The Walking Dead: Infected

Going into the second episode of Season 4 we’ve already learned that the people of Woodbury merged seamlessly with the Grimes group, but we’ve also learned that other challenges linger for the community. The survivors have the everyday trials of keeping out the Walkers, the uncertainty of the Governor’s whereabouts and whether he will strike, and they are now faced with a deadly illness making its way through the animals and people of the prison. Here’s where we are after “Infected...”

 

Green Acres

Rick has showered and trimmed up that beard a bit since the last episode, but he’s definitely still in farmer mode. Each time Rick is shown outside near the crops and the animals, he seems to have a sense of accomplishment. With all of the deaths and gore and heartache, this is something Rick has been working on that he can actually see grow. He has a visible way that he is helping his community....which is great for him considering the failure he has been feeling. Let the man have his farm. He's earned it.

 

Carl has simmered down quite a bit too. When Michonne asks him why he doesn’t wear his dad’s hat anymore, he replies “it’s not a farmer’s hat.” Hmmm. Is Carl going to start pretending the guns have cooties too? Is he becoming a peaceful man like his father? Not exactly. As Rick and Carl tend to the crops, Carl casually suggests that they help the group clear out some clusters of Walkers. Rick’s not having it. He says they have other plans. Well sure they do – those veggies aren’t going to water themselves! Carl then asks if he can have his gun back but Rick presses on with the task at hand. So we now know that Carl isn’t necessarily farming by choice...

 

The Call’s Coming From Inside The House!

Tyreese and Karen are smooching and cuddling while Tyreese thinks about his recently fallen comrade, Zach. He's totally smitten by this girl and suggests that he and Karen, um, share a cell tonight. Karen is a good girl though and wants to take it slow. “Once we do that, we won’t want to stop.” Look Karen, you guys are kind of living day to day anyway…not sure that you have time for a courtship. Anyway, as Karen makes her way back to her cell we see Zombie Nerdy Patrick follow her. I immediately assume she's a goner but he lingers only briefly in her doorway. He moves on to the next cell  though, ripping out the throat of the poor guy sleeping there. Now the throatless dude is not only a Walker, he’s a Walker with Nerdy Patrick disease. Super.

 

The next morning there are shouts in the prison: “Walkers in D!” The group comes a running and Michonne nixes her plans to go out on a Governor hunt. When Carl opens the gates to let her back in, she is joined by some Walkers and she is immediately in danger. Our little farmer grabs a spare gun and helps her out…so I imagine he won’t have the urge to pick up a hoe again anytime soon.

The D cell block is overrun. Daryl and Rick try to get the kids out of the area quickly. Tyreese checks on his lady love. Carol is a badass and amputates a guy’s arm….well she would have if she hadn’t also noticed the bites on the back of his neck. Turns out the failed amputee is a father, and his two kids are the little girls who were naming the Walkers last week. Carol brings the sisters, Lizzie and Mika, to say goodbye to their dad and he dies shortly thereafter. Lizzie wants to be the one to prevent her father from turning into a Walker, so Carol hands her a knife and offers her support. The kid can’t make it happen though and Carol takes care of it.

Carol finds the two girls later on in the day and tells Lizzie she’s weak because she lost her nerve. Whoa! What!?! You’re giving this kid shit for not being able to put a knife through her father’s head?!? I get that these kids are going to need to toughen up, but how many "story time knife lessons" had Lizzie participated in before today? Sheesh. Mika tells Carol that Lizzie’s not weak at all…just messed up. No kidding.

Super Zombies?

Someone is feeding the Walkers. For whatever reason, the episode opens with a mouse offering to the Walkers on the other side of the fence. Who’s providing this dinner? We don’t know…there’s only one flashlight though so right now it seems to be a solo job.

 

But now the Walkers are more eager and more resilient. As the group begins to bury the dead from the D block, a swarm of Walkers attacks one of the outer fences and almost destroys it. Maggie, Glenn, Sasha, Tyreese, Daryl and Rick fight to hold them off…and in doing so they notice the many mouse carcasses along the fence line. Rick has an idea. He and Daryl take the truck and lead the Walkers away using a trail of bleeding pigs. Bummer. Watching Rick sacrifice that part of his farm makes me sad regardless of whether the pigs were sick or not. It's just one more thing that the Walkers have taken away from him. The plan works though and Glenn, Sasha, Tyreese and Maggie are able to re-solidify the fence. I guess that's the one "win" for the day.

