Stunt Granny Conversation: The Walking Dead – Season 5 – Episode 8 – Coda
Screen cap by goldderby.com
Kevin: There will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth during this Walking Dead convo.
Jeremy: Uh oh, I liked it so this may be interesting.
Kevin: I really liked this episode too. I just figured that needed to be said though since everyone was “trying” to process Beth’s death on Talking Dead. Only watched the first segment so I didn’t get into it much but I was already chuckling that “no one saw that coming” except for you and I who pegged her as a candidate to die. We’ve started all of these reviews from the end so may as well not break the cycle on the mid-season finale.
Jeremy: Of the people on the show she was the least fleshed out even if she was innocent. Sure she showed growth but ultimately her death was the easiest. Still, it was a pretty rough final 15 minutes.
Kevin: I automatically thought back to her trying to kill herself at the farm. I suppose she was doing it more this time though so that Officer Dawn wouldn’t be in charge.
Jeremy: She has shown herself to be competent and a survivor finally. She offed the two police officers and had shown she wasn’t allowing anyone to take advantage of her. She finally figured out you cannot trust other people.
Kevin: As usual, right when someone starts to stand for something and get some personality, the show offs her. That’s why Beth & Sasha were at the top of our “Getting offed” list. Officer Dawn did commit the big sin if that was the problem, since she asked for Noah back.
Jeremy: Sasha more so since the actress is pregnant. You knew, just knew the deal was going to go bad. I do question the tactical sense of it all by cramming everyone in the hallway. how did the gun go off anyway? Dawn had it in her holster right?
Kevin: Dawn had it out when Rick shot her but I’m not sure how it happened exactly because she did holster it to get everyone to put their guns down. It was a suicide by Beth though, right? The look on Dawn’s face after it happened was “What the fuck just happened?” and “I’m so dead!” all at the same time.
Jeremy: I am still trying to figure out the end game. She stabbed her int eh shoulder? Um, the neck would have been smarter. I know she did it to get rid of Dawn, especially after changing the deal, but before that she was just walking away. The female officer, whatever her name is, calling off the other officers from shooting was a good touch. All along they were portrayed as the bad ones when they were no worse or maybe better than Dawn.
Kevin: You knew there was some weird stuff going on at the hospital just because of all of the shenanigans Dawn was pulling with Beth & Noah. The other officers were pretty faceless aside from the guys Beth killed and Sgt. Bob, who met a fairly gruesome death at the top of the show.
Jeremy: Giving Beth the key last week and then telling her how she read her wrong was the tell tale sign she was the big evil there. She was a female governor basically. The slowing of time in between Beth being shot and the faces of each member of the group played up Dawns reaction. What probably transpired in two seconds dragged out nicely. It had to be Daryl to off her as well right? No one else would have fit.
Kevin: Daryl took over as Beth’s brother and he felt that it was his fault she was lost to this group to start with. Which all adds up to him being the one who killed Dawn. Daryl lost Carol to them too but she was just chewing up footage in this episode.
Jeremy: Yeah her waking up wasn’t treated with much fanfare. As soon as she did you knew she was safe. her getting hit by a car was not nearly as severe as officer Licari
Kevin: Do you mean Sgt. Bob? Licari was one of the traded officers. I told you to stop!
Jeremy: Officer Lampson, sorry. Yeah the good one. It looked like he was just trying to run away. Don’t think he had a plan at all. Rick hitting him with the car got a laugh though. it was short lived when Rick popped him in the head. “Shut up”
Kevin: I did have a good laugh. Lampson was just trying to get out of the situation and figured he was going to die. Rick was kind enough to put him out of his misery instead of letting the walkers get him.
Jeremy: He was done as soon as he said he broke his back. I like the slow descent of Rick. basically going the way of Shane but at a far slower pace. Sooner or later the group needs to realize to do what he says.
Kevin: I was going to argue against the point but it does seem to be the case. Daryl & Tyreese had to talk him into the hostage exchange when he wanted to go in guns blazing. We have talked about how it’s hard not to have that mentality now though since everyone is a bunch of dicks protecting their territory.
