Nothing to say really besides: that’s how you do it!
This has without a doubt the most impressive stunts of the franchise, and it really knows how to use its characters and challenge them. There’s a lot of propulsive energy, lush cinematography and great editing. Lorne Balfe does a great Hans Zimmer impression, and Chris McQuarrie does a great Chris Nolan impression. Alright maybe I’m oversimplifying there, because I have to commend McQuarrie for doing another stylistic reinvention of the franchise, the cinematography and general feel aren’t just that of Rogue Nation 2.0. I’m not even sure if the constant evolution of this franchise comes from a place of creative ambition or commercial opportunity, but at least it keeps the films fresh. Some of its core elements will always remain the same, however. For example, the plot’s once again just a vehicle for all the juicy stuff. You could call it out for being generic or basic, but they find so much creativity and fun in these tropes that it becomes very entertaining (intrigue, the mask sequences, the craziness and constantly rising intensity). Sure, there’s a very predictable twist at the end of the second act, but more often than not, it managed to surprise me. Henry Cavill is a great new addition, bringing back Rebecca Ferguson was the best choice they could’ve made, and Pegg & Rhames remain the reliable anchors that add some heart & humour. It’s all exceptional stuff, it could very well go down as the best action franchise in history if the next films stick the landing.
9/10
I'm exhausted. This tension, the politics, the intrigue, even to the last second. So much is happening in this episode. So much concealed under such elegant garments.
In one way I look forward to the finale next week, however I'm not sure how they are going to fit what I was anticipating to be in this episode into the last, unless it is a 3hr episode, but I think it won't be such.
The other way I'm looking forward to the finale, is I no longer will need to invest all my emotion and attention in this concentration of spectacle and the craft of each Actor performing to perfection their role, and appreciating each word, glance, and interaction with their counterparts in such a magnificent, stunning location.
I'll be ready for this finale but until then I'll be soaking in what I've watched today. What a pleasure it is to witness what the Arts can deliver if given a proper opportunity.
Thank you to the Creators, Actors, Crew, and Those That have painstakingly brought this masterpiece to us.
The conundrum has set in... I desperately want to see the last episode now, but I don't want it to be the last show. 10/10
Great episode. Several plot lines mixed up with one another and with all the main characters involved. Oh my, and I thought Spencer had no guts...I've never been so embarrassed in my whole life. And what about Negan and his Masterchef audiction? He really can cook. Even though he's an asshole 100% of the time, he's hilarious. I love his sense of humour. I hate him, and I love him. I hate loving him and love hating him. I've never had a feeling as disgusting as this. "I brought him home, safe and sound, and I fed him spaghetti" has to be my favourite line this episode. So now it's spaghetti Sunday, I guess. I loved seeing him at the table like an upset housewife because he's just fed up with Rick being late and Olivia and Carl trying to hold up by looking into the distance. and that line "your people are making me lose my voice doing all this yelling", I bet it was improvised by JDM.
Jeffrey "Lean" Morgan is killing it as Negan. This episode had a serious lack of leaning, though. I love Eugene's development as a character. He's really growing on me. And so is Father Gabriel, who has raised from the most hated character to a lovely one. I loved the symbolism in his scene with Rosita, the way he left her and closed the door, protecting her inside while he fights outside. Negan was pretty scary when Rosita shot him. I guess that's the closest he's even been to really being dead. It was then when he showed his true self, and not that front.
But what I loved the most was the uplifting ending. After everything that has happened, that reunion brought me hope. I loved the shots of each one's faces, a nice contrast to the premiere when they were all lined up. From the emptiness at the beginning to the hope they have now. it was really awesome.
And who's that person with the boots? The boat dude? one of the women from Oceanside? that was one weird-ass note he left. Perhaps the food's poisoned?
And Maggie with the cap was really touching. Glenn will always be present.
Besides last week's, this is my favorite episode this season. I missed Negan so goddamn much. Listening to him talking about his wife and seeing him, damn, that's his weak spot. It was great.
