Entertainment

These The Walking Dead Comic Book Variant Covers Are Great to Have in Your Collection

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

The comic book series of The Walking Dead has come to an end last year with Issue #193. Since then, fans and readers alike were very mixed towards the ending. But what cannot change, is the fact that there are many variant editions of the series. Some are rare to the point where you cannot find that variant cover for years. And some, you can find on online stores. Here are some of those variant covers you need to have in your collection.

Issue #100 Variants

There are many issue 100 variants, and I believe that this issue has the most variants out of all of the issues in the series. There are three in particular that I would like to point out. This one below is a wrap around cover that features the previous characters that were deceased up until this point. On season 9 of the television series, This scene was recreated as part of Rick Grimes’ hallucinations. This variant has a normal version, and a silver foil version.

The next one is the red foil variant of issue #100. It features only Lucille with the blood splattered all around it. This was given to retailers that ordered q large amount of the first print of the issue. There was also a signature edition as well that had Robert Kirkman’s signature on the variant, but those are not the red foil editions however.

The final of the issue #100 variants is this variant that I was not aware of until I did my research. This one is extremely rare due to how it was obtained. On the 15th anniversary weekend of the comic book series, there were blind bags of select key issues. Issue #100 was one of them. You would either have the normal variant, virgin, black and white, or black and white virgin. What only a small number of people discovered, is that there was also a secret variant and only 100 of these were put into the blind bags. This was dubbed “the gold variant” on online fourms and it also has a speech bubble too.

Issue #171 Pink Signature Variant

I actually got this variant without realizing that it was an expensive variant until I left the comic book store. The difference between this variant, and the other variant with the same artwork, is the pink signature on the bottom corner. Once everyone found this out, the comic book stores were either sold out of them, or spiking up the price for it.

Issue #94 Image EXPO Variant

Variants featuring Michonne is a must get for collectors. The ghost variant of issue #101 could have been featured here, but the beauty of this variant of issue #94 takes my vote. There is something about Michonne laying down with a pile of walkers that makes this cover look very cool. Also, the television series did a scene with Sasha that looked similar to this cover.

Issue #168 Pride Month Variant

The Walking Dead celebrated Pride Month by having this great cover made. Jesus taking out a walker with a Pride Flag is badass and look at the guts that is being stretched out! This is my favorite cover that was released in 2017.


Issue #163 Retailer Variant

The beginning of 2017 was the 25th anniversary of Image Comics, and it started with this variant. Here, we see Rick Grimes in Negan’s jacket holding Lucille. There is a normal color, and a black and white variant. This cover stirred up controversy due to the fact that this variant being a retailer varent since the first print issue was 25 cents due to the anniversary. This would be very good to have in your collection.

Issue #75 Retailer Variant

This retailer varaint pays homage to the first issue. It is also the first time that Charlie Adlard did the artwork on the first issue’s style too. This also has Rick Grimes at his current state at the time as a resident of Alexandria. Of all the variants and issues that has the issue #1 layout, I believe this is the best looking one in my opinion.

Issue #1 The Last Wine Variant

This issue was given out to attendees at New York Comic Con 2019 at Chris Burnham’s booth if you were able to buy The Walking Dead wine. There are a handful of these online since almost nobody was aware of this issue being given out at the booth. This is also the last variant cover that was produced.

Issue 78 Long Beach Comic Con Variant

Issue #80 has a photo variant, but I have to place #78 here because of the rarity. Only 500 of these were produced and it is promoting the premiere of the first season of The Walking Dead. This is also the first photo variant of the comic book series as it showcases what is to come with those walkers when the television viewers see them for the first time. It also took me about nine years to finally get one of those variants and I am happy to own one of them.

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com

The Upcoming Spider-Man Films by Sony Has Been Delayed. Which Also Made Marvel to Move Doctor Strange and Thor Sequels

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment
Photo: Sony Entertainment

We were all excited and looking forward to the next Spider-Man film to come to theaters, but just like Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the delays has hit the upcoming Spider-Man films due to COVID19. It looks like we will not see Spider-Man swing through the city for quite some time and it will be a very long time until we see him again.

The second film of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and the second sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming will both be delayed for months as the new dates are the following. The sequel to Spider-Verse will now be released on October 7th, 2022. The final film of the Sony/Marvel Spider-Man trilogy will now premiere on November 5th, 2021. Also, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, will now have it’s worldwide premiere on June 25th 2021 which is more further away than October of this year.

This also affected the Marvel Cinematic Universe Films that were going to tie-in to the Spider-Man films as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was supposed to be released on May 7th, 2021. Now, the new date for the Doctor Strange sequel is March 25th, 2022. Thor: Love and Thunder will not have a long delay as it has been pushed back another week as it will premiere on Feburary 18th, 2022.

The only Marvel Cinematic Universe film that will be released in the entire year of 2020 will be Black Widow as it has been delayed to November 6th, 2020. Black Widow was originally going to premiere on May 1st, 2020, which would have also been a good time to go see since Awesome Con in Washington, D.C was originally going to take place that weekend. What do you think of the news of the state of the Marvel movies being delayed?

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com

Shazam Star Zachary Levi and The Walking Dead Star Ross Marquand Will be Doing A Virtual Q&A on Awesome Con Online

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

Awesome Con was supposed to take place this week in Washington, D.C. But due to the current situation of COVID19, Awesome Con had to postpone their show until December of this year. What will happen this weekend, is Awesome Con Online in which online visitors can explore, shop, and take a look at the live offerings that will be available for everyone to watch in the comfort of their own home. One of the features will be the virtual Q&A and it will be livestreamed via Facebook and Zoom and the celebrities that will participate, will be Shazam’s Zachary Levi, and The Walking Dead’s Ross Marquand.

