Gilbert Speaks on The Walking Dead S11 E9

They’re back! The Walking Dead has returned picking up where we left off so many months ago with Maggie, Gabe, Elijah, and Negan trying to escape the Reapers, but will Eugene be bringing unexpected company to Alexandria? Will Carol be baking up some of her apocalyptic cookies for S11 E9?

No Other Way

What we need to remember is that a show about the apocalypse was filmed during an ongoing apocalypse. Scary right? Maggie has been dealing with loads of internal struggles that have caused people to die, not intentionally, but shit happens when you can’t let go of revenge. Negan knows that it won’t be long before Maggie turns on him, but he has proven himself in my eyes. In a world where a virus has caused civilization to circle the drain, even good guys do bad things.

So many people died helping Team Maggie get the needed food for Alexandria, but while Team Maggie and Team Leah try to off each other, Alexandria is under siege by walkers. Judith and Gracie are trapped in a flooded basement and although Judith lives up to her nickname, “Little Shit Kicker” she is outnumbered until Aaron shows up for the rescue.

Maggie is out to protect her people, and will do anything to accomplish this, and I think that is what Negan was trying to tell her when he said that he should have killed them all. Negan was protecting his people, too. In a world of death, you will do unthinkable things to protect the living…your people.

Daryl wants to believe that people can change, Negan did, so why not Leah, but again, even though they love each other Daryl’s and Leah’s first duty is to their tribe. Even GOD has taken a back seat to the apocalypse when Gabriel and the Reaper Preacher chat about forgiveness…that is until Gabriel kills the preacher. I think Gabriel has decided that GOD should stay in the back seat from now on.

The fight scenes in this episode are amazing, but especially the ones between Carver and Team Maggie. Daryl decides to use Carver as ransom with Leah, but Leah has a sniper in her deck.

Conclusion and Spoilers

Maggie doesn’t believe in taking hostages, but after Gabriel scores with the sniper and changing Leah’s game plan, Maggie allows them to leave without Carver…but Maggie…gives new meaning to “holding a grudge.” She kills everyone and injures Leah who gets away.

Maggie can’t forgive, and Negan knows this, so he leaves, and that sucks because he saved Maggie and Elijah from Carver. It was a literal “Saved by the bell” moment. Maggie was too late to save Alden…but we knew this would happen. Daryl decides to let Leah live after finding her. They were lovers, after all. Sometimes you have to just let go and let live. I hope that Leah returns that favor in the future.

The happy ending with Team Maggie returning with the much-needed supplies, was turned upside down with the arrival of unexpected dinner guests…Eugene brought Lance Hornsby and a platoon of Commonwealth troopers to the gate. Hornsby offers sanctuary at the Commonwealth…will there be any takers?

Why is God’s name would Daryl join the Commonwealth? Why Daryl? Why?

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Gilbert Speaks on The Walking Dead S11 E03

I don’t know…maybe it’s because we are battling our own apocalypse in real time, what with Covid and the rise of Nazi sympathizers within our own country…but I am waiting for one bright spot in the final season of The Walking Dead. In this episode, we get a closer look of the Reapers.

Hunted

In this episode, while we know that Team Ezekiel is safe from harm at the moment, Team Maggie is not doing well at all. After escaping the subway tunnels, they are ambushed by the Reapers. This new enemy is very organized, methodical in their attacks, and almost Ninja like in their sudden appearances and disappearances. This episode was directed by Frederick Toye of Snowpiercer, The Boys, Watchmen, and Westworld fame.

With the latest Reaper attack we lose a few of Maggie’s team (Cole, Duncan, and Agatha). Many are injured, the rest scattered to the four winds. Maggie is adamant about finding food for the colony and even though Alden is badly wounded, she insists that they continue on their quest. Negan disagrees, but with a big sigh, he allows Maggie to lead the way.

