The Walking Dead 7x07: Sing Me A Song

Nobody wants to have a target on their back. There's a reason a lot of people like to be the person behind the person of power. *cough* Steve Bannon *cough*. There's power and safety being the one who influences from within the shadows.

But, there are certain people who just can't stand not being in the limelight. They can't stand not being front and center. They need the attention, the adulation, the credit. And I'll agree Negan is that type of person.

Sure, Negan, if you want to be the one in charge then I get that. But if you're going to paint a target on your back at least be smart of it!

The Walking Dead 7x06: Swear

This season of the Walking Dead has taken the strategy of focusing (for the most part) on one location a week. We had Rick and crew in the woods with Negan, Morgan and Carol at the Kingdom, Daryl at the Savior's, we checked in on Alexandria, visited Maggie and Sasha at Hilltop and now we see Tara at some all women village.

This could be a fine approach. The Walking dead is really trying to expand its universe and splitting up their cast and focusing on one location an episode seems like a good way to do that. The problem is, most of their characters are boring.

The Walking Dead 7x05: Go Getters

I know when I watch a show, especially one that flouts all laws of physics like The Walking Dead does, that I have to turn my brain off. But sometimes there are some things I can't turn my brain off for. (Like, last season when Jesus magically teleports.)

This time it's when the Saviors left a running car in the middle of Hilltop with a radio blasting to attract zombies. I mean, what? Really? I just couldn't buy it.

The Walking Dead 7x04: Service

More isn't always better.

The Walking Dead doesn't seem to realize this. They love their 90 minute episodes. They think this makes the episodes better, grander, more special. It doesn't.

You want to know what happened in this episode? Negan asserted his dominance over Alexandra (and Rick specifically). That's really it. Negan came in, bullied everyone, got what he wanted and Rick just acquiesced and begged everyone in Alexandria to do the same. That's all. You don't need 90 minutes for that.

The Walking Dead 7x03: The Cell

Hey, it's a Daryl episode! Usually that's a good thing. In this case, it's merely not a bad thing. It was an alright episode but it was just as much about Dwight as it was about Daryl. Dwight does not do a whole lot for me.

Even though I'm not a big fan of Dwight's, I will say that this episode answered a lot of questions I had about Dwight in his first appearance. His escape from the Saviors, double-cross of Daryl and subsequent return to the Saviors seemed very odd to me. The fact that the catalyst to Dwight's change of heart was Tina's death is probably something I should've figured out on my own. However, it still doesn't make complete sense to me.

The Walking Dead 7x02: The Well

Sorry, it's been a while. I have my excuses. Not good ones, though.

I got a little busy which delayed this post and then a funny thing happened. The US election. And...that was rough.

It's no secret that we here at Gentlemen of Leisure are no fans of Donald Trump. So after the election I was really bummed. The last thing I felt like watching was a dark, soulless, dystopian view of the future. I get enough of that following the news. So, my DVR kept filling up with episodes of the The Walking Dead; taunting me.

The Walking Dead 7x01: The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be

The Walking Dead is back with a new season! Yay?

All summer long people were waiting for this new season. Were people excited about what new direction Rick’s character may go? Were they excited for cool and new interesting characters to arrive? Were they excited about how Alexandria would progress as a safe haven?

No, they were excited to see what main character was going to die. Frankly, I can’t think of a better descriptor of The Walking Dead than that.

The Walking Dead 6x16: Last Day On Earth

In today's day and age, season finales are a big deal. They're epic. They're game changers. They leave you wanting more.

The Walking Dead has been no different. They've always wanted to go out with a bang. But then there's Last Day on Earth. Hooo...boy. The only thing epic about this episode is its running time.

I've talked about The Walking Dead artificially lengthening episodes in an attempt to gain unearned gravitas before but this episode takes the cake. So little happens in this episode that I doubt it would feel satisfying filling up a regular length show let alone an episode with an extra 50% running time.

The Walking Dead 6x15: East

I talked about magic entering The Walking Dead universe before. It certainly feels out of place even though zombies defy all laws of physics. Yet it looks I have to get used to it. Once again we have people with the super human ability to just teleport to wherever they'd like.

This time it's Daryl's new nemesis, Dwight, and his group of people. Speaking of Dwight and his group, are they a part of the Saviors? I wouldn't think so. He hated them, right? So why is he acting like this? I'm so confused.

The Walking Dead 6x14: Twice As Far

You know what I love seeing? People being mopey assholes. You know, people whining and complaining, being asses to each other for no good reason. It's really compelling television!

Guess what we get in the episode of The Walking Dead, Twice as Far? People being mopey assholes! At least some of them redeem themselves by the end but, boy, is it tough to watch while it's happening.

The Walking Dead 6x13: The Same Boat

"You're not the good guys."

This is what Michelle of the Saviors tells Maggie as she was interrogating her. It is a reminder that we are all the heroes of our own stories. It's also a reminder that sometimes (especially in nihilistic fiction) protagonists and antagonists have more to do with familiarity than actions. It's the people we follow for longer and spend more time with that we end up rooting for. We root against unfamiliar new comers even if they're not that different from the people we are rooting for.

The Walking Dead 6x12: Not Tomorrow Yet

Remember American Pie? That teen sex comedy in the 1990's? It was about four boys who make a pact to have sex by the time they graduate high school. Sex was a rite of passage to them. On the Walking Dead, murder is the rite of passage.

