The Walking Dead S9

[gandalf26]

Is anyone still gonna watch this?

I'm feeling like I'm gonna watch the first few just out of curiosity about how the inevitable goes down, and maybe the brief aftermath but after that I'm genuinely done with it unless it grabs me (which is very unlikely).

Previous seasons have majorly sucked when you get several episodes without Rick but losing him altogether makes the show unwatchable imo.

Can you have Breaking Bad without Walter White or The Sopranos without Tony?

[Doolallyfrank]

I'm still watching it, we are Negan!
I'm not as enthusiastic as previous seasons, but it'll do til GoT is back

[gandalf26]

I thought it was a fairly good episode to be fair, I think they might be setting up a whodunnit that will last the rest of the season to keep folk watching.

[Doolallyfrank]

It wasn't the worst episode for sure, I have no idea what's gonna happen (apart from the whisperers) anything is possible after last season's shocking death

[Austruck]

I wish I hadn't heard several of the behind-the-scenes contraction-negotiations tidbits recently. It's making me watch with a little more knowledge of what's probably coming than I wish I had.

And I realize that the news about Rick Grimes's character leaving the show got spilled too early, so they decided to run with that information as a promotion instead, but it's really made it tough watching any other storyline this season so far. It's like they're shouting, "Nothing else matters except our countdown to when Rick Grimes is gone!" Honestly, who does that? I think they kinda shot themselves in the foot with that one because it's sucked all the tension out of every episode so far, *especially* last night's episode!

[gandalf26]

Yeah its weird, "Rick Grimes final episodes". Just another cheap marketing gimmick from a show that in the last few years have been full of that, especially the mid season finale.

Also why bother with the cliffhanger this episode to then immediately show us next week's preview with Rick clearly getting back on the horse.

I'm sure they will get loads of viewers next episode but then what?

[Austruck]

Exactly. That preview was stupid! Is this upcoming episode the midseason break? It's only episode 5.

[gandalf26]

I don't think so. Not sure if I will watch after next week. I'm sure it will be a whodunit though that will drag out over the season.

[Austruck]

Whodunnit for what? We know that Oceanside was behind the Saviors killings. What else is hanging around as a cliffhanger? (I'm blanking on this one!)

[gandalf26]

Whodunit for who kills Rick and they will milk that **** to the end of this season.

[Austruck]

Oh, I guess I assumed the spike sticking out of his side eventually does him in. Nobody seems to die of an infection in this show, and yet I bet it'd be pretty common. :D

[gandalf26]

Oh, I guess I assumed the spike sticking out of his side eventually does him in. Nobody seems to die of an infection in this show, and yet I bet it'd be pretty common. :D

Would be quite hilarious if he died of a nasty infection but no, his death will be milked as much as poss.

[Austruck]

Would be quite hilarious if he died of a nasty infection but no, his death will be milked as much as poss.

Agreed. It'll be the entire hour, for sure. Or is it more than an hour? Whatever. If they had a way to milk it through the commercials, they'd even do that. I can't get anywhere NEAR AMC anymore without a big ol' ad for RICK GRIMES' LAST EPISODES!

Yes yes yessssss… we know!

[Captain Steel]

The question is: will Rick lose his hand before he dies?

[Austruck]

The question is: will Rick lose his hand before he dies?

Aha, to align with the comics, you mean?

[Captain Steel]

Aha, to align with the comics, you mean?

Yep. It's been so long since I read any, I don't remember, but I think Rick went one-handed from pretty early on. I think I heard they didn't do that for the TV series because it would've been too time consuming and expensive to CGI Andrew Lincoln's hand out of every frame.

[Austruck]

Yep. It's been so long since I read any, I don't remember, but I think Rick went one-handed from pretty early on. I think I heard they didn't do that for the TV series because it would've been too time consuming and expensive to CGI Andrew Lincoln's hand out of every frame.

Yeah, I read that too, and it makes sense. :)

[Raven73]

I thought Episode 5, Rick Grimes's "final episode" was the best episode of the season so far. Lots of zombies, which is what I like.
I thought the conclusion on the bridge was spectacular!

