[RECAP] Season 8, Episode 5 of The Walking Dead, "The Big Scary U"

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At the beginning of this much anticipated (and much hyped) new season of The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman and Scott M. Gimple promised a raucous and action packed start which is entirely what we have received for the past few episodes.  Now that we have arrived at Episode 5, "The Big Scary U", the show scaled down the action dramatically to offer a much needed character study episode surrounding its star villain, Negan himself.  And after much anticipation, we finally got a chance to see the answer to the burning question we've had in our heads since the 100th episode premiere: What in the world happened to Negan and Father Gabriel since getting trapped in that trailer?

The show starts off by showing us a brief moment of Father Gabriel in church, by himself, telling God that he doesn't fear death anymore as he used to.  His fear now is a "fruitless death" and how if he's going to die, he wants it to be with a purpose.  If that's not foreshadowing, I'm not sure what is.  Remember this moment folks because Father Gabriel is likely not long for this world for too much longer.

Moving on, a major strength the show has always had is being able to illustrate jumps in time exceptionally well and here is no exception.  The next moment we see is Gregory at the Sanctuary, speaking to Simon.  Well, more so expressing his undying allegiance to him and The Saviors.  Simon hears him out but states that he will need to speak directly to this boss (because middle management exists, even in the post apocalyptic world).  In the next scene we have all the lieutenants sitting in their own "conference room" of sorts with Negan at the head of the table.  It becomes clear that Negan isn't fully buying Gregory's devotion to the Savior cause (as well he shouldn't), as he tells him that he gets the impression that he's playing both sides (which is true).  Simon tries to back up Gregory, even going so far as to say that if the Hilltop does NOT obey Gregory's order, they will show up with a show of force and kill everyone in sight if they need to.  It's at this point that we see Negan slam Lucille (his bat, for those who aren't familiar and if so, why in the world are you reading this?) consistently on the table and make it clear that they are NOT to go in and arbitrarily kill people because as he repeatedly says, "PEOPLE ARE RESOURCES".  This very important point illustrates how regardless of how much of a sociopath Negan may be, there is a method to his madness.  We even get the impression that there is some sort of history between Simon (the right hand man) and Negan, particularly when Negan asks him if he's "backsliding" and if he's forgotten what "this" was all about.  I'm hoping we'll get more on this backstory later...

But it's at this point, that gunshots are heard and we understand where we are in the timeline: This meeting took place the day that Rick and crew stormed the Sanctuary.  We get a brief glimpse of the moment Negan and team stepped onto the balcony to confront the situation and then we fast forward to where we left off in the season premiere: Negan and Father Gabriel in the trailer.

Negan wastes no time in tackling Father Gabriel to the ground, disarming him immediately.  He informs him that they'll need to wait this out, to see if The Saviors can break them out.  As they sit there, Father Gabriel discovers what he feels is is his purpose and he believes it is to take Negan's final confession.  We then spend most of this episode with Negan and Father Gabriel, in the trailer as walkers start to break through.  We learn some interesting things in their exchange to bear in mind for the future: Negan worked with kids in the past, before the apocalypse (perhaps Vice Principal that also coached?).  Negan does not feel any remorse whatsoever for the murder of Abraham and Glenn, because he says that Rick got them into that position (kind of true, to an extent).  Negan feels that he needs to get back to The Sanctuary as soon as possible because without his leadership, he feels that they'll succumb to attacking each other like a bunch of wild jackals (very true).  But one of the most enlightening moments is when Father Gabriel apparently hits a raw nerve by questioning Negan on his "wives" (to which he responds by saying each lady has a choice in the matter) but going as far asking him if there was a wife BEFORE all this.  And was he faithful to her?  This is the second time on the show that we see Negan ask Lucille to "give him strength" essentially to not kill Father Gabriel right then and there.  What ultimately ends up happening is "Negan's Confession" where he DOES confess to being unfaithful to his then ill (and presumably dying) wife, who he could not bring himself to put down, even after becoming a walker.  A situation very similar to Morgan's own situation (coincidence?).

After Negan confesses, Father Gabriel breaks out of the trailer bathroom and the two get to the task of covering themselves in the guts of walker that Negan drags in, in order to pull a Walking Dead classic move: Covering yourself in walker guts to throw off the walkers.  We end up seeing Negan and Father Gabriel deftly moving among the walkers until they have to start fighting back as a team, Negan even going so far to save Gabriel when at one point he falls.

Within the Sanctuary itself, we see that the natives are getting restless (literally).  Among the top of the brass, we see that the lieutenants are trying to figure if Negan's dead, what happens now?  They are trapped with the walkers swarming the Sanctuary and have gotten to the point of shutting down resources such as the AC to preserve fuel and power.  Think about that point for a moment:


IN THE POST APOCALYPTIC SOUTH, THE SAVIORS HAVE CENTRAL AIR. 

That makes for a pretty compelling case on why they have so many on their side, as it is.  But that's besides the point.

