The Walking Dead 6.4 "He's Not Here" (spoiler alert)

[NewJeffCT]

A new face and setting are introduced. With all that's gone on in the apocalypse, can people be trusted?

This is a 90 minute episode featuring Morgan's journey from "Clear" in season 3 to his coming to Alexandria.

[hlthe2b]

1. If it focuses on the past with Morgan, we may not find out

if Glen is really dead or not in this episode.. (and what happens with Rick and his hand)....

'Love Morgan, but that might just bite. (pardon the pun )

[NewJeffCT]

2. Supposedly

we may not find out about Glenn for a few more episodes.

This week is mostly Morgan. Next week is supposed to be Daryl, Sasha and Abraham at the front of the herd. The week after is supposed to be back in Alexandria with the townies there, Carol, Carl and others.

Not till episode 7 do we get to see Glenn. (Not sure if Rick's cliffhanger is resolved next week, the week after or in episode 7 with Glenn.)

[EL34x4]

3. I've read elsewhere that this entire season

spans only a few days, "look back in time" episodes like tonight's not counting.

All I know is that if they bring back Glenn, the writers had better have something really good up their sleeves to explain how he managed to survive. The show risks jumping the shark here.

[That Guy 888]

5. I agree with you about Glenn.

The only way he could come back as a human instead of a walker is if Nicholas' body fell on top of Glenn and that's what the walkers were chowing down on, but that really seems to be in shark-jumping territory.

[bettyellen]

18. when you see it in slo-mo, it does look like Nicholas is falling right on top of him....

and their clothes are so damned similar, they definitely did that on purpose.

[PoliticAverse]

36. That was also a friend of mine's stated theory as to why Glenn was still alive. n/t

[Goblinmonger]

40. So he falls on him magically covering every bit of skin?

We saw Glenn's face completely out in the open and there were dozens of walkers around him. No way he doesn't get bitten.

[CrawlingChaos]

55. Ohhhhhh noooo.....

I can't possibly wait that long. I love Glenn and I need to know

Bastardos!!!

[NewJeffCT]

66. Glenn's name was missing from the opening credits

http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/walking-dead-steven-yeun-opening-credits-removed-missing-glenn-1201631311/

[pinboy3niner]

67. You mean they disappeared him?

The bastards!

[NewJeffCT]

68. well, considering that

Sarah Wayne Callies (Lori) was in the credits for all of season 3, despite dying in episode 4, I would think it was a conscious decision to mislead viewers.

[lunatica]

73. Didn't Rick keep seeing Lori?

He kept seeing her for quite a while. So the actress would definitely be in the credits.

[NewJeffCT]

76. in a few episodes

I believe.

[CrawlingChaos]

77. They love to torture us

But look how well it's working... they have me on tenterhooks.

They've already announced Glenn will appear again "in some form" so there was no reason to remove his name. I must say, I was so hopeful but now I have a very bad feeling. At least if it's going to be bad I would like to be put out of my misery sooner rather than later, but I guess that's not going to happen.

Thanks for the info though... better to be braced for the long tease.

PS: I did look up Steven Yuen on IMDB and he doesn't appear to have any other upcoming major commitments, unless they're wise to that and his future projects are being kept secret. I remember when we knew in advance Shane wasn't going to make it to the next season because it was announced John Bernal had another major role in a different TV series.

[NewJeffCT]

78. A few years back

they had that episode ending with Daryl coming back, and then telling somebody else to "come on out" - and, then they went over to two episodes of The Governor before we got resolution to the cliffhanger.

[Solly Mack]

4. I've been watching the entire series again.

Still on the first season. The group just reached the CDC.

I'm curious to see how Morgan went from someone with deadly aim who sets up a sniper nest in the bedroom of an abandoned house in Rick's home town (and still can't shoot his dead wife) to the delusional booby-trap master in "Clear", to the big stick wielding Jedi Monk, who can't seem to bring himself to kill those who bring harm to others.