 

We next see Rick tearing down the pig pen and setting fire to it. Carl approaches him to discuss Carol’s “story time,” and Carl thinks Carol should be allowed to teach the kids to defend themselves. Rick says he’s not going to stop her. He then gives Carl’s gun back to him and puts his own gun/belt on as well.  Fingers crossed we see a hat reunion in the next episode.

 

Get Down With The Sickness

After the D block fiasco, the group is starting to realize that not only is there a deadly flu strain going around, the group living in the D block and those who cleared it have also been exposed at this point. The council, which seems to include Hershel, Glenn, Maggie, Sasha, Daryl and Carol, convenes to discuss the next steps. The group decides that anyone exposed or showing symptoms will be quarantined in the A block immediately. Oddly enough – the A block had been death row back before the apocalypse.  

 

The conversation is barely over when we hear Karen coughing. Tyreese wants to take her back to his cell to rest (oh sure, nowwww she wants to bunk with you), but Hershel has to put his foot down. Karen is sent off to the quarantined area along with David who has been coughing as well. The episode ends when Tyreese goes to visit Karen, flowers in hand, and her cell is empty. Upon further examination, there is a large smear of blood leading from her cell and David’s cell out into the prison yard, as if they had been dragged out there. Tyreese follows the blood trail….and he finds their charred bodies.

 

Well then, the excitement of the season premiere was just kicked to the curb by this week's mysteries. Who is feeding the Walkers? Maybe Lizzie and Mika? They were playing a zombie naming game after all. I think it was Lizzie who said "They're not dead, just different." Orrrrr could this be one of the Governor's tricks? Is he lurking out there in the woods trying to pump up the Walkers? Could he also be behind this flu and the burning bodies? Does he still have a loyal Woodbury follower in the prison? Regardless, I was just starting to like Karen and I feel awful for Tyreese. How is he going to handle this and how many more "sick" people will end up this way? Time will tell.

 

 

The Walking Dead: 30 Days Without An Accident

When we last left the zombie apocalypse survivors of The Walking Dead, the sometimes dirty and mostly unshaven inhabitants of the prison welcomed the remaining Woodbury folks.  Having lost T-Dog, Lori, Andrea, Merle and Hershel’s leg, the Grimes group has already been through their fair share of heartache in the short time they had called the prison “home,” and God knows what will happen with all of these new residents. The Governor is still at large, much to the disappointment of many fans (myself included) but as long as Michonne and her katana stick around, it’s tough to be disgruntled. Here’s where we are after the Season 4 premiere.

 

It’s a Farmer’s Life

When the episode opens we see scruffy Rick surveying the land outside of the prison. I assume he is going out on patrol…but he’s actually heading out to his crops. Yup, Rick is now a farmer. Color me surprised. While digging and sifting through the dirt around some sort of green goodness, he comes across a handgun. Rick looks up at the Walkers gnashing their teeth at the fence, tosses the gun parts into his wheelbarrow, then continues his work.

 

You know who also knows a ton about farming? Hershel, because Hershel pretty much knows everything about everything. Our resident wiseman/doctor/patriarch gives Rick some planting advice before making fun of him…telling Rick he needs some overalls, a weed sticking out of the side of his mouth, and a bigger ass. Ha! Hershel and his fancy new “Lieutenant Dan” leg are quite spunky today. Hershel gets serious pretty quickly though as he also advises Rick to bring his gun when he goes to check the traps. Apparently the way Rick dismissed the gun he dug up earlier was telling – he’s not interested in using them these days. He and claims his knife keeps him safe enough, but Rick eventually humors the old man and takes his gun with him on his quest.

Carl is pulling his weight as a farmer as well, though he is very concerned about one of the pigs –one he calls Violet. Rick scolds him for naming the pig, reminding him that the animals are food, not pets. My mind immediately goes to “fish are friends, not food!” Anyway, Carl is also trying to be a normal pre-teen…or teen…I’m not really sure how old he is supposed to be at this point given the actor who plays him has definitely hit puberty. He’s into comic books and seems to be trying to balance out that who “kill or be killed” upbringing.  Good for him.

Fancy Meeting You Here

Rick notices on his excursion to check the traps that the animals in the woods, whether trapped or not, are dying or dead anyway. There are no Walker bits or anything – they are sick with most likely the same thing that is ailing Violet the pig.

Rick doesn’t have a lot of time to think on this though as a creepy ass woman comes into view also checking on the animals. She asks for help getting a dead pig home, saying she and her husband have not eaten in days, which I totally buy given how she looks. Knowing that the pig is bad news, Rick offers her a sandwich instead. The woman tearfully asks if she and her husband could leave with Rick, and he cautiously says he needs to meet her husband first.  Rick has three questions for him.

