Sirius_Amory33

The following review contains spoilers for Shin Godzilla Toho Strikes Back Though not without its faults, Shin Godzilla (also known as Godzilla Resurgence) delivers on all fronts. As any good and entertaining Godzilla film should do, Shin gives you a full serving of humor (both intentional and not), great visuals and destruction, music that adds to the experience rather than serve as just background noise, and a human plot that stacks up well against the best the series has offered in the previous 28 Toho productions. But of course, there aren’t only 28 Godzilla films. A pair of others were made in the West, the first of which was a failed attempt by summer blockbuster connoisseur Roland Emmerich. The film was such an afront to the Godzilla name that Toho immediately responded with Godzilla 2000. Not only that, but Toho eventually dubbed Emmerich's version of their legendary monster 'Zilla' because, as Toho put it, "They took the God out of Godzilla". Despite the fan backlash, Zilla is a part of Toho's official canon and it later appeared in Godzilla: Final Wars where it showed up just to be promptly obliterated by the real deal. It's . After Final Wars, Godzilla would go into hibernation for over a decade until the West tried again. That second attempt was Legendary's Godzilla 2014 and it didn’t take long for Toho to repeat history and announce that they were bringing big G back in response. They boasted that this new Godzilla would be the biggest yet, reclaiming the title from Legendary’s Godzilla which had just taken it months prior. It felt as though Toho might have had a bruised ego. While Emmerich’s film was a disaster, director Gareth Edwards made a solid attempt at bringing Godzilla to a Western audience with Godzilla 2014. Despite having plenty of flaws, the movie did justice to the source material and respected Toho’s pride and joy. It was also a huge box office success, prompting Legendary to quickly announce that two more Godzilla films would be on their way. Despite my worries that Toho was rushing out a new movie for petty reasons, I remained optimistic. We could be in the early days of a Godzilla golden age. It's possible there will be two concurrent Godzilla series with Japan and America trading blows, movie by movie. What a time to be alive! A Godzilla Unlike Any Other When it was announced that Hideaki Anno would be directing Toho's newest film, many eyebrows surely were raised in response. Known for his background in anime and as the director of the Evangelion series, his hiring turned Shin Godzilla into a big wildcard. It was easy to think blending the style of an anime with a live action monster flick could backfire badly. Ultimately, however, it worked out pretty well. What Anno gives us is one of the most unique Godzilla designs we've seen yet. While mostly done in mostly good CG, there still seemed to be a bit of animatronics at work as well. While Anno claimed he wasn't satisfied with their efforts to keep up the Toho tradition of using a man in a rubber suit, they did end up using motion capture on a suit, as well as a puppet touched up with CG, and the end result is a deceptively classic feeling Godzilla. By using a lot of low angles looking up at Godzilla and distance shots showing the legendary kaiju in beautiful wide landscape shots, Anno is able to effectively communicate his monster's immense size and terrifying features. I use the word terrifying only half truly, for Godzilla's introduction is anything but. When we get our first look at Anno's creation...well, just look for yourself. Wait...that's not Godzilla! Godzilla's Evolution Oh, how the theater laughed. It's probably the googly eyes that most effectively derail this serious moment into one of utter hilarity but regardless, this version of Godzilla is simultaneously the worst and best thing my eyes have ever witnessed. I could see how a diehard Godzilla fan would see this and be offended but honestly, it's just freaking funny. What really caught me off guard was how unsettling this Godzilla actually was when we got to see more of it. As it shimmy shimmied its way through town (there's really no other way to explain how this thing moves), a jiggly fat neck wobbles to and fro opening gills that drench the ground in blood. Gross! At one point, Godzilla attempts to stand on its two hind legs, revealing not a strong, healthy looking creature ready to bring the destruction but instead a tortured abomination. This is a freak that probably wants to be annihilated and it's unsettling to watch. The whole thing is funny, disturbing, and depressing all at once. It's a mix of emotions quite unlike anything Godzilla has evoked in me before. And just when you think this introduction can't get any more bizzare, Godzilla evolves. Like a Pokemon. Oh God, someone hit B and stop this! It's starting to actually look intimidating! What we're left with is something that's starting to look like the Godzilla we know and love, minus the goofy googly eyes that still remain. Due to civilians still being in the area, Japan holds off on an attack allowing Godzilla to return to the sea to rest and when he returns, he's evolved a second time. This is when Godzilla starts to look very familiar. But don't think you know this Godzilla, its packing a few interesting surprises. Godzilla Reborn Pictured: Godzilla bringing the disco back Instead of rebooting the series as a sequel to the original Gojira, Toho and Anno decided to start from scratch. Shin Godzilla features a brand new Godzilla with a brand new origin story. I already touched on one major change, the fact that Godzilla looks very different and then evolves into a more familiar monster, but his looks and origin aren't the only things revamped. Godzilla's got some tricks up his sleeves, tricks we haven't seen before. The biggest of which is the monster's atomic breath, now a crazy sort of napalm breath/energy beam/disco show combo. And it's deadly. Godzilla ends up turning Tokyo into an infernal hellscape in minutes flat, one of the most powerful and destructive moments in Godzilla's long and storied history. It's the highlight of the movie and seeing it unfold in theaters was like a Godzilla sized dream come true. Unfortunately, this climax happens somewhere around the midpoint of the movie, the final act falls short of topping this spectacle. Some fans are saying these changes go too far, that it's too different and ridiculous! Well, to them I say see , , exhibit C.... The biggest issue I have with this new Godzilla is its demeanor. The monster barely shows any emotion outside of its anger induced rage fest. It moves very slowly and often looks like a statue. In fact, the movie basically ends with just that; a frozen statue Godzilla plastered right in the middle of Tokyo. I feel this all was a creative decision by Anno, perhaps wanting to use Godzilla as a stagnant but ever present threat to Tokyo. It fits with the commentary on the 3/11 disasters and makes sense, it's just a preference to want a more lively and emotive Godzilla. All in all, Anno has given us a very unique Godzilla, from a drastic departure in appearance, to evolutions and new atomic abilities, to humanzilla things emerging from his being. You read that right. Humanoid Godzilla beings trying to