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That is my reaction to this week's episode of the Walking Dead. Though the beginning of the episode was a little slow for my taste, it picked up excellently towards the back half. For the second episode of the second half of the season, it was a, as they have been saying, very cinematic.
Though this was a very Rick-light episode, he continued his trip into Loopytown. I must say, I really liked the beginning sequence though. Another silent, more character driven opening, it had Rick searching for Ghost Lori. Though I suspected it would be a jump scare moment, I was happily surprised to see Rick and "Lori" share a moment. And I'm really happy that Rick opened up to Hershel when he had the chance, instead of holding it and possibly making himself worse. And that look at the end of the episode, that makes me think that Rick's craziness is going to be set aside for vengeful, kickass Rick. Though I didn't like that Rick wasn't in the episode very much, it was made up for when the end came around.
Secondly, I loved Daryl in this episode. He saved a family, stood up to Merle, smashed two Walkers heads in, and, most importantly, he saved Rick's life. It's going to be interesting to see how Merle fits into the group, now that he basically has to be accepted into the group because he has no where to go and he helped save Rick's life. I do really hope that Merle stays around the show for a bit longer. As I tweeted out while watching the show, Merle is the one constant source of humor on this serious show and that is why I like him so much. I do wonder if Merle is going to fill in the role played by Martinez in the comics: staying at the prison, making Rick's group accept him, only for him to turn on them and prove loyal to the Governor.
Speaking of the Governor, I was a little worried at the beginning of the episode. After seeing him so badass last episode, I was a little taken back by his attitude at the beginning of the episode. His little discussion with Andrea was nice, though I'm surprised she actually bought it. Also, with his little talk with Milton, I hoped that Milton would warn Andrea. But I'm hoping that she discovers how bad he really is when she visits the prison, probably in the next episode.
Back at the prison, we got some different, though interesting stuff going on. We see Glenn gone all vengeful, a way we have not seen him before. Maggie doesn't like it and seems very distant, like she is going to possibly do something to herself because of the Governor..... Then we have Axel coming clean to Carol, and they share a couple of moments, showing their growing friendship and possible romantic relationship? Nope, as Axel is shot and killed during the Governor's raid on the prison. That raid, man, did it make my jaw drop when it happened. The moment right when Axel was shot, my jaw dropped and I was speechless, my mind racing, thinking "No....". That is why I love this show so much; you never know when someone is going to die and when something big is going to happen. Also, I have to give it to the Governor; the idea for the Walker bomb was really creative. Though, and I bet this is going to bug Rick, everyone's aim from the prison was just crap. Sure, it might have been shock and they weren't able to concentrate well, but man, did they suck at shooting.
Though I believe this was one of the best episodes of the season, I do have a couple qualms about it. First off, I wasn't a big fan of Rick not having a big part of the episode. But that is the smallest one I have about the episode. I know that the show isn't all about him, but it would have been nice to see him and see his search for Lori. Probably my biggest problem with the episode was the absence of Tyreese and his group. I know that Rick kicked them out last episode, but I didn't expect them to actually leave the prison. I just thought that they would head to another part of the prison and hide out there. However, they left, and it is left to be seen if Rick or anyone from the prison is actually going to go look for them again. Another problem I had was, again, Andrea. She is one of my favorites from the comics, and I just want to see her do something else than be clueless about the Governor. Vengeful Glenn, I have no immediate problem with, though I do hope that he and Maggie get reconcile soon.
Overall, one of the strongest episodes of the season, though it was a little slow for me in the beginning. I ranked last week's episode at a 9 and I am going to do so again. I am going to give episode 10, "Home", a 9 out of 10.
I'll be back next week with another Walking Dead review. Feel free to check back and, hey, if you really want, join me as I live Tweet during the episode. Also, I know I promised more reviews last week, but they're going to be put on hold for another week. I probably won't be able to do any this week because I'll be celebrating my 21st birthday on Thursday, then going home during the weekend. So, next week, look for the return of comic reviews, maybe with a special review surprise thrown.
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Return of the Dead
And so it begins again. After a gruesomely long winter break, The Walking Dead has returned. No recap, but I'm giving my thoughts about the episode.
First off, I'm soooooooo happy to have this show back. During the break, I've truly become a big Walking Dead fan, obtaining all the comic issues and the game by Telltale Games (buy the game if you haven't yet. Guaranteed tears at the end). The wait was way too long and the days got so long as the date approached. But now, I feel so good to finally be able to talk about it.
