Monday, November 21, 2016

The Walking Dead: Season 7 Episode 5 - Go Getters


Hello friends and welcome back to our discussion of The Walking Dead!  We have main characters spread all over the place.  And have a storyline in yet another location.  And don't you worry, we still haven't gotten to our A-Listers Tara and Heath!  Fortunately, this episode did feature one of the crowd favorites in Maggie.  I guess you could say this episode offers a "little" hope against the saviors.  For 4 episodes we've pretty much watched everyone take crap from the saviors.  This is the first episode since last season where we see people wanting to make an effort to stop the madness.  This will be a short discussion during this holiday week, but let's get started!

Discussion Points

We actually had 2 storylines this week!  By the end we did see they were tied together.  

Maggie/Sasha
  • Good news everyone!  Maggie's pregnancy woes were taken care of by Dr. Carson.  She and the baby are going to be okay.  
  • Maggie visited Glenn and Abraham's grave.  Sasha gave Maggie Hershel's pocket watch that was passed on to him.  This was essentially serving as Glenn's grave marker.  Abraham got a cigar.  Nice.  (note: later on Jesus gave Sasha some piece of Jewelry that he found of Abraham's from his last visit.  I can't recall the significance of it.)  
  • Maggie and Sasha decide they're going to stay to make sure Maggie's pregnancy carries on to full term without too much stress.  Naturally, stress isn't far behind. 
  • Here comes Gregory and his scaredy cat leadership!  He is mad about everything.  They dug graves when Hilltop burns the bodies of their dead.  (They remember people through the survivors)   He's not even happy that Maggie and Sasha are there.  He's mad that Rick didn't come through on taking out Negan.  The whole operation was bigger than any of them knew.  But he wants Maggie and Sasha out of there so he can deny any relationship with Rick's crew.   (Plus, little do they know but Negan thinks Maggie is dead!) 
  • That night Negan's men send a vehicle blasting some crazy music with the gate open.  Walkers came left and right.  Maggie was shouting out orders to Jesus and Sasha.  They were taking out the walkers.  Then all of a sudden Maggie rolls in on a tractor and backs into a whole mess of walkers AND the NEGAN-Mobile.  Loved it.  Jesus had some bad-ass moves too with his jump kicks and stuff.  Turns on on Talking Dead that most of those moves were the actor's and not a stunt double.  Impressive stuff. 
  • I should note that Jesus was fighting for Maggie and Sasha to stay in Hilltop.   And there is some animosity between him and Gregory.  Gregory noted that Jesus doesn't stick around long enough.  And Jesus doesn't feel that he is leadership material.  
  • The next day Gregory's message is the same on plausible deniability and that Maggie and Sasha need to go.  The problem is Negan's crew showed up before they could get out.  So they hid Maggie and Sasha in a closet (just not the one Gregory was expecting).  
  • Grand Theft Auto 5 and Westworld fave and Negan's right hand man Simon has been given charge of Hilltop after Rick's slaughter of Negan's men last season.  The negan-mobile walker infestation was brought to teach Hilltop a lesson and remind them of the service they offer.  However, they were able to take out the walker infestation on their own which rose suspicion of their sudden skill set increasing.   Gregory said they learned from the saviors so they technically still did save them.   It was a tension filled conversation and Simon still felt Gregory was hiding something.  
  • Gregory fully intended to rat out Maggie and Sasha but Jesus anticipated this and hid them somewhere else.  Gregory ended up having to give up his entire stash of scotch.  Simon was looking forward to taking credit for the booze when he delivers it to Negan.  
  • And of course, as is standard for the saviors, they took half of everything Hilltop had plus the booze and the much discussed painting in Gregory's office.  I'm sure there's significance to the dude on the horse, but I don't have it in me to figure it out! 
  • Jesus pretty much told Gregory that his days of leading are done.  And they'll figure out another way while Maggie and Sasha stay.  Maggie implied this is their home now and Gregory will learn her name.  (apparently it's been a running gag since last season that Gregory wouldn't even say her actual name)  
  • Jesus seemed to indicate he expects Maggie to take over leadership at Hilltop, but said they'd save the conversation for another day.  Meanwhile Sasha asked for a personal favor and asked if Jesus could find out where Negan's sanctuary is.  She still plans to take the man out!  But she wanted to keep it a secret from Maggie and it pained her to do so. 