escape the monstrosity that is Shin Godzilla. Anno's monster makes us laugh, makes us cheer, and even manages to make us feel some of that authentic Toho terror and dread. Despite the googly eyes. Seriously. Humanoid Godzilla beings. Good luck sleeping ever again. The Human Element For me personally, the human plots usually end up being a Godzilla film's weakest link. Sure, some zany time traveling plots with aliens might entertain more than others but for the most part, Godzilla is usually bogged down by characters we don't care about giving dialogue that feels like pure filler. To me, this is not the case with Shin Godzilla, though I can see the possibility of people getting lost in the dialogue or bored during some longer plot heavy sequences. A Deeper Meaning This film operates like a behind-the-scenes documentary following the Japanese government as they deal with a surprise Godzilla attack. This means there's no human sub plots, no love story, no crazy sci fi. You're getting a rather realistic look at a natural disaster and a nation's response. While some might not like this, it's clear that Anno had a plan and knew exactly what approach he wanted to take and why. Shin Godzilla has a lot to say. It draws on the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami as well as the Fukushima meltdown that followed to provide a humorous satire on the response of the Japanese government. It becomes obvious when the Prime Minister goes on live TV, deceptively dressed in an emergency rescue suit (we as viewers know the man has spent all his time in conference rooms and meetings, not out surveying damages), telling the people that they need not worry about the monster making landfall. As soon as he says this, he’s interrupted with the news that Godzilla has already done so. It did what now? Subtle digs at government operations appear throughout the film, from constantly needing to change board rooms to an exhausting chain of command that must patiently be navigated to approve each order. Can we fire, can we fire, can we fire? Yes, fire. We can fire, we can fire. Fire away. But on top of the satire, there are several more serious topics Anno wants us to ponder as we watch: Japan's deep respect for Article 9, the part of their constitution that renounces war and the use of weapons. The Japanese Special Defense Force mentions several times that they are better suited for helping the citizens evacuate instead of fighting Godzilla.Japan's inability to defend itself and needing to rely on the United States to help with Godzilla. Japan does try to use force against the monster but they throw everything they have at Godzilla without even leaving a scratch on him. It's the Americans that eventually wound Godzilla when they come to help.Japan's role in the worldwide community and the older generation's passive ways, going along with the decisions being made for them. This even applies to the ridiculous notion of dropping a nuke on Tokyo to destroy Godzilla. Anno challenges us to come up with our own thoughts on these issues, to wonder if Japan should be given more autonomy and break with tradition to build a strong military that can defend themselves. We watch a sort of changing of the guard as an older generation gets replaced by a younger one and with them comes a shift in thinking. It's up to us to compare these two leadership styles and come to our own conclusions, though the character Yaguchi makes a pretty bold statement late in the movie basically yelling at the audience that Japan's Special Defense Force is the only hope for Japan's future. The Downside While we're given a deep and intriguing story, it does tend to drag at times as we get a couple of long dialogue heavy sequences. The most notable occurs after Godzilla's attack on Tokyo when Japan's new leadership studies Godzilla and finalizes their plan to stop not only the monster, but the nuke the world wants to drop on Tokyo. While they come up with an ingenious plot that they successfully execute, the explanation is overwhelming and difficult to follow. Dialogue in this movie comes fast and furiously, there's more characters than Game of Thrones, and whenever a new character or location appears, we get extra subs to tell us the information the movie thinks we need to know. At times I was reading as fast as I could and still couldn't get through everything. And if the screen wasn't crowded enough, sometimes English speaking characters would pop up adding Japanese subs to the hilarious mess. This wasn't so hilarious in the movie's final act however. The part of the film that digs most deeply into Godzilla's origin story was the hardest to follow. A man named Goro Maki had been studying mutations due to nuclear contamination, he knew about Godzilla and apparently so did the United States. Something happened to his wife, he commits suicide, and leaves behind all his research on an abandoned yacht. His research forms a sort of puzzle for the Japanese government to solve, which they eventually do by realizing they could fold his data printouts like oragami, unlocking everything they need to put their plan into motion. Yeah, I don't know. I'm not sure why Maki would make his research so cryptic if it could help stop a monster he knows very well. I'll have to wait for the Blu-ray release to see exactly what was going on with this part of the plot. Japan's Defenders Maki is sort of the most interesting character in this movie because of the mystery surrounding him, yet he never appears on screen. As for the others, I'm personally ok with Anno deciding to make his story driven by satire and political commentary instead of giving us a personal connection to any individuals. It's fitting that a large group of characters come together to defeat Godzilla, with no special emphasis on any one person. It would sort of contradict the film's message to have a single hero. Japan needs to decide if they want independence, if they want to be able to take care of themselves as a country. They decide yes and defend themselves, as a country not a person. In truth, none of the characters seem like they'd be all that interesting if we dove further into their lives anyways. This is something that can sadly be said about most Godzilla movies which is a shame. While most of the characters don't really stand out, one character in particular does. And not in a good way. "I'm Kayoco Ann Patterson and I'm totally spunky and a little funny. I want to be YOUR president." -Kayoco Ann Patterson 2028 The problem with Kayoco is that in a story where you can reasonably buy into what is happening, all the political maneuvering and the messy chain of command present within the government, I just can't buy into her ever becoming president. She's a stereotyped character and no amount of suspended disbelief can make her aspirations seem plausible. Her English speaking scenes stick out like sore thumbs as well, especially her meeting with the US Ambassador to Japan. The man is portrayed like a cartoon villain, he's just a voice coming from a shadowy seat. Despite just needing to read a few lines, the voice acting is rather bad. The whole scene could have just been tossed. There's a few other American characters that have the same problem in their brief roles. And So It Ends As mentioned