I'll get to the Dixon brothers in a minute, but I must talk about the more pressing matter: Rick and his shattered mind. I thought it was weird when he started freaking out when he was looking at Judith, but I just accounted it to Lori's death still being fresh and not sleeping for an extended period. But then we got to the last scene, where he just completely lost it when he sees ghost Lori. Man, was that a creepy scene, one that I was not expecting. I wonder if he and Lori are going to have some conversations like they had over the phone in the comics. Either way, that was the absolute worst time for Rick's mind to break. Tyreese and his gang are going to question Rick now, not to mention what Rick's group thinks about him freaking out. What happens if, when the Governor eventually attacks, something happens to Rick like when he "saw" Shane at Woodbury? It's going to be interesting to see how everyone responds to Rick snapping, and to see how Rick himself deals with all of it, especially seeing as Judith has Lori's eyes. Is that all Rick is going to think about whenever he looks at his newborn daughter?
Now, on to the Dixon brothers. I was watching the show while watching the "Daryl" feed on Twitter explode and I was just laughing at all of it. I understand people being upset about their favorite character leaving, but it was crazy to see how popular Daryl really is. I knew that he was going to come back and when they released the preview for next week's episode, I heard Daryl fans sigh in relief. Did he do the right thing, going off with Merle? Both sides have their pros and cons, but if I was in Daryl's shoes, I would have done the same. Family is the most important thing in the world, and if you have the chance to be with family, then you take it. Out of everyone there, I'm surprised Rick didn't understand that. Sure, I get that no one on the show likes Merle (though he was absolutely hilarious in the brief airtime he had), but Rick has done so much for his family over the seasons, so I thought that he would at least understand a little bit. Also, I feel so bad for Carol (yeah, I said it). She's lost so many people that she was close to, and now, knowing that Daryl is alive but left, that one has to hurt. But it shows how strong a character she is. I don't know if she'll meet the same fate as she does in the comics (gruesome, by the way), but I kinda hope she doesn't.
On the Woodbury front, we FINALLY get to see the badass Governor. This Gov doesn't give a shit about anything or anybody, even Andrea. Honestly, I love it. Sure, the Gov from the first half of the season was creepy, but this is the Governor we all know and love from the comics. You can already tell he is ruthless now, and he is hellbent on finding the prison. I loved the scene in the beginning of the episode when he shot the walker and then just walked around the tear gas/smoke. I just sat there and thought to myself "This...this right here is the Governor". I was also happy to see a less annoying Andrea this week. She has become one of my favorites from the comics, so to see her like this was a little annoying, but this episode gives me at least a little hope that she will get better and come to her senses. I was wondering while watching the episode if Andrea is going to get some control of Woodbury, seeing her give that speech about surviving the apocalypse.
I'm a little surprised that Michonne wasn't in more of the episode. I'm even more shocked about Rick's decisions to not only planning on forcing her out, but also by his initial decision to refuse help from Tyreese and his group. Also, that little talk Hershel had with Glenn, telling Glenn that he is almost like a son to him? That one got me right in the feels. I'm also loving badass Carl. I loved how that one guy from Tryeese's group thinks they can take the prison group. Carl would've f*cked him up big time.
Overall, a very powerfully strong return for the top show on TV. The hardest thing is the grading of this episode. While it was a strong episode and I could not find any big faults in it, it wasn't my favorite episode of the season so far. It's up there, probably in the top three, but it wasn't my favorite. So, I'll give the episode a 9 out of 10, though it is the strongest 9 anyone could ever give a TV episode.
More reviews to come this week, as I'm hoping to start reviewing again. School's been rough so far and I haven't had a lot of time to do much besides that. But I have a broken PS3 (sad face) so I'll have more time to write. Especially with three highly anticipated books coming this week. I'll be back at some point this week, so keep a weathered eye on the horizon.
Thanks for reading!
First off, I'm soooooooo happy to have this show back. During the break, I've truly become a big Walking Dead fan, obtaining all the comic issues and the game by Telltale Games (buy the game if you haven't yet. Guaranteed tears at the end). The wait was way too long and the days got so long as the date approached. But now, I feel so good to finally be able to talk about it.
