thetelevisionenthusiast-blog

[thetelevisionenthusiast-blog]

The Walking Dead “Scars” Discussion

Woah! Guys, this episode was heavy. I just want to get that off my chest before we begin. Now, I know that this is my first episode discussion post, so I wanted to make sure things are easy to follow. I’ve taken notes as I watched the episode, and I’ll be discussing those notes in the order they were taken. I’ll add a bit at the end with theories and other questions and thoughts that I had while watching the episode as well. I hope you enjoy! Please feel free to discuss with me your thoughts and opinions as well. 

I really liked the music at the beginning of the episode. I think because of the music and the far away view of Michonne made it obvious that this was a flashback, and I like how TV shows can often do that. 

Michonne found the gun. I know that she obviously needs closure, but I wondered if this was a confirmation that Rick is really gone for her. Obviously, she’ll keep looking until she finds definitive proof, but did this shatter her hope of finding him alive? I did notice that later on in the episode when she was talking with Judith, she said, “That’s not what Carl or your father gave their lives for.” I think in her heart, she’s lost faith that Rick is alive, but she knows she owes it to her kids to keep looking anyway. 

Daryl said that he “followed this to the ocean and back”. Obviously we know that Rick is alive, but we don’t know anything about where he is, who was flying that airplane, or what they were even doing in this story in the first place. I can’t wait for the movies with Rick to come out but I think that this maybe indicates that Rick is somewhere far away. I’m thinking maybe upper midwest. I would kill to see the Zombie apocalypse in the Washington Forrest, seriously. 

There was so much emotion when Michonne said that she wasn’t okay with being alone after Daryl said that he was. What a woman! At first I was sort of mad when Daryl just kind of walked away at that moment. Like dude, she’s heavily pregnant and mourning, all while raising a kid and leading an entire community in the zombie apocalypse, and still out there looking for her man. Don’t just leave her! But, I think her saying that she wasn’t okay with being alone reinforced his motivation: no matter how far he travels, no matter how bleak things look, he can’t give up looking because Michonne needs Rick back, his kids need him back, and he can’t waste another second. He has to keep looking. 

When Jocelyn’s group showed up at Alexandria’s gates, the first thing I noticed was the kids. Michonne’s recognition and the shared history piqued my interest and distracted me from those kids, but then I started thinking... Those kids are obviously not Jocelyn’s kids. My initial thoughts (which I now know are wrong) was that this woman had saved these kids from a big bad and their parents died, and Michonne was welcoming them in only to have the survivors that might’ve gotten away come looking for Jocelyn and the kids. I think that might’ve been a better ending. Poor Michonne. 

When Michonne and the group go to get the rest of the kids, I was immediately very aware that the “skinning” and “draining” instructions were bad news. I thought, “What else are they skinning and draining?” The next thing I noticed was that there were no adults, just kids. I think this is when I started getting suspicious of Jocelyn. At this point, I sort of felt like the kids were a part of something, but not the extent that they were. 

I think Michonne’s talk with Lydia was really brilliant. I like how she passive-aggressively told Lydia exactly what she thought. She planted that little seed in Lydia’s mind so well. I wondered though, does Michonne really wish she could walk away or was this only about sending a message to Lydia? 

I wonder if Lydia will leave. The way she turned away as Michonne left, the look on her face... I think she knew Michonne wasn’t just opening up to her. I think maybe she would have left if it wasn’t for Alpha admitting that if Lydia didn’t kill Henry, then Beta would kill them both just before Daryl rescued them. I wonder if she thinks that she can protect Henry from the Whisperers when they catch up to them or has she realized that her mother truly doesn’t care for her, even if she did come back for her?

When Judith and Daryl were on the docks, I love how they showed us that Judith can see right through him. He really is her “uncle Daryl” I like that she can be so open and transparent with him. It reminds me of her relationship with Negan, but rather than her learning from Daryl, I think Daryl is learning from her. 

I love the closeness between Daryl and Michonne. It’s been apparent through the last several seasons that these people are family now. Maybe I’m the only one who feels this way, but I never knew how close Daryl and Michonne were. I think maybe the shared loss of Rick brought them together. I’ve never noticed it before, but they are both so much alike. 

