the walking dead season 9

Interview: Kelley Mack on her Time on The Walking Dead, Growing up With Her Family, and Producing Film.

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

Kelley Mack is known on The Walking Dead as Adeline who was a resident at The Hiltop. Adeline meet her demise back in season 9 as part of Alpha’s pike border victims. But before she was on the hit AMC series, she has directed and produced films such as A Knock at the Door, The Printer, and The Perfect One. She also has won awards for her roles including winning the award for the best leading actress on Simón, at the Madrid International Film Festival, the Student Visionary Award and Best Actress for her role on The Elephant Garden at the Tribeca Film Festival and the First Run Festival. With all of those accomplishments to her name plus more, Kelley Mack’s future is very bright. I recently got the chance to interview Kelley Mack as we go over her time on The Walking Dead and much more on this exclusive interview!

I would like to get to know more about you. What was it like for you to grow up in Ohio and what drew you into acting?

KM: “I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and most of my extended family lives in the Midwest. But I actually moved around a lot because of my dad’s jobs, so I grew up in several different states around the country! I think that upbringing caused me to be really adaptable to new situations and people, which translates really well to acting/constantly playing different characters and always working in different locations/environments. My mom was a theater minor in college, and she was the one who got my brother, sister and I into acting and taking us to auditions. Since I was so young, I didn’t totally understand what was happening, just that it was tons of fun and I got to meet a wide variety of people, which I absolutely loved and still do. Learning about different types of people, cultures, places, etc. (the research) is probably my favorite part of the acting process now.”

After you won your award from Tisch School of the Arts, you decided to step away from acting for a while and started to study film production. Was it because you found another passion, or was it for another reason that you stepped away for a while?

KM: “I think part of it was rebellion against my mom, who really wanted me to pursue acting because she thought I had a talent for it. But I also loved playing with cameras around that time. I was the one with video camera off to the side at family holidays and get togethers, just loving being a fly on the wall and capturing candid moments. So I went on to study film production & cinematography in college, where I realized a passion for cameras and pulling focus, but not so much for lighting. It’s such a challenging, important position on set (like every role), and it just didn’t click with me. I also did several internships at production companies and talent agencies, which by process of elimination, really, revealed to me that acting was my main true passion.”

What were some new things that you had to adjust to when you started producing films compared to acting at the time?

KM: “I started producing and taking my first official acting classes right around the same time, so I was really adjusting to both. Spending hours & hours preparing auditions, coordinating a film from beginning to end as a producer all while being a freelancer jumping from gig to gig to pay the bills. I have produced four shorts mostly so I could have more footage for my acting reel, but I discovered how much I enjoy producing and am quite good at it. Producing is definitely more of a left-brain job, which actually makes sense for me since I’m kind of type A. I love filling out paperwork, scheduling, spreadsheets, the whole thing… haha. So in that regard, it’s different from acting, which is way less concrete and of course doesn’t deal as much (at least in auditioning) with all the other areas of production. I’m still adjusting to both & learning every day, which is my favorite!”

How did you get your role as Adeline (Addy) on The Walking Dead?

Jackson Pace as Gage, Joe Ando-Hirsh as Rodney, Kelly Mack as Addy – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 8 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

KM: “My agent sent me a self tape audition email, I read for a character different than Addy, and then didn’t hear anything for a few weeks. I then got another self tape request, with the same lines, but the character description was a bit different. So I re-taped the same scene with the differences in mind (Addy was described as a bit more bookish and good-hearted than the previous character), then sent it in. My agent called me about a week later on a Monday morning saying that I was the pick for the role, then they asked for my demo reel, which we immediately sent over to the TWD team. A few hours later, they said I was booked and to fly to Atlanta for my fitting the very next day – which happened to be my birthday!”

What are some of your favorite memories being at The Hilltop and did you see any of the other communities during your time on the show?

KM: “The clearest memory is when Jackson Pace and I were driven to Hilltop for the first time – the crops leading up to the big fence and smelling all the food cooking and hearing all the animals – it just felt like woah, I’m home! It was really cool – such a spectacular set. I also of course loved my scenes with Norman Reedus – he’s a cool guy, and so kind. And other than working with people from the Kingdom and the Whisperer communities, we (Jackson, Joe Andi-Hirsh and I) also shot a short scene with the Highwaymen. Our shots when the Hilltop community meets them on the road were cut but it was really cool working with them & the horses that episode.”

You have any stories working with Alanna Masterson and Matt Lintz?

KM: “I don’t really have any crazy stories, but if I had to describe Alanna in a few words, I’d say she’s a chill badass. Matt is really sweet and kinda quiet & shy. He is in a family of actors, and because he was a minor, his parents were closeby on set most of the time. It was cool getting to know them more and seeing their unconditional support of him and his siblings’ careers.”

When did you know that Addy was going to be one of Alpha’s pike victims?

KM: “I found out via a phone call from one of the SFX makeup people while I was on set filming episode 913. It was pretty last minute! I was only supposed to be in 2 episodes originally, so I was grateful to have been able to work on five of them and hadn’t anticipated that I’d stay on the show for too long.”