I'll get to the Dixon brothers in a minute, but I must talk about the more pressing matter: Rick and his shattered mind. I thought it was weird when he started freaking out when he was looking at Judith, but I just accounted it to Lori's death still being fresh and not sleeping for an extended period. But then we got to the last scene, where he just completely lost it when he sees ghost Lori. Man, was that a creepy scene, one that I was not expecting. I wonder if he and Lori are going to have some conversations like they had over the phone in the comics. Either way, that was the absolute worst time for Rick's mind to break. Tyreese and his gang are going to question Rick now, not to mention what Rick's group thinks about him freaking out. What happens if, when the Governor eventually attacks, something happens to Rick like when he "saw" Shane at Woodbury? It's going to be interesting to see how everyone responds to Rick snapping, and to see how Rick himself deals with all of it, especially seeing as Judith has Lori's eyes. Is that all Rick is going to think about whenever he looks at his newborn daughter?
Now, on to the Dixon brothers. I was watching the show while watching the "Daryl" feed on Twitter explode and I was just laughing at all of it. I understand people being upset about their favorite character leaving, but it was crazy to see how popular Daryl really is. I knew that he was going to come back and when they released the preview for next week's episode, I heard Daryl fans sigh in relief. Did he do the right thing, going off with Merle? Both sides have their pros and cons, but if I was in Daryl's shoes, I would have done the same. Family is the most important thing in the world, and if you have the chance to be with family, then you take it. Out of everyone there, I'm surprised Rick didn't understand that. Sure, I get that no one on the show likes Merle (though he was absolutely hilarious in the brief airtime he had), but Rick has done so much for his family over the seasons, so I thought that he would at least understand a little bit. Also, I feel so bad for Carol (yeah, I said it). She's lost so many people that she was close to, and now, knowing that Daryl is alive but left, that one has to hurt. But it shows how strong a character she is. I don't know if she'll meet the same fate as she does in the comics (gruesome, by the way), but I kinda hope she doesn't.
On the Woodbury front, we FINALLY get to see the badass Governor. This Gov doesn't give a shit about anything or anybody, even Andrea. Honestly, I love it. Sure, the Gov from the first half of the season was creepy, but this is the Governor we all know and love from the comics. You can already tell he is ruthless now, and he is hellbent on finding the prison. I loved the scene in the beginning of the episode when he shot the walker and then just walked around the tear gas/smoke. I just sat there and thought to myself "This...this right here is the Governor". I was also happy to see a less annoying Andrea this week. She has become one of my favorites from the comics, so to see her like this was a little annoying, but this episode gives me at least a little hope that she will get better and come to her senses. I was wondering while watching the episode if Andrea is going to get some control of Woodbury, seeing her give that speech about surviving the apocalypse.
I'm a little surprised that Michonne wasn't in more of the episode. I'm even more shocked about Rick's decisions to not only planning on forcing her out, but also by his initial decision to refuse help from Tyreese and his group. Also, that little talk Hershel had with Glenn, telling Glenn that he is almost like a son to him? That one got me right in the feels. I'm also loving badass Carl. I loved how that one guy from Tryeese's group thinks they can take the prison group. Carl would've f*cked him up big time.
Overall, a very powerfully strong return for the top show on TV. The hardest thing is the grading of this episode. While it was a strong episode and I could not find any big faults in it, it wasn't my favorite episode of the season so far. It's up there, probably in the top three, but it wasn't my favorite. So, I'll give the episode a 9 out of 10, though it is the strongest 9 anyone could ever give a TV episode.
More reviews to come this week, as I'm hoping to start reviewing again. School's been rough so far and I haven't had a lot of time to do much besides that. But I have a broken PS3 (sad face) so I'll have more time to write. Especially with three highly anticipated books coming this week. I'll be back at some point this week, so keep a weathered eye on the horizon.
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
To Victory Records
Dear Victory Records,
FUCK YOU!!
Sincerely,
Me
Hello, everyone. I haven't blogged in a while, and there has been a good reason for that besides being lazy. School work has piled up and I'm working my hardest to keep my grades up. However, an issue has taken almost a forefront in my life and I wanted to ask anyone reading this to help me and my fellow people in our quest.
For those who do not know, I am a huge fan of the band Streetlight Manifesto. If you have never heard of them before, stop reading, go to Youtube and look them up. They have made some extremely awesome music over the years. They have put out four CDs, though two were cover CDs (one of the frontman's old band and one straight up cover CD). Currently, their newest album, The Hands That Thieve, is being held by Victory Records, their shitty record label. Through the years, Victory has screwed Streetlight over multiple times, upsetting them and the fans more each time. Sure, Streetlight likes to take their time with their original music, but we, the fans, are used to it. However, when a label holds an admittedly completed album from the fans because of stupid reasons, the fans revolt. People have been berating the Victory Facebook page and I, personally, have been taking to Twitter to get my point across. However, nothing seems to be working yet, as Victory seems to be ignoring everything with the words "Streetlight" and "Manifesto" in them.