Among the top of the staff, it is clear that they are trying to determine who the mole is within the Saviors that got them into this situation.  As to be expected, most suspect Eugene, since he DID come from Rick's camp.  Dwight does come to his defense which Eugene later thanks him for in his room.  This interaction eventually supplies Eugene with the pieces that he puts together to realize that it's actually Dwight that is the mole within The Saviors.
What he will do what that information is still left to be determined.  Eventually the workers start to get restless at the conditions they are having to contend with (even though they are providing the labor expected) and are wondering where Negan is and if he is alive.  Simon tries to quell this potential uprising but someone in the crowd inevitably takes a shot and Regina (one of the lieutenants) immediately executes this individual.  It's at this point, that we hear the infamous Savior Whistle (which is pretty cool, honestly), everyone genuflects and Negan shows up with Father Gabriel in tow.  He puffs out his chest and demands a word with this right hand man and Father Gabriel is gingerly taken away.

Weaved into all of this, as a small side story but not to be neglected, is Rick and Daryl, picking up on where we left off after the assault on the Saviors carrying the 50 caliber weapons.  The Savior is eventually killed, but before that, they learn that everyone from the Kingdom (soldiers wise) were killed.  They see that beyond the guns, the Saviors also have explosives that Daryl feels should be used to blow the Sanctuary wide open in order to guarantee an immediate surrender.  Rick is not in agreement however, since there are workers and women and children within the sanctuary but at this point, Daryl looks at all innocent bystanders as collateral damage (much like Simon, as a matter of fact).  They reach an impasse and even end up coming to blows believe it or not, with Rick throwing the bag of explosives out of Daryl's reach...that promptly leads to the car and all its weapons going up in a spectacular fireball.
.

Well, so much for that option.

Rick then informs Daryl (after some awkward silence) that he's going to continue on the mission by himself.  He starts walking and notices a black helicopter flying overhead.

Your mind at this point should be saying, WTF???

Finally, we come to find out that Father Gabriel was put into a cell and Eugene has come to bring some comfort elements (much as he did with Sasha).  Unfortunately, we see that Gabriel is feverish and sick, deliriously talking about how they have to get Dr. Carson to Maggie immediately.  Hence my earlier prediction on Father Gabriel's death and foreshadowing.

PREDICTIONS FOR NEXT WEEK: Based on what we see for the teaser, we will be seeing characters we haven't seen in some time (Carl, Michonne, Rosita, as well as Maggie & Jesus).  It also seems that Tara and Daryl come to an alliance on taking stronger action toward the Saviors.  This doesn't sit well with me, since I really hope these two don't go on a Sasha/Rosita type suicide mission (because we all know how THAT ended up).  But I guess we'll get more insight into all that.

Also, expect in the coming weeks for Eugene take on a more definitive role in getting Dr. Carson back to the Hilltop, possibly with Dwight's assistance.

But that's just MY take...

CHECK OUT OUR PODCAST ON "THE BIG SCARY U" TO HEAR OUR LOVELY TAKE FOR YOUR OWN EARS!

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live |1x05| Become

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We always say The Walking Dead Universe allows you to be the person you were meant to be. This episode spotlights what The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live has been trying to show us the entire time: The Walking Dead Universe allows couples to Become what they were meant to be, too, in all their unique forms. Jadis had her day and - with the help of Father Gabriel Stokes - Anne Stokes found grace.

🎬We left so much on the cutting-room floor, including a zesty pre-show, tons of material in the middle, and an insiders-only post-show. Stream the raw version of this episode by either tipping us on Ko-fi and/or joining a membership tier on either Ko-fi or Patreon.

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

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• NEW DESIGNS Available for purchase in the Merch Store, but the banter of how (some of) these designs came about is free:
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 🎖️SURVIVORS Tier Member Aliza Jones' Birthday Shoutout and the birthday video compiled by 🤫WHISPERERS Tier Member Aidan Atkin:
  
  
  
• The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is doing so well, it's being advertised on Smart TVs!
• Why we didn't receive screeners for the final two episodes: Father Gabriel's Return! We had just talked about Suddenly Seth in our Instagram group chat, last week, with a bunch of attendees of The Camp. Seth Gilliam's nickname is derived from the several amount of times we've seen him just show up (like God, he's everywhere) at conventions and around Senoia, GA, but never officially invited as a guest.
  
  
  
• Video Game Adaptations to TV and Movies: There's a character in Fallout whose background story is eerily similar to that of Father Gabriel's (and Fallout came out first). We go into why video game adaptations were classically bad and why they're starting to be good now: obviously The Last of Us on HBO and touching on the TV series Halo on Paramount+ a bit, as well.
• The Execution of Father Gabriel's Introduction: Sherrandy loved the way they cinematically introduced Gabriel, from starting at his feet, the crunching of the leaves as he stepped, and the silhouette that kept you guessing. Beats introducing another new character they're just going to kill off in the same episode.
  