earlier, the Japanese government comes up with a pretty clever plan to defeat Godzilla, inspired by their findings in Maki's work. Essentially, they want to inject a blood coagulant into Godzilla cooling him down. The plan works, Godzilla is frozen, no nuke is dropped on Tokyo. At least not when the film ends. I've been thinking about this ending since I left the theater, it leaves a lot open to speculation. We're told that if Godzilla were to wake up, the countdown to drop the nuke would resume. That would give them roughly an hour to...do something, whatever they could do before Tokyo is wiped off the map. This combined with the humanoid Godzilla creatures I referenced earlier creates an ending that maybe needed just a bit more. Open ended is good but, unless there's a direct sequel, I think Shin Godzilla leaves too much on the table. Despite the flaws, Shin Godzilla's human plot rides its thought provoking nature to success. I may change my opinion a bit over time as I reflect back on this movie and watch it again, but right now I'm feeling pretty confident in saying it's one of the best human plots from any Godzilla movie. I can certainly see why someone might disagree, mostly because of the lack of personal character development, but the 1954 original Gojira is the only film in the series I can think of that delivers a comparably powerful plot and strong message about the world that inspired it. Final Thoughts A few scattered thoughts I have on other aspects of Shin Godzilla: The soundtrack is fantastic. The classic theme and sound cues are present, making sure we know that we're watching an authentic Toho Godzilla, filling us with feelings only Toho can provide. I found it interesting how the soundtrack seemed to evolve with Godzilla and the Japanese Government. The music was more orchestrated and string driven when the old and passive leadership was in charge. When the younger generation took over, the music became more modern, lead by electric guitar and drums. The middle sections had a sort of blend between the two with strings, piano, and drums making for some great original tracks.The biggest blunder of this film was truly the googly eyes. There were other problems I saw in Godzilla's design based on the promo pictures and trailers, mainly the stubby arms and the incredibly long cat-like tail, but after seeing the film, those worked well. The googly eyes on the other hand...Though the effects were mostly great, there were some instances where the CG looked particularly bad. They serve as examples why the smaller budgets of Eastern films can't do full CGI like Western movies can.When Godzilla is injured by the American Air Force, I wondered if that was the cause of Godzilla's back lazers. Perhaps atomic energy was leaking through his wounds, similar to the gaping neck hole Godzilla has in GMK: Giant Monsters All Out Attack.I'd rather not compare this movie to Godzilla 2014 but let's face it, everyone is going to. If Toho turns Shin Godzilla into a series, it'll be Toho and Legendary going toe to toe for several years. I'd say Toho wins round one, the main difference being that Shin Godzilla is a lot more effective at accomplishing what it sets out to do. Legendary's film decided to make Godzilla a third string player behind nameless soldier #645327 and the Mutos. The problem was that Brody wasn't interesting enough to carry the movie like they wanted him and his plot to do and no other element in the film made up for it. Director Gareth Edwards also wanted to tease his monsters, evoking the slow burn style of classic films like Jaws and Alien, but it just didn't work. The cuts were unnatural and it felt obvious that they were intended to mess with us. I do enjoy Legendary's film. I've seen it several times and will see it several more I'm sure. There's just no contest here with regards to which movie executed its intent better. In Conclusion I personally love Shin Godzilla, I feel it could very well end up being one of my favorites but I can see why others might feel differently. The poor pacing, long sequences of information overload, Godzilla sleeping for half the movie while the Japanese government studies and plans, and the kaiju's incredibly goofy and hilarious first form are all enough to give someone pause. Throw that on top of a very topical and heavy commentary that is tough to follow if you're not familiar with the 3/11 disaster and subsequent Fukushima meltdown, and you've got a movie that requires a lot from its viewers. It could take several rewatches to really grasp what is going on, I know it will for me. While I love the depth and feel Anno gives us a very thought provoking story, it might not click for others. It all comes down to what the viewer prefers, in respect to both storytelling and how they would like Godzilla to be used. In the end, there's no doubt that this a Japanese movie made for a Japanese audience. The fact that we get to see it in US theaters is a treat. If you're curious about what an authentic Toho Godzilla film is like or you're a big fan of their work already, Shin Godzilla is absolutely a must see movie. You just might want to do some light reading first. The true King is back and no one does it quite like Toho.

The Fear is Here The biggest challenge for Fear the Walking Dead, the prequel series to AMC’s immensely popular zombie drama The Walking Dead, is to answer two questions, the first of which is why? Why start a spin off series while the main show is still in its prime? Fear will surely always live in the shadows of its sibling series so what’s the goal? It seems, based on the ragtag group of characters, that Fear will follow the lead of its sibling series in making the main focus on the people. How they deal with the zombie outbreak and how it changes them will surely be a main theme. Unfortunately, the new cast left a lot to be desired and little to get excited over. They felt like stock characters but hopefully they’ll be properly developed as the show continues. That development will be crucial over the rest of the six episode premiere season in order to convince the fans this show will have substance and bite. Second to why is what. What about this series is going to make it worthwhile? What will make it seem like AMC isn’t just riding the coattails of the main show? It has to be more than just The Walking Dead earlier in the timeline and in a new location. While it will be cool to see the city based zombie apocalypse outbreak, it isn’t something we haven’t seen already countless times. To be fair, someone waking up in a hospital after everything has already fallen apart isn’t an original idea either but that’s turning out well so far. If the main goal is to simply follow a group of characters until they cross paths with the main cast, following them in all the same ways, it may be tough to maintain interest. Overall, the 90 minute premiere was a mixed bag. It’s not uncommon for a pilot episode to be slow. As long as it sets the stage for something with promise and introduces real characters we can relate to over time, the flaws can eventually be forgiven. Fear the Walking Dead’s debut episode accomplished one of these two things and failed to answer the why and the what. One episode down, they have five left to answer those questions.