Both Zachary and Ross were originally going to be special guests of Awesome Con before the COVID19 outbreak and their fans, and the attendees were worried of the current status of these two. But everyone has to worry no more as they will both be live in seperate times to anwser fan questions. This virtual Q&A will happen this Saturday afternoon!

There are both free and paid options to view and participate in this virtual Q&A. There will be a special Zoom link for you to click on in order to enter the Zoom and to be considered to ask a question. The link to the Zoom meeting, when it is made public on Saturday, will work for BOTH Q&A sessions and will not cut off in between sessions.

Remember, watching via Facebook Live will be VIEW ONLY. Questions submitted via Facebook will not be monitored.

Are you looking forward to hearing what Ross Marquand might talk about when the topic of The Walking Dead comes up? And what will Zachary will say about Shazam and the sequel that is planned to be released on November 4, 2022? We will all have to find out this Saturday.

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com

Top 7 Badass Carol Moments That Will Never Be Forgotten

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

For the last ten years, Melissa McBride has graced our televisions with her performance as Carol on AMC’s The Walking Dead. We have seen her transformation from the start of the show, to the current season and I must say, her evolution has been a journey with ups and downs that has affected her, and everyone associated with her. There are good moments that I liked from Carol, and I am going to list my favorite badass Carol moments of The Walking Dead!

That time that she burned members of The Saviors

This was a satisfying moment that happened on “The Same Boat” as Carol and Maggie were the heroes of this episode. While they were both being held hostage by Paula (Alicia Witt) and other Saviors, Carol tricked them all to believe that something was wrong with them. This eventually lead to Carol trapping those Saviors in th room after she poured gasoline in that room. What she did next, was that she light her cigarette to burn those Saviors to death. I loved this! And she even burned more Saviors in season 9 after they took her wedding ring. Some of those Saviors were sleeping so they woke up with a rude awakening!

Killing Those Wolves

The Wolves were much different than the comic book series as in the comics, they were called The Scavengers. The Scavengers were killed before they could enter Alexandria in issue #78. On the show, The Wolves sneaked in Alexandria and started to murder members of the Safe Zone. Carol started her killing spree here, and it continued when she disguised herself as one of The Wolves and continued from there. Seeing Carol do this for most of the episode, had me glued to the screen and I will never forget this moment. Also, when will we ever get a Funko Pop of Carol as a Wolf?

Putting Down Ed

The minute I seen Ed for the first time with Carol, I wanted him to go. This was at season 1 at the start of the post apoclapsye world of The Walking Dead as Ed was the bad husband that abuses Carol. When he is near death on the the fifth episode, Carol takes a pikaxe, and smashes Ed’s head until he is no more. Trust me, nobody and I mean NOBODY was feeling sorry for Ed at all as we all felt for Carol at this moment.

Blowing up Terminus

This moment is awesome because not only that Carol saved the group before they were all killed and eaten by the Terminus Hunters by blowing up the place that was planned very well, Think of this, what would have happened if Carol did not show up at Terminus? Rick, Daryl, Glenn, and Bob would have been dead and slaughtered like cattle. The reunion between Carol and Daryl was also great to see as this moment and episode alone, made me look forward to the rest of the season.

Convincing Sam to do her a favor

When the group arrived at Alexandria during the second half of season 5, they were all affected by what they had to endure before meeting Aaron. so trusting them and everyone at Alexandria was going to take time. Carol took this time to befriend Sam. One night at Alexandria, Carol was in the weapons closet getting one of the guns for her to use (Keep in mind that at the time, they all had to turn in their weapons when they arrived). Sam found Carol. When Sam was about to alert his mom, Carol flipped this around to him as she made him a promise that she will make him a lot of cookies if he did not say a word. And if he did tell, a monster would come and get him. Of course, Sam listened! Carol put the fear to him in order for her to not have her cover blown. Smart move!

Telling Andrea to kill The Governor

I have to say this. If Andrea would have listened to Carol and took up on her idea from the start to the finish, then The Governor would be dead, and nobody at The Prison would be dead. Carol flat out told Andrea to kill The Governor in his sleep. When I seen this scene again for the first time in a few years, I thought to myself that Carol is starting to turn around at this time as her potential was really coming out. I know to others, this may not be a “badass” moment. But I thought it was due to the context of why she told Andrea to do it.

Her Attempt on Killing Alpha at The Border

Everything about this scene on this episode was awesome. Especially when Alpha was talking directly to Carol as she kept taunting her about killing Henry. Carol did not want to listen to anything Alpha said as she was not having it. So when Alpha taunted her again, Carol shot at Alpha, but Michonne smacks the gun off her hand as Alpha did not even flinch. This scene showed me that Carol is not scared to take Alpha down and although her plan to use Negan to kill Alpha took long, it is safe to say that her plan worked. I can watch this scene over and over again due to how much tension there was between these two.

I also reached out to the fans of The Walking Dead to see what were their favorite Carol moments. This is what they said.

I also interviewed Melissa Mcbride recently as you can check it out at the link below.

Interview: Melissa McBride on Carol’s Showdown With Alpha, Traveling With Norman Reedus, And Working With Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and a Farewell to Danai Gurira

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com

Yu-Gi-Oh News: Rise of the Duelist Booster Set to Release in August 2020

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

Rise of the Duelist is set to dispel the dog days of Summer on August 7th, 2020!