[gandalf26]

Well...…..

_He aint dead
The group thinks he is
He is going to star in a bunch of spin off TWD movies
Another time jump (2nd this season)
Judith handles that magnum recoil well for an 8 year old
Carolegolas
Negan is a little bitch
Rick will return I think for TV series finale (hopefully soon)

[Austruck]

"Carolegolas"! :D :D :D

[dadgumblah]

Well, I'm liking things "post-Rick" including:


First and foremost, little bad ass Judith, but with a soft heart for strays.
The strays (new people). I find them really interesting, especially the ex-convict gal, Magna (Nadia Hilker), partly due to her mysteriousness, partly due to her hotness.
Carol with the long hair, seemingly more benign but now proved not to be after her torching of the remaining "Saviors" which was pretty damn awesome.
The reveal that Rick and Michonne had a son together. Interesting.
I know the showrunners and certain actors have mentioned that the show in S9 is like a Western and the reveal of the rebuilding of Alexandria (after the Saviors destroyed part of it) made it look a lot like a town out of an old TV Western.
Daryl living out in the wilderness, kind of separating himself from the communities, living off the land, and killing the odd Walker.
Eugene having evolved into an unafraid Walker killer. Love that.

Things I didn't like that much:


Michonne being such sour ass. I know she's been through a lot but it's been six years since Rick (as far as she knows) bit the big one and she's still bitter? What happened to all the "carrying on Rick and Carl's dream" of getting along with people. I know she doesn't trust because she thinks that all that dreaming is what got Rick "killed" but...get over it! Just my opinion.
Gabriel and Rosita being a couple. When did Gabriel become such a player?

That's all I can think of right now, but my likes outweigh the dislikes, so I'm still with the show. I think the time jumps have reinvigorated the show. We'll see how far the jump takes it.

[gandalf26]

Was that Carol or Sean Connery from The Rock? (borrowed gold)

[dadgumblah]

Was that Carol or Sean Connery from The Rock? (borrowed gold)

:D

[Austruck]

I'm liking the seeming evolution of the walkers into speech patterns... though I may have accidentally come upon a spoiler telling more about this so now I'm pissed about that. I liked not knowing a lot more than I like knowing. :D

Otherwise, I guess I wasn't too off about Michonne's attitude. She has sole responsibility now for Judith and little R.J. so that's bound to make someone a little more protective. Plus, she knows firsthand just how easily the things they've built can be torn back down.

I'm glad for a time jump, finally, but they've had two this season and it just still feels a bit jarring. So, baby Hershel is now about six or seven, but we haven't seen him yet. And was the bridge ever rebuilt? Because Michonne is somehow taking the newbies to Hilltop and I thought they needed the bridge for that. I'm assuming it was either rebuilt in the ensuing six years or they're takin' the long way around. :)

[Austruck]

Oh, also has *nothing* happened with the helicopter people in six years? How can anyone else in this universe have NOT heard those helicopters at some point? And, of course, what contact ever happened with the woman who gave Maggie the book of all the plans to rebuild society? (Can't think of her name at the moment.) These are the small reasons I dislike the time jump. Frankly, during this whole series (it's now been nearly ten years in this post-apocalyptic world), I was yearning to see how folks would go about rebuilding society and starting from scratch with technology, etc. I think of the small details like, what are they doing for toilet paper? Clothing? Let's assume everything that could be ransacked HAS been ransacked and gleaned so they must now finally start PRODUCING everything they need. So... the corn fuel, the crops, the windmill... but everyone's still wearing proper jeans and shirts and shoes? What about people who need glasses? Is everyone who takes insulin or other life-giving meds now just dead?

Skipping six years of society-rebuilding makes me a little sad. I almost want a documentary more than a scary story, I guess. :D

[Captain Steel]

On this note: a while ago I posed the theory that zombies that could not eat or drink would "die."