The following review contains spoilers for the Walking Dead season 5 Finale "Conquer" Veni, Vidi, Vici A common complaint of The Walking Dead (as well as the basis for many jokes) has been the tedious pace it sometimes takes to reach the climax of a particular arc. Season 5 shattered that notion as it gave us three separate groups of episodes with only some sputtering in between. While the Alexandria arc is far from over, the last 6 episodes of season 5B had a very clear goal: show Rick’s swift rise to power. It was the tight focus on this goal that made the final episodes so enjoyable. We haven’t had much to complain about since “Them” and a lot of the same praises for the writing, directing, and acting could be said again this week. While Rick most definitely came, saw, and conquered, he couldn’t have done it without his family and that help is what made the finale so special. Mental Tug-O-War [caption id=attachment_1899" align="alignright" width="300] Maggie played an underrated role in the finale as she not only tried to preemptively defend Rick for the group, but she also gathered Sasha and Gabriel to pull them out of their lowest pits yet.[/caption] Rick was teetering on the edge of insanity for a while now and an unspoken battle reached its climax in “Conquer”. While the main conflict, on the surface, seemed to be Rick vs Alexandria, it was almost as if Michonne and Carol were fighting the real war. While neither won in getting Rick completely in their camp, they sort of cancelled each other out leaving Rick right where he needed to be. Aware of his mistakes but still willing to do what it takes to benefit his people. Michonne was like Rick’s right brain, a bit of a hopeful dreamer who didn’t approve of Rick’s actions so far and worried that he would screw everything up. Carol was Rick’s left brain, cool and calculated, pure and raw. By approaching Rick with both ends of the spectrum, they worked together to create a Rick that was able to run out the clock, to hang on just long enough for Pete to snap first. Combining this with members of Rick’s group defending him at the forum created one of the most enjoyable aspects of the night. The Carol Factor Did I say neither Michonne or Carol won? I lied. While neither gained full control of Rick, Carol most definitely saved the day and how she did it is what makes her one of the most interesting characters on the show. Whether she was smothering herself in Walker guts to take down Terminus or donning the ridiculous house wife garbs to fool the people of Alexandria, Carol is becoming a master manipulator. She was a survivor before the zombie apocalypse began and she’s one of the best amidst the chaos of the new world. Her victory was in her approach to Pete. She had the confidence to go face to face with the enraged doctor and push and pull him off his feet. Pete, who seemed to be struggling with his anger issues much like Rick struggled with his sanity, fully leapt from the edge after Carol left and it directly lead to the final moment of the night, the moment Carol saw her victory come to completion. After Rick approached the group with his dead walker and confessed, in true mad man fashion, that he was thinking about how many people he’d have to kill to save Alexandria, it was no surprise that the majority of attendees still looked scared and worried. Rick’s fate was still looking bleak until Pete murdered Reg in a fit of rage. Afterwards, Rick was given the ok to execute him and he at least had Deanna's support. This scene was fantastic and I wish we got a glimpse of Carol’s face and smug look she probably wore as she watched her seeds grow to fruition, it would have been great. I wasn’t huge on Carol before season 5 but after Terminus and Alexandria, coupled with Melissa McBride’s excellent performances throughout, she definitely rose near the top of my list of favorites. United It Stands [caption id=attachment_1902" align="alignright" width="300] As if the contents of the 90 minute finale weren't quite enough, we were treated to an after-credits bonus scene. The symbol circled is often used to represent rebirth. Not only fitting for Michonne and her katana blade but also for Alexandria as a whole following the events we just saw.[/caption] You could browse through our reviews from the past month and you’ll notice a common aspect of Alexandria that we love, the fact that so much was going on at one time. The run of episodes leading to the finale was, in a word, hectic to say the least. I was concerned on how they would tie all of it together for the finale and wasn’t even sure they would try to. When it was announced that the finale would be 90 minutes I was sure they’d make an attempt but could they succeed? The short answer is yes and they not only succeeded but they surpassed all expectations. Bringing all the subplots and conflicts together was surely no small task and some elements didn’t make the cut (Carl’s budding romance with Enid for example) but every important thread tied together with the rest, director Greg Nicotero impressed like usual. Just listing every element of “Conquer” would get our heads spinning, let alone watching it all unfold and trying to take in the fast and furious 90 minutes being hurled at us. Instead of dissecting everything, let’s just look at some of the highlights (and one lowlight). I wasn’t feeling much of anything towards Sasha this season and Gabriel became a pretty hated character after throwing the group under the bus to Deanna but both of these characters had a great sequence together in “Conquer”. Sasha, also balancing very perilously on the edge of insanity, was left holding a gun to Gabriel who was begging for death and accepting his sins as Maggie entered just in time to play peace keeper. Mixed in so well with the other current events created a very intense moment that was sure to be the end of Gabriel. I’m glad it wasn’t, Seth Gilliam is far too good an actor to have killed Gabriel at this point, it would have been a waste. Speaking of hated characters, Nicholas also survived the night. I could have lived with either outcome but hopefully he’ll also get a chance at redemption. If not, it’s always good to have a character you love to hate. [caption id=attachment_1900" align="alignright" width="300] Daryl's 3-point chain kill was the best of the night, if not the whole season. I still love the jack-o-lantern walker but I couldn't help but let out a hell yeah when Daryl went full ghost rider.[/caption] While I wasn’t too bummed by it, if I had to pick a flaw with “Conquer” it would be Glenn’s apparent plot armor. After shockingly being shot, Glenn managed to disappear almost immediately. If that wasn’t magical enough, he then survives being badly beaten and toppled on by several walkers. There’s no way Glenn would get an off screen death so his reappearance later was predictable. Steven Yeun’s performance was great yet again and I love seeing badass Glenn but this was handled in a silly fashion. Eugene and Abraham are always good for humor. On top of , we were treated to a lighthearted moment to cut all the layered tension when Abraham visits Tara. The shift from Rosita’s smug “accident” to Eugene’s blank stare after waking from his slumber was one of the funniest moments the trio has had yet. They’ve had so many gems that it would be hard to pick the best. While much is still to be determined, we got a great first real taste of the wolves. Two very creepy individuals gave us the most disturbing moments of the night. Their well crafted trap created real and believable peril for Aaron and Daryl, it seemed like one or both of them was surely not seeing the end of the night. The red poncho man was a great touch for the big, bad, wolves and even though we knew nothing about him, it was hard to watch his quick and abrupt fate. Something tells me Morgan will regret not killing these guys. Speaking of Morgan… Full Circle My favorite aspect of season 5B, besides the pure jumbled chaos of it all, was that the show sort of went full circle. There were a ton of throwbacks to previous events the group went through and we got to see a side by side comparison of the new group compared to the group we started following in season 1. It was hard not to look at Deanna as an alternate Rick from before the Governor, hunters, and Terminus did their damage. What better way to end the season than have Rick come face to face with Morgan again. [caption id=attachment_1901" align="alignleft" width="300] Get used to hating this guy because he is sure to play a big role in season 6. Let's just hope Morgan doesn't pay the ultimate price for sparing his life, along with his pal.[/caption] While it was a bit jarring and unexpected to see Morgan has become a ninja, it was pretty much the ultimate form of fan service we could have gotten. His newly found righteousness was a nice addition to his no longer crazy character. The best moment of the night might have just been when Morgan handed Daryl the map with Abraham’s message on it, another throwback to the past and where the group came from. Lennie James has done a great job in his brief moments as Morgan in the series so far, hopefully he sticks around in season 6 and we get to see a whole lot more of him. Why wouldn’t he stick around? Possibly because of the moment that proved to be one heck of a pisser to end the season. Morgan, who had told Daryl that all life is precious, arrives at Alexandria just in time to see Rick execute Pete. No happy, all smiles and hugs reunion between the two, just stunned stares and a gut wrenching feeling. We’ve got a while to stew over the fate of the show’s best bromance and, of course, speculate much more than is healthy on where the show will go next season. Wherever it takes us, good or bad, we’ll always have this fantastic season to look back on. The season where the Walking Dead got its bite back. What did you think of the jam packed, super sized Walking Dead finale? What about season 5 as a whole? Let us know what you think in the comments below and be sure to rate the episode!

