I love zombies. I love Seth Rogen. I laughed my ass off during both Neighbors movies. So I should love this Fear the Walking Dead promo for Neighbors 2, or rather this fake pitch for “Neighbors 3: Zombies Rising,” where Mac (Seth Rogen) and Teddy (Zac Efron) take on zombies. The fact that Seth Rogen wields a longsword and that he disagrees with Zac Efron on whether to dispatch zombified fraternity brothers seems like it could be hilarious. Except the whole affair is as sad and unfunny as the joke Rogen cracks in the promo’s beginning about accidentally killing his hamster as a child because he sat on it. What a letdown.
Category Archives: The Show
Where I’ve Been and What’s Next
In my last post, I promised an update on why I’ve been absent and information on some of the changes coming to Blogging Dead, so here I am.
Where I’ve Been
In the year or so when I put the blog on hold, I was pursuing my master’s degree part-time and working full-time, which left me very little room for my hobbies. On top of those two things, I was still continuing to review movies on my podcast Spoilerpiece Theatre too. Because one of my co-hosts was going to have a child and knew his free time would be limited after the baby was born, I took over recording and editing the podcast as well. All of these concurrent items just made keeping up with this blog impractical, especially since I was also trying to date during this period.
One fortunate thing that happened to me during this downtime is that I met the love of my life. Thankfully she’s also a Walking Dead super-fan so when we got engaged this year, I was thrilled that she wanted to zombify our engagement photo with AMC’s Dead Yourself app. What a woman. I’m so lucky to have her!
My zombie engagement photo created with AMC’s Dead Yourself App.
Now that I’ve graduated and I’m more adjusted to my podcasting schedule, I have the time to pick this blog back up and give it the dedication it needs again. Ideally I’d like to get at least one new post up per week, depending on what’s going on with the Walking Dead and zombies in general.
What’s Next
A new look. First, you’ll probably notice that I changed the look of the blog a little bit. I went with a lighter color scheme so that the blog is easier to read. If you like the new color scheme, please leave me a quick comment in support. Or if you’re not a fan and you’d like the old black and red back, feel free to let me know via comment as well.
Recaps are going to be different as well. Instead of going with longform analysis like other sites, I want to make my recaps of episodes and the comics more digestible. I will still include a brief plot summary at the top of my posts, but the remainder will be more list-based, calling out out the best line, the best shot (or comic page), the best zombie kill, the best zombie-related theme, and the best non-zombie related theme present. I might adapt this format to include more or less as I get the hang of it.
That’s all I have for now. I recently downloaded the Walking Dead – No Man’s Land, AMC’s official Walking Dead mobile game, so look out for a post on that soon.
Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 16: Last Day on Earth
Hi everyone! I know it’s been a long time since I’ve written anything here. I had a number of big things going on which made it difficult to maintain this site on top of my film writing and my podcast, so I had to step away for a while. Now that everything has calmed down a bit though, I’ve decided to resurrect Blogging Dead. Plus, after I saw the explosive and divisive Walking Dead Season 6 finale, there was no way I could just sit back without saying anything.
Big changes are coming to the site (mainly in how recaps are structured), but I’ll catch you up on those and tell you more about what I’ve been doing in an upcoming post. For now, let’s just talk about the Season 6 finale.
As usual there are spoilers ahead, so don’t read on unless you’ve already seen it.
The Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 16: Last Day on Earth
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan in The Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 16
In the entire time I’ve been a fan of the show, I’ve never been as on edge about a character’s fate as I was after the previous episode “East.” Seeing Daryl get shot in the final moment of the episode was so nerve-wracking that I had to rewind it at least three times to make sure he wasn’t dead. So going into the finale I was already anxious about that. I became even more frightened though due to a wild theory I developed that Rick might die. This theory was mainly based on an interview with Andrew Lincoln where he mentioned staying up all night after reading the finale’s script, a fuzzy screenshot featuring Negan’s baseball bat Lucille with a person wearing a white t-shirt in the background, and Rick’s new romance with Michonne. Killing him off would be daring and really change the show’s dynamic.
