SQUAWKING DEAD: Search results for Mason

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Sunday, November 28, 2021

[Episode 169] The Walking Dead: World Beyond |2x08| Returning Point

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Getting to the nuts and bolts of this episode involves examining our entire outlook on the kinds of people we end up meeting in #TWDU and admitting that, as much as we hate "weak people", there's a value in having them around so that we may, yet again reach a "Returning Point". Fearing that #Jadis may have learned the wrong lesson from Simon (of #TheSaviors, #Negan's former right-hand man), we also wonder whether other characters are reaching that point to (perhaps #LeoBennett? #FelixCarlucci? ...and, no, we haven't forgotten the obvious: #IrisBennett)

Our pre-show was QUITE spicy and we do dip our toes into the political/current events. You might not want to miss that Unedited/Unfiltered/Raw discussion while also supporting the BEST #TWDUniverse #podcast in history. So what are you waiting for? Click here:

David Cameo:
Rachael Burt:

Did you miss June's Holiday Tunes?

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And a special Thanksgiving wish from Dave to all of you:
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As much as we'd like to find out more about Rick Grimes' whereabouts or even The Civic Republic or The Civic Republic Military, what's most important is that The Walking Dead: World Beyond tells the story that was meant to be told.
Small rant/thread about #TWDWorldBeyond:

MANY #TWDFamily members have said #TWDWB should divulge #RickGrimes' whereabouts or that the show should at least be setting up the framework for the #TWDMovie(s) by the end.

Really, it doesn't: stop expecting it to. (cont)
— SQUAWKING DEAD (@SQUAWKING_DEAD) November 9, 2021
Drawing a comparison between The Walking Dead fans' dismissal of TWD World Beyond & Fear The Walking Dead.
Bottom line: while you can watch any #TWDUniverse spin-offs for ties to The Walking Dead (original series), we recommend reading recaps or listening to podcasters who will recap the episode for those specific tie-ins. Don't trash a show because it didn't give you what you wanted that had nothing to do with telling its own story.
Jasmine's take: Mason Beale's unfair treatment. Rachael needs clarity on the hurried retrieval of Mason and Dave takes the opportunity to explain, more narratively, why it shapes up the way it does (the audience's confusion and the theme of trust).
Why selfish isn't a bad word: parallels between Althea (from FearTWD) and Indira. More examples of trust: Iris Bennett trusts Hope Bennett to retrieve Mason. Hope trusts Iris/Percy Delmado to not harm Mason. Elizabeth Kublek trusts Indira to run Perimeter Colony while Indira's life is in Kublek's hands (Saline Dialysis).
Rachael has a problem with Kublek sneaking Saline to Indira, Dave & Sherrandy swoop in to explain. Also, she's at the top of the food chain, so she has latitude.
But trust has its limits: just like Silas Plaskett not being able to fully trust Dennis (you're one of them), Hope can only allow herself to trust Mason so much before she has to fall back to prioritizing the safety of her family.