He follows Clara, the creepy ass woman, to her humble abode as she explains how she and hubby Eddie came to be out in the woods. Her story resonates with Rick and he softens as she tells him how Eddie taught her the unfortunate ways to survive…eating carcasses and questionable food, leaving people behind, and hiding from people who needed their help. Wow. Farmer Rick is wayyyy nicer than beginning of Season 3 Rick.

The two finally make it to Camp Creepy and to Rick’s surprise, Eddie won’t be answering any questions. Eddie is pretty much just the head of a Walker. Clara was hoping to feed Rick to Eddie but Rick pulls his gun on her. She tells Rick that she can’t be without Eddie. She then decides that she wants to also be like Eddie. As Clara grasps her knife, she begs Rick to let her become a Walker then stabs herself. As she dies, Clara asks Rick to tell her what the three questions were. Rick asks how many Walkers has she killed?  Clara states Eddie killed them all. He asks how many people has she killed? Clara says “just me.” When Rick asks why, she tells him that you can’t come back from the things you’ve done. She then dies. Rick honors her wishes and lets her become a Walker. Clara is next seen approaching the fence of the prison. I hope this decision doesn’t come back to bite him….literally.

Please Won’t You Be My Neighbor

The people of Woodbury treat Daryl like a rock star, and why not? Dude is a badass. Nerdy Patrick alone seems to melt when Daryl shakes his hand. I would too…but for totally different reasons. As far as new character introductions go, Nerdy Patrick is joined by Karen (Tyreese’s new girlfriend, Zach (Beth’s new boyfriend) and Bob…who seems to have some medical experience. Uh oh, watch out Hershel.

There are many other new prison residents as well, and they are lending a hand, killing the Walkers at the fence, cooking, etc. The children, however, haven’t seemed to found their niche yet though. Carl and Nerdy Patrick find them talking to the Walkers as if they are watching cartoons on TV. Two sisters in particular started naming the Walkers as well, receiving a quick lecture from Carl. He tells the girls the Walkers are not pets and shouldn’t have names because they’re dead. Sister #1 responds “They’re not dead…they’re just different.” Well, yeah kid. They’re different because they’re dead.

When we next see the sisters, they are taking part in “story time.” Carol reads to Woodbury children, a guy who seems to be there for security, and Nerdy Patrick. You would think she is trying to help them retain their innocence, but when the security guy leaves, Carol begins another lesson. She teaches the children about weapons. Nerdy Patrick can’t handle it and leaves just as Carl arrives and catches Carol showing the kids how to hold a knife. D’oh!

Scavenging

How awesome is Michonne’s episode entrance on the horse? Just when I think I couldn’t love her any more, she arrives with comic books for Carl and an electric razor for Rick. Thaaaaaaank you. Seems she spends most of her time on the hunt for The Governor. She sure likes to keep busy.

 

The sword wielding phenom goes on a run with Daryl, Glenn, Tyreese, Sasha, Bob and Zach. Bob sees a shelf of alcohol at the store and holds one of the bottles like Gollum clung to “precious.” I guess it’s safe to assume he has a drinking problem. He also has another problem – when he forcefully puts the bottle back on the shelf, the whole thing collapses on him…serving as a dinner bell for the Walkers. Way to go, buddy.

There is a hoard of Walkers milling about on the already unstable roof and as they make their way to the scavengers, the roof caves in and this run turns into an air attack. Glenn has a close call, and I’m thinking that Bob is a goner for sure, but ultimately Zach is the causality here.

Daryl approaches Beth’s “bedroom” when the group returns. He tells her about Zach and waits for her to break down. Instead, Beth goes to the sign on the wall that says “30 Days Without An Accident” and removes the 3.  Damn.  Beth and Daryl share a hug in the doorway of her cell, as Nerdy Patrick makes his way to the showers…vomiting and then dying. The episode ends with Nerdy Patrick becomes Zombie Patrick.  

 

Wow. This was quite a kick off to Season 4 with some unexpected turns. I was not expecting Rick to become so peaceful in the wake of the new tenants. I had thought for sure he would be even more paranoid than before (where’s ghost Lori?). I was also not expecting this mystery illness that is taking out the animals and now possibly Nerdy Patrick. Man, if I were to survive a zombie apocalypse only to die of the flu, I would be sooooo pissed. We’ll see how this plays out soon but here’s hoping our favorites last for the duration…or at least close to it.

