The Walking Dead Season 8

I am still watching The Walking Dead although it's painful at times. It's such a mixed bag of a show that I can't help but keep watching through the glacial pace and full episodes of nothing really happening.

The Good

* Negan

Negan/Jeffrey Dean Morgan continues to be the main element of the show that keeps me returning. His sinister yet affable air is hard to pull off yet he seems to do it with ease. Rick's team is at war with him for the entire season, so there's none of the power plays we saw last season. We see some cracks in his facade when faced with mistakes, but even with his own underlings plotting against, he keeps confident, finds out their plans, and responds in kind. When Anne confronts him, Negan is honest about his past and about how he can make up for his own people's slaughter of hers. He had no idea, but he saw his mistake, wanted to survive, and also found it important to help someone who no longer has power. Negan also felt the loss when Carl died and mourned in his own way.  He obviously views himself as an actual savior and believes that what he's doing is right, just like Rick.

* The Saviors

In the last season, the Saviors seemed to be of one mind; all are Negan. Now, it seems as if that isn't true anymore. Simon and Dwight are two soldiers high in command than no longer follow Negan and have very different perspectives. Simon thinks Negan's practices are ineffectual and he generally just wants to kill anyone who oppose them. I'm more on Negan's side than his because of the resources even the disgruntled groups give, but I can see how this perspective would cut down a lot on uprisings. Plus Simon is a bit of a sadist with a vengeful streak. When Negan disappears, presumed dead, Simon seemlessly takes up the mantle and commands the Saviors to kill everyone in Hilltop. On the other hand, Dwight is playing a pretty good double agent to Rick's group and wants to see Negan dead due to old grudges and their shared past.

* Anne and the Trash People

I didn't care for the Trash People when they were alive, but their deaths were unexpected and tragic. Anne was the only one left alive and she immediately shed her cultivated shell after her people were dispatched. We get to see the woman who uses full sentences, creates art, and has lost people. Anne has to figure out how to dispatch the zombies of the people she loved and cared for while trying to protect herself. She comes out the other side a changed person. This part seemed genuine compared to Carl's needlessly melodramatic and drawn out death.

* Eugene

Mid last season, Eugene switched sides against his will when he was shown to be able to make bullets. Negan sees him as a useful addition to the saviors. Despite his cowardice and general social ineptitude, Eugene is pretty good at being a Savior. He follows orders and comes up with unexpected ideas like dipping weapons in infected blood. Through most of this season, I wasn't sure if he was genuinely on Negan's side or just too cowardly to do anything about it. Eugene ended up being the reason Rick's group won in the end in the most unexpected way. Despite his mistakes and shortcomings, he came through in the end and provided some comic relief like throwing up his weird mac and cheese concoction on Rosita.

* Maggie

Maggie has really stepped it up this season. She's still grieving for Glen, but she takes control of the Hilltop and rules pretty well. She knows when to attack, when to hold back, and when to be cruel. They capture around 30 Saviors and send a zombified one in a box with a threat. When the threat falls flat, she treats them humanely and even eventually accepts those who proven themselves. It's so refreshing to see a woman in a leadership role in the show and be more competent than most of the men.

The Meh

* Morgan

I'm tired of Morgan's antics. He's better than last season when he was a militant pacifist, but this whiny, hallucinating, murderous Morgan isn't great. He goes back and forth between seeming normal and completely losing it. By the end of the season, he insists that people are the most important thing in life and then isolates himself from everyone. I don't know why he's on this show anymore.

* Oceanside

Oceanside is the group of all women who hide themselves to stay safe. I get that they are mad at Rick's group for stealing their guns, but they really should have helped then. The leader attacks Enid, forcing her to defend herself. The leader is killed and they threaten Enid only to let her go later. Don't attack people if you don't want to be killed. I find them incredibly annoying and only used as a Deus Ex Machina in the season finale.

The Bad

* Pacing

The pacing is always horrible. They talk about fighting and plans for like 5 episodes before anything actually happens. It would be great to get new writers on the show instead of depending on delayed gratification to trick the audience into watch. Maybe just write a compelling show that moves forward sometimes. There are also way too many flashbacks that only serve to fill in innocuous details and slow the pace further.

* Most of Rick's group

So many of Rick's group fade into the background. Daryl barely says two words all season. Carol is usually amazing and doesn't do much all season. Michonne felt one dimensional. Jesus seemed to barely be there at all, only coming in to be super judgy. I think it's a byproduct of having so many characters stuffed into one show. The new shiny characters are more interesting, leaving the writers to give them parts by rote until they are needed. So many of them could be gone from the show and no one would really notice.