Explaining Mason's reaction to seeing an empty within the research facility's walls.
Parallels between Leo Bennett wishing he'd ended Lyla Belshaw's life, himself, with Kublek explaining to Jennifer Mallick that, if anyone, she would want to be the one to break her: We need some people to do the hard work and make the tough/ugly calls, but we need others whose hands are clean to bring us back (Returning Point).
Leo also hates in others what he hates in himself: he wants to strangle that part of himself that could ever feel true love for someone who would potentially sell him and his daughters out for the sake of humanity's future.
On the heels of needing to do the ugly thing, we're concerned about what Iris (might feel like she) has to do.
This episode answers both Jasmine & Rachael's question of whether there are soldiers questioning the genocide of Campus Colony/Omaha.
CR RF's lower level looks like Huck's Marine Base in Middletown, NY during her backstory told in 1x07 Truth or Dare. To parallel, will someone in our group have to prevent someone else in our group to save one person (Mason)?
Felix Carlucci and Leo's discussion about what it means to make a life for yourself and how we're ultimately responsible for our own choices.
Brody's repugnant actions (on a multitude of levels) allow us to fully hate him, which is rare! He shows us the negative extreme of selfishness. Jadis shows us the classic removal of all points of contact protocol, as a result of Perimeter's deception and Huck's disposal of Brody.
Wrestling with two multi-varied possibilities: Major General Beale has no idea what Warrant Officer Stokes is... stoking.. and Mason might know about his father's comings and goings - or finds out and sides with him.
Reminding everyone where Kublek's Project-V papers were located and why that's important. In defense of Jadis: she may feel like she needs to do all this bad to save the CR(M) from having to do it, themselves.
Until Huck shoots Brody, we don't think Jadis was terribly sus on Huck. Huck's protest against the one-shot kill orders against the scientists and Bennett family. Jadis hates in others what she hated/killed in herself (as the leader of the Junkyard Gang).
Brief revisit on the original CRM logo on the can of pears post the slaughter of Jadis' people and the PPP keycard Tara Chambler finds when Heath disappears. the PPP stands for the 3 Portlands: Oregon, Texas, and Maine.
Too much grey thinking is bad (Lyla - you lose yourself/your soul), too much black and white thinking is bad (impractical). Revisiting the political extremes Horseshoe Theory: Don't be the monster in an attempt to rid the world of monsters.
We revisit a world in which Iris was chosen over Hope to be the CRM's resident genius. Dave takes the opportunity to explore our confusion with Iris' actions: she has excellent reasoning, but the emotions that undergird them are absent. Could there be something else we don't know about Iris that motivates her? Survivor's Guilt? And all her work for towards a better future in Campus Colony was robbed from her.