[NewJeffCT]

6. I guess we'll find out tonight

blessed are the cheesemakers, I guess.

[Solly Mack]

7. heh! I hope so. I was enjoying the interchange between Rick and Glenn (1st season)

Rick's stuck inside a vehicle again, surrounded by walkers. Like the tank scene.

No Glenn to save him now. (Or will he? If Glenn survives the dumpster then anything is now possible - too include sparkly walkers whose evolved sense of morality causes them to feed on animals and not humans - Twilight reference. I know, I know. But if Glenn survives the dumpster of death, then the creators might as well bring in a zombie Chucky doll that chases Carl around Alexandria yelling "Walt! Walt!.*Lost* )

I still can't see how Glenn survives. Even if they aren't eating his guts, his legs are exposed. Unless Nick managed to fall just right, and his body completely covered Glenn's, limb for limb. And that's just not realistic.

[Baitball Blogger]

8. Glenn was considerably smaller.

What if he gets so completely covered by blood and guts that they no longer recognize him as human?

[Solly Mack]

9. That could happen. It has worked before. Different circumstances though.

We'll just have to wait and see.

[Goblinmonger]

41. One has to be covered in walker blood and guts to be unseen

Being covered in fresh blood and guts makes you even more yummy. It's like ketchup.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

10. He could escape wounded, and still make it back to town

only to die there.

[Solly Mack]

11. That could happen.

I can see that. Make it back before the fever starts in.

[Baitball Blogger]

12. Another amputee survivor, maybe?

[NewJeffCT]

13. The Korean Merle?

I would think it's pretty damn hard to self-amputate.

[Baitball Blogger]

15. Unless someone is watching from a safe distance?

They said that some form of Glen will appear in the future. So it could be an amputee situation.

[pinboy3niner]

16. "Some part" made me wonder if Maggie is pregnant

That's one way for part of Glen to come back.

[Baitball Blogger]

17. Yes, it would.

That's a good angle.

[Goblinmonger]

42. Have you read the comics?

[pinboy3niner]

44. No

[lunatica]

74. If you see the scene again you'll notice

That the walkers are basically crowding in so tight that it probably wouldn't be possible for any to get to see Glenn's feet or arms or maybe even his head. I think the walkers are crushing in on each other so Glenn would basically be buried under Nick and the walkers. The walkers can't possibly be able to move much in that crush. Of course neither can Glenn unless he can squeeze under the dumpster.

[NewJeffCT]

14. a few articles from this past week

http://comicbook.com/2015/11/01/the-walking-dead-season-6-episode-4-heres-not-here/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2015/11/01/the-walking-dead-is-on-pace-to-run-for-20-seasons/

http://www.bustle.com/articles/120489-glenns-death-scene-on-the-walking-dead-may-provide-clues-that-hes-still-alive-go

http://zap2it.com/2015/11/walking-dead-scott-m-gimple-glenn-dead-answers/

[DashOneBravo]

19. I'll be here with you guys

And I never really liked Glen lol

[Joe Shlabotnik]

20. Found out a cool thing on Thursday,

My boss is a huge Walking Dead fan. We spent a good 1/2 hour discussing the Glen situation, and the direction of the show. And I got paid for it too.

[NewJeffCT]

23. that's cool

what did she or he think?

[Joe Shlabotnik]

27. She thinks

Glens alive, Rick is a goner, and Carol will be new leader. I guess she's watched right from the beginning too.

[Kotya]

69. Andrew Lincoln is on contract through Season 9.

Unless he spends the next 3 seasons shuffling about as a decaying walker, it's safe to say Rick is not a goner.

[bettyellen]

21. Gosh I hope he meets up with people

[Joe Shlabotnik]

22. hmmm maybe not!

[bettyellen]

24. this is him now still?

[Joe Shlabotnik]

25. nope all flashback

[bettyellen]

29. I had a guest. So this is after season 1, but before Rick saw him the second time?

[Joe Shlabotnik]

30. No, this is after the Clear episode.

[bettyellen]

31. Oh, thanks!

[NewJeffCT]

26. Morgan was just a killer

living or dead, it didn't matter.