  
  
• The Tracking of Ramen Wrappers and Dead Walkers: Though we loved Pollyanna McIntosh's performance this episode, Sherrandy's suspension of disbelief did not extend to being able to track Rick Grimes & Michonne via slain walkers and Tasteful Noods ramen wrappers. We chalk it up to Richonne's carefreeness. It's also somewhat of a parallel to Hope Bennett leaving a trail for Felix Carlucci and Jennifer "Huck" Mallick to follow at the very beginning of The Walking Dead: World Beyond.
  
  
  
• Appreciating World Beyond Flashbacks: because some of us really loved that limited series and the flashes to Anne "Jadis" Stokes' confidant, Huck, was validating.
  
  
  
• The Tension Between Maintaining Your Own Humanity and Saving Humanity: It's something Dave brought up in the last episode, to blank stares (mostly). The show further explores the possibility that maintaining one's own humanity might come at the expense of future generations. Rachael chimes in that one can certainly do both, which is what Michonne says out loud to Anne when the latter asks if they are going to leave The Civic Republic Military be. This is also something that came up, frequently, during our World Beyond Season One recap with Brains Gone Bad and Aim for the Head podcast.
  
  
  
• The Last Light and Portland: It seems unfathomable to Sherrandy that the Civic Republic would stand up to the CRM, once the truth of what they've done is revealed, since the military has all this might. Dave asks and answers his own question: what would be the point of wiping out The CR, unless they had a backup plan in the form of Portland, whom they are now dangerously close to (even though the kids in World Beyond have probably already warned them that they are moving against them). Or smaller settlements, sure. The point is, that would rid The CRM of the CR.
  
  
  
• The Beauty of Jadis' Story and Redemption: Watching Anne's story with Gabriel and Richonne taking her first/final confession was moving. When she finally admits that she should've died an artist, while showing flashbacks of her making art in the heaps and zooming in on the portraits of hers she commissioned for Maggie Rhee took us all emotionally by surprise. It's relatable: the struggle of working hard to make amends and taking the easy way out and doubling-down. It's easy to forget her story arc, especially a character who is not in the comic book.
  
  
  
• Lighthearted Moments with Rick and Michonne: Touching again on their care-free nature, this episode. Rick is making up for lost time by wanting to get souvenirs for the kids, replacing the 'M' pendant she lost, and preparing the booze for later.
  

  The “M” necklace
  byu/TwilightZone1751 inTheOnesWhoLiveonAMC

• Gabriel and Anne Stokes: Thus begins the great debate over the depths of their connection. Dave heavily argues, effectively, that near the end of the flashbacks with he and she, that he married her (and she accepted). Bridget merely thinks he has love for her, especially within the context of them bonding over how they the sort of outcasts of our group of survivors in Season 9 of The Walking Dead. Rachael sort of thinks the same and breaks even with Gabriel being in love with Anne, but not so much the reverse. Sherrandy thinks the kiss between them was more of a goodbye to what might've been. Sherrandy brings up a good question: how did they even find each other? Dave responds: they both were visiting the spot where Rick met his "demise" on the anniversary of its occurrence and decided to meet each other there on an annual basis.

  

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• Gabriel and Rosita Espinosa: credit to Takeerah's spoiler-ridden live tweeting of this episode at 3am, she suggested that this may have been the reason why Gabe felt he could no longer be with Rosita by the time they made it to The Commonwealth.
  

  I guess we finally know why Gabe and Rosita were broken up in season 11 #theoneswholive

  — Kera (Noir&Nerdy, TWD TOWL Podcast) (@ConnieDixon4Lyf) March 24, 2024

• The Importance of Choice, but Rolling It Back: Even though she was so close to staying and being her true self with Gabriel, Anne pulls away and commits to upholding the last light with The CRM; however, making that choice means having to waste Father Gabriel. In the end, she doesn't do that, which is a reciprocation of Gabriel gesture of faith and love in the form of what would've been Rick's wedding ring to Michonne.
  
  
  
• Rick and Michonne Weren't Married, but It Doesn't Really Matter: Gabriel informs the audience that Michonne and Rick were never actually married. Everyone agrees that marriage in the zombie apocalypse just means being together and surviving. Dave only brings this up because a certain contingent of fans has suffered severe online harassment when anyone seems to make this distinction. Why Dave even brings this up in the first place is that, as podcasters, these are the kinds of distinctions we try our best to get right; however, on top of it not really being that important, the harassment we've seen has been a factor in why we've never broached the topic.
  
  
  
• Handfasting and A Marriage in Two Phases in Judaism: This was a great opportunity to discuss beautiful alternatives to contemporary marriages, based on ancient traditions.
• Hell is Repeating We Can Do Anything: Sherrandy revisits the trauma (a la Fear The Walking Dead's final season) of telling the audience, repeatedly, what Richonne is capable of (spoiler alert: everything). Dave thinks the writers are intentionally getting you to doubt them, especially when you consider the bittersweet lyrics of Tony Bennett's The Good Life playing in the background in the scene following the title sequence: the song basically alludes that nothing good lasts. The Walking Dead Universe often finds a way to make that happen.
  