The following review contains spoilers for the Walking Dead season 5 Episode "Spend" The Bite Is Back We here at Deadicated Fans have been on the highest of highs with the Walking Dead the last few weeks but who could blame us? The show got its mojo back, it brought everything full circle, gave real meaning and weight to the group’s adventures from the prison on, and finally set a clear path forward. There’s so much tension and conflict brewing in Alexandria that it’s impossible to not be enthralled with the thought of seeing it all reach a boiling point. There was one thing still lacking, however, and it seemed like the show was trying to fix that wrong throughout season 5B but, unfortunately, they couldn’t get it right. “Spend” got it right. The problem? Walkers weren’t scary anymore. [caption id=attachment_1720" align="alignright" width="300] Steven Yeun knocked it out of the park in "Spend" and it all culminated in this intense moment, a very cool concept that left Glenn, Noah, and Nicholas trapped in a set of revolving doors.[/caption] The thought of the dead returning to life with a hunger for living flesh is a terrifying thought but we have been desensitized to it by now. The survivors in the post apocalyptic world proved how much more frightening they can be. Walkers were relegated to background noise, most of the time when they showed up they were never truly a threat. The latest episode gave the walkers their bite back and big time and what a joy it was to behold. Nightmare Fuel Not only did the walkers become scary again, they may have become more terrifying than they ever were before. Director Jennifer Lynch deserves a lot of the credit here, the death scenes were absolutely brutal, gut-wrenching, and (most importantly) moving. “What Happened and What’s Going On” was a solid episode but Tyreese being careless didn’t make the walkers scary and his death felt a bit unworthy, like he deserved something better (that’s a twisted way to think but it’s true). We first watched Aiden trap himself by not paying close enough attention, then admitting the others had died because of him and Nicholas being cowards before being ripped apart. They wanted us to see every bit of this, they made us watch his agony. It was disturbing and only part of the story. [caption id=attachment_1722" align="alignleft" width="300] We got to see Eugene finally man up and it was fantastic. The moment when he rolled by the entrance in the van was like his big "I've arrived and I'm ready to survive" moment and it was awesome to see him go right after Nicholas.[/caption] I almost felt at ease through the first half of this episode. It seemed like another standard supply run affair, the group would find themselves in danger but everything would be ok. Even after Aiden triggered the explosive, it was going to be ok. The group would get him and Tara out of there and return to Alexandria. Aiden’s death was a surprise but it also felt like the big moment. The rest of the episode would surely go smoothly. Then it happened. The most horrifying and vicious death in the whole show and it couldn’t have been executed any better. Again, they made us watch every second of it. Every second of Noah being torn to pieces and devoured by a group of walkers while Glenn watched with us, terrified and sick. This scene disgusted me, it made me feel terrible, but I couldn't look away. I still can’t get it out of my head. I also can’t stop thinking about how great of a setup this was for the final two episodes. Things are about to go down in Alexandria and what happened in “Spend” will be a big influence on what unfolds. When the show has this kind of lingering impact on you, you know it did its job and it did it well. Spend Final Takeaways The acting in this episode was some of the finest work by everyone involved. Steven Yeun had the highlight of the night as he watched Noah’s demise and then knocked Nicholas out in a (rightful) fit of rage. Gabriel’s plea to Deanna was well written and well delivered by Seth Gilliam. It was the perfect cap to the episode, we know the two deaths will lead to something big next week but now there’s a whole new layer added to the mix. The other layer added in the final moments shows just where Carol and Rick are mentally. Carol tells Rick that Peter is abusive, not just to Jessie but maybe to Sam as well. There’s no time to talk it out or get to the bottom of it though, no, not even close. Carol defiantly tells Rick he has to kill Peter. There is no playing around anymore and, again, the conflicts continue to build and build. A lot of times, the Walking Dead will have some minor sub plots in episodes that don’t do much. You just sort of sit around waiting to see the main event. This was one of the times they nailed the subplot with Abraham finding his place. It was pure entertainment to see Abraham stick his neck out to save Francine while also delivering possibly the greatest one liner in the show “mother dick” in the process. It was badass and awesome to watch Abraham fight the walkers and have the construction crew rally around him. While difficult to find a flaw in this one, I find myself sometimes agitated by the placement of commercials. They have to get people to not change the channel during the ads but it really kills the high you get from a crazy moment. The sequence with Aiden triggering the explosive and what happens afterwards could have been a lot more meaningful if uninterrupted, for instance. Conclusion “Spend” was one of the busiest episodes yet and it seems the show is doing exactly what people have been clamoring for. It’s ramping everything up, it’s moving all the characters along, it’s providing genuine scares, and the tension and conflicts are leaving us starving for more. While Noah wasn’t necessarily a main character, his death was the most impactful and moving . There’s also no doubt that his death will have a huge impact on the plot moving forward and that is the best sign that everything was executed well and it was all worthwhile. Noah’s departure may have made us sick and given us nightmares but remember, humor is always the best medicine. Too soon? What did you think of "Spend"? Still recovering like us? Let us know what you thought in the comments below and be sure to rate the episode!