How did you prepare for the scene at the barn where the tragedy took place over there?

KM: “I just did my normal script work preparation for the scene emotionally, and the stunt choreography all just happened right before we shot it, so there was nothing to really prepare in that regard. I mostly prepped myself for shooting my last episode of the show! The barn scene was actually the very last scene I shot and wrap was really emotional. Even though it was FREEZING that night, everyone waited until the very end of all the coverage so that all the characters killed off could say their goodbyes in a big circle; some people who have been involved in the show for a long time gave speeches… it was really intense and so sad!”

I have spoken to Avi Nash (Siddiq) recently about having Dante forcing Siddiq to watch his friends getting killed by Alpha. How did it feel for you when you seen that play out on television this season?

KM: “Well it was heartbreaking, of course! I get completely wrapped up in character stories, and when one is killed off in such a brutal and unimaginable way, it hits you. And also, from an acting perspective, the actors I admire & respect are truly feeling the emotions the character is going through on screen (in one way or another), so seeing someone experience loss, pain, etc. really reveals parts of that actor as a human-being. And that’s just so touching to be let into that person’s psyche a little bit and be able to connect with them on an emotional level, even if it’s via a television screen.”

Another film you have been part of is Profile and being that I am into the horror genre of that movie type (Other examples such as The Den, Unfriended, etc), I am intrigued to see it. Do you know when it will be available here in the United States?

KM: “I actually don’t! I know it has done quite well overseas in various festivals, but I haven’t even seen it myself yet!”

What are your upcoming projects that you would like to share?

KM: “I recently shot a film in Chicago called Broadcast Signal Intrusion, with Harry Shum Jr. and Chris Sullivan. I was hooked on the story and my character from the moment I got the audition. It could be described as a technological conspiracy thriller, and was inspired by actual broadcast signal hijackings in 1980s Chicago (the Max Headroom Incidents), which were never solved by the FBI. My character Alice is kind of a lost soul on a string of terrible luck, all while being a total street-smart badass. It was a super fun & challenging character to play, and I’m excited for the movie to come out, probably in late 2020!”

What are some of your hobbies that you enjoy outside of acting and producing film?

KM: “I played tennis competitively from age 8 through college, and now, I enjoy playing for fun when I can find someone to hit with. I also play piano and have a keyboard in my bedroom. I mostly play 90’s pop ballads and classical music haha, with some movie scores mixed in there. And of course reading, watching tv & movies, and I love hiking!”

What are some goals that you would like to accomplish within the next few years?

KM: “I would love to be part of producing a feature in the next few years. I’ve produced several shorts, but want to find the right script that I’m passionate about to make the jump to full-length film. Also, personally, I have a pretty long bucket list, so I’m planning to cross more of those off – hopefully several of the ones that involve traveling!”

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The Walking Dead Season 9, Episode 14 “Scars” Review

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The last time I could say “that was extremely dark” on a video game was when I heard the torture cassette tapes of Paz on Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Around that same time, We got one of the darkest episodes to have ever premiered on The Walking Dead and that was “The Grove”. I questioned if an episode could get to that level again and that was the season 7 premiere (Still one of my favorite episodes of all time). But now, I think that the newest episode just surpassed that in tone, theme, setting, and storytelling. Here is my review of “scars”.

This episodes jumps back and forth with the current time, and to a few years ago while Michonne was pregnant with Rick Grime’s baby. I will break down the flashbacks first. A woman who was close friends with Michonne from before the apocalypse was injured during an attack and she had a group of children that she has adopted. She showed up at Alexandria and can I say that pregnant Michonne is still a badass? She told her story to Michonne wanted to take them all in to live at Alexandria.

I could not blame her at all since Rick is gone, she has pretty much nobody. We also did get a good monologue with a scene of Michonne finding Rick’s gun from where the bridge exploded as well in the beginning of the episode in one of the flashbacks. Going back to the flashbacks, It turns out Jocelyn trained those kids to fight and murder people. Jocelyn eventually turns on Michonne and gathers all of the children (including younger Judith) and steals everything from the infirmary. When Michonne and Daryl finds this out, they both go after her but they are both captured. One of the kids proceeds to brand the “X” marks on their backs and she even brainwashed the kids to go after anyone with that mark (which is what I believe happened to the adults that used to be with her). You can see the pain in Michonne’s eyes and hear her scream loud while she was branded since she was also pregnant. Daryl gets loose without her noticing and frees Michonne before anything worse could happen and they begin searching for Judith. After Michonne kills Jocelyn after Jocelyn tried to kill her (including when her pregnant stomach was slashed), Michonne had no other choice but to kill most of the other children to save Judith so that way they can go.

In the present day, Judith and Daryl talk about the stories that the group went through to defeat Negan and The Saviors and Judith believe that they can do the same thing to The Whisperers. Judith also wants Daryl to stay at Alexandria again, but he refuses. Siddiq patches up Henry’s leg when they arrived there and after that, Daryl, Connie, Lydia and Henry leaves. I would also like to point out that Michonne still does not trust Lydia.