  
  
• Beautiful Storytelling and The Fragility of Survival: Rachael praises Michael Satrazemis' ability to direct a great story. Dovetailing from nothing good lasts and we can do anything, will Rick falter once he sees The Echelon Briefing? It seems like even strong-willed 'A's like Command Sergeant Major Pearl Thorne fall in line once they do. Moreover, the way the camera zoomed in on Anne's portrait of Glenn Rhee, TWD's heart, might be foreshadowing tragedy. Through much childish laughter, Rachael also thinks the geysers around Yellowstone National Park are a foreshadowing of pressure being built up that will explode in the next episode.
  
  
  
• Calcified Walkers and Gorgeous Cinematography: One thing we know Satrazemis is great at is incorporating great b-roll and thoughtful shots into the narrative to create excellent visual storytelling. All of it reminds Dave of his younger days, traveling the countryside and sleeping under the stars on top of a picnic table near Green River. Sherrandy ties this to The Last of Us when Joel Miller finally reunites with his brother, Tommy Miller, in Jackson. The appearance and explanation of the calcified walkers (a product of their environment) was such a treat.
  
  
  
• They Were Lucky: Michonne muses on their encounter with the three survivors on Three Pines Trail and how not only how one of them managed to get caught in a snare, but why she and Rick aren't more cautious. Dave thinks that these people may have belonged to either Omaha or Campus Colony and were lucky enough to be away from it when the CRM destroyed it. Rachael immediately thought of Carl Grimes and how, even after all these years, walkers can get you with a single bite. We also absolutely loved Will Brill's humor in his role as Dalton, one of the three survivors (accompanied by Red and Tina), who peed himself when faced with the possibility of retribution for trying to take all of Richonne's stuff.
  
  
  
• Clearing Up Timeline Confusion:
• The opening scene deliberately contained no time signifier to keep you guessing as to whether Jadis actually enacted her contingency. In reality, it is She and Gabriel's initial encounter 5 years after the bridge collapse (and Rick's departure from TWD). The tell is Gabriel's facial hair.
• Gabe mentions the ham radio: which isn't the super-powered one that Eugene Porter uses to maintain contact with Stephanie (Maxxine Mercer) throughout TWD Season 10, but the initial iteration Gabriel himself finds in Season 8 with Harlan Carson.
• The people Michonne is trying to help resettle at The Hilltop are Yumiko Okumura, Connie, Kelly, Magna, and Luke Abrams.
• All of the prior points relates to the 3 years ago meet-up, all of which are fine. This is where things become confusing. In the 2 years ago meet-up, Gabriel says, The group we were in conflict with [THE WHISPERERS], they compromised our walls. Food is scarce. Children are hungry [The very end of The Whisperers War, moving into the bonus episodes of Season 10]. He then he proceeds to ask for help, which causes Jadis to check-out, he apologizes, and gives her the ring. Dave lays out several reasons why this time placement is wrong (the long time span from the first encounter of The Whisperers all the way until the Beta's demise at the end of the war was definitely more than a year, plus the ages of Coco Espinosa, Judith Grimes and RJ Grimes), but the most airtight evidence was when Michonne left, which amidst the final throes of the conflict and took a year to recuperate from the Chlorine Gas. Even the most generous interpretation of events doesn't place what Gabriel describes as happening two years ago, but one year ago.
• Had he not mentioned it there, and said that they were starving in the One Year Ago meet-up, it not only would've been correct, but would've heightened the tension when Jadis pulls a gun on Gabriel to tie up a loose end after he loses his cool and asks for help once more.
• Redditor u/DeadCalamari1, loosely supports some of what Dave is saying in their own Reddit post:
  

  TOWL and Here's Negan contradict eachother on the timeline.
  byu/DeadCalamari1 inthewalkingdead

• Satrazemis' Love Letter to FearTWD: The Three Pines gift shop was eerily reminiscent of McNeill's Bait and Beer (what Sherrandy refers to as Bill's - Bill McNeill) which had several mounted fish which reminded us of the singing Big Mouth Billy Bass that John Dorie had in Season 4. The whole place had a take what you need, leave what you don't vibe that we got from that series.
  
  
  
• Yellowstone National Park and Here's Why You're Wrong: After ribbing Dave for saying that Three Pines Trail/Cabins/Gift Shop was near Yellowstone in Wyoming, he discovered that it makes complete sense and provided a map with annotations for the final edit of the episode. One interesting tidbit is that Yellowstone is just north of Bridger-Teton National Forest, which is reminiscent of Bridgers Terminal in New Jersey, which is all a play on Rick's final moments on TWD.
  
  
  
• It Could've Ended Here(?): Save for (arguably) Episode 3, almost every single episode in the series was a film unto itself and could've ended the season/series. Dave disagrees though because, like the geyser, there is too much build-up to not want the next episode. It is definitely an example of another cool thing each episode did: the episodes were constructed in a way where the end of each episode could've happened somewhere near the end, but just kept going to give us more great story.
  
