Mdme. Kathleen,

Please tell me you’re as annoyed with Sasha as I am after last night’s “Walking Dead.” I realize she’s grieving. I understand she’s vulnerable, but she should absolutely know better than to turn her back on a captive!!!! Particularly one who’s proven he has some survival/street fighting chops. Both husband and I were snarking at the TV as Sasha leaned in, with Lamson lurking behind her, to do the mercy-killing of his “friend.” Soon as she turns her back, this guy’s tackling her = DUH! I also was peeved when she pulled up her cinderblock way too close to the guy while he was spinning his tale of woe. Poor form all around. Yes, writers, we get that she’s been wanting to cleanse her soul ever since she lost her mercy-killing nerve at Bob’s deathbed, but I felt it a little sloppy that the writers decided to inflict such a foolish lapse of judgement on her.

And really, why is she beating herself up so much for the I-can’t-kill-Bob thing? MOST people would not be able to do in their significant other — particularly in the violent fashion one must in the zombie apocalypse. In truth, I think it was folly to even involve her in this mission. I realize the crew doesn’t have as many bodies to fight, but it should have been clear to everyone that she was not fit to clean up an armed stronghold. Ditto for Tyreese, whose stupid “let’s trade hostages” plan was baloney from the get. What’s with Daryl agreeing to the kinder, gentler plan?

In short, I think the entire writing staff at “WD” is on crazy pills.

Your thoughts? 

Luv,

M.

***

My Dear M,

Annoyed? YES. And I agree, the writers must have been dehydrated after writing that “we need more water” escapade for the firetruck brigade and it distorted their thinking.

Isn’t the first rule of Zombie Apocalypse Club “Don’t ever turn your back on anyone”? GEEZ. Why couldn’t Sasha see through the whole “my name’s Bob and my friend is a melted street walker I need to put out of his misery.” He totally heard Sasha and Tyreese talking about her Bob.

Also, why doesn’t anyone know they are a hop, skip and a jump from Atlanta? Where they could maybe find a Walmart, in all that urban sprawl? No one knew there was a nearby prison, but Rosita knows there’s a stream in the woods where they can fill up their water bottles? Far-fetched.

I knew that cop was going to do something to Sasha. The whole camera angle gave it away. Nothing good ever happens when the good guy has her back to the bad guy. I did chuckle when he scampered away with his hands still tied behind his back. And another thing: Why is everyone passing out so easily? You have to be hit really hard to pass out — maybe a few seconds; but completely out? You’re pretty much waking up with brain damage. Which brings me to the passed out brainiac Eugene back at the firetruck. He’s been out for a long time.

On the other hand, when Daryl opened the door to the burned out FEMA truck and the bad cop burst through the other side, I did scream. Those melted street walkers were gross.

I thought it was a suspense-filled episode. It went by quickly for me.

Yours,

K 

*** 

Amen sister K!

Know what else really rang totally lame for me? When Lamson said to Rick something along the lines of, “You. The way you hold yourself. Were you a cop?”

Really? What dude ever says “the way you hold yourself” in any context? Very cheesy dialogue there. The other main perpetrator of stupid lines was Tara. Her stupid group-name for firetruck crew; her quips to the dead zombies; her glee at finding a yo-yo. All irritating. She’s been on notice with me ever since we met her. When she joined the Governor like so many other sheep, I was ready to write her off entirely. She made some character headway in her convos with Eugene a few episodes back, but now she’s just about back to square 1 in my book.

Speaking of Eugene, when I heard him groan, presumably awake, I thought he sounded fairly zombie-ish. I was yelling at Maggie to keep her distance when she went to check on him—he could’ve died and turned! Decent cliffhanger on that front. Kinda loved the champion-level stinkeye Maggie was throwing at Abe the whole time, too. Bad. Ass. I also thought Glenn and co’s makeshift fishing net pretty darn clever. Of course, he ceded fish-cleaning duty a little too quickly to Rosita for my taste…

- Marisa the Snark 

***

Dear Snarky,

Good points all. I too thought Eugene sounded a bit undead. Do you think Maggie is on her way out??

But speaking of weapons. (We were speaking of weapons, were we not?) Daryl used a walker’s head to fend off the bad cop. Fingers in eye holes? I though he was going to get bitten. But talk about knocking someone out. Two heads hitting will definitely result In loss of consciousness — but no, not among this group. Bad cop barely feels it. Go figure.

So, since Rick and company are helping Daryl get Beth and Carol back, is it safe to assume that Noah stepped out from the bushes with Daryl at the church a few episodes ago? And, what is up with Father Gabriel? He’s clearly a coward, I guess. They’ve been hammering that point home since the first day we met him. But I think there is something much more dark and sinister going on here. But what? He pulled the “out damned spot” Lady MacBeth routine, scratching the blood out of the wooden floor out, which I thought was kinda funny, and then pried up the floor board with the machete to escape but then stepped on a nail — which I thought penetrated his shoe and foot awfully far. I hope he’s up-to-date on his tetanus shots. What the heck is he doing and where the heck is he going?