Yugi’s Gaia the Dragon Champion strategy has been remastered for the modern age! Classic cards like Gaia the Fierce Knight, Catapult Turtle, and more take on new forms in service of a new form of Gaia the Dragon Champion that stacks an extra 2600 ATK on to itself every time it wins a battle and can expend exactly that much ATK to destroy any card on the field without a fight!

New Noble Knights rise from the pages of history! The “Infernoble Knights” are a fast Synchro Summoning strategy that burns through their Equip Spells for immediate benefits, then brings them back to the field and dares the opponent to destroy the monster they’re equipped to. “Infernoble Knight” monsters are also “Noble Knight” monsters, so you can use existing cards like Heritage of the Chalice to make your Deck even stronger! Don’t forget Infernoble Knight – Renaud and Infernoble Knight – Roland from Toon Chaos– you’ll need them if you want to maximize your firepower.

Many powerful Spell and Trap Cards! Unleash a new “Forbidden” Quick-Play Spell that can negate the effects of and halve the ATK of an entire field’s worth of monsters or a Normal Spell that lets you retaliate against your opponent’s disruptive monster effects by choosing from the effects of Pot of Greed, Change of Heart, or The Forceful Sentry.

On top of all that, you can even find:

  • A powerful new “Chaos” Synchro Monster
  • A brand-new anti-Extra Deck Spellcaster theme
  • New cards for the “Rikka” and “Adamancipator” themes from Secret Slayers
  • New cards for the “Mathmech” and “Dragonmaid” themes from Mystic Fighters
  • 20 previously unavailable cards from overseas promotions, pack-ins, and more!

 The Rise of the Duelist booster set contains 100 new cards:

50 Commons
26 Super Rares
14 Ultra Rares
10 Secret Rares

Final Fantasy VII Remake Review: The Remake I Was Not Expecting

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

There is something about Final Fantasy VII that has touched the hearts of the majority of the previous and current generation of gaming over twenty years ago, and now. It is considered one of the best video games of all time as FFVII brought JRPG’s to the mainstream level that we have never seen before. For years, many fans demanded a remake after the E3 2005 tech demo was shown to the world on what the visuals of that game would look like in a modern setting.

With the release of Advent Children, Chrisis Core, and the Dissidia series, the demand grew more. In 2015, We got the first trailer and the announcement that Final Fantasy VII Remake was in development. Five years later, we can now say that we have this game in our hands again. What do I think of the remake, I will tell you right now as I review Final Fantasy VII Remake.

The casting choices for the character’s voices are very good. I even had to listen to old clips of Steve Burton, Rachael Leigh Cook, and George Lewbin from previous entries to see if I notice a difference between them and the new voice actors, and there were minor differences. If you were to tell me that FF7R’s voice cast have never changed upon playing this as my first Final Fantasy video game, I would have noticed. I also liked that many of the minor characters such as Wedges and Biggs had their stories fleshed out more as they feel like they mattered to the overall plot. But a slight knock on this is that many of the conversations with many of the NCP’s and minor characters arepointless as they do nothing but introduce them for them to be forgotten about when you move on to the next quest since they will not serve any relevance to the main plot. You would think that they fleshed out the minor characters out for a good reason. But logically, it made zero sense.

There were times that I laughed more than I did when I played the original game because there are pivital scenes that translated well from the original game, to the remake, but also added more depth to those scenes and made them feel much more alive. The biggest example, is the Honey Bee Inn sequence as Cloud had to be a cross dresser for a while. There is also a dance minigame at that Inn too. The cutscenes were done really well, and it felt like at times that I was watching Advent Children as I was playing the game. The cinematogrophy really blew me away from the start to the finish visually.

The music did match the visual style of what we seen on screen, but I felt that the music is very over-orchestrated and I wish that we have an option to switch between the original music, and the current music. “Fight On!” is unrecognizable unless you are watching somebody else play. “Hurry Up” was totally removed from a part of the game. And they are throwing in too much of Sephiroth’s themes into the new arrangements, and in general it is a lot of noise with little substance.

When it was stated that the battle system would be revamped, they were not kidding. Even though there is a “Classic Mode” setting available, I would not recommend using it since this game’s combat relies on you to have full control of the character. The ground combat fixed all of the problems that Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3 had, but there are some limitations. Not having to change your party’s A.I while you are controling your character is frusturating, but I had to get used to it.

When the air combat happens, the cameras are all over the place like it is a WWE Raw production especially when there are too many enemies on the screen. The boss battles is when the controls and camera angles are much more scaled and controled. Remember the sphere grid system from Final Fantasy X? Well, FF7R takes a slight inspiration from that system to level your characters and their weapons. The leveling grind is not as punishing as FFXV and that is a relief. Also, bonus points for the seamless loading times. I still have my original Playstation 4, and I experienced not one slowdown at all.

Knowing that this is going to be an episodic series of games, I was curious on how Midgar, which is the first area that can be completed in five hours in the oirginal game, was going to be handled. That five hours turned into 45 hours for me as there were more sidequests than I remembered counting the time on this remake. I see why they did this, but I felt that it was not needed as backtracking in this game is very incidential and time wasting. I even questioned myself why is the reunion being mentioned this early in the game? And also, why did Sephiroth appear within the first ten minutes of the game? Sephiroth was mysterious and he appeared when it mattered to flesh out who he is as he kept you guessing what his motive is during the first half of the game. Not in the first ten minutes.

Cloud and Tifa’s interractions were the best of the game in my eyes, but I cannot say the same for everyone else as the writing for each of the characters were all over the place and inconsistant at times. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing the non-major characters have a personality on this game that you can clearly tell instead of reading text, but the excution was very choppy. Speaking of the story, there are a lot of changes that I did not like. The time travel plot just completly ruined the canon as this remake feels like it has to tie in the other related media of the Final Fantasy VII franchise.

Those big changes also appear at the end of the game and I have a feeling that these changes will be very devisive among the community to the level of Star Wars: A New Hope Special Edition. This is not what I had in mind when I wanted the remake as it really forces the player to accept this new direction of the game without being mindful to how and why veteran players appreciated the story and timeline.

Overally, I enjoyed most of Final Fantasy VII Remake. The art, visual graphics, and all of the characters feeling larger than life more than ever. But I cannot ignore the flaws that came with it. The most recent remakes on other video games had minor changes that made the experience better. But Final Fantasy VII Remake, changed to make the overall experience apalling to veteran players including myself. Final Fantasy V, VI, VIII, and XII are my personal favorites and this is not a review for me to favor one game over the other, but I perfer the original game over the remake. I was more frustarated, than satisfied with this experience. The fact that we also do not know when part two of Final Fantasy VII Remake will be released has more questions in my head than I can answer. But to put it simply, This just doesn’t even feel that much like a JRPG. It feels like a AAA western cinematic action game that’s loosely based on the original game. If other people like that about it, then so be it. But for me, this just isn’t what I really wanted from a remake at all.

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com

Interview: Get to Know Paola Lazaro, The Princess of The Walking Dead

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment
Paola Lazaro as Princess- The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 15 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

The newest character to grace our screens on The Walking Dead is Juanita Sanchez, but she wants to be known as “The Princess.” Her cool personality, and her look has won over the fans of The Walking Dead community including myself. But behind The Princess’ pink coat, goggles, and heavy machine gun, is Paola Lazaro as she has many credits to her name such as Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Lethal Weapon, and SMILF. Now it is time for you to get to know more about her in this exclusive interview!

I would like to get to know more about you. What was your upbringing like with your parents and your two brothers? And what were some of your early career goals?

PL: “When I was a kid back in Puerto Rico, I used to write poetry. I would say around like seven years old. Then my mom used to make me perform it for the family on the weekends when they would come for dinner and stuff like that. I have always been writing and performing in a way. And I always knew that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to be an astronaunt, but then I saw Apollo 13 and that vomit scene in the spacecraft and then I realized right there that I do not want to be an astronaut. I always wanted to perform!”

You have graduated from Columbia University with your master’s degree in play writing. How big of an accomplishment was this for you?

PL: “I never thought that I would graduate high school. I never thought that I would really be too much of anything because of the things that were told to me when I was a kid. So to able to have done all of those things is a blessing, but school and degrees is not what defines us. But the fact that I was able push through what was told to me that I couldn’t do. For me, it’s huge and it is the fire that keeps me going every day. Columbia University, is (laughs) Columbia University!”

Last fall, it was announced at New York Comic Con that you will play as The Princess. Do you remember how you prepared your audition for the role?

PL: “Oh yeah, I will never forget that. I did not leave my house for two weeks. I pretty much self-quarantined for this role. I had the script with me in the bathtub, next to me in my bed when I slept, and the couch. I had it everywhere. I just did not leave my house and kept studying. Something in me was like ‘I know this character. I’ve lived certain things that she’s lived. I can do this.’ I then went in for the audition, and did what I did, and it was awesome.”

The comic book series of The Walking Dead releases their covers three months in advance before the issue is on the shelves. The first time I have seen her on the cover at the time, I thought that she looked straight from the 1980’s. How did you react when you seen her on the cover of that issue (#171) and her scenes in that issue?

PL: “Oh I flipped out and I was so excited! I really bugged out and I just started screaming and jumping up and down. I was like ‘she’s so cool’ and I was very pumped to bring this comic book character to life on the television show!”

Khary Payton as Ezekiel, Eleanor Matsuura as Yumiko, Josh McDermitt as Dr. Eugene Porter, Paola Lazaro as Princess – The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 15 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

Did you include your own personality traits to The Princess since she has a great personality that shines very well on this episode?

PL: “Absolutely! The Princess is very similar to me, and to when I was a kid. All of this energy that I didn’t know where to put it and all this all this love for the world that I didn’t know how to convey along with all of this excitement and toughness and defensive mechanisms, is very similar to me.”

The Princess had to take a detour with Ezekiel, Yumiko, and Eugene to the minefield during this episode. How quickly have you bonded with Khary Payton, Josh McDermitt, and Elanor Matsuura? And what can you tell me about the day that episode was shot?

PL: “It was very awesome because the night before we shot anything, They all took me out to dinner. In fact, the whole cast took me out to dinner the night before to welcome me so that way, I didn’t feel like I was there to shoot twenty scenes and go. This connection that we had established that night I cherish in my heart and we’re so supportive of eachother. There is a true team there. Iv’e learned a lot from Khary, Josh, and Elanor and we support eachother. We are down to rehearse in between takes and scenes. Anybody that needs anything, or if we have to run some stuff down, and they are like ‘lets do it.’ Everyone is into it and I am thankful to have come in with them into this establish world. Now on the minefield, the first time it exploded, I jumped into Khary and Josh’s arms and cursed in spanish. It was hilarious and we broke out laughing so we had to reshoot it.”

