Gilbert Speaks on the Walking Dead S11 E23

As each episode of The Walking Dead brings us closer to the finale, I sit in dread of which of my favorite characters will die. We know which ones will go on to live in spin-offs, but what about the ones that are left behind. The Walking Dead cast, and crew have become family to me, and so the title of the episode is so fitting of this review.

Family With Spoilers

In this week’s episode of TWD…Judith (Cailey Fleming) has grown to be a pint-sized warrior, but like Carl and Rick…she is looking to the future. She wants a brighter future for her little brother, and also for the other children. When the protective Daryl tells Judith to stay behind with the kids, she says no, and after a most adult conversation between the two…Daryl agrees to let Judith come on the mission. Judith takes her talisman weapons (Michonne’s sword and Rick’s gun) but leaves Rick’s hat with RJ (Antony Azor) and that my friends frightened me a bit. That hat is her only connection with her dad. That hat is almost a magic shield…and if Team Daryl hopes to break into the commonwealth, they are going to need all the magic they can lay their hands on.

While Pamela is having her own issues with the new and improved walkers, Mercer is doing all in his power to set things right. He is gathering faithful troopers, and with Eugene safely hidden, he can now concentrate of the walker horde…but Pamela is one smart cookie and has a spy working for her. Who is this mysterious B17 that Pamela is trying to reach?

Negan and Maggie need to work together, but even though Negan offers, Maggie shuts him down. Later, Maggie overhears Ezekiel and Negan talking and I believe she has seen the light. People can change. Isn’t it strange how we have gone from hating Negan to rooting for his success? This was a character arc that set the world upside down.

Team Aaron

Aaron and his team, which include now includes Luke and Jules, are trying to escape the horde heading towards the Commonwealth. Most of them make it inside the trailer, but not everyone. Lydia is seriously wounded and is forced to make a decision. Also, are there a few whisperers still alive…and are they also hiding within the horde…or…and this is really scary…are the climbers also regaining the power of speech? Who said, “Get to the trees.”

Conclusion

Things are not going well for any of our comrades. Team Daryl is ambushed by Pamela’s soldiers and Pamela shoots Judith. Lydia loses part of her arm to save her life. Mercer is betrayed by Pamela’s spy, Vickers…maybe? She doesn’t look to happy when Pamela decides to leave the citizens abandoned while she saves the estate.

Daryl swoops Judith up in his arms and he and his team try to escape the horde that has broken into the commonwealth and Pamela’s soldiers. Judith calls Daryl, “daddy” before passing out.

I have, over the years, come to think of The Walking Dead cast as family. They have encouraged me to keep going even when life threw some nasty hand grenades at me. Carol, Maggie, Michonne, and Rosita have reminded me that women are true warriors, especially when the men get it wrong.

I don’t know what is going to happen to my Walking Dead family, especially who lives and who dies in the final episode…but even when the world tires of zombies and TWD universe…I know that the actors and crew did their best to remind us that even during an apocalypse…good people can survive and that the unselfish love for humanity can make us better than we are.

See you, for the series finale.

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Gilbert Speaks on The Walking Dead S11 E20

On this week’s episode of The Walking Dead…we see the true nature of Pamila, while also seeing the power of friendship.

What’s Been Lost

On this 20^th episode of the series finale…we know for sure two things: our beloved Ninja warrior, Carol (Melissa McBride) is at her best while under attack…and that Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura) has a decision to make: save Eugene or save the people that have been kidnapped per orders from Pamela (Laila Robins).

Pamela has shown her cards in this episode. Not only does she intend to keep Walker Sebastian with her (does she intend to feed other residents to Sebastian?), but she has given the order to capture all of Team Daryl’s people. Rosita, Ezekiel, the children…everyone! Luckily for us, Carol and Daryl avoid the capture, but now need help to find their people. Who can help them?

Connie (Lauren Ridloff) tries to persuade Yumiko to do the right thing, even Eugene (Josh McDermott) is resigned to his fate, but Yumiko knows that her people will die if she doesn’t follow Pamela’s speech for the press conference. Yumiko is supposed to announce that she will be prosecuting Eugene and Max.

Carol

After faithfully watching all eleven seasons of TWD, I have come to love Melissa McBride’s Carol the most. The evolution arc of this character is amazing. Carol went from abused spouse to a freaking Terminator, and I am loving every second of it. Although we learn later that even Negan and Ezekiel were overcome by the kidnappers…Carol was able to fight the Pamela’s assassins off and escape…later…she convinces Daryl to get help from Lance (Josh Hamilton).