To kill them you just have to destroy the brain, right?
Well, any zombie that could not maintain the basic necessities for brain function would have their brains rot inside their skulls - i.e. without a food, water or oxygen source, their brains would decompose as any organic matter that is not maintained does.
Any zombies trapped (who couldn't eat) would have had their brains rot within a few weeks or months. Any submerged in water would cease functioning even faster. So, there would be no coming upon any "live" groups of zombies trapped within a building.

So years into the series, the only zombies functioning would be those that eat consistently to prevent brain decomposition or recent ones.

[Austruck]

Yes! This too! Their flesh and muscle is decomposing (which Greg Nicotero loves to show us in gory detail as often as possible), so that would include their brain matter.

I also keep wondering how they keep running across huge HERDS of these things ten years later! Let's assume that folks who are dying now get the ol' stab-in-the-brain before they're laid to rest. So, where are all these herds coming from? How have they not been mostly dispatched by now? You'd think one major job in a newly reformed society would be to go out and kill off these things as far and wide as you can in order to keep your community safe.

[Captain Steel]

Yes! This too! Their flesh and muscle is decomposing (which Greg Nicotero loves to show us in gory detail as often as possible), so that would include their brain matter.

I also keep wondering how they keep running across huge HERDS of these things ten years later! Let's assume that folks who are dying now get the ol' stab-in-the-brain before they're laid to rest. So, where are all these herds coming from? How have they not been mostly dispatched by now? You'd think one major job in a newly reformed society would be to go out and kill off these things as far and wide as you can in order to keep your community safe.

Right. In any sort of reality (I know that's silly since we're discussing things that can't happen anyway) - the zombies' masses would eventually be killed off by the living, and all newly deceased people would be dispatched before they could "turn."

Of course there'd still be some random zombies now and then, but for the most part the living would resume control.

In fact, even though civilization would take a hit in the beginning, I think a semblance of control would be restored relatively quickly, unlike the story in the show. And any rogue groups of survivors (like those in the show) would eventually hook back up with civilization.

Comparatively, a zombie apocalypse would be easier to come back from than say a gamma ray pulse from a star or something similar from a foreign nation that would completely knock out the power grid, thus casting the world back to the stone age. And a zombie horde would be easier to fight than a viral epidemic - let's face it, stabbing or shooting things in the head is easier than finding a way to kill microbes inside living people that are resistant to medicine without killing those they're infecting.

Lastly, I'd think some survivors (and among them military personnel like Abraham was as they are trained in survival) would come across a military base or military grade weapons (or even a well stocked police station with SWAT equipment) which would make eliminating herds of zombies pretty easy.

[Austruck]

THANK YOU!

I knew this whole show was fictional!

Oh... wait... what? Never mind. :D :D

[Captain Steel]

Well, at least we know, in their reality, they're not familiar with the word "zombie." ;)
I wonder; in the Walking Dead universe, if "zombie" still refers to someone under the control of a Voodoo practitioner?

It would be funny if, in the very last episode of the series some new character screamed - "There's a bunch'a zombies headed this way" and everyone turned and went "A bunch of WHAT?"

[Austruck]

Well, at least we know, in their reality, they're not familiar with the word "zombie." ;)
I wonder; in the Walking Dead universe, if "zombie" still refers to someone under the control of a Voodoo practitioner?

It would be funny if, in the very last episode of the series some new character screamed - "There's a bunch'a zombies headed this way" and everyone turned and went "A bunch of WHAT?"

:D :D :D :D

[Doolallyfrank]

Abraham returns to direct! If you get a chance, catch his appearance on Talking Dead

I wasn't optimistic about L.A.R but it's pretty good

[Austruck]

Abraham returns to direct! If you get a chance, catch his appearance on Talking Dead

I wasn't optimistic about L.A.R but it's pretty good

It was fun seeing "Abraham" (Michael Cudlitz) on the couch on Talking Dead!

What's L.A.R?

