The Walking Dead 7.8 "Hearts Still Beating" (spoiler alert)

[NewJeffCT]

90 minute long mid season finale tonight.

With members out scavenging for supplies, Negan's unwelcome visit to Alexandria continues. With tensions high, things quickly spin out of control.

[hlthe2b]

1. Anybody else finding it hard to deal with the darkness of this season while...

also dealing with the trauma of this election?

It is almost too much, but I do keep watching--hope springs eternal, I guess....

[NewJeffCT]

2. the darkness hasn't bothered me so much

as the disjointed storyline - we get introduced to Ezekiel and Shiva and episode 2 and they have since disappeared, along with Morgan and fan favorite Carol. Tara gets an entire standalone episode.

[Baitball Blogger]

3. I have for the longest time found solace in the post apocalyptic genres.

And I think that it is because, no matter how bad it gets, I know it's not real. It's just fiction. And I find relief in that fact. But, at some subconscious level, I know if things do go awry, I can skip the down-trodden Carol years, and move into the Rambo, smell-the-flowers version.

[Laffy Kat]

8. You know it.

Darkness everywhere I look. Yes, it does bother me. I'll still watch, though. Guess I'm a masochist.

[bettyellen]

17. I had a problem w Westworld for the same reason- it's just a display of the worst impulses

A human can have. Given free reign over other "humans" the three fave things to do are rape multilateral and kill.
Hard to watch.

[redwitch]

56. yes.

I really don't want to feel such dread all the time. The ending of the last show made me feel marginally better though.

[hlthe2b]

57. I agree... the mid-season finale ended a bit more hopeful

Good to see you, redwitch!

[JonLP24]

63. The show jumped the shark a long time age

It's hard to feel anything over the show because of the absurdity. It is mostly like a comedy.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. So, why is Olivia crying? Is it her time?

And, is Negan right about her? Is she stealing food?

[NewJeffCT]

5. I'm not sure why

maybe somebody else died?

[bettyellen]

22. I think just the idea of him so close to Judith is hella upsetting

[NewJeffCT]

6. a few articles from this past week

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/12/why_the_walking_dead_midseason.html

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/the-walking-dead-josh-mcdermitt-previews-midseason-finale-160802365.html

http://www.eonline.com/news/814840/the-walking-dead-is-off-track-here-s-how-to-fix-it

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/12/walking-dead-season-7-ratings-fixes-negan

http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/walking-dead-season-7-midseason-finale-spoilers-who-dies-w454761

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/the-walking-dead-in-defense-of-season-7-171500452.html

[NewJeffCT]

7. some memes from the past week or two

:large

:large

:large

:large

[Goblinmonger]

9. My guess for the death today....

Spencer.

And I hope it is as glorious as the comics. Highlight after this for spoilers: [p style="color:white;"]Spencer goes to Negan (pretty much after the Negan/Olivia scene we saw last episode) and tells him Rick is a horrible leader and that he (Spencer) would make better leader so Negan should kill Rick and put Spencer in charge. Negan says that Rick hates his guts but at least Rick has guts and slashes Spencer's stomach and says something to the effect of "Oh, you did have guts--they were just inside you the whole time."

The last episode pretty much brought us to this scene, but maybe they are going to do the old switcheroo on us.

I hope this episode doesn't suck, because this season has been disappointing in it's narrative structure.

[NewJeffCT]

23. I'm pretty sure you're right

I agree that this season's storytelling has sucked. THey've given us some great and memorable moments from the comics, but they've been moments in overly long and drawn out episodes.

I mean, I like Tara as a supporting character, but did she really deserve an entire episode to herself while Carol, Morgan and Ezekiel waited in the wings?

[Goblinmonger]

24. I like Tara as a character and appreciate the actor

but she either came back too soon after having her kid and was distracted or the director did a terrible job of getting her into character (or accepted a shitty job by her), because she was horrible in that episode. It wasn't all the things I liked about Tara. Even the most Tara-like moments (like flipping off that little girl) weren't as awesome as they would have been last season.

For the record: I'm not saying actors can't have kids and then return, just that--for whatever reason--this performance was not good.

[Goblinmonger]

35. BOOM!

Look at the brains on this guy.

[NewJeffCT]

10. Starting off at Hilltop

Maggie being intimidating.

[NewJeffCT]

11. Daryl through an unlocked door

Negan making himself at home.

[NewJeffCT]

12. jumping between several locations

Negan/Carl/Olivia, plus Rick/Aaron and Daryl

[bettyellen]

15. And five whole seconds of Carol?! What? I missed a bit w the cranky son of Tovah-

The part right before Maggie was shown on the lookout.
Anything interesting?

[NewJeffCT]

13. looks like Daryl is out

but, he downs a jar of peanut butter before fleeing

[bettyellen]

16. That's my MO right before I attack!

[NewJeffCT]

18. the protein

should be good

[bettyellen]

19. Peanut butter is LIFE.... always good to see you Jeff

[NewJeffCT]

20. i grew up on peanut butter sandwiches

my school lunch for most of elementary, middle and high school

[bettyellen]

21. Me too. And look how good we turned out!

[Laffy Kat]

14. Hmmm. Looks like Daryl may be BACK!

Watch out, Saviors.

