The Walking Dead

[Dalmatian Enthusiast]

Not all of them were Variants. In fact, the only time it showed any of them kill anyone in season 11 was when one climbed the guard tower and surprised that soldier.

Never said they were all variants - just wanted to point out that they were there and could offer an explanation for why the armor which used to be effective suddenly wasn't as effective. Walls used to be effective too until Hornsby's corpse climb the wall and let the horde come through.

All I'll say about this is that the comic did it better and the show didn't live up to that arc's themes.

I never read the comics, I'm coming at this from the perspective of someone who's only watched the show and who's only a fan of the show - and I think the show does a good job.

Carl didn't have to die for this to happen. Carl was supposed to be the reason for Rick to lead his people and that got taken away, just to be replaced with someone's Mary Sue fanfic OC.

When Carl was alive the only end that Rick cared about was killing Negan and destroying The Saviors - Carl's dying wish was for a world where everyone worked and lived together, where they didn't have to fight, and where everyone - even the ruthless dictator who he saw firsthand murder two of his friends - could be forgiven and live in harmony. Carl had to die in the show - Carl dying in the show served as an integral plot device for the first half of Season 9, showing that Rick was building a bridge to connect every community and keeping Negan alive to honor Carl's wishes. The reason that Rick lead his people wasn't purely for Carl, or Judith, or his (at the time) unborn son R.J. - it was because he'd come to see the band of survivors as his family. This is illustrated in "What Comes After" - where in his close-to-death state he reiterates time and time again that he's "looking for his family" - before attempting to sacrifice himself and the bridge that he built as a monument to Carl, stating "I found them". "Mary Sue Fanfic OC" - this just feels like a word salad, I dead to rights have no clue what this even means.

Season 7 is slow as fuck and most of it was filler. It was torture porn where the bad guys are cartoonishly evil for no reason. Already having investment in the characters is why it's not necessary to see them get bullied for longer than they should be. Let's also not forget the retarded garbage people, who are some of the worse characters ever seen in fiction. It took an entire spinoff to justify their existence and narratively redeem a character with a bad haircut. I can't understand the creative decision to have a nudist art colony that lives in a landfill who talk like cavemen.

"Cartoonishly evil for no reason"? Dude, Rick's group massacred dozens of Saviors because they wanted their shit. Negan was LENIENT on them considering that he only killed two of their's (at the start, keep in mind had Daryl not lunged at him Glenn would've lived) as retaliation. I've never read the comics, but I know that the basic gist is the same - is Negan not "cartoonishly evil" there? It was necessary because Negan (prior to the Commonwealth) was the most well organized, well established, foe that the group had faced. He controlled the roads, had an established communication system, had the unwavering loyalty of his generals, and he had a large enough pool of workers, soldiers, and subject-states that he could sustain himself. Negan was more powerful in his hayday than The Governor, The Claimers, The Wolves, and Terminus COMBINED. I'll give you the garbage people point though, no one likes them.

 

[Cringemaster Supreme]

Carl had to die in the show - Carl dying in the show served as an integral plot device for the first half of Season 9, showing that Rick was building a bridge to connect every community and keeping Negan alive to honor Carl's wishes.

The comics are yet again better in this regard because Carl lives and Rick does what he did in the show with sufficient enough motivation, so the "Carl had to die" excuse is just bullshit. His death doesn't amount to anything because the Saviors get destroyed in season 9 and Siddiq dies in season 10, which are more things that the comic goes about handling better.

"Mary Sue Fanfic OC" - this just feels like a word salad, I dead to rights have no clue what this even means.

I'm talking about Judith. She's like the main character in a fanfic someone made. She's loved by everyone and is treated with special care that no one else gets, even her introduction in season 9 shows her as a mishmash of important characters that came before her. She didn't earn the respect she has but Carl did and if they had Carl do everything she did season 9 onwards it'd be infinitly better.

"Cartoonishly evil for no reason"? Dude, Rick's group massacred dozens of Saviors because they wanted their shit. Negan was LENIENT on them considering that he only killed two of their's (at the start, keep in mind had Daryl not lunged at him Glenn would've lived) as retaliation. I've never read the comics, but I know that the basic gist is the same - is Negan not "cartoonishly evil" there

The Saviors are just straight up evil people. They want to hurt people for no reason other than to do it. Any time a random Savior is on screen they're mocking the good guys and laughing about how much they're going to hurt them. Negan thinks that what he's doing is for the good of everyone, he logically would not tolerate having people like that because that sort of attitude goes against his beliefs. It's what lead to Simon screwing him over, it's just not smart to have people like that.