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Sunday, December 5, 2021

[Episode 171] The Walking Dead: World Beyond |2x09| Death and the Dead

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#Jadis says, "It's about life, doctor," two episodes ago, but her semi-quoting #ThomasMann to him early on in the episode (all that's out there is "Death and the dead") is all we need to know, narratively, the seat from which all their motivations derive: Fear. Our protagonists show, in action, all the ways in which Thomas Mann "Wakes up": by living life as if death doesn't exist.

So not much pre/post show to speak of, since we recorded both #FearTWD and #WorldBeyond on the same day, but we did edit out chunks and chunks of footage in between for various reasons. Support the #podcast and get the episode that God/Nature/Science intended:

David Cameo:
Rachael Burt:
Sherrandy Swift: AKA @BlazyGardener

We went into a rant about the quote from whence the episode title's namesake is derived:
In our recent coverage of #TWDWorldBeyond's penultimate series finale, "Death and the Dead", we examined the quote from which the episode title's namesake is derived. pic.twitter.com/g4zxeXONpl
— SQUAWKING DEAD (@SQUAWKING_DEAD) December 5, 2021
Huck is finally releasing all the emotions she's pent up inside. Parallels of what she felt she finally had to do against her brothers in the Marines (the right thing) and her driving away in the jeep in the series premiere.
Sherrandy is the M.V.P.: Jadis is allowing nepotism (Mason Beale being held hostage) to halt the Civic Republic Military's agenda (which shows their hypocrisy, considering Elizabeth Kublek and Jennifer Mallick and even Sergeant Barca). Although, from our point of view, do you blame Warrant Officer Stokes from hiding this from Major General Beale?
In the aftermath, even though Project Votus was used as a smokescreen for genocide, they still believe in it. Jadis turns into the monster (Simon, of The Saviors) because MGB wants all the scientists back alive.
Clear parallels between the state of The Walking Dead communities in episodes 1-5 of Season 9 to The Alliance of the Three: How The Sanctuary was a drain on Maggie Rhee and The Hilltop's resources. The Walking Dead: World Beyond is also somewhat an echo of Carl Grimes' vision of the future.
Mason's actions near the end (leading to Percy's death), in spite of hearing The CRM's deceptions from Jadis' own lips. Dave struggles, while the ladies appeal to the rationale that even he has in his own notes. He's a good person, but maybe what was said is a seed in Mason's mind that might sprout later on?
CGI Empties in this episode plus Elton Ortiz and Silas Plaskett hamster balling it in Perimeter Colony's globe art for the Civic Republic Research Facility were kind of necessarily hilarious and light-hearted.
Iris Bennett's decision to stop Hope Bennett from killing Mason (even though The CRM took Iris' future, twice: Campus Colony and Percy Delmado). Drawing yet another line from Iris to Rick Grimes - and even Michonne to Virgil.
I think we'd all be pissed if Dennis('s abs don't save him and he) dies. Annet Mahendru is the M.V.P. Dave works out why actual prayer isn't implemented in this extremely emotional scene.
The premise if the show: the reason why the CRM executioners cull Campus Colony, Omaha, and is moving to genocide Portland. Rachael brings back our theory that, without loud sounds or bright fire, dead columns/walker herds are drawn to massive communities of people.
The CRM might already know that The Civic Republic will try them for crimes against humanity for what the CRM thinks they have to do before they hand over control to the civilian government.
Logistically placing the whereabouts of both the kids and the scientists.
The weight of the scientists, even Terry Brooks Ellis, having to kill the soldiers with the B-Oh-4 Bombs.
Percy's demise.
Hope's (and our) reaction to having to kill Empty Lyla Belshaw. It's the moment that sets up her threating actions towards Mason, near the end.
Dennis tells Silas to find his friends (after having told him not to at the start of the season). The interesting encounter between Silas and Webb.
Briefly revisiting Iris' reasons for stopping Hope from killing Mason. Dispelling the questions behind the capability of frozen empties and why, essentially, empties/walkers look the way they do so soon after reanimation.
Dennis takes his alcoholism very seriously (won't someone think of the abs?!). Silas is a friendly/traumatized drunk. Silas forgives Jennifer Mallick.
Delaying the inevitable: Thanking all of you for joining us, from start to finish, throughout TWD World Beyond's journey. Recording this episode is just inconveniencing Sherrandy from watching next week's episodes.

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Sunday, October 31, 2021

[Episode 160] The Walking Dead: World Beyond |2x04| Family is a Four Letter Word

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Should our protagonists(?) be thinking locally or globally? Is #SilasPlaskett's allegiance going to be tested? #JenniferMallick is starting to realize that her mother, #ElizabethKublek, might actually be a monster (and that she might be one by proxy). And terrific performance by #NicholasCantu as #EltonOrtiz, this episode!

So we definitely cut out a lot of behind the scenes moments from before and definitely after this episode. To join in the chat in our next recording, like Mario did, as well as download the unedited version of this episode, all while supporting this podcast, head here:

David Cameo:
Rachael Burt:
Sherrandy Swift: AKA @BlazyGardener

[Editor's Note: Dave clearly didn't edit the beginning of this podcast]
Get ready to participate in our #TWDUniverse Secret Santa! DM Sherrandy to get on the list! Essentially, you will be assigned a random TWDU character, to whom you will fabricate a gift (whether it be real, photoshopped, bought in a store, said out loud - be creative/have fun)! You will have the opportunity to swap your character with other #TWDFamily member, too! Here's a look at last year's TWDU Secret Santa video:
The wrong end of a kill-stick/telescope. Conflict in this episode and every episode gets better.
What episode are we covering? Reminiscing on older SQUAWKING DEAD episode difficulties (while having current difficulties).
[Editor's Note: we go into a conversation about how it's possible Felix Carlucci knows Percy Delmado is gunning for Jennifer Mallick/Huck, but we know why because both he and Elton Ortiz must've caught everyone up]
Huck's world is crashing around her as she's realizing how much bad she's responsible for. The same may be applied to Lt. Col. Elizabeth Kublek.
Our theory about both Portland being in Texas (not Oregon, ties into Fear The Walking Dead nicely) and Major General Beale being Jadis/Anne are seemingly both incorrect. Is Rick Grimes Mr. Beale?!
Even Dave is having trouble covering for Iris Bennett, but notes the contrast of her character against others (especially Percy).
You hate in others what you hate in yourself: Dave strikes at the heart of why Rachael, in particular (but perhaps #TWDFamily, as well), wouldn't like Iris. We know far too much the cost of standing on principle in #TWDUniverse.
Watching Iris and Hope Bennett part ways was difficult. Remembering that Bennetts are teenagers (ergo: not thinking things through). Iris might be "butthurt" over not being chosen by the Civic Republic Military - or, at least, not used to Hope not being in her shadow. Things would've been worse if they would've chosen Iris (or, at least, not as interesting).
We're here for Dennis & Silas Plaskett's relationship. Maximilian Osinski's body would destroy Hal Cumpston's. The Culling & Maintenance kids' "training ground" is a post-apocalyptic video game.
Hope & Silas' path forward might be difficult. Silas, in light of this newfound family, and Hope, with the possibility of the cure. The only way out is through? Both Hope & Iris think locally and globally, in their own way.
It's entirely possibly that one or the other sister might die and what that might mean for the greater #TWDUniverse; Mason's Master Controller (him stepping a little out of bounds) might be useful for Hope if she joins the effort to wreck the CRM; and Portland's fate is still unclear, but Hope knows more about the CRM today than she did yesterday, and it might mess with her.
Speaking of Mason, it seems like he's dipping his toes in both camps: clearly has access to things and does what he's told, but steps out of bounds here and there. Mason Belshaw? Mason General Beale?
Silas divulges to Dennis the reason why he tries to leave the Culling & Maintenance Outpost, but understanding Dennis imparts some sage wisdom. It is still unclear whether Dennis knows the killer whom Silas is referencing (Huck), but ostensibly does not appear he's aware. We need to interview Max.
Pulling some cool information off of Indira's insulin bottle. Why it's important that others, like Brody, don't know she's ill (at least at this stage); parallel with Hope's childhood trauma (the irony of Elton discovering this). Dave's imagination runs wild; Fused walker in the Culling & Maintenance facility; Scott M. Gimple makes cast-members paranoid (and his spoilers suck).
Deconstructing the plethora of sources spurring Elton's panic attack.
Say what we all will about characters that we're having trouble digesting, they are nudging the conflict, so it's not all bad: Iris may actually be a psychopath while Percy becomes the responsible one?!
Ithaca, NY: where The Walking Dead: World Beyond's story ends. Is the Civic Republic one large city or a Confederation of settlements? Or both? The Civic Republic/The Commonwealth aware of one another?
Picking more bones: Leaving the Perimeter's armory unlocked.
The necessity of seeing (is believing) Daniel and Margaret fishing Huck our of the river in Omaha: Even Huck saved some people. Remembering Huck's father, Mr. Mallick, and what he represents to both Kublek and Huck. The significance of seeing Jennifer give herself her scar in both Season 1 and Season 2. Symmetry between Silas and Hucks scars/wounds: remembering. Huck & Dennis are married?

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Sunday, October 24, 2021

[Episode 158] The Walking Dead: World Beyond |2x03| Exit Wounds

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Just when #JenniferMallick thought she might have one good day, #LeoBennett comes in like a wrecking ball and turns her world beyond upside-down. Between that, the knowledge that her clemency may have come at a cost (even though she's choosing to focus on the positive), and how (by the end of it) Percy is gunning for her, it seems like Huck is beset on all sides.

So, here's the deal, after we ended the recording, we decided to jump down the science rabbit hole and discuss the formula on #TBrooksEllis ' digital board, which was pretty fun. Between the behind-the-scenes pre-show and the many laughs & hilarious technical difficulties, why not support the #podcast and download/stream the Unedited Episode Recording?