The following review contains spoilers for the Walking Dead season 5 Episode "Forget" The Walking Dead Stays On Point The last two episodes of the Walking Dead brought us to a great and promising place, the Alexandria Safe Zone. We were given hope that the traveling was done and the roaming alongside barely threatening walkers was finished. “Forget” did, quite fittingly, make us forget all of that. It seems very clear now that the group is ready to stay in Alexandria for the long haul, no matter what it takes. Most of the group started to open up to the idea of staying put, most important of which was Rick. All of the trust issues and conflicts set up by “Remember” continued to grow this week, and grow they did. Rick falling for the married Jessie, Carol brutally threatening a child, and Daryl finally finding his place and making a new friend were the highlights of a very character driven episode that was well done across all fronts. Free For All While last week focused mostly on trust issues between Rick’s group and the denizens of Alexandria, this week focused on the awkwardness of everyone somewhat being forced to accept each other. and she seems determined to make it work. We aren’t exactly sure where Rick stands but we’re starting to get a pretty good idea. What this left us with was a party as awkward as a middle school dance, and every bit of it was great. [caption id=attachment_1690" align="alignleft" width="275] Sasha seems to be making a run at Rick's title as most bonkers member of the group. Even Daryl is fitting in with the Alexandria crowd better at this point.[/caption] From Abraham and Rosita’s entrance to Rick kissing Jessie in the same house as her husband, we got a good sense of how odd it is to try and go back. To go from survivors on the road to members of a functioning society. Not every member of the group is handling it as well as the others and most of them are somewhere in the middle. This disparity amongst the characters is what is making Alexandria so great so far. While it’s mostly brief scenes and nudges, (almost) all of the characters are getting pushed along. We’re getting at least something for most of the cast which is refreshing after how the last season and a half had gone. What’s so well done is that each character seems to be in a different state of mind which helps fuel the conflicts and create interest moving forward where it seems like almost anything can happen. Sasha is off the deep end, Daryl went from total outcast to a useful and valuable friend of Aaron’s, and Rick finally seems to be making a decision on how to approach the whole situation. We could really sink our teeth into each character (almost) and speculate about where they’re going and how they’ll get there. These types of lingering thoughts that stick with you throughout the week are signs that the Walking Dead is back on track and set to stay there. Forget Final Takeaways “Forget” had plenty of memorable scenes but the one that sticks out the most was Carol’s almost “Grimm’s Fairy Tale” like story of what would happen to Sam if he didn’t keep her secret. I expected her to be a little tough on him to not risk anything but it turned out totally brutal and twisted. Great writing coupled with a great delivery by Melissa McBride. It was a relief to see Daryl and Aaron’s pursuit of Bubbles didn’t last an entire episode, and great thing it didn’t. The whole sequence from Daryl thinking about joining the party to having dinner with Aaron and finding out what his place in the community could be was fantastic. Another case of great writing and Norman Reedus really stepped up to the plate. Last week, it was blatantly obvious that the walls were poorly thought out and having the supports on the outside made absolutely zero sense. It was nice to see them address that in this episode, I sense that someone might use those supports to get in giving Rick a good “I told you so” moment. It could be the wolves that exploit Alexandria in the next few episodes as they were hinted at again. Usually, I would complain about such a brief hint at real potential threats but there was so much at play in “Forget” that it turned out to be a nice touch, making sure we don’t forget that they are out there somewhere. Conclusion [caption id=attachment_1691" align="alignright" width="300] Go get 'er Rick.[/caption] For the second straight week, we were shown that The Walking Dead doesn't need to be action packed or terrifying to be great. While we had some minor gripes with "Remember", it's hard to find any significant flaw with "Forget". Director David Boyd followed up his earlier work in the season, "Strangers", with another great effort. It was, put simply, solid across the board. It would have been nice to at least see every character, Gabriel was ignored for the second straight week and Eugene was no where to be seen, I can't recall Tara being around either but that's par for the course. Thankfully, the previews seem to suggest that Gabriel and Eugene will be featured in next week's episode which could greatly help keep the momentum going. What did you think of "Forget"? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to rate the episode!

Remember The Name [caption id=attachment_1645" align="alignleft" width="300] Carol went from the female Rambo to the nice old lady next door in less than a season. Not the best character progression we've gotten to watch.[/caption] Season 5B has had its ups and downs throughout the first three episode but it finally found its identity Sunday night with “Remember”, an hour that kick started a nice collection of sub plots, created conflict moving forward, and brought us several familiar faces from the comics. While it wasn’t action packed, this episode was as good as it could get for a plot and character heavy episode. It reminded me of the earlier seasons, a simpler time when the only threat was walkers. The Alexandria that we were introduced to was what the prison would have been had the living not overtaken the dead as the biggest threats roaming the lands. Alexandria would have been a great fit for Rick and company had they not been through Woodbury, the hunters, Terminus, and Grady. It would have been perfect then, it isn’t perfect now. What made this episode great is that it gave meaning to the past two and a half seasons, we got to see the night and day comparison to how the group was and what they now were. Rick and Carl saw the Alexandria denizens as weak, Carol saw staying there as a means to become weaker themselves but everyone seems to be aware of that pitfall. They don’t want to conform to Alexandria’s standards, they want to improve them or eliminate them. Where the show is now and where the show will go moving forward is not in question anymore. There’s no more need to worry about traveling to vague places that may or may not be worth the wait, there’s no more wondering about inner conflict and split groups. We know what the Walking Dead will be now, it solved the identity crisis it has struggled with for some time. Multitasking Director Greg Nicotero always does a great job juggling multiple concepts but “Remember” is one of his finest outings yet. It was a full team effort as the writing and acting were just as enjoyable as the directing. I’m always hard on Walking Dead episodes that take it easy, episodes where it’s almost insulting how it thinks we can’t handle more than what it is spoon feeding us. Let’s take a look at some of the big things we got in the latest episode: Introduction to a huge location from the comics. Multiple new characters. Conflict moving forward in the form of the group not immediately fitting in with the locals. Sub conflicts featuring Rick struggling with getting back into a “normal” society and Jessie’s creepy husband. Inner conflict with ourselves on who to trust, it seems like we might not even be able to trust Rick at this point. It could have taken half a season to just establish all of that but we got it in one dose making it the second straight week where the road forward got a huge boost in potential. While there’s a lot to choose from, the highlight(s) of the night for me were the recorded interviews. These gave us a mix of throwbacks to the past and glimpses of the future and the short dialogue was very well written. Rick plays a verbal match of chess with Dianna, Carol does some self reflecting, and Carl talks about killing his mother while holding his baby sister. A great recap of where the characters were and where they are now, but all of this was perfectly wrapped up with Glenn who had my favorite line of the night. After telling Dianna that they need to make Alexandria work, he tells her it’s because “we were almost out there too long.” What a perfect summation of the post prison Walking Dead and how broken the characters were becoming, not to mention how cynical fans were (rightfully) becoming. Remember Final Takeaways [caption id=attachment_1644" align="alignright" width="327] We lost one of the most reliable and consistent elements of the Walking Dead in "Remember". RIP.[/caption] While great for the most part, the writing was a little iffy for the new characters. Dianna was, overall, ok in her introductory episode but Rick clearly carried that initial interview. I also feel like Peter could have been given a much creepier and intimidating introduction than “My wife cut your hair” as he sat in darkness. Carl saw Lori in one of the houses when first arriving at Alexandria, will we see him have mental struggles similar to Rick and his phone calls? Like father like son. The only bit of action we got was a small street brawl dominated by Glenn and Daryl, a simple conflict that paled vastly in comparison to other obstacles the group had overcome but this one seemed real. Another well done moment that brought the show full circle to the early days. There was an abnormal amount of humor contrasting the eery vibe we felt for most of the hour. While it wasn’t all top notch comedy (Dianna’s big joke fell flat), it was refreshing and nice to see. We can thank most of it to Rick’s baby smooth face and fresh cut. What were your thoughts on "Remember"? Can we trust Alexandria or is another Woodbury? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to rate the episode!