  
  
• Blessing This Marriage in Advance: Gabriel's yearly pilgrimage to the site where Rick "met his demise" was a holy one. He was making holy water from the waters that would've been beneath the bridge. If the ring is a symbol of faith and love, and we know prayer starts with intent, then Father Gabriel blessed their union way ahead of the ring reaching Michonne's finger.
• Will it Wrap-up in Six Episodes? Bridget expressed tremendous doubt while Dave reminds everyone that the other spin-offs somewhat managed to do so while adequately setting up their already announced Sophomore Seasons.

  

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• Anne's Death Parallels Huck's: Michonne manages to drive an axe into Jadis' side, similar to how Jadis shivved Huck's side during their final fight in World Beyond.
• Saving The People From the People: This prescient National Parks sign's message plays out, in its various forms, throughout the entire episode, most notably in the way it foreshadows Richonne's decision to inform The CR (the people) of The CRM's dark machinations.
  
  
  
• Red's Red Gun: Even the look of Red's janky colored red gun was humorous. We (really don't, but it's funny to) think they somehow found the bucket of nail polish the kids used in World Beyond to power the raft they constructed to cross the Mississippi.
  
  
  
• Looking After Oneself: Along with the toothpaste and Jadis waking up the lovebirds up like Paul "Jesus" Rovia did in Season 6, these nods are a great entry point into the overall sentiment it tried to impart on our survivors, which is how you can't save everyone. You can try to leave no man behind, but sometimes you have to prioritize saving yourself. Michonne, in particular, tried to impart this wisdom to Heath and he learned it in the hardest way possible in the very same episode. It also reminds us of a great conversation that we had with Benjamin Scotford of Just Keep Walking podcast. But, in the end, what does it all mean? Are they telling us that one of them will be forced to save themselves?
  
  
  
• Sippin' Whisky While the World Starves: We enjoyed the good life Rick & Michonne were having, but the 3 survivors they meet are a reminder of the state of folks out in the wild. It transported us back to One More (TWD 10x19), wherein a tipsy (ironically enough) Father Gabriel and Aaron were drinking Duane Jones whiskey just before they meet Mays, who is an excellent reflection of the state of people who are out there for a little too long.
  
  
  
• Jadis' Already Has A Day: the transliteration (from Old French) of Jadis name. Today was that day: the very day that she and Father Gabriel we supposed to meet was where she met her maker(s). The end result, though, is that she left this world fused with all her selves and finally became who she truly was meant to be.
  
  
  

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[RECAP] Season 9, Episode 12 of The Walking Dead, "Guardians"

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In episode 12 of season 9, entitled "Guardians", we as viewers are given closer visibility to the inner workings of the day to day terrifyingly, savage life of The Whisperer camp.  This includes an especially brutal confrontation scene that, personally, is one of the more graphic take downs ever seen on this show in recent memory (at least in my recent memory).  We also get to (finally) revisit Negan in the cell as well as touch base with our love square that is Rosita - Father Gabriel - Siddiq - Eugene.  Where to even begin...

As already mentioned, our core story line in this episode is with Lydia, rejoining her mother Alpha and the Whisperer camp.  We see the Whisperers almost create a sort of cocoon around Lydia, who is not wearing any sort of a mask, protecting her as they trudge along in their walker masks to their current home base.  During this journey, we see Alpha essentially interrogate her daughter Lydia as to what occurred to her during her time at the Hilltop.  Did they beat her?  Did they touch her?  Do they have weapons?  Do they have trade system?  Lydia has little to no Intel to offer her mother and she is notably annoyed and irritated at this.  Alpha, however, ever the astute leader, points out how they seemed very determined to want to keep her for...some sort of reason or other.  She is clearly suspicious of her daughter and what information she shared with them.  Lydia insists that she fed them a sob story, essentially, to ensure that they would take pity on her and not hurt her.  Alpha is clearly wary of her daughter's story but has no other option other than to believe her.  Lydia, on her part, tries to probe her mother to see if she came back purely to get information or if she really came back to get her because she loves her.  Alpha's not taking the bait however and calls her a "stupid girl".  Thanks mom.

Back at Alexandria, Michonne is furiously trying to get to the bottom of why Rosita and Eugene were out there in the first place setting up the new satellites for their radio system (MARK MY WORDS, WE WILL BE MAKING CONTACT WITH THAT RADIO...maybe even with Rick?).  Father Gabriel, however, stands by his decision on how they should be trying to reach out to other communities rather than cutting themselves off from the rest of the potential world at large (isolationism vs. globalism, if you will).  Fresh from losing Jesus, Aaron seems to side with Michonne's school of thought and understandably so.  Siddiq is siding with Gabriel on this though and brings up the Kingdom's fair and how important this is to King Ezekiel, enough that it should be put up to a fair vote with the council.  Michonne is not being swayed by any of this though and it is clear her sole priority is ensuring the safety of Alexandria at all costs.

