10.15: The Walking Dead - The Tower

[ctg]

The communities prepare for the final battle of the Whisperer War; meanwhile, Eugene's group encounters Princess.

 

[ctg]

I love Princess. She has right attitude to be a survivor in the Kirkman's world, but more so I absolute love her attitude. The world isn't a sh*t hole, it's her palette and everything she's doing in it has a reason, almost. I just wonder how she has survived on her own for a year and if she's another plant set by the helicopter people.

Although I don't care, because I was laughing my socks off for Princess unloading M60 on the dead. It surprised me that the horses ran away, but then again it should have, as the Ricknation are short on ammo and weapons. Not that any of it could have made it back to Alexandria by the time Beta's hoard had arrived to destroy the last sanctuary.

I first did wonder why they had left and abandoned their only place, but it made sense once they showed the Alexandria full of Dead, and no Living in sight. It was more than they could have handled, and frankly Beta had brought in a bigger mass then there was taking the Hilltop down.

"Come on. Let's go," Daryl grunted.

"No, I want to stay," Judith replied.



Little girls and their activities. Their never disappoint. Not in a million years. To her, putting Dead down permanently is a normal thing, while to Daryl it's something he had to learn to accept. Frankly it's not long before she starts to decorate them, and maybe trying to make them displays just like Princess.

It's just I would have trusted her word, because there's always a chance that something interesting occupies their minds, and sooner than you realise they've disappeared from your sight. That is a problem when there is thousands of dead coming in your direction. Beta simply could land the population in the hideout and declare a siege. Two weeks later, no survivors left.

What really surprised me is that Judith was absolutely fine with Daryl shooting Whisperer in the face. How that person survived it? I don't know, because the bolt should have gone through whole head instead of getting stuck in the mask. Frankly if the human flesh masks would be so strong to stop bolts, everyone would use them. It would be the new norm in the Kirkman's world. And even if it went through the cheek, it should have continued travelling down the range.

Maybe the analogue I should use with Judith and Daryl ranger session is deer hunting as what they did in the woods was exactly the same as what happened to Karl, except the bolt didn't go through. And just like it was with the Father/Son session, Daryl was teaching his craft Judith, and then later on correcting her mind on what is real and what's not in the Kirkman's world.

"Anyone brought in an extra canteen?"

She is hilarious. But I have to say, throwing things at landmines doesn't work. They have pressure sensors that goes off when a certain weight limit is reached. A zombie would do it, and did as TWD replicated Fear's last season scene with a minefield. It made me laugh even harder and then to wonder, why the Dead had not appeared to clear the place as soon as as the horse had gone to heavenly meadows?

The whole thing was written as if they arrived after Princess exploded the mine. It's just why is that the Dead had not wandered over it earlier, since it had been there forever and again? It's not like Princess had EOD experience or she would have gone on her belly or even marked the route with sticks and stones instead of the usual flags. Another thing is, you cannot easily hide a mine in a concrete deck. You need earth, hole or rubbish to camouflage it, and against the dead, you should have thick fields covering the terrain.

I liked that Eugene found a kindred spirit in her and used that knowledge to make sure the Princess wasn't lying more. Frankly, she's a fine addition to whole crew if they survive the ordeal at the tower. It's just in their shoes I would have made escape out from the back. They got all the people, and there is no way the Dead can increase their speed. So as long as Ricknation can walk, they should be able to escape the horde instead of getting trapped into a siege position, and starve to death. They should also acknowledge that the dead will follow them and use that knowledge to lead them to cliff and down their death.

In my honest opinion Beta is in a losing position.

 

[REBerg]

Princess is the best new character to come along in a long time.
TWD has always been in dire need of more lighthearted moments, and Princess seems up to the task. Leading the newcomers on a roundabout trail through an unmarked minefield -- with no more warning than to watch their steps -- to "wheels" which turned out to be attached to bicycles was a funny string of events. At no point did I feel that anyone was in danger of being blown up. (Poor horse)
I liked Aaron and Alden playing peek-a-boo with Beta in Alexandria. I half-expected Beta to make a sudden twirl and catch them. Who didn't foresee them being captured as they continued to spy on the horde with their crackling, malfunctioning radios?
I fully anticipated that Daryl would finish the Whisperer scout off after questioning her. Considering how little luck they've had at turning previous captives, he was not about to take her with them. Leaving her alive would have risked alerting her superiors. I was surprised that Daryl didn't spare Judith the sight of the execution.

