unto themselves, ignoring the basic morals that’d guided humanity up until the walkers arrived. They were wrong. So, so wrong. There are horrors only moderately acceptable in order to survive. What these guys did went way beyond that. If Daryl hadn’t been moping over Beth’s kidnapping, he would’ve seen it and possibly handled things long before they attacked Rick, Michonne, and Carl. He didn’t. That guilt will sit on his shoulders for a long time. Rick, on the other hand, has no qualms about what they did to Joe’s group. He did what he had to do. Calm, practical Rick has returned at last.
And he’s got a taste for blood. Literally. The guy tore another man’s throat out with his teeth.
At last, the majority of the prison group finds their way to Terminus. The place isn’t half bad—clean, nice gardens, loads of flowers, friendly faces . . . oh and a cage full of butchered human remains. Wait, what? We’re not given the full story about the folks running Terminus, but one can draw their own conclusion—they’ve found the secret to a sustainable food source with little to no effort, or water, needed. They don’t kill Rick and company after the group reacts to finding items they know belong to Maggie and Glenn. Instead Gareth, the man they first encounter at Terminus, and his goons herd the group through the maze of buildings with well-placed gunshots. Wasting ammo much? They must not need to pick off walkers with the way they’ve set up the compound. Or they’ve gotten really good at luring in well-supplied suckers.
So the bad news is, Rick and his crew are held captive in a train car, surrounded by possible cannibals. The upside? They’ve been reunited with Glenn, Maggie, Bob, and Sasha. Sgt. Ford and his group are alive as well. With that many people at his disposal, there’s no doubt Rick will get them out of this mess. You know, once season five airs in the fall.
Tell us your favorite season four moments in the comments below.
Here we are, creeping closer to the end of Walking Dead’s fourth season. The first half gave viewers nervous ticks, keeping them on the edge of their seat until the mid-season finale. In stark contrast, the second half has so far lulled fans, calmed down the non-stop action from previous seasons. No doubt in preparation to drop a world of angst on their heads next week in the finale. Or so we hope. Things have picked up a little, but still haven’t brought the tension to the levels seen before the hiatus. What action we’ve seen that progresses the plot has only left a lot of question marks rattling around our heads. There’s loose threads waving around everywhere. We’ll have to wait and see what gets tied up in the finale and what’s left to hang until season five.
Beware, for the path you will take will lead you to certain spoilers!
After Rick, Michonne, and Carl ditched their invaded safe house, we haven’t seen them since the end of episode 411. In that time, apparently all they’ve done is walk and drink nearly all their water supply. Strange, since Michonne is the most capable killer on the show. Rick is the main character. And Carl has grown and matured the most in four seasons of TWD. A good chunk of what makes the show compelling lays with those three. We see them for maybe two minutes in this episode—just long enough to watch them walking and laughing. Sure, it shows Rick’s hope returning, along with Carl and Michonne’s building friendship, but after three episodes without, a quick peak isn’t enough to bring these three back into the story for the finale.
Finding trust in Mullet Man . . . I mean Eugene, is really difficult. There’s so many little things he does throughout his scenes that brings into question the truth behind his babbling. Boy, does he talk a lot. For the most part, when a character talks non-stop, we start to wonder what they’re hiding behind all the mindless chatter. Eugene dominates every conversation with what seems like inane chatter—ranging from how to build batteries ala MacGuyver, to the possibility of zombie dinosaurs. (A distant cousin to zombie bunnies? I’m not cleaning up after them.) Since joining forces, Eugene fought Sgt. Ford’s orders to follow Glenn and Tara in their search for Maggie. Could he be a closet romantic? Doubt it. Something about his interest in the others doesn’t feel right. Here’s a guy who supposedly knows what’s really going on with the zombies, yet he’s more than willing to delay their mission for days, possibly weeks, to help complete strangers in what was very much a doomed mission from the get-go. He signed his escorts on for a mission to hunt a needle in a haystack. Doesn’t make sense when he may be capable of putting an end to their primary problem—the creatures trying to eat them. Or can he fix this at all?
