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9x15 'The Calm Before'

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Dee
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Sun Mar 10, 2019 6:12 pm

The fair at the Kingdom is underway, with all four communities coming together in celebration for the first time in years; while some pacts are renewed, other deals will come at a much steeper price.

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Mon Mar 25, 2019 7:11 pm

I might need a day or two to digest this episode. You're welcome to go first, Lori. I'm very sorry to lose some of the people who ended up on the pikes, but the episode was actually very good, and amazingly, they've managed to cushion the horror pretty effectively with the positives. Siddiq is a little treasure.

So many senseless deaths, and some of them were very dear to me. And some other very dear people will be devasted at their loss. Yet, I didn't feel crushed. I felt a strange sense of quiet rage and acceptance of a very bad situation, but mostly hope that this will bring the communities together even more fiercely than the fair, to wipe off such evil from the face of this damaged earth.

Ok, back to digesting.

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Fri Mar 29, 2019 4:11 am

I keep thinking that Siddiq's speech here is the heart of the story. As much as Sasha's spirit speech to Rick was. You carry the dead with you and you keep going, to honour them. And you most certainly keep going and get stronger in the face of evil and destruction. Same message as Game of Thrones, really.

No good crying like Ezekiel, that some people will always come and try to ruin a good thing. We need to learn to expect and accept that. It's always been like that and always will be. But as long as we believe that overall we are moving forward and have a role to play, we keep on fighting for what we believe in.

It's devastating to see twelve people senselessly killed in an act of pure evil and destruction. But this was also the day when communities came together to celebrate life and collaboration. They've signed a contract to cherish that. One of the greatest achievement (if not the greatest) of the overall story of the series. So now something horrible happened that the survivors need to turn into a driving force to get them to move forward.

So I'm not saying "here we go again" with an exasperation. We saw our people rebuild from the loss of the farm, the prison, from losing Glenn and Abraham, Carl... and now we are going to see them move on and rebuild from this. And each time they rebuild, they achieve more than before. So that's what makes the story good, and the resurfacing of evil is an inevitable and some ways necessary part of that. There is nothing more unifying than the need to deal with a shared adversity or fight a common enemy.


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Lori
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Fri Mar 29, 2019 1:11 pm

I also need to watch again as I was strangely unaffected! Who died again? I know Alpha killed a blond woman and borrowed her hair. Should I know that couple? (I am hanging my head and have the episode on again to review.)

UPDATE: My recording had stalled out just as Alpha put her fingers to her lips in the theater. I thought the show was over! I am watching the rest of the episode now. LOL!!! I knew there had to be more to it with your reaction.

Oh man, PIC. Crying. I cannot believe this happened... Daryl sparing Carol. The kids...Enid, Henry. Tara! I found I was newly bonding to Henry. This was so incredibly sad. I found myself wanting to shield all of their eyes. I'm a bit gutted.

This was an incredible episode, truly. Not as devastating as the Glenn era, but it was done toooooo well.

(Wrote the below before watching the rest of the episode.)

I did get goosebumps at the signing of the document and the palpable love and respect in the room. Michonne is such a grownup. These people have been through so much together and separately at this point, it is hard to fathom. That they can walk, talk, and try to move forward is a testimony to their greatness. This new pact and budding society will be woefully imperfect as are all societies, but I am so happy to see them back together. Carol hugging Daryl... Who else does that to him now that Rick is out of the picture? I do think he has budding feeling for our Connie. I believe they feel wildly foreign to his sheltered heart.

Alpha was once again magnificent in her deception and skilled infiltration of the group.
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Alpha was devastatingly on point. Her interaction with Lydia was so suspenseful. Her tears and act of defiance and 'Alpha' killing the man who'd seen her crying, which of course in her world equals weakness. That actress....good lord. I've no words for her performance.

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Norman did really well also. I must quit now. I am gutted due to the deaths and also what this represents going forward. The speech Siddiq gave was wonderful. I am re-reading your post as it made little sense to me initially as I'm sure you understand. :sign0144: :03:
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Yes, these events are unifying. Really, the new pact has just officially been sealed in blood. I hope the community can remain a united force and not fight too extensively within. These Whisperers are a bigger deal than I thought they would be. I liked how Daryl told Alpha that "we look out for each other" and also that he told her he could protect Lydia. Even though there are so many gray areas in this new world, good will rise above evil. Daryl will prove it, along with Michonne who is the true Queen/King/Warrior/Woman/MotherEarth...anything else? This series is not disappointing, PIC. We will see some amazing things going forward also and an ultimate reunion with Rick. xoxo

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Lori
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Fri Mar 29, 2019 3:39 pm

Ran some errands and found myself wondering why I felt nervous and upset. Yes. TWD strikes again. I kept envisioning Henry's little blond head on the stake.