[NewJeffCT]

28. step away from the goat

he's not yours

[NewJeffCT]

32. Eastman

the creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was Kevin Eastman. Coincidence? I think not.

[bettyellen]

33. You are a pretty awesome nerd, Jeff!

[NewJeffCT]

34. found it on Twitter

it wasn't something I came up with on my own

[pinboy3niner]

35. If only he got paid for it like Joe Shlabotnik

[NewJeffCT]

37. Hi, I'm badass zen Morgan

[redwitch]

38. DUZY!

This cracked me up!

[pinboy3niner]

39. *snort*

[NewJeffCT]

43. Eastman

the Yoda of the Walking Dead - or Master Splinter

[redwitch]

45. God damn it!

[NewJeffCT]

46. The mentor always has to die

seems to be a theme in literature & TV/Movies - Obi Wan Kenobi, Dumbeldore, etc.

[pinboy3niner]

47. There's a time to mentor and a time to wax off. nt

[redwitch]

49. I was referring to Tabitha.

[NewJeffCT]

53. I wasn't sure

if it was Eastman or Tabitha

[Joe Shlabotnik]

48. Well, that was one of the more intense episodes in recent memory.

Too bad David Carradine is dead. He'd have made an awesome cameo. Great episode.

Edit to add: This is probably the least amount of posts for a TWD episode in quite a while too.

[redwitch]

51. People are watching baseball.

I think.

[pinboy3niner]

52. And some of us are still waiting for WD to air on the West Coast

Live threads work better when everyone gets to watch in real time.

[redwitch]

54. I am sad about the human losses of course.

But I happen to really like goats.

[pinboy3niner]

56. You're a baaaad person

[redwitch]

57. "I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way".

Damn. I wanted to add a Jessica Rabbit image but no go.

[pinboy3niner]

60. ...

[redwitch]

61. There she is!

LOL.

When our youngest was reprimanded years ago for bad behavior he quoted Jessica and then walked away swinging his hips. He was maybe 5? We laughed until we cried.

[pinboy3niner]

62. That's hilarious!

[redwitch]

59. P.S.

Don't get too attached to the goat ok?

[pinboy3niner]

63. What are you implying?

[AllenVanAllen]

50. I'm sorry...

In that world, all lives are NOT precious. Morgan is dangerous.

[redwitch]

58. I'm not sure the Wolves are redeemable.

He is risking other lives for them. I understand he wants to live in peace but...

[AllenVanAllen]

64. Well, he let one live he knew had been bit...

What the hell?! He's already put Alexandrians in danger with that act alone.

[redwitch]

65. Yup.

And that guy was especially nuts. Knowing that he'd been bitten, and after listening to Morgan's story he STILL wants to kill him. Morgan should have put him down.

[NewJeffCT]

70. Now, was that a bite?

or, was it some sort of slash, like from a sword or machete or something? It didn't quite look like your regular bite mark. If a regular wound is not treated, you can still be overcome by fever, infection and eventual death.

I had a long day yesterday, so was kind of fading at the end of the 90 minutes.

[Baitball Blogger]

71. It looked like a slash. Not a bite.

If Carol catches on that Morgan is creating a danger to the community with his zen-therapy attempts, she will kill him in his sleep.

[NewJeffCT]

72. definitely right

on Carol - she would not show him any mercy. And, I wonder if maybe Ron or some other kid may stumble upon Walker Wolf and gets bitten (they already set the precedent of the kids sneaking off by themselves...)

[lunatica]

75. I think the Wolves might be like one of those crazy cults no one can reason with

[NewJeffCT]

80. are we sure that was Rick?

They also had that shout in the preview of next week's episode. I think it was him, but I'm not sure.