* Melodramatic Carl Death

Carl's death was one of the most annoying part of the season. It was shown before we saw how it happened so of course there has to be a series of flashbacks showing the bite and what happened afterwards. He writes letters to practically everyone, including Negan, because he had a dream where everyone lived in harmony. These scenes are complete with the vaseline lens to make everything look vaguely heavenly. They show Hilltop with new brick buildings, paved paths, orchards, gardens, and everyone getting along. Afterwards, Carl and his family cry and wring their hands until he kills himself because his dad can't bear to. The deaths of the trash people and the later conversation between Rick and Negan are more sad than Carl's death scene. 

* Random Dissent in Rick's Group

Shoehorned at the very end of the season finale is Maggie, Daryl, and Jesus banding together to plot against Rick. They wanted Negan to die as punishment for his actions. Daryl barely does anything but grunt and stare so it's surprising for him to have such strong feelings. Jesus browbeat Morgan into not killing people and convinced Maggie to have mercy on the captured Saviors since they would have to live together eventually. Does he think Negan is unworthy of being forgiven? It seems to go against the few things he's done over the course for the season. Maggie is literally the only person this makes sense for because she was understandably outraged when Rick decided to spare Negan. I'm not looking forward to this aspect of the next season.

Parts of the season were compelling, but so much of it fell flat or seemed unnecessary. I hope something changes next season. Maybe Rick's exit from the show will prompt some more change. We'll see.

Women in Horror: Santa Clarita Diet

Sheila and Joel are living the idyllic suburban life, complete with marriage, working together as real estate agents, a teenage daughter, and underlying resentment on both sides. When Sheila ruins a house walk through with extreme projectile vomit, their lives are never the same. Sheila becomes a zombie with no impulse control and an insatiable hunger for human flesh. Can their marriage survive this new change and can they keep from getting caught by the two cops that live right next to them?

Sheila and Joel have a status quo that both are unhappy with in some way at the beginning of the show. Sheila is a bland push over with no aspirations. She accepts getting literally screamed at by her boss with no complaint. Whenever Joel tries to initial sex, she shames him and compares sex to dogs humping in the grocery store parking lot. Her neighbors try to get her to go out with them to dance and drink at night or run in the morning, but she turns them down every time. Sheila seemed content with no hobbies, no sex life, no friends, and no passion. Her facade is perfectly pleasant, guaranteed to make everyone around her happy and at ease no matter how she feels inside. Sheila was close to the societal ideal of women which is quiet, complacent, and unfulfilled. Joel isn't happy either as he rarely has sex and smokes pot frequently hidden from Sheila. He wants more, but he tamps down his wants to keep the status quo.

Sheila's transformation into a zombie throws their whole status quo and relationship dynamic out the window. Sheila becomes a totally different person with a huge appetite for sex and raw meat. Her unpredictable moods make her life much more exciting as she buys a car, goes dancing and drinking with friends, yells at people who anger her, and eats odious people all because she wants to. She also feels more beautiful and confident and has much more energy. Sheila has never been more alive even though she's undead. She lets her wants and needs be known and no longer allows herself to be pushed around and bullied as she had been before.  Her boring but perfect life is not enough for her anymore. Her life is always in crisis now because of body disposal, dirty cop blackmail, and ineptly covering their tracks getting her food. Despite all of that, Sheila is truly happy for the first time and even connects with her teenage daughter Abby by eventually being honest with her about all of her craziness.

Joel, on the other hand, is still human and constantly reeling and trying to be supportive. This new Sheila isn't predictable and safe like the old one. She challenges him and doesn't tamp down what she wants for him or for their family. He goes through the whole series struggling to come to terms with his changed wife alternating between accepting and rejecting her condition. At first, he helps her with body disposal and scouting out people to eat, but then he says it's too much for him. Then he returns to helping her again. He likes that her libido is way up, but isn't enthused that she has strong opinions and doesn't allow him to make the big decisions anymore. Near the end of the season, he admits that he's been trying to cope because he thought her condition would be temporary and he had been holding onto hope that she would return to her normal self. If she stays a zombie, he reveals that he doesn't know if he would stay in the marriage. I understand his period of adjustment, but it's pretty awful to reject your wife when she finally feels happy. An element of jealousy is definitely in play. He admitted he didn't see his life going this way, but also didn't do anything to make it the way he wanted it to be.

