The Walking Dead, Season Seven, Episode Twelve: Say Yes

Say Yes, pretty much amounted to a weekend getaway in a zombie apocalypse. Richonne set off to look for guns and food, so that they can bring Jadis and her people on side to fight the Saviours.  They manage to steal a van from people who they find golfing in a field of all things.  Why are all of these people on holiday during an apocalypse damn it?  At any rate, each night after a dutiful search for supplies the Rick and Michonne make love.  This is going to sound weird because it had me thinking about Lori of all people and not because I thought that Rick and Lori made a better couple. From Lori, we learned first hand the consequences for women who have sex in a zombie apocalypse and end up pregnant.  I wanted to scream at the television, "no glove no love".  Now more than ever, women need access to birth control and not once did Rick or Michonne have a conversation about this. Look, I know that they are about to engage in a life and death struggle but given how Lori died, this is a conversation they should have had before getting sweaty. I suppose because the writers control who gets pregnant and who dies, they didn't see it as a necessary but I deeply feel that this conversation should have been included. 

Rick and Michonne stumble upon a long abandoned camp. It's probably the kind of area that the military set up as a safe zone at the beginning of the zombie apocalypse.  It's clear that something went down there because there are several zombie military personal walking around with weapons. This is just the break that Michonne and Rick are looking for.  They climb up onto the roof of a highschool to get a better look and plan how to kill the zombies and take what they need.  The roof which is covered in water, collapses and they end up falling through but have a soft landing. The room that they land in is filled with MREs. They actually have a candlelight dinner and gorge themselves on the food, clearly grateful to be full for a change. Rick actually brings up taking a few days for just the two of them to enjoy what they've found. It's Michonne who points out that they should head back because of what they are dealing with.

Fear the Walking Dead, Season Two, Episode Eleven: Pablo and Jessica

The first question this episode seeks to answer is exactly how Strand and Madison escaped after being stupid enough to make enough noise to attract walkers.  Victor screams for them to head to the lobby and Madison ducks down into what looks like a kitchen when she hears Alicia scream. Hands reach for Madison and she's trapped, so she grabs a bottle, takes out the walker and slathers herself in its blood. Madison then coats Victor and he's clearly not impressed. Together they make their way outside to discover the car is gone. Victor is certain that this means that Ofelia and Alicia left them behind because the dead don't drive; however, Madison is not convinced.

They head over to the next building which is empty.  Victor forces Madison to drink some water and once again the debate begins about what happened to the girls. They stop to catch their breathe in a stairwell and Madison defends her position by saying that it wouldn't be like Alicia to leave.  Victor however argues back Alicia would if it meant surviving because she's independent and self reliant. Madison admits that she made Alicia that way. This is when they hear a knocking sound and shouting. As they get closer, Madison recognizes Alicia's voice. The mother and daughter reunite and Strand, who always has his eye on the ball, demands to know who the hell Elena and Hector are.

So, Nick is walking around his community and he sees the little girl who lost her father crying. An old woman approaches the child and comforts her. Nick heads into the hospital where he finds Alejandro. It seems that Nick feels remorse for putting the community in danger and has come up with a way to make up for what he did.  Nick, thinking like the junkie that he is, wants to cut the oxy with the powdered milk so that they will be able to stretch the oxy that they trade for food and water.  Nick argues that the junkies won't know the difference and will be happy because they will get high faster.

So it's time for the Jessie Pinkman/Walter White moment and the two work together to make the new pills.  Alejandro is impressed with Nick and Nick asserts that this will give the colony some hope. Nick turns the conversation to Alejandro surviving a walker bite. Alejandro asserts that Nick doesn't believe his story (yeah well he's a junkie not an idiot.) Alejandro suggests that Nick is having trouble because acceptance requires a leap of faith and that is something Nick would have trouble with.