Carl/Enid


  • Back at Alexandria Rick was getting ready to go scavenge for the saviors and was bringing Aaron with him.  Michonne and Carl both refused to go.   Michonne told Carl she needs to figure some stuff out.  And while she doesn't agree with Rick's approach, she doesn't know a better one at this juncture.  I assume that's what she's trying to figure out! 
  • In the initial minutes of Carl's babysitting of Judith he gets the spider sense that Enid is trying to escape again.  So, he ends up just ditching Judith (They might have said Olivia was there to watch her too?) and stalks Enid to keep her out of trouble. 
  • Naturally, Enid found a walker or 2 she didn't know how to handle and Carl came with a car to run them/it over.  
  • Enid wants to go check on Maggie at Hilltop so Carl has agreed to help her get there.  They discussed the infamous night of all nights.  Carl brought up that he watched Glenn and Abraham's death because he knew it was something he'd have to remember.  And he wants a chance to kill Negan.  
  • Naturally, as most people would, Carl stumbled upon 2 pair of Rollerskates packed nicely in a backpack on the side of the road.  They had their first couples' skate down the road on the way to hilltop.  Hand holding and all!  (Did everyone have roller skating parties in their grade schools?  They were the bomb diggity!  That phrase is too btw.)
  • Carl and Enid fired up the rockets on their roller-skates to get to Hilltop by the end of the episode.  Carl observed that Negan's crew was there but most likely not Negan as he didn't see his white truck.  He told Enid he was going to hitch a ride on one of the trucks to find and kill Negan.  Enid didn't want him to go but knew she couldn't stop him.  This led to Carl and Endid's first and maybe last SMOOCH!  Awwwwww.   Enid did some foreshadow talk about how they'll never see each other again.  And of course, Carl must've known due to his omniscient thoughts that the truck with the booze would most certainly be going to Negan so he stashed himself away in there. 
Ending

  • Maggie went to Glenn's grave and found Enid there with green balloons tied to Abraham's grave.  She didn't have the heart to tell her it was the wrong grave.  But it was a very sweet gesture.   
  • Maggie, Sasha and Enid join together for a nice dinner and prayer in the end of the episode all hiding some very vital information from each other. 
  • Jesus stealth jumps into Negan's delivery truck at the end of the episode (while in motion!) and gets a friendly "HELLO" from Carl!  Well, who didn't see these 2 one day going on an epic journey together!?!  
So Carl and Jesus are headed to Sanctuary!  I mean, there's no way this is going to work out well for them, right?  Maybe they'll get some vital information for an eventual showdown with Negan.  But there's no way Carl or Jesus take him out this soon.  I could see them meeting up with Daryl.  And as Talking Dead brought up I could see Negan messing with Carl's emotional teenage state a bit.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.  We have 3 more episodes of this first half of season 7.  Hopefully, like previous split seasons these split stories will only encompass the first half and then we'll get to more ensemble work in the 2nd.  

That's all I have for this week.  Look forward to our discussion in the comments.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week! 

7 comments:

MJ said...

I had no recollection that Gregory was THAT much of a d**k ! Nor that he'd been stabbed. And what happened to Enid's bike ? Good to see Jesus again though. And I am relieved by what I saw on the preview for next week on Talking Dead. I don't remember him on Westworld. FYI - Abrahams jewelry was the necklace Rosita made for him - ironically now handed to Sasha. I know all the speculation is that Maggie takes over Hilltop - but I hope not since Negen thinks she is dead. During the walker attack at Hilltop was I the only one who said 'shut the darned gate idiots' ?? I don't think that Carl was sitting Judith at all - and I wasn't sure if Olivia was there - Michonne told him to change his bandage and be nice to Olivia - wondered if she helps with the bandage ? I dunno. As for Enid - what happened to the bike she was riding when she decided to stroll with Carl ? I laughed that the skates were so old school - not the roller blades that took over for skates. Without reading details I heard that Jesus and Carl going together to see where Negen is departs from the book.

