The Walking Dead (S5) - First half of season thread

[MichaelWinicki]

I was meh on it.

In one way it was a surprise and in one way it wasn't.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

My takeaways:

#1 - When Rick Grimes tells you to stop, you had better listen
#2 - Maggie didn't care enough to look for Beth, but she did care.

 

[Lodeus]

I almost forgot they were sisters

 

[MichaelWinicki]

My takeaways:

#1 - When Rick Grimes tells you to stop, you had better listen
#2 - Maggie didn't care enough to look for Beth, but she did care.

Yeah, Maggie's entire reaction to Beth not being around and then at the end of the episode... I just wish the writers were more consistent.

 

[Stryker44]

Is episode 9 not for another month? Do you believe Morgan will be good, or evil?

 

[cowboyeric8]

Granted I haven't read the comics, so this may be how they go, but a few complaints.

So all the episodes we just had with Beth and the cop lady were basically totally pointless.

Also they haven't made any progress of anything. They are back in Atlanta which is where the series started, so they are just going in circles. Why don't they try life outside of the freaking state of Georgia? Maybe life is better out there.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Is episode 9 not for another month? Do you believe Morgan will be good, or evil?

Not for another 2 months.

Morgan will be a good guy.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Granted I haven't read the comics, so this may be how they go, but a few complaints.

So all the episodes we just had with Beth and the cop lady were basically totally pointless.

Also they haven't made any progress of anything. They are back in Atlanta which is where the series started, so they are just going in circles. Why don't they try life outside of the freaking state of Georgia? Maybe life is better out there.

The cop/hospital arc isn't in the graphic novel.

I agree, the whole arc was weak. And it's not because the premise of the arc was bad, it's just they didn't carry it far enough.

There was enough digging into Dawn's motives. And the doctor started off being a potential interesting character and then nothing.

Learning more about the individual cops would have helped also.

And finally the whole Beth/Dawn relationship was rather transparent.

If they weren't going to develop the cop/hospital arc more deeply, they would have been better off simply killing off Beth much earlier and making the Terminus/Hunter arc longer.

 

[DallasEast]

My takeaways:

#1 - When Rick Grimes tells you to stop, you had better listen

I want smarter police officers in future episodes.

You are in handicuffs. You are fleeing on foot. It is bad enough that there is a city full of zombies wanting to intercept you with your hands tied behind your back but you know the guy you are running from is chasing you in a patrol car. You figured out the guy chasing you is an ex-cop. Heck, you would be dead already if the guy in the patrol car had wanted you dead. Don't you think you should stop running after you heard the first command? How the heck do you think you are going to escape? Stupid.

I lack Rick's compassion. I would have let the zombies reach Officer Bob before putting a bullet in his head.

#2 - Maggie didn't care enough to look for Beth, but she did care.

Is that fair? Daryl witnessed the tail end of Beth's abduction. He did his Mel Gibson/Riggs/Lethal Weapon chase scene but there was no way he would have caught the kidnappers. The whole thing happened at night. Who knows where the kidnappers were headed? It was a miracle that another hospital/patrol car passed Daryl and Carol when it did. There were zero clues where Beth may have gone until that point. No one in the group had anything to start a search for Beth, much less Maggie.

I feel for Maggie. Her father was chopped to pieces in front of her. At least she did not see Dawn blow Beth's brains out too. That said, I think Maggie would have shot Dawn before Daryl had if she had been there. And Daryl reacted pretty darn quick.

Edit: And who are the 7% in The Talking Dead web poll who did not want to see Dawn killed by Daryl? I thought for sure that the poll numbers would have been 98% or higher wanting Dawn dead.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Is that fair? Daryl witnessed the tail end of Beth's abduction. He did his Mel Gibson/Riggs/Lethal Weapon chase scene but there was no way he would have caught the kidnappers. The whole thing happened at night. Who knows where the kidnappers were headed? It was a miracle that another hospital/patrol car passed Daryl and Carol when it did. There were zero clues where Beth may have gone until that point. No one in the group had anything to start a search for Beth, much less Maggie.

I feel for Maggie. Her father was chopped to pieces in front of her. At least she did not see Dawn blow Beth's brains out too. That said, I think Maggie would have shot Dawn before Daryl had if she had been there. And Daryl reacted pretty darn quick.

The problem is that the writers of the show did not have the Maggie character show any sort of interest in what became of her sister over the course of many episodes. She (Maggie) was risking life, limb and others to find Glenn, but nary an emotion or even a word was spent concerning her sister. If someone watched the first 7 episodes of season 5 they would not have thought that Maggie even had a sister.

The writers dropped the ball on the cop/hospital arc and they dropped the ball on Maggie/Beth relationship.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

The problem is that the writers of the show did not have the Maggie character show any sort of interest in what became of her sister over the course of many episodes. She (Maggie) was risking life, limb and others to find Glenn, but nary an emotion or even a word was spent concerning her sister. If someone watched the first 7 episodes of season 5 they would not have thought that Maggie even had a sister.

The writers dropped the ball on the cop/hospital arc and they dropped the ball on Maggie/Beth relationship.

Yeah, this.