David Cameo:
Rachael Burt:
Sherrandy Swift: AKA @BlazyGardener

🎖SURVIVORS TIER MEMBERS:

Jasmine:

Why Exit Wounds? Dennis' mistake causing Jennifer Mallick to leave (not just Percy Delmado's wound).
But were Percy & Tony Delmado's lives peachy? Performers without crowds that now have an audience.
Iris Bennett "treating" Percy; Percy is otherwise distracted. And every day isn't like the last.
Hoes in other area codes: But are other settlements the exception, not the rule? And The Walking Dead: World Beyond is only a short time behind The Walking Dead (flagship show)
Tying up poor horses and Dakota firepits. Elton Ortiz finally hauling ass (for turnips?!)
Turns out Dave was right about Perimeter colony protecting the Civic Republic Research Facility (by way of radioactive waste warnings). Callbacks to Siddiq (by way of calling Empties "Vessels") and Elton is the Carl Grimes of the show?
Sherrandy's amazing theory of why Omaha/Campus Colony were going to be threats to the Civic Republic Military. Dave takes it a little further.
Still trying to associate Huck saving the colony dwellers during the fall (when she was a Marine). "Beauty in the darkness" (the essence of TWD World Beyond): because why focus on the negative?
Etymology of Asha & Dev. Elton's devastation and resemblance to John Dorie (of Fear The Walking Dead).
Empties/Vessels in the clearing were not Asha & Dev's doing and the flaw in Dennis' logic about the Culling Facilities. Filming inconsistencies.
T. Brooks Ellis, Eugene Porter's mentor at The Human Genome Project, is Hope Bennett's professor.
Parallels to the Bennett sister's asking Silas Plaskett to their party in the pilot to Mason inviting hope to the Omaha remembrance party. Hope still having flashbacks to their journey wakes her into action: seeking out Iris and Felix Carlucci.
More hints that The Civic Republic is a string of settlements, united as one (E Pluribus Unum) and Portland's potential dark fate(?).
Leo Bennett may not be aware of Lyla Belshaw's special lab where (walker) Dr. Samuel Abbott is kept. Hope may be on her way to figuring this out.
At Mason's party, Omaha's symbol is placed on a "neutralization" vat: twisted. SURVIVORS tier member, Jasmine, trusts Mason.
Second Chances: Iris might eat her words about Percy's loss and moving on; Hope might instinctually take her advice. How their father factors into this calculus.
The significance of using Jenga as a parallel to The Civic Republic.
It Only Takes One Night by Dum Dum Girls and it's connection to Dennis' relationship with Huck and, also, the destruction of Omaha/Campus Colony (possibly Portland). Corporal Pierce may already be monitoring Staff Sergeant Mallick's movements (how the CRM roles).
Will Percy pull back? The Perimeter will most-likely side with Jennifer in the event of a conflict (also, Huck's corpse would mean their destruction).
Leo's confrontation with Huck (or whatever she calls herself) speaks to something greater than getting his family back.
Jasmine expertly follows Dr. Ellis science, whether intentionally faulty or not. Either way, he seems like a Fungi.

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Sunday, October 2, 2022

[Episode 199] Tales of The Walking Dead |1x04| Amy/Dr. Everett

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Originally Recorded 2022/09/01

It's telling that this episode premieres just after the #TalesOfTheWalkingDead's Alpha origin story episode: instead of Doc Everett honoring his (more than just?) friend by wearing his face as a #Whisperers mask, he memorializes him by studying him. He does the same to Amy in similar fashion. "People are chaos" and we all have our own, personal ways of surviving and that's never been more apparent than in this episode, which further expands our vista in the ever-growing #TWDUniverse!

The Unedited recording of this episode clocks in at well over two hours: we always have more to say but never enough time to say it (or too much class to allow certain jokes to remain in the final edit)! Join us in our next recording (FOR FREE) by creating a FREE Ko-fi account and following our Ko-fi page to discover our next recording session or, at least, to receive notifications on early access to our episodes! Your support by just following us means a lot and keeps us going. You can start, here:

David Cameo:
Rachael Burt:
Sherrandy Swift:
Bridget Mason-Gray:

🎖SURVIVORS TIER MEMBERS:

Aliza:

Before we do a deep dive into this episode, did you know we have a merch store? If you didn't, now you do! There's even a SALE going on, right now, so what are you waiting for? Click here and start shopping!
Our dear Sherrandy takes time to shoutout all of our lovely TWDU family members for helping her recover from when her house was struck by lightning. I know I speak for all of us when I say WE LOVE YOU SHERRANDY!
Our very own Rachael is working at The Cat's Meow as an emcee, which is defined as a karaoke experience!

@mcmadcatter ♬ original sound - MC Mad Catter
Dave's first impression of this episode was that he was somewhat bummed out after having a positive first two episodes, and a satisfying third.
Rachael enjoyed the episode, but was more bummed-out over the fact that we may never get to see Dr. Chauncey Everett again.
Bridget believed this episode was going to be a documentary and was disappointed that the documentary-style montages were only a small portion of the episode.
Sherrandy enjoyed that this episode was more philosophical and encouraged the audience to ask themselves many questions.
In a battle of nature vs man, with whom do you side?
Sherrandy mentions that the opening sequence reminded her of one of the introductory videos promoting The Commonwealth on The Walking Dead.
Have you appreciated the order in which each episode of Tales of the Walking Dead was placed?
This is one of the posts that Dave authored on one of the Tales of The Walking Dead Facebook groups. What do you think?
What is your opinion on TWDU as a whole right now? Have you been enjoying the new stories they've been trying to tell, or are you upset when it deviates from the flagship series?
Would you want to see the origin stories of characters you are already familiar with in Tales of the Walking Dead, or would you rather continue receiving new stories and new characters?
Aidan's Aside: As all of the hosts kind of rally against seeing more origin stories, I would be remise if I didn't mention a recent article from What To Watch, authored by Sarabeth Pollock (who we have had on our show before), asking the actors on The Walking Dead about the potential of reprising their respective characters in origin stories on Tales of The Walking Dead. I found a lot of their answers interesting. The way Laila Robins imagines what a possible Pamela Milton backstory could look like would make for an outstanding hour of television. I really enjoyed Eleanor Matsuura's vision for a Yumiko Okumura/Magna/Tomichi Okumura backstory episode the most!
Do you think backstories even matter or should The Walking Dead continue to shy away from origin stories (save an exception or two)?
What's your opinion on pre-apocalypse flashbacks: should The Walking Dead (Universe) maintain their stance by not depicting them?
Aliza mentions how she loves the way this episode handles nature and deals with human survival.
Showrunner, Channing Powell, has already alluded to having further plans for Dee and Hera in future episodes.
If there are plans for Dee and Hera, does it stand to reason that there are most likely plans for other characters we've seen in Tales of The Walking Dead?
Sherrandy jokingly asks how the stories of Blair Crawford & Gina would continue? Would they move on to some final boss?
Sherrandy compares Tales of The Walking Dead to the tapes of Althea Szewczyk-Przygocki from Fear the Walking Dead. She never went back to revisit how people were doing, she just moved on to the next story.
Does Dr. Everett seem similar to Hershel Greene, who did not want to kill walkers?
When will we finally get an explanation for the different types of walker variants? Could it be in the final eight episodes of the flagship show, since it has been teased?