Do you know how many times you all reshot that scene?

PL: “We shot it twice! We did good after we stopped laughing.”

One thing I was looking forwared to in the comics is The Princess meeting Negan. Since the comic book series finished last year, it might be possible to do this on screen. What do you think of the idea of The Princess and Negan in the same scene talking with eachother?

PL: “That would be exciting. That will be fun because, god knows what they would do together. I’m scared for the world and I’m scared for the apocalyptic world when these two people meet. They’re both pretty out there and they might get excited about eachother. Who knows what will happen to the world, but I hope that they do meet! I’ve watched Jeffrey Dean Morgan on the show and it would be great to work with him to bring these two characters together on the screen!”

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com

The Walking Dead Season 10, Episode 15 “The Tower” Recap: Beta Hears Voices

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment
Khary Payton as Ezekiel, Eleanor Matsuura as Yumiko, Josh McDermitt as Dr. Eugene Porter, Paola Lazaro as Princess – The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 15 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

The current season of The Walking Dead is almost over. In fact, it is sad that we will have to wait for the finale since it will be delayed until the end of the year. So for now, this is the last episode for now until further notice. Here are my thoughts about “The Tower.” This review will be slightly different as I will review this episode by how everyone is split across the groups situation.

The Minefield Roadblock

I liked the verbal exchange between “The Princess”, Eugene, Ezekiel, and Yumiko. Most of the lines of this scene were straight from issue #171 word for word. I also got a laugh when Ezekiel introduced himself to Princess as he thought for a second to introduce himself as “King Ezekiel” as he did when he first appeared on the screen. But he held back as he knows that he is not the king anymore. Yumiko did not trust her for most of the trip and I could not blame her due to what they went through. The group also learns that The Princess’ name is Juanita Sanchez and she did not like her name at all, along with the fact that she does not like being called a queen. The scene where Juanita was counting while she was taking the group to the garage got me puzzled for a moment, but I understood why she counted since she had to trace where she walked. She sure walked them somewhere though as they seen the head of one of their horses on the ground. Right here at this moment is where Juanita tells them that the current area is a minefield. There were even walkers that triggered one of the mines along with the only water canister Juanita had too. Her personality and high positive and nervous mood really shines here, but my problem with this scene is, how did they all not hear the mine explosion from the horse when this all happened the same day in an empty city? You would have thought that since the entire city has no people for over a year, and is quiet, that you can hear a big explosion from miles away.

Yumiko was still not trusting Juanita at this point, and Juanita explained why she was stalling. Eugene also could relate to Juanita for what she did as he did the same thing too. I think I would like to see more of these two in scenes in the future as it is a very odd pairing, but I really want to see Princess and Negan meet. When Juanita showed them the bikes in that garage, that is when Yumiko invited her to travel with them and they hugged like they were best friends. Although the minefield was a filler sub plot, it is far better than how she stalled the group in the comics and she had a good reason to stall Eugene, Yumiko, and Eugene. I liked all of this and rest in peace to another horse!

Emotional Rollercoaster

Cassady McClincy as Lydia, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan- The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 15 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

The second that these two were paired together this episode, I knew that it was going to be emotional. Cassady McKlency did a great job bringing out the tramua of Lydia on how she will move forward since her mom is now gone. And Negan was there for her to take her frustrations out on him as she does not think that Negan was a hero for killing Alpha despite that Lydia did not like her. What made Lydia mad even more, is that Negan told Lydia that he liked her mom and I was glued to the screen the whole time when these two were going back and forth. Also, bonuc points for the appearence of Dog, and Judith and Lydia having a scene together.

Carol and Kelly also talked, and it was good for these two to talk about what happened after they got out the cave since Connie is still missing. Kelly still has hope that Connie is alive, and I hope so too because she has not been seen at all in this second half. Kelly mentioned that she heard all the stories about Carol since she has been there, but assures her that she has a superpower and that she should not give up on herself whenever bad things happen. That is encouragement right there. Kelly also said that her superpower is sign language and everyone learned it because of her. This all happened while they were in a car getting wires and I will have to say this. Kelly is an underrated character and she proves how resourceful she is whenever she is on the screen.

Now on to Judith and Daryl as their scenes together were the best of the entire episode. It went from Daryl finding Lydia in the woods killing walkers by herself, to Daryl giving her hunting tips. After a cool walker kill sequence after Daryl shot one of those Whisperers with an arrow, they hunt down that Whisperer and found her in a ditch. Daryl asked that Whisperer questions of where they are heading to, and if they know that they are there. Daryl then killed that Whisperer with shooting another arrow to her head, and Judith seen this all happened. Judith, was very upset about this as her and Daryl talked about this later in the episode in an emotional conversation. Judith told Daryl what if that was him lost and nobody could find him as that Whisperer was (Also, that Whisperer was with Beta walking the horde, but more of that in a moment). When I heard Judith say that line, I compared it to the time in season 8 where Daryl killed that one Savior after he pleaded with his life after he gave Rick and Daryl the location of the weapons. Rick gave him that death stare because Daryl killed a Savior that was not trying to fight back. I could not blame Daryl at the time because he was a prisoner there, but thinking of that moment, made me see Judith’s point. My heart poured out for Judith because all she wanted, was for the family to be back together and she is afraid that Daryl will be the next to go. Daryl could not promise to stay because, he does not know what will happen. But he does know that there is a whole bunch of people at the communities that will watch over her and when she gets older, they will need her. Daryl took a realistic approach on this since they do not know if they will live another day as long as the world is what it is currently on The Walking Dead. Judith will just have to adjust to the idea for now. Also, I am happy that they brought up Michonne as well as he kept tryng to reach out to her.