I also cracked up when Beth used strawberries to bribe another hospital inmate to help her. For a fleeting moment I thought he was going to smash the strawberries and pretend it was blood. But where the hell did those berries come from. They didn’t look organically grown too me. Too big and round and perfect? They’re growing those on the hospital roof?

Many, many questions. Next week is mid-season finale. Your thoughts.

Your No. 1 skeptic,

K 

***

Dearie,

I thought the same thing about the strawberries: first I thought it was a bribe; then I thought it was to add theatrical value to Random Patient’s coughing fit (PS. ew). I’m still not sure what, exactly, that was. But since our writers didn’t see fit to present that clearly I’ll say this: who cares? Along those lines, the whole process by which Beth came by that locker key was equally shaky. First, Dawn makes a millisecond-long case for Carol’s right to medical care; then she quickly capitulates to her underling about Carol’s use of hospital equipment...says her hands are tied; then she tries to defend her choice and lecture Beth on how “fragile” the whole system at the hospital is; THEN, she decides Beth isn’t as “weak” as she thought and gives her a key to the medicine cabinet??? Wasn’t Dawn, a mere few episodes back, smacking the hell out of Beth for any little thing? And since when is electricity usage so precarious at this hospital? That whole decree by Other Bad Cop seemed a tad out of left field, and Dawn’s subsequent acquiescence even more so. I thought she was Queen of Everything there. I thought she was all about saving lives and civilization. Huh?

That didn’t mesh well, and neither did the whole dynamic with the cops who were sent out to follow up on the gunshot. There’s some derision there — some inner circle and outer circle cops — but hell if I know who’s who. And I really hated how, when the woman cop with that group, in explaining some of these dynamics to Rick et al, got shut down by Lamson, who was all “I just need you to shut up now.” She was the only one written to make sense in that scene, and this one’s got to pull rank (most rudely) at the VERY moment we’re finally learning something?

It would seem everything’s falling apart. Rick’s getting close to killing more living civilians; Carol’s not waking up; and there’s nothing in D.C. I’ll be nice and say perhaps the writers are trying to establish some sense of chaos and confusion as the season winds to an end.

As for Fr. Gabriel: Oh. My. God. This guy! He’s just not getting it. He’s STILL worried about preserving the structure (literally and figuratively) of the church?? Something tells me he was a fragile thing pre-apocalypse, too. I, once again, yelled at the TV as he hobbled away from the church with his probably-tetanus-infested foot. Dude: not a good idea to go it alone in zombieland with a pretty serious wound. (And yeah, you’d think he would’ve yelled like mad when he landed on that nail. That’s not the sort of thing one casually notes after the fact.)

And do you suppose the zombie that jumped him was Formerly Glasses-Wearing Zombie? (and do we care?)

Meh,

M. 

***

Dear Snarky,

I like that nickname. You are hear-by dubbed Miss Snark from now on.

No I don’t think the padre knew the gold-cross-wearing walker and, like you said, who cares? What is his story? I want to know.

Oh, and now Beth knows how to do an IV push? Come on, writers.

I read something, somewhere, that in a post-apocalyptic time, you don’t only want to save the warriors. You would want to save anyone who could help you later down the road, like a boy scout who could make a net to catch fish and would know how to clean them; like a plumber who maybe could rig up something to purify water; or an electrician, or a pharmacist or a nurse who would know how to treat all those nasty cuts everyone has. Surprised no one has died from sepsis. In World War I, a ton of soldiers died from infected wounds.

Remember life on the farm? When Laurie made Carl do his homework? And there were chores and people ate meals together. Seems like a long, long time ago.

And that baby. My goodness she’s looks pretty healthy and happy!

Oh, and, all in all, despite the nit-picking (which, as an aside, they probably all have lice since no one has bathed in the past 18 months), I liked the episode.

’Til next time,

K 

***

Wise K,

Technically, I, too, mostly enjoyed the episode, but the season finale better offer some payoff for some of this season’s slower stories. And I agree wholeheartedly that it takes all kinds to make the world go ‘round—even a zombie-ridden hellhole world. (Of course, I’m still not clear on what Tara brings to the table, but whatever…) Eugene isn’t a scientist, and that’s fine, but he DID teach Rosita to make a filter out of a water-bottle, some rocks, and a bit of cloth. That’s good stuff. Should he live, I’ll bet he comes through with some very important know-how for the group. Perhaps a Best Mullet contest or something?

Regarding Judith, I think last night was maybe the second time we’ve ever heard that baby girl fuss a bit. I suspect all that hammering didn’t help her mood, and Fr. Gabriel was likely skunking her groove, too. Again, she’s a good little actress: as soon as her show-daddy left the church, she started to cry. Well done, baby, or, babies, I should say, since, per a wiki entry on the wee tot, Judith has been portrayed by a series of (absurdly cute) twins throughout the series.

It’s funny you mention Dr. Beth’s IV skills. I shouted, “Air bubbles!” when she went to administer epinephrine to Carol. We’ll presume she tapped them away, but god! And why in hell is she trusting Dr. Edwards’ medical advice after Operation: Kill Any Other Doctor By Making the Staff Admister Toxic Meds?

I’m worried we’re going to lose someone we kinda like by season’s end.

Yours to ponder,

M.

On Twitter: @edgecombday and @TheMDesk