I loved the Negan-Gabriel interactions so damn much. It had me engaged the entire time, glued to the screen. The more Negan, the better the episode is.
Getting to see the human side of Negan was fantastic. JDM was outstanding in the meeting. The scene when Simon was talking and he just kept on slamming Lucille on the table was so intense and menacing. It was really crazy. He really cares about people. And I've got to say it, killing people in the right time to save others, he's got a point in there, and he's fucking right about it.
I love how this episode was a turning point of who the bad guys are. We've always sided with Rick and his people but it was the same for Negan: re-made yourself to survive or die. It was the same for everyone and I loved how they depicted it this episode. I loved that even though they show Negan as a psychopath, he wants to protect the workers.
I saw the Daryl-Rick fight coming long ago, but I enjoyed it, nevertheless. In all honesty, I hope there's more moral conflict between them.
Is Gavin's "Jesus Christ" while walking out the door his new catchphrase? I loved it. It's exactly the same way I would've reacted, lol.
That ending, though. Could Gabriel have been bitten before and that's why he confessed to Negan? It would make sense considering his intro monologue. That would be an interesting twist but I guess it's simpler than that. He simply got sick because of the guts, even Negan said he knew people who got sick because of it.
In a world with Negan and I choose to hate Gregory. That asshole only got up when he heard the word sorghum.
"I wear a leather jacket, I have Lucille, and my nutsack is made steel". Gotta love Negan.
And after all the freaking garbage people have done and Rick goes straight up to them, probably to show them the photos he took of the Saviors? Screw them.
A helicopter! WTF? Own a helicopter, win the war.
A bit slow, but I got the point of it.
If the intention of this episode was to explain to us how's everyone are grieving for Rick, then I'll say it kinda moved the plot forward.
Not being a hypocrite, the contradiction between this episode and other so called "fillers" (I don't except this name and keep reading and see the explanation. I'll just say - if you think TWD has fillers, you haven't seen DBZ) is with the way the story is delivered. When you want to show the dissonance between different states and conditions or locations so you pulling away mid action it's understandable and sometimes realistic. But when you're doing a buildup for some time, a cliffhanger for the end of an episodes and clifhander before the opening theme, just to completely ignore all that... I don't know. That's just teasing someone for rating (which, depends on the show, can be completely legit). Worked in me though.
Questions in need of Answers:
• Did Rosita really heard this voices saying those things, or because she freaked out from hearing talking walkers she started to imagin sh¡t up? Our network purchase the rights to deliver the show with built-in subtitles so it I didn't have the "did I just heard that?" effect.
• Hey Tara, weren't you with Keith? Where are your cool pink sunglasses?
• Did they just "Maggie left, and she took Hershel with her" us? WTF They just farewelled Lauren Chohen like that?
• For f@cks sake I thought that I'm gonna see another Sheeva scene with Dog, I had to stand up watching it. Plus, Daryl must have really liked the new God of War playing that pronoun game.
• "I don't know, buddy..." - Jesus to Aaron. What kind of platonic relationship is this? I swear I was thinking of Simba and Nala when he jumped on him.
• Good one Rosita. "I left Eugene in a barn, we have to take him!"; "It's getting dark soon, he'll be safe untill tomorrow";" Oh, O.K. so if the fact the the walkers talked isn't important I'll just pass out now".
• Did Saddiq really wanted, like he had an urge, to play the flute he only tried for a week before, in the middle of the freakin' noise sensitive zombie apocalypse?. Wonders he didn't finish Med-school.
• Isn't the age difference between Henry and Enid (in the show) is like at least 5 years for Enid's favor, who's at least 18 y.o?
• Is Henry the son of Dolf Lundgren?
• Is Nadia Hilker's Magna the hottest character in the show right now, with or without the fact that TWD's usa hasn't had any winter since season 1? (she's also very attractive outside the show).
• Does this new group are all slingshot sharpshooters?
• Will they keep Dan Fogler's Luke? the car doors blockade giggle made me "Ha!" and "oh, no no no" at the same second.
