hdnmickey

I really enjoyed this one and still am liking this dedicated story option rather than getting only a few minutes of the longer story they showed for Dwight and how Eugene makes in work mixed in within all the other things going on. Unless you are binging these shows, the option where we only get a few minutes of each of the 10+ story lines each episode can be just as hard to follow each week, if not more so.

Anyway, since I think we all figure the eventual betrayal by Dwight is coming, I appreciate that we got a more background on the why.

cleveburgh

Sad to say that in Season 7 I feel like watching this show is like having to do a homework assignment.

If the showrunners have an objective in the story arc they'd better get there quickly. Bring back Frank Darabont. Something!

gcribbs

I am sure they are already done filming the season so it just comes down to editing.

gcribbs

Game of Thrones does a great job of moving between stories and keeping you seeing at least some of the other characters every episode.

In Walking Dead it just feels strange to be now back again to a time where Darryl just left when he has been gone for so long and the whole focus of the episode is one minor character.

I am sure they hope that when they tie it all together it will feel fulfilling.

I hope they are right. Fear the Walking Dead was a waste of time and slowly Walking Dead is becoming the same.

Coral

I also thought it was strange to jump that fare back in the timeline.

The show takes forever to get moving. I hate having to revisit a point in time just to see another character's point-of-view/situation.

Eugene was never a central character, so it seems pointless to dedicate an episode to him. And Dwight will either die or will get away with his wife - he definitely won't be joining the gang... so it's even more useless to spend this much time with him.

It really feels like the writers are just fleshing out characters more than they need, and dicking with the time lines simply because they don't have enough material to fill episodes.

I don't know what's happening in the comics, but I suspect we'll just be seeing the same thing after Negan is taken care of - the gang will bump into another group of bad guys. They'll probably need to have a reason to leave Alexandria as well - since it limits potential story lines.

How many more seasons is this show signed up for?

Finisher

Seems pretty likely when Rick and company show up for the inevitable showdown they'll have their backs against the wall and need a life saving assist from Eugene, and he'll reluctantly self sacrifice to save them. That was pretty much the purpose of this episode, to make that payoff more poignant.

DJariya

It's year to year. Already renewed for season 8.

It's going to get at least 10-12 seasons. Kirkman said recently he thinks it will go at least 12.

hdnmickey

That's your opinion. Maybe even the majority opinion. But I don't see it as more effective or not. Just different.

Depending on the complexity of the story line I find the GoT model to be far more confusing, or out right worthless. You cannot tell a complex story effectively using only 5-10 minutes every 7 days.

d2cheer

Why does it matter? You will watch them all anyway.

VinVega

If I die of old age before TWD ends I'm gonna be pissed.

~~ PAL ~~

If Kirkman is the sole decision maker this will not end until all actors are literally dead. So it would not shock me at all if this goes on to have 15-20 seasons.

Coral

Just want to know how much longer until I get some closure with the show.

caligulathegod

I agree. I prefer to spend a bit more time on one subject than flitting back and forth just so I can see each character each week for 5 minutes, like a soap opera. I also like seeing other characters than Rick all the time. It's an ensemble show. I think most people don't want a long form drama, they want a video game. All action and quickly won Boss Fights.

BearFan

I agree with this, I liked this story. I have not liked all the character stories, some have been bad. This one was good. Even though it focused on Eugene, it also gave more info about Negan and Co. which I am sure will come into play as the season goes on.

Koby

Honestly what I'd prefer is less focus on humans are bad and more dangerous than the zombies, and more focus on zombies being an actual threat to their daily lives. When was the last time a non-canon-fodder character met their demise to a zombie? I honestly don't remember. The last time zombies were any sort of actual threat was way back in season two. I just want to get back to a story where zombies are the focus and not just 'oh look, there is a zombie on the fence every couple of episodes. It's weird when we go multiple episodes without ever seeing a zombie.

It also coincides with the time when it still felt like anyone could be written off even if they were a fan favorite, but now we've pretty much been fed to believe several of the core members lives will never be in any real danger because they're bigger than the show and the writers are scared of fans rioting. But this is also something most shows fall into after 5 or 6 seasons when they really stop feeling fresh and start recycling plotlines.

JZ1276

They just killed off Glenn who's been with us since the beginning.

Koby

And?

JZ1276

What do you mean 'and'?
You just said it doesn't feel like anyone could be written off even if they were a fan favorite anymore. Unless I misunderstood your post, Glen was written off. He was a fan favorite.

hdnmickey

Maybe Kobe's comment was only about characters killed off my zombies, which hasn't happened in a long time. Especially if one focuses on only where the zombies themselves overcame somebody rather than being used as a weapon by another party.

But I'm pretty sure I have seen this discussed before. Even I you look at it logically, as it could really happen, there can only be so many zombies in a given area. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that before long it really isn't about staying safe from zombies anymore unless you are really venturing into unexplored areas for supplies. So they are focusing on the right things. Eventually it becomes a an issue of supplies, group vs. group, unless they create a world where processing plants become operational again and governments get reinstated.

Bill Needle

And therein lies the problem with the way they choose to focus on individual character episodes. Every time they jump back in time to another character's experience I groan because I thought we had moved past that point in time already. Now here comes another episode (or several) just to get back to where we already were the previous week. At least if they stuck to a more chronological timeline edit it would feel like the story was going somewhere - even if slowly - instead of hamster wheeling.

If there was some immensely compelling event that this revolved around that would be different, but usually it is the aftermath of some event that this rehashing covers over and over. That's why after the season/half season premier the next four or five episodes always seem to drag so much.

caligulathegod

I'd actually like to see a few episodes without zombies at all. In Dawn of the Dead, there is a whole act where we forget about the zombies then are suddenly reminded of them just before the bikers attack. The zombies long ago stopped being part of the plot and are just a mandatory nuisance, like undead Mr. Furleys on Three's Company. The characters should be relatively complacent by now, as the real threat IS other humans. Once their guard is down, the zombies can become a threat again.

JTH182

Best subtle moment of the episode: Eugene actually liked "Easy Street"

joltman

The best thing about this episode is that it featured a They Might Be Giants song! I literally jumped off the couch in surprise/excitement when Everything Right Is Wrong Again was suddenly blaring (it was during the quick montage of Eugene making the pills).

Abob Teff

[head bob]

windom

Just as I predicted when they took Eugene: http://forum.dvdtalk.com/12967311-post29.html