Yep, tonight's episode was about as bad as I figured it to be.
Focusing an entire episode on Tara– not a great idea. But I guess the folks behind the show had to do something to milk the whole Nega/Savior thing for the entire season.
Couple interesting points...
When Tara was watching the folks mill about the village... It instantly struck me as being just like James Franciscus watching ape-village in "Beneath the Planet of the Apes".
For Tara not having anything to eat other than soy-sauce packets, she's certainly packing on the poundage.
That was one hell of a lotta zombies in that one pile of sand.
The one high-point for me was Tara giving Rachel the finger.
Good points here. I agree with them all. This episode was completely useless filler. It can't, and won't, lead to anything. I absolutely believe these people were introduced for a true one off episode. I have a feeling that we won't see them again, unless it's because Tara eventually tells Rick that's where he can get guns. If that's the case they're only doing so because Rick and his people will have to take the guns by force.
Honestly I wouldn't be surprised, in the least, if the woman's group simply up and moved somewhere else now that they're worried about someone knowing where they're at and knowing that someone has dealt with The Saviors before.
I agree Mike It was a filler episode. I don't get why they push these.
Also was that community in the comic?
No. It was not. This was added strictly for the TV show. It also sort of flies in the face of The Saviors and I'll get to more on that in a minute.
LOL!
The other thing was this group of ladies/girls who have all these weapons and kill whomever crosses their path– Yet they can't hit the broad side of a barn.
So now we've got another group of characters to keep track of.
Excellent point. How can they have all these guns and suck so bad with them? This brings me to some other points from them having those weapons and their story. It's going to be a bit of a long response, I apologize in advance, but these are questions this has posed for me.
1) Do I even believe that The Saviors killed all their men? Right out of the gate, knowing the mentality of Negan and how he runs The Saviors I do not believe this for one moment. There are only two possible ways in which that works...A) In the beginning Negan had them kill all the men? No. Not part of his deal or his plans. So I don't believe that in the least. B) An outpost of his did that on their own, and didn't tell them they did that, because they were using the women for themselves. Which, obviously, I believe this is some what the hinted at action they're going for with this group last night is that a group of The Saviors killed all their men and were basically raping them and using them for their own gain before they got away.
Now the biggest reason I don't believe that is that would completely fly in the face of the Negan character and his authority. He detests rape. He will not stand for it. It's why he makes a point (even with Dwight a couple of episodes ago) that the guys can have the women they want, as long as the women say yes. He will not stand for rape. So I don't believe, at all, that a group led by him would have killed the men and then did things of this nature. (I'm assuming this is the idea that they want people to believe, not that it was actually stated last night).
The second part of that, a group of his Saviors doing it on their own and he doesn't know, would also fly in the face of Negan's whole "I'm everywhere". To this point we've seen these people are loyal to him and they're always paranoid that someone might tell him if they're doing anything they're not supposed to. So I doubt you would have a whole group of them who are doing whatever the hell they want, and screw his rules.
2) IF they did in fact have all their men killed by the Saviors and were then being used how the blue **** did they get away and get away with all those guns? Am I to believe that a group of Saviors just allowed them to run away in the night and didn't both to try and find them? This would again fly in the face of how Negan runs his stuff and I don't buy in this in the least. Not to mention I don't believe that they could possibly have stolen all those guns and gotten away without being caught.
3) So this brings me to the point that either these women killed their men cause they were a Saviors outpost and then moved off on their own. The problem with this is that I don't know that even I could believe that to be the case either because how would they have killed all the men without getting caught? I am sure it's possible but I'd need a pretty good explanation of how they managed this. And again, as I mentioned above, why has Negan never wondered what happened to that outpost? Way to many holes in these women's story and way too many questions. They're obviously not that far from Alexandria so I doubt that they could have 'hidden' from Negan and The Saviors if they were looking for them. I don't buy what these women are selling.
4) How the heck did Tara get back to the community and apparently Heath, who has the RV, has not returned? I say he hasn't because I believe if he had they would have definitely shown that last night so that she would know he made it. So how did this guy, driving, not make it back before she did on foot? Also how did she walk all that way and never encounter a single Savior? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense but I guess it's plausible.
5) Now what happens with this group? Honestly I believe we won't see anything about this group again. I know that doesn't seem likely, given the time it was given tonight, but I just don't see the benefit or story progression that will be done by bringing them back. The only way we see them again is if The Saviors are looking for them and they find them and we see that or if Tara does finally tell Rick that they can get a whole lot of guns from this place. As I stated above if she were to do that I don't see what that leads to other then Rick and his group having to take the guns by force and possibly taking a few of the women in (Maybe the girl who saved Tara) who don't want to fight against Rick and his group.
So my final thoughts on last nights episode...yuck. Just a yawn fest and a waste of time that really did nothing for any character. Even with it being a Heath and Tara episode we really didn't get anything that builds either of their characters in any sort of way. Heath was made to look like a whiny ***** in the RV who suddenly, in the midst of the Walkers, decides he does realize that they're in this together? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to have that quick a change of heart and there is no explanation. Just dumb.
We didn't get anything that built Tara in any way other then to show how incredibly lucky she is whenever here number is up and some how she finds a lucky way to survive. That seems to foreshadow, for me anyway, that she's going to die in an upcoming episode this season. It's probably showing us that she's be one of the expendable losses in the eventual All Out War with Negan and his Saviors.
I know all shows are going to have filler episodes but for me personally the only time those are okay or worthwhile is when they do something, even something minor, to help build a character, or a later situation that is worthwhile when it happens. This one doesn't appear to be doing anything of that nature and was just a throw away episode to wait until next week.
Now speaking of next week. Where this one did nothing, and was a waste, from the preview from last night I fear they're going to try and jam too much into one episode with it showing we should have some Negan, Daryl, and The Saviors, some Michionne, Carl and Jesus sneaking into the compound and then of course Rick and Aaron out on their run. That's a whole lot of main characters stories going on in one episode and that feels like, from the preview, something that is going to be very rushed.
I do think next week's episode is going to set up the midseason finale to be Carl getting into the Compound and the Negan/Carl episode. I think that's how the midseason will end is what Negan does, or doesn't do, to Carl in retaliation for his attack and insubordination with Negan's rules and set up.