It's here where we also get an interaction between Gabriel and Rosita that illustrates that she has had the conversation with Gabriel on her pregnancy and how it is definitely Siddiq's child.  She seems to understand that it might be too much for Gabriel to deal with and essentially gives him an "out" in case he wants to take it.  He seems conflicted though and here is where Eugene comes in to give him what amounts to a Pro's vs. Con's list of staying with Rosita and raising a baby that is not technically his.  What it boils down to is that Rosita is an amazing catch of a woman and if Eugene cannot be with her (poor Eugene), he would would still want to see her be with someone she truly loves and that would be Gabriel.  Eugene's words seem to have done the trick because we later see Gabriel came to Rosita's doorstep with a bag of "stretchy pants" that Eugene gave to Gabriel to give to Rosita, to accommodate her expanding belly.  They smile and enter the house, seemingly back together, with Eugene staring longingly from afar.

Michonne is not done with her rounds at Alexandria, however, and she visits Negan in his jail cell, back from his stint on the outside.  She's fully aware of his escape and return and is shocked to hear him offer his services to her.  Negan hears an immense amount from the window in his cell and feels that she losing control of her people at Alexandria and, former leader to current leader, he feels he can offer her counsel on how to deal.  She finds the idea utter ridiculous and scoffs at this, even though he insists that he can be much more useful to her out there than in here.  She turns though and sees Judith listening outside the cell window and immediately orders that window and cell be refortified and then runs off to deal with Judith.  She comes to find out that Judith was on her way to go talk to Negan and Michonne finally seems to learn of their regular talks. She is appalled and tells Judith that she shouldn't be talking to him but she says that he's one of the few people that listen to her (awww, I'm loving this Negan - Judith pairing).   She even tells Michonne that people change.  Michonne completely disagrees to which Judith reminds her that SHE'S changed (presumably in the 6 years post Rick when she became a hard-lined isolationist).  At this, Michonne has nothing to say other than to tell Judith to go to her room and give her a moment.

We ultimately come to find out via a conversation between Michonne and Aaron that she has decided to let the council have a fair vote and decide among themselves if they want to send a delegation to the fair.  She will not veto whatever the consensus is.  It seems that the decision was made in FAVOR of going to the fair and Michonne has to sit back and hope that she won't regret this decision (SPOILER ALERT: She will).

But back to the main story at hand which is back at the Whisperer camp: Alpha and Lydia and the Whisperer pack that was with them are back at the base and we can see that there are MANY Whisperers (hundreds perhaps?).  Some are setting up temporary shelter, some are dissecting a deer and hanging meat to dry, etc.  What we don't realize right away is that Henry has tracked them down and is hiding in a nearby ditch.  A Whisperer sneaks up on him and Henry overpowers him with some fancy Akido stick work...but he's no match for the MASSIVE Beta, the second in command of the Whisperers.  He manhandles the young man and pins him on the floor threatening to break every limb until he comes clean.  He admits that he's from Hilltop but he came alone and he came for Lydia.  Lydia calls him an idiot and promptly punches him in the face.  Young Love.  Alpha decides to take him with them and tells Beta and everyone to be on alert because there could be more of them around.

What Alpha is NOT counting on is dissension in the ranks, which comes to light when a male Whisperer confronts Alpha on her poor leadership by trading two of the Hilltop's men for Lydia.  Two for one doesn't seem like a good deal he points out, not to mention the fact that Alpha has broken her own rules by going back FOR Lydia.  She points out that they were able to get some useful Intel as well, but we know based on her conversation with her daughter that that is not exactly an accurate statement.  It's at this point that Beta grabs the man from behind and holds a rather enormous knife to his throat.  Alpha makes her case that he has the right to challenge her...but she has the right to defend herself as well.  She mentions that everyone in the pack follows her by choice and she obviously has gotten them this far.  We think at first that she will make a move to strike him but instead she pulls in his wife/girlfriend and accuses HER of being the person that is truly challenging her.  Alpha states that she witnessed them conspiring together and she is aware that he is only doing her bidding.  The female Whisperer seems to concede to this fact by raising again the same points her male companion did.  She does finally say however that she has no interest in fighting Alpha.  Unfortunately, Alpha says it is already too late and in one of the most brutal scenes on this show (and that's saying a lot), she comes up behind the female Whisperer with a thin piece of wire, pulls the wire across her neck until she fully pulls her head off.  GROSS.  But, effective.

She then hands her head to her Whisperer boyfriend, in true sociopath fashion, while telling him that he shouldn't cry because crying is for the weak...before she stabs him in the gut with her knife.  Both corpses are eventually dragged out near where a group of walkers are milling around for feeding time?  Not quite sure, but the walkers descend upon the bodies immediately.