Hide and Speak

I hate to say it, but this was the least interesting part of the episode. Aaron and Elden were practically playing hide and seak the entire episode as Beta and Whisperers walked the walker horde first into Alexandria, and then on their way to Oceanside. Aaron and Alden were first using sign language to tell eachother when to move. While Beta was leading the charge, he hears voices in his head. I thought it was slightly cool, but it did not add anything with the plot. He was even about to kill that Whisperer that Daryl killed later in the episode before his subconcious of his voice was heard. What I thought was also ridiculous, is that Beta finally figured out that everyone is stationed at the abandoned hospital (Negan called it the tower) by following a cat that was walking there. And before that even happened, Alden and Aaron noticed that their radio connection was jammed, and then they were surrounded by Whisperers and that is the last we see of them on this episode. The episode ends when Beta and The Whisperers with the very large walker horde are feet away from the hospital door.

Overall, I liked some parts of the episode, and I am split of the parts that did not move the plot forward. I am sad that this is the last episode for now due to COVID19. Easily, the Daryl and Judith conversation is the best storytelling aspect of the episode along with Negan and Lydia, and the gang with The Princess. In fact, that was comic relief and It did not feel forced at all as it blended well in between the scenes. Everything The Princess has done on this episode, really matches her character from the start to the finish. I really cannot wait to see more of her!

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com

Interview: Melissa McBride on Carol’s Showdown With Alpha, Traveling With Norman Reedus, And Working With Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and a Farewell to Danai Gurira

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment
Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier – The Walking Dead _ Season 10 – Photo Credit: Jackson Lee Davis/AMC

We have seen Carol go through a lot of trauma on this season of The Walking Dead and her quest for revenge against Alpha has not only lead Alpha to a satisfying death, but it also lead to Carol making decisions that might affect her in the long run. With Carol questioning herself in her thoughts if she should have killed her in this episode, Melissa McBride breaks down everything between Carol and Alpha during this season of The Walking Dead along with a few more treats for the fans!

First, I would like to say that I have been a fan of your work on The Walking Dead for years. Before we get to The Walking Dead, how have you been doing since the COVID-19 crisis began and what are you doing to keep yourself occupied?

MM: “Thank you Julian! I appreciate the words from you. But I have been putting air in the tires (laughs). There has been online courses available and that’s been kind of fun. I have been also doing a lot of painting, and some things around the house. I have also been checking in on people and making sure everyone is okay.”

The dynamic between Carol and Alpha has been a highlight for the current season since it started. Would you like to break down how you and Samantha Morton develop that dynamic?

MM: “I don’t know if we went out of our way to do anything. I know that we were both looking forward to the time when Alpha and Carol casme face to face, but we did not talk about anything. The whole circumstance of the story created that dynamic and we finally came face to face. And then we came face to face later in the season with her at my feet looking at me (laughs).”

The community of The Walking Dead is divided on whether if Carol deserves the blame on putting everyone in danger this season during her quest to get revenge on Alpha. What is your response to this and do you agree that Carol deserves the blame?

MM: “Well I certainly think she bears responsibility for the way some things went down in her efforts to seek vengeance. I have to say yes, that she should take responsibility for the things that she put everyone else through and she knows it too. When I was watching as a viewer, I felt the same way to be honest!”

This episode marks the first time that you and Jeffrey Dean Morgan worked together in a full length scene. Have you always wanted to work with Jeffrey Dean Morgan since his debut? And also, why did Carol not hold up her end of the bargan yet with the deal she made with Negan?

MM: “I’ve always wanted to and I could not wait to have a scene with him. Although, I was glad that I was not in the scene where Negan was introduced with everybody was on their knees. I was always looking forward to working with him and having a scene with him so curious if and when it would come and what it would be like, and never did I think it would be this storyline. And to answer your other question, she asked him ‘what took him so long’ and everything going through her head, she got what she wanted, but really? Because it came with such a price. And all the things happened while she was trying to get to Alpha. And she had to think about what she wanted to do about that. And he was free and Alpha’s head was on a spike for everyone to see and Carol is now thinking ‘I gotta go, I got stuff to think about’ (Laughs).”

How has Carol impacted you personally over the years?

MM: “She has impacted me in so many ways. And just me even having the opportunity to play the character has been amazing and full of it’s own challenges. But to play this character from the beginning, and I was so hoping that if she remained on the show, that we would see an evolution to strength in which I’m really happy to see. Also, The way that the fans relate to this character and in part to me, has been a source inspiration for them in many ways is probably the greatest feeling. And the different aspects of Carol has been really fun for me to play. It’s been pretty amazing.”

Carol and Alpha had those scenes on this episode where Alpha has been taunting her about Sophia, Henry, and more people from her past. What do you believe was her state of mind at that time from when those hallucinations of Alpha began in the episode, until when she freed herself from the fallen debris?

MM: “I think it really was that all of this was coming to the surface and with her ramblings and rumbling through her subconscious about the damage done. And when the damage is done, it also means the losses that came with it. Alpha said something insteresting too ‘you chose me because I was the one to get it done’ and Carol is thinking ‘what do you mean by getting it done’. I liked the questions that this episode asked and these answers exhibited in Carol’s behavior and her actions even though we don’t necessarily hear the answers. But I think there’s more to explore in that subconscious. And I liked that Carol did eventually decide to go back to Alexandria. But at the end, she fought for her life. Alpha kept saying ‘what did you want’ and Carol wanted to either be alone or not. I still think that there is more that Carol wants.”

Danai’s last episode was the episode before this one and I know that you miss her a lot. What have you learned the most from Danai?

MM: “I’ve learned so much from her. She is such a well-rounded, very compelling, dynamic, multilayered person. She is very funny especially in the morning and she’s such a professional. Danai is also very focused, which I admire a great deal because , I have a very little focus and I am sort of all over the place. But when we shoot, she is very focused on her lines, and her actions in those scenes. She is also very encouraging and a inspiring person especially since there are girls all over the world that look up to her. I love her and I miss her!”

I wanted to bring up Norman Reedus. You and him filmed an episode of Ride With Norman Reedus in Scotland. Did you have fun traveling with him over there?

MM: “I am happy that you asked that! I had so much fun on that episode. That is one of the top of my favorite memories. Another one of those things is that I never thought it would be on a road trip with a Norman in Scotland, or anywhere for that matter. It was very fun and we seen so many things and places that we never seen before. I love spending time with him. He is such an adventurer and fun to be around. We had a lot of good laughs and it was very special to me. There were also people over there that reconized us from The Walking Dead and I was happy to see them as well. I would love to go back one day.”

The news broke last week that the season 10 finale has been delayed to later this year. Without giving too much away, what can we expect from you on the finale?

MM: “It’s going to be a really good finale and we are going to give everyone something really good to look forward to because, I know the finale is amazing. There was a lot of work done on that when we shot it last fall. But it will be something that people will remember and look forward to in the next season as well so I am grateful for the work that we have done. I am also going to binge watch the current season during this unexpected break that we have because I think that this season is amazing and I want to watch it all over again!”

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com

The Walking Dead Season 10, Episode 14 “Look at the Flowers” Recap: Hello Princess!

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment
Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan – The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 14 – Photo Credit: Jackson Lee Davis/AMC

Last week, we seen the final episode Danai Gurira portray Michonne on The Walking Dead. While she made her exit last week, we finally get to see what everyone has been up to on this week’s episode especially since Alpha meet her demise in the hands of Negan. Here is my recap and review of “Look at the Flowers.”

In a flashback, Carol viits Negan in his cell. She talked to him about what he wanted and he said that he wanted a steak, and a beer. Carol offers to free Negan. Negan initinally did not want to take the offer as he told Carol what could happen if he got out. Carol then made a deal with Negan. He kills Alpha, in exchange of Carol letting everyone know that Negan did it so he can be seen in a better light. In the present, Carol puts Alpha’s head on a pike on one of Alpha’s borders. Negan asked her if it is what she wanted and for her to start spreading the word at Alexandria. Carol asked Negan again what took him so long to kill Alpha. Negan explained why it took long as he had to get her trust. Carol then told Negan that she is not returning there yet and told him to wait. Negan then asked her why is she not holding up her end of the bargin, and then Carol told Negan that he is free and that he can do whatever he wants.

Over at the house that the group stayed in, Ezekiel and Jerry had a conversation for a moment, and then Magna arrives to the house as Jerry was surprised to see her. Rosita is in pain and has a burn on her stomach from the battle at Hilltop and Eugene watched over her. Eugene assured Rosita that she needs to see Dr. Alex and Rosita told Eugene that he needs to go see Stephanie. This is where we see that Eugene announced to everyone that he has been in contact with Stephanie over the radio. Everyone reacted in a mixed way as they could not trust her due to what they went through with Dante. Ezekiel said to give Eugene a chance to talk about this before they can judge. Eugene explained who Stephanie was and said that he has to go, and that she is a friend. Yumiko and Magna talked for a few minutes and Yumiko wanted Magna to go. Magna insisted that Yumiko should go instead even though it is a bad time right now. Jerry had his daughter Aliyah over his head as he was walking and Ezekiel told Jerry that he is going because he is sick. Ezekiel also wanted Jerry to make sure that the legacy of The Kingdom to live on. They both then hugged after this.

Ryan Hurst as Beta, Mark Sivertsen – The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 14 – Photo Credit: Jackson Lee Davis/AMC

Beta and two Whisperers are walking towards the border and Beta noticed Alpha’s head on the pike. One of those two Whisperers told Beta that he is the new Alpha. Beta told that Whisperer to take his mask off and to listen to what walker Alpha is saying. Beta then pushed his ear to her mouth and asked him what was she saying. He put it so close to Alpha’s head, that walker Alpha started to bite his ear and then Beta pulled him away as the second Whisperer ran away. Beta then took Alpha’s head off that pike. Negan is going back to the cabin where he placed Lydia and he sees that she is gone. Daryl punched Negan and asked him about the whereabouts of Alpha. Negan told Daryl that he killed Alpha and Daryl did not believe him. Negan then showed Daryl that he is in possession of Alpha’s mask. He also told Daryl that Carol let him out (Also referred to her as Daryl’s girlfriend).

While Carol is by herself, she hears Alpha’s voice. this is more of Carol talking to herself than a hallucination of Alpha. “Ghost” Alpha is here in a sense as a visual aid. Alpha says that she is always watching. Beta and that Whisperer that was bit, was walking in an abandoned town. A walker approaches both of them, and that Whisperer decided to take that walker down. Before he could do so, Beta stabbed that Whisperer through his back. He fell and then the walker devoured him. Beta then entered his secret house and all of his belongings are there including memoribilia of his career as a country singer. He placed Alpha’s head that is in a bag, on the table, and placed the note in his coat. He took a look around his room and looked at his poster for one second and proceeded to smash his guitar over and over again until it is smashed to pieces.

