The Walking Dead - Season 5 - SPOILERS!

[ThryllSeekyr]

My nostrils flared when Carol offered to make cookies for the boy that followed her to that room filled with guns n ammo and then threatened him if he told anybody where she had been.

I know it may be that she's doing this for the TWD team and times have ben hard, but it seems she's just doing this for herself and that was just being creepy.

[Tiplodocus]

This last episode really annoyed me. So obvious the whole time! Why does everyone always [spoiler]trust the people they have handcuffed[/spoiler] so much.

Just caught up with this.

Everybody knows what the sensible thing to do is but surely the point is that people don't just want to survive, they want to live and love and trust people. Hence when someone tugs on heartstrings they get given benefit of doubt or person let's down their guard.

They have been at pains to point out you need to keep the relationships alive. Sitting on a stock of food in a cellar (or church) on your own may count as surviving but is it really living?

[Tiplodocus]

Up to episode 10 now. Really liked the last two episodes which were returning to Noah's home (I thought the funeral at the start was for the character that died last week) and the no food and water episode. Lots of good character stuff and zombie action. Thought the storm was great.

Then again I'd survive the coming zombie apocalypse

Really? I have you pegged as been shot by your own companions after about five days.

[ThryllSeekyr]

Every time I 've tried to watch the last episode entirely. I had zoned out and missed important parts of this  completely.

This has happened three times and the FX channel no longer replays it so much as it used to.

I missed the episode before it completely and the one before that one I missed a lot of as well.

Although, I believed this series has jump the shark ever since they left Terminus.

Ever since they reached this last place, it now seems less horror and more soap opera.

Seeing Rick walk around in his cleaned and pressed cop uniform seems like odd departure from reality I thought they were still in. Yes, I do understand this new place they're seems normal and safe, yet  even they know they feel they're in a different sort of danger from they're so called benefactors.

All I know about the last episode is that Rick got thrown out into the street and he's most of his composure and some dies by the hand of Michone.

I thought she might have killed rick, but I missed that part.....

What hell is she wearing police uniform for?

I'm pretty sure the walkers don't care.

[Ghastly McNasty]

Loved the bittersweet end to this season.

[spoiler]We get thrown a sliver of joy - Rick takes control and gives an uplifting uniting speech, then his mate turns up right at the end and brings it all back down to earth - nope, happiness not allowed, we're just a bunch of murdering bastards.[/spoiler]

Deftly done.

[Tiplodocus]

I enjoyed this. I did like the whole multiple threads being interwoven during the case for the defence bit. It's the sort of juxtaposition that's been around since someone first filmed a train robbery but it was done well here and had zombies.

As an aside, it's interesting to compare this to season 2 which I am watching with Tiny Tips. They have definitely cracked the pacing now and know what to do with the female characters. The scene with Sasha, Rosie and Michonne surrounded by walkers in the forest? In Season 2 they would have been in the kitchen chopping vegetables while that discussion went on.

[Ghastly McNasty]

Agreed. I think part of the shows continuing success is its use of quality female characters. Michonne was a bit of a boring mute when first introduced but she's become a real kick-ass character now.

And as for Carol...magnificent character.

[ThryllSeekyr]

You know, I just brought this game called Obscure and it's synopsis brought me back to what she said when she shot the girl who murdered her own sister.

I wonder if there is anything top that and wether book and series writer were had similar ideas.

(I also purchased the first game, BTW!)

Since the ending of this season's The Walking Dead, I've started watching Z which seems sillier, but I'm enjoying it for drama-lite approach.

It's Romero then Ricatero. Even though the former was a well known for this genre in filmmaking and latter in special FX in TWD.

The zombie make up is certainly dated and their theories questionable.

Only pretty music attracts the Zeds and they can be held in trance like state if anybody swings a small music making gadget (Similar to a music box!) box on a chain right before their eyes. Providing they aren't in a position to get flanked.

Now what if the cast of this show and TWD do walk on and off group cameo's on each others show.

Maybe  all the killed off characters like Shane, Andrea & her younger sister, the old (Porn-star) R.V. guy, Milton, the Governor (Philipe was his name!), the entire Green Family except for Maggie, Carol's husband and Daughter, Merl, T-Dog, Axel and three mates, Lori, Tyreese.

Did I remember all of them?

Almost forgot, the new show has this interesting idea of the survivors being in constant contact with this fellow who is got some huge computer set up and is possibly connected with a government laboratory . Who might have some connection wit the out break. He has pet dog and plays a lot of music. The same geeky looking guy  I've seen in Road Trip and Big Bang Theory.