 

[Dalmatian Enthusiast]

I'm talking about Judith. She's like the main character in a fanfic someone made. She's loved by everyone and is treated with special care that no one else gets, even her introduction in season 9 shows her as a mishmash of important characters that came before her. She didn't earn the respect she has but Carl did and if they had Carl do everything she did season 9 onwards it'd be infinitly better.

She's a kid - more than that she's the daughter of Rick Grimes, the guy who lead the entire group for close to a decade - are you really surprised that nobody hates her? Carl and Judith grew up in different times - Rick was reluctant to let Carl fight for himself because he still remembered the world the way it was before (and so did Carl) - but Judith grew up in the post-apocalypse and was adapted to it from day one. She didn't earn your respect - but she kept Carl's wish alive even after Rick made his exit by forgiving Negan and pushing to help the people of The Commonwealth - which is enough to warrant mine.

The Saviors are just straight up evil people. They want to hurt people for no reason other than to do it. Any time a random Savior is on screen they're mocking the good guys and laughing about how much they're going to hurt them. Negan thinks that what he's doing is for the good of everyone, he logically would not tolerate having people like that because that sort of attitude goes against his beliefs. It's what lead to Simon screwing him over, it's just not smart to have people like that.

The Saviors aren't all evil people - there are plenty of people in The Sanctuary who never slighted Rick and his coalition, and if Rick and his group had just played by the rules and not attacked them first this would be on full display. Take The Kingdom for example - Negan allowed them to keep their guns and pay tribute in secret because they played along with little hesitation - meanwhile the Alexandrians kept stepping on people's toes, trying to land blows against Negan and his generals, etc. - and they reap the rewards of disobedience. His generals are cunts - but Negan has to keep them around to maintain the necessary level of brutality to keep his empire stable. He also holds everyone to a strict moral code - exhibited by his murder of an attempted rapist. I know you like to suck off the comics - but are they not "straight up evil people" there too? Is Negan not cartoonishly evil in the comics? Why are the comics allowed to do it but the show isn't? Speaking of the comics.

The comics are yet again better in this regard because Carl lives and Rick does what he did in the show with sufficient enough motivation, so the "Carl had to die" excuse is just bullshit. His death doesn't amount to anything because the Saviors get destroyed in season 9 and Siddiq dies in season 10, which are more things that the comic goes about handling better.

I did a little research - the guy who hosted our marathon of the show was big on the comics too - so I asked for some elaboration. Yes, Carl lives, and Rick connects the communities to make a better world - but in the show he does it to honor Carl's wishes, in the comics he does it to spite Negan. In the show, Rick was moments from letting Negan bleed to death before personally giving the call to his medics to save him (after he sees two windows, one shot out, hanging from a tree - reminding him of Carl's wishes). Negan - in a conversation with Rick in Season 9 outright states that the bridge is nothing but a monument to Carl, and that he believes Rick's mission will fail because he can't lead The Saviors like he did. Carl's death wasn't meaningless, because it reminded Rick of his humanity - and just because someone died later on that doesn't invalidate another's sacrifice. In the show, Merle died in Season 4 trying to assassinate the Governor, he wanted to help the group but he was really doing it for his brother, Daryl. If Daryl dies at the end of his spinoff does that render Merle's sacrifice pointless? I'm going to be honest, I do not give a single shit about the comics and an overwhelming majority of Walking Dead fans also do not - and I can say this with certainty. The show has overshadowed the comics in every way imaginable, and the story of the show has diverted into it's own thing at this point.

 

[Cringemaster Supreme]

Carl and Judith grew up in different times - Rick was reluctant to let Carl fight for himself because he still remembered the world the way it was before (and so did Carl) - but Judith grew up in the post-apocalypse and was adapted to it from day one.

So did Gracie and Herschel, Aaron's and Maggie's kids, yet they're not given the same special treatment that Judith has.

Is Negan not cartoonishly evil in the comics?

I'm not talking about Negan, I'm talking about redshirts. When they interact with the main characters it's not with anger about their people getting killed, it's opportunistic sadism in which they use what's happened as an excuse.

The show has overshadowed the comics in every way imaginable, and the story of the show has diverted into it's own thing at this point.

When you know what's happened in the comics it's hard not to compare the two. Nearly everything in the comics is just better, the only change that doesn't overstay its welcome is probably what they've done with Morgan. Part of the appeal for the show is seeing how they adapt comic moments so of course it's a let down when they don't adapt and do something worse instead.