Glenn and Tara do a lot of rehashing about what happened during the prison attack in the episode. Honestly, most of it wasn’t needed. If they’d stuck to showing Tara’s guilt over what happened and wrapped it up with a truncated version of their conversation in the tunnel, Glenn’s acceptance of her would’ve had a larger impact. Instead, it kinda came across like woe-is-me whining. Tara needs to find her backbone again. After the prison, she lost everything that made her an interesting character and became a stereotypical angst-ridden, confused woman with no substance. When they finally tried to give her substance, it was something we’d heard so often it meant nothing, until Glenn reunited with Maggie and when he introduced Tara, he didn’t out her as one of the Governor’s lackeys.
Yes, Glenn and Maggie are together again, against all odds and reason. Once more, they’re using the pair to give a shaft of hope before chaos hits the fan. The reunion was telegraphed, killing some of the excitement.
At last we get to see more about Joe and his crew, who’ve decided to keep Daryl around—they’re reasoning being no one can survive alone. Something suggests they have ulterior motives. Those guys, not telling the full story? Never. [/sarcasmfont] Joe’s group isn’t completely lawless. Which is probably a good thing. They don’t seem to be stellar pillars of the community, Len being a primary example of what could happen if Joe allowed his guys off the leash. Len picked a fight with Daryl, and through no action on Daryl’s part, ended up vulture bait. Through subtle manipulation, giving his guys the illusion that they have control through the “claim” system, Joe keeps his wild dogs under control. Or should they be called alley cats? When he caught Daryl skulking around, his head wrapped up in Beth’s whereabouts Joe told him, “Ain’t nothin’ sadder than an outdoor cat that thinks he’s an indoor cat.” He knows their place. Fully understands that his crew is comprised of the dredges of humanity. Yet Joe embraces it and continues to adopt strays, similar to what Daryl did once they’d settled into the prison. With Joe’s influence, we’re seeing the rougher Daryl reemerge. Beth gave him someone to care for. None of the guys he’s traveling with now need that much, if any, help. Daryl has no responsibilities. He can sink back into the mind frame he had when chasing after Merle, wreaking havoc wherever their bikes took them. What’ll happen if they find Beth again? Can the alley cat learn to behave indoors?
Next week is the season four finale. We caught a glimpse of Terminus when Glenn and gang rolled in. So far it seems . . . pleasant. Then again, so did Woodbury. The preview suggests we have some yelling in store. About time.
What do you think, is Terminus a legitimate safe haven where the survivors can finally let their guard down? Let us know what you think is in store for everyone in the comments below.
Completely Unhinged Review of “The Walking Dead” 414 – “The Grove”
Have you recovered yet? We sure as heck haven’t. This week “The Walking Dead” pulled no emotional punches. They went there and didn’t bat an eyelash. Unfortunately “there” may have been a little too far for some of the younger actors involved. A lot was asked of them and it didn’t quiet . . . work. Some of the intensely emotional scenes failed to fully grab the audience and jerk them into the moment. Melissa McBride delivered a stellar performance in this episode. One of her best in the series. She succeeded where others couldn’t handle it and pulled the audience deeper into the heart-wrenching events of the episode. One woman cannot make a show, though. Certainly not a show built on a solid ensemble cast during the early seasons. The longer the show sticks to intimate cast sizes per episode, the more drawn out and god-awfully slow it feels. Not good for TWD fans who came to the party expecting copious amounts of brain-bashing action.
What are we going to do this week, Brain? Same thing we do every week, Pinky. Post TWD spoilers.