The Santa Clarita Diet is a hilarious show that plays with the conventions of sitcoms and adds cursing, sex, and gore to make a fun amalgamation. It's kind of like a modern day version of Fido. The acting is over the top in characters Joel and Sheila while it's toned down and more realistic in Abby and the neighbor kid Eric. Throughout the season, bits and pieces of zombie lore are discovered, but they know nothing at the outset, stumbling through and figuring it out as they go. My only complaint is the unsatisfying and abrupt ending to the show. It feels like it could have gone on for at least a couple more episodes. Overall, the show is delightful and irreverent with memorable characters, twists and turns, and some nice zombie carnage.

My rating: 4.5/5 fishmuffins

Women in Horror: Crazyhead

Amy has stopped her psychiatric medication and is adjusting to her life without them. Unfortunately, the visions that put her on them are returning. She's panicking, thinking that she's going crazy again, until she runs into demon hunter Raquel who can see what she can. After an awkward beginning, they join forces and fight the infestation of demons together while they develop a friendship, get to know each other's quirks, and generally stumble through life.

Crazyhead is a fun, quirky, and surprisingly dark show. I've seen a lot of comparisons to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I disagree. The two shows share demon hunting and fighting the forces of darkness, but they accomplish it in two very different styles. While Buffy had someone who knew what they were doing train her, teach her about demons and vampires, and provide primary sources to properly research what they don't already know. Amy and Raquel have no idea what they are doing, but try to do the best they can. They look up exorcisms online and hope that it will work. Tons of mistakes are made and they slowly build up their knowledge base together while a syndicate of demons attacks and manipulates them for a plan 800 years in the making.

My favorite things about the show are Amy, Raquel, and their relationship. Amy is a bit off kilter since she was taken off her psych meds. Having a history is seeing odd things, people tend to mock, dismiss, or mistreat her and social situations can be awkward to say the least. Through Raquel, Amy discovers she's a seer who can see unclear glimpses of the future and recognize demons. Throughout the series, Amy has her flaws as she hurts people and makes mistakes, but she always has good intentions. When it comes right down to it, she's willing to fight for her people and does whatever she can to do so. My two favorite moments with her have to do with her friends being in crisis. One is when Suzanne is a revenant trying to eat her while they are trapped in an elevator. Amy kept positive and spoke passionately about their history as friends, highlighting how much they've been through together. The other moment occurs at the very end of the series.

Raquel is a completely unexpected character. She has practically no filter and often tells the uncomfortable truth to people whether they like it or not. She can also say really odd things that are either rude, vulgar, make no sense, or a combination of all three. Like Amy, she sees a psychiatrist and isn't in the ideal emotional or mental state. Her experience in the supernatural world started in childhood because she's half demon with a demon father (who works for good). Even with her experience, she doesn't know a lot about the bigger picture and how to save possessed people because she's had no one to guide her. She lives with her brother, who doesn't know about the demons, and they have the best relationship. He's a sweet person, encouraging her and building her up when she tears herself down. Despite her outward bravado, she's lonely and doesn't have many friends before she meets Amy. Raquel also has her share of missteps, but is a true and faithful friend.

Amy and Raquel together are an interesting duo, trying to navigate this supernatural landscape that hides beneath the regular world. They are just terrible at trying to make up reasonable excuses to cover up their heroic efforts against the demons. Their ridiculous lies make me laugh because they are terrible liars and their lies are always weird and/or awkward. People don't question them just to stop being in an awkward conversation. Amy and Raquel bumble through and try to save as many people and beat as many demons as possible even when they can't see the bigger picture. Mistakes are definitely made and they fight like normal people (as in not very well). The best thing about them is how their friendship blossoms even though they are so different. They encourage each other but also aren't afraid to be critical and sometimes insulting.

The villains of the series are demons similar to those in the show Outcast. They assume the lives of the humans they possess, but they are evil creatures whose ultimate goal is to make earth hell. The big bad of the series is Callum. He works as a decorated psychiatrist (and also manipulatively counsels Raquel and Amy) whose favorite leisure activities are cooking gourmet food and beating people to a bloody pulp. Other demons are either minions or allies of his. My favorite of them is Mercy who appears to be an unassuming single mother, but is actually one of Callum's most ruthless and trusted allies. She's strong, unpredicatable, and strives to protect her human son above all else. She keeps him separate from her supernatural world to ensure he has a normal, healthy childhood. Her situation shows that the complexity of demons as her love influences her decisions and in the end supercedes the ultimate goal for her kind. She chose to save him from becoming a demon by helping Raquel and Amy at the end of the season even though she worked hard towards that goal beforehand. I hope to see much more of her in the next season.

