Want to discuss the chain of events and potential outcomes regarding the note left behind by the heavily fortified zombie lake guy. “Congratulations on winning but you still lose” and the middle-finger drawn for emphasis (or words to that effect).
(Note also that we assume up until a bit later that said zombie lake guy had already met his demise as Rick and Aaron got this far unchallenged.)
So, obvious “Chekhov’s Gun” event, right? And the assumed and obvious payoff was when Rick and Aaron have arrived back at Alexandria to discover Negan has made a surprise appearance but the guys at the gate are going to offload the goods from their truck first (and buy Negan a little more time to dance with Spencer before gutting him like a fish). They see the note, they make it out like it is an insult meant for them, they beat on Aaron for a while. End of.
But I got to thinking. It stands to reason that well armed and fortified survivors would take extra care to guard their “stuff”. Have we had any previous incidents where something that the survivors found or came across which appeared to be abandoned by previous post-apocalypse survivalists was ‘booby trapped’? Should we not read any more into the note or could there be further surprises in store for whomever delves more deeply into the contents. Rick and Aaron just laugh it off and maybe don’t look to carefully because they know they’ll only be giving it to The Saviors. And the Saviors haven’t done anything more than a cursory examination and then load it up in their own trucks.
Then of course we see the boots of someone at zombie lake observing Rick and Aaron as they take their leave. And at the very end we see boots again of someone observing Alexandria under cloak of darkness and then, I think, dropping inside. I may be reading too much into it but that ‘Bootsy’ first showed up at the lake I’m thinking it was the original occupant of the zombie lake barge taking to watching to see who comes and where they go. Maybe it is a tracking device of some kind in the “win/lose” box.
I’m fascinated with Walking Dead’s slide into turddom, so in the course of reading about the slipping ratings, I came across a write-up in which some kid spelled out what happens to Negan in the comics. He basically becomes – spoiler, but c’mon, you’re not going to read a bunch of dopey zombie comic books – a good guy.
It’s hilarious how the show has sidelined two of its coolest characters, not to mention best actors. Norman Reedus got Theon Greyjoyed and Melissa McBride is playing a character who just wants to stay home and eat bon-bons.
That would be so awesomely stupid. He’d be all disfigured, Quasimodo-like, with his eye popped out. “Maggie, I found you!” he would slur. I totally hope you’re right.
I’m hoping the boots are nothing more than that - just a pair of empty boots wandering around, devoid of purpose, until it meets and falls in love with Carl’s hat.
I’d like to be the first to wisecrack that it’s obvious now Walking Dead will continue through Eugene. He will be taken in by Negan to manufacture ammo. He’ll toil away playing the scientist losing himself in his work. But he’ll design a flaw into the bullets, and, through an elaborate set of circumstances, Rick’s Rebellion will get the plans…
…with his head and legs oriented the wrong way, mind. It was literally impossible for him and the other guy on top of him to end up with their heads next to the dumpster. It was the worst cheat ever.
So what do you think is going on with Father Gabriel? Did he meet up with Boots Man and strike up some kind of deal? Is Rick smiling at the end of the episode because he sees Gabriel with all the new people? Looks like they may have found the numbers they need to defeat the Saviors.
I don’t understand Ezekiel’s decision. He knows the situation with the Saviors can’t last, he said it himself last season when taking with his #2 guy. This would seem like the perfect opportunity to make a stand, gain control back and finally be able to build the kingdom he imagined from the start. I get that he’s afraid of losing any more people, but it’s the freaking zombie apocalypse, you’re going to lose people one way or the other, why not give them the choice to fight for total freedom? I bet if his people knew the full story they would want to fight.
Anyway, not a terrible start to the second half of the season. At least we’re moving the plot forward now and it’s not just continual torture porn and hopelessness. The steel cable scene was great, more clever stuff like that would improve TWD immensely.
I haven’t watched this for a while, and turned it on near the end tonight… See Rick hading Michonne a stupid wire cat, and everyone’s like, “Aw shucks!”
So the junkyard/trash heap people…was there a group home for socially awkward people nearby and then the zombie apocalypse struck they all just relocated to this place? I mean, WTF? It’s only been what, maybe 2 years since the world fell apart, and yet these people act like people who are two generations or more removed from normal society. From their speech patterns to their odd movements to even the way they all look (lots of freakishly tall and gaunt people). It’s silly, and I’m not buying it. We’re supposed to believe that they’ve lived in the landfill for 2 years and are sneaky enough to not have been seen while out scavenging, so the Saviors, who seem to know EVERYTHING, have no clue they are there. And somehow these people whose motto is “we take, we don’t bother”, are going to be fighters that can take on the Saviors? Whatever.
I’m sure the next stop will be Tara’s friends from the barrier island. They had lots of guns and lots of food, and hate the Saviors, so they are the perfect last piece of the puzzle to setup Rick’s Battle of the Five Armies. Speaking of Tara, did her friend from that adventure ever turn back up at Alexandria?
Are these people being led by a Vulcan? She sure looked like a Vulcan Maggie. Why do they all speak like they just stepped out of a Tarzan movie (one with Johnny Weismuller)? How did they get that car on top of the 20 foot pile of trash? Was that what the helicopter Rick spotted way back in S1 was being used for? When did Bane become a Walker, and why is he in a Thunderdome? How’d they get that shit on his head, anyway? Were they planning to have Father Gabriel fight Walker Bane in the Thunderdome?
That would have been the least stupid part of the episode