The following review contains spoilers for the Walking Dead season 5 Episode "Them" A Tour de Sadness We all knew the group would be devastated by the events that took place at Grady Memorial Hospital, we saw glimpses of it in the season 5B premiere “What Happened and What’s Going On”. We also knew the events of the premiere would take the group to even lower depths. We expected to see a broken down and defeated group moving forward but I don’t think anyone expected the dull and depressing crawl down 60 miles of interstate who cares that made up the entirety of “Them”. We probably should have expected it though. We mentioned in our review last week how the creators seem to hate mixing in multiple concepts in single episodes, they often times take a one track approach. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, most of the time it’s a mixed bag. “Them” is, unfortunately, one of those times where it just simply doesn’t work. All the little moments with Maggie, Sasha, and Daryl, even Gabriel could have been mixed in with last week’s episode. Versions of these moments could have happened while they waited on Rick and Co. to check out Noah’s community. A fusion of the first two 5B episodes could have been great but instead the reality we got was much less interesting and much more frustrating. Can You Hear Me Now? The quickest way I could sum up what happened Sunday night is as follows: Everyone is depressed and sad, they walk a few miles. Everyone is still depressed and sad, although a new layer of anger is introduced. They walk a few more miles. Hope you didn't forget that everyone is still angry, depressed, and sad. If you did forget, well, that's all still happening. So on and so on and so on. [caption id=attachment_1490" align="alignright" width="300] In a sad way, "Them" was successful at making us feel the sadness and depression facing our group. We would have joined right in holding those barn doors shut if we could.[/caption] But surely there was some depth here, surely I'm being a jerk. The dialogue is what drives an episode like this! How much good dialogue did we get during the trek? None. No good dialogue. The writing was poor and director Julius Ramsay was given barely anything to work with, although he also directed the disappointing season 4 episode "Still" so maybe two makes a trend here. Either way, "Them" was almost a self deprecating joke played by the creators, a joke that was made at the expense of the fans. It sometimes gets annoying to hear how boring and slow The Walking Dead is. Sometimes it really is, other times (such as the 5B premiere episode) there's a lot more than meets the eye that might go over people's heads. This episode however, presents a feast for the Debbie downers. I won't go too much into detail to avoid spoilers for the books and (potentially) future episodes but I was almost certain that a critical moment from the books was going to come into play. While there were two adapted moments (more on that later), the big one I was waiting for never came and it was almost as if they were adding insult to injury. That moment would have worked, it would have been fitting, it would have been a great cap to this power hour of depression and self loathing. But it never came. What we got instead was a cheesy and blunt blow to the head in the form of the group all coming together to hold the barn doors shut from a rather large group of walkers who wanted shelter from the raging storm. Well, isn't that cute. Also, a bit insulting as a followup to the deep and thought provoking episode we got last week. The One-Two Closer While “Them” mostly was a let down, there were two great moments that lessened the blow. The first, Rick finally said it. The line all comic fans were waiting for. While it was in a much different situation compared to the comics, Rick finally said “We are the walking dead”. Honestly, I like how the show did it better and the whole speech by Rick was great, easily one of my favorite moments of his in the show so far. [caption id=attachment_1489" align="alignleft" width="300] Don't worry, it's almost over.[/caption] The other moment was at the very end. Almost as if the creators knew people would hate this episode and wanted to throw them a bone, they introduced a big time player from the comics: Aaron. His appearance means many things, the Alexandria Safe Zone being on our doorsteps the biggest of them but it may even suggest that the show is closer to the megaton home run hitter Negan than we previously thought. I won’t get ahead of myself, however. His appearance to me was like the storm to most of the group, just a flat out joyous break from the too somber mood. It was as if he descended from the heavens when we needed him most, engulfed in a beam of light as an angelic choir sung of his arrival to defeat this sorry episode, giving us hope for next week and the rest of season 5B. "Them" Final Takeaways [caption id=attachment_1476" align="alignright" width="350] Food for thought, Sasha caught Abraham with her knife that she had just used to kill some walkers. Will this be how our favorite ginger falls?[/caption] I quite liked the group of walkers slowly trailing behind the main group as they lurched forward in similar fashion and their effort to dispose of the threat was pretty intense. Sasha’s uncontrolled anger lead to some close calls and I even felt worried when Rick was nearly bit. That feeling kind of surprised me afterwards. The dog tease in the previews was kept in the back of my mind with hopes of it being able to inject some life into the episode. Surely they belonged to the wolves and the new villains were coming! I felt pretty dumb when the obvious happened, which is Sasha simply shooting them. I’m all for being realistic about things and how the group would approach various threats but this episode needed to dial back the reality a bit. Maggie is cruel when she hits rock bottom and her tongue bites harder than any walker Gabriel has faced so far. His poor attempts at helping Maggie were hard to watch but the two seemed to have a moment later in the episode when Gabriel burned his collar. This could be an interesting relationship moving forward. Conclusion While not the worst episode of the series, "Them" really exemplified all the problems you could have with the show. It was slow and relatively uneventful until the last 10 minutes, time and time again the show just seems to slam on the breaks plot wise. While last week's episode was good, the lack of plot development was a big problem and for the very next episode to follow the same approach is an even bigger problem. Episodes focused on character development need well written and interesting dialogue and "Them" just didn't have it outside of Rick. Shoddy writing is another issue that isn't new to The Walking Dead but it was at one of its lowest points on Sunday night. Despite all that, Rick said the thing and Aaron was introduced which surely means the plot is going to shift back into gear and get moving again. It's been a long wait but, just as the music box suggested, brighter days may just be right around the corner. What did you think of "Them" and are we being too hard on it? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to rate the episode! View our Live Blog from 5x10