Gabriel

One of the most important character developments in TWD is that of Seth Gilliam’s Gabriel Stokes. We have watched this man of God go from cowardly to brave, to almost fanatical in protecting his friends. Gabriel is not only in charge of dividing the meager supplies to the starving people of Alexandria and Hilltop, but he must also muster up the townsfolks’ faith in a benevolent Creator, while at the same time losing his. After being injured during the ambush, Gabriel escapes and on his journey to find his team, happens upon a wounded Reaper who taunts him into praying for his sorry ass. But…Gabriel is fresh out of mercy and tells the Reaper, “God isn’t here anymore” before killing the man.

I don’t think that Gabriel has completely given up on God, but he sure as hell is questioning God’s whereabouts. Haven’t we all these last two years of Covid? I hope that Gabriel survives the series finale because he is the gauge, the weathervane for the mental health of Alexandria. He is the glue that holds the town together in the absence of Rick and Michonne.

Carol

Carol played deliciously by Melissa McBride is another study in a character’s growth. Carol is sometimes more dangerous than the many enemies Team Rick has ever had to fight. She too went from meek and weak to Wonder Woman status within the eleven years that TWD has been on air.  Carol, recently, has been played as a troublemaker by the writers and directors. I don’t know why they decided to play her as psychotic when that isn’t who she is. Big mistake. In this episode Carol in adamant about finding horses. They will need the horses to travel long distances to find supplies, but secretly she is hoping to also find Connie. Magna (Nadia Hilker) is afraid that Carol is giving Kelley (Angel Theory) false hope, but they and Rosita (Christian Serratos) go with Carol to find horses.

Conclusion

While Maggie (Lauren Cohan), Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), and the injured Alden find shelter in a church, after barely escaping the warehouse full of Reapers…we get to check in on the children of Alexandria. As the wee ones play a game of Slap Jack, Judith (Cailey Fleming), Hershel (Kien Michael Spiller), RJ (Anthony Azor) and Gracie (Anabelle Holloway) talk about parents and life in general. These are pretty smart kids. They have to be in a world where you can instantly become a walker snack. It is Hershel, who has been on some very dangerous adventures with his mother, that teaches the children how to eat horse meat.

Horse meat? Yes, it seems that Team Carol, after finding a few half-eaten horses, finally locate some live horses. After bringing the horses back to Alexandria, Carol is tasked with the job of slaughtering one of the horses to feed the people of Alexandria. This is not something she wanted to do, but it is always our Carol who is assigned the dirty work that no one else wants to do.

Negan and Maggie are forced to leave Alden in the church, with the promise that they will take care of his child. I don’t know what happened to Daryl and we don’t know if Gabriel will catch up to Maggie, but I will tell you this…the Reapers are as dangerous as the Whisperers, but what they haven’t counted on is the teaming up of Maggie and Negan. The Reapers may have opened a Pandora’s box of big trouble. Let’s hope that Maggie and Negan don’t wind up killing each other before they destroy the Reapers.

Gilbert Speaks on The Walking Dead S11 E01

Oh no! Nothing like a battle of will between Maggie and Negan to push my blood pressure into the dangerous zone. This is the last season of The Walking Dead, let’s hope that the showrunners don’t ruin it by having our beloved characters change their story arc in this…the final season.

Acheron

The river of woe. That’s what Acheron is according to Greek Mythology. Acheron is the river of Hades, one of five. God knows that our friends in Alexandria are feeling this woe. Alexandria is devasted from the Whisperer attack. Their walls are weak, and their food supply will only last a few days. Gabe has to mediate arguments about the food shortage.

Maggie (Lauren Cohen) knows a place that they can get supplies, so she enlists Gabe (Seth Gilliam), Magna (Nadia Hilker), Kelly (Angel Theory), Jerry (Cooper Andrews), Alden (Callan McAuliffe) Daryl (Norman Reedus) Carol (Melissa McBride), Lydia (Cassady McClincy) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) to go to an old military base. Now all this time, Negan is trying to give some good advice, but Maggie is constantly shooting him down…which leaves Negan to wonder if this isn’t a suicide mission for him. Does Maggie want him dead? Yes, she does, but will she put a bullet in his head when no one is looking? Negan thinks so and says it aloud.

