TWD 5x02 "Strangers" episode discussion... **SPOILERS WITHIN*

[AcesandEights]

Lots of direct comic references in this episode. Gimple seems to know how to work those in every few episodes while still keeping it fresh. Rick's "youre not safe" talk with Carl, Father Gabriel, the church looks EXACTLY like the comic(makes sense because they actually constructed it rather than using an existing church in the area), and of course Gareth's talk before they revealed Bob's missing leg. Nearly verbatim to the comic. Yeah, Gimple is doing well. I too was pleased to see some close cleaving to the source material, and was impressed later during the Talking Dead when I found that they had scratch built that church. Also, for a decent sized cast, there was nice passing around of dialog, with some folks getting more highlights for plot purpose, but no one getting truly T-dogged. A fantastic 2nd episode with the slight drop-off in action we knew to expect, but with ample amounts of meaty goodness nonetheless. - - - Updated - - - Comics Spoiler:   will Gareth and company start to feel the effects? Will one or more of them turn? Will that thread climax in episode eight for the mid-season finale? Man, MZ...   If they were to pace the Termians' being effected by the bad meat out till the Mid-season finale, that is a WHOLE heap of slowdown to experience over the next 6 episodes!

[MinionZombie]

Gonna have to go back and re-read Volume 11 "The Hunters" again just to see the similarities to this episode. As others have said, Gimple really knows how to weave in and out of the comics and make plenty of references without ever feeling imprisoned by the material. He's doing an excellent job as showrunner! Likewise pleased with the distribution of dialogue, which is still in a manner that makes sense (i.e. not arbitrarily giving lines to someone who doesn't really have a place in a scene, or not wedging someone in for the sake of a single line or anything). Aces: Theory on progression of Bob storyline:   Well, it'd depend on how they paced it - for example, Bob could do the "TAINTED MEAT!" bit and then the Termites would know they're screwed, so they go all hell for leather in hunting down Team Rick ... ... plus, we might get an episode that fills in what happened to Beth after getting snatched - so that could delay epic proceedings while not actually extending the narrative timescale in the 'present day'. I'd have thought the mid-season finale would be around Gareth somehow ... or ... maybe that'd be resolved a little sooner than expected, or he gets away temporarily, and perhaps the mid-season finale is instead something relating to Beth's situation. And as per the norm... TWD 5x02 Memes (plus two 5x01 bonus ones via the link): http://deadshed.blogspot.co.uk/2014/...king-dead.html

[AcesandEights]

Aces: Theory on progression of Bob storyline:   Well, it'd depend on how they paced it - for example, Bob could do the "TAINTED MEAT!" bit and then the Termites would know they're screwed, so they go all hell for leather in hunting down Team Rick ... ... plus, we might get an episode that fills in what happened to Beth after getting snatched - so that could delay epic proceedings while not actually extending the narrative timescale in the 'present day'. Ah, good point, MZ. I had forgotten all the buzz about them...   playing with the timeline somewhat. So I gather that it could very well make sense that they veer off here and there for a glimpse back to where Beth got separated and who knows what else.

[MinionZombie]

I'd love it if we got an episode purely about Morgan and seeing what happened to him between now and when we last saw him. Kind of like the first of those two Governor episodes in the first half of season four.

[Wyldwraith]

I get what you're saying, Yet it STILL seems implausibly rushed that the Terminians managed their escape from a fallen Terminus, reorganized into a band of cannibal hunters as their next move, tracked Rick & Co. down, AND THEN already grabbed Bob. Rushing it like they have makes the fall of Terminus seem little more than a minor nuisance for Gareth and his cronies. I mean, stop and compare it to the fall of the Prison. Avoiding the HUGE swarm of Walkers converging on Terminus, having to worry that Carol might still be out there ready to pick off anyone who stepped into the open, reorganizing into a combat-effective band of "Hunters" complete with plentiful firearms and THEN successfully pursuing Rick & Co...All in LESS THAN 48 HOURS! To me at least, that seems highly implausible, AT BEST. Not to mention them touching on another of my cinema-based pet peeves. Ie: The single blow to the head that ALWAYS drops the victim like a sack of potatoes. That plot-trope has been beaten to DEATH by lazy writers. I mean, if the writers are 110% committed to crafting such a scene why couldn't one of the assailants have simply grabbed Bob from behind and placed him into one of the many REALISTIC holds that compress the Carotid Artery and results in unconsciousness far more reliably. At first glance one might call this a nitpick, but one of the things TWD prides itself on being much more realistic than your conventional zombie movie. Hitting people in the rear of the skull hard enough to render them unconscious is, in reality, just as likely to kill them as render them unconscious. It just seems like this was all very rushed. Not that I'm not enjoying it, but I'm still quite aware of that too-rushed feeling.