[dadgumblah]

Yes, I was wondering what L A R is also? About the hordes of zombies still showing up---first you have to realize that this thing is worldwide...at least that's what producer Scott M. Gimple insinuated on the Talking Dead couch when he said we're going to see new locations and not all of them would necessarily be in this country. As far as I can remember, those were his words.

Plus, my main theory is that the Walkers are still getting fed regularly---either by eating animals they come across or by people in different locales who are eaten, then the zombies move on. As for the new group, well, that's the whispering group and that's a totally different thing from my understanding. ;)

EDIT: Also, did anyone love Cudlitz's cinematic style of filming? From the hand-held camera at the first with Rosita to the giant helicopter shots going to and from Hilltop. The ending shot was great and got my blood pumping as Daryl and the horsemen roared out of Hilltop with the camera showing the all the country beyond. Can't wait to see what Cudlitz directs next.

[Doolallyfrank]

hope fully this works (on my phone) Life After Rick

[Doolallyfrank]

Yes, I was wondering what L A R is also? About the hordes of zombies still showing up---first you have to realize that this thing is worldwide...at least that's what producer Scott M. Gimple insinuated on the Talking Dead couch when he said we're going to see new locations and not all of them would necessarily be in this country. As far as I can remember, those were his words.

Plus, my main theory is that the Walkers are still getting fed regularly---either by eating animals they come across or by people in different locales who are eaten, then the zombies move on. As for the new group, well, that's the whispering group and that's a totally different thing from my understanding. ;)

EDIT: Also, did anyone love Cudlitz's cinematic style of filming? From the hand-held camera at the first with Rosita to the giant helicopter shots going to and from Hilltop. The ending shot was great and got my blood pumping as Daryl and the horsemen roared out of Hilltop with the camera showing the all the country beyond. Can't wait to see what Cudlitz directs next.

Yeah I thought his style was great, really enjoyed hearing him talk about directing, he obviously seemed to enjoy it too.

It was only after seeing him without the red hair that I realised he was the "for a while..... for a while" bully/poet from Grosse Point Blank

[Captain Steel]

Yes, I was wondering what L A R is also? About the hordes of zombies still showing up---first you have to realize that this thing is worldwide...at least that's what producer Scott M. Gimple insinuated on the Talking Dead couch when he said we're going to see new locations and not all of them would necessarily be in this country. As far as I can remember, those were his words.

Plus, my main theory is that the Walkers are still getting fed regularly---either by eating animals they come across or by people in different locales who are eaten, then the zombies move on. As for the new group, well, that's the whispering group and that's a totally different thing from my understanding. ;)

EDIT: Also, did anyone love Cudlitz's cinematic style of filming? From the hand-held camera at the first with Rosita to the giant helicopter shots going to and from Hilltop. The ending shot was great and got my blood pumping as Daryl and the horsemen roared out of Hilltop with the camera showing the all the country beyond. Can't wait to see what Cudlitz directs next.

On walkers feeding: I could see the ones eating people or animals remaining animated, but the show has so many scenarios of walkers trapped in cargo bins, under the water in lakes, inside museums - where they presumably had no food source for years. Their brains would have rotted out and they'd cease to function. So these scenarios of coming upon hordes of "trapped" walkers should not exist after a reasonable amount of time (if all it takes to stop them is damage to the brain).

[dadgumblah]

On walkers feeding: I could see the ones eating people or animals remaining animated, but the show has so many scenarios of walkers trapped in cargo bins, under the water in lakes, inside museums - where they presumably had no food source for years. Their brains would have rotted out and they'd cease to function. So these scenarios of coming upon hordes of "trapped" walkers should not exist after a reasonable amount of time (if all it takes to stop them is damage to the brain).

I agree. I was just throwing out some scenario for the heck of it. :) Actually, it seems like a lot of these walking stiffs should have crumbled to pieces long ago, because just eating meat (of humans and animals) shouldn't sustain them, even if they are zombies. But then again, they are zombies! But I don't know why more of them just don't lose their feet and legs---you know, bones collapsing. It seems to be mainly their faces that are rotting. Maybe it's the ongoing mysterious plague that's keeping them up and mobile.