[oregonjen]

82. Yeah, we were using cc and it said it was Rick's voice

So, about the cut on his hand. He got the cut from a knife that was stuck in a walker's neck. If it had blood on it when the cut happened, would that infect Rick? They have all had walker blood splashed in their faces, from time to time and nothing has come of that. Come to think of it, Abraham had a gash on his hand, while killing walkers and nothing ever happened to him.

[NewJeffCT]

83. Thanks for the info on Closed Captioning

when my daughter used to have trouble sleeping at 2 or 3 years old, I would often turn the TV way down and turn on close captioning - I forgot how useful it can be.

Also, showrunner Scott Gimple mentioned that Rick's hand is going to be okay and he is not in danger.

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/11/walking-dead-glenn-lives-ricks-hand

[sammythecat]

84. I was afraid this show was jumping the shark,

the first 2 episodes were disappointing for me. I was worried. Then last week it got good again, and this week...WOW! This was Walking Dead at its best. It was memorable. I love it when they get into the philosophical ramifications of a world turned upside down and inside out.

Also, given the presence of Father Gabriel, Maggie's background, Carol's transformation, and Rick's infant daughter (forget her name), I think they need to, at some point, get a little into God, religion, meaning and purpose in a destroyed world. I mean, they must talk about this stuff around the campfire. Do they ever bring more children into a world with no civilization? If yes, why. Where is the evidence they could have a halfway enjoyable life? Other than not getting killed, what do these people daydream about?

And Lennie James is such a great addition. I first saw him in the short-lived Low Winter Sun. He's such a good actor and he brings his A game every single time. Every scene he's in is riveting.

[NewJeffCT]

85. I just hope he survives longer

than your typical black male on the show. He also has another strike against him in that he's the "moral center" of the group, like Dale, Hershel and Tyreese before him.

[Solly Mack]

86. OK. Finally watched it.

Poor Tabitha.

It was good to hear Rick's voice at the end. So Morgan's inability to do away with threats didn't get Rick killed at the RV.

Eastman's story was interesting. Though I got the impression Eastman wasn't telling Eastman's story. It just seemed too neat. Oh well. It no longer matters anyway. Well, other than the somewhat amusing take that Morgan got his new lease on life from a psychopath. (If that was actually Wilton in the cabin - think about it - Eastman was everything he described Wilton to be in character and likes)

As for the rest...

Once again, Morgan allows a threat to the group to live. And not just live, but left him alive in a house in Alexandria. And if that wasn't enough - the threat has a walker bite and will die, then turn...and all within the walls of Alexandria.

Because no walker has ever busted through a door or a window to get outside. And gee, what if walker-wolf does attack and kill someone in Alexandria, at least Morgan can sleep at night with a clear conscience - and really, isn't that what's important? That Morgan's path to peace and harmony is left intact no matter how many have to die to maintain it.

Thanks, Morgan! Smooth move! Yeah, sure - you had enough Rick-sense to lock the door. But, still...damn.

I'll be charitable and overlook the Wolf telling Morgan that he (and the wolves) have to kill the people in Alexandria and put it down to Morgan needing a hearing aid and not just a reality check.

Yeah, I could get into all the philosophy and how there has to be a middle ground and a light at the end of the tunnel - otherwise, what are you fighting for?

But I won't. Not now. There is no light as long as there is an immediate threat. The walkers, you have to live with and adjust to.....but bad humans are the immediate threat and right now, they're not just at the door - they're inside the walls.

[NewJeffCT]

87. good comments

thanks for your input.

I agree that most of the time, the bad humans are the bigger threat.

Not sure if Eastman was really Wilton or not - I might need to watch it again, as I missed a few bits of dialogue here and there. (would have been interesting if they were named Laird instead of Wilton, as Eastman and Laird were the two that originated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...)

[Solly Mack]

88. Watching it again now.

I always watch several times because I always miss something.

And I like to see if my first impression remains the same.

So far, it has.

Watch how Eastman maneuvers outside, evading Morgan. Look at how meticulously clean the interior of the cabin is. Look how Eastman sneaks up on Morgan. All calm. Predator-like.