• Did the only deaf survivor in TWD world has a sixth sense now? Yeah, feeling not even 2 dozens walkers walking on GRASS through the floor's vibrations is totally legit. Not mention spooky feelings from the bushes.
As always, I'm all complaints but still dig it.
Dog?
Here Dog!
DOOOOOOG!
[9.1/10] “A war of all against all.” That is how political philosopher Thomas Hobbes described the “state of nature” of man without government, without rule. He imagined a life that was “nasty, brutish, and short” and posited that people needed a Leviathan, the force of the government, to enforce laws, and have people give up certain freedoms as the price for avoiding such an unenviable way to live.
In Negan’s mind, he is that Leviathan. The last time The Walking Dead interrogated Negan’s moral philosophy, it left it somewhat ambiguous how Negan saw himself, whether he really believed that his brutal ways were for the greater good, or whether he was just spinning propaganda to justify the comparatively lavish and carefree lifestyle he gets to enjoy while others toil.
“The Big Scary U” is much less ambiguous. There is a certain sense that Negan may be deluding himself, offering rationalizations and eliding the darker or more self-serving side of the choices he’s made, but it becomes clear that he is a true believer, someone who thinks that he’s doing what needs to be done.
The episode explores that with one of the oldest tropes in the book -- two characters, trapped in a room together, deciding to find common ground and reflect on their lives, shared enmity, and personal truths. (Think “Fly” from fellow AMC stablemate Breaking Bad.) “The Big Scary U” catches up with Negan and Father Gabriel, trapped in a temporary building and surrounded by walkers after the events of the premiere.
In those close, perilous quarters, Gabriel asks for Negan’s confession. A brief flashback signifies (in TWD’s typically lofty tones) that Gabriel no longer fears death; he just fears a meaningless death. And in the present, he reasons that maybe the reason he’s survived this long, the purpose he’s been in search of, is hear Negan confess and give him absolution.
But Negan declares he has nothing to attone for. He uses the confinement to lay out his philosophy -- that however bad things may seem under his watch, that it’s better than the alternative, and that what came before, and what would come after him, would be much much worse.
“The Big Scary U” seems to suggest that Negan’s right, at least within his own fiefdom. When the episode isn’t centered on Negan and Gabriel’s heart-to-heart, it’s in the heart of The Sanctuary, where all of Negan’s lieutenants are scrambling to figure out what to do in the absence and possible demise of their leader, and backbiting, disagreement, and recriminations come to a head.
Regina wants to sacrifice the workers to make an escape. Eugene declares that it will never work. Gavin declares that somebody must be collaborating with Rick & Co. given how things went down. Dwight deflects and is ready to read the riot act to whomever needs to hear it. And Simon, who seems to be the closest thing to a second-in-command ready to take over, tries to hold court.
It’s fascinating watching the various forces that Negan has amassed slowly turn on one another, ally with one another, and generally seem lost without him there to guide them. Negan has inculcated a need for a dictator, for an unquestioned leader who can whip people into shape. As soon as the man and his baseball bat are gone, things start deteriorating, with workers staging the beginnings of a revolt, the remaining leaders not knowing what to do, and the situation getting volatile quickly.
But The Walking Dead plays at least a little coy about whether this really is the better alternative, or whether this is simply the world Negan created. It’s easy for Negan to pontificate and preen with Gabriel about how things would fall apart without him, that his presence is necessary to bring order and security, but what if that’s just true for the little ecosystem that Negan has overseen? What if he’s built things to be that way, rather than that things have to be that way.
Rick certainly seems to think there’s another way, even if Daryl remains skeptical and more Negan-like himself by the minute. “The Big Scary U” comes down to, as so many TWD episodes do, to the question of whether it’s okay to kill someone, “the right person,” in order to achieve some sort of greater good. And it positions all its major characters on different sides of the question.