And your talk of them being trapped---yes, they should have died from zombie malnutrition. I don't know. I know that if you create a series and come up with a set of rules, you should abide by those rules (which an eternal series like the Star Treks should have done)...but I don't remember if this show came up with rules for the zombies and how they keep on going. I mean they should be falling to dust, trapped or not! I just roll with it at this point. :)

[Captain Steel]

I'm just riding with the show's concept that sufficiently damaging the brain stops the zombies and "kills" them for good.

So... their brains are organic matter and without regular maintenance like we living people engage in (food, nutrients, water, oxygen via respiration and a steady blood flow) any brain will begin to decompose. In the real world, any corpse that's been dead long enough will not have any brain within its skull - just some dust and bug droppings and this is because it has ceased to eat, drink, breath and have blood pumped through it.

According to Professor David Wynick of Bristol University (on the question of how long does it take a human brain to decompose):

It really depends on how you define decomposition. The neuronal function stops within a hour or so after death and cell death will by then be underway. The brain will start to degenerate and liquefy within a day or two. If the corpse is not buried and is in a contained environment at room temperature so insects and worms etc can't get at it and thus further decomposition is purely bacterially mediated then I would guess a few weeks to a month.

So, it seems that walkers that couldn't feed (or were deprived sufficient air or water) would have their brains liquefy, decompose and soon dry rot out of their skulls rather quickly.

[Austruck]

Meanwhile, I just love that we're quoting actual scientists about brain decomposition and then relating it to a fictional creature like a zombie. :D :D

[gandalf26]

TWD is quite good this season to be fair.

[Doolallyfrank]

Loving the Negan stuff. Shame Maggie won't be reappearing this season. Was not happy about the mid season finale tho, good episode but bad choice :(

[Captain Steel]

I was using the time jump as my jumping off point... but then watched more episodes On Demand.

So, it seemed like they might be taking the hokey route with talking walkers - it started to feel like Scooby Doo (and now that I think about it, the revelation in the last episode makes it even more like Scooby Doo - a mask is pulled off someone who's not really a monster)!

At one point, while theorizing, Eugene even touches on some of the things I've been saying about the brain - however he doesn't extrapolate that any trapped, submerged or otherwise immobilized walkers should have ceased to function long ago as their brains would have rotted out of their head without a regular supply of food (nutrients), potable water (hydration), oxygen and blood flow to deliver it these various necessities to the brain to stave off decomposition.

What does seem a logical evolution is the idea of weaponizing walkers - we saw early on how the living could blend in by covering themselves with walker guts, so it makes sense that someone would realize that by making a walker skin suit you could walk among them and maybe begin to herd them - which I assume is what's happening - someone's weaponizing herds and maneuvering them by walking among them.

Also, what's up Michonne's butt? Before the time jump she was writing a Constitution (or something) and living Carl's dream - now she's all sovereign reign & separatist (guess that's pointing to whatever happened between time jumps).

I also keep thinking (as I theorized before) that the government (somewhat as we know it) and the military would reestablish much quicker in reality - and soon they'd come upon these little outposts of survivors and it would basically be a situation like when Europeans took the land from Native Americans. The show's survivors, after building the communities, would be met by operatives telling them to pack up and move out as this land is being reclaimed by the government - they'd be told to assimilate into the new society or else there'd be trouble. Maybe that's where the show is leading (what with the helicopter and all).

[Doolallyfrank]

I was using the time jump as my jumping off point... but then watched more episodes On Demand.

So, it seemed like they might be taking the hokey route with talking walkers - it started to feel like Scooby Doo (and now that I think about it, the revelation in the last episode makes it even more like Scooby Doo - a mask is pulled off someone who's not really a monster)!

At one point, while theorizing, Eugene even touches on some of the things I've been saying about the brain - however he doesn't extrapolate that any trapped, submerged or otherwise immobilized walkers should have ceased to function long ago as their brains would have rotted out of their head without a regular supply of food (nutrients), potable water (hydration), oxygen and blood flow to deliver it these various necessities to the brain to stave off decomposition.

