Sunday, October 22, 2017

The Walking Dead: Season 8 Episode 1 - Mercy


Hello friends and welcome back!  100 episodes later and here we are watching season 8 of The Walking Dead!  This episode had been touted as a ridiculously actioned packed episode of the show to celebrate the milestone number.  And yes, there were lots of explosions and gunfire and hints of things to come.  But, when all is said and done did anything really happen?  It seemed more of delaying the inevitable to me.  But, it was still intense as always and entertaining to watch.  Life has been busier than ever so I'm going to keep the recaps brief and we can discuss as much as we'd like in the comments.  Let's get to it!

Recap

Okay, so the season kicked off with some confusion.  We were introduced to 4 different Ricks.  2 of them were fairly easy to figure out.  There is one Rick giving a rally speech the day before the war planning begins.  Then we have wartime Rick who is carrying out the plan.  Then there is grief-stricken Rick with tears and colorful reflections on his face.  We didn't get much time with that Rick yet.  The last Rick is "Old Man Rick" which actually looks to be a few years down the road (the Mrs. tells me Judith looks to be about 7).  But it's hard to tell whether that is a dream or the actual future.  It appears to be a future where they are past the war and are celebrating some event.  Initial guess would be celebrating the anniversary of ending something.  (Fight with Negan?  The Zombie apocalypse?  Something in between those events?)  But I'm sure there will be more to come on that front.  For now, we'll focus on the first 2 Ricks. 

So Rick, Ezekiel and Maggie gave their united front speech to the troops about how much they've been through and how they've already won.  OWN IT!  This is OUR WORLD!   We got montages of war prep.  Armored vehicles, taking out Savior lookouts.  The highlight was the guard smoking with a gun and Daryl finished his cigarette and stole the gun.   Maybe Rick having the walker take out the dude bad mouthing him and threatening his son is a close 2nd.  We also saw Carol, Daryl, Tara and Morgan prepping a walker hoard.    (Michonne, Carl, Rosita stayed behind.  Judith is a full fledged child now.  I'll go with 3 years old.)   

Long story short, Dwight draws out the savior armada into a trap.   Negan is left behind with his lieutenants.  Rick makes a plea to them to join them and their new world.  Negan says dumb stuff and smiles.  Rick starts counting down from 10 and shoots at 7.  This is where things got dumb.  They just shot a bunch of rounds into the Sanctuary and blew up the windows.  Yes, I'm sure they were trying to draw the walker hoard there, but it looked kinda silly!  (which I'm still trying to figure out how they walked so slow but got there so fast)   Daryl led the hoard to Sanctuary.  Negan was on the run.  Rick was trying to kill Negan.  Gabriel told Rick that it's not about him echoing back to an earlier talk.  Oh and Gregory is an A-HOLE (but we already knew that).  Rick takes a polaroid of something, smiles and leaves.  (I'm sure the polaroid is supposed to be in response to the pictures the saviors took of their victims, but who knows??)   

Gregory, continuing to be an ASS seizes the opportunity of Gabriel trying to rescue him.  He takes Gabriel's car and leaves Gabriel for dead.  Gabriel makes it to a trailer which happens to be housing Negan himself.  And we are left with them surrounded by a zillion walkers who have overtaken the sanctuary.  Oh boy! 

Discussion Points
  • Loved Dwight and Daryl exchanging letters via crossbow shots.  Might beat Raven Mail in Westeros! 
  • The whole Carl siphoning gas in the beginning was meant to be an homage to the series premiere where Rick did the same donning the sheriff's hat.  But, there was a twist here with a dude crying for mercy.  Rick scared him off as he wasn't sure if it was a savior.  Carl is still preaching about a new world where they're open to the living.  Carl returned there later with food for the guy (who was still there and NOT looking like a savior).  Stay tuned for more from this guy. 
  • I'm all over the place in this recap.  Another subplot was that they shot up the outpost that I think they took out a couple seasons back.  I believe they sent walkers into there too.  So they've taken out 2 of Negan's establishments and killed off a bunch of saviors in explosions.  
  • Let's pay a little respect to the RV that took one for the team in an all out explosive collision with the sanctuary.  RIP RV! 
  • Rick and Maggie had a talk about the future.  Rick promised after this battle (where he personally will kill Negan) he will be following her lead in the future.   Was also nice to see Hilltop sticking with Maggie when Gregory pledged to stick with Negan.  
  • Okay, it was like minimum 100s of Team Rick vs. 5 or 6 people at Sanctuary.  How could they not all aim at Negan and just take him out?  Suspension of disbelief at its best right?! 
I'm sure I missed a bunch of points.  But the episode really was a lot of shooting and not a lot of dialogue so there's only so much to do with that!  But, that just leaves more room for everyone else to bring up stuff in the comments.  I'm watching Talking Dead right now and I heard Robert Kirkman hoping the show goes on for a million episodes.  I still love watching the show, but I'll be honest.  My recapping is not going to make it to a million eps! But, I'll keep doing it as long as I find the time.  At the very least I'll keep providing us a discussion space.  So let's get chatting!  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week! 