Madison decides that they need to make a partnership with the other residents of the hotel. It's really smart actually.  Madison tells Ilene and Oscar that they need each other and when they balk, she reminds them that they haven't left the hotel. Madison thinks they should clear out the dead and then use the land for crops.  Interestingly, Strand is pretty silent during this and allows Madison to lead. It makes me wonder if Fear the Walking Dead is going to actually allow a competent woman to lead a group for a change?  Is that being too hopeful? Unsurprisingly, both Oscar and Ilene want Elena to leave but Madison argues that Elena did what she had to do. You know damn well that if Elena had done that Alicia and Nick, Madison wouldn't be so quick to be understanding and forgiving. Finally, Madison points out that others will come to the hotel and they might not be as peaceful as they are.

Victor and Madison head into the hallway for a tête-à-tête.  Strand is convinced that Ilene will not live peacefully because she is being driven by grief.  I think that Strand has read this situation correctly. Madison however is worried about losing their new home.  Strand makes it clear that he doesn't see the hotel as his home and that he lost his home when he was forced to shoot and bury Thomas.  I really like that they brought up the fact that Strand is still mourning the loss of the man he loved, even if I haven't forgiven them for killing off Thomas in the first place.  Strand does however agree to help Madison clear out the hotel.

Allison Hewitt Is Trapped (Zombie #1) by Madeleine Roux

Allison Hewitt was hard at work in a bookstore when the zombie apocalypse broke out.  Now she's trapped in the store room with her boss, a few coworkers and a couple of the store's regular customers. For now, things seem okay because they have a few supplies but Allison knows that they cannot afford to stay in the store room.  As she and her compatriots look for someplace safe to live, Allison cannot stop thinking of her mother who has cancer.  When Allison learns that her mother may have moved on to a place called Liberty Village, Allison must choose between staying with her fellow survivors or heading out on her own to find her mother.

What drove me to read Allison Hewitt Is Trapped, is the fact that the book is written in a series of blog posts.  For me, this amounted to a unique device to tell a story.  Unfortunately, the blog concept didn't really work and left me wondering if Roux had actually read a blog?  If you are writing a blog post about something which happened, it should read like a recollection and not like the events are current. Furthermore, writing about past events should evoke some kind of personal introspection which these supposed posts were absolutely lacking.  The only way in which Roux stayed true to the blog format was by having comments at the end of each entry.  The comments became the only real representation of a blog post; however, they also served to pull me out of the story because they included brief snippets from what I would call less than side characters and their peril.

It has to be said, Allison's ability to keep her laptop safe and continue to find free wifi to post as the world falls apart really made no sense to me whatsoever.  Why would someone prioritize this as a form of record keeping in a zombie apocalypse?

Chick-lit is a guilty pleasure of mine but after reading Allison Hewitt Is Trapped, I'm not sure that it lends itself well to a dystopain zombie setting. The very nature of a zombie apocalypse means darkness and suffering juxtaposed to Allison's upbeat attitude really felt at odds; it made this apocalypse seem so sanitized.  I was particularly irked by Allison's love life.  She doesn't know if her mother is alive or dead, is fighting for food and shelter, yet somehow she manages to fall in love with an older married man.  Given the threat to her life and safety, am I really supposed to find her drama as the other woman believable or even interesting? Every time Allison went on about how much she hated Collin's wife, I couldn't help but shake my head. Who the hell would be worrying about this shit now? Worse still, Allison stopped just short of wishing his wife dead on several occasions and then had the nerve to wonder if she is a bad person.

Zombie Fallout 3: The End (Zombie Fallout #3) by Mark Tufo

 

Pulled back from the brink of death, Michael Talbot is determined to protect his loved ones against not only the zombie plague, which has taken over the planet but the threat that Eliza, the vampire holds.  Even a reinforced military base may not be enough to keep her at bay.  The government may have Humvees,  heavy artillery and helicopters loaded with missiles, but Eliza has an ace up her sleeve.  Talbot depends on Tommy to give him the right information at the right time, but their pop tart loving guide, who hears Ryan Seacrest in his head, might not be as innocent as he seems.