Daryl has turned single-minded and unbothered by the potential loss of life in taking out The Saviors, even if it means that the innocent workers at The Sanctuary perish in the process. Rick pushes back against him, wanting to stick to the plan, even if the fighters from The Kingdom are killed, because he doesn’t want to take innocent lives. Negan believes in killing people, even innocent people, if it serves a greater cause, while Gabriel believes in saving people, even bad people like Gregory, if it serves a higher power. And Gregory himself has no scruples, no principles, one way or another, only caring to keep himself alive whatever that may require.
Negan and Gabriel also have to keep themselves alive, as the walkers slowly but surely start to break through the meager walls and barriers separating them and the two morsels inside. That’s mainly a plot device to ensure that Negan and Gabriel can’t just keep talking forever (thank heaven) but it at least creates some urgency and sense of place in the midst of what is basically a miniature stage show starring these two men.
It’s a real showcase for Jeffrey Dean Morgan in particular. Let’s face it; Negan is a pretty ridiculous character. Some of that is intentional, with the persona being meant to project a certain amount of intimidating bombast. But some of it is just an inherent part of putting such an outsized figure into a nominally down-to-earth take on the zombie genre. Nevertheless, Morgan has the chops to go big and go small as the situation requires, and make it convincing in either guise.
That’s why his pronouncements about “saving” people, his pretzel logic about the difference between “killing the right people” and “letting your people get killed” (blame-shifting logic which Daryl starts to share), don’t sound as insane as they might here. There is a conviction in Morgan’s voice when he delivers those lines, a certainty in the truth of them that informs the character’s perspective and makes it feel true to who Negan is, even if the audience isn’t supposed to take it as true generally.
But we also winces just enough when confronted about his “wives” and grimaces through his excuse that they “made a choice.” His deflection about the state of his “workers” functions as an internalized dismissal of any economy having “winners and loser.” And he even breaks down, such as a proud guy like Negan can, and admits the only time he was “weak” was when he could not put his “real wife” down after she turned. Like much of the show, it’s a little too neat as informative backstory, but the actor makes it work.
It works because Negan believes it. He believes that killing people to create order, that harshness can make people and civilizations stronger, that engendering submission, even in lethal terms, can save lives. There’s a twisted worldview at the heart of Negan’s philosophies on governance and leadership, ones with antecedents across history, but for all the metaphysical and ethical conversations at play here, it’s the truth of this view in his eyes, the palpable sense of belief from Negan as he champions the need for that Leviathan, that makes the villain more than a bunch of cruel deaths and priapic boasts. He represents the worse angels of our nature, the ones that say we need to be cowed less we tear one another apart, and the hints that he may be right, at least for the part of this world he’s overseen, makes him all the more terrifying.
[8.6/10 on a post-classic Simpsons scale] Our Treehouse of Horror cup runneth over this year! Between this year’s installment of the famed terror-filled tryptich, and the full length IT parody, The Simpsons has delivered its best bout of quality Halloween yarns in ages.
It’s genuinely hard for me to pick a favorite here. The first segment, a parody of The Babadook is the scariest. Marge is legitimately frightening once she’s possessed by the Pookadook. The shift in her voice, creative use of shadows, and general malevolence from the normally kind caretaker is truly unsettling. I appreciate the story construction here too, with nice setups and payoffs for the power of “baby cheek” and the use of the outdoor vacuum cleaner. (Which I just learned is a thing!)
The segment also does a good job of mapping the original film onto The Simpsons’ universe. While obviously toning some of the mother/child business down, the show does a nice job of retaining the “beleaguered mother sublimates her resentment for the thanklessness of parenthood” theming in a way that fits with what we’ve seen of Marge. That tack provides a good excuse to give us the rare Marge/Maggie story, a welcome novelty that pays dividends with the setup and Maggie’s inventive defense mechanism. There’s not a ton of laughs in this one, but what it lacks in yuks, it makes up for in delivering some legitimately good horror.
The “Death Note” segment was superb as well. I’ll admit, I’ve never watched the anime, so I can't comment on how they adapt it here. But I know the basic premise, and love how they channel it to show how Lisa’s desire for activism slides into further and further excuses for murder and eventual self-preservation. There’s a suitable number of twists in this one that make it feