11x04 'Rendition'

[Lori]

Daryl and Dog have a fiery reunion with a blast from the past and meet the Reapers' mysterious leader, Pope.

[Lori]

Oh, Mrs. Dixon - how you must have been on the edge of your seat during this episode. I thought it was a really good one! First, no walking dead except the poor soul who carried his brother for 10 miles and then got kicked into the fire by the latest villain, Pope. Second, Daryl doing his damnedest to play all of this right. And Leah? Where will this go, I wonder.

With exception of some fight scenes that didn't quite add up and the odd effects during the fire scene, this was really compelling. We were right about our spidey senses that Daryl was in for a bumpy ride. The torture scenes were difficult - done well and painful to watch. I felt that Leah would not let it go too far. "I came back for you." "I was scared to let go." Daryl Dixon communicating his emotions? Priceless. It was a crazy juxtaposition in that he really did have feelings for Leah so he is being nearly at his most raw honest, yet he is lying through his teeth to protect his family. They say the best lies consist of 90% truth.

Now we know why Dog had a large starring role last episode.

The look Daryl gave Leah when they were near the fire and the Daryl scenes in general here were well-acted and overall a very consistent Daryl episode. I thought about his biggest fan throughout. How did you survive, PIC? Have you recuperated?

[Dee]

Good. Lord. Just watched it. This is so f**ked up, I'm struggling to find words.

You've said it all, Daryl's been trying so damn hard to play this right. And how do you even do that with a woman you once cared about but can't trust anymore and being a prisoner of a psycopathic leader? What the actual hell? This is so messed up.

Norman did an amazing job with this. Daryl was Daryl through and through and gave them the barest minimum that he absolutely needed to do to survive this interrogation. He's not given away anything about the depth of his commitment to the group, neither the location of Alexandria. Can he keep holding out?

This Pope guy... I thought no one can be as mad as Alpha and Beta, but here we bloody are.
So fed up with villains, I can't even begin to say.

Of course I love Daryl being the centre of an episode but perhaps not this way: threatened, tortured, intererogated and imprisoned. And now who knows what they're gonna make him do to prove himself and not end up on the barbecue. But my goodness, he was so beautiful in this episode.

His moments with Leah: well, like I said before, she didn't deserve him. She made it all about herself. She shouldn't have given him an ultimatum back at the cabin.

Personally, I want this story line end pretty quickly, and perhaps Leah could save Daryl from this predicament and agree to go their separate ways. Then can Daryl please find Connie, who's beautiful inside and out and would be perfect for him?

Yes, a very strong episode. This final season is going really well. But the show is also repeating itself somewhat: we've already had Daryl in a cell trying to stay loyal to his family, and with that stupid group Claimers after he'd lost Beth, when he just had to keep his head down and play along. We also saw punishment by fire, courtesy of Negan shoving a good doctor in the oven. (Negan forgetting about his mantra about people being a valuable resource, especially medics. )

Anyway, the situation here is somewhat different and a lot more complicated with Leah being there, but there's no doubt Daryl will choose his family (and the little kiddos back at home) over Leah if he's forced to choose again.

Thanks Lori for starting the thread, and that you were thinking of me all throughout!

[Dee]

One more thought: a bit frustrating that we still have no explanation why these assholes are killing other survivors? Simply because they're the "chosen ones"? Is that a good enough reason? Did I miss something? Did you get why they're killing everyone?

They obviously had some beef with Maggie’s group but was that more than just their general policy to kill others? Wanting their resources? And we still don’t know what “being marked” means - what does Pope want Maggie for?

[Lori]

Good. Lord. Just watched it. This is so f**ked up, I'm struggling to find words.

You've said it all, Daryl's been trying so damn hard to play this right. And how do you even do that with a woman you once cared about but can't trust anymore and being a prisoner of a psycopathic leader? What the actual hell? This is so messed up.

Norman did an amazing job with this. Daryl was Daryl through and through and gave them the barest minimum that he absolutely needed to do to survive this interrogation. He's not given away anything about the depth of his commitment to the group, neither the location of Alexandria. Can he keep holding out?

Additionally, he has set the pace for the other prisoner being held. How strong is this guy and how soon before he gives Daryl/Alexandria up either through torture or by mistake? Norman did do an amazing job.

This Pope guy... I thought no one can be as mad as Alpha and Beta, but here we bloody are.
So fed up with villains, I can't even begin to say.

Yup. Here we go again. There doesn't seem to be anything in particular to elevate Pope to Alpha status for me yet. I seem to find the female villains the most compelling. I suppose it still feels to us like women retain more of a "soul" in any given situation and it flies in the face of all things holy when they shake off the trappings of "female code".

Of course I love Daryl being the centre of an episode but perhaps not this way: threatened, tortured, intererogated and imprisoned. And now who knows what they're gonna make him do to prove himself and not end up on the barbecue. But my goodness, he was so beautiful in this episode.

May I say how correct you are regarding Daryl being beautiful in this episode? Norman and firelight apparently works wonders. Or perhaps the break in shooting due to COVID was good for Norman and he is healthier in general. Oh! I know! Daryl has been doing spa days with Magna and Maggie. His skin is glowing. Not flawless, mind you, but glowing!

His moments with Leah: well, like I said before, she didn't deserve him. She made it all about herself. She shouldn't have given him an ultimatum back at the cabin.

Personally, I want this story line end pretty quickly, and perhaps Leah could save Daryl from this predicament and agree to go their separate ways. Then can Daryl please find Connie, who's beautiful inside and out and would be perfect for him?

Amen. And Amen!

Yes, a very strong episode. This final season is going really well. But the show is also repeating itself somewhat: we've already had Daryl in a cell trying to stay loyal to his family, and with that stupid group Claimers after he'd lost Beth, when he just had to keep his head down and play along. We also saw punishment by fire, courtesy of Negan shoving a good doctor in the oven. (Negan forgetting about his mantra about people being a valuable resource, especially medics. )

Anyway, the situation here is somewhat different and a lot more complicated with Leah being there, but there's no doubt Daryl will choose his family (and the little kiddos back at home) over Leah if he's forced to choose again.

This is interesting. If Leah made a conscious decision to follow Pope, there is no way Daryl would do any more than rescue her and give her a second chance at life...but not with him. How Leah came to be in the company of this group would be telling. Most likely, she had to succumb to Pope or die, etc. Then, as seen time and time again with so many others in similar situations, she built her status in the group out of self-preservation. However, that never seems to work in the end, does it? Wouldn't it be awful if Pope deemed Leah & Daryl must be married? Of course, it would be a farce.

Daryl will choose his family. Leah never struck me as love, but more of a temporary safe place to fall or someone to finally address the loneliness Daryl must feel. (He is not a Eunuch after all.) Yet, I didn't buy this odd interlude. I would have pre-Connie. If all of this went down during the search for Connie it is complete and total bullshit.

Daryl is nothing if not loyal. *Note the "True Blue" font

Every stone would need to be turned before he would separate himself from this bond. It is Daryl's signature trait.
Thanks Lori for starting the thread, and that you were thinking of me all throughout!

Oh, my dear, I certainly was. During the tortuous scenes...during the firelight...during each expression. Glad little Mz. N was sitting beside you to hold you up like a Barbie Doll stand.

[Lori]

One more thought: a bit frustrating that we still have no explanation why these assholes are killing other survivors? Simply because they're the "chosen ones"? Is that a good enough reason? Did I miss something? Did you get why they're killing everyone?

They obviously had some beef with Maggie’s group but was that more than just their general policy to kill others? Wanting their resources? And we still don’t know what “being marked” means - what does Pope want Maggie for?

Exactly. Obviously, they've shown a penchant for killing (as demonstrated immediately by the rows of hanging dead people) but is this their first response? One would think they would at least like to filter the interlopers for types of individuals they need in their ranks. I am curious what the particular beef with Maggie's group might be. This question was why I wondered if there was an intersection in the past between Maggie and Pope or someone else in the group. Roll over and ask Daryl what he thinks, would you?