I cannot believe I made it through all three hundred and fifty-five pages of this novel.  I am telling you right now Fangs readers, you owe me one.  Michael Talbot continues to be an epic Gary Stu.  Everyone around Talbot exists to constantly prop him up, and follow his lead.  Even Alex and Paul, who have decided to travel in a different direction than Talbot, in order to find their families and avoid Eliza's clutches, spend their time chastising themselves for leaving Talbot, while  talking about how amazing the trained marine is and alternately angsting about their disloyalty for abandoning Talbot in his hour of need. Brendan even pays for his abandonment of Talbot  and the questioning of Talbot's leadership with his life.  No one even bothers to try and think up any kind of plan on how to survive because they are all sure that somehow, Talbot will pull their asses out of the fire.  Of course, Talbot has to get up to some practically superhuman shenanigans (that is when he isn't being saved by the family dog) but he somehow constantly manages to save everyone because that's what a man does - save his family. I spent much of the book hoping that a zombie would eat Talbot.

There were quite a few female characters in this book but luckily, there really is no real need for them to be strong characters, when they can depend on Talbot.  Tracy, Talbot's wife, is still alive and kicking but she never really gets into the action.  Why would Michael bother to teach Tracy a practical skill like shooting a gun, when he can take his teenage sons out on missions against the zombies.  Surely, a teenage boy has to be competent than an adult woman and besides, it teaches the young men that their job is to protect the womenfolk, just like dear old dad. Mike constantly acts like he is afraid of his shrewish wife but at no point does he bother to consult her for advice.  Tracy exists to give Talbot something to save and is only humanized when dealing with her mother Carol, who has suddenly become frail and in need of Michael's protection, despite surviving by herself on a farm at the beginning of the apocalypse and her son Justin, who struggles to fight back against his link with Liza.  Carol however does end up earning her keep, by pushing Mike's sister Lyndsey out of the kitchen.  Everyone complains loudly about Lyndsey's cooking and none louder than Mike but since his job is saving the world, actually entering the kitchen and cooking for himself is inconceivable. Besides, it gives the women something to do while they are waiting to be saved.

Then we have Nicole, who from the sounds of it is about six weeks pregnant.  Nicole at this point is practically an invalid, who spends most of her time puking and expressing some kind of weakness. Nicole is in a sense nothing more than a walking womb but she's precious because she carries the future of the Talbot line. Nope, I couldn't make this shite up if I tried.  This is par for the course because daughters are trouble - something Mike knows all to well.

The Walking Dead, Season Four, Episode Nine: After

The prison is crawling with zombies.  Michonne stands and watches from a distance in shock as the building goes up in flames.  Michonne walks through a field cutting off heads as she goes and hops over a barricade. Michonne then makes herself new walker escorts and on her way out, she finds Hershel, who is nothing but a head turned into a zombie  Michonne takes pity on Hershel and puts her katana through his brain before leaving the area.

Carl is walking in front of a very wounded Rick.  Rick has to call out for Carl to stop and he reminds him that they have to stay together to find food and supplies.  Rick starts to reassure Carl but when Carl gives him a look, he simply stops talking.  Carl continues to race ahead of his father. They come across a restaurant and Rick orders Carl to wait outside but Carl points out that he can hardly stand.  Begrudgingly, Rick agrees to check it out with Carl. Carl finds a note which says please do what I couldn't do and Rick draws the zombie out.  Rick's axe gets stuck and Carl shoots the zombie in the head.  Rick is not impressed and points out that they need to save bullets.  They head into the kitchen and find food and water.

Michonne is on the move with her zombie escorts and she pauses when she sees footprints on the ground. Instead of following the footprints, Michonne heads in another direction.

 Carl and Rick are still moving and Carl refuses to slow down.  They find a house and Rick decides that they should check it out.  Carl and Rick make their way through the house and Rick tells Carl to stop in frustration.  Carl starts to call out for zombies yelling, "hey asshole, hey shitface," and Rick yells for him to watch his mouth.  Carl makes his way upstairs, as Rick looks through the kitchen.  Later, Carl and Rick bicker about whether or not the door is secure. Rick tries to get Carl to eat but Carl says that he doesn't want any.  Finally, Rick demands that Carl eat.  Rick checks out his bruises in the mirror and he is rasping when he breathes, making me wonder if one of his lungs is collapsed.

