TWD 10x14 "Look at the Flowers" episode discussion... **SPOILERS**

[MinionZombie]

Please keep all talk of episode 10x14 "Look at the Flowers" specifically inside this thread. If you have a theory for a following episode, please use the "spoiler tags" (visit the HPOTD FAQ to find out how to use them if you don't already know). Similarly, if you're going to discuss plot points from the comic book, please use "spoiler tags" - not everyone is up-to-date on them, and some people don't read them at all. Enjoy! Directed by: Daisy von Scherler Mayer Written by: Channing Powell Everyone reckons with the aftermath of the Hilltop fire; Eugene leads a trip to meet Stephanie.

[Moon Knight]

Happy to get back to the main story! That last line in the episode description is interesting.

[MinionZombie]

I watched the episode earlier ... ... now to play the waiting game as ya'll catch up. I enjoyed it, though. Some good stuff in there.

[Moon Knight]

The Princess is finally here. Negan was the absolute star this episode along with Ezekiel. Zeke standing up for Eugene and having to put down his horse made him a sympathetic hero. Look at the flowers. Goodbye, Alpha, you were a legend. Beta is a country singer pissed off. I don't blame that one Whisperer for hauling ass.

[MinionZombie]

Yep, lots of juicy goodness in this one - I dug how Beta replaced that previously torn off chunk of his mask with a piece of Alpha's face - he's really gone off the deep end. It was nice to get a look inside his life before the apocalypse and made him even creepier. Here's this guy who was a huge music star and now he's this. I really enjoyed the scenes between Negan and Daryl, particularly when the three Whisperers turned up, and for Negan to be so candid about things. The scene where they ride into the city and find all these creepy tableaus with walkers chained to occupations and past-times and everyday chores was great. There was a hint of Romero in those moments, these 'character zombies' if you will. "Oh my God, hi!!!" Princess is a larger than life character in some ways, so hopefully she'll work on-screen. She was a bit of a shock to the system when she arrived in the comics but then she eased into things. It's nice to have a bit over weirdness on the show as well, though.

[Moon Knight]

I guarantee Princess will be a polarizing character. Especially here, haha. I dig her, though. She’s someone that’s been alone for years and finally comes across people. Of course she’s not gonna shut up! Did Princess compile all those Walkers? Don’t know how I didn’t pick up on that. I was kinda disappointed we didn’t get someone yelling “Helllllooooooo?!” like the comic. I guess the nod was still there with Ezekiel. Yeah the scene with Negan and Daryl was great. I’m pretty happy how they managed to improve on the Negan character past season 8.

[MinionZombie]

Did Princess compile all those Walkers? Don’t know how I didn’t pick up on that. I was kinda disappointed we didn’t get someone yelling “Helllllooooooo?!” like the comic. I guess the nod was still there with Ezekiel. Yeah the scene with Negan and Daryl was great. I’m pretty happy how they managed to improve on the Negan character past season 8. 1) Who else would it be? She's an 'out there' character, so it stands to reason that she's the one doing these outlandish things to the walkers. She's all alone there with nobody but dead folks for company. This way, in her mind, there's a little bit of community to her world. 2) It'd be a bit daft if he just yelled it out - they're trying to be subtle and don't know who or what is out there. But I did like the little nod to Day of the Dead with Ezekiel mumbling "hellooooo". 3) Yep. They've been doing a cracking job at making Negan an interesting character beyond the war with The Saviours. To see these different shades of the character have been entertaining and rewarding for we viewers, and JDM has been seizing the opportunity to play every bit of the fresh material he's been given. We've burrowed deeper into him and have come away with a much more rounded character than before, more complex, a villain being confronted by his own demons and trying to do some good to go some way to balancing the scales a smidge.

[Moon Knight]

I was too busy analyzing how different the scene was going to even put that together. I feel ashamed lol. Already an improvement from the source material. Can’t wait to see more of her. After Rosita’s death this was the character that had my interest the most. Sadly, her story didn’t really go anywhere so I’m hoping she gets the proper attention here. You’re right about the yelling. Again, was looking for the Day of the Dead homage from the book to even notice. But, yeah, the nod was definitely there. Kudos. Daryl figuring Negan wasn’t really gonna hurt him has me thinking he’s quietly starting to trust him.

[MinionZombie]

I was too busy analyzing how different the scene was going to even put that together. I feel ashamed lol. Already an improvement from the source material. Can’t wait to see more of her. After Rosita’s death this was the character that had my interest the most. Sadly, her story didn’t really go anywhere so I’m hoping she gets the proper attention here. Daryl figuring Negan wasn’t really gonna hurt him has me thinking he’s quietly starting to trust him. 1) Yeah, Princess came blasting in - with her pink feather thingymyjig and machine gun - and while we saw a little bit of her damage from so much time alone, she never really got the chance to 'bed in' with the group, you know? Always kinda felt like a late arrival to a party who's missed most of the good stuff - so hopefully she'll be better integrated into the show. We've seen characters from the comics get much deeper explorations in the past, so fingers crossed. 2) Reminds me of all those folks who were desperate to have Negan killed off as soon as he was introduced - we'd be missing out on lots of quality content. It's scenes like his with Daryl in this episode that lend TWD a lot of complexity. Hell, Daryl was previously Negan's abused prisoner, getting fed dog food on bread with Easy Street on repeat, and now Negan has done something truly valuable for the good guys - something which Daryl recognises - and yet Negan is also the man who caused so much suffering. These kinds of murky grey areas are where TWD thrives and gets really intriguing. But they're also writing it in such a way that it makes sense. We've seen various characters be conflicted about Negan, or have altercations with him, and we were able to start seeing a softer side of Negan through Judith, who never knew of Negan beforehand, so her not having a pre-determined view of him allowed TWD to show another side of him, which in turn managed to get around the viewers' own determinations about the character.

[Moon Knight]

1) Yeah, Princess came blasting in - with her pink feather thingymyjig and machine gun - and while we saw a little bit of her damage from so much time alone, she never really got the chance to 'bed in' with the group, you know? Always kinda felt like a late arrival to a party who's missed most of the good stuff - so hopefully she'll be better integrated into the show. We've seen characters from the comics get much deeper explorations in the past, so fingers crossed. 2) Reminds me of all those folks who were desperate to have Negan killed off as soon as he was introduced - we'd be missing out on lots of quality content. It's scenes like his with Daryl in this episode that lend TWD a lot of complexity. Hell, Daryl was previously Negan's abused prisoner, getting fed dog food on bread with Easy Street on repeat, and now Negan has done something truly valuable for the good guys - something which Daryl recognises - and yet Negan is also the man who caused so much suffering. These kinds of murky grey areas are where TWD thrives and gets really intriguing. But they're also writing it in such a way that it makes sense. We've seen various characters be conflicted about Negan, or have altercations with him, and we were able to start seeing a softer side of Negan through Judith, who never knew of Negan beforehand, so her not having a pre-determined view of him allowed TWD to show another side of him, which in turn managed to get around the viewers' own determinations about the character. Couldn’t have said it better myself. You nailed it.