After the incident, Alpha and Beta are alone and he supports her by saying that she has taken care of them and she needed to do that to remind the pack who's boss, basically.  Alpha is a little shaken but agrees and tells him a story about Lydia when she was three years old and almost suffocated on dry cleaning plastic bags.  She was turning blue but she saved her just in time...and then beat her so that she would remember NEVER to do that again.  Apparently, that is the "loving" tactic Alpha uses to rule her nest of followers.  Beta says that in regards to Lydia they should use the boy to ensure that she knows her place is still loyal to the pack.  To that end, come nightfall, Beta has Henry restrained and Alpha has Lydia by her side.  Alpha throws a knife on the floor and orders her daughter to pick it up and kill Henry to prove where her loyalty lies, otherwise, Beta will kill them both.  Lydia is emotionally torn on what to do but before anything else can happen we hear an exclamation of "Guardians!".  This is apparently what the Whisperers refer as the walkers as, since they hide within groups of walkers.  We come to realize that the group of walkers from earlier had been lead to the base by a mask wearing Daryl and Connie.

As the walkers descend upon the Whisperers and begin to attack, Daryl grabs Henry but he insists that he's not going without Lydia (stupid teenager).  Daryl concedes because there's no time to waste and they make off into the night in an attempt to find safer ground somewhere.

THE WALKING DEAD AIRS SUNDAYS AT 9:00PM EST ON AMC

[Episode 178] Season 11(B), Episode 9 of The Walking Dead, "No Other Way"

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WE'RE BACK breaking down episodes! The fate of #Neggie hangs in the balance! We dissect the state of #TWD on the whole, whilst drilling down key examples: including some #SpookyBetaShit in the case of #FatherGabriel!

THE UNEDITED VERSION of this recording is a whopping 3 HOURS! It's filled to the brim with gaffes and expansion that just went missing in the high quality recordings that we simply couldn't technically retrieve (so this one is well-worth the watch). To stream it while supporting the BEST #TWDUniverse #podcast, just click here: https://ko-fi.com/post/EARLY-ACCESS-to-Episode-178-TWD-11x09-No-Othe-I3I2AO5M7

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David Cameo:
Sherrandy Swift:

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🎖SURVIVORS TIER MEMBERS:

Jasmine:
Aliza:
Bridget:

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WELCOME BACK

• While TWD/FearTWD was on hiatus: Interviews with Christine Evangelista and Bailey Gavulic, DAVE REACTS (to this episode), and our Jackbox Games Charity Livestream.
• Dave receives holiday cards from Rachael, Katy , and Yvette.
• Sherrandy’s Christmas gifts: art by @Carinae_D from Katy & art by Kirk Manley from Aliza.
   

INITIAL FEELINGS

• Can take a few watches to feel the impact of the episode.
• Finality looms on the horizon.
• Aliza: Foreboding and Frustration.
• Bridget: Excited and Emotional.
• Jasmine is a SQUAWKING DEAD TWD Coverage virgin! "WE’RE ALL FRIENDS! WE’RE ALL FRIENDS!"
• Jasmine: Satisfied by Meridian, Disappointed by Alden’s death, Excited and Nervous about The Commonwealth.
• Contrast: Lame Commonwealth versus Indomitable Reapers.
• Sherrandy: Loves Meridian, Meh on Alexandria Safe-Zone, Shoe-horned Ending (with the time jump).

SAY HELLO TO MY HWACHA

• You use what you have.
• Experts in Munitions, those crafty Reapers.
• Undoubted Reaper maintenance reminds us of Aliza’s Secret Santa gift to Merle Dixon (rubbin’ his nub)!
• Maggie Rhee, Reaper Fisher, and her Nutcruncher!

POST-APOCALYPTIC PARENTING

• Gracie’s inability to protect herself: is Aaron creating a Sam Anderson?
  
• Sherrandy calls for a Tia Rosita Espinosa training session.
• Hope Bennett (The Walking Dead: World Beyond) eventually learns to fight, so why not Gracie?
• Alexandria was supposed to be a safe-haven.
• Gracie being sheltered put everyone in danger, more than once.
• Will Aaron suffer the same fate as Jessie Anderson?
• Gracie’s Savior genetics!
• Daryl Dixon and Rosita taking steps to protect the kids.
• With Alden’s expiration, who will take care of Baby Adam?
• Parallel to John Dorie’s death on Fear the Walking Dead.
• Jack of all trades or specialist in one?
• Aaron to the rescue!
• Worried Aaron would end up like Bob Stookey in the basement of Father Gabriel’s church’s food bank.
• Horror is back! Walkers are still dangerous!
• Aaron and Lydia come full circle.

THE LAST ROSE OF ALDEN

• Maggie’s emotions return, full force, upon finding Alden.
• Did Alden’s death fall flat? Is it because of how long it was left hanging for viewers?
• An off-screen death lessens the impact, whether you wait for the episode or binge it.
• Alden’s lack of juices!
• Just say "No" to Walker Sherrandy!

WELL DING DING!

• Alex Meraz’s excellent work as Reaper Carver.
• 3 on 1: Carver wipes the floor with Maggie, Negan, and Elijah.
• Jasmine’s Justice for The Reapers: The scenes with Leah Shaw and Daryl may have made he Reapers seem less threatening, but this scene was redeeming.
• Daryl tries not to kill anymore Reapers after his fight with Reaper Austin.
• #CallMeGabriel
• Sherrandy promotes the #Neggie #HateBang.
• Leah takes over Pope’s vendetta: they have no reason to think they can lose.
  
• Daryl’s white lies about his family demolished Leah’s trust in him.
• Leah’s three chances to choose another path led to demise of The Reapers.
• Negan and Leah parallels.
• Maggie’s rage as she takes out the last of The Reapers.
• Maggie remembers her campfire talk with Negan from 11x07.
  
• It was Agatha All Along!
• Leah is an anchor that bought the Reapers more time.
• Will we get a Negan & Leah team-up? Socks on?
• Could Maggie be hiding Negan and Leah at The Hilltop 6 months later?
• All of the Meridian Wardens died because of the Reapers, besides Elijah.
• Frustrations with Elijah’s recklessness
• Dave’s Story Time: Like Elijah his temper got the best of him at his friend’s Wedding Rehearsal Dinner.
• People should know better than to be reckless 12 years into the Zombie Apocalypse.
• Will we ever know why Pope marked Maggie?

TWO PRIESTS, ONE CHURCH

• The evolution of Father Gabriel Stokes.
• "Christ promised the resurrection of the dead, I just thought he had something different plan in mind" ~Hershel Greene.
• Gabriel sees Reaper Mancea as a reflection of himself.
• Would our perception have changed had we started the story from the perspective of The Reapers?
• Callback: Gabriel takes off his collar at the campfire with Daryl, just like he did in 5x10, Them, after eating the dogs.
• Aliza: Is he angry, not only at Mancea and The Reapers, but at himself and God?
• Would Mancea have been spared Gabriel's wrath had Reaper Jenson’s sniper rifle not fired in that moment?
• The Angel Gabriel is God’s messenger in the Bible.
• Would Mancea have just slaughtered Gabriel had Gabriel spared him?
• On Doubt: Aliza shares a conversation she had with her pastor.
• Was Mancea God’s sacrificial lamb/scapegoat?
  
• One more: Gabriel’s exhausted look just before The Commonwealth arrives.
• Gabriel’s & Daryl’s crisis of faith.
• But Maggie, was the trip to Meridian really about the food?

HOME SWEET HILLTOP

• Daryl & Maggie are at odds in both The Reapers arc and the six-months-later-time-jump, at the end of this episode: In contrast to their scene with Jesus Paul Rovia at the end of All Out War.
• Has Daryl found a way forward that Maggie cannot get behind?
• Is Maggie perhaps afraid to join The Commonwealth because of her failed endeavors with Georgie?
• The Civic Republic and The Commonwealth are thriving while smaller communities like Alexandria falter.
• Even in Commonwealth Trooper uniform, Daryl refuses to cut his hair months later.
• Lance Hornsby's attire provided by L.L. Bean
• Does/Will The Commonwealth approach other communities like they did Alexandria?
• Did The Hilltop pool supplies from Alexandria & Oceanside?
• Where is Luke?
• Could the six-month time-jump be the cliffhanger in Season 11B, going into 11C?
• Aliza describing Juanita Princess Sanchez’s flat/sad hair and what it might mean (referencing Linda Peck Athens’ depiction of her)
  
• Don’t give Judith Grimes to Carol Peletier!
• The Commonwealth’s job-assignments

AN APPLE A DAY KEEPS THE CARYL AWAY

• The Reunion of Daryl and Connie.
• Jasmine, "Connie and Daryl are in the texting phase"
• Aliza, "He dropped his basket for her"
• Lydia is heartbroken upon discovering Negan's absence.
• Aliza: Carol looks happy seeing #Donnie reunite and probably feels relieved that hers and Daryl’s relationship is intact.
• Highlighting (ridiculous) speculation on the Daryl & Carol Spin-off series.

BATTLE BY BLACKBOARDS

• Blackboards in the background during the Reaper Austin & Daryl fight.
• Bibel: Germanic spelling of the word "Bible".
• Black Board number: "Let everything that has breath praise the lord".
• S.T.O.P.:
• Stop as soon as you realize you’re lost
• Think about the situation
• Observe your surroundings
• Plan what to do.
• Lessons in food and wildlife revealing what Ms. Adams was teaching in the zombie apocalypse at Meridian.
• TWD logo in the title sequence is dripping with water.
  
  
• Aliza: This episode was "Jam-filled". You mean, like the cakes in Elodie’s Bakery! Right?

NEGAN THE NOMAD

• In response to Negan’s departure and #Neggie’s chances, "But Dave, Absence makes the heart grow fonder."
• Negan did not want to be next after Maggie’s Reaper-killing-spree.
• Negan’s swan song: Will he go out saving Maggie or Hershel Rhee?
• Potential Meet the Saviors spin-off on Tales of The Walking Dead?
• Was Maggie asking Negan’s opinion or permission before her Reaper masacre?
• Some Alexandrians might have chosen Negan over Maggie, due to her absence (and how he ended The Whisperers War).
• Sherrandy: I never thought Negan would hit her, but I thought he might hit it.

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