It is no secret that Lizzie is completely unglued. Her grasp on her own mortality and the real danger the walkers pose to her safety was never solid. In this episode, it becomes painfully clear that she’s always been slightly off. Little Mika has obviously spent ample time learning how to distract her sister from whatever isn’t right in her head. We have no name for what’s wrong with Lizzie. She’s convinced the walkers are simply an evolved version of ourselves. They speak to her. Demand she take care of them and provide food. Somewhere along the way, being undead became an appealing prospect. Was this a way to cope with the losses her family faced since the walkers started shuffling around? Hard to tell now that we know she wasn’t all there to begin with.
Dealing with mental illness after the healthcare system has fallen to the wayside along with the government, sewer maintenance, water stations, etc., can’t be easy. Many suffering from mental health problems rely on medicine to recalibrate the chemicals in their brains. Others need the calming effects of a regulated schedule, which often includes regular visits with a mental health professional of some sort. None of the methods used to treat problems like Lizzie’s are available to her. Mika does her best, calming her sister while providing insight to the adults who’ve taken care of them since their father’s death. Did daddy dearest know how far gone his eldest daughter was before the flu claimed him? We didn’t see much, if anything, about the girls until his passing. Would Lizzie have snapped so completely if their father had been the one to take them from the prison instead of Tyreese and Carol?
Carol has tried so hard to become cold, calculating, and pragmatic since losing Sophia. She killed Karen and David, only showing remorse when it came time to confess to Rick and then, in this episode, Tyreese. The remorse came because Carol knew she’d betrayed their trust. She fully believed killing Karen and David would prevent the spread of a disease the prison population had no hope of fighting off on their own without medicine and a team of doctors. They were necessary deaths. Something she did for the better of everyone. Carol knows there’s people surviving in their new world who are only making it because of others. Sophia, as Carol put it, “Didn’t have a mean bone in her body.” Killing to survive was well beyond her comfort levels. Mika is the same way, despite Carol’s attempts to toughen her up.
Too bad her lessons didn’t stick.
Lizzie’s madness cost her sister her life. Is anyone to blame? No. Nevertheless, Carol’s guilt nearly cripples her, makes her hesitate to do the necessary thing. Is death ever necessary? In our world, no. Murder is senseless. Unnatural to the teachings of the numerous world religions which are the cornerstone of our morals. But in a world where every day is a fight to take just one more breath, one must weigh the good of the many against the individual. Carol and Tyreese were faced with that decision—try to save Lizzie, despite the depth of her mental illness or ensure Judith’s safety, as well as their own. In the end, Carol’s ruthless practicality stepped in and allowed her to make the hard decision. Lizzie had to die. No matter how they arranged it, someone would end up alone with her and Lizzie’s inclination to turn everyone into a walker would get the best of her, and them. What if Lizzie ran off and some do-gooder brought her into their camp? Nothing good could’ve come from her continuing to live unmedicated and unchecked by her sister’s kind soul.
In order for the show to catch their audience again, they need to pick up the pace. There’s only two episodes left in season four and the entire second half of the season has been spent backtracking. Why? They brought too many characters in too quickly during the prison days. None of the new survivors who walked away from the prison attack got much screen time, giving viewers a group of strangers to follow who they had no connection to. While yes, it’s good to get to know a character, it’s too little too late this long after the characters have been introduced. All the character development slowed down the pace of the show. It’s become “The Lord of the Rings,” with every single character’s progress no more than walking a few miles. Are they growing emotionally? Yes. Has anything really happened since the prison fight? Can’t say it has. We’ve got a budding fan-service relationship, two dead kids, and a lot of people walking on train tracks after six episodes. Not to mention two new groups of survivors who will likely get the same lack-of-development treatment as the others. The entire first season was only six episodes and look what they accomplished there.