My favorite moment of the entire season occurs at the end of the season. Raquel finds out the man she loves is a demon and her powers go out of control, opening the gates of hell. Amy tells her to not end the world over some prick because he isn't worth it. She reminds Raquel how powerful and wonderful she is with a Beyonce song and kisses her, helping Raquel regain control. This is a huge moment in the series that was accomplished with a strong female friendship based on building each other up. It's a beautiful scene that strengthens their relationship and shows that it's not a show that depends on men coming in to save the day.

Crazyhead is a delightfully irreverent and hilarious show that focuses on women and their relationships. In addition to the wonderful characters, the show looks and sounds different than similar shows. Bright colors are everywhere in the clothing and the sets, especially in Raquel's wardrobe and the bowling alley where Amy works. Elle King's songs also give the show a fun flair. I can't wait for Crazyhead to come back with a second, hopefully longer, season. I'm eager to see how Raquel and Amy are faring as more accomplished demon hunters and exorcists and as best friends. If you haven't seen it, the first season is only 6 episodes available on Netflix and it's worth your time.

My rating: 5/5 fishmuffins

Z Nation Season 2

The second season of Z Nation is even more full of zany situations, bloody zombie gore, and drama than the first season. Here are my spoilery thoughts on what I liked and what I didn't like.

The Good

* Addy

Addy goes through a lot in this season. Her utopia cult place (Sisters of Mercy) didn't work out when she found out that they were basically leading their male children to slaughter and being generally crazy. She rejoins with Mack and things just aren't the same after her betrayal. It was a mistake, but Addy is flawed like everyone. Then Mack dies suddenly, making Addy's worst nightmare come true as she is forced to give him mercy. I like that unlike The Walking Dead, there isn't any huge sudden character development to make his death seem more tragic. His character is established and people die all the time due to crazy random happenstance. It's sad that he died, but they were stuck as a couple and couldn't get past their obstacles. It opened up a new chapter in her life after she mourned. Addy is later revealed to be bisexual, discovering an attraction to woman. Shockingly, neither of them died and even though the relationship didn't continue, it showed that Addy will continue both in life and romantically. Here's to hoping she survives the next season.

* Cassandra's death

Notice I did not say Cassandra. After she was bitten and turned into a special Murphy slave zombie, Cassandra completely became a slave. There was nothing of her left and it was really disappointing. Her death at the hands of 10k was so touching and perfectly done because he cared about her enormously.

* The Over-the-top gore and humor

What really sets this apart from shows like The Walking Dead is the humor and the hilarious amount of gore. The Asylum really stepped it up this season with some pretty impressive effects like an eyeless zombie and crazy bloody zombie kills. The humor can get downright dark, but it's no less funny. The group runs into a Lincoln lookalike event with lots of zombie Lincolns that they are then forced to shoot in the head. Also, a giant cheese wheel crushes a whole slew of zombies. The characters are also less gloom and doom than the usual zombie apocalypse show. They are quick to see the humor and have some actual fun sometimes. The times Z Nation chooses to go emotionally is few and far between which I find refreshing.

* Doc

In the first season, I was indifferent to Doc. I remember an episode where he almost died and I didn't really care either way, but this season, he really flourishes as a character. He's an earnest person who cares for his friends. Generally, he tries to avoid conflict with others, but will throw himself into the fray if there is no avoiding it. I love that his credentials are in psychology and any knowledge he has is from watching ER. I really enjoy when he's onscreen and I hope to see more of him next season.

* Weird situations and more danger

Every week seems to have a crazy situation to get out of. Each episode has it's own off the wall situation: a CDC hating scientist, a zombie collector, people dressing up like aliens, Mexican gangsters, and a Zunami (zombie tsunami). The added danger comes in different forms as well. The mutated zombies exhibit different behaviors and seem to consciously work together. They are hardier than regularly zombies and more aggressive. Beyond zombies, the group is exposed to anthrax, a zombie baby, and almost a phony zombie cure.

* Tensions rising

Not all is serene with the group. 10k, after having to kill Cassandra, hates Murphy and only refrains destroying him as he's humanity's only chance for a cure. Murphy resents him for killing Cassandra who he viewed as just fine. In other tensions, Roberta and newcomer Vasquez have some heat between them, but he leaves after choosing to spare the man who killed his family.