 

[DallasEast]

The problem is that the writers of the show did not have the Maggie character show any sort of interest in what became of her sister over the course of many episodes. She (Maggie) was risking life, limb and others to find Glenn, but nary an emotion or even a word was spent concerning her sister. If someone watched the first 7 episodes of season 5 they would not have thought that Maggie even had a sister.

The writers dropped the ball on the cop/hospital arc and they dropped the ball on Maggie/Beth relationship.

Yes, the writing should have done a better job incorporating a sister's emotional reaction for a missing sibling. The audience would have experienced greater empathy for the bond shared between both characters. It would have improved the storyline.

That said, television dramas do not always encompass every aspect of its story. Much is often inferred or implied. The Maggie character loved her sister, just as she loved her father. Should the audience believe the character was not strongly motivated to find her sister simply because scenes depicting her anguish and resolve for finding Beth were not shown on screen? Perhaps those scenes were filmed and later edited out. The director could be blamed for that also.

Admittedly, it's just me. I get a feel for how characters may think or feel and assume how they would react to a given situation. I may be completely off-base assuming how the character felt or what she may have done given the opportunity. The writers could have filled in the blanks for me though.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Yes, the writing should have done a better job incorporating a sister's emotional reaction for a missing sibling. The audience would have experienced greater empathy for the bond shared between both characters. It would have improved the storyline.

I got more out of Daryl's reaction to Beth's death, than I did Maggie's.

 

[DallasEast]

I got more out of Daryl's reaction to Beth's death, than I did Maggie's.

Visually, I would agree. We see Daryl's joy (at least as much elation as Daryl will muster among his friends) when he sees Beth at the hospital, then his utter shock seeing Beth murdered, followed by his rage killing Dawn, and finally his sorrow carrying Beth out the hospital. I believe the writers captured the essence of the friendship which grew between Daryl and Beth while they were separated from the group and depended on each other to survive. On the other hand, we are only treated to abbreviated images of Maggie's disbelief and grief before the episode ended.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Visually, I would agree. We see Daryl's joy (at least as much elation as Daryl will muster among his friends) when he sees Beth at the hospital, then his utter shock seeing Beth murdered, followed by his rage killing Dawn, and finally his sorrow carrying Beth out the hospital. I believe the writers captured the essence of the friendship which grew between Daryl and Beth while they were separated from the group and depended on each other to survive. On the other hand, we are only treated to abbreviated images of Maggie's disbelief and grief before the episode ended.

Remember when Daryl cries, the world cries...



(I stole that from another site )

 

[DallasEast]

Thread question: How much medical care can Carol receive outside the hospital?

The wicked witch of the hospital (Dawn) is dead. There would have been significant risk for the group to trust Carol's recovery at the hospital, but it is a lot more than what the group can provide out in Zombieland. Hershel's gone. Carol is the next best qualified person but she's the hit-and-run patient. Who helps Carol recover? Maggie maybe? I think the writers will gloss over Carol's injuries most likely. Then again, they can be hardcore when it comes to physical trauma suffered by the characters. Hershel's leg and Officer Bob's back are just two examples.

 

[DallasEast]

Remember when Daryl cries, the world cries...



(I stole that from another site )

That's an awesome line. Is it safe to say that Norman Reedus' character is inching towards the Chuck Norris' stratosphere of badass?

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

Yes, the writing should have done a better job incorporating a sister's emotional reaction for a missing sibling. The audience would have experienced greater empathy for the bond shared between both characters. It would have improved the storyline.

That said, television dramas do not always encompass every aspect of its story. Much is often inferred or implied. The Maggie character loved her sister, just as she loved her father. Should the audience believe the character was not strongly motivated to find her sister simply because scenes depicting her anguish and resolve for finding Beth were not shown on screen? Perhaps those scenes were filmed and later edited out. The director could be blamed for that also.

Admittedly, it's just me. I get a feel for how characters may think or feel and assume how they would react to a given situation. I may be completely off-base assuming how the character felt or what she may have done given the opportunity. The writers could have filled in the blanks for me though.

I was pretty okay with this logic until Maggie bailed to head up to DC with the others. I mean, not even an effort for her sister? That is just a little too far imo. We all know she would have been drug away kicking and screaming rather than just bail on searching for Glenn.

 

[Kevinicus]

Granted I haven't read the comics, so this may be how they go, but a few complaints.

So all the episodes we just had with Beth and the cop lady were basically totally pointless.

Also they haven't made any progress of anything. They are back in Atlanta which is where the series started, so they are just going in circles. Why don't they try life outside of the freaking state of Georgia? Maybe life is better out there.

Exactly. And the little bus ride towards D.C. was all pointless as well (Eugene could have confessed at the church). That's about half of the episodes so far this season that have been a complete waste. Par for the course really.

 

[Aikmaniac]

Thread question: How much medical care can Carol receive outside the hospital?

The wicked witch of the hospital (Dawn) is dead. There would have been significant risk for the group to trust Carol's recovery at the hospital, but it is a lot more than what the group can provide out in Zombieland. Hershel's gone. Carol is the next best qualified person but she's the hit-and-run patient. Who helps Carol recover? Maggie maybe? I think the writers will gloss over Carol's injuries most likely. Then again, they can be hardcore when it comes to physical trauma suffered by the characters. Hershel's leg and Officer Bob's back are just two examples.

I think the young mercenary girl can take care of Carol. She's shown some field medic skills with Abraham .