Elsewhere, Judith goes off somewhere to find Daryl after they leave and Michonne even asks Negan if he had seeen her and Negan told her not since yesterday. They also got into a small heated argument and Negan had to remind her that she is a mom and Judith was not someone that would take things lightly just like her. While they were clearing walkers, Michonne finds Judith in the woods and saves her from approaching walkers. They also have a heart to heart after the encounter as they talked about what she remembers and how much they love eachother. Michonne also talked to her about making a promise to never bury any bodies at the spot they were standing at and gives the reason to why they never accept new members into Alexandria. Michonne wants to protect everyone that is there as her and Judith held hands as they walked away from Carl’s grave. Michonne eventually caught up with Daryl and the rest as they head to The Kingdom since the fair is under way. The last scene of the episode shows us that The Whisperers has found The Kingdom.

This episode I have a feeling will spark controversy in a bad way, but it is what The Walking Dead needed in a very long time. A dark and gritty episode that will put shivers to our spine. Now we have a reason to those “X” marks, but it also leaves us with more questions. What caused the rift between Michonne and Maggie? My theory is that Maggie found out that she murdered kids but could not do it to Negan. But her anger has been justified since it has been building up since episode 6. Seeing Michonne branded while she was pregnant made me almost close my eyes because that scene was sickening but not as sickening of her killing the kids that attacked her. I also think that brainwashing kids to kill people that are branded is compared to training combat dogs but I will not go further than that. As of the episode itself, It is one where you would not watch with your kids at all and It is a good episode you have to watch if you are curious to know why Michonne is the way that she is.

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The Walking Dead Season 9, Episode 13 “Chokepoint” Review

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The Walking Dead this week has a boat load of action along with the debut of a new group that has not been seen in the comics that is exclusive to the show. With the fair beginning to take place, there is a road block that comes in the way. Here is my review for the newest episode titled “Chokepoint”.

At the end of the last episode, we seen Daryl and Connie rescue Henry and Lydia from The Whisperer camp. This episode continues the escape and Henry notices that they were not going the same direction to The Hilltop as he thought. Can I mention how resourceful Connie has been ever since her introduction? Anyways, Daryl told all of them that there is no way they should return to Hilltop because Alpha will return there to kill everyone now since that deal went sour. Daryl also kept giving reasons to why Lydia cannot come with them but Henry told him that they will go alone. After arguing about it for more minutes, Daryl had no choice but to follow Connie to the old building that Magna used as a hideout. Daryl also takes advantage of the building to see a Whisperer and walker herd from above. Lydia did however told Daryl about Beta but we will get to that soon.

Remember that red symbol that was shown a few episodes ago? Well, I initially thought that it was The Whisperers marking their territory but I was wrong. It turns out that it is a new group that is called “The Highwaymen” and they act as extortion pirates that is similar to The Saviors. They are lead by a man called Ozzy and they steal people’s belongings as a toll in order for people to pass the road. Ezekiel and Carol were talking about this when they read the letter. The Highwaymen demand items from Ezekiel, Carol, and Jerry and they refused and they told them that they have nothing to offer. A little more back and forth of words along with Ozzy and the rest point guns at then and then The Kingdom made a deal with them so that they can hire Ozzy and his men to watch the roads while the fair is going on in exchange for The Highwaymen to attend the fair. I found this scene creepy from the way Ozzy and his men stood in the darkened area with other cardboard cutouts of humans before they came to the light. Carol even asks Ozzy when was the last time they seen a movie.

While Tara and others such as Magna, Yumiko, Earl and others are on the road, they encounter a number of walkers and during the scuffle, Earl was close to being bitten which also gave me a jump scare. The Highwaymen also rescue them and escorts them to the fair. It also seems like Tara is going to tell Carol about The Whisperers as well.

The fight between Daryl and Beta that everyone was looking forward to finally happens here during the last half of the episode and Beta, who is tall and intimidating, throws Daryl around like he is a pillow. Daryl even tries to stab Beta with a knife but he realizes that Beta has armor under his clothes so that did not help. That also caught me off guard too. There were times that Daryl tried to sneak attack Beta and that did not work until the end of the fight where Daryl jumps on Beta from behind and pushes him down a elevator shaft. There were also Whisperers that was also killed by Daryl, Connie, and Henry during the time that they hid Lydia and the dog in a closet. Henry was also stabbed during this fight as well. The episode ends with Beta waking up from the hard fall.

This episode picked up the pace from last week’s episode and everything is starting to come full circle. The Daryl and Beta fight took up the majority of the episode and I love it. The Highwaymen i am curious about if they encountered The Whisperers before or other groups during the 6 year time skip. Speaking of that, the next episode will reveal how Daryl and Michonne got those “X” marks on their back and I am looking forward to it!

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The Walking Dead Season 9, Episode 11 “Bounty” Review

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There are a few words that I can sum up Alpha and that is “creepy as s***” when she arrived to The Hilltop on last week’s episode. This week, the story of that continued along with a little buildup to what divided the communities during the six year time skip. Now it is time to give my thoughts of the newest episode of The Walking Dead titled “Bounty”.