 

[nixie]

I like princess, really hope she doesn't turn out to be a new enemy.
I'm not even going to try and work out how she created the minefield, it is so improbable I'll just but it down to the writers wanting us to suspend believe again.

Beta and the horde, terrifying sight pity they don't have oil to pour on them, would make an amazing bonfire then again the tower would go up too.

Kelly, is quickly becoming another favourite of mine, she has a big heart, think in her place I'd have at least punched Carol.

Daryl and Judith have a sweet relationship, I hope she doesn't lose Daryl, yes the Alexandrian's are sort of her family but Daryl and RJ are her true family.

 

[Dave]

Someone said a few episodes ago that this has just become a comic book. I know it is based upon a comic book, but there has been a definite change over the last few seasons. Looking back to the first season, that was a serious drama about a post-apocalypse world, even if the reason that the dead could walk was never adequately explained. Now, it is being played for laughs and Princess is great fun, but in no way able to have survived on her own. The whole idea of the Whisperers is comic book too, so it is probably best not to criticise why things are as they are, and to just enjoy that fun instead. However, they could still have some internal continuity. Judith used to have more sense that several of the adults put together, but now she is acting like a little girl again who is innocent and inexperienced in the world in which they live. And this isn't a big deal, but that hat she wears - it is more than 15 years old - worn every single day by Rick, then by Carl, and now by Judith - yet it is clean, in shape, with no wear around the brim, with a perfect ribbon - pure comic book fantasy.

I don't think the Whisperers are much of a threat - there only seems to be a handful left - but that horde is huge and we've seen hordes smaller than that overwhelm places before - even a hospital before in FTWD. They need a bold plan, which I assume they have and we just haven't been let in on it yet.

 

[ctg]

Judith used to have more sense that several of the adults put together, but now she is acting like a little girl again who is innocent and inexperienced in the world in which they live. And this isn't a big deal, but that hat she wears - it is more than 15 years old - worn every single day by Rick, then by Carl, and now by Judith - yet it is clean, in shape, with no wear around the brim, with a perfect ribbon - pure comic book.

Honestly I think we have to allow her innocence. We know she shot Beta through the door, and we all part of that horror. She has killed before, but there might still be some questions, like killing wounded that she hasn't done before. She doesn't really know what it means to be in a war, because she was too small when the last one happened.

I don't think the Whisperers are much of a threat - there only seems to be a handful left - but that horde is huge and we've seen hordes smaller than that overwhelm places before - even a hospital before in FTWD. They need a bold plan, which I assume they have and we just haven't been let in on it yet.

I agree and I'm not really scared for the crew. It might get super small, but they won't kill everyone. The mystery of zombies climbing stairs is something we have to see. Frankly, I don't get why they all did head after Eugene, if they were ready to leave already. Why to hide in the hospital?

 

[svalbard]

I think with Judith the trauma of the last few episodes has caught up with her. Losing hMichonne, her home and the security that brought has knocked the confidence from her.

I think we are all in agreement on Princess. She looks like a great addition.

Dare I say it. This has being the best the season in many a year.

 

[Judderman]

Yes, definitely going more comic book style. But still much more enjoyable better than the worst seasons 7-8 (and possibly 9) period.

I felt like there was an episode missing. Normally the story progresses slowly but various people were in very different places from last week...and Negan was cooking!

The minefield in the city had no explanation. Perhaps when they left there could have been a sign or something about it... I don't think Princess set it up. A bit of comic relief doesn't hurt from time to time.

It seemed Beta going to the hospital was not what was planned by our heroes... but then there are people there building bombs so it is not clear if that is where they were meant to go or not.
I wouldn't have any complaints if Aaron's head was on a spike, such is his contribution to bad/reckless decisions recently.

Was that Gabriel on the radio saying he was surrounded?

 

[ctg]

Growing up in the world of The Walking Dead forces kids to think quickly. In the case of Judith Grimes, her impressive young mind has already realized that she needs to lie as a means to keep some of the people close to her. Following her mother Michonne heading out on a new journey in search of Rick Grimes, Judith finally opened up to Daryl about Michonne's departure. However, in talking to Daryl about Michonne heading out to help new people, she intentionally left out the details of Michonne finding clues to Rick being alive after the group thought him dead when he blew up a bridge in the show's ninth season. The Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang says this is because Judith suspects Daryl would also leave her in search of Rick if she told him the full truth.