12 comments:

Plumbarius said...

A good start to the season last night....Fear The Walking Dead actually had a better season than TWD Season 7.

Looks like they are following the comic arc a bit with how they showed up at the Sanctuary and gave Negan a chance to surrender. Old Man Rick is also part of the comic arc but who knows, you may be right about being a dream.

The face of "Rick 3" was haunting, as in tremendous loss haunting :(

The guy that Carl runs into is probably the Muslim character that they are introducing this season...read that on EW I believe.

I think blowing all the windows out would be a physiological blow to the everyday people who live there and aren't necessarily the enemy. The windows give a sense of protection from the outside and with the impending walker invasion, they might turn and run away and join Ricks crew. IMO

RIP RV!! :)

Keep up the great recaps Mike!

Mike V. said...

Hey Plumbarius, good to hear from you again!

FTWD I did hear was much improved. I also heard on talking dead that maybe Scott Gimple is involved over there now too? I just don't have time for it. One zombie show is enough for me! lol

Well...they honestly didn't give Negan a chance to surrender. They gave his lieutenants a chance. Rick pretty much told Negan he's a dead man.

Old Man Rick - I knew was from the comics, but I wasn't sure how it plays out in the comics. It would be my hope that it would be showing us the END GAME of the series. But I know the comic series is never ending and the intent for this show is the same. But, I guess it's far enough in the future that it still could be the end game for the show. I don't think TWD is afraid of overstaying its welcome. And judging by the rabid fanbase at Talking Dead, it probably isn't in any jeopardy of doing so either.

Rick 3 - agreed...it did seem like tremendous loss. But...if Old Man Rick is real, then we know he hasn't lost Judith, Carl or Michonne. So then who would it be? I guess if any of the big ones bit it it could cause that kind of reaction. (Maggie, Daryl, Carol)....especially Maggie since he's banking hope for the future on her.

Carl - ....I figured it was a new character but I haven't been keeping up on the casting. Thanks for the heads up!

Not a bad interpretation of the window thing...I still thought it just looked like an excuse to fire 100s of automatics in an episode and make it look like they're having a huge battle when all they really did was shoot up a building. lol

Thanks for the recap props, I will try my best to keep it up! :)

MJ said...

Watched the finale right before the premier ! Want the head of the garbage heap dead so badly ! LOL

Lots of people saying they were confused. I only had that issue briefly when after we see Gabriel get got by Negan we then see him listening to Rick's speeach. Took me a second to realize the speech was before the attack. Other then tha I realized we were seeing lots of Ricks at future times to come. And those colorful reflectons - we saw (twoce I thin) and store shingle or something that was made of stained glass. Thinking that was the color reflections. Doubt it's the end of the apocolypse - they were still in Alexandria. Think they would move back home if apololypse over. So maybe the war with Negen.

So is futue old-man rick a dream Rick is having in the future or will we see him get injured and be unconscious later this season and dreaming. Took me a minute to realize that 6 or 7 year old was Judith ! LOL I know alot will say rick is dead - and say how it was several time that it was not 'about you Rick' but he ain't dead !

Once they went to Negens - the had so many opportunity to take the sniper shot (though no more Sasha) and kill Negen - but knew they wouldn't since where would be the fun in that ?!? Loved what he called Rick's move - let's say the measuring game ? LOL And the Count to 10 that ended at ! And oh gabriel ! Why would you even think Gregory deserved help? Guess he doesn't know him well.

Loved the message delivery system between Dwight and Daryl. Risky using the horde as an attack plan - but sometimes it is effective

Ok - heading out to read the recap now.

FTWD - it was better - but not better then TWD. LOL Gimple will be involved starting with the next season. They still have character issues in my opinion - lots of them.

Mike V. said...

Yeah Jaden or something like that...garbage heap lady. Loved the hair comparisons they did on Talking Dead with Lloyd form Dumb and Dumber. lol

I recall the stained glass as well and agree it was Rick #3. lol As for Old Man Rick - no I doubt it was the end of the apocalypse as well...but I'm not so sure they'd go home if it was over. The world would have been changed by that point and that might be their community. But no...I think it's just accepted that this is the way of things now. Not sure there is an end in sight. Especially for the comics since it's designed to never end. (and basically the show is designed the same way too)

Rick definitely ain't dead! lol I speculated on dream too...but based on what Plumbarius said if they're sticking to the comics it's not a dream.

Definitely no fun in just taking out Negan...but seriously they had so many chances! LOL on the measuring game. Gregory is still an ASS! But I agree on Gabriel...lol

Ahh didn't realize you didn't read the recap yet! lol

MJ said...