So, what am I asking of you to do? Please, find the time out of your day to help our cause. You don't even have to like the band to write in. Write in because it is the right thing to do; what Victory and their boss Tony Brummel are doing is keeping a product from fans who have payed for it long in advance. Go to their Facebook, their Twitter, Youtube; hell, call them up and voice your displeasure in them keeping a band from giving fans new music. I know that probably not a lot of people are going to read this, but I just hope that one person finds what I'm saying inspirational and write into Victory about this situation.
If anyone from Victory somehow reads this, I want you to pass a message on to your boss, Tony Brummel: Hey Tony, stop being such a dick and release the album. You've pissed off the fans long enough. Stop being such a whiny bitch about the fans not buying this album from you because you honestly don't deserve the money. You and your label are just plain old shit and I feel sorry for anyone who works for you and know you personally. It's so unprofessional that you and your employees ignore us, the Streetlight fans, when we ask you about the proposed date that you were going to announce the release date. You could have at least wrote a statement about it, but no; you decided to keep radio silence. Thank goodness for Tomas filling us in on the situation, as we now know that this is all you.
As I wrote on Twitter, you brought this upon yourselves. Until you either give us, the fans, the album or at least a release date, you are going to berated. And trust me, it's only going to get worse the longer you hold out on us. So just give us what we want, and you won't be seen as big as jerks as you were before (except you Brummel, you'll always be a jackass).
Again, please help me and my fellow Streetlight Manifesto fans get what we want. It's not like we want much; all we desire is the release date of the album that has been years in the making.
I'll be back soon with some actual blog stuff.
-Steve, a proud Streetlight Manifesto fan
FUCK YOU!!
Sincerely,
Me
Hello, everyone. I haven't blogged in a while, and there has been a good reason for that besides being lazy. School work has piled up and I'm working my hardest to keep my grades up. However, an issue has taken almost a forefront in my life and I wanted to ask anyone reading this to help me and my fellow people in our quest.
For those who do not know, I am a huge fan of the band Streetlight Manifesto. If you have never heard of them before, stop reading, go to Youtube and look them up. They have made some extremely awesome music over the years. They have put out four CDs, though two were cover CDs (one of the frontman's old band and one straight up cover CD). Currently, their newest album, The Hands That Thieve, is being held by Victory Records, their shitty record label. Through the years, Victory has screwed Streetlight over multiple times, upsetting them and the fans more each time. Sure, Streetlight likes to take their time with their original music, but we, the fans, are used to it. However, when a label holds an admittedly completed album from the fans because of stupid reasons, the fans revolt. People have been berating the Victory Facebook page and I, personally, have been taking to Twitter to get my point across. However, nothing seems to be working yet, as Victory seems to be ignoring everything with the words "Streetlight" and "Manifesto" in them.
So, what am I asking of you to do? Please, find the time out of your day to help our cause. You don't even have to like the band to write in. Write in because it is the right thing to do; what Victory and their boss Tony Brummel are doing is keeping a product from fans who have payed for it long in advance. Go to their Facebook, their Twitter, Youtube; hell, call them up and voice your displeasure in them keeping a band from giving fans new music. I know that probably not a lot of people are going to read this, but I just hope that one person finds what I'm saying inspirational and write into Victory about this situation.
If anyone from Victory somehow reads this, I want you to pass a message on to your boss, Tony Brummel: Hey Tony, stop being such a dick and release the album. You've pissed off the fans long enough. Stop being such a whiny bitch about the fans not buying this album from you because you honestly don't deserve the money. You and your label are just plain old shit and I feel sorry for anyone who works for you and know you personally. It's so unprofessional that you and your employees ignore us, the Streetlight fans, when we ask you about the proposed date that you were going to announce the release date. You could have at least wrote a statement about it, but no; you decided to keep radio silence. Thank goodness for Tomas filling us in on the situation, as we now know that this is all you.
As I wrote on Twitter, you brought this upon yourselves. Until you either give us, the fans, the album or at least a release date, you are going to berated. And trust me, it's only going to get worse the longer you hold out on us. So just give us what we want, and you won't be seen as big as jerks as you were before (except you Brummel, you'll always be a jackass).
Again, please help me and my fellow Streetlight Manifesto fans get what we want. It's not like we want much; all we desire is the release date of the album that has been years in the making.
I'll be back soon with some actual blog stuff.
-Steve, a proud Streetlight Manifesto fan
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