Monday 4 March 2019

Review #TheWalkingDead S9:12 GUARDIANS #TWDFamily #TWD

Review: S9:11 BOUNTY

Fascinating episode!  Love the more low key episodes that develop the relationships, the background, the personal dilemmas, and give hints about what's waiting in the wings; they make such a good contrast to those that are more heavy on the action.  Thanks to LaToya Morgan for some great dialogue and Michael E Satrazemis for directing.

First of all, I must say that I love how we still don't know exactly what drove the communities apart - this is going to really heighten its impact when full details are revealed!  I see that episode 14 is called Scars....

In Guardians, Alpha and Michonne both had their leadership challenged, though Michonne acted in the more reasonable fashion, ie, rethinking her position rather than garrotting Gabriel and feeding him to the 'guardians'.  😉



Whereas Rosita has become softer, Michonne has become harder, taking over from Rick in making not always popular decisions for the good of all.  I liked how the always lovely Aaron sided with her during the heated meeting.  However, she decided that Alexandria will go to the ball fair after all... dread to think what's going to happen there!  I suspect Aaron will get to say 'I told you so', though... 

Was it Judith saying that she, like Negan, had changed, that altered her decision?


When Michonne was talking about what a monster Negan used to be, I wanted her to say, 'That guy you feel sorry for, he beat Hershel's daddy to death with a baseball bat, in front of Aunt Maggie'.  Maybe that would have made Judith think differently.

Anyway, it was good to have an episode centred around Alexandria and many of our old chums again - how the place has changed, a far cry from Deanna's gated community...


...especially with the cell that Morgan built, currently housing Negan once more.  Should Michonne trust him, like Judith says?  



I'm not sure. 

Meanwhile, it's Rick, Lori and Shane all over again, with much future plot potential, though Gabriel seems cool with Rosita being pregnant by Siddiq.  I've read a couple of comments saying it's a daft soap opera, but TWD has always been about relationships between people as well as horror and guns.  It's why we love it.  You've got to give a damn about the people and what happens to them, in order to care who gets 'bit' and who doesn't.


And although I am still worried about the ludicrous possible development of Rosita ending up with Eugene, I found his declaration to Gabriel about being in love with her rather touching.


Back to the Whisperers, and yes, as predicted, the petulant and pouting Henry tried to kill the biggest and strongest, i.e., Beta, with his big stick.  Henry, listen: the dude was, like, Opie in Sons of Anarchy.  You were out of your league right from the start.  I'm looking forward to seeing more of Ryan Hurst!



It was interesting to see more of the Whisperers on their home turf, and how they live... and more psychopathic revelations about Alpha, from even before the zombie apocalypse. 

It struck me that 'the pack' is very much characteristic of ten years of living amongst the dead; you can't imagine such an evolution occurring back in the time of, say, the Governor and Woodbury, when survivors were still trying to create settlements in the image of the old world.  Can't imagine them cutting off Walker faces...


I very much like the pairing of Daryl and Connie - I know there are calls for a romance between them.  Love how Dog is trained to retrieve Daryl's arrows, too! 


I couldn't work out, all the way through, who Lydia was lying to; maybe there are truth and lies in all she says.  


Now that Daryl has stolen her once more, anything could happen - and given that next week's episode is called 'Chokepoint', I image that it won't be pretty.


Chokepoint: a point at which traffic or other movement can easily become blocked.   

But who will be blocked by whom?  Could it be those wagons that were being loaded back at Alexandria, to go off to Carol and Ezekiel's fair?  And all because Henry fancies Lydia; yep, he's going to get someone killed, for sure...



....and here are a few pictures of what's coming up:



2 comments:

  1. Nice review again Alpha Terry. I was sat there last night feeling an approaching sense of doom coming on as our group(s) head into a perfect storm some unwittingly & some like Aaron knowing that it's going to get messy. Gabriel & others have grown complacent in their Garden of Eden.Negan has a major part to play I feel in the coming war with the Whisperers. Finally bonus point for me in flagging up Alpha would be challenged over her hypocrisy in saving her own daughter but allowing other children/babies to die.

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    1. Oh yes, messy indeed! I see from next week's pics (I've added a few, above, since you read this, that they're all headed thataway, and trouble is brewing.... Michonne is right, as usual, and big thumbs up to Aaron. As for Alpha - no rules for psychos, I guess!

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