FYI - I kinda read something about what might be coming sooner rather then later. Another group from the book. Apparently Morgan hinted at it back in season 3 in his crazy episode. Sounds pretty nutso. LOL

Mike V. said...

I think I vaguely recall Gregory getting stabbed last year. We spent limited time with him but I remember him being very fearful of Negan which made him a d**k. No clue on Enid's bike. lol

I think he was in one episode of Westworld as a host.

I think I made it 55 minutes into Talking Dead and must've fallen asleep before the clip!

Ahhh I figured that necklace was Rosita related. Thanks for the callback.

Maybe it's a "Maggie runs the show behind the scenes while Jesus is the figurehead" type thing.

Funny on the gates. No I don't think you were the only one. They even said it in the show but I guess they were preoccupied being only 2 vs the walkers until Maggie joined in. Looks like the other Hilltoppians are just as inexperienced and scared as Gregory is!

I thought Carl mentioned someone has to watch Judith as his excuse for not going with Rick.

I swore they would be rollerblading from the long shot and then when they zoomed in they totally went old school. lol

Interesting on Jesus/Carl being a departure. Doesn't surprise me. Gotta mix some stuff up and they've been pretty "by the book" this season apparently.

The CLEAR episode with Morgan? Geez I don't remember stuff from back then! lol Thanks for the heads up!

MJ said...

Jeez - read an article that just hated last nights ep. Said their worst ep ever - which is so not true. That would be the whole Beth and Daryl episode. LOL Aaah - never letting that one go.

Clear - without reading what I read I would never have picked it up in clear. But the new group might be showing up earlier then they do in the books was my takeaway - well all that I will say any way. LOL

Mike V. said...

Yep, Beth and Daryl ranks up there as the worst. Though I'm surprised you didn't say the first half of season 2! lol I thought last night's episode is fine. Though I am sensing (from my wife mostly) that they're already tiring of the Negan plot. We've been following these guys for years and to see them beat down episode after episode is brutal. But I think that's the point. We have to see them lower than they've ever been before to wonder how the hell they'll get out of it. But it's a tough watch, that I can agree on.

Inteteresting on the CLEAR stuff. BTW...I added Volume 1 compendium to my holiday wish list. MAYBE i'll start reading the comic. :) lol

MJ said...

Yeah - I was a loud complainer of the farm - but time and the rewatch and liking Hershel alot more later on I am no longer hating it like I did the first time around. Speaking of the worst - not to spoil anything but the clip for next week gave me visions of Lizzy ! LOL

Tiring of Negen ? I love it ! I don't like seeing our people so downtrodden but Negen has electrified this show in my opinion. I def want him to get his - but that is a long way away and I am enjoying him and his crew. As horrible as the Gov was I loved the character and what it did for the show.

Well - since you STILL don't have a GofT book to read you might as well. LOL

Mike V. said...

Yeah...I never hated the farm stuff. But you know that! Interesting that you changed your mind on it! Interesting on the Lizzy visions!

I know...I think JDM is amazing in the role and even though our guys are down and out, he makes it so entertaining to see happen.

LOL on Game of Thrones. I'm hoping receiving this book as a gift will cause GRRM to make his announcement. Crossing fingers for March 2017!

Jason B. said...

MJ - I know what you're talking about with Morgan, but that group didn't even come to the comic book until after Morgan said that in the show. I kinda wonder if Kirkman got the idea from that line haha! But I do think that they are wrong - that group won't (at least shouldn't) show up for a good while.

I think Carl might've run over Enid's bike haha. After all, she had to get out of the way for him to not hit her.

Did you guys notice that Maggie used Glenn's last name (if you even knew Glenn's last name) when she told Gregory her name? Rhee. It had never been mentioned on the show before, but one of the previous show runners confirmed that that was his last name years ago.

I'm thinking Carl just had Father Gabriel watch Judith, or someone else. Remember he didn't just run out with Enid right away, he first decided to let her go but then changed his mind later. So he had time to get someone to watch Judith.