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Fri Mar 29, 2019 8:21 pm

Sorry about the nasty after-affects, Lori...this was a particularly brutal episode. I understand. I screamed and shouted and cried too. And we weren't alone:



In fact, whilst I normally find these reaction montages hilarious, this time it just made me cry again.

They were revealing the dead in a devastating manner... how their loved ones were searching for them... I liked Enid very much, and Tara. Such wonderful, hardworking and generous people. And I was beginning to warm to Henry too. What this will do to Carol and Ezekiel, that's heartbreaking. And poor Lydia. :73:

To answer your question, the first couple were only introduced to us a minute before they were killed, we never saw them before.

The Alpha actress is phenomenal, I couldn't agree more.

And Michonne is just the most wonderful character ever. And Danai can do anything, and do it perfect, goes without saying. 😍

Our survivors' predicament is terrifying. They will have to cross that freshly created border, no way they can avoid it if they're gonna stay in touch.

Daryl... oh, Daryl. Holding Carol. Again. When she lost yet another child. :73:

And Connie has some dreadful tragedy she's still struggling to deal with... she must have lost a child too. :73:

And our Daryl is definitely having a little crush here. He's left his dog with her!! That's huge. He has not done anything without his dog since he had him. There was no reason for him to leave the dog at the Kingdom, except for leaving him with Connie for extra protection, and the dog has obviously taken a shine to her. So basically, they're already sharing the dog. :72: This is all kinds of wonderful, and please, please tell me they won't tear her away from Daryl. And us. She is an absolute delight. And you're right, Daryl is completely a fish out of water, bless him. He has absolutely no game. He's so wonderfully and painfully awkward that Connie will have to initiate here, if anything was going to happen. And I know, I know, they've just met and we shouldn't get carried away, but come on. How can we not? He so obviously likes her. First time he finally likes someone in 8-9 years, since Beth was gone. Stupid show. So sure, we are allowed to get carried away. Give the man a chance to love a good woman, for heavens sake.

And I know, it's nice to see him getting so many hugs now, from Carol, Michonne, Aaron... he's got his family. But a partner... he surely deserves to have someone after all these years. It's been like what? 10-11 years since the apocalypse? And before that? Has Daryl ever had a partner? Somehow it feels very unlikely. :73:

One issue I have with the episode... why wouldn't they want to kill Daryl? Beta wouldn't even bring up "the lift incident"? Really? Well, I don't particularly mind, but sure it made no sense. Except if they are actually expressing respect towards him. And Ezekiel. They could have gotten him too.

Awesome episode otherwise. My goodness, it was masterfully done.

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Dee
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Fri Mar 29, 2019 8:24 pm

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Dee
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Fri Mar 29, 2019 8:27 pm

That little wave there at the end?
He breaks my heart.

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Fri Mar 29, 2019 8:28 pm

And he's basically adopting Lydia. :73:

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Sat Mar 30, 2019 4:03 am

In case you were wondering, comparing with the source material, here are the two main characters who escaped the pikes in the tv series and were replaced by Enid, Tara and Henry (all three are exclusively created for the tv show):
Spoiler:
Rosita (also pregnant in the comics with Siddiq's baby but in a romantic relationship with Eugene) and Ezekiel...

Tammy is the only one killed in both comic and tv versions.

Luke, the fun music teacher from the new group, was also killed in the comics. Thank god they didn't do that on the show.

Some other characters who die here in the comics, are long dead on tv. Olivia, the big lady from Alexandria in charge of rations, Carson, the Hilltop doctor, Ken, Tammy's son...

And who finds the pikes in the comics? It's Rick, Carl and Lydia.

It's such a remix... you never know anymore.

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Lori
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Sat Mar 30, 2019 9:45 am

Relived it all again with the reaction video. *sniff *sniff So apropos.

When I watched initially, at first I thought Tara was Rosita and then quickly realized who it was. That shocked me. Tara was so right about the consequences, but so right to acquiesce and not let Alpha take back Lydia. Truly, even if they had returned Lydia at that point, Alpha would have continued with the destruction I think. I don't follow the trajectory of the comics, so no wonder everyone was afraid it was Rosita and also Ezekiel. So Rick and Carl are still in the comic series at this point? Insult to injury regarding Carl's early death in particular.