[RichW]

I'm enjoying the opening 2 of S5 immensely, two solid episodes so far. Just like Wyld though, The lazy/rushed reformation and reintroduction of the Termites does niggle me too, just seems slapped right in there without a whole lot of thought. I hope I'm wrong and the writers have introduced more plot lines to make it seem more credible / fleshed out in other ways, time will tell. As for Bob, something in the way that Gareth spoke to him implied to me that he already knew him?? Maybe Bob was sent out originally to lure people back to Terminus?? It's the way he said to him "It seems ironic that now you're here" as he was eating Bob-B-Q. I have some theories as to Bob being bit .... maybe he was and they are genuinely going to turn OR maybe he just tells them he has been bit, to take the food out of their mouths and have the last laugh??? Shame really, I was just starting to warm to him too. d'oh. Not the most auspicious introduction for Gabe was it? He's definately hiding something! He definately knew that woman at the food bank, as was evidenced when he was looking at the photo - also noticed, he was wearing his collar etc in that photo, so he seems to be a real deal pastor ..... but they are portraying him in a very shady light. I wonder if he has anything to do with the people who snatched Beth from the seemingly well stocked house? Also i wonder if the bible readings on the walls of the church carry any messages?? Not checked yet ... it wouldn't be the first time TWD put in some cryptic message for fans! As for the 3 people missing thing, I instantly thought that referred to Bob, Daryl and Carol. Also noticed - didn't like the way Rick said that heavily accented "THANK-YOU" to carol, everytime he's used that before, the people have a habit of doing something bad and getting themselves killed sometime soonish!!!! Just a few initial thoughts ... whaddaya think?

[Legion2213]

Bob. Decent episode, was never going to be able to compare with opener though. Gareth needs to be terminated with extreme prejudice...hopefully Rick will shank the bastard a few times before ripping his throat out with his bare hands. Anybody notice that the walker chasing Gabe was the lady from the picture? I think he locked his congregation out of the church...or maybe the foodbank was safe until he somehow compromised it through some act of cowardice. Oh and the Beth-knappers are screwed now that Daryl is on their trail. - - - Updated - - - Reference your concern about being 'down 3'. You seem confused that two more are going to get picked off? What they were speaking about was Carol and Daryl's exit. No worries about more wanderers....well only in this case. Good call.

[Moon Knight]

I'm enjoying the opening 2 of S5 immensely, two solid episodes so far. Just like Wyld though, The lazy/rushed reformation and reintroduction of the Termites does niggle me too, just seems slapped right in there without a whole lot of thought. I hope I'm wrong and the writers have introduced more plot lines to make it seem more credible / fleshed out in other ways, time will tell. As for Bob, something in the way that Gareth spoke to him implied to me that he already knew him?? Maybe Bob was sent out originally to lure people back to Terminus?? It's the way he said to him "It seems ironic that now you're here" as he was eating Bob-B-Q. I have some theories as to Bob being bit .... maybe he was and they are genuinely going to turn OR maybe he just tells them he has been bit, to take the food out of their mouths and have the last laugh??? Shame really, I was just starting to warm to him too. d'oh. Not the most auspicious introduction for Gabe was it? He's definately hiding something! He definately knew that woman at the food bank, as was evidenced when he was looking at the photo - also noticed, he was wearing his collar etc in that photo, so he seems to be a real deal pastor ..... but they are portraying him in a very shady light. I wonder if he has anything to do with the people who snatched Beth from the seemingly well stocked house? Also i wonder if the bible readings on the walls of the church carry any messages?? Not checked yet ... it wouldn't be the first time TWD put in some cryptic message for fans! As for the 3 people missing thing, I instantly thought that referred to Bob, Daryl and Carol. Also noticed - didn't like the way Rick said that heavily accented "THANK-YOU" to carol, everytime he's used that before, the people have a habit of doing something bad and getting themselves killed sometime soonish!!!! Just a few initial thoughts ... whaddaya think? Actually, yes. There was a hidden message there in one of the bible readings. “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,” which is from John 6:54. There are more but this one really stood out as it foreshadowed what would happen to poor Bob.

[DayoftheZ]

Another solid episode, I am still pinching myself that we have literally hours of Living Dead drama to pick through and enjoy. I think its fair to say that the Termites are hot on the heels of Team Rick because Tyreese didn't take out the scum bag at the hut. We know he had a Walkie, so its not much of a stretch that he came round from his Tyreese beat down as Team Rick departed and got straight on the walkie to Gareth or some other Termite to rally the troops. They could have tracked them on fresh trails in the day light and then hung back until the church. My one problem at the moment is Tyreese himself, I mean he is a shadow of the man he was in the comics and I appreciate we have Daryl, Rick Michonne and Abe as the bad asses but he has ended up being Mary Poppins but with less of an edge!!