 

[Atreus]

I just like Jerry he's gigabased

 

[Mega Black]

The formula ruined the show for me, and despite ostensibly being a human drama the conflict grew to ridiculous heights right around when the ridiculous villain of the arc started showing up frequently.

Losing Darabont propelled this show into goyslop trash. Entertaining at times, but he was elevating the source material rather than using it to shit out low effort television.

It's a shame the entire show was just 'find safe place, fight wacky le cuhrayzee guy with lots of guns, repeat.' because it is a setting you could explore a lot of material with.

 

[Dalmatian Enthusiast]

So did Gracie and Herschel, Aaron's and Maggie's kids, yet they're not given the same special treatment that Judith has.

Everyone loved Gracie and Herschel on the show - the group was depicted as one big family and Gracie and Herschel were a part of that. Gracie was never the best fighter - but Herschel pulled a gun on Negan and was ready to blow him away when he found out he killed his dad. When you say "special treatment" I don't know what you mean. If you're focusing on how she's at the forefront immediately - I maintain that it's because she's Rick's daughter (even if she's technically Shane's, Rick still raises her and everyone still refers to her as Rick's) - Carl passed the baton to her when he died, she had to take it run with it. I don't get the Judith hate here.

I'm not talking about Negan, I'm talking about redshirts. When they interact with the main characters it's not with anger about their people getting killed, it's opportunistic sadism in which they use what's happened as an excuse.

Hypothetically - in a world where the law was decided by whoever had more guns and better organization - I guarantee that the great majority of people in America would be a lot more sadistic with their treatment of the people who slaughtered dozens of their friends, neighbors, family, coworkers, etc. Negan enslaves them because he sees them as assets - to everyone else they're just pricks who kill without remorse - not saying that it was right or justified, but it's understandable.

When you know what's happened in the comics it's hard not to compare the two. Nearly everything in the comics is just better, the only change that doesn't overstay its welcome is probably what they've done with Morgan. Part of the appeal for the show is seeing how they adapt comic moments so of course it's a let down when they don't adapt and do something worse instead.

I never read the comics and I probably won't. I do not care about the source material as much as I care about the show itself - the majority of people who like the show and who watched the show either from day one or just this year have never read the comics either. What with the story continuing past where the comics ended - going international, showing a new faction more advanced and capable than The Commonwealth (CRM), showing areas that were never shown in the comics, etc. - it has become it's own thing entirely, and at this point comparing it to the comics seems like comparing assholes to elbows because they both originate on the human body.

 

[PotatoSalad4711]

I never read the comics and I probably won't. I do not care about the source material as much as I care about the show itself - the majority of people who like the show and who watched the show either from day one or just this year have never read the comics either. What with the story continuing past where the comics ended - going international, showing a new faction more advanced and capable than The Commonwealth (CRM), showing areas that were never shown in the comics, etc. - it has become it's own thing entirely, and at this point comparing it to the comics seems like comparing assholes to elbows because they both originate on the human body

You’re absolutely right on this one. I get tired of the comic book readers sniffing their own farts when it’s obvious the TV show is going to be different. And this isn’t the first show I’ve watched that had that problem (Preacher comes to mind).

i think Carol was the worst with it, 'we can't kill, killing is wrong!' -> 'well, maybe sometimes killing is necessary' -> 'kill anyone who gets in your way' -> 'maybe killing might be wrong' -> repeat

Carol/Melissa McBride was done dirty with that shit. She’s an amazing actress. But she’s also not the only one screwed over by TPTB. For instance, someone forgot that Norman Reedus could handle speaking roles for approximately 2-3 seasons and just let him grunt in the background (and, no, I’m not referring to when Negan had him captive either).

 

[Hijo de Dang Woodchucks!]

Well, the first episode of Daryl's show came and went. I won't lie, not enthused that he's already saddled in a fucking escort mission that will no doubt take for fucking ever, and will probably not be done in six episodes. I also don't like the "mysterious group of mystery and evil because we're mysterious and wear black" that are seemingly the bad guys, which means they will show up on screen and be mysterious and take up screen time but develop nothing until the last 67 seconds of the finale. The Sisters of Sigmar were cool, so of course they kill all but two of them right out. Hopefully the rest of the show shapes up, but I won't hold my breath.