Poor Lydia is right! How will she deal with the river of emotions within her own reality let alone the varying reactions of others to her. I pity her. She definitely needs a strong guy to watch over her. Now, who might that be?

I am still so disturbed. dammit

Fun fact? Beheadings bother me particularly. Perhaps it is because I apparently had a relative who was a minor French Count who was beheaded. :) I assume the heads were taken after the deaths, but I've never liked piked heads personally. Not my menu choice.
:57:

Lordy. Daryl/Connie (BTW the name Connie does not suit her AT ALL) - yep, it's a thing isn't it? Super fun to contemplate. Leave it to our nearly monosyllabic hero to fall for a woman who cannot hear or speak. The actress is deaf. Really a beautiful pairing. I have hope for it which scares me a little. It surely to hell is time - beyond time without a scintilla of the doubt. That little hand wave was endearlingly heartbreakingly oh-so-Daryl-ly. Just get you a woman, lonely boy!

I am still shattered by this episode.

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Dee
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Sun Mar 31, 2019 9:00 am

Lori wrote:
Sat Mar 30, 2019 9:45 am
Relived it all again with the reaction video. *sniff *sniff So apropos.

When I watched initially, at first I thought Tara was Rosita and then quickly realized who it was. That shocked me. Tara was so right about the consequences, but so right to acquiesce and not let Alpha take back Lydia. Truly, even if they had returned Lydia at that point, Alpha would have continued with the destruction I think.

Definitely. Lydia said Alpha had plenty "run-ins" with other communities. They started the whole thing here by killing Jesus first, anyways. Way before Lydia started to factor in. This was going to happen one way or another, no doubt.

I don't follow the trajectory of the comics, so no wonder everyone was afraid it was Rosita and also Ezekiel. So Rick and Carl are still in the comic series at this point? Insult to injury regarding Carl's early death in particular.

I don't read the comics but am interested in knowing how it compares to the show. Henry was the biggest shock of all to everyone, because in the comics it's Carl who has the love relationship with Lydia, and it all seems like Henry has taken over Carl's storylines from the source material. Well, he at least got this one story. It was a real shock. I think it's going to affect Carol worse than if they'd killed Ezekiel. In a way, Ezekiel's story has come full circle and from a story point of view, this could have been a "good time" for his death, I'd certainly would have chosen him over Henry. But I guess, his death wouldn't have had the same impact as Henry's. Henry's death will have major bearings on Carol, Ezekiel, Lydia and Daryl for starters. I guess there's a lot of interesting story potential in that.

Rick and Carl are still alive in the comics now, which is way-way ahead of the tv show.


Poor Lydia is right! How will she deal with the river of emotions within her own reality let alone the varying reactions of others to her. I pity her. She definitely needs a strong guy to watch over her. Now, who might that be?

Despite all her misfortunes, she's one lucky girl to have Daryl looking out for her, becoming her guardian.

Is Daryl suddenly getting lucky in life? A pet, a daughter, a potential partner, and hopefully a sign soon that his brother is alive? Whatever next? Surely this can't be all happening. It's too much!


I am still so disturbed. dammit

Fun fact? Beheadings bother me particularly. Perhaps it is because I apparently had a relative who was a minor French Count who was beheaded. :) I assume the heads were taken after the deaths, but I've never liked piked heads personally. Not my menu choice.
:57:

I can't say they're my thing either... :?

Seriously, the scene was done far too well. One of those iconic moments that profoundly affect you. Not necessarily a good thing. This is precisely why my husband stopped watching the show. (But carried on watching GoT... which somewhat baffles me, but I think Daenerys' charms are the key there. :roll: )


Lordy. Daryl/Connie (BTW the name Connie does not suit her AT ALL) - yep, it's a thing isn't it? Super fun to contemplate. Leave it to our nearly monosyllabic hero to fall for a woman who cannot hear or speak. The actress is deaf. Really a beautiful pairing. I have hope for it which scares me a little. It surely to hell is time - beyond time without a scintilla of the doubt. That little hand wave was endearlingly heartbreakingly oh-so-Daryl-ly. Just get you a woman, lonely boy!

Yay!! Agree on everything. :08: What would be a better name for Connie? I was thinking, Laura. Then I went to check the name of the actress. Lauren Ridloff! Lol. How close was that?

The pairing is perfect. They have so much in common. And they're equals in every sense. There's a lot of respect between them already, best starting point for a relationship. I'd be over the moon happy if this played out.


I am still shattered by this episode.


Me too... :73: But also fired up for seeing this dreadful group (well, their leaders) eradicated, and our communities pulling together better than ever before.

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