[Moon Knight]

Another solid episode, I am still pinching myself that we have literally hours of Living Dead drama to pick through and enjoy. I think its fair to say that the Termites are hot on the heels of Team Rick because Tyreese didn't take out the scum bag at the hut. We know he had a Walkie, so its not much of a stretch that he came round from his Tyreese beat down as Team Rick departed and got straight on the walkie to Gareth or some other Termite to rally the troops. They could have tracked them on fresh trails in the day light and then hung back until the church. My one problem at the moment is Tyreese himself, I mean he is a shadow of the man he was in the comics and I appreciate we have Daryl, Rick Michonne and Abe as the bad asses but he has ended up being Mary Poppins but with less of an edge!! Super dissapointed in Tyreese, considering he's my favorite character from the comics.

[facestabber]

I'd love it if we got an episode purely about Morgan and seeing what happened to him between now and when we last saw him. Kind of like the first of those two Governor episodes in the first half of season four. I agree completely. I would love to see what event/revelation allowed Morgan to finally "Clear" I disagree with RichW about Bob being a Terminus recruiter/ prior member etc. Sure Bob could have known Gareth prior but Bob wouldnt deliver the group he cares about to those monsters. Regarding the Beth abduction car   The religious markings sure make it interesting considering the proximity to Father Gabriels church. I doubt Gabe drove the short bus to and from church so I wonder if he doesnt have a connection to the abductors and/or possibly be the prior owner of the car

[Moon Knight]

I'm sure Gareth just knows Bob simply by having Bob introduce himself along with the others upon arrival at Terminus.

[Philly_SWAT]

C'MON, since beginning of Season 3 they've had someone on Walker-watch within FIVE MINUTES of entering a building. I took it that Carol and Daryl were on walker watch. They abandoned their post when Daryl saw the car that kidnapped Beth.

[Wyldwraith]

Maybe, Yet before the whole car-sighting Carol and Daryl were lugging water jugs from somewhere to somewhere. Certainly didn't seem like they were on guard duty, but that's just my take on matters. As for Father Gabriel, I'm seriously wondering whether or not he is/was a Terminus collaborator. At least insofar as routing those who showed up at his church on to Terminus with promises of safety etc etc. It would explain the "You'll Burn for This" if one of those he helped set up was say, straggling behind his/her main group, and then saw them taken by the Terminians. Nothing definite as yet, but the burning question in my mind concerning Gabriel is: "If he had sufficient canned goods to survive for YEARS/up until very recently, what kept people like the Claimers (for example) from coming along and just taking the food from the unarmed priest? Rick is dead on with his assessment that no one THIS HELPLESS survives THIS LONG without some funny business being in the works. As for the theory that the guy Tyreese beat down came to and rallied Gareth & Co. onto Team Rick's trail: It doesn't address one basic issue. That propane tank explosion, coupled with the persistent pillar of smoke, was drawing in Walkers from all the way back where Maggie and Sasha rejoined Bob on the railroad tracks. There were hundreds, if not THOUSANDS of Walkers converging on Terminus from the same direction. Walkers in too great a density to bull one's way through without some sustained gunfire. So my question: Why didn't Rick & Co HEAR that necessary gunfire of the Terminians? Yes, Gareth and his cronies COULD have circled around BEHIND the mega-herd...but that would have taken time, and it's not as if they could've made up ground on Rick & Co by traveling through that first night that Rick & Co camped. Blundering around in the woods at night without EXTENSIVE illumination would be suicidal. I really don't consider asking how 7-9 people bypassed hundreds or thousands of Walkers coming from the very direction they want to travel in to be a nitpick. The world after civilization is a FAR QUIETER PLACE than our world. The reports from firearms carry a LONG way, and since Rick & Co DIDN'T hear anything like the amount of gunfire that would be required for the Terminians to fight their way out of Terminus, I believe it's safe to conclude that Gareth and his Hunters found another way past the Walkers. Yes, one can just shrug and go with it...but I would've much preferred the writers allowing a realistic interval to pass before Gareth and the Hunters caught up to Team Rick. Having it happen the very next episode, which was only 24 hours of TWD-time makes it seem like mega-herds are little more than a nuisance. Compare it to the beginning of Season 3, where Team Rick had spent the winter on the road after losing Herschel's farm. Breaking out a map and deciding where to go next, the statement that kept cropping up was "Nope, can't go that way, a herd's passing through there." Gareth and his band aren't any more numerous than Team Rick was, yet suddenly travel through an area literally swarming with Walkers is easy? This goes back to a long-running difficulty with various aspects of TWD plot. Ie: The wildly varying difficulty of similar actions at differing times. Yes, circumstances can alter said difficulty level...but if what you show us viewers APPEARS to be all-but-identical situations, it's not surprising that some of us find it very jarring when it seems like the writers can't make up their minds how hard X, Y or Z tasks are in the zombie apocalypse. Again, I'm not just picking to nitpick. I'm enjoying this season like everyone else. I just think that there was enough going on with the characters, and enough plot-indicated reasons for them to hold off on Gareth's Hunters catching up already. Especially when the plot is sending us contradictory signals. Daryl shares with Rick he "felt" their camp was being watched, and Rick was concerned enough to urge the group to "tighten it up" and avoid having stragglers. Then they meet Father Gabriel, and it's obvious Rick is taking NO chances. THEN he delivers the "You are not safe" speech to Carl.....Yet here's the sudden juxtaposition of everyone kicking back, drinking wine and deciding to go to Washington. EVEN THEN, Rick sidles up to Father Gabriel and warns him that if whatever he's hiding hurts Rick's family Rick will kill him. Yet on this second night Daryl's off lugging water rather than trying to follow up on that feeling of being watched. Ok ok, Daryl MIGHT have "abandoned his post" to go after Carol...but if so it would've been the work of TWO SECONDS screen-time to show us some indication that was the case. Instead we're left asking if Daryl and Carol were on a water run when Carol got the urge to take off, or what? I'm the sort that when nitpicks pile up on each other they eventually reach critical mass and suddenly they're no longer just nitpicky details but genuine questions I have with the plot. Like, why leave a water run to be done until well after dark? Just one more niggling little "huh?" of a detail. See what I mean? They could've tightened things up and given it a bit more polish is all I'm saying. Not that it was a bad episode (it wasn't)...just that attending to this collection of unanswered questions and conflicting signals would've made it BETTER. Agree, disagree, don't care?