 

[PotatoSalad4711]

Yeah, I liked it, as in I’ll probably continue to watch out of curiosity. Daryl was one of my favorite characters, so it’s nice to see him. What I noticed with this spin-off and Dead City was that they both have a different feel from the OG TWD, and I mean that as a compliment. I didn’t get that into Dead City though because I was really over “Maggie hates Negan, take #237”.

 

[PotatoSalad4711]

I watched the second episode and it’s definitely good. We get some flashbacks of Isabelle on the first day of the outbreak in Paris. Turns out the nun was not always so pious (and she’s 100% going to hook up with Daryl, isn’t she?). There’s a really cool scene where she’s waiting in a subway station, and as the train passes by, you can see the people inside being attacked by walkers.

We also find out that Laurent, future Jesus-like savior or whatever, is actually Isabelle’s nephew. I don’t know what that means yet or why it’s suppose to be a secret, but this could get interesting if she’s hiding even more shit about this kid.

 

[BrunoMattei]

I guess no one gives a shit about the new spinoff? The gore is good but it's confusing, the diversity casting is especially obnoxious, it also doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

[Cringemaster Supreme]

I guess no one gives a shit about the new spinoff? The gore is good but it's confusing, the diversity casting is especially obnoxious, it also doesn't make a lot of sense.

It makes more sense if you see World Beyond since that explains a lot and takes place at the same time as this.

 

[BrunoMattei]

It makes more sense if you see World Beyond since that explains a lot and takes place at the same time as this.

Then I would have to watch more terrible Walking Dead spinoffs. No thanks.

 

[Cringemaster Supreme]

Then I would have to watch more terrible Walking Dead spinoffs. No thanks.

The Daryl show is really good atleast. That can be watched by itself and is very enjoyable.

 

[PotatoSalad4711]

I really think even if you didn’t like TWD or didn’t watch it, you can pick up the Daryl show and enjoy it. It doesn’t hurt that these series are short, so it’s not really wasting your time.

I like the new show so far. Apparently it’s getting bigger ratings than any of the others, which isn’t a huge surprise. RIP lil midget dude, he was cool.

Choice quotes:
Rick: “I love you.” *points gun at the back of Michonne’s head*

Jadis: “Rick, what the fuck are you doing?” (edit: this happened later, not after the above quote, although that would be funny)

 

[P. Barnes’ THOT 2.0]

I really think even if you didn’t like TWD or didn’t watch it, you can pick up the Daryl show and enjoy it

Huh. I was a huge fan up until season 5-ish when Beth Greene was killed off in the hospital in the most retarded way possible. I still have a soft spot for the early seasons, but was really fucking weary of the spin offs. Perhaps I’ll give the Daryl one a go

 

[Tor Lugosi]

Decided to give the recent spin-offs a chance. From worst to best:
- The Ones That Live: Kinda shitty. The entire setup is horribly contrived and it feels like 50% of every episode is exposition -- characters telling us how they feel, what their plans are, why they did something, or just general plot exposition. It also relies far too heavily on coincidences and characters making dumb decisions. I'm completely sure that the positive reviews this is getting is solely because people are excited to finally have Rick and Michonne back. To their credit, those two's actors definitely carry the show. A show set in a post-apocalyptic world that's trying to shift into a post-post-apocalyptic world could be interesting but no one involved with the Walking Dead has the talent to pull that off and as far as the writers for the franchise are concerned, any sort of large, organized government entity with a military = evil fascists.

- Dead City: Mediocre but still somewhat entertaining. Its quality is somewhere around the main series' season 3 - 6. If you still enjoyed the regular show during those seasons, you'll probably like this one. Something tells me that of the recent spin-offs, this one had the smallest budget. Which works in its favor, making it focus on a small cast and fleshing out one location (Manhattan, the 'dead city'). Jeffery Dean Morgan is entertaining as Negan and while Maggie on her own can be annoying, the chemistry between the two is decent and Maggie's hatred of Negan leads to some tension and suspense. Zelijko Ivanek plays the main villain and while I usually like him, here he really hams it up and has a goofy accent. The plotting is often clumsy and feels rushed, like they expected the season to be 12 episodes and had to condense it down to 6. Oh, and Hershel, Maggie's kid, is only in the show for like 10 minutes but cements himself as one of the worst characters in the franchise, which is saying something.