[bettyellen]

25. Darryl has never looked smellier!

[NewJeffCT]

27. there was a meme going around twitter a few weeks back

something like "now has dog food breath, still has fangirls"

[Laffy Kat]

33. Even when he's cleaned up he looks filthy. nt

[Laffy Kat]

28. Entrails alert. nt

[NewJeffCT]

26. This is not going to end well for Spencer

though, he showed some guts asking Rosita to dinner

[bettyellen]

30. It's good he didn't eat before that scene...

Would have been a waste if ever scarcer resources.

[Iris]

32. Good call! Guts and all

[Laffy Kat]

29. She only had one bullet, right?

Hope her aim was true. Got a bad feeling.

[NewJeffCT]

34. yeah, don't understand

why she didn't have Eugene make more than 1 bullet

[doc03]

46. Maybe they only had one shell casing nt

[NewJeffCT]

31. Spencer certainly had guts

on the inside.

[Baitball Blogger]

36. I'm not there yet. Ran through all he commercials, and still seconds away.

[Baitball Blogger]

37. Did Rosita see an open opportunity? Or was it planned?

[NewJeffCT]

38. she saw an opportunity

after Spencer

[Baitball Blogger]

39. Just got caught up.

Damn. Good-bye Rosita.

[Baitball Blogger]

40. Damn. Not Rosita. Spoiler

Good-bye Olivia.

Third person who gets it in the eye. Carl, Denise and Olivia.

[doc03]

47. It made my day to see Negan kill that backstabbing a--hole Spencer nt

[Laffy Kat]

41. Hail, hail, the gang's all here. nt

[NewJeffCT]

42. the best episodes seem to have all, or most

of the cast.

[Laffy Kat]

43. Yep, maybe the writers got a clue. nt

[NewJeffCT]

44. I think after the "Clear" episode

with Morgan and just Rick, Carl and Michonne got great feedback, they went overboard with the "bottle" episodes.

[NewJeffCT]

45. We had a great #Richonne moment

(Rick/Michonne) and then a #Rickyl moment (Rick/Daryl)

[NewJeffCT]

48. found on Twitter this morning

[suffragette]

49. Damn. Aaron had a bad day.

With the escape, does that make Daryl a disciple of Jesus?

[NewJeffCT]

50. Aaron had a bad day

but, not as bad as Spencer & Olivia.

too soon?

I like Aaron, though. I hope we get more of both him & Jesus in Season 7B.

[suffragette]

52. Nah, not too soon. Sad about Olivia, but not so much about Spencer. I wonder if he

Had any other hidden stashes. Maybe some weapons?

I hope we get more Aaron and Jesus, too. Enjoy both characters.

[Solly Mack]

51. Just watched: Short and sweet: Got Rick's gun back. It's on, assholes!

[OriginalGeek]

53. So, the watcher with the boots

the guy who owned the houseboat? Or are we sure he's long gone...?

[NewJeffCT]

54. no clue, to be honest

it could be him. I thought maybe it was Dwight from The Sanctuary. I also heard it might be the girl from Oceanside that helped Tara escape.

[OriginalGeek]

55. Boots looked too big for her

But maybe that's what they want us to think!

[NewJeffCT]

62. mystery solved

[Solly Mack]

58. I'm going to have to watch it again but to me, for a second, the boots at the end looked different.

I'm probably wrong.

Still, the impression I got was it was the same person at the houseboat, but that doesn't mean it was the owner of the houseboat necessarily.

Also, you think the food is poisoned or that the warning was because the owner would chase you down for his goods?

[OriginalGeek]

60. maybe both

he can chase you down because you'll be weak from the poison. I certainly hope any food that went to the saviors was poisoned.

[Solly Mack]

59. Carl got a tiny taste of what his father goes through daily when Negan was holding Judith.

Anything Carl said or did could end Judith's life. I wanted to take Judith and scrub her clean from Negan's touch.

Glad Spencer got it. For a second, thought Gabriel might punch him. People get fooled by the white collar, but Gabriel is a killer.

Sorry about Olivia.

Rosita is responsible for anything that happens to Eugene and she knows it. She was stupid to do what she did.

Little sick of Carol's inner turmoil.

Was getting tired of Rick's too, so glad they ended that already. Knew they wouldn't play it out too long...got to move the story along, but Rick has a process. He has to go through it. Glenn would have known that. Herschel would have known that. Carl should know it by now. Michonne should have too. But then she has her own process. Carl is a wee bit too hot headed.

Jesus is just plain adorable.

Daryl and Rick....what can I say? I love that bromance.

Maggie took that apple because she knew she could. I loved that scene.

Seems most of the Saviors don't want to be Saviors.

It's on now regardless. Daryl escaped, killed a man. It will be obvious someone helped him escape. The assumption will be that he went back home, so no matter what, it's war. And Negan will want to know who betrayed him, so internal fighting as well.

[brooklynite]

61. Plot summary: Good guys decide that being robbed, beaten up and killed isn't a promising future...

...didn't see that coming.