Princess

I don’t know about you but Princess, played by the talented Paola Lazaro, has definitely grown on me. Eugene (Josh McDermott), Ezekiel (Khary Payton), Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura) and Princess are prisoners of the Commonwealth. They are routinely interrogated for information on who they are, and where they are from, along with other nasty mind games. The soldiers of the Commonwealth dress like Storm Troopers from Star Wars, which would be funny if we didn’t know how evil the Commonwealth is.

Princess has been very observant and learns which two guards are having a secret tryst without their superiors’ knowledge. This whole scene with her explaining what she has learned to her friends, is an absolute hoot. Going on what Princess knows, Yumiko and Eugene steal the body armor, but as they attempt an escape, Yumiko sees a snapshot on a wall with a message from her brother. She refuses to leave. Her brother might be one of the prisoners.

Conclusion

We have the Commonwealth, and we have the Reapers. But these two enemies are a piece of cake compared to the battle between Maggie and Negan. The military base that Maggie took the group to was stocked with bags of MREs which if you are not a prepper, is “Ready-to-Eat. These meals are self-contained, individual field rations for the military. Carol almost becomes walker lunch when she lags behind the group in order to fill her backpack with more food. It is very tense episode between the walkers and the fear that the Reapers are just waiting to attack.

Negan tries to point out warning signals to the group, but Maggie keeps shooting him down…which leads to the ending of this episode that blew my mind. Look, I almost stopped watching TWD when the writers and the showrunners started to portray Carol as a loose cannon. I did not like what they did with Carol…and to make matters worse, they even have Carol and Daryl fighting. This has really pissed me off.

Now, they are messing with Negan, who has been trying to walk the path of the enlightened. When the walkers become very active after a drop of blood hit one of the sleeping walkers, everyone has to scatter. Negan climbs up a ladder with Maggie close behind him. When her foot is grabbed tight by a walker, she looks to Negan for help…He walks away, and she loses her grip and falls backwards. If there was ever going to be peace between Maggie and Negan, episode 01 just blew it.

I need to get my economy sized bottle of Tums out of storage if I am to survive this final season.

Gilbert Speaks on The Walking Dead S10 Finale

All good things come to those who wait in a pandemic isolation mode. Yes, like most of my fellow TWD fans that are trapped inside a time loop with no escape until the election…we were left to wonder what had happened to our favorite Team. The wait was well worth it, and we were awarded a few surprises.

A Certain Doom

There was a lot to worry about all season especially with the writers messing with our Ninja Queen, Carol. Don’t mess with Carol! She is a strong woman and we don’t break easily.

Team Hillside, Team Alexandria, and Team Oceanside have their plans, but so does Beta. The children must be protected. I love how Daryl has taken the role of father over Little Kick-ass Judith and her little brother. You fight harder when you have children to protect.  Team Daryl, having taken a gore and guts bath, slowly make their way through the horde…but the Whisperers are in that horde. Beatrice has the backpack with the Radio Shack electrical equipment that is needed to lure the horde away.

Lydia and Negan

We have been given glimpses of what Negan was like before the apocalypse, but the memory of his bat cutting down Glenn and Abraham still stings. Even if I don’t usually believe that people can change their ways, I think Negan has turn away from the Dark Force because of two young girls.

Negan has always had a soft spot for Judith because she is smart and sassy, and she stands up to him. Judith is viewed as a pintsized fellow warrior. Lydia is different. She is vulnerable, abused, and not welcomed by the others because of Alpha. Negan is protective of Lydia. Negan is the father figure who gives Lydia Alpha’s face mask. Lydia and Carol are a different matter. Carol is unwilling to open her heart to the girl because of what Alpha did to her family…but Lydia’s need for forgiveness, and maybe a mother figure, is putting chinks in Carol’s titanium armor. Carol tells Lydia that the girl must “Find her own way.”