The Walking Dead

I've been hesitant to blog this show because I'm so wrapped up in it at times I'm not sure I  would know what to say. I'll admit that I wasn't on board with The Walking Dead from day one. It's one of those shows that I had heard was good but wasn't really interested in. I have a friend though who was adamant I give it a shot...and I do mean adamant. So when the third season began I decided to start the series on Netflix and I couldn't get enough of it. I caught up to the third season very quickly and found it hard not to watch each episode live (I'm mostly a Tivo girl who likes to fast forward through commercials).

 

I'm clearly behind in blogging the new season, but I do plan to catch up on posts quickly as I think I've found a commentary method that I'm happy with. I'm also really excited to add a second show to this blog because I've been meaning to do so for a long time. There are still many series out there that are wonderful to watch, but for now American Horror Story and The Walking Dead are just spectacular.

AHS Coven Finale: Who Reigns Supreme?

So, I've watched the finale of American Horror Story: Coven several times now and I  really might still be processing. Things did not pan out the way I hoped they would, or even thought they would, and some elements still don't make sense to me, but let's go ahead and recap the end of the Coven season.

 

 

The Last Supper

The episode starts with Stevie Nicks roaming the house and singing "Seven Wonders," so I am immediately excited for the remainder of the hours. The witches of the house are studying hard for the Tri-Wizard Tournament test to see who will become the next Supreme. As the witches practice the seven wonders, Misty seems to have trouble bringing a plant back to life...which makes no sense to me given her ability to cure a charred Myrtle and revive a severely decomposed Madison...but what do I know?

 

Crazy Ass Myrtle has prepared a meal for the Supreme hopefuls, calling it "the last supper" because for one of them, their life (or 2nd life) is about to change. The women sit at the table mimicking Da Vinci's painting and pass the food around silently. Cordelia speaks up, telling them childhood is over and it's time for the girls to put aside their fears. She then says encourages them to "kick ass tomorrow." Cordelia isn't taking this test because....I don't know. Does she just assume that because she's been useless for 90% of the season that she's not worthy?

 

Bring It On

Myrtle explains that typically the test begins with the easiest of the seven wonders and progresses based on level of difficulty. To hell with that. She tells the girls to start with telekinesis. Kyle (having no other reason to be here) lights four candles on the table across from the witches and all of them succeed in moving them.

 

Next we have concilium or mind control. Misty makes Precious Queenie slap herself silly and I laugh out loud for a couple of minutes. Then Precious Queenie makes Misty pull her own hair. Madison and Zoe predictably have a pissing contest over Kyle. Madison makes him kiss her and lick her boots...Zoe makes Kyle make out with her...Madison makes Kyle choke Zoe...and then Cordelia finally puts an end to it. Thank you. I can now stop rolling my eyes and flaring my nostrils.

 

The third trial is a visit to the netherworld where they will all experience their own version of hell. Myrtle reminds them, just as Papa Legba told Precious Queenie last week, that they can not let their souls linger there or they may never return. Precious returns to the chicken shack and comes back to reality quickly. Madison awakens next and tells Myrtle that hell was a network live version of The Sound of Music and she was cast as Liesl! Ouch to Madison...and a great big ouch the NBC's recent telecast of the musical (which, by the way, I thoroughly enjoyed).  Just then Zoe springs up and says her personal hell is Kyle breaking up with her over and over again. GROAN. Let's get to the part where Misty wakes up....Misty? Um, when is Misty going to wake up? She's in some sort of science lab where she is supposed to be dissecting a frog. The problem is...she always brings it back to life. The science teacher makes her kill the frog over and over again, crying as she does so. Okay, fine. Things will be better when she wakes up... except she doesn't...and her body slowly disappears. DAMN IT. Really, Ryan Murphy? She was perhaps the most harmless and helpful character all season. You had to put her in hell?!?!?!

The witches mourn Misty very briefly then move on to transmutation, a talent Charmed fans know as "blinking." God I miss that show. Anyway, the girls essentially play tag throughout the house and actually look like they might be enjoying themselves. They even smile in a happy when and not in a stone cold bitch way. Good for them. The fun is stopped however when Zoe impales herself on the gate. Bummer.

So I guess now we've arrived at the resurrection challenge. Precious Queenie tries to bring Zoe back but can't because....I don't know. Didn't she just revive Misty in the coffin last week or was Misty just resurrecting herself? Cordelia tells Madison to bring Zoe back but we all know this bitch doesn't like being told what to do. Madison asks if she'll be the Supreme if Zoe lives and Cordelia says the test will continue once Zoe is revived. Madison is not interested. She kills a fly and then resurrects that instead, telling Myrtle and Cordelia "either crown me or kiss my ass."