The Bad

* Zombie Baby

I really liked Pie Lady who gave birth to Murphy's weird zombie kid and I was sad when she died. The baby was fine at first, but it attracts zombies, looks bizarre, and wouldn't shut up. I was pretty happy when Murphy left her with a family he bit to do his bidding. At the very end of the season, she looks quite a bit older which is so annoying. Why does everyone have to have super fast aging kids that will predictably stop the accelerated aging when they get to adulthood. I'm not sure what effect she will have in the future, but I don't think it will be good.

* Cassandra

Cassandra was an interesting character last year and she was reduced to a mind controlled slave. I really wanted her character to somehow break out of it and take advantage of her cool new zombie abilities, but she died instead. Much of the time, she dressed as Murphy would have wanted in stripper type clothing she never would have been caught dead in in life. I miss her, but I would rather have her dead than literally enslaved.

* Weird group mentality

At one point, the group doesn't want to go back for 10k when he was separated from the group. It was suddenly a huge deal to the group that it was wasted time. Seeing that he's a core part of the group not to mention a sharpshooter and they have detoured for much less, I felt it was completely out of character for the group. It was one incident, but it bothered me.

Z Nation is a fun, light hearted show that I hope will get even bigger and more ridiculous as it goes on. I can't wait for next season, especially after the bullshit season final of The Walking Dead.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins

The Walking Dead Season 6

The Walking Dead continues to be an amazing show and I will continue to watch, but so many things bother me about this show. I usually wait until September Zombies to post this, but I couldn't wait this time. Here are my spoilery thoughts about this past season.

The Good

* The Season starts with a bang

There are more zombies than I have every seen before on screen and the inhabitants of Alexandria try to move them along before the whole horde comes bashing down their door. The first couple of episodes are amazing and fast paced. First you think everything is going well and then something goes terribly wrong. The danger isn't only from the zombies, but also the Wolves that attack in the middle of this zombie horde situation when Alexandria is vulnerable. The scenes are tragic, exciting, and emotional. Solid beginning.

* Carol

Carol always a delight to watch. I remember hating her first season, but she's grown so much since then that it's crazy. When they want to, the writers can actually develop their characters when they aren't writing manipulative bullshit. Carol goes into kill mode when the Wolves attack, even disguising herself as a Wolf to get around unnoticed. It takes an emotional toll on her and it's clear that she doesn't enjoy killing but will do so to survive. She goes through a whole crisis and tries to take the high road by leaving her enemies alive, but time and time again, she is forced to kill for the wellbeing of herself and her loved ones. There's a scene when the Saviors capture her and she starts to freak out. I thought it was an act to make them think she's more vulnerable than she is, but she was really panicked thinking about being forced to kill them. That episode was pretty meh except for Melissa McBride's amazing performance. Her folly in separating herself from the group leads to the discovery of another hopefully not insane settlement that have horses and armor.

* Morgan

I don't like Morgan's opinions and I think he's incredibly naive, but I respect him a lot. He is willing to disagree with Rick when everyone else kind of blindly follows him. Even when it's ignored, he voices his opinion on what is right. I think he's completely wrong and it's been shown over and over again throughout the course of the show that when you leave enemies alive, they will come back with a vengeance. Morgan is sincere and kind, even in the face of great opposition. It's nice to have a foil to Rick and someone to be the voice of reason and humanity. It's just sad that it's not plausible or realistic in practice.

* Sam and his family's death

In No Way Out, Sam has a panic attack in the middle of a horde of zombies (after seeing a zombie about his age) and is graphically eaten by zombies. Then his mother and brother are also eaten due to emotion and stupid actions. I personally had no issue with Sam's death. It was a bit gratuitous and it was the first time a child had been killed in full view of the camera, but it was realistic. He was abused and lived through a zombie apocalypse. It gets to anyone at any age, but if you act thoughtlessly as he did, you die.

Children's death in fiction seems to hit people in a vulnerable place and it causes them to overreact over fictional children dying. It essentially acts as censorship because of the huge outcry. Even now, very few films and TV shows will include children's deaths because of people's reactions even though they die just like everyone else. The characters are finding out time and time again that when they decide to spare instead of kill, those people come back to kill them. It's a game of survival that they simply won't win with mercy.

* Rick

Rick is always an interesting character. My favorite Rick scene is when he just killed the wannabe assassin at the Hilltop; he's covered in blood, looks at the horrified Hilltop people and says "What?: like it's totally normal to slaughter someone in front of their loved ones. His evolution from badass at the beginning to scared shitless at the end was amazing. I know a lot of people complained about their whole road trip encountering larger and more elaborate Savior blockades as they go, but I found it effective. It shows just how much power, people, and resources Negan has and completely destroyed Rick mentally before he even saw Negan. I'm eager to see his reaction next season.