Samantha Morton as Alpha – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

The episode begins with a flashback during the six year time skip of Carol, Ezekiel, Tara, and Jesus (I still miss him so it was great to see him again) as the first two were waiting for Jesus and Tara to arrive as both Carol and Ezekiel were clearing a path of walkers. When they arrive, Tara gives Ezekiel a document that she says that she has stolen from Michonne’s house since she claims that it was gathering dust. Tara also says that she has stolen medication from there as well and that she will never return to Alexandria ever again. For those few minutes, it makes me question more to what happened within those six years between the communities and how did both Daryl and Michonne got those “X” scars on their backs.

Khary Payton as Ezekiel, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 13 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC

Kingdom soldier Jerry also announces that he and Nabila are having a child. The kid must be a few years old by this point but either way, it is good to know that there are more babies part of the group now (more one this in a few more paragraphs). In the current time, The Kingdom is planning to unite the communities once again with a fair and Ezekiel and co. are scavenging for a movie projector bulb so that way, they can show movies to everyone at the fair. I will have to say this, as Carol and the others were shooting arrows at the walkers at the abandoned movie theater, there was music being played as this happened and it sounded like it came out of the mid 1980’s. Great action sequence though and the chemistry between Ezekiel and Carol grows each episode. Even the minor characters got to shine on this episode as well.

Back at The Hilltop, Alpha demands to everyone to bring her daughter back and she reveals that she has captured Luke and Alden. Every time a hostage situation happens on The Walking Dead, someone dies. But this time, that did not happen. Alpha exchanges both of them for Lydia. But before that happened, Henry tried to hide Lydia from everyone to prevent the exchange to happen but Daryl and the rest found him in that shack that we have seen on episode 8 of this season. Lydia did not want to go, but she had to since she thinks that her mom will kill Luke and Alden. Lydia kissed Henry before she left and when Lydia says “mom” to Alpha, Alpha slapped Lydia so hard across the face that you would think that she stolen the cookies from the cookie jar. Alpha was disgusted and tells Lydia to address her as “Alpha”.

Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Samantha Morton as Alpha – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

As walkers were showing up, Alpha demands another Whisperer to leave her baby on the ground as the baby was crying. Alpha wants the walkers to devour the baby and the whisperer left her baby on the ground. The walkers were close to eating the baby until Connie, Daryl, and the others come to the rescue to rescue both the baby, and Connie. Thank god that they rescued the baby. Earl and his wife Tammy adopted the baby and that is another baby that will be at The Hilltop (remember the other baby Rick Grimes saved at the Savior outpost back in season 8, he is still there at The Hilltop as a kid now as well.

Henry decides to go after Lydia without anyone’s permission and Daryl with his dog and Connie notices this as they now go after Henry as the episode ends.

Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Khary Payton as Ezekiel, Cooper Andrews as Jerry – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

This episode showcased how messed up Alpha is as a person and as a leader and she is far more feared than what we imagined. Most of the hostage situation along with Henry going after Lydia is directly adapted from the comic series as well so I was happy to see that. The Carol and Ezekiel subplot is actually better than what I expected as those two continue to shine in their scenes. Good episode overall as the plot is moving forward to that infamous fair that we got in the comic series.

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The Walking Dead Season 9, Episode 9 “Adaptation” Review

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After a very long three month break that felt like forever, The Walking Dead is back on television on Sunday nights. With the new threat of The Whisperers along with Negan out of his cell, what can possibly happen? The beginning of the second half of the ninth season sets up all of those questions along with how the group will come together after the death of Jesus. The next challenge of our characters is only under walker skins and they are not as easy to take out as it seems.

The episode continues from the cliffhanger of the last episode as Michonne, Yumiko, Daryl, Aaron, and Magna kills the remaining Whisperers at the graveyard. They did not have enough time to grieve about Jesus at the time, but they will once they bury his body at The Hilltop. On their way back, they encountered a mix of walkers and Whisperers on a bridge and this time to make sure tell which is the difference, Daryl shoots the herd one by one with the crossbow bolts at the legs as a number of them stumbled over and fell as some of the walkers devoured them. One of them raises their arms up and surrenders as the group unmasked the Whisperer. Here, we find out that it is Lydia (played by Ozark’s Cassady McClincy). Michonne and Daryl takes her back to The Hilltop and interrogates her about The Whisperers but she just lies to them during the conversation. I would also like to note that I liked the interaction between Michonne and Daryl on their way back as they both talked about Rick Grimes. Daryl locks Lydia in her cell and Daryl noticed that Henry has his attention to her so Daryl decides to listen to their conversation from the window outside the cell.

