tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post1048064453379143429..comments2024-03-28T10:18:00.370-05:00Comments on Gentlemen of Leisure: The Walking Dead 5x01: No SanctuaryAustin Gortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-86235897999701546062014-10-23T01:17:08.090-05:002014-10-23T01:17:08.090-05:00@Austin: "But then the show's got me root...@Austin: "But then the show's got me rooting for Carol to show up and bust everybody loose"<br /><br />I will be honest. I was rooting for Carol over the Terminus residents too. But that's a low bar to clear.<br /><br />"To be clear, I'm not saying Carol is beyond redemption, or that the show shouldn't give her an arc where she tries to achieve redemption. I'm saying it's pretty clear that's never going to happen"<br /><br />Well said.<br /><br />"I'll give the show credit: they've killed enough main characters that I genuinely feared for Bob or Glenn's life in those scenes."<br /><br />True. My money would have been on Bob. Glenn isn't bullet proof but I assume his death would be much more dramatic.<br /><br />@BLAM: "I can pretty easily summarize my reactions as "F--- YEAH CAROL" and "F--- YEAH GANG BACK TOGETHER"."<br /><br />I won't say my reaction wasn't somewhat similar. As I said above, I wanted to see Terminus get its come uppance and I wasn't too picky about who does it. I guess my biggest problem isn't that Carol is being "redeemed" but that the show seems to think that Carol doesn't need to be redeemed.<br /><br />"I guess I just feel content to wallow in their group harmony when it exists"<br /><br />It is true. I will take harmony where I can get it. We get too few instances of it.<br /><br />@Matt: "I just don't really like Carol. I never have."<br /><br />I'm kind of on board with you. I can't say why though. I think it's because it feels like the show is shoving her down our throats.<br /><br />"It strikes me as really funny that he's capable of these berseker rages, but only when no one is looking."<br /><br />Yeah, it's not the first time, and it is kind of cool but they have to be careful it doesn't turn into a tiresome cliche.<br /><br />"Anyway, it looks like perhaps, with an impending mission of getting to Washington, the show may actually have a long-term goal set up for pretty much the first time ever."<br /><br />I guess you could give them the CDC center. But I am looking forward to the group having a long term goal.Dr. Bitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13568570859981368717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-74241303872439619512014-10-21T22:50:33.319-05:002014-10-21T22:50:33.319-05:00@Teebore: // Props for the use of "abattoir&q...<br>@Teebore: <i>// Props for the use of "abattoir" //</i><br /><br />Ha. A phrase that also describes Greg Nicotero's requisition list for the episode.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-49485025644370584692014-10-20T12:34:32.241-05:002014-10-20T12:34:32.241-05:00Finally just watched this last night, and read the...Finally just watched this last night, and read the post today.<br /><br />Regardless of what she did or didn't do, I just don't really like Carol. I never have. It's personal preference, but something about the actress bothers me.<br /><br />I was surprised they got out of Terminus so quickly. I figured they'd be stuck there for a few weeks, so bravo to the show for not wasting any time in advancing the story.<br /><br />I like that Glenn is the new Hershel as far as providing moral guidance, but of course I'm assuming this means he'll die soon, or at least at some point this season.<br /><br />This is, to my recollection, the second time Tyrese has slaughtered a group of zombies offscreen. It strikes me as really funny that he's capable of these berseker rages, but only when no one is looking.<br /><br />Lastly, I have to say that for all its faults, one thing THE WALKING DEAD does really well is wordless reunion scenes. I never get tired of seeing characters reunited as the musical score plays over their joy.<br /><br />Anyway, it looks like perhaps, with an impending mission of getting to Washington, the show may actually have a long-term goal set up for pretty much the first time ever. I'll be interested to see if this goes anywhere.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14580725636327122073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-41775931893842698102014-10-17T10:51:53.589-05:002014-10-17T10:51:53.589-05:00@Blam: I can pretty easily summarize my reactions ...@Blam: <i>I can pretty easily summarize my reactions as "F--- YEAH CAROL" and "F--- YEAH GANG BACK TOGETHER".</i><br /><br />Oh, I totally had that reaction pretty much up until the end, having completely forgotten the whole "Carol kills people" plot from last season during the break. Then I just randomly remembered it, and I was like, "curse you show, for making me root for these morally-ambiguous characters!" <br /><br /><i> And good gravy was that scene in the Terminus abattoir cliché to within an inch of its life</i><br /><br />Props for the use of "abattoir", a word I first encountered via a bad Batman villain AzBats fought during "KnightQuest". <br /><br /><i>Having neither read about nor discussed the series to any great length — heck, not really at all (I never heard "Termites") — between seasons</i><br /><br />Frankly, I also gave the series little thought or consideration between seasons as well. I just happened to encounter "Termites" on a different blog between when I watched the episode and Dr. Bitz's review went up, so I got to look smart. :) Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-3385709552371296112014-10-16T13:54:21.149-05:002014-10-16T13:54:21.149-05:00I hear what you guys are saying about Carol. Last ...<br>I hear what you guys are saying about Carol. Last season I was more-or-less with you on this — and to whatever extent I wasn't all the way there it was due to the show's own waffling in how it framed the situation(s). Coming back aboard for the new season, however, with time having elapsed and me getting caught up in the buttons this episode pushed, I can pretty easily summarize my reactions as "F--- YEAH CAROL" and "F--- YEAH GANG BACK TOGETHER".