* More moral quandaries

The episode Not Tomorrow Yet has Rick and his group being the aggressors for the first time in the series. The Saviors have butted heads with them a couple of times, but not escalated as much as Rick's decision to kill them while they sleep. Although it's obviously squicky to kill defenseless people, it's a good plan. I've seen fans act as if they are suddenly attacking unprovoked, but Daryl and a few others almost died when they were confronted on the road by Saviors. They also stole Daryl's bike, weapons, and supplies. They are extorting half of what a whole settlement makes to not kill them and they hold some hostage and murder a few people whenever it suits them. These are obviously bad guys, so it may be distasteful, but it's necessary if they want to secure victory.

* Negan

Jeffrey Dean Morgan is amazing. Whether he's a tragic patient on Grey's Anatomy or a morally grey superhero in Watchmen or a delightfully evil mastermind in The Walking Dead, he always manages to be somehow likeable and he commands attention whenever he's onscreen. Unfortunately, the anger around the season final cliffhanger obscured the fact that the whole season build up to Negan lives up to the hype. In the 5 or so minutes he's onscreen, he (accurately) pegs Carl as a future serial killer and takes his sweet time getting to his point. He shows he has all the power. He can kill every single one of them right now if he wants, but he won't because he wants them to work for him. This one death plus the road block tango shows how extensive his influence and resources are. Negan does it all with a smile and completely at ease. I look forward to seeing more of Negan in the next season. Hopefully we'll see how he is when things aren't going his way.

The Bad

* Denise's death

It is pretty despicable to kill this fairly innocuous lesbian character to give Darryl guilt. She hadn't been super present, but in terms of a minor characters had a pretty decent storyline. I get and even agree that anyone can die, but this is just dumb. Two characters (Denise and Eugene) who have very little skill and experience killing zombies just suddenly want to prove themselves and put themselves in danger for not very good reason despite never having an interest in it before. If Eugene died, no one would have really cared. Denise only died because she has a relationship with Tara and she isn't a major character. The comic books are all about how anyone can die, but the show makes it clear that Rick, Michonne, Daryl, and Maggie are all pretty safe. Denise was specifically killed to make that audience feel like Daryl is in danger without actually killing him off and pissing off a bunch of fans. It's a shit reason to kill off a character and a disservice to Denise and her development. It's only a small step forward from the writer's trick last season where a mostly absent character that no one cared about would get one episode of development right before they died just to make it hurt the audience more.

* Cliffhangers

I usually don't mind a good cliffhanger, but the way The Walking Dead does it is horrible. Glenn's fate was unclear at the end of episode 3. We see him surrounded by walkers with gore spurting everywhere with no indication that it's from him. I figured he wasn't dead, but his fate wasn't confirmed until episode 7. That's ridiculous. It went on so long that I didn't care that much anymore. That jumbo episode with Morgan was so annoying and pointless as a result because at that point everyone cared way more about Glenn and his fate. That sucks for Morgan and it sucks for the audience.

Then the season finale was complete bullshit as well. After a bloated episode that had way more commercials than interesting moments, there was no resolution for the audience. The comic book set up the perfect scene to end on (pictured below): Negan walking away from beaten to death Glenn and saying "Ta Ta" while everyone screamed and cried. Perfect. What we got was some unknown person dying that we won't know about until October. It's disingenuous to the audience and seems to be a ploy to keep viewers. It's one of the biggest shows on TV. It probably lost more viewers with this ending than if they just showing who died. The team has also been hyping this scene all season and it isn't even complete. Now the writers have the opportunity to change the victim if Glenn's death isn't seen favorably or maybe unfavorably enough. Gimple, one of the smug writers, stated on Talking Dead that it doesn't matter who died; what matters is that someone died. It does matter. No one will care if Aaron or Eugene dies quite honestly and the whole season build up and 6 month wait will be an even bigger let down than this season finale. For all of this to be worth it, a major character has to die or it's worthless. The whole thing is incredibly manipulative and the audience deserves better.

I hope the writers learn something from this season and actually give the audience more. If this goes on, I might just stop watching again, but I like a lot of the season despite the flaws. The show has gotten loads better since I stopped watching the first time (right in the middle of the Governor's second season), but if the writers don't wise up, their audience might not be quite so vast in future seasons.