A person's first murder seemed to be a big theme in Not Tomorrow Yet. Alexandria agreed to kill the Saviors for the Hilltop in exchange for food and a cow. Both Glenn and Heath bond over never killing anybody but know that this operation is going to change things.

Morgan, of course, is against this plan and comes up with a completely naïve alternative. He wants to talk to it out. I get and appreciate that Morgan never wants to kill again but he also needs to know when to pick his battles. And if you are going to pick your battles, come up with a better plan than intimidation! Daryl has encountered Negan's crew, he'll tell you how well that plan would go over. I mean, I love Morgan, but in this episode he actually annoyed me more than Carol!

The Walking Dead 6x11: Knots Untie

Ooooh boy...of all the episodes of The Walking Dead this was certainly one of them. There were...people...zombies...talking. Rick's group traveled to a new town. And...uh...well...

Alright, I'll be honest. I got nothing. This episode gave me very little to discuss and the viewer very little to digest.

Don't get me wrong. The premise of this episode is one town in the zombie apocalypse coming in contact with another town. They try to learn about each other and negotiate a deal while trying to be cautious. I think that could be an interesting and exciting episode. This was not an interesting and exciting episode.

The Walking Dead 6x10: The Next World

Zombies don't exist.

I know, I know, I'm not breaking any news. But it's true, zombie don't exist and zombies (at least presented in traditional zombie movies) can never exist. Zombies defy the laws of physics, specifically law of conservation of mass. On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 least likely, 10 most likely) the likelihood of a zombie outbreak actually occurring is approximately -10,050,100,770.3691.

So, obviously, when watching The Walking Dead you need to suspend your disbelief. Believing in the zombie apocalypse is already a huge detour from reality. So, why then, is it so hard to swallow when the show introduces a man whose nickname is Jesus and is clearly magic?

The Walking Dead 6x09: No Way Out

People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy and Rick can't do that as Rick Grimes. As a man, he's flesh and blood, he can be ignored, he can be destroyed; but as a symbol...as a symbol he can be incorruptible, he can be everlasting!

What symbol are we talking about? No...Not Batman. But that would be awesome! Nah, the symbol is...well...of someone who decides to walk and start maniacally whacking zombies.

OK, that's kind of an odd symbol, maybe Batman Begins wasn't the best reference to use. But the point is Batman inspired a city to be better and now so has Rick Grimes.

The Walking Dead 6x08: Start to Finish

So, the shit hit the fan. It's not really a surprise. This is the midseason finale and we saw what happened at the end of last episode. The church tower fell onto the fence allowing Alexandria to be overrun by zombies.

And when the shit is hitting the fan, the undead are roaming your once safe town and all hope seems lost, you know what the best thing to do is? It's to start fighting with each other over your own personal beefs. Because pissing and moaning at each other is a real productive way to keep from dying.

The Walking Dead 6x07: Heads Up

Glenn lives!

Is it surprising? I'm not sure. I will admit that when I first saw the end of "Thank You" I thought Glenn was a goner. This is partially because I've thought for the past few seasons that Glenn was primed to die. Glenn is the most expendable character whose death would get the biggest reaction. (In other words, obviously Rick and Carl are safe since they're the two primaries on the show, I don't think The Walking Dead would have the guts to kill off ultra-fan favorites Daryl, Carol and Michonne and anyone else wouldn't get as much of a reaction as Glenn would. Maybe Maggie?)

Anyway, as the episodes moved forward and there was no confirmation of Glenn's death I, as well as most of the internet, got suspicious. There's the old saying in serialized fiction, no body equals no death. And, sure enough, we find that Glenn preposterously survived. Not one zombie got in a single bit on Glenn? Not one!?! Whatever.

The Walking Dead 6x06: Always Accountable

Zombies aren’t the enemy. People are. That theme is a well worn path for The Walking Dead. Heck, even if that theme was new to The Walking Dead it still would feel unoriginal because “we have met the enemy, and they are us” has already been done to death in other fiction.

Now, just because something is unoriginal doesn’t make it bad. And, frankly, a long form story about zombies needs a splash of human villains to keep things fresh. Sure, I would like it if there was more focus on the struggle of people trying to keep zombies at bay whilst rebuilding society however even I must acknowledge that adding some antagonists with actual personality can really spice things up.

But boy oh boy, we’re really piling on the human enemies this season.

The Walking Dead 6x05: Now

If there was an “it” couple in The Walking Dead it would certainly be (have been?) Glenn and Maggie. Now, this is mostly by default since the only real competition they have had has been...ummmm...Rick and Lori? We certainly don't want to go there. Abraham and Rosita? Well, regardless, even if they're the default couple, Maggie and Glenn have generally been likeable.

So naturally The Walking Dead writers want them to go through as much turmoil as possible. They did it in Season 4 and they're doing it again. However, the writers seemed to learn a lesson since Season 4.

The Walking Dead 6x04: Here’s not Here

Can complete and total pacifism work in a zombie apocalypse? Is everyone worthy of life? Can pretending to be Donatello cure you of insanity?

These are all the big questions raised in The Walking Dead episode, Here's Not Here. We get a flashback of Morgan going from the insane man we saw in Season 3 to the bad ass pseudo-monk he is now. The answers to these questions, according to the episode, are I don't know (but probably not), I don't know (but probably not) and YES!