Will everyone meet at Terminus by the end of season four? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
This was a hectic week in the ZSC Command Center, with a good number of our commanders off in Sacramento, CA for Wizard World Comic Con. Perhaps it was the insanity of our week transferring, but somehow this week’s episode of “The Walking Dead” felt just as discombobulated. Disconnected. Schizophrenic. The scenes jumped around a lot. Possibly to force the show’s pace to pick up again after last week’s slow-down to focus on Daryl and Beth? Whatever the reason, the latest episode fell somewhat flat. The energy was forced, when in reality not much actually happened to progress the plot until the end of the hour. With that in mind, let’s see what some of the characters were up to this week.
You know the drill. There’s spoilers below this text. Read ahead at your own risk.
The episode kicked off with an unexpected flashback showing Bob’s life in the week or so before Glenn and Daryl found him and brought him to the prison. He’d been completely alone, drinking cough syrup because there’s no liquor stores when wandering in the wilderness, and hardly doing anything that’d be considered truly living. There hasn’t been a flashback on the show—a true flashback, unlike Michonne’s weird dreams and hallucinations—in quite some time. Some viewers may have been confused, wondering where Sasha and Maggie were if Bob was alone and looking like he hadn’t shaved or seen bath water in over a month. While the flashback drove home the suck-fest that is surviving alone in the zombie apocalypse, it wasn’t necessary. Bob’s argument with Sasha later, the ragged emotion in his voice when he tells her about how awful the isolation was as he wandered aimlessly without anyone to watch his back so he could get even a couple hours of sleep, told the truth of the loneliness far better than a confusing flashback. Which only added to the disjointed feeling of the episode.
Strangely, instead of touching base with the show’s lead character, Rick, we caught up with Beth and Daryl again. Who we saw for an hour last week. Show runners are really driving that pair home in the minds of fans. Methinks the lady doth protest too much. We get it. There’s something brewing between these two. Short of renting an airplane and writing it in the sky, there’s not much more the writers can do to inform us this unspoken something between Daryl and Beth will be romantic. Though honestly it wasn’t until Daryl, the man who had been a nomad long before stumbling across his first walker, suggested settling down that the idea of a relationship between the two fully clicked. This is an instance where subtly was thrown out the window… which isn’t fair to fans. Watching something brew between two characters organically, like what happened with Glenn and Maggie, is part of the thrill. Daryl and Beth feels like fan service. Would it happen eventually without them forcing it? Probably.
As far as the characters know, they’re the only survivors from the prison. Everyone they knew is gone and for the most part, whenever they encounter new survivors, the newbies try to kill them. Take Beth’s random abduction, for example. Who has gas left over a year into the apocalypse? Even the group at the prison had to start rationing gas. Michonne took to riding a horse or walking on her numerous trips out to track the governor.
But they’ve introduced yet another group of survivors, led by a guy named Joe.
Right off the bat, it’s obvious they won’t take any guff from Daryl. But are they friend or foe? So far, they’ve only threatened violence if Daryl does something rash and stupid. Will they help him find Beth? Who knows? Joe and gang weren’t on screen long enough to do more than tease their existence.
When will we catch up with the other survivors? What do you think is happening with Glenn, Rick, Michonne, Carol, and the others? Let us know in the comments below.
Kieren’s escape route is blocked. He’s denied what he considers a chance to start again in a city that may or may not allow him to be himself, unlike the small minds in Roarton. Given the fact that his father insisted to send him on his way with a French-themed breakfast—complete with awful “French” music, berets, French-pressed coffee, and French toast (the latter two Kieren can’t even enjoy)—the poor kid needs to get away. Instead he’s ordered back to town after being refused a train ticket. Amy, too even though she wasn’t trying to leave. She tagged along to convince Kieren to stay, acting on Simon’s orders. Most of what Amy has to say comes from the heart, though. Kieren is running away from his problems. He isn’t trying to fix anything. This trip isn’t so much about finding himself as putting distance between him and the painful emotions in Roarton—his parents’ failure to understand who he really is, the town’s small-minded anti-gay sentiment, and Rick’s second and final death. Try as he might to start over, Kieren’s problems start and end with his inability to accept himself. He’s hiding behind layers of makeup, lies, and evasion.