Royal Blood
Cordelia decides at that point that she has sucked as a leader (yup) and as she wallows in those thoughts, Myrtle tells Cordelia that she was born to the Supremacy. She says Cordelia must do the seven wonders, and Cordelia plows through the first few quickly. Her version of hell is getting bitch slapped by Fiona every time she tries to earn her mother's approval but Cordelia barely gets through telling us about it before she begins the transmutation test and blinks all over the place.

With Cordelia almost caught up to Madison, the two witches move on to divination. Using pebbles, Cordelia is able to identify which part of the house the broach of a former Supreme is located. Madison fails the test then goes off to pack her bags. She's going back to Hollywood "where people are normal." Madison also threatens to expose the Academy when she gets there.

The last test standing between Cordelia and the title of Supreme is resurrection. She is able to bring Zoe back...just as Kyle chokes Madison to death for letting Zoe die. Side note...I wonder how Evan Peters and Emma Roberts felt about this scene? They were in the headlines recently for a "domestic dispute" that turned violent, so this made me cringe a little. Regardless, Spalding

Winner Winner
As Cordelia realizes she has mastered the seven wonders, her eyesight comes back and she stops looking like a hot mess. As the new Supreme, Cordelia "outs" the Coven, giving TV interviews ala Stupid Lana from last season. She wants witches in hiding to come out of the shadows and she tells them they have a home at Ms. Robichaux's. Her message brings witches to New Orleans in droves.

The new Supreme allows Kyle to move into Spalding's role (sans creepy dolls and necrophilia) and she also promotes Zoe and Precious Queenie to The Council. Fair enough...all of the previous participants are dead or deadish. With that in mind, Myrtle insists Cordelia punish her for killing the other Council members. Myrtle doesn't want her crime to tarnish Cordelia's reign, so....off they go to burn the witch....again.  With that little item taken care of, Cordelia can now have a fresh start.

Not so fast. A familiar presence is in the house. It's Fiona and she's disheveled and dying. Apparently her plan all along was to fool the witches by faking her death so the new Supreme would emerge and not fear Fiona's reaction. The Axeman was in on it as well and Fiona planted the vision of her fake murder in his brain. Cordelia's second sight power couldn't get beyond the fake murder because....I don't know. I guess Fiona's brainwashing of The Axeman was more powerful than Cordelia's visions? Either way, Fiona had planned to take out the new Supreme but the plan became complicated when her daughter emerged victorious. "From the moment you were born, each time I looked at you I saw my own death." Soooo this is why Cordelia has mommy issues. Fiona hands her daughter the knife she killed her former Supreme as well as Madison with and asks her to use it. Cordelia refuses, telling Fiona to let the fear in and then let it go. They hug...and Fiona slips away.

Farmer's Wife
Fiona arrives in hell, which fittingly is located in a farmhouse run by The Axeman. He walks in with a bunch of catfish and he explains that they will be together for eternity. Fiona wanders through the house shaking her head. She says she can't stay there...that the place wreaks of fish and cat piss. Fiona sees Papa Legba and realizes where she is just as The Axeman says "I'm in heaven." Of course he's in heaven because....I don't know. I guess axe murders are rewarded with killing witch hunters by an eternity with the woman her loves? Again. I don't know.

The season ends with a whole new generation of witches beginning their journey at Ms. Robichaux's. In the long run I guess I'm not surprised that Cordelia is the Supreme. Ryan Murphy has some sort of obsession with Sarah Paulson and after her turn as Stupid Lana last season, it stands to reason that she would also emerge as some sort of heroine this year. I'm good with Madison's demise, and I'm still indifferent to Zoe and Kyle's presence. Given how important Zoe's "journey" was meant to be at the start of the season, I wasn't bothered by her transmutation error. But Cordelia needed young witches to help her lead the way, so the two who remained make sense. Misty's death, however, infuriates me. Not only did she die...she's trapped in hell....without even a shawl to twirl. I wonder how Stevie Nick's feels about this.

And when the credits start to roll I think about Marie and Madam LaLaurie, and how much I enjoyed their feud...and how abrupt their exits were. I think about Nan and how quickly she was forgotten, as well as the strange story of Luke, his mom, and his ajax enemas. There are still several things that I don't know, as referenced throughout this post, but overall I really loved the season. It might be my favorite of the three just for the actors that were in it. Ruthless Fiona, Crazy Ass Myrtle, Evil Marie, Twisted Madam LaLaurie and Hippy Misty brought me satisfaction each time they were on screen and I look forward to watching this season from start to finish many more times.