On top of those worries, the finale itself was an exercise in tension. Between the situation happening with Carol, and the one with Rick and his crew, I was scared for everyone. I spent the entire time clutching my fiancée’s hand tightly, ready to pee my pants long before Negan uttered his famous line about doing so, thanks to Greg Nicotero’s masterful direction. When Negan finally made his debut in the episode’s final minutes, he was amazing. Jeffrey Dean Morgan knocked his big scene out of the park, to use a baseball metaphor. One thing Scott M. Gimple and his writing team did not knock out of the park though, was the episode’s ending.
After building up tension to a volcanic peak, the season ended on a bullshit note with a first person shot of an unknown character getting their brains bashed in by Negan. On Talking Dead, Gimple said his reason for doing so was because this character’s death marked the end of one arc and the beginning of another one next season, but that’s not only baloney, it’s just unfair to do to your audience following that level of build up. Sure he cited other television shows that have done cliffhanger finales, although those situations pale in comparison to this one. Showing who died would have just as much impact, if not more because you’d be left wondering how things could continue.
Now that I’ve properly vented, let’s talk theories about who died. I’ve heard a few like, Glenn because that’s how it goes down in the comics, Eugene because he was finally starting to find his way, Sacha because Abraham would lose it, or Rosita because it would be a blow to the Alexandrian army she has been training. I plan to rewatch the finale again to come up with a rock solid theory, but here are the two most promising ones I’ve heard.
Abraham
“Last Day on Earth” was a big episode for Abraham. He expressed the desire to have a child with Sacha, he made up with Eugene, and he refused to be intimidated by Negan, sitting up straight to look at him. When Negan swings Lucille and declares that whoever it is took it like a champ, Abraham might be the only one who could take a beating like that without dying on the first blow.
Daryl
The episode’s other first person shots were of Daryl or someone else in the van covered in a hood. Also, Norman Reedus now has a motorcycle show on AMC which would probably conflict with shooting the Walking Dead. Plus, he’s the only cast member who has said publicly that he knows who died and it’s “gut wrenching.” Finally, Daryl is one of the only characters not in the comic so killing him on the show would be a game changer.
Until I re-review the episode, my money is on Abraham, because I just don’t see how they could kill Daryl without a fan revolt.
Who do you think died in The Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 16? Take the poll below or leave a comment with your thoughts and theories.
Walking Dead Season 5 Trailers: Surviving Together and Another Day
Hey everyone, I know it’s been ages since I’ve done a post and that I’m way behind on recaps. Sorry about that. Things have been super crazy with graduate school and other endeavors. Eventually I’ll finish recapping Season 4 and the first half of Season 5, but I thought I’d return with some thoughts on the two most recent trailers for the second part of The Walking Dead Season 5. Check them out below.
Note: Normally I’d just embed them, but I can’t figure out a way to embed them without having both autoplay at once, so I’ll give you links to spare you the dual audio.
“All that matters is surviving together.” That’s basically the only thing that’s said during this teaser for second half of The Walking Dead Season 5. The trailer doesn’t tell you anything, but it’s still fun watching Rick and his crew marching through the foggy woods, looking really determined while they fire heavy artillery at unseen forces. Are they fighting humans or walkers? Does it really matter? The show will still continue to ask tough questions and to keep us guessing about what it means to be human in a decaying post-apocalytpic world.
This trailer for the second half of The Walking Dead Season 5 tells you a little more about what we’ll be seeing, but not a whole lot. Looks like everyone is back on the road again, fighting through zombie-filled roads on their way to some unknown destination. Maybe they’re headed to Virginia like when they take residence at the community in the comics? Despite all that they’ve been through, people still seem to be hopeful about the future, especially Tyreese and Michonne who are talking about things not being over and living to have another chance.
I’m looking forward to seeing what happens when the show returns. How about you? What do you think will happen in the second part of Season 5?
Dear Diary: Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 10 (Inmates)
Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 10
Warning: This Walking Dead Season 4 post contains spoilers.