The following review contains spoilers for the Walking Dead season 5 Episode "What Happened and What's Going On" The Walking Dead Goes Mental The wait is over, The Walking Dead is back. Last we saw our ragtag group of zombie and cannibal slayers, they were blindsided by a trade gone awry at Grady Memorial Hospital in the season 5A finale “Coda”. The cost of the ordeal was Beth’s life and it had quite the impact on the fans. The two month rest gave us enough time to recover from that loss but little did we know an even bigger emotional gut punch was ready to unload on us in the 5B premiere. “What Happened and What’s Going On” was deadicated to Tyreese and his untimely end but there was much more beneath the bitten flesh director Greg Nicotero wanted to show us. The whole experience was trippy, surreal, and most definitely creepy above all else. The odd cinematography, radio broadcast style summaries of past events, and the return of several dead friends all came together to create a disturbing and somber sequence of events, a death more emotional and depressing to me than most other departures in the show’s history. It might not have been the most fitting or fair way for Tyreese to go but it was impactful and tugged at the heartstrings, it’s not a death that will soon be forgotten. What Happened? After a mysterious and otherworldly intro, we find out that the show has jumped ahead in time a bit to show that the group is already closing in on Noah’s former community. No five episodes of traveling there? I’m on board for just a moment because, of course, the community is long gone and no one remains. While Rick, Michonne, and Glenn do a quick sweep, the still wounded Noah begins to stumble towards his home and somehow Tyreese can’t catch him until he’s already in his front yard. Tyreese decides to escort Noah inside and this is where the happening begins. In a moment that seemed surely a typical faux scare that wouldn’t lead to anything, Tyreese is bit by one of Noah’s (now zombified) younger brothers. This was genuinely shocking and something the show has been missing. Too often, the main characters are put in danger that is never really dangerous. Chad Coleman was truly given a chance to shine in his final outing and he made the most of it. The strange swelling of emotions as he looked at the pictures of Noah’s younger twin brothers left us weak and vulnerable all the same and when the walker sunk its teeth into Tyreese’s arm, we felt the same shock, the same sadness. [caption id=attachment_1454" align="alignright" width="300] Tyreese gets clever in his struggle to fend off a walker. No one can say this man isn't strong willed.[/caption] One by one, faces from the past began appearing before Tyreese, playing tug of war with his fragile psyche. Whether it was the termite taunting Tyreese with how things could have been different, the governor just outright mocking him, or Beth singing a sweet song (I guess the fan petition sort of worked), the whole ordeal was a calm, uneasy sort of chaos and mentally exhausting in the best of ways. It can never be calm for too long though, and the quick jump cuts back to reality were my top moments of the night. The first cut had the governor quickly turn into a walker and the ensuing fight was as tense and exciting as any other walker scare from the past. Already doomed, but never ready to give up, Tyreese used his already bitten arm to fend off his foe and that moment was just plain fun, an interesting way to use the illness as a weapon. The next cut went from Mika and Lizzy observing Tyreese’s wounds to Rick and company immediately hacking the arm off in a furious few seconds before cutting to commercial. We knew it was coming and the cruel reality of the situation is that you just need to get it over with and that's exactly what happened. These cuts, combined with the conflicting dialogue, radio broadcasts and slow motion walker slaughters really allowed you to see the end from Tyreese’s point of view and it was all executed very well. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the final moments for Tyreese were possibly the saddest I’ve watched, not just in The Walking Dead, but in any show. Tyreese, who told the ghost governor he could live and that nobody had to die, gave up. He asked Bob to turn the radio off and the screen began to fade in and out of the black void of death. Tyreese was finally gone. What's Going On? On paper, this episode should have been great. Awesome direction and cinematography, emotional moments involving not just Tyreese but everyone who played a part, the return of old friends and foes, and the passing of a major character. What’s not to like? Something, however, was off with this episode. Sure it wasn’t a bad episode by any means but it wasn’t as good as all these ideas should have been when put into practice. [caption id=attachment_1457" align="alignleft" width="300] As tough and determined as Tyreese was, he just wasn't built for the new world. Seeing him finally accept his fate and give up was tough to watch.[/caption] One of the biggest gripes fans have with the show is how long some things are drawn out. This is a case where maybe the creators over compensated. The individual pieces of this episode were all solid but to put all of them into one episode and leave no time to focus on anyone else or the bigger picture is a poor decision. The only major development we got was a few lines of sloppy dialogue about staying at Noah’s community and then settling on DC. For a show in its fifth season, we should be getting more than that from each episode. Sure, there were the cut up walkers and the hints of wolves but that’s all these were; hints. Do they create interest moving forward? Yes. Do they add to the episode individually? Not quite. I get that it was an episode with the sole intention of losing a major character and taking a fresh approach to dying but the show has always been about the sum of the pieces. No one is safe, no individual is too important to kill off. To focus an entire episode on one person is a curious choice. Final Takeaways The radio broadcasts giving a "news story" retelling of past events from burning prisons to revenge killings with a machete were fantastic touches and great mood setters. They were excellent compliments to the back and forth dialogue of the termite, Bob, and the Governor. The intro scene was as misleading as they come and set the stage well for one of the most somber and depressing episodes yet. All the attempts in this episode at remaining hopeful and optimistic were chilling and forced us to question if it really is best to just give up. "What Happened and What's Going On" was not a shallow episode by any means. It was, in fact, quite deep but there just needs to be more for us to digest in each episode when it comes to the show's identity and goals. The show runners seem to struggle with throwing multiple ideas at the viewers and episodes like this make it seem like they've given up on that approach but that is necessary to keep the wheels moving. Too often, The Walking Dead seems to slam on the brakes. [caption id=attachment_1456" align="alignleft" width="821] With scattered messages of wolves and walkers with a "W" marking, we may have been given cryptic hints as to who the villains of season 5B will be.[/caption] Conclusion It’s great to have the Walking Dead back and it’s an exciting time to know there’s still seven episodes left in what has been a pretty solid season thus far. While “What Happened and What’s Going On” might have had a flawed approach, it certainly had its fair share of great moments and interesting concepts. We didn’t get an action packed premiere like “No Sanctuary” but we got something more impactful and moving. Two opposite ends of the spectrum but there’s room for both and everything in between. It was a very memorable hour of television and an emotional farewell to a great character. RIP Tyreese. What did you think of the latest Walking Dead episode? Be sure to let us know in the comments below and give us your rating of "What Happened and What's Going On"!