Michonne is in the kitchen, while she is talking with her lover Mike and a friend.  Michonne cleans her katana and a little boy comes running for a hug.  Mike says that he is not taking his son out there.  Mike wonders where the happy ending is here and says that this isn't life  Michonne continues to hold her son.  When Michonne looks up, the men are sitting there without arms and she starts screaming.  It turns out that this was a dream and Michonne finds herself in an abandoned car.

Carl wakes in the morning and when he looks over, Rick is still asleep.  Carl grabs some food and heads into the other room.  Carl pours two bowls of cereal at the table.  After eating, Carl reads a book upstairs, then heads down to check on his father.  Carl shakes Rick screaming wake up but Rick does not stir.  The sound of his yelling draws the attention of the walkers and so Carl heads outside.  Carl leads them down the road away from the house.  What he does not realise is that a zombie is approaching behind him. The zombies grab Carl and he trips and falls on the ground.  Carl shoots each one in the head and they fall on top of him.  Carl struggles to get from under the mound of zombie bodies, stands and says, "I win".  Carl makes his way back to the road, finds it deserted and moves on.

AMC's ~ The Walking Dead Social Game ~ Sneak Peek

Wednesday Reboot: Wasting Away

Wasting Away was released in 2007 and stars Matthew Davis, Julianna Robinson and Michael Grant Terry.  At a  secret military base the government is attempting to make a super soldier.  They inject a soldier with formula and it  turns him into zombie.  Realizing that they need to get rid of it, they label the tins of it baby formula and begin to transport it.  Along route the transport is forced to stop when a motorcycle rides into the middle of the road.

The formula rolls off the truck and somehow ends up outside a bowling alley where Mike, Vanessa, Tim and Cindy are hanging out before Mike opens the alley for the day.  Tim grabs a tin of the formula mistaking it for a keg of beer and tosses it into the ice cream maker with the smart idea of making beer ice cream.  When it comes out green, Tim tells the others that it's just the light and so they consume it quickly.  They die and become zombies but don't realize it.  When Cindy starts to complain that she is in pain, they attempt to use the phone but discover that something is wrong with it.

They head out into the street and try to approach a couple of guys that they run into but the group runs from them.  The movie switches to black and white and we see that Mike Vanessa Tim and Cindy shambled towards the group of men groaning.  Clearly what the men saw was a group of zombies and that is why they ran away.  Mike, Vanessa, Tim, and Cindy are confused until they run into Nick Steele, who tells them that he is special ops and that the population has been infected.

Wednesday Reboot: Zombieland

Zombieland was released in 2009 and stars Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Woody Harrelson. So a zombie apocalypse has taken over the world and there are very few survivors.  Columbus has a list of rules for survival that have kept him alive.  The movie starts off by showing all the people who died when they violated this rule.  Columbus is a geek who is absolutely terrified and has largely survived by segregating himself, which for Columbus is not really different than how he lived before the apocalypse.

He runs into Tallahassee whose main motivation is to find the last twinkie.  You would think that since a twinkie could probably survive a nuclear war, that a twinkie wouldn't be hard to find but that is not the case.  Tallahassee is rough and tumble and is a great foil to Columbus.  The two meet Wichita  and her little sister Little Rock.  All of the characters in Zombieland go by their place of origin rather than their names.  Wichita and Little Rock manage to con Columbus and Tallahassee out of their vehicle and guns not once but twice.  Columbus takes an instant liking to them and especially likes the fact that they were con artists before the apocalypse.

Zombieland is essentially a comedy and this is quite different than how the zombie apocalypse is normally framed in the media.  It does include the angst of the survivors but Columbus' survival rules add a lightness.  In one scene, a woman kills a zombie by dropping a piano on him for instance.  Another man is eaten by a zombie while using the bathroom, and Columbus quips about not using public bathrooms.  One woman is killed because instead of shooting the zombie twice, she shots him and then taps him with her foot to see if he was dead, thus inspiring the "double tap" rule for killing zombies. I do however feel it necessary to mention that Columbus makes it clear that no fat people survive because of an inability to move quickly.  Fat people apparently were the first ones killed off.