Carol is still walking by herself and hears Alpha in her head taunting her about Henry and Sophia, Negan killing her, and about Carol not accepting what she done. As she kept saying for Alpha to get out of her head, a walker behind a bush tried to grab her, but Carol killed the walker. It affected Carol because she used Lydia’s staff and the position after she killed the walker, was like one of Alpha’s pikes on the border with a head on it. Eugene, Yumiko, and Ezekiel are traveling by their horses and they are near traintracks. Eugene told a story about why those tracks reminded him of his mom and that this trip is the journey for the future of mankind. They even poked fun of chocolate bunnies as well. They all encounter two walkers that are locked up behind cages and then they stopped and investigated the area. Ezekiel struggled to kill the walkers on his own as he was coughing due to his cancer. Negan has his hands tied as Daryl is making him walk infront of him. Negan thinks that Daryl is mad because Carol did not let him know about the plan. Daryl flat out told Negan that children almost died because of the fire arrow attack that he was part of. He then told Negan to keep walking.

Eleanor Matsuura as Yumiko, Khary Payton as Ezekiel, Josh McDermitt as Dr. Eugene Porter – The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 14 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

Beta is still by himself in his crashpad as he is playing his own record and reminnicing about his past. As the music plays, walkers are being attracted towards it as Beta is forming his horde. He even ripped off part of his mask as he watched his horde form. Alpha is still taunting Carol about not wanting to send letters to Maggie about Alpha. Carol was in a shed and climbed the ladder to check what was up there and Alpha yelled which caused Carol to fall and for everything on that large shelf fall on Carol. Back to Negan and Daryl as they are walking to the pike where he said that Alpha’s head was at. Negan finds out that it is not there and Daryl draws his crossbow at Negan as he does not believe him anymore. Whisperers appear at the border and told Negan that he is the new Alpha since she is dead. Negan then went to his old ways as a leader for a moment and told Daryl to get on his knees while also telling one of those Whisperers to hand him over Alpha’s shotgun. Daryl wanted Negan to shoot him right there, but Negan shot one Whisperer, and they both fought off and killed the other two.

While Yumiko and Eugene are sleeping, Ezekiel stays up and is the lookout. suddenly, his horse fell and Ezekiel examined the horse and noticed that his horse is bitten. Ezekiel put down his horse and was sad to do this. Yumiko seen this and Ezekiel told Yumiko to leave him there and for them to go on without him because he is sick. Yumiko told him that is not happening and that they need to find out what’s possible as she said that her and Eugene needs him there. In the morning, Carol is still buried beneath the debris. Alpha teases her about the people she has lost in her life, and the people she will lose from this point on since nobody will help her. A walker is approaching and squeezed through a tight space. Alpha even told Carol to look at the flowers. Carol was not going to listen to anymore of this as she got the strength to get up from the debris, and kill that walker. Elsewhere, Ezekiel, Yumiko, and Eugene are on a bridge as they are looking at a skyline of buildings of a city.

Negan and Daryl was sharing water while they were sitting down. Negan does not think that Lydia is returning and Daryl thinks so too. Negan said that he meant it when he said that he “liked it” when he felt like his old self last night for a second and reflected on his time inside that cell for seven years. He said that it was nice that he felt like he was being respected and that he mattered, but Alpha went too far. Daryl was not interested to listen to this. Negan even tried to brighten the mood, but Daryl walked away. Later, Carol arrives at Alexandria. Daryl opened the gate, they said nothing, and Carol walked inside. Ezekiel, Eugene, and Yumiko are in the city. Ezekiel called for any person that is there. They see walkers, but these walkers were handcuffed and chained down to where they are and acting like people living their lives (It is better to see this scene than to describe it in writing). At one point, Ezekiel laughed at the walker that was handcuffed inside the car steering the wheel. They explore the area and see a skeleton walker with a pink scarf. Then they all look forward, and out of nowhere, “The Princess” makes her on screen debut as she greeted herself to the three of them that looked very puzzled and stunned in shock.

At the end of the episode, Beta reads the note and takes out Alpha’s head from the bag. He says “thank you” to walker Alpha and puts walker Alpha’s head down with his knife. He then walks outside his crashpad and and is seen with his mask fixed on the other side of his face that was missing with Alpha’s skin as he begins to walk with his horde.

Khary Payton as Ezekiel, ,Josh McDermitt as Dr. Eugene Porter Eleanor Matsuura as Yumiko – The Walking Dead _ Season 10, Episode 14 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

This episode is much better than last week’s episode and I love how sudden “The Princess” Juanita Sanchez debut was on the show as it was exactly the same way from Issue #171. I cannot wait to see more of her on the show. Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Norman Reedus are great friends and I was happy to see them have a lenghtly scene on this episode as their chemistry continues to grow. Khary Payton continues to make a believer out of me as he is making me feel sad for Ezekiel each episode he is in ever since he revealed that he has cancer.

Ryan Hurst continues to knock it right out of the park as Beta and it was interesting to see why he wanted to get over who he was in the past. I also believe this episode is the best I have seen Carol with Alpha even though Alpha was practically a ghost in this episode in Carol’s mind. The dynamic between these two was a highlight of this season and it shows that Carol is struggling to accept whether if it was a good choice or a bad choice to kill Carol. Overall, a solid episode and there is a lot of development with the characters on this episode while there was action to blend in with everything!

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com