     

[ThryllSeekyr]

It's Romero then Ricatero. Even though the former was a well known for this genre in filmmaking and latter in special FX in TWD.
     

I really meant it's more Romero than Ricotero!

[Pete Wells]

Finally caught up with a bit of a binge last night and have to say I had to force myself to get to the end. As theblazeuk said previously, it really needs to stop trying to be art house cinema. Some examples, I cheered in the mid season finale when Beth died as it meant an end to her fucking singing. Imagine my delight when Tyrese (a wasted character if ever there was one) was offed and she came back for another karaoke session, aaaaaagh!

The episode where they entered the new town and over acted to camera was absolutely cringeworthy. It had me hiding behind my cushion more than any zombie attack in the entire series.

I'm gutted I'm so down on it as I've invested a lot of time in the series. I can't think of anything else where the highs are so high but the lows are so desperately low.

[Tiplodocus]

I dunno - I quite like the way they mix it up every now and again and give you something you aren't expecting.  One of the things that sometimes stops me watching a series is if every episode looks and feels *exactly* like every other.  I sometimes have to take a break and come back later. Plus, "arthouse" works on stuff like Breaking Bad.

I've enjoyed some of the "arty" bits especially:
- Rick's silent walk in the sunlight to the half corpse near the bike in the first episode. 
- the dialogue free opening to Season 3 (beautifully counterpointed by a campfire sing-a-long later in the episode; she sings for a reason)

[Colin YNWA]

Okay so yes I'm still playing catch up on the Walking Dead and I'm nearing the end of Season 5. I've not read this thread too closely for fear of spoilers but its interesting reading some of the earlier thoughts.

Have to say the first half of this season have been a real low point, to the extent that I wondered if I'd continue beyond the end of this season (all of season 5 was coming via our Lovefilm (I know so 7 years ago) sub so I was going to see it out that far at least). It all just felt so tired and weak. Like it had run its course. The set ups and scenario's out in the wild felt played out and new antagonists were getting weaker and weaker and making less and less sense. The folks from Terminus, while entertaining were a real stretch. It made good telly and all but putting too much thought into things and they were pretty silly. Then that whole cops in Atlanta thing was jusy plain wonky. It didn't work, wasn't convincing and as a group they felt really contrived.

Then the show made its greatest error it tried to be smart and deep. It has his hubris (my word of the day) were by it thinks its capable of being as smart as the best of US telly and frankly its not (nor is the comic but up to were I've read its always gripping if nothing else). If you think too much when watching the show it all falls apart, as it completely lacks internal logic and makes little or no sense. The show works best when its a tense, exciting horror thriller. Or in its quieter decently constructed character moments. When it tries to be more it over stretches and exposes itself as bunkum.

It even repeats the comics (up to issue 50 which I've read) low point of making that big play of the fact that the survivors are in fact the 'walking dead' of the title not the zombies. The whole show (and comic) are about that and so when it screams it at you loud and oh so proud, it just feels stupid and self satisfied. In that one barn episode (which should have played out you You'll Never Walk Alone) they have they oh so unsubtle image of the dehyrated and exhausted gang walking along the road looking more like the living dead than the beasties in the distance. THEN they actually SPELL. IT. OUT.  FOR. YOU. AGAIN. LATER...

Jez we get it already...

... so yeah really struggling with the show... but then, then they get to Alexandra and it remember what makes it work. From being as bad as its been it becomes as good as its been over the space of like 3 or 4 episodes. By spinning things on their head. Making Rick's gang essentially the baddies and the disruptive, selfish element invading the established 'humane' community it draws all the strenghts of the great characters we have left right back out again. I mean wow how chilling has Carol, already probably the best thing in the show, become. How has Rick found his feet again... okay so Daryl is still trying to be 80s Wolverine but ya know we can't have it all. Its just been superb and I've got back that glorious need to know whats' coming up next and not being able to wait until I can watch my next episode.

Deaths have made me sad again.... man that one in the revolving door was horrible both in the loose of a character I felt had real potential (always the best rather than removing those that feel played out) but also in execution.

So yeah Season 5 has certainly been running hot and cold and I just hope it finishes as strongly as its been since they arrived in 'safety'.

[SuperSurfer]

Also playing Walking Dead catch up and a couple of weeks ago I binged up to the end of season 5.

I thought the [spoiler]death of Tyreese[/spoiler] made for outstanding television. I kind of like the way every now and then the series goes into art house mode, for want of a better term.

Been watching this on Amazon Prime. Need to pay more to watch series 6. I need my Walking Dead fix, so in the meantime, it's Fear the Walking Dead.