The photo on the outside of the cell, if people didn't find the cell disturbing enough, could have placed there so the real Eastman could view as he died. As a reminder of his wife and child. Driving him crazy.

Yeah, he gets mad about the sheetrock drawing but that still doesn't prove anything. CDW could just as easily seen it as a trophy and been attached to it. Same with the rabbit's foot. 47 days watching a man starve to death could lead to a whole bunch of stories being told. Personal details getting disclosed.

How do we know the cabin in the woods didn't belong to CDW?

Eastman claims CDW liked to garden. Could fool people with his calm and ease. Was charming and engaging. Likable. Said all the right things. Knew how to play people.

Course, Eastman could be exactly what he claims he is. It's just not the impression I get.

As an aside, the actor playing Eastman has played a serial killer before in the movie Zodiac.

But, since he is now dead - other than the possibility that Morgan's Zen master was a serial killer - who he really is doesn't matter.

Maybe the shows creators want us to wonder. Serial killers, the most infamous, are often referred to by their last names only - Bundy, Gacy, Berkowitz. Eastman never tells his first name. Maybe we're supposed to question who Eastman is....and maybe it's all redirection. (Aikido - since words often have double meanings on TWD)

And another thing, the graveyard behind the cabin? Way too much ritual for my taste. Even if Eastman is Eastman. Too ritualistic for me. Eastman could be Eastman, just severely cracked. Not exactly sane; instead adapting his fairly isolated world to his delusions instead of adapting to the world as it currently is. So bent by his own murderous thinking that he has to adopt a way of thinking that doesn't so much deal with he what he did (starve a man to death) as it allows him a way out of it. He can change it by never killing again. He can't though. He's still the human capable of bad deeds. It's still inside of him. Because it's inside all of us - pushed hard enough, we could all break.

Also, you know how Eastman says CDW turned himself after killing Eastman's family - and then Eastman tells Morgan he was off to turn himself in for killing CDW? What? One wanted to brag the other was eat up by guilt? Maybe the message is that we are all capable of bad deeds when pushed enough. Pretty much the same message from the beginning.

Eastman is wearing a turtle tee shirt while training Morgan.

I'm not dismissing the threat of walkers, it's just that people know they have to kill them. People know they aren't safe around walkers. The answer to them is easy - kill them. It's the only solution to walkers.

But people, they're another question entirely. I get Morgan is struggling with the same questions most are struggling with - Is this all? (constant fighting, dying, killing) Is everyone the enemy? (Not everyone - but too many are the enemy) Have we lost too much of our humanity? Is there a way to come back?

People change - for the better and the worse. People break and they can break in different ways. Doesn't take a lot of pressure either. Not for many people. But not everyone can change. Not everyone can adapt. Not all changes are good. Not all changes are bad. Not all changes benefit the whole. Does doing a good thing make you a good person? Does doing a bad thing make you a bad person?

Morgan has come to believe that even those who seek to kill you are worth saving - because he sees himself as the same as them. He killed everyone that crossed his path - human and walker alike - without regard to who they were or what their intentions might have been. By his own words he said he did this.

Now, the 2 men shown looked as if they were out to jump Morgan, so we can agree with their deaths. We'd call it self-defense. Even if he kills them before their intentions are known - but the younger guy does say "I'm sorry", implying their intentions were less than honorable.

The man and woman were not out to harm Morgan, but were afraid of him instead - they live, we applaud Morgan again. He's grown! He's snapping out of it - and while that is good...that he no longer kills willy-nilly, that can't be seen as a reason to not defend yourself against dangerous people - to include killing them.

You don't have to kill everyone person you meet. But you do have to eliminate the actual threats - or more people will die.

The idea that you can take people, lock them up (whether the locks are real or not) - the cage was metaphorical, after all - and show them the error of their ways, their thinking - is, at best, naïve...and in Morgan's case, more than a little delusional.