Now, I always tell people that leopards don’t change their spots…and never trust a snake, but when Carol and Daryl go to rescue Lance, he is a pitiful sight to see. He is covered in his friend’s blood and Walker Sebastian is eyeing Lance as a tasty snack.  After they are separated from Daryl, Lance leads Carol into an abandoned tunnel where they are surrounded by walkers. He purposely led Carol into a trap, but our Ninja plays it cool. Daryl comes to the rescue as Lance and Carol are ready to be shot by stormtroopers.

Yumiko

I love when secondary characters are allowed to show their stuff, and in this episode, Yumiko comes through on the letter of the law. Yumiko follows one of Pamela’s henchmen to see if he can lead her to her captured friends, but she almost gets caught.

Conclusion

Pamela is desperate to keep the illusion that the Commonwealth is doing okay. She is planning a kangaroo court to execute Eugene, thus satisfying her revenge for the loss of Sebastian, and also to let the people think that justice is blind…but thank goodness for Yumiko. She not only reminds the people at the press conference that her brother is a wonderful surgeon, but then she breaks the news that she will be defending Eugene. Oh, Oh! If looks could kill. Pamela is pissed.

Let’s get back to the coin flipping Lance. He surprises Carol and Daryl with the news that the Commonwealth has a train. The hope was to use that train to travel between communities…or more likely to capture more people. Lance thinking that he and Carol or best of buddies, is surprised when he gets the news that he isn’t wanted anymore. With a sad puppy dog face, Lance walks away and we think that maybe he will turn his life around like Negan did and play nice….but hell no! Like a true rattlesnake, he tries to kill Carol and Daryl, but he forgot who he was dealing with. Ninja Warrior 1…Lance 0

The series ended on a sad note when we see our friends drugged and bound and on a bus heading to someplace very bad. Let’s hope that Carol and Daryl will save the day. At least Team Aaron is still safe…

Gilbert Speaks on The Walking Dead S 11 E19

What in the knob turning, wall climbing walker shit did I just witness? Holy hell in a handbasket! Just when you think Team Daryl will escape the wrath of Pamela…the walkers up the game on The Walking Dead final season.

Variant

All things evolve…except for humans. We are doomed. That said, this week’s episode of TWD has Aaron (Ross Marquand), Jerry (Cooper Andrews), Lydia (Cassady McClincy) and Elijah (Okea Eme_Akwari) at a former site of a Renaissance Fair as they make their way to Oceanside. They have made a discovery that is frightening as hell. Walkers are evolving and fighting back. At first Aaron thought he was fighting a member of the Whisperers, but nope. It was a full fledge walker. If this apocalypse was caused by a virus (either manmade or alien) then this virus has the ability to mutate to survive. There are no vaccines for this nightmare.

Back at the Commonwealth, Pamela (Laila Robins) is looking to punish everyone connected to Sebastian’s death. She has arrested Max (Margot Bingham), but really wants Eugene (Josh McDermitt). Poor Mercer (Michael James Shaw) has a dilemma. His sister Max will not back down, and Princess is leaving him. Mercer is a good man in a bad situation. He wants to protect the Commonwealth, but he also knows that the rot from within must be destroyed. We got to learn about Princess’s abusive childhood, but this gal is not playing victim.

Pamela

The big question is this: Did Pamela and Lance have a thing going on? This episode hints at some hanky panky going on but Pamela is not playing nice now. Lance must now save himself from Walker Sebastian after Pamela dumps both Sebastian and a very dead Calhoun into Lance’s cell. Was Pamela involved in the dirty deeds of Lance and Sebastian? We do know that she has big shoes to fill with keeping up her father’s legacy…but legacies can create monsters.

Not everyone wants to leave the Commonwealth. Ezekiel (Khary Payton) wants to stay and change the Commonwealth for the better. Ezekiel is a true Pollyanna. Always seeing that silver lining around the darkest cloud.

Conclusion

Team Daryl is in big trouble. Eugene decides to save Max by turning himself in to the authorities. I loved the scene where Eugene wanted to duke it out with Daryl.  I also loved the fatherly advice that Aaron gave Lydia. Not only do we have the walker situation, but Rosita (Christian Serratos) has been kidnapped…along with the rest of the team. Who is behind this? It might not be Pamela.

I was surprised to hear Aaron say that the walkers return to a place that they remember, and that he had heard of walkers climbing walls and opening doors. This should be interesting if the walkers become smarter than the surviving humans. We shall see.