Could Alicia Clark (from Fear TWD) have been right about walkers maintaining some of their living counterpart's consciousness?
Aidan's Aside: All of this discussion of Alicia Clark makes me wonder what an interaction between Dr. Everett and Alicia Clark would be like. Could we potentially see Alicia and Dr. Everett meet? Even though Alycia Debnam-Carey left FTWD, it was open-ended, so it's still in her cards (though, she would appear much older after 35 years). Check out this article from Kirsten Acuna about Alicia's potential future in the TWDU.
Speaking of Alicia, Rachael notes that Amy's amputated left arm reminds her of Alicia's.
Aliza brings up the Teddy Bear Girl Walker, Jenny Jones, and other smart walkers we've observed during The Walking Dead's 1st season.
Aidan's Aside: Here's an in depth article recapping some of Everett's experiments in this episode.
Dave reads the poem Dr. Everett recites at the end of the episode, which was written by Emily Dickinson, titled, Nature is What We See.
Aidan's Aside: I enjoyed the conversation everyone was having about Emily Dickinson. While I was watching this episode of Tales, I found myself frequently reflecting on the Apple TV+ series Dickinson starring Hailee Steinfeld. I highly recommend watching it. It also features Fear TWD alums, Chinaza Uche (who played Wes' brother, Derek, in Season 6) & Gus Halper (who played Will, in Season 7).
Do all brains reanimate like Dr. Edwin Jenner's wife, TS-19?
Homo Mortuus means "one who is dead". Aliza points out that it could also be a play-on-words: there is "more to us".
Aliza asks if Dr. Mosely (a.k.a. Specimen 21) was a tribute to actor Moses J. Mosely, who played one of Michonne's Pet Walkers (previously, her boyfriend Mike). Moses Mosely was tragically passed in early 2022.
Aidan's Aside: Haifaa Al-Mansour, a newcomer to the TWDU, directed this episode.
Sherrandy takes a moment to compare the poet, Emily Dickinson, and Dr. Everett by saying they are both loners who tend to not interact with the outside world.
Dave points out that the Chattahoochee River Amy mentions in this episode most likely places them somewhere in Alabama. The northern half might actually place them in West Georgia.
Aidan's Aside: While researching images for this blog, I stumbled upon a recreation of Blair Crawford's jacket for sale. If you feel like cosplaying this colorful character, click here!
Sherrandy compares the Skull Hunters to pioneers of the American West, who would hunt Buffalo for trophies.
Dave compares Everett's study of Homo Mortuus to the way he studied Justin (played by Zach McGowan) in Season 9 of TWD. The opening sequence depicts his corpse being devoured by walkers. Midway into feeding, they suddenly stopped, got up, and walked away. Watching the exact moment walkers refuse to continue feeding indicates exactly when a dead human turns, which was super exciting and fascinating to watch for the first time in this universe.
What happens when the walker population dies off?
Aidan's Aside: This conversation reminds me how Dee, in the last episode, tells Lydia, "people are chaos," and how you essentially become chaos to survive. This brought me back to one of my favorite quotes of this entire franchise by Victor Strand, "The only way to survive a mad world is to embrace the madness".
Did this episode feel as though it was truly 35 years after the fall? Does it feel like nothing has changed? Has Dr. Everett's study of Homo Mortuus truly bore fruit?
Aidan's Aside: I wanted to share an article from Undead Walking, written by Renee Hansen, where Channing Powell reveals how one of the episodes takes place 35 years into the future.
Sherrandy believes the alligator in this episode is a callback to the Fear the Walking Dead episode in Season 4 where Victor Strand and John Dorie try to cross a flooded river while avoiding an alligator attack.
Dave discusses the changes to the animal kingdom in a world ruled by the dead. Crows aren't afraid of walker scarecrows early on in Season 9 of TWD. Later on, in the same season, Negan Smith is chased by the domestic dogs that have gone feral.
In addition, Sherrandy adds that our survivors were forced to eat a pack of dogs in TWD 5x10, Them.
Bridget questions whether the Skull Hunters are really using the walker heads for propaganda. For example, Nick Clark and Troy Otto go to The Proctors market and sample a piece of hallucinogenic walker brain.