The government plans to use PDS sufferers as slave labor. They’ve concocted a scheme in which the undead “give back” to their communities after leaving rehab. If they’re good, their cases are reviewed after six months and their rights as a living person renewed. It sounds almost reasonable. Until you stop and really think about it. They’re making people who had no control over their return from the dead earn a place in society again as though they’re car thieves and drug addicts. We make criminals work community service hours in order to prove they can be trusted and let off the leash, so to speak. And there is no guarantee PDS people will actually regain their rights. The law is written to only promise their cases be reviewed, nothing more. It’s entirely possible that every PDS sufferer whose case is reviewed in six months is ordered to complete more “give back” hours. A reality Kieren is now considering after a talk with Simon.
Naughty Phillip, the newest council member in Roarton, has been visiting PDS prostitutes. But not necessarily for the obvious reason. He’s using them to replicate his fleeting relationship with Amy. Which I’m pretty sure was a just a one-night-stand. Someone is watching him. They know what he’s up to. The fall-out from his nightly visits will rattle the council again.
The major focus of the episode wasn’t so much Kieren and the other PDS trapped in town—who make the most of it by partying and getting high on lamb’s brains—but Jem’s continuing failure to seek treatment for her PTSD. She has a fleeting moment where everything seems okay. The kids at school find out she’s a HVF “hero” and the harassment turns into a form of worship. She’s bringing friends home to hang out. Going out to spend time with the girls. Sure, Jem still suffers hallucinations, but they’re easier to brush off. Until an idiot PDS kid gets his hands on Blue Oblivion and turns rabid at school. Of course everyone will think sending the hero in to kill the rabid undead is a good idea. They don’t understand what it was like for Jem—who was only fourteen during her first mission—during the rising. Of course she panics at the school. Fails to dispatch the “rotter”, which is a good thing because the drug does wear off. Something we hadn’t seen before. Instead of talking it out, getting help for her PTSD, Jem decides to arm up and resume patrolling for rotters. And kills an innocent PDS boy who had the biggest crush on her.
Despite the tension rife within almost every character interaction, the tone for the second series is, so far, much lighter. Even the color pallets are brighter. Except Kieren. He’s still a blob of drab compared to Amy’s vibrancy. Part of it may well be that he wants to blend in as much as possible. Fall into the background, work, earn money, and get gone before people realize he’s still there. Still the loner. And most importantly, still the boy who killed himself and rose from the dead. How often each day does Kieren curse his family for burying him instead of cremating him, as he’d requested? His parents are coping. Slowly. Sue fell back to her role of, “don’t rock the boat,” “everything is normal.” Steve’s adjustment period is taking much longer. He’s at the over-sharing stage of talk therapy. Anything and everything bothering him comes out his mouth. Unfortunately, it’s usually something that pains Kieren or embarrasses him. Jem, unlike the others, is having the hardest time moving on. She’s back in school. A loner now, like her brother. Worse is the PTSD she won’t talk about with anyone, but it’s begun to affect her life day and night.
On the heels of the previous episode, we see Rick ditch Kieren in favor of driving back into town with his father, Bill. Of course, Bill takes advantage of this. Thinks he’s got his son firmly on his side when it comes to his position on PDS victims. The problem is, Bill still doesn’t see his son as one of the undead. As long as Rick keeps up appearances, he continues to treat Rick like he always has and Kieren is the devil. Sadly, that’s how Bill has always seen Kieren. Because he had the audacity to love Rick. Just like Bill can’t accept Kieren’s PDS, he also couldn’t tolerate the love Rick shared with the boy. Though never stated outright, Rick’s decision to go into the army was instigated by his father. As was the fact that Rick left without a word to Kieren, and none of ‘Ren’s letters reached his friend while he was in the service.