"In our minds, that was exactly why," Kang told ComicBook.com. "She knows that Daryl... Rick was like Daryl's brother. Daryl was the one that kept searching for him for years out in the woods. She's a child, and I think there's part of it which is she feels like she's not sure that she's supposed to say anything about what her mother's doing, going out there. But I think also she is scared. She's scared that the one remaining parent figure that she has is going to run away too, at a time when they need him."

Having lost so many people already at such a young age, Judith is not exactly eager to say goodbye to anyone else close to her. "I think Judith just is feeling a lot of weight of responsibility beyond her years right now," Kang explained. "She's ultimately a child. She's a child who's very wise, but she doesn't exactly know how to handle everything perfectly either. Nobody does."

Still, the scene at the end of The Walking Dead Episode 10x15 (The Tower) between Daryl and Judith was one of the most touching of the series. As it stands, Daryl has essentially inherited the paternal role in Judith's life as Michonne and Rick are both now absent.

"There was this scene as writers that we really love, I think also in Season 3 between Rick and Carl, where Rick has to take Carl aside at the same age that Judith is now and say, 'A lot of people are going to die. I'm going to die, and Mom's going to die,' and it was just really about the reality of the world," Kang explained. "Now, we're many years later, and we were like, what's the version of that conversation that's Daryl has with Judith? And actually, I think that the conversation is a more hopeful one in some ways, where Rick at the beginning of it had to tell his son, 'It's going to get dark but we'll move on,' and Daryl was like, 'It is dark, but there's still light. There's so many people that care about you.'

While Daryl was unable to promise he will never leave, he is more than willing to help raise Judith for as long as he can, something which offers a bright spot in the apocalyptic series. "I think that that kind of hopeful message is important for that relationship between Daryl and Judith," Kang said. "It's also specific to that relationship of those two characters. So, I'm glad you liked it. It's one that I really loved how the writers pulled that off, and I think Norman [Reedus] and Cailey [Fleming] are always wonderful together onscreen."

The Walking Dead Showrunner Explains Why Judith Lied to Daryl About Rick

Growing up in the world of The Walking Dead forces kids to think quickly. In the case of Judith [...]

comicbook.com

Interesting that the same scene about Judith was their favourite as well.

Spoiler: Gabriel Comic Spoiler - #158

The Walking Dead might have handed off Father Gabriel's (Seth Gilliam) gruesome comic book death in Sunday's Season 10 episode 15, "The Tower." There evacuees from across the Alexandria, Hilltop, and Oceanside communities hide out in an abandoned hospital tower while Beta (Ryan Hurst), steered by the voices in his head after the death of Whisperer leader Alpha (Samantha Morton), lays siege to Alexandria with his invading walker army while Eugene (Josh McDermitt) and Hilltop leaders Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura) and King Ezekiel (Khary Payton) continue their fateful mission to meet Stephanie (Margot Bingham) with newly encountered lone survivor Princess (Paola Lázaro) along for the trip.

Inside the tower, Rachel (Avianna Mynhier) of Oceanside is seen in a hallway keeping watch through a window as Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Lydia (Cassady McClincy), Carol (Melissa McBride), Judith Grimes (Cailey Fleming) and other survivors wait out their next move. Kelly (Angel Theory) teaches the half-blind Father Gabriel sign language while Luke (Dan Fogler) tinkers with a device requiring the use of car parts. Hilltop archer Dianne (Kerry Cahill) readies her bolts when Gabriel tells her, "Your turn to watch."

The Walking Dead Sets Up Someone Else Taking Father Gabriel’s Gruesome Comic Book Death

The Walking Dead might have handed off Father Gabriel's (Seth Gilliam) gruesome comic book death [...]

comicbook.com

 

[Judderman]

I wonder when the next episode will be... and the next season?! Presumably next season will be next year.

 

[tegeus-Cromis]

So... That hospital. Have we seen it before? Did I miss it somehow before? It seems like an important landmark to know about.

 

[Judderman]

It could be where Beth lost her life years ago.

 

[tegeus-Cromis]

It could be where Beth lost her life years ago.

Wasn't that in or near Atlanta? They're in Virginia now.

 

[Dave]

They are meant to have moved to Virginia. However, geography was never a strong point in this series, or continuity.

 

[Judderman]

Could be around 500km apart.... maybe just the same set.

I don't remember another hospital in recent years.