[ProfessorChaos]

is it bad that i kinda hope sasha hurries up and gets killed or something so tyreese can put his purse down and start kicking ass? dude comes off about as menacing as a teddy bear. i totally didn't buy it when he claimed he killed that one in the cabin. and as mz said, no corpse or onscreen death = he/she is alive. thus far, this is tyreese's resume: i can't go out on missions. i can't kill walkers at the fence. i can't kill a guy who was just about to snap a baby's neck a few minutes ago. i can't talk about how fucked this world we live in is and accept reality. i can, however, babysit like a motherfucker. and although i like the fact that the group has some sort of a hope, a mission, and a possible light at the end of the tunnel with Washington,.....i'm sorry. abraham, rosita, and especially eugene (oh eugene you goofy and awkward bastard. i cringe everytime you're on screen and open your mouth) just don't translate well to tv in my book. like at all. abraham looks like he's stepped right out of an live-action 80's g.i. joe film...and i wonder how fans of the show unfamiliar with the comics will react when   eugene runs out of bullshit to spew and has to confess he's a fraud and abraham realizes his "mission" was just protecting a goober who played him like a fiddle. i think many viewers will be mighty let-down... other than that, the show is off to a rather rocking start this season. looking forward to seeing where the newly crowned queen badass carol and the remaining dixon badass (sorry, the rhyming names are almost to cutesy to even type) are off to in their high speed chase, and the termites becoming the hunters and chasing down slick rick and the gang (likely due to tyreese's inability to finish what he should have done at the cabin, giving the would-be-baby-killer a chance to help track them, as DayoftheZ said) was a satisfying, if not obvious plot-twist. i also really enjoy the on-the-road vibe, and look forward to the return of morgan. and surely rick will keep good on his word to kill garteth with that red-handled machete. however, was anyone else thinking that there's literally a zero-percent chance they'd get down in that food bank cellar? for what? to muck around in chest-deep water with those absolutely putrid (props to knb for almost making me throw up in my mouth a little bit for the first time ever) walkers even for some likely expired canned food? i seriously would tell rick to eat a bag of dicks over that one. and i know he's seen his kid debating on eating dog-food, but seriously, if they were even slightly concerned about possibly getting sick or infected when dealing with the well-walker on the farm, this was like that to the times five hundred. any open cuts on wounds exposed to that water would be surely prone to some serious bacterial/viral infection. and mz: bravo on those memes, brother. some real lols were had on a couple of those.