<br /><br />Which isn't to say that this episode didn't present moral quandaries of its own. And good gravy was that scene in the Terminus abattoir <i>cliché</i> to within an inch of its life in terms of things stopping, repeatedly, just in the nick of time for our heroes, even as their terror was impressively palpable.<br /><br />I guess I just feel content to wallow in their group harmony when it exists, and the rescue/reunion certainly fit that bill. Having neither read about nor discussed the series to any great length — heck, not really at all (I never heard "Termites") — between seasons, despite an E-mail newsletter that I kept ignoring, probably helped reset my brain a bit.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-49065958505574908572014-10-14T12:41:54.292-05:002014-10-14T12:41:54.292-05:00I would call this a redemption episode for Carol b...<i>I would call this a redemption episode for Carol but I don't think that's how the show sees it. </i><br /><br />Or, you know that. The "tl:dr" version of my ramblings. <br /><br /><i>It was very nice of the "butchers" to stop killing people right when they got to the main characters. (And it was convenient they went from right to left.)</i><br /><br />Heh. I'll give the show credit: they've killed enough main characters that I genuinely feared for Bob or Glenn's life in those scenes. Like, I could have seen them whacking Glenn before getting interrupted, or for Bob to get stabbed by that evil hipster. <br /><br />So for me, the convienant staging was less "right to left" as it was the fact that Rick and Daryl were sandwiched between two other people we care about since, they're the most invincible members of the cast. <br /><br /><i>Also, how did Martin get out of his wrist bindings?</i><br /><br />When he had his hands around Judith's neck, it looked like they were still wrapped up in a seatbelt. So presumably, he just loosened them (because a seatbelt probably makes for a shitty pair of handcuffs. <br /><br /><i>I hinted at it above, but Carol showed impeccable aim lighting the propane tank with that rocket/mortar.</i><br /><br />I was just impressed they avoided the "shoot the propane tank, propane tank explodes" cliche. <br /><br /><i>How appropriate that Mary is undone by someone with mud on their face.</i><br /><br />Bravo. Just...bravo. <br /><br /><i>I'm not sure leaving the dead Terminus butchers to turn is the right call. Why would you want to deal with MORE zombies?</i><br /><br />I think the idea was that, if some of the Termites came back into/through that room, now they'd have to deal with zombies they weren't expecting. <br /><br /><i>It's kind of weird how one part of this episode's happy ending is Tyreese becoming comfortable with killing people.</i><br /><br />That was another case of the show making me root for something icky. Like, I want Tyrese to hang onto his compunction against killing everything that moves that isn't a known associate, but at the same time, the dude is threatening a baby. He deserves to die. <br /><br />Basically, there's a difference between "kill 'em all" and "kill when necessary", and the show doesn't seem to realize that. <br /><br /><i>This is why I fear for the direction of the show. </i><br /><br />I'm hoping they're excited because that means the show will be dramatically complex, but it's probably because they're just excited for Rick to kill a lot of people, because that's totally what everyone should do in that situation, duh, and it means they finally leave behind all those unrealistic "morals" they've been saddled with thus far. :P Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7266470995513648978.post-14704217881196185752014-10-14T12:27:27.811-05:002014-10-14T12:27:27.811-05:00Sometimes (most?) this show really drives me nuts....Sometimes (most?) this show really drives me nuts. Basically, like you said, in terms of action and entertainment, this was plenty good. The show has always been good at these big action set pieces, and it's never not fun to see these characters just running through a zombie hoard, stabbing and shooting as they go. <br /><br />But man, does this show keep trying to get me to root for some morally reprehensible stuff. I mean, look, these Termites (as I guess people have been calling them) did some pretty bad shit, and I have no problem with my desire to see Rick break free and kill 'em all. I don't really even have a problem with Rick's desire to go back and finish the job since it makes tactical sense and, at least as far as we know, everybody there was in on this whole cannibal trap thing (that is, this isn't like Woodbury, where otherwise decent people were just being led/protected by a sociopath and his sociopath lieutenants). <br /><br />But then the show's got me rooting for Carol to show up and bust everybody loose, so much so that until the very end of the episode, I'd forgotten that Carol killed people in cold blood last season. And look, there's a narrative in the idea of Carol having done that, getting banished, realizing what she did was wrong, then coming back to the group and working towards atonement. Freeing Rick and Co. from Cannibal Town is a good start in that direction. <br /><br />Except Carol isn't sorry, as far as we can tell. And the show seems to be suggesting she shouldn't be. And I get Daryl being glad to see her, and I don't want Rick to be ungrateful for her help, but, as you say, it seems like the show is suggesting Rick was wrong to have thought she did anything wrong. And that's just not right. <br /><br />To be clear, I'm not saying Carol is beyond redemption, or that the show shouldn't give her an arc where she tries to achieve redemption. I'm saying it's pretty clear that's never going to happen, because the show doesn't think she ever did anything wrong. And that's unsettling. <br /><br />Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.com