Negan escaped his cell on the mid season finale and he is walking around Alexandria Safe Zone to see how much it has changed since he has been in the cell. This goes on for a few minutes until he begins climbing over the wall. As he does this, Judith encounters Negan and tries to stop him. But Negan told her a story about how Rick and Michonne told him that he would serve a purpose for the future (The conversation they had at the season 8 finale). He also told Judith that he promises to never hurt anyone again. Judith believes him and she lets him free. There was also another funny scene where Judith says to him “Language, i’m a kid asshole” after Negan cursed up a storm after falling off the motorcycle. Negan does go back to The Sanctuary but to only find out that it is abandoned everywhere besides a few walkers. He noticed that one of the walkers were one of his former lieutenants before he killed him along with a few other walkers. He also went back to Alexandria with Judith after his trip back to The Sanctuary.

Rosita finds out that she is pregnant and you would think that Gabriel is the father right? Nope. It is Siddiq as they both were a couple in secret before she started dating Gabriel. Eugene as nosy as he is, overhears this and it makes me wonder if he will spill the beans to Gabriel.

The episode ends with a similar scene on issue #132 of the comic series as Alden and Luke were captured by Alpha and The Whisperers. The looks on their faces of seeing and hearing The Whisperers were priceless.

Great episode in my opinion and although we did not get an answer to the mysterious X scars on Michonne and Daryl’s back, I have a feeling that we will get that resolved within the next few episodes. Who else is ready to see Alpha in action? I would also recommend watching 908 and 909 back to back as the transition from one episode to the next is very seamless.

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THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 9, EPISODE 8 “EVOLUTION” REVIEW

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The final episode of the first half of the ninth season of The Walking Dead ends with a shocking surprise along with a shocking death as well. The episode is a reminder that The Walking Dead is a horror show and for the first time since Negan gave Glenn and Abraham their brutal deaths, the horror of the show has been set in tone as we finally got the brutal attack by The Whisperers. There were also great moments during the episode as well that involved Carol, Megan, and Michonne. Now it is time for me to give my thoughts about the newest episode as The Walking Dead will not return for a few months after this episode.

Over at Alexandria, Father Gabriel has been given the role of taking control of Alexandria after the others leave to look for Eugene. He visits Negan in the cell twice as the first time, Negan kept bouncing a ball off the wall while he talks to Gabriel about Rosita and again later that day as Negan taunts Gabriel. Gabriel wants no part of taking Negan’s humor so he tells him for once in his life to shut up. Negan asks what is going on as Gabriel tells him that he should be out there helping Rosita but he is there with him right now. As they finish talking, Gabriel leaves but the guard that was with Gabriel forgot to lock the cell and Negan escapes later that night when he noticed the door was not locked after his ball went through the cell! I did not think that he would escape this early, but I am glad that he is out now.

Henry has taken Carl’s role from the comic as he wants to learn about crafting weapons. He later meets Endid, Alden, Gage, Addy, and Rodney during dinner. Henry along with Gage, Addy, and Rodney decided to drink alcohol later that night and when Henry notices that Rodney and Gage were toying with a walker that was under some wood, Henry decides to put it down but he is stuck at the pit the walker was in. Henry ended up at the cell in The Hilltop as Earl told him that he will be there for two days for him to think about his actions. Earl also told him that he will speak to Jesus about releasing him early.

Also at Hilltop, Michonne brings Magna and her group there and there is still disdain between her and Tara over the years (which has not been explained why yet, but we will find out) as Tara does not want anything to do with the group, but she does say that Jesus and her will talk about it. Tara also updates Michonne about the status of Eugene and Rosita as Michonne was not aware about what happened to them. As Michonne and Siddiq were seeing Rosita, Siddiq apologizes to Michonne to not letting her know about Maggie and then Rosita wakes up to tell them both that she knows where Eugene is.

Thanks to Daryl’s dog, Eugene has been found at the barn as Eugene thinks that the herd from two episodes ago is looking for him since he said that he heard them circling around a few times. Eugene also mentions that it was not a normal herd at all. Daryl tried to divert the herd by using an alarm earlier that day, and firecrackers at night and even his dog tried as well but that did not work as The Whisperers were directing them. When Michonne, Magna, and Yumiko finally show up at the haunted looking graveyard, the action begins as they help clear the herd. Jesus even showed off his badass looking ninja skills to take down some of the zombies. As Jesus was clearing the herd in the graveyard that was trying too get through the gate, he is viciously and shockingly stabbed to death by a Whisperer which caught him off guard. After Jesus was killed, everyone kills some of the other Whisperers that were approaching them and then goes examine one of the walkers that they killed and they realize that it was a person wearing zombie skin as the group looked in horror. Following this, The Whisperers and the heard circle back around the group as they whisper more words as the episode ends.

This was an amazing episode as the horror and the atmosphere was jumped up more than a hundred times. The surprise attack of The Whisperers was very well done and it was also creepy to see it play out on screen. I also loved that they used the graveyard for that scene because the fog added the terror of what was not coming. With Negan now out, Ezekiel planning the fair, the threat of The Whisperers, and situation with Henry, We are ready for a jam packed second half once it returns in a few months. We also did not get Alpha in this episode, but I have a feeling that she along with Beta will appear within the first few episodes of the second half. The first half of Season 9 has been refreshing and even with Rick Grimes’ exit, the show is still strong while he is not there. What will come in the second half, we will have to see.