Does seem that between that and Eugene's team wanderings there is some relatively safe areas in towns/cities now.

 

[ctg]

Does seem that between that and Eugene's team wanderings there is some relatively safe areas in towns/cities now.

Yeah, but people didn't wander in there, because you cannot farm in there without doing a lot of work. And with dead still around, nobody wants to get trapped in a building where they cannot get out. In the comics Alexandria Safe Zone was within suburban area with tower blocks around. In the TV they were removed. Also the problem with DC is that there's always people and things that are super expensive to remove in post-production. Although now the whole thing would be easier because of the lockdown. Will AMC use the opportunity? Probably not.

 

[Judderman]

I'm not sure if it is really an opportunity. They wont be allowed to do it. Maybe you could send out a couple of cameramen for shooting background scenes.

 

[Dave]

I wonder when the next episode will be... and the next season?! Presumably next season will be next year.

There is another episode this season, right? I read you guys talking somewhere about a re-shoot but can't find it again. Was it finished? Why the need? Any date been given?

As for next season, I'm not sure how much TV (or film) we will get. A lot of TV repeats I expect, and once the films that have been postponed are shown, not much new for quite a while.

 

[tegeus-Cromis]

There is another episode this season, right? I read you guys talking somewhere about a re-shoot but can't find it again. Was it finished? Why the need? Any date been given?

As for next season, I'm not sure how much TV (or film) we will get. A lot of TV repeats I expect, and once the films that have been postponed are shown, not much new for quite a while.

They didn't get to finish the post-production work before social distancing started. They just said it will be aired later this year.

 

[ctg]

There is another episode this season, right? I read you guys talking somewhere about a re-shoot but can't find it again. Was it finished? Why the need? Any date been given?

They are stuck with the CGI.

The Walking Dead Season 10 finale planned to premiere Sunday, April 12, has been postponed indefinitely amid the coronavirus crisis and will now air later this year on AMC. Showrunner Angela Kang told ComicBook.com work on the Greg Nicotero-directed finale, "A Certain Doom," was "very close to finishing" when work could not continue on the special effects-heavy episode picking up where last Sunday's episode 15, "The Tower," left off. The penultimate episode of the season ended on a cliffhanger with the survivors trapped inside an abandoned hospital tower swarmed by Beta's (Ryan Hurst) walker horde, forcing Daryl (Norman Reedus) and other heroes to enact a desperate escape plan in the season finale.

"We were very close to finishing [episode] 16," Kang told ComicBook.com."We usually deliver the episodes for a big effects-heavy episode about two weeks before we air. We were about a week and a half out at the point which California shut down."

Scripting work on Season 11 is continuing remotely, but a shooting start on the new season was pushed back by up to a month on March 13.

"What is continuing remotely is the effects that can be finished, but even after all of that's done, all the shots need to be laid in," Kang explained. "There's a color process that needs machines to be finished. There's sound work that we usually do on the Warner Brothers stage, and that's very complex mixing equipment that you can't just move into somebody's house overnight. And multiple people work on that."

Kang stressed the finale is "very, very close to finishing" and will be completed once it is safe for crew to return to work.

"I think actually, by the time the world is safe for people to start venturing out, probably all of the effects will be done, and then it's just a handful of processes and it can be turned around very, very quickly," Kang said. "We're very hopeful that we can get it all done very rapidly once we're back up and running."

When the finale airs as a special episode later this year, "A Certain Doom" opens with Maggie (Lauren Cohan) returning to The Walking Dead after many months away. Audiences will also learn more about the mysterious person whose identity is hidden by an iron mask, and will find out what happens when Eugene (Josh McDermitt), Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura), King Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and newcomer Princess (Paola Lazaro) continue their fateful trip towards meeting a new community.

"When we continue ... Maggie's back and she now knows what's happened to everyone based on that letter she got when Carol left her a note when she was traveling up and down the coast before the first episode," Kang said on the most recent episode of Talking Dead. "So we will find out what that means for our people. Also, our heroes have this kind of clever hideout away from the communities, but they've been discovered, so that puts them on a collision course with the Whisperer horde, which they've been trying to avoid tangling with too much."

Viewers can also anticipate at least one major death when the season comes to an end later this year.

Why The Walking Dead Season 10 Finale Isn’t Airing Tonight

The Walking Dead Season 10 finale planned to premiere Sunday, April 12, has been postponed [...]

comicbook.com