At the start of The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 10 (Inmates) I had no idea who Beth was addressing. I wasn’t sure if she was talking in her head, to the audience, or maybe even aloud to her dead mother as a form of therapy. I felt dumb though once I realized she was rereading pages from her diary. The show’s writers use these entries in a fascinating and memorable way to contrast her hopefulness when she was at the prison with her despair now that she and Daryl are separated from everyone else.
Even through all the terrible things that have happened, Beth is still optimistic that they will reunite with the others and get back on track. But not Daryl. It’s shocking to see how despondent he has become. For the first time ever, I wanted to kick him when he says to Beth “Faith ain’t done shit for us. Sure as hell didn’t do nothin’ for your father.” What a low blow, assy thing to say to her so soon after Hershel’s death. It’s his guilt over this statement that probably allows her to convince Daryl they should track down other survivors from the prison. So at least a positive comes from it.
One of the odd things about this episode is that everything seems to happen out of order chronologically. Most of the people seem to be in the same places, like the prison bus in the middle of the road or the train tracks, but at different times. I think the show’s writers are telling us that the timing just isn’t right for a reunion yet. However it’s pretty annoying that they come crossing paths without bumping into each other.
There are some pretty fantastic surprises in The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 10 that make up for the lack of that major reunion though. First, we find out that Judith is alive (phew), with Tyreese, Lizzie, and her sister all stumbling in the woods together. Lizzie shows us more of her crazy side by almost smothering Judith, which isn’t all that that unexpected. Then we see the return of Carol, something I didn’t suspect would happen so soon. She casually lies to Tyreese about her whereabouts since he still doesn’t know about her transgressions. It works and they walk away down the tracks.
Another unexpected revelation involves Maggie’s group where we discover that Bob has completely changed his attitude because he’s alive. Pretty drastic turnaround. Probably the craziest reveal happens after Glenn wakes up at the prison. He mourns, gathers his stuff, and throws on his riot gear (good plan), before reluctantly joining forces with Tara. They start traveling, but Glenn collapses quickly from exhaustion providing the perfect opportunity for new character introduction right at the end of the episode. Tada! Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita from the comics have arrived with sassy line to close things out.
That brings us to this week’s poll directed toward fans of The Walking Dead comics: Were you happy that Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita joined the show?
Home Alone 6: The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 9
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes and Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes in Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 9
Warning: This Walking Dead Season 4 post contains spoilers.
Since everyone was just forced to run away, you wouldn’t expect The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 9 (After) to resume at the prison. But episode director Ernest R. Dickerson takes you back again to remind you about the carnage that transpired there as he moves his camera that through thick smoky clouds, past The Governor’s corpse, before settling on Michonne.
It becomes clear in this opening scene that our solitary heroine will be a focus of this episode, which is great because we still haven’t learned much about her. Unfortunately our payment for spending time with her is witnessing her somber task of destroying Hershel’s zombie head and making new walker pets.
Michonne is a lonely soul, so tortured by her inner demons that she pushes everyone else away. But in this episode she realizes that isolation just leaves her with mindless shambling corpses for company, a discovery that comes when she angrily massacres a group of walkers. Although the outburst is satisfying on a visceral level, it also represents and important emotional turning point for Michonne. She needs humans to give her life meaning, particularly Rick and Carl. I’m happy that she decides to track them down.
Another gratifying part of The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 9 is finding out more of Michonne’s back story. I’m thrilled that the show’s writers made her an upper-class person like Robert Kirkman implied that she was in his Walking Dead comics. The only thing that I think sucked about this section of the episode though, is that Michonne’s tale takes the form of dreamed hallucinations, so it’s difficult to tell what actually happened in her life.
The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 9 also focuses on another character who is on his own: Carl. After Rick’s injuries leave him incapacitated, Carl must fend for himself, as he stars in an annoying film I like to call, Home Alone 6: Lost in Zombieland.
Understandably Carl harbors a lot of hatred toward his father for what he perceives as Rick’s failures as a leader. Carl gets pretty sassy while Rick’s still conscious and even tells him off once Rick is out cold. Yet as much as Carl wants to think he’s an adult and try to act like it, he still needs Rick. You want to smack the boy as he carelessly walks around looking for food and nearly gets bitten several times due to his lack of caution. The dumbass even loses his shoe.