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The Walking Dead Season 9, Episode 7 “Stradivarius” Review

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After last week’s shocking ending of the episode with the debut of The Whisperers as Eugene and Rosita were hiding from them, This week, we have a character driven episode as we witness more of Magna and her group, Daryl and Carol and much more. The Walking Dead usually does great with their character driven episodes and it was no stranger that this one is a very good one which sets up the mid season finale on next week’s episode. But now, it is time to give my thoughts about the seventh episode of the ninth season of The Walking Dead.

Rosita was running in the woods as she was escaping The Whisperers but we do not see Eugene with her. She hears whispers from different directions during this as she was horrified from realizing that the dead were talking. She passes out and while this was going on, Aaron and Jesus found her after they see that a flare was fired. Aaron and Jesus were also trainning as well and it is finally great again to see Jesus acts like his comic counterpart as far as action goes. Rosita mentioned to them that she left Eugene in a barn for him to be safe and for her to alert the rest for help.

At The Hilltop, we find out that Jesus is now the leader, but he seems to not liking the responsibility of leading a community since he was a scouter. He is a leader by name, but Tara is running the place and it is about time that Tara had a better position from what she was in the last few seasons. You would most likely ask yourself “where is Maggie?” Well that question has been revealed as Siddiq revealed to Michonne that Maggie went with Georgie from Season 8 to build another community. This explains the “open ended” way to have her return in a future season. But I wish that she got a better sendoff.

Carol and Henry visit Daryl as he has stayed there for six years. He was originally looking for Rick’s body, but he got used to the area so he just stood there. That is Daryl being Daryl everyone. Carol wants Daryl to help her take Henry to The Hilltop so he can learn how to craft weapons as a blacksmith. Daryl also has a dog now that helps him build traps for incoming walkers. There was also a scene with the dog being trapped in one of the traps as the walkers were about to eat him alive. Daryl tried to save him, but Henry winds up saving them both. As a dog owner myself, I was on the edge of my seat hoping that the dog would not die in that scene. Another thing I liked about Carol and Daryl’s interaction is that these two has had chemistry going back to season 3 and it finally was displayed here once again. Carol also gives Daryl a much needed haircut and I bet that the fans wanted that for the last 5 seasons.

Michonne changed her mind of taking Magna and her group to The Hilltop and decided to do it but once a few scouts from Hilltop notify Michonne that Rosita needs care, she goes.  She still does not trust her after the introduction meeting with the counsel on last week’s episode as Michonne was very suspicious of Magna. When they went back to the area where Judith found them, they discover that everyone else at the camp is dead so they spent a night at an old building until the next morning. Michonne notices that the walker herd is the same one from when Magna’s group were introduced. Magna and her group did not want to put down Bernie since he turned so Michonne did it. It has been a long time since we had a scene like this. Michonne and Magna’s conversation is also very good as the writers of the show did not hesitate to make Magna and her group big parts of the show.

Based on the information Rosita gave to Daryl, Aaron, and Jesus, the three of them go out to look for Eugene and this is where the episode ends.

This episode is worth watching as it is building up to the impending doom of the danger of The Whisperers (especially since the next episode is called Evolution) so how the rest of the group will react to them will be something to look forward to. Daryl and Carol’s scenes were my favorite parts of the episode along with his new dog and once again, it is great that Tara is not taking a backseat anymore. Even Enid is now the new doctor of The Hilltop and I believe the reason for that is the way she saved Aaron when he got his arm injury. This season continues to grow stronger each week.

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The Walking Dead is on AMC Network every Sunday at 9:00 PM EST.

The Walking Dead Season 9, Episode 6 “Who Are You Now?” Review

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Six long years has passed since the disappearance of Rick Grimes as the rest of the characters are moving on. But some of them are still grieving in different ways that I have never thought of. Rick has been the one person to lead the right way for the last few years and it struck me even more when I did not see Andrew Lincoln’s name on the opening opening sequence and we will have to get used to that every week from this point forward. With the end of last week’s episode when we got introduced to Magna’s group and a 10 year old Judith Grimes, it is time to dive deep in “Who Are You Now?”

Michonne visits the area where her and everyone else last seen Rick Grimes as they still think that he is dead. She has a great monologue about how they are pushing forward for the last few years. We are also shown Daryl as he is fishing and living by himself in the woods. Also to add, Carol and Ezekiel are full fledged married and she even has longer hair now. When Michonne leaves the area, she sees the bridge as we found out that it was never rebuilt since the explosion. Michonne is also the new leader of Alexandria as she has toughened up to not let any new survivors in at all. But that will soon change.

Carol has also changed in the last six years as she is much more bold and stronger now than ever and I believe that is what love does for you. She takes Henry (who is now a teenager) to the Hilltop so that he can learn how to craft items as a blacksmith. During the trip, they run into a few Saviors and who would have think that they were still the bad guys six years later. I also wished that there was an explanation on the fallout of the riot before the time jump but that might happen in a few more episodes. Regina and Jed of The Saviors has robbed Carol and Henry and they also took Carol’s wedding ring and Henry was shocked to see that Carol just let them do that. She later tracks down the Savior that took her ring and burned him and the rest alive. That was pretty dark and it reminded me of when Carol burned those Saviors alive way back in Season 6.