Gilbert Speaks on The Walking Dead S11 E18

When people in authority tell you that everything is going to be okay…start packing your bags! On this week’s episode of The Walking Dead we realize that Max has had enough of Pamela and her sociopathic son, Sebastian. Will her actions cause a dangerous dilemma for Team Daryl?

A New Deal

In this episode, Carol (Melissa McBride) backs the wrong horse, and Daryl (Norman Reedus) realizes that it is much easier fighting walkers than raising a daughter. Judith (Cailey Fleming) is not happy. She misses Rick and Michonne and right now she doesn’t want to leave the Commonwealth. Can you blame this little girl? Her entire childhood has been surrounded by death. Now she is living in the Commonwealth where even though the idea of a safe community is mostly a fantasy, for our little Shit Kicker…it is the closest thing to normal.

Judith isn’t the only person unwilling to leave. Ezekiel Khary Payton) has a dream of building up another kingdom, and believe me, if Ezekiel oversaw the Commonwealth…this dream of a perfect democracy would ring true. Even Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is hesitant to leave the Commonwealth when he realizes that Annie (Medina Senghore) needs medical care for a problem with her amniotic fluid. Annie wants to go home. Lydia is in love with Elijah and gets approval from Carol before joining Aaron and Jerry on their trek to Oceanside.

Carol’s plan to rescue Sebastian (Teo Rapp-Olsson) as a leverage for supplies, food, and weapons for Alexandria, Hilltop and Oceanside, was sidetracked when Max decides that Sebastian is getting off easy.

While Lance rots in jail, he has his two assassins killing people and releasing a horde of walkers onto the Commonwealth’s festivities. I truly believe that Mercer should have allowed Daryl to kill Lance because this man is more dangerous than the Governor.

Max

I love the character of Max, played fabulously by Margot Bingham.  Max has seen too much corruption working for Pamela (Laila Robins), and she and Eugene have decided to pull a genuine “Independence Day” bombshell by using Sebastian as the fuse. Sebastian bristles at the speech Pamela has prepared for him, and when he tells Max his true feelings about the Commonwealth, he is unaware that she is taping him. I don’t know about you, but for me, I think Sebastian was trying to tell his true feelings at the festivities, but the crowd didn’t want to hear him after hearing that tape.

Conclusion

Never trust a person in authority who tells you that everything is okay. Did Carol really believe that Pamela would allow the other settlements to live in peace? Not while Lance is still alive. And…after what happened to Sebastian, all deals are off. The walkers can always be counted on to clean their plate. Too bad, Sebastian was the main course. This death will definitely unite Lance and Pamela against Team Daryl.

Judith, who at first, wanted nothing to do with Rick’s gun…soon changes her mind when the horde comes. Judith is a product of the apocalypse, and she will survive because she knows no other life. I don’t see smooth roads ahead for Team Daryl, there is nothing more dangerous than a mother who lost her child.

Gilbert Speaks on The Walking Dead S11 E12

On last week’s episode of The Walking Dead, Eugene was betrayed by Stephanie, Mercer’s prisoner goes missing, and Carol plants herself into Lance’s inner circle. But who is the real monster at the Commonwealth? Is it Pamela or Lance? More importantly, what was that list of names?

The Lucky Ones

Well, well, well! In this episode, we learn that it was Pamela Milton’s assistant, Max (Margot Bingham) who had found some old radio parts and put a radio together. It was her who was speaking to Eugene all the time…She is Mercer’s sister, so you know that she is a good person. She was not behind the ruse but needed to keep silent in order to protect her and Mercer. She honestly doesn’t know what Lance and Pamela have planned for Alexandria and Hilltop. Eugene is not ready to hear the truth. I do hope that he reconsiders.

Lance (Josh Hamilton) and Pamela Milton (Laila Robins) go to visit Alexandria. Aaron greets her and takes her on a tour. Daryl confides in Mercer that he was once one of the leaders of Alexandria. Pamela asks about the former leader, Deanna and how she died. She is upset about the way Deanna died. Pamela next visits Rachel at Oceanside and learns that Oceanside will not honor the trade agreement unless Hilltop does. Is this the apocalyptic version of Brexit? Lance is not happy.

Pamela and Maggie meet for the first time…two powerful women standing their ground. I love this. Maggie wants to know why Aaron and Daryl trust Pamela, but they don’t…just feeling their way. Lance and Pamela ask Maggie to go hunting with them. Pamela is dressed up like a big game hunter. Pamela wants to restore the natural of order. Will Maggie take up her offer?