When Michonne tells Daryl, “She’s just a little kid. She gets to be one as long as I can help it.” OH MY GOSH. YESSSSS MAMA MICHONNE. However, each time I watched this episode, I made different connections. The first time, I thought this was to show the rift between Michonne and Judith; how could Michonne not see that Judith is so much more than just a kid, that she’s already beyond her years? But the second time I watched it, I felt as though this was to shadow the kids with Jocelyn. Yes, they’re just kids. But it is up to the adults to raise them how they choose to raise them. Some will sheild their children from this new world entirely, some (like Michonne) will only expose them to what they have too, but others can bring these children up to rule this new world, and that’s exactly what Jocelyn was trying to do. -Shudder- Can you imagine if children raised by Jocelyn grew into adults? That might be scarier than the walkers. 

The manhole thing was so beautiful! I like how first of all, it zooms in on the manhole in present time, and again in the past. It’s obvious this was a foreshadowing technique, but I loved the fall scenery on the past shot of the manhole. We usually see them in hot, sticky summer. The browned leaves littering the ground, Michonne’s scarf... The fact that later on we’re in a school and a playground brings a sort of comfort, strangely, like first days of school when I was a kid. Seeing Michonne and Daryl so vulnerable on the swingset and keeping the growing minds of children in our thoughts, I think creating that reminiscent feeling is a stroke of genius for what’s to come. 

My initial thoughts on the manhole was that Jocelyn had someone else outside of Alexandira and now that she was in and had earned their trust, she’d use that manhole to sneak the adults we weren’t aware of into Alexandria and cause some mayhem. Again, I think that might’ve been a better ending. 

The dinner scene with Judith and Michonne was so perfectly timed. This whole episode, we’ve seen Judith thinking like the adult we all wish we could be: she understands things that she shouldn’t have to understand, she sees things through the eyes of both adult and child, and she’s still compassionate to everyone. But in this scene, we see her as a child. Refusing to eat her dinner, Michonne telling her what to do--it’s all so normal. I’ve had that exact conversation with my own stubborn daughter. Then she asks if she can go to her room, and she’s not there when Michonne checks on her. Haven’t we all been there, either as parents or the kid? I think that they were setting us up for the emotional blow that was coming. We’ve seen her as tough, strong, smart, and built for this world. But we need to see her vulnerabilities, to remember that she’s still just a child, so that when she’s been taken and she’s at risk, the wound is deeper. 

Michonne went directly to Negan! Smart woman, even if it’s not something she was okay with. I think Negan probably understands Judith better than anyone. There is no hiding behind the eyes of youth when she talks to him, and there is no sugarcoating things from him. It’s total transparency. She can trust him to tell her what she wants to know, and she can trust him not to let her explore her world without feeling like she’s sneaking around to do it, even if that exploration is simply through his memories and the stories of his role in that world. And I think it works the same for Negan: Judith knows what he did, and she still doesn’t see him as a monster with less right to the world than the dead. I think if it wasn’t for her, he wouldn’t have made the long strides he has (and yes, I do think he’s better than he was). I think if there was any doubt about whether or not Negan truly cares for Judith (even if she’s the only one he cares for), it’s gone now. Yes, he does. He says he told her she was badass like her brother. He notes how smart she is. I think he not only cares about her, but he admires her too.

 I also love that this scene shows how close Negan and Judith really are, without needing her in the scene. Also, parenting advice from Negan? Laughable, but surprisingly good. 

Michonne’s pain when she’s with Daryl on the swings... It’s one of those things that really makes you care for a character. Also, Daryl says “wear a mask”. I bet that was done on purpose: a nod to the Whisperers, perhaps?

Alright, let’s talk about this branding business. I still don’t get it. I know they said brand their kill and kill their brand, but why brand in the first place? Also, OUCH! As if being branded wasn’t bad enough, they JUST DROPPED THE DIRTY SHIRT right back on top of the fresh burns! ACK! I just can’t, y’all. I just can’t. 

Michonne is such a strong woman. We knew she was strong physically but this episode does a great job of showcasing how strong she is emotionally as well. She offered to take the kids in? Listen... I get their kids and all. I don’t know if I would say this before I had a child, because my heart would be like “but they’re kids, they need guidance” but now that I am a mother... Anyone that threatens my kid is CUT from my life forever. Slash my pregnant belly? In the apocalypse? Yeah, you’re going to die. Plain and simple. 