Just watched talking dead last night. hair stuff was funny.

I know there is this whole Old Man Rick thing in the comics an I think Rick is still alive. Guessing at some point Andrew Lincoln will want off the show though so he will die at some point on the show.

My husband feels its not the future - actually said to me - it's not Lost Mary ! LOL . Plumarius said above ' you might be right about being a dream' he didn't say it isn't one.

I laughed out loud when someone said black don't crack - cause I said that yesterday to a co-worker when she complained that Michonne hadn't aged. And said it to my husband too. LOL - sorry if I offended anyone with that here.

I was not shocked to see Rooker show up - not the first time he's come back. But oh my ! I teared up when the actress who played Sasha walked out.

Mike V. said...

I might have missed the hair stuff or just don't remember (TD) ol

Good point on Andrew Lincoln. Well...if he leaves the show, maybe that's when I call it quits! lol Maybe they'll do something like Once Upon a Time did and had a "SOFT" Series Finale for the series regulars but kept the show going. Though...I did see the ratings were dramatically down from last season premiere. But that makes sense considering all the hype around that premiere. I didn't read beyond the headline so I'll have to see how significant it is for the average season ratings.

I interpreted what Plum said differently. lol "BUT" maybe you're right. (in other words...maybe he meant it IS the actual future in comics, but maybe you're right about the TV show being differently) The whole thing that threw me off was the cloudiness of the picture....you know that haze often associated with a dream. Hmmm....maybe grieving rick (stained glass reflection Rick) is imagining that future that could've been, but will never be.

lol....I think it actually was the actress that plays michonne that said "black don't crack" on TD. lol Definitely was funny.

Yeah it was cool that Sasha was there too. That crazy Star Trek show has been renewed. I'm so mad at CBS!! lol The funny thing is...when Disney launches their streaming service and inevitably announce a LIVE Action Star Wars series will launch on the service...you can bet I'm gonna pony up the money. But you also get access to a whole catalog of Marvel/Star Wars/Disney content. They could probably go up against Netflix with the amount of content they have. CBS is trying to reinvent itself in this new age. I get it. But there's something about broadcast networks trying to charge for content that rubs people the wrong way! And it's a sign of things to come. We're all going to be paying a la carte to get the content we want. It's what cord cutters wanted, but maybe not to this extreme.

I've gone ahead and switched topics away from TWD! whoops! :)

Plumbarius said...

I bought all the graphic novels last summer...got a good deal on #1-18 as a lot and have bought individuals up to #27. #28 just came out but I'll wait until the price goes down a little.

Having read ahead, I don't want to be "that guy" who gives away future plots/twists. To their credit, the WD producers change things up enough that even with the advantage of reading ahead, I still get surprised in the direction they go with plots/characters.

I saw the 1st episode of the new Star Trek but have no interest in paying anymore $$ to continue the series. Maybe your right, that al a carte is the future but I already watch too much TV as it is!

Did anyone notice the faces/smirking/laughing that Alanna Masterson and Christian Serratos were making from the back row when the other cast members were talking to Hardwick? It seemed very disrespectful and it looked like they were passing around a mug probably filled with booze, so maybe that explains it?

Black don't crack!! LOL

Mike V. said...

Wait...I thought they were way past issue 100 now. Or are you saying there's like 18 compendiums with multiple issues? I'm still on the first compendium and haven't gotten back to it. lol

Yeah..I appreciate the non-spoilers and do agree they change it up enough to keep everyone guessing.

I did the same with Star Trek discovery...and my point was there's still something wrong with paying CBS money because they've always been a free broadcast station. I'm sure they're trying to find a way to survive, but many are not happy about it. Clearly, we're fighting a losing battle but I refuse to watch. granted...one of my plex feeds does have the show so I could watch, but my plate is full anyway!

I wasn't paying attention too much to TD, but it wouldn't surprise me if they were boozing. lol I'm sure it was as much a party for them as the people there to watch it. Surely they were all partying after the show.

MJ said...

TD - I definitely noticed those two talking and laughing. And passing around that huge jug. Had no idea that Serratos had had a baby though. After they had to participate in that thing they did - can't remember what now but used remotes - I'd wondered if they were talking about that ? Probably not. LOL

Plumbarius said...

@Mike V the graphic novels I bought have 5 comics in each issue. #28 covers issues 163-168. I know there is a bigger compendium set available with more of the comics in each issue.

@MJ It was mentioned that Serratos gave birth on the first day of shooting S8 and they had already planned to ease her back into the show. They were using the remotes on the walker head that Greg Nicotero brought. I think they were all just hammered! :)

Mike V. said...

Ok thanks for the clarification! That makes sense. :)

Wow...that makes sense why Rosita wasn't in on the action in ep 1.

adrain Smith said...

Great Post!!!

The show takes full advantage of serial TV's ability to intimately explore interpersonal character dramas.