Walking Dead II

[Sandra Craft]

I'm just waiting for fans to lamely defend how deep and complex the show is without grasping that making things difficult to follow is actually just shitty writing.

They're being "arty" don't you know.

[Ecurb Noselrub]

I'm just waiting for fans to lamely defend how deep and complex the show is without grasping that making things difficult to follow is actually just shitty writing.

This.  They have plenty to work with - a good theme, lots of action potential, good actors, many possible side plots and character developments.  But they screw it  up.  The writing is just bad.

[Sandra Craft]

I'm just waiting for fans to lamely defend how deep and complex the show is without grasping that making things difficult to follow is actually just shitty writing.

This.  They have plenty to work with - a good theme, lots of action potential, good actors, many possible side plots and character developments.  But they screw it  up.  The writing is just bad.

I wonder if it has anything to do with being based on a comic book?

[Pasta Chick]

I haven't read the graphic novels, as such things are not in my budget. But I hear the show departs dramatically from them in many ways, while at the same time drawing heavily from them.

One thing I hear Real FansTM talk about all the time is how the show is finally getting just like the comic and the rest of us posers just don't understand... To which I think I've said here before, graphic novels don't necessarily translate frame-for-frame to the screen. Even Watchmen, 300 and Sin City are not -that- closely matched, and they're really close. And if this is what the comics are like, the comics fucking suck.

[Pasta Chick]

So... Anyone still watching? We ended up finishing episode 1nover dinner, started 2, went to bed and never picked back up. BF keeps asking me what the internet is thinking of it but as far as I can tell no one is actually watching.

[Sandra Craft]

So... Anyone still watching? We ended up finishing episode 1nover dinner, started 2, went to bed and never picked back up. BF keeps asking me what the internet is thinking of it but as far as I can tell no one is actually watching.

I caught part of ep 3 but it's all still fighting.  According to Talking Dead, the hell for leather fighting is going to go on for 4 continuous episodes.  I may start watching the show again once it's over. 

Did enjoy seeing Morales from season one again, but I wish they'd spent more time on why he thought Rick a monster.  Given all the shit Negan pulls, Rick is a lesser evil by any definition.

[Davin]

What I don't like, are that there only two kinds of people, "kill anything that moves" people and, "only kill them in battle" people. But the show has a history of killing off the rational thinkers so they're probably aren't any left.

Plus, most of the drama in the show comes from either killing someone they shouldn't or not killing someone they should. So maybe they want to keep that going.

[Sandra Craft]

OK, I'm still watching the show tho not as enthusiastically as before and this last episode is really biting into my interest.

1.  I've always considered Rick emotionally unstable, but now I have to accept that he is truly a special kind of stupid.  Even after the Trash People betrayed him to Negan, Rick went back and tried to strike another deal with them.  The Trash People, whom I'm firmly convinced are all former insane asylum inmates, didn't trust him (since they're crazy but not stupid) and now have him imprisoned naked in a dumpster.  Just kill Rick now and let someone else, anyone else, lead Alexandria.

2.  Why is Maggie still pregnant but not even showing yet?  Are all of seasons 7 and 8 happening over a single weekend?

3.  And now King Ezekiel is having a Rick moment, huddled up in his throne room fondling Shiva's chain.  Whining about how he's not a real king, he just called himself one.  Dude, that's how all real kings got their start. 

4.  I may never, ever, forgive the killing of Shiva.

5.  The constant refrain of "you're going to get these people killed" really irritates me.  Most of the Saviors may be concerned solely with being protected and fed, but in general Alexandria, the Kingdom and Hilltop (aside from Gregory) seem more concerned with rebuilding society and don't mind risking life and limb for it.  They're following their leaders in hopes of a good battle plan, not protection.  And since when has Negan been all that great about keeping his people alive? 

6.  Right after Maggie says she'll kill any captive Savior who doesn't cooperate fully, the main asshole among the Saviors tries to attack a guard and escape and is not killed.  I realize the writers are probably keeping him around for additional dramatic value but seriously, way to undercut Maggie's integrity.

7.  On the other hand, thumbs up to the scene where a Savior tells Rosita "little girl, you aren't going to fire that" and doesn't even get the sentence finished before she vaporizes him with a rocket launcher.  Need more of that.

[Davin]

7.  On the other hand, thumbs up to the scene where a Savior tells Rosita "little girl, you aren't going to fire that" and doesn't even get the sentence finished before she vaporizes him with a rocket launcher.  Need more of that.

That was a good part. But now I'm worried that she is going to either die from an off camera arrow to the head and/or become emotionally unstable. Happens when anyone becomes too strong for the situation.

I think that ties into my issues with the whole Negan thing. The situation isn't as dire as the writers wanted it to be. Negan is not as scary as they wanted him to be. And in order to make it work, they had to nerf all the strong characters. I know that writing is just making things up, but right now, it feels like they are forcing things way too hard.

A problem I see with a lot of long running shows with good actors, is that the good actors want to act. And that's all great, but a problem occurs when they finish a character arch. The good actor wants to keep having good acting moments. And they are getting paid a decent amount to act. But for viewers, seeing a character arch the same way over and over again makes the archs less satisfying.

A solution I think, would be to either have them arch in different ways or have main characters step back and let other characters get their arch.

[Pasta Chick]

I tried to watch episode 2 again but I still couldn't make it through.

[Sandra Craft]

I tried to watch episode 2 again but I still couldn't make it through.

It's circling the drain, no doubt about it. 

[Ecurb Noselrub]

I'm watching, but I'm so tired of Rick that I can barely stand it.  He's caught again, by the trash people. He's a complete idiot.  I say just let Carol go Medieval on everyone and end the show on a good note. There's nothing to be learned here.  Just have Armageddon and call it a day. 

[Sandra Craft]

I'm watching, but I'm so tired of Rick that can barely stand it.  He's caught again, by the trash people. He's a complete idiot.  I say just let Carol go Medieval on everyone and end the show on a good note. There's nothing to be learned here.  Just have Armageddon and call it a day.

Seconded.

[Pasta Chick]

Yeah, I feel like the show in general relies heavily upon telling you how things are supposed to be, and you're supposed to just go with it. But it doesn't actually work that way.

Rick and Daryl are supposed to be great survivalists. Instead they make one incredibly stupid decision after another and continually narrowly avoid dying. It doesn't add suspense or drama, it just makes you wonder how they've made it this far because reality is clearly not what the show supposes

Negan is supposed to be a terrifying, untouchable bad guy, but instead he just walks around like a normal dude with a bizarre attachment to sports equipment and for some reason everyone does what he says and no one bothers to kill him. It's maddening.

[Ecurb Noselrub]

Yeah, I feel like the show in general relies heavily upon telling you how things are supposed to be, and you're supposed to just go with it. But it doesn't actually work that way.

Rick and Daryl are supposed to be great survivalists. Instead they make one incredibly stupid decision after another and continually narrowly avoid dying. It doesn't add suspense or drama, it just makes you wonder how they've made it this far because reality is clearly not what the show supposes

Negan is supposed to be a terrifying, untouchable bad guy, but instead he just walks around like a normal dude with a bizarre attachment to sports equipment and for some reason everyone does what he says and no one bothers to kill him. It's maddening.

But it's like heroin - you know it's bad but you keep taking it. I have too much invested to give up now.  Maybe it will get better???