There were also scenes of Rosita and Gabriel as Gabriel wants to try to communicate with other survivors via the radio. This was an interesting twist from the comics since Eugene is the one to do that in the comics. When they realize that the signal is very weak, Rosita and Eugene heads to the water tower to place an amplifier to boost the signal. But the trip back will have a shocking discovery with them but more on that towards the end of my review. Also, can we have Gabesita trending because Gabriel and Rosita are now a couple.

Judith Grimes brings Magna and the rest of her group to Alexandria as she also pleads with Michonne to let them stay. Gabriel and the counsel which includes Aaron, Michonne, and others also interviewed all of them and asked them questions about what they were doing before the apocalypse and who they are as a person now. This scene mirrored the one in the comics as Rick Grimes was the one to ask them the questions. Michonne does not fully trust Magna since she lied about her background as she notices a prison tattoo and a knife in her belt (can I also note that Magna has a knife everywhere she goes because she had a few more after this scene). Michonne wants to take them all to the Hilltop. We also find out that Michonne has a son so this must mean that she was pregnant before the time jump. Imagine if Rick comes back from wherever the helicopter took him to find out that he has another son?

We get a nice scene with Negan helping Judith with her homework and he is still in the cell. Negan tried to play a mind game on her to reveal who the new people are but Judith was smart enough to know to not buy into his tricks at all. I would like to see more scenes with these two.

 

The episode ends as Eugene and Rosita tries to camouflage themselves from a zombie herd. But the shocker is straight out of issue #130 of the comics as some of the “zombies” were whispering asking where were the two that they just seen. Eugene and Rosita were shocked to hear this as this is the first appearance of The Whisperers!

This episode moved up the pace from last week’s episode but there are two questions that rings into my head. What was the fallout of that camp riot with The Saviors and where is Maggie and how will her disappearance be explained for the rest of the season? Other than those two questions, this was a great episode that not only dealt with the emotions of the three characters that were tied to Rick Grimes the most, but it gives us more exciting story lines to look forward to especially now since The Whisperers are now here. There are two more episodes left for the first half of Season 9 and we are just getting started.

The Walking Dead premieres live every Sunday at 9pm EST on AMC Network

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The Walking Dead Season 9, Episode 4 “The Obliged” Review

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There’s no denying The Walking Dead is enjoying a resurgence this season. The Obliged was another fantastic episode.

Michonne was heavily featured tonight as we see her life in Alexandria running everything in Rick’s absence. Michonne is doing a little of everything from settling gardening disputes, playing with Judith, and tending to the sick. And when she’s suffering from some sleepless nights, it’s time to go kill some walkers.

That led to an interesting scene as Michonne spots a black walker hanging from a tree. Now Michonne has a new problem — Negan won’t eat. He’s on a hunger strike as he wants a conversation. He chats Michonne up about his wife dying from cancer, their desire to have a child like Carl and ultimately how her death helped to not make him weak.

Humble Negan is a far more interesting character this season. Season 8 Negan never had to resort to mind games like this strike to learn Lucille’s location. Negan tried to find some common ground with his dead wife and Michonne’s dead children, but Michonne wasn’t biting. Still, Michonne’s growing unease whenever she sees a bat is telling.

There really wasn’t enough time to spend on Gabriel and Anne this week and their subplot felt very under served. Anne seemed to consider giving Gabriel the old tie ’em down and let a walker devour them trick she pulled on Negan, but had a change of heart. She knocked him out just long enough to roll out. Gabriel broke down presumably at the thought of no more sweet, sweet junker loving.

While last week made it appear as if Maggie and Daryl were heading to kill Negan immediately, she went back to Hilltop to get supplies while Daryl returned to the camp. But now it’s payback time.

Jesus seems torn on his loyalty. He accuses Rick of making a bad call in keeping Negan alive, yet sends a warning to Rick that Maggie is headed to Alexandria. Pick a side dude!

Rick’s got enough problems as Eugene tells him the bridge is a wash. A new storm is coming to basically wipe it out. I’m wondering if the plan is to give Rick a death like Madison from Fear the Walking Dead where he gets washed away, but with no body there’s some chance he’s still alive. That would give Judith a reason to stay with everyone at least.

The only problem with Rick’s pending departure is it’s placing the burden of his focal storyline — that the Saviors can be redeemed — onto other characters. Carol basically told Rick she wasn’t interested in being the Saviors’ keeper any longer and they were going to have to fend for themselves. These conversations are really starting to feel like goodbyes for Rick. He left both Carol and Eugene with a comforting pep talk and encouragement.

Upon learning the news of Maggie’s march, Rick sets out for Alexandria, but Daryl offers him a ride. Rick quickly realizes something is up when Daryl misses the turn. They get into a tussle and fall into a conveniently placed cliff. Hard not to agree with Rick and wonder if Daryl set it up.