Jeremy: Which is exactly what Beth realized and look what happened there. Not saying Ricks plan for slicing their way in like ninjas would have worked but maybe Beth lives this way?
Kevin: It’s quite possible she lives that way. She wouldn’t have the time to react the way she did and there’s a solid chance the cops would go down. It was a pretty even fight man/woman power wise.
Jeremy: Which confused me on the tactics, especially after the exchange. What idiots turn their back and walk out with people you don’t trust? I thought for sure shots were a coming then.
Kevin: So did I. Everyone was all guarded but as soon as Beth gets pushed off, everyone turns around. Now, was I the only one expecting GREATM to show up and be the cause of the shoot out?
Jeremy: Yes, I think that was deliberate as well. The scene with them rescuing Michonne and Carl, cause screw useless Gabriel, added to that thought. The did it once, so maybe they do it again.
Kevin: I’m not sure why they’re keeping that sack of useless of pastor. He snuck out to go look at the school? Really? What a dumb ass. They wouldn’t have escorted you there? I was glad to see that the organ pipes were nearly useless. They caught a whole two walkers.
Jeremy: They were useless because his dumb ass moved one of them. They were set just fine. So did he go to the school on purpose or was that just a stop over on his magical useless endeavor.
Kevin: Sure, one moved organ pipe crumbles the whole thing. I’ll buy that when there is a great building to buy in the slums of Rio. I really don’t get the purpose of the trip though. Even living in isolation, you’ve run into enough walkers to know that there’s a 90% chance they’re zombies.
Jeremy: The entire idea of being faced with his sins is pretty weak by then .You already ran in to the chick in your photo; guess who else is out there dummy. unless something happens he is useless. he cost them shelter as well, which I don;t understand how they don’t just go back but that may be for second half.
Kevin: They could head back since Rick seemed set to get back out of the city. That makes sense to me. I’d think there’d be less zombies out there since the population isn’t as dense as it is in a city.
Jeremy: Sure didn’t seem like Atlanta was full of them after the napalming. Just for a change of scenery it may be worth it.
Staying in Atlanta I mean. Also, with the lack of people, may be a beneficial place for supplies if they are nto burned out.
Kevin: You’re all over the change of scenery. I’m not sure I really care where they end up. I’m just looking for a good show. At least in the previews, it appeared as if Michonne was wondering why they didn’t stay in the city.
Jeremy: As long as it is discussed I allow it, even if it doesn’t seem practical. I do like the image of the group driving around town and the country on the fire engine all smiles.
Kevin: I don’t think they’re going to be all smiles. Maggie and Daryl are going to be feeling rough for a while. Maggie has had everyone in her family killed now.
Jeremy: I thought of that when Maggie broke down. She has her entire family wiped out. Everyone seemingly has lost someone but over this series length she has lost everything. As the show wound down I was waiting for Maggie to find out. This was a bit much when they rolled up.
I thought that would be saved for opening of next half.
Kevin: It was an especially big gut punch for her too. She’s told by Michonne that they’ve found Beth and when she gets there, she’s dead. If she descends into madness, I wouldn’t blame her.
Jeremy: She hadn’t bothered asking all season though. It was literally the first time they even mentioned to her about Beth, on screen at least. it still packed the emotional blow but narrative was a little less. if you look at that final shot it was so damn good. She falls apart, Glen Comforts her, Tara is sort of aimless and Rosita looks sad and Abraham is stoic. They had never met her so instead of everyone breaking down each person was exactly where they should be emotionally.
Kevin: I did want to ask if you saw the part with Morgan. If I hadn’t watched Talking Dead, I wouldn’t have been able to see the message on the paper. Did the Gabriel leave the message for him?
Jeremy: No that was the note Abraham left Rick when they left for DC. Morgan has been tracking the group withuot knowing who they were. Gives some sort of idea where he is at mentally.
Kevin: That makes a lot of sense for the author. Not sure why I forgot about that. Abraham was the only one who had it out with Rick. Morgan is the world’s slowest tracker.
Jeremy: Time is a weird element this season. They weren’t at the church that long but it played out over a few months for the viewer. Morgan tracking them is a nice bookend to this part of the season though.
No comments yet.