Say goodbye to Amy. Hopefully not for good, though. After a council mandate stating all PDS households be marked, one of the HVF members tasked with the job takes extreme offense to Amy’s acceptance of her new lifestyle. He attacks her, in her own bedroom, and forces her to put on the flesh-toned makeup all PDS victims are presented with when released from the rehab facility. It’s a stark reminder that, though seemingly free to do as she wishes, Amy has no one to protect her. She lives alone. There’s no family to step in on her behalf. If she stays in Roarton, either she denies her new identity and covers up, or the HVF put her down like a rabid Rotter. For them, there’s no distinction between a treated PDS victim and the rabid animals out in the woods. They’re so tied up in what the undead uprising means in relation to their faith, they can’t begin to see the truth—this is a second chance for many to do things right in their lives. Or have a life at all, in Amy’s case.
Right out of the gate, the show is visually impressive. Detailed, but not overly done effects makeup on the undead. Fully dressed sets. The cinematography adds movement to the first moments, which could’ve been a boring one-sided walkie-talkie conversation. But they killed it when viewers realize they’ve used an age-old trope—opening a show with an action-packed dream or flashback sequence. It’s been done to death. Even with them working it into the plot, explaining that the rehabilitated zombies will suffer side-effects such as flashbacks, it’s not a strong start story-wise.
In Roarton, we’re introduced to the main cast. Some of whom we’ll no doubt grow to like or at least tolerate, like Kieren’s family. Others we can only hope will find the toothy end of a rabid rotter—slang for an untreated zombie. Of the latter are Bill Macy and his pal Vicar Oddie. Bill runs the local zombie killing group, the HVF. In its heyday, the HVF were heroes. Always on the front line against the zombies. But since the rehabilitation program and the PDS Protection Act went into law, most cities disbanded their local HVF chapters. But not good ol’ Roarton. There’s little to no official government involvement in a town so small. The Parish Council rules all, and most of them side with the HVF. Vicar Oddie has his fingers in all the pies. He knows what buttons to push to send his wild dog—Bill Macy—off on the hunt. He uses Bill’s anger after his son’s death for his own gain. Why should these zombies be allowed to come back and live with them when Bill’s son, Rick, remained dead in Afghanistan? We’re shown a brutal example of Bill’s hate toward the end of the episode. What would he do if he knew Kieren were back in town and that one of his own HVF soldiers, Jem, was protecting a zombie? Pretty sure we’ll find out soon enough.
It is no secret that Lizzie is completely unglued. Her grasp on her own mortality and the real danger the walkers pose to her safety was never solid. In this episode, it becomes painfully clear that she’s always been slightly off. Little Mika has obviously spent ample time learning how to distract her sister from whatever isn’t right in her head. We have no name for what’s wrong with Lizzie. She’s convinced the walkers are simply an evolved version of ourselves. They speak to her. Demand she take care of them and provide food. Somewhere along the way, being undead became an appealing prospect. Was this a way to cope with the losses her family faced since the walkers started shuffling around? Hard to tell now that we know she wasn’t all there to begin with.
Lizzie’s madness cost her sister her life. Is anyone to blame? No. Nevertheless, Carol’s guilt nearly cripples her, makes her hesitate to do the necessary thing. Is death ever necessary? In our world, no. Murder is senseless. Unnatural to the teachings of the numerous world religions which are the cornerstone of our morals. But in a world where every day is a fight to take just one more breath, one must weigh the good of the many against the individual. Carol and Tyreese were faced with that decision—try to save Lizzie, despite the depth of her mental illness or ensure Judith’s safety, as well as their own. In the end, Carol’s ruthless practicality stepped in and allowed her to make the hard decision. Lizzie had to die. No matter how they arranged it, someone would end up alone with her and Lizzie’s inclination to turn everyone into a walker would get the best of her, and them. What if Lizzie ran off and some do-gooder brought her into their camp? Nothing good could’ve come from her continuing to live unmedicated and unchecked by her sister’s kind soul.