As stupid as I feel that segment is, I think the episode wraps up nicely once Rick regains consciousness and reconciles with his son. The icing on the cake is a charming moment where Michonne finds them and knocks on the door. It’s cute and funny when Rick laughs and says to his son “It’s for you.”
What do you think Michonne was doing on the other side of the door? Holding comic books? Holding Carl’s shoe? Or just waving? And finally, this week’s poll: Did you hate Carl seeing on his own as much as I did?
Showdown at the Prison: Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 8 (Too Far Gone)
Scott Wilson as Hershel Greene in The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 8
Warning: This Walking Dead Season 4 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching, before reading further.
The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 8 (Too Far Gone) will make you want to yell at your screen for lots of reasons. In the episode’s opening you’ll want to scream because The Governor feeds his troops the infuriating baloney that people from the prison are murderers who destroyed his old camp. The Governor also claims that he can take the prison without killing anyone. No effing way, you manipulative prick! You want to holler again during this speech, since the scene flashes back to him knocking Michonne unconscious and capturing Hershel at gunpoint.
A couple of people try to talk The Governor out of attacking the prison, including Lilly, and poor Hershel who makes a heartbreaking appeal for his daughters’ lives. However Hershel’s words only elicit a shitty consolation, “You’re a better man than Rick, Hershel.” Even though you know that The Governor won’t listen to reason, you still hope desperately that he’ll change his mind. Because he won’t, you feel like shouting at him.
Back at the prison, Daryl finally finds out what Carol did, although he doesn’t believe Rick at first. The two of them track down Tyreese to break the news, but before they can tell him, they discover a dissected rat. Is it Lizzy’s? We don’t get a chance to find out because a tank blast announces The Governor’s arrival with his army. After that you’ll make a ton of noise due to all the insane events that occur.
First, you’ll struggle not to chastise Lilly for awful parenting while her lazy supervision allows Meghan to get bitten by a buried walker. Then you’ll want to smack The Governor for insisting that Rick negotiates with him, even though Rick has stepped down from his leadership role. Tears will come to your eyes when The Governor decapitates Hershel with Michonne’s sword and when Rick discovers that his baby could be dead. I made the most noise though when Daryl gets pinned down by shooting. Because the scene cuts away from Daryl while a zombie’s attacking, you’re worried that he has bought the farm. Thankfully he continues his badass streak by shielding himself with a biter, before he tosses a hand grenade into the tank’s barrel.
As much as you’ll cheer for Daryl, you will probably applaud even louder after Michonne stabs The Governor and Lilly shoots him. Michonne is much nicer to The Governor in the show than in the Walking Dead comics. She shows him no mercy there, but then again, he does more horrific things to her in the comics. Miraculously, most of the people make out of the prison alive, including Tyreese who is rescued by children?! Unfortunately everyone gets scattered to the wind, including a very injured Rick and his son Carl, who stumble away without looking back.
What do you think is next for our heroes? Were you satisfied by the end of The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 8? And this week’s poll: Do you think The Governor got off too easy?
One-Eyed Bri: The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 7 (Dead Weight)
Jose Pablo Cantillo and David Morrissey in The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 7
Just in case you didn’t get enough of him in the previous episode, The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 7 (Dead Weight) delivers another healthy dose of The Governor. Rescued from the walker pit by Martinez, The Governor aka Brian, has settled into playing house with Lilly and her daughter Meghan. He’s gotten frighteningly comfortable with Meghan, calling her “Pumpkin” and teaching her how to play chess.
Not-so-shockingly, The Governor’s methods of parental supervision match his zombie apocalypse leadership style. He shows Meghan no mercy even though she’s just learning the game, and he doesn’t let her take too long to decide on her maneuvers, “You can’t wait forever. You’ve got to make a move.”
With the rest of his new group, The Governor seems like he has turned over a new leaf. He allows Martinez to lead and acts like a team player during the supply run he makes with his new pals. I love that his crew includes Charlie Francis from Fringe (aka Kirk Acevedo) and Victor from Dollhouse (aka Enver Gjokaj). These guys are great. How can we get them more work? I got the sinking feeling as I was watching them however, that their characters wouldn’t last very long hanging out with The Governor. He earns himself a terrible new nickname during this scene: One-Eyed Bri. Yuck.