One huge improvement this season has been the writing and this pit conversation was a highlight of the night. Daryl called Rick out for not avenging Glenn, but saying he wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for him. Rick countered reminding Daryl that he spared Dwight, but Daryl dropped the Oceanside bombshell.

Rick explains that if Negan dies, he becomes a martyr and all those people will have died for nothing. Daryl says Rick doesn’t have enough faith in their crew and that he’s chasing something for Carl that isn’t meant to be. Daryl has a point. The strength of the writing is that neither guy comes off like an idiot and they both have viable points. However, we got the first live F-bomb on The Walking Dead and it came out of nowhere!

They don’t fully hash things out before another fracas breaks out at the camp. Jed and the Saviors have somehow figured out Oceanside killed their crew. That’s some impressive powers of deduction. Carol’s Kingdom troops get ready for a brawl and enough shots ring out to attract one of the two nearby walker hordes. This is not good news.

But for those of us who love creative walker death traps, The Obliged delivered again. Rick and Daryl trying to climb out of the pit while walkers slide down was pretty ingenious. The walkers always come off so much more dangerous when they’re a menacing obstacle capable of wrecking any great plan with their overwhelming numbers. Rick pulls Daryl up after telling his ‘brother’ to take his hand. I don’t know about y’all, but I’m going to miss the Rick and Daryl brotherhood immensely the rest of the series.

With the horde closing in, Rick spots a horse and uses it to lead the horde away from the camp. Daryl thinks now is the time to blow up the bridge, but Rick isn’t having it. Daryl seems to understand Rick’s grand purpose for the bridge, which is still escaping me.

In a nice callback to the first episode, Rick’s horse gets spooked by the walkers and he gets thrown off onto a cement block. Maybe he avoided a broken neck, but he’s impaled. As both hordes slowly converge, this definitely looks like the last stand for Rick Grimes.

The Obliged set up a strong Michonne/Negan conflict, let Rick and Daryl reaffirm their brotherhood and set the final steps in motion for Rick’s death/departure resulting in another strong episode.

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The Walking Dead Season 9, Episode 3 “Warning Signs” Review

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This week they did well and the series surprises us with a good episode. Warning Signs contains surprises, action, dead people who walk and above all, a great script and a fantastic ending.

The idea of ​​ending the episode with those who would, logically, Rick’s successors, have been brilliant. We have already seen the alarm signals of the rebellion, we know that the great schism is coming on us and for some reason, the enemies that were friends before are much more afraid than The Governor and Negan together.

There were warning signs on the ground, yes, also some signs marking things … but the sign that gives name to the episode are not the physical signs, but the clear sign that Rick’s reign is about to collapse and that they will be his best friends who stab him in the back in the not too distant future. And this, that the good friends, the family, that we had as protagonist is divided and conspire against the other part is a marvel. We saw coming that this would happen, but even without the surprise it is delicious to taste it.

It has not been suddenly, for once they have done well, they have been gradual and motivated. We know Rick’s reasons, we understand Maggie’s discontent. When she looks at her son she remembers Glenn, we remember the pizza boy every time we see Maggie, or Rick … or anyone. When Rick looks at the saviors, think about the future Carl wanted. The spectators also loved Carl and sympathized with his optimism and hope. We can empathize with both factions. The writers have not taken shortcuts this time, they have simmering discontent. Rick has forced the survivors to live with the murderers of their loved ones and this could not go well, we all knew that it can not go well. The story has been shaping up to the point where most of the viewers understand the women of OceanSide and the decision of Maggie and Daryl to look the other way.

For a moment I feared that Maggie and Daryl will avoid the execution of Arat, which would not only have been inconsistent with the feelings of these two characters, but also a trash scene instead of the magnificent sequence we have seen. Maybe that’s why I’m so satisfied with this episode, because seeing how two of “the good guys” look the other way before a few murders and position themselves with those who break the rules has been great. Especially if this is the little push they needed to become mutineers.

I think Daryl has been keeping his position clear from the first moment, his relationship with Rick is already quite deteriorated and the three episodes this season have enhanced that feeling. However, Maggie did not have everything so clear: Michonne convinces her to share her food with the saviors, Gregory motivates her to take the revenge she needed, but La Viuda did not finish having her position clear. In this episode he confesses to Daryl that he would like to look to the future as Rick does;then he feels guilty for encouraging the women of Oceanside to take justice into his own hand … although finally, when he discovers what Arat did, he understands that the saviors do not deserve to be forgiven either by the death of Bea’s husband or brother of Cyndie, or of all the innocent men and women murdered so that the Mafia clan of Simon commanded by Negan would benefit.

For the rest: Rick and Michonne want to have a child, which would be interesting for both … but it’s hard to believe that they happily choose to increase the family when they live in such complicated circumstances and when both have lost their children because of the walkers. The intervention of Zach MacGowan has been shorter than expected, but at least it has served as a spark that ignites one of the most exciting plots of the series … or so it seems. As a subplot, the story of Jadis brings much more than meets the eye and we are about to discover who are the A subjects and who the B and what the helicopter types want them for. I made a theory about it right here.

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