What does seem a logical evolution is the idea of weaponizing walkers - we saw early on how the living could blend in by covering themselves with walker guts, so it makes sense that someone would realize that by making a walker skin suit you could walk among them and maybe begin to herd them - which I assume is what's happening - someone's weaponizing herds and maneuvering them by walking among them.

Also, what's up Michonne's butt? Before the time jump she was writing a Constitution (or something) and living Carl's dream - now she's all sovereign reign & separatist (guess that's pointing to whatever happened between time jumps).

I also keep thinking (as I theorized before) that the government (somewhat as we know it) and the military would reestablish much quicker in reality - and soon they'd come upon these little outposts of survivors and it would basically be a situation like when Europeans took the land from Native Americans. The show's survivors, after building the communities, would be met by operatives telling them to pack up and move out as this land is being reclaimed by the government - they'd be told to assimilate into the new society or else there'd be trouble. Maybe that's where the show is leading (what with the helicopter and all).

I'm guessing the stick up Michonne's butt is the same stick that made Maggie do a runner

[Doolallyfrank]

the mid-season premiere (sounds so weird) was great! I'm so shocked at how much, Rick who? :D

[dadgumblah]

Well, my favorite character is Judith Grimes, hands down. I especially loved when she made good on her promise to Negan and and took a shot at him and brought him off his motorcycle. :D She's a great little actress. And as Doolallyfrank said, great episode!

[Raven73]

This show used to be my favourite show on TV, but now I'm just about done with it ... kinda wishing they'd wrap it up. I find my mind wandering as I'm watching and sometimes I just plain fall asleep. There's just too many other shows to choose from now (yay Netflix).

[TheUsualSuspect]

Never finished last season and won't bother with this one, unfortunately.

[Doolallyfrank]

Am I the only one who's actually impressed with the current season? :eek:
latest episode was great

[dadgumblah]

Doolallyfrank I've loved this season. The penultimate episode for this season was excellent. The conclusion was pretty harsh what with Alpha and the Whisperers having beheaded all those folks, especially Enid, Tara, and Henry being the chief victims among them. I'll be honest---I was never a huge fan of Tara. I liked her all right but I could take or leave her. Enid was the only one I'll really miss. I liked her. I was sick to death of Henry, going off and getting into trouble all the time and really being responsible for bringing all this woe down on everybody. I'm glad to see him gone! Too cruel? I don't think so. :)

I really do feel sorry for Lydia. She seems like a good person who was caught up in a situation she didn't want to be in. Now she has the good guys looking down on her and that's pretty rough. Good on Daryl for looking out for her...and for Carol and her bit of kindness towards her.

This season finale was good, with the winter storm hitting. I've always wanted to see zombies in the snow and I got my wish. The walkers coming up from under the snow was pretty great, with some close calls. I enjoyed the smashing of the frozen walkers, who were still growling! That made me laugh. But, by far, my favorite moment of the episode was Negan running off into the storm to rescue Judith (and Dog). He really cares for that little girl. She doesn't cut him any slack and I think he really respects her. I was also laughing at him ribbing Father Gabriel, Rosita, Eugene, and Siddiq for being the romantic "quadrangle." :D I know he's done evil in the past, but I like where I hope they're taking his character and I hope he keeps up with the ribbing and sarcasm. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is a great actor.

So this season has got me truly stoked for S10. I look forward to each season because I don't deny being a WD homeboy, but after the events of this season, I can't wait for the next. And a special shout-out to Samantha Morton for being truly awesome as Alpha. It's pretty amazing that they got someone who is mainly a respected film star to appear on this show.

[Doolallyfrank]

Negan will always be a highlight, I'm in awe every time he's on camera, without him episode 16 would've been boring. The head's were a different lineup to the comics, but Enid was definitely the big casualty in the series, I feel the same about Tara and Henry, just "meh", but it was done really well