I love, love, LOOOOVE the effect of never showing Michonne killing the kids, but cutting to the present and slashing through walkers the second we should’ve seen her slash through those kids. First of all, I think this makes it easier for me to stomach as a mom. Y’all remember when they put that baby in the grass for crying when the walkers were coming? I wanted to puke. I can handle a lot, but I don’t think I could watch her kill those kiddos, bad or not. They weren’t much bigger than my daughter and the thought... Ugh. Kills me. But I love the emotion this brought. It made it much more emotional, and I love the way it connected Michonne’s pain and fear in each situation. Whether your kid is too far out of sight or about to be murdered, that fear doesn’t change. I love how it connected those two situations and although one seemed much more dire than the other, it made them equal. 

Then the way her voice cracked when she finally said “Judith” after killing all of those kids. Y’all, that BROKE me. Bring on the waterworks. Phenomenal acting by Danai Guiria. Fabulous! 

Daaaaamn Judith! She can really hold her own fighting zombies, right? Also, has Michonne trained her with a sword? She did amazing with it, but given Michonne trying to keep her at least a little sheltered, let her be a kid as long as she can, I just can’t picture her training Judith to use a sword. I kind of just thought the gun would be her go-to weapon, just like ‘dear old dad’. 

Okay so now on to some other stuff. WHY is Negan still locked up. Ugh! Negan is one of my favorite villains from the show, along with The Governor. I really wanted more Negan this season and with only two episodes left, I’m more than ready for him to come on out! I think maybe Negan may be the last ditch effort against the Whisperers. Like, “We really don’t want you out here with us, but we’re pretty much screwed so I guess we can let you out.” I think that would be a great way for Negan to prove himself. Which begs the question: will he prove himself? I think he has changed, for sure. I think if we were to put him in a society like Alexandria, give him a job to keep him busy, maybe not in power but working closely with those in power, he could really thrive as a decent human. But busting him out, giving him a weapon, letting him make that first kill in like seven years...? Not so sure that the change will stick. I’m on the fence on that one. 

Besides, if the change did stick, would Michonne accept it? I love Michonne, and I really want to say that she would accept it. I think she’s closer to forgiveness or at least understanding now than she was at the start of this season... But I’m thinking it would take another major event (what I as a writer call a “tipping event”) to allow her to accept him into their world as a welcomed member of society. I’m thinking like him saving Judith’s life, or risking his own for her life. Something major. And even then, I think she would still not trust him. She’d watch him closely, his freedoms, while now being a real thing, would be restricted in some ways. I hope we get to see. 

Wellllll damn. All this growth and healing in this episode, and then we wend it with the freaking Whisperers. Not cool. 

[thetelevisionenthusiast-blog]

The First Post!

Hey guys! I’m sure this is going out to literally no one as I’ve just made this blog, but for when people find me, this will be here! 

My name is Daya. I love binging my favorite television shows. And this blog gives me somewhere to gush about and talk about those television shows. 

Now, I got the brilliant idea for this blog right as most of the shows that I religiously watch were ending the season. Not my brightest idea. I do still have two shows that are running, but one is going to be ending soon. However, with that said, another show will be replacing it shortly after (these things function on a very convenient cycle, you see). Also, I have several shows that I stopped watching and am now getting ready to catch up on. When I’m caught up, I’ll be adding those shows to the roster of things I need to watch and then talk about. 

With that being said, I don’t want to leave the shows that just ended out! I will write a post about the final episodes of the season for all of those that just ended before I started this blog. 

I do tend to watch more shows than what is discussed on here. Along with the “story-line” shows I cover on this blog, I also watch a lot of competition shows such as America’s Got Talent or The Voice, as well as talk shows like The Ellen Show or The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, and occasionally other non-fiction shows such as Ride with Norman Reedus or documentaries. With that being said, my process for this is going to be a little crazy. I’ll end up watching each episode twice: once as a viewer, and once with a notebook to take notes on things to discuss. The “watching” part alone is going to take up a lot of time. I’m an adult with a ton of responsibility. Therefore, those shows will not be discussed on the blog because I simply don’t have time. 

I plan to publish posts the Sunday after they premier (to allow for people to watch and avoid spoilers, but please remember this is a blog about episode discussions so there will be spoilers), but as I play catch up, it might be a little sporadic. Also, I’m a full-time-employed author and mother. Between a job, a child, and writing projects, you’ll have to bear with me if I’m a day or two late from time to time. I promise I will post about each episode! 

Please feel free to send me television show suggestions if you know of a show that you think I’d enjoy that is still currently running (not in season, but not yet canceled or at the very least, still airing each week). I’m always up for new shows. 

Anyways, please take a look at my Tumblr and if you see something you like, give me a follow and interact with my posts. I want to discuss these things so let me know what you think and how you feel on the posts!