- Daryl Dixon: Definitely the strongest of the three. So far it has very little to do with the rest of the franchise. Had they replaced Daryl with a new, original character, they could've easily set the show in its own universe. Even the staff behind the camera seem to have nothing to do with the rest of the franchise. It has a nice adventure feel to it as the characters battle their way through France, with the show apparently being shot on location which gives it some really nice locations and vistas. Plotting and characterization is stronger than the usual TWD fare but still nothing special or strong, though the plotting has a few nonsensical bits to it here and there.

 

[XYZpdq Jr.]

hahaha holy shit there's literally some gay midget
edit- HAHAHA HOLY SHIT HE'S GOT A MISSILE LAUNCHER
A MIDGET WITH A GIANT PILE OF MISSILES

 

[PotatoSalad4711]

Fair warning, spoilers for season 2 of Daryl Dixon are ahead if you haven’t watched it yet.

CAROL: “Me, you, here? This is crazy.”
DARYL: “Mmm. Naw, it’s stupid.”
CAROL: “…it’s crazy.”
(Actual quote from the series)

Welcome back to fucking France, home of baguettes, wine, and loads of plot armor! The following will cover the first 4 episodes of season 2.

We start with Daryl back in the Nest, which is full of religious nuts and that definitely won’t be a problem whatsoever. We then cut to Carol who eventually finds out where Daryl ended up, and wouldn’t you know it? She happens upon a guy (Ash) with a single prop plane and goes full bullshit mode, telling this guy who lost his son that she’s looking for her daughter Sophia in France.

Ash initially tells Carol that he’s not going to help her, but he changes his mind because this is The Book of Carol, bitch. Apparently the producers got in touch with a bunch of aviation nerds to figure out if this flight was even possible. It turns out it is possible, but not very likely. The aviation nerds have never heard about plot armor.

Meanwhile, the religious nuts have decided they need to put Laurent through a test to prove he’s the next messiah or some shit. Oh, and they also decide Daryl isn’t a true believer, so it’s time to take him away to be killed. The religious nuts have never heard about plot armor.

Carol and Ash stop in Greenland after a fuel leak and immediately run into two secluded women. Seeing as how these two have never run across other humans, let alone a man before, you should see where this is going. Poor Ash is about to become breeding stock, but these two women have never heard about…fuck it, you get the point.

Carol and Ash make it to Paris where Carol tells him to hang back and wait for her. Probably because she hasn’t told him that Sophia died in season 2 of the main show and this is a spin-off. She oddly eventually comes across Madame Genet (the woman who decided she’s in charge of France now and has a bone to pick with Daryl).

Carol convinces Genet that’s she’s here to kill Daryl herself (lmao). At that moment, the religious nuts are going through with the ceremony for Laurent that involves him being bitten by a Walker, but the party is broken up by Daryl, Isabelle, and a black guy I can’t remember the name of. Black Guy and Laurent escape while Daryl and his new girlfriend Isabelle are captured.

Genet decides it’s high time she went to attack the Nest and has been developing some Super Zombie serum to try out. Why?

CAROL: “Everyone needs hope.”
GENET: “Yes, but religion is not about hope. It’s about control.”
DING, DING, DING!

I have no fucking idea how Carol makes it out of this situation. I watched it. I rewinded it. I still don’t know. But, nevertheless, Carol makes into the Nest as war breaks out. And then one guy decides “Hey, you know who would be really good at fighting Super Zombies? Daryl.” and unchains him. This is when we get a sweet reunion for our duo, but not before…

Isabelle was stabbed. She says goodbye to Daryl and then FUCKING DIES. Because Daryl isn’t allowed pussy in this universe.

Where were we? Oh, Laurent and Black Guy have already started the journey back to Paris, so Carol and Daryl track them. They end up at this nice couple’s house where they fix a car engine and eat the best eggs on the planet. But surprise! The old man sold them out to the gestapo, and here comes Genet and her crew ready to bust some heads.

This goes exactly as well as you might imagine for Genet, who Carol shoots with the Super Zombie serum and it kills her instantly. Now our duo will be on their fucking way, thank you very much, intending to find Laurent and travel back to Alexandria. Yeah, ‘cause that place is doing great.

Back at the Nest, the gestapo (upon hearing of Genet’s death) have joined forces with the religious nuts, and everyone’s main goal is to find that damned kid who needs a haircut. Carl didn’t cause nearly these kind of problems.

Tune in next time for the last 2 episodes where we’ll find out what Ash has been up to and whether or not we’re headed back to the States with 4 people shoved into that shitty plane. I’m guessing no since this series is exclusively filmed in France. I hope someone hooks Carol up with Duolingo.