Sadly, Morgan is under the impression he can change anyone and everyone. And, so far, that has proven to be a dangerous way to think.

Maybe the point of Eastman was you can't change a true killer, a serial killer, a psychopathic killer. But someone who is a good person at their core can come back from the madness that engulfed Morgan.

Morgan couldn't handle that his inability to kill his walker wife caused his son's death. If he couldn't bring himself to do the necessary deed, how could anyone expect for his son to learn that you have to make the hard choices. It could have been any walker that got Duane, but it was his own mother - a loss that was overwhelming for Duane. Duane would run off, stick his fingers in his ears, and cry when Morgan took to his shooting perch. The show made it seem like he didn't want to know - couldn't deal with the idea - that his father was shooting his zombie mother.

So Duane dies. Morgan slips into madness. His guilt eats at him. But at Morgan's core is a good person. Even with killing everyone that crossed his path, his inner being was good. He was crazy. He was delusional. He wasn't Morgan. He was a wild animal, who could only see the dead - even the living - they were already dead to Morgan. They didn't clear.

He could come back - because inside, he was never that person. Inside, was the man who saved Rick and was too tenderhearted to shoot his zombie wife. Yes, as a human he was always capable of doing bad...but doing a bad deed doesn't turn a good person into a bad person, does it?

For our group's sake, we better hope not.

I'm so sorry! This is way longer than I intended. Just pondering.

[NewJeffCT]

89. i wish I had time to comment more

but, I really appreciate your lengthy input. Good point on Eastman - if he was a killer, or a serial killer, it doesn't really matter now since he be dead. I had thought Morgan had turned a corner with that wolf from 2 episodes ago, but last week, he was still alive, so he isn't completely there yet.

Spoiler alert for Sunday - we get some big news this weekend.

[Solly Mack]

90. To Morgan's credit, he did lock the house door.

Morgan will probably be bitten by one of the bad humans-turned-walker that he allowed to live. (but someone else killed - like Rick in the RV, or Carol - so many of them)

Or maybe Morgan's pet wolf will be the one that bites him. Most likely. There's something full circle in that ending.

[NewJeffCT]

91. If that guy bit Morgan

it would almost be too predictable.

[Solly Mack]

92. Yeah, but then Morgan's kill came back after him, only to bite Eastman.

When Morgan didn't de-brain either of those 2 victims, you had to know it was for a reason. He wasn't exactly so out of his mind that he didn't remember the dead turned. They all turn, and all that.

I knew one or both of them would show back up. Seemed obvious and predictable.

On the show...

He couldn't shoot his zombie wife - and she goes on to kill his son

He couldn't kill the walker in the clearing (his previous victim), and that walker bites/kills Eastman.

He wouldn't kill those two (Wolves) in the woods, and look what became of that. Everyone he let live attacked again. (and again from Alexandria)

Now he has a wolf-mox-walker stashed away in his house?

I don't think things coming back to bite Morgan in the ass is over yet.

Sadly, I think that's exactly how he dies on the show. Maybe not from the wolf in his house, but one of his mercies will kill him - either as a walker or a human. Predictable, and full circle - and what did Eastman say about circles?

"It's all a circle and everything gets a return." Mercy, vengeance - it all comes back - even the dead.

I think Morgan will be able to impart some lasting hope to the group though. I don't think his philosophy (kill nothing and no one) is the right one for the world they live in, but his thinking can be beneficial in tempering those who have traveled too far away from their own humanity.

Like Carol - Yes, Gabriel is a POS, but that doesn't mean you just write him off to die like that. Though I fully support her shooting the captured wolf on the ground.

But, frankly, I still don't think people should sneeze around her.

[irisblue]

93. I'm catching up tonight::Spoilers::

I like Tabatha, I didn't know goats were so cute, and good zombie warning systems. The actor playing Eastman is really good in this role, and I know I've seen him before in Gran Torino, he was good there, and he's much better then he was in Body of Proof ( he played a cop, and had limited time). Since I like him so much, he's likely gonna die.