Sure enough, my intuition was right, because The Governor kills Martinez shortly after by feeding him to walkers in the pit. All the while he bizarrely repeats “I don’t want to…” over and over. What a nut. Then he takes out Pete (Enver Gjokaj) and intimidates Mitch (Kirk Acevedo) into falling in line. I mean Mitch has to be left alive since he’s the only one who can drive the tank they’ve got. Poor zombie Pete is chained to the bottom of a pond, unable to escape his watery tomb.
The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 7 heads to the next logical spot near its close, as The Governor assumes leadership of his new camp and plots to attack Rick’s group at the prison. I was pretty disappointed in the show’s writers for pushing the mid-season finale toward the spot they should have ended with in Season 3. I don’t understand why they decided to drag everything out just to have The Governor attack the prison again, especially since he’ll probably meet the same fate he does in the Walking Dead comics.
Based on that, I offer up this week’s poll: Do you think the show’s writers should have done the epic showdown at the prison last year? Or do you feel that the additional time they gave was necessary for character development?
Uh-Oh SpaghettiOs: Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 6 (Live Bait)
David Morrissey as The Governor in The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 6
Been wondering what The Governor has been up to since he left Woodbury at the end of The Walking Dead Season 3? Good news everyone! The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 6 (Live Bait) starts catching you up on exactly where he’s been. First, it flashes back to the moment when The Governor gunned his own troops down for their failure (as if you somehow forgot). Then it shows him camping with his cronies while a dumb freakin’ zombie trips over his campfire. Although Martinez helps out in the moment by shooting the walker, he takes off the next morning, leaving Philip to fend for himself.
It’s entertaining to watch The Governor’s decay over an indeterminate amount of time, as he grows an epic beard and wanders around torching everything in his path. The conflagrations and emo music playing during this sequence are pretty darn funny because they border on melodrama. Thankfully this part of the episode only lasts for a few minutes, since The Governor soon meets Lilly (Audrey Marie Anderson) and Tara (Alanna Masterson), who are holed up an apartment building with their father (Danny Vinson) and Lilly’s daughter Meghan (Meyrick Murphy).
Lilly and Tara are wisely reluctant to trust this haggard guy, who’s going by the alias Brian. They’re not total jerks, so they try to feed him some SpaghettiOs, which he strangely dumps in favor of cat food. What’s the deal with this new self-loathing Governor? Has he truly changed? Does he feel some remorse? It seems like maybe, after he does a number of charitable things for this family. He retrieves oxygen for Lilly and Tara’s ailing father and treats Meghan with soft, gentle kindness. “Brian” cleans himself up, teaches Meghan to play chess, and even deals with killing her zombie grandfather.
The Governor’s acts earn Lilly and Tara’s trust, so he convinces them to hit the road with their supplies. As they travel together, Lilly decides (unwisely) to sleep with him. Gross lady! You’re hooking up next to your own daughter and sister. Anyway, they find themselves in trouble near a heard of walkers and go running into the woods, where he and Meghan fall into a familiar pit filled with zombies. To protect the girl, Brian/Philip/The Governor goes ape shit and destroys those walkers with his bare hands. He scares the living heck out of Meghan in the process, but whatever. And then, to end The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 6 with a major surprise, Martinez finds them! Bet you weren’t expecting that.
Did you like finding out what happened to The Governor after Woodbury? And do you think he’s changed? Finally, this week’s poll: Even during the zombie apocalypse, would you be desperate enough for sex that you’d risk doing it in front of your sleeping daughter and sister?
The Governor Gets Busy in The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 6
Warning: This Walking Dead Season 4 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching, before reading further.
In The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 6, The Governor manages to get busy under some rather gross circumstances. Lilly decides to hook up with him while her sister Tara and her daughter Meghan doze right next to them. Nasty right? Or would you not care about doing something like that?
To talk more with me about The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 6, check out my full post on the episode, to let me know what you think.