Ezekiel learns that he has a cancerous tumor, but even though he is on the list for treatment, he is puzzled as to how he got on that list. He questions Carol about it. He wants to know what Carol had to do to help him.

Conclusion

Rosita comforts Eugene on his and Stephanie’s breakup, but she is happy being a Cop and having a future. I am so relieved that Eugene didn’t rat out Max. Daryl was permitted to visit Alexandria and Hilltop without his Star War Trooper outfit, but Mercer reminds him that it was only to smooth out the visit. Food and supplies are offered to the communities and the troopers help fix the water tower. Pamela and Maggie protect each other against walkers, so will there be some trust between the two? Right now…I am trusting Pamela a lot more than Lance. While Lance talks to Maggie about the possibilities of growth, a swarm of walkers arrives with everyone fighting. Mercer puts a quick end to the fight. Thank you, Mercer. But in the end, Maggie turns down Pamela’s offer because…everything costs something.

My thoughts on this: Beware of the Trojan horse. If Commonwealth is doing so well, why force Team Alexandria, Team Oceanside, and Team Hilltop to join. I don’t trust Lance. I’m not sure about Pamela, but right now…I trust her a little more after this episode. Mercer’s warning to Daryl that they are always being watched, may have something to do with that list that was given to Connie. Not everyone feels like Maggie, and she loses a few members to the Commonwealth.

As for Eugene, he apologizes to Max. They talk. There is hope.

Please keep Ukraine and President Zelensky in your prayers. If Ukraine fall, so does the rest of Europe.

Gilbert Speaks on The Walking Dead S11 E10

Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier – The Walking Dead _ Season 11, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC

This week’s episode of The Walking Dead proves once again that there are no perfect societies. Every government is flawed. In fact, after reviewing TWD universe over the past eleven seasons, I have come to the dire realization that the only ones consistently working as a team are the walkers. The animated bags of flesh work as a hive to quell their thirst for human flesh.

New Haunts

Welcome to the Commonwealth where a normal life has somewhat returned. We get to see what Team Daryl has been up to after last weeks’ time jump. Daryl and Rosita are training to become soldiers while the other people from Alexandria adjust to their new roles. We have Carol baking cookies for the huge Halloween party. But we all know that our little Ninja Warrior is only playing the chameleon. Carol is worried about Ezekiel’s health…and rightfully so. Ezekiel’s thyroid cancer is taking his toll, but he is at the bottom of the waiting list for surgery. The only person who might be able to move Ezekiel up the list is Lance Hornsby.

Daryl, our apocalyptic loner, goes through all of Mercer’s (Michael James Shaw) team building exercises. We are learning more about Mercer, and it is refreshing to see that Mercer is a good commander. Rosita is more flexible with the training. Mercer is protective of Sebastian Milton (Teo Rapp Olsson) even though Sebastian the spoiled, entitled son of Pamela Milton (Laila Robins). This boy is clueless and would have been dead a long time ago if he wasn’t the son of the Governor.

This episode reveals that a lot of the Commonwealth people are not happy with the status quo. There is a huge separation between the haves and the have nots. Judith and her brother live with Daryl, and it is during the Halloween celebration that Judith realizes that they are poor. She makes friends with another girl who treats her to a heavy metal album, nice but useless because Judith doesn’t own a record player.  Later at the Halloween masquerade ball, we see that Yumiko has higher standing in the Commonwealth than her Alexandria friends.

Conclusion

The clues are there. There is a resistance group within the Commonwealth. They are angry with their situation, and they are silently preparing for a revolution. We are learning early in this season that not everyone is happy in the land of Oz, especially when Tyler (who was demoted after Princess kidnapped him in S10’s Splinter) attempts to force Pamela to hear his story. His demotion has affected his sister and her children who depended on Tyler’s paycheck. Even though it was Daryl who captured Tyler after Tyler released his hostage, Daryl allows Sebastian to claim the capture. Either Daryl is following Mercer’s advice about teamwork or, like Carol, is playing the chameleon.

Now for the good news. Carol has worked her charm on Lance by finding some great wine for the Ball. Hopefully this new alliance will help with Ezekiel’s place on the surgical list. And!!!! Mercer and Princess (Paola Lazaro) might have a thing going on. The way he looked at her before entering the Ball and the fact that he invited her to be his “plus one” for the party…most likely had social media blowing up. I know for the moment that Daryl and Connie (Lauren Ridloff) have a thing going, but I am a die hard for Team Daryl/Carol. We shall see what the future brings.