Rock On

Lydia is a big help to the Team archers as she points out the hidden Whisperers among the horde. As each Whisperer is shot down, the horde does the good old fashion gore and guts buffet…which we haven’t seen in a long time. If you have walkers…you need the gore. Beta is also a good leader and pulls his people in a closer circle which causes poor Beatrice from Oceanside to get killed. Carol, at first, keeps moving but then returns for the backpack. Lydia, wearing Alpha’s mask comes to the rescue.

Backpack rescued, Team Daryl is able to lead the horde away from Team Gabe and towards a cliff with the song Bringing Down the House…but rascally Beta soon puts a stop to that. The decision is made for Carol and Lydia to tag lead the walkers to the cliff, while Daryl and Negan go after Beta and his people.

Conclusion

There were many surprises: Lydia saving Carol before she jumped. I think Carol is going to adopt Lydia. Carol needs to teach Lydia how to be a warrior, and Lydia needs to teach Carol how to open her heart and forgive.

Negan and Daryl worked as a tag team in bringing down Beta. Although Negan was surprised with Beta’s identity, Daryl couldn’t give a damn. Beta actually got what he always wanted. He happily lived among the walkers, and now, he is one.

Gabe is rescued from Whisperers by Maggie, and her very own masked hooded Ninja. Who is this stranger? He has the same moves as our beloved

I saved the best for last. Connie is alive and meets Virgil. Team Eugene accompanied by Princess are still on their search for Eugene’s true love, Stephanie…what they encounter are storm troopers right out of Star Wars. Are they part of the group that Jadis belongs to? Is Rick there? Who is that masked man with Maggie? I can’t wait for the next season.   

Gilbert Speaks on “The Walking Dead” S10 E10

On last week’s episode of “The Walking Dead” the writers wrote another stupid script for our Ninja Warrior, Carol. Stop messing with Carol! We also got to see Negan and Alpha kiss. My eyes can not undo what they saw last week. On tonight’s episode, Beta has a secret entrance and it brings some frightful moments.

Gilbert Speaks on “The Walking Dead” S09 E12

On this week’s episode of “The Walking Dead” Lydia is back with Mother Dearest, who is suspicious of her daughter’s loyalty. Michonne must make a decision about sending a delegation to the Kingdom. Will her conversations with Negan help with this decision? Will Eugene’s chart help Gabe and Rosita’s baby dilemma?

Gilbert Speaks on “The Walking Dead” S09 E03

Last week’s episode of “The Walking Dead” was all about bridges: the kind you use to cross over troubled waters, and the kind you use to build trust. This week’s episode focuses on the mysterious disappearance of Saviors.

Gilbert Speaks On “The Walking Dead” S08 E11

On last week’s episode of “The Walking Dead” Jadis got the full treatment from Simon, and now she’s all alone with her trash art. Aaron and Enid were kicked out by the Oceanside amazons, and Negan learns about Carl’s death. The war is on, but things don’t look good for Team Daryl. What’s in the swamp? Find out after the jump

Gilbert Speaks on “The Walking Dead” S08 E05

We lost people last week, and most of it was due to overconfidence. Never celebrate during a battle. On last week’s episode of “The Walking Dead” Ezekiel had to remind his people that he’s just some guy, and nothing more. Aren’t the real superheroes always just some guy…some guy that wants to make the world a better place…some guy that stands his ground and does the right thing. This week, we check on Negan and Father Gabriel. Who will save them from the horde: God or Lucille? Find out after the jump

Gilbert Speaks on “The Walking Dead” New Best Friends

On last week’s episode of “The Walking Dead” Team Rick was surrounded by a new gang. Who are they? What do they want? Who’s the spikey dude? And, why is Rick smiling? We meet a new community and they’re meaner than a junk yard dog…but maybe, they hate Negan as much as Rick does. Will they join forces with the other communities that are trying to defeat the Saviors? Find out after the jump.