In response, Dave and Sherrandy remind us how, in FTWD S5, Annie, Max, and Dylan used the walker blockades as a scare tactic, as well.
Speaking of severed walker heads, how could we leave out Phillip "The Governor" Blake's collection.
Dr. Everett's computer password is the chemical make up of the molecule Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
It reminds Bridget of Mr. DNA from the Jurassic Park franchise. Dino DNA!
Sherrandy jokes that she has mistakenly typed "TWD Lasso" instead of "Ted Lasso" before. Is the universe saying we need a crossover?
[Editor's note: God, I really hope not. That would flush a feel-good show straight down the toilet as Coach Lasso will eventually have to eat Coach Beard.]
Could the Civic Republic Military be responsible for making this trench? Is everyone living under some sort of dictatorship this far into the future?
Can one even live in a civilized society, again, after having lived through a post-apocalyptic one?
Bridget proclaims #AnarchyOverIceCream: brought to you by The Commonwealth's famous Taste of Tradition ice cream shop.
Were Dr. Edwards and Dr. Mosely lovers?
What even keeps Dr. Edwards motivated to live?
What does it mean when, at the end of the episode, Dr. Everett essentially replaces Specimen 21 with Amy?
Have some of these stories, depicting characters in isolation, reminded you of the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic lockdown measures/guidelines? We had the luxury of internet, which allowed us to maintain a semblance of human contact that these characters did not.
This is the first episode of Tales where a title characters dies.
How did Amy's death make you feel?
Aliza said that walker-Amy's interaction with Everett immediately reminded her of the way walker-John Dorie interacted with June Dorie. She felt the same way about walker-Merle Dixon, interacting with Daryl Dixon.
All the references to birds, throughout this episode, reminded Sherrandy of the Emily Dickinson poem Hope is the Thing with Feathers, which was the same exact phrase Joe wrote in one of his (printed out) online chats with Sandra/USHLDBSCRD.
Bridgett says that Dr. Everett's disassociation reminded her of the mental disorders we explored in the second episode Blair/Gina.
Could Dr. Edwards have been a scientist for the CRM?
Aidan's Aside: For those of you how don't know, Dr. Professor T Brooks Ellis was introduced in the third episode of the second season of The Walking Dead: World Beyond. However, that's not the first time we've heard his name! Eugene Porter name-drops his "old boss" Ellis in TWD 5x05, right before ultimately revealing he was never a scientist and had never even met him. That all being said, I feel like it would be awesome to see Eugene finally meet T Brooks Ellis before we say goodbye to The Walking Dead.
Isn't it fitting that Dr. Everett wears a coat made out of the skin of the dead just after the prior episode featuring the origin of The Whisperers?
What did Amy mean when she asks Dr. Everett if he was a "mule"?
Aidan's Aside: Our hosts often talk about the walker heads being used as a scare tactic in this episode. It reminds me of the border that Alpha establishes, delineated by way of our survivors loved ones heads on pikes, in the penultimate episode of The Walking Dead's ninth season. Maybe it's less of a scare tactic and more of a reminder of the potential horrors people are capable of in this world: if The Skull Hunters are chopping off walker heads, what else are they capable of doing to you?
How do you think Dr. Everett felt when he discovered the box of walker heads in the back of a truck in Amy's community's camp after all the bonding experiences he and Amy had during this episode?
Sherrandy says the poem titled We Wear the Mask, by Paul Laurence Dunbar, could be the poem that Amy is referring to after musing on Everett's undead coat of many skins.
Aidan's Aside: All of this talk about masks has me thinking how often we actually see characters wearing masks in TWDU.
Could the physical growth-rate of the animals mentioned in this episode be a side effect of the nuclear fallout and radiation that occurred in Fear the Walking Dead's 7th season?
Is one of the lessons TWDU is trying to convey that you cannot go back?
Special shoutout to Anthony Edwards, Poppy Liu, and everyone else in front of and behind the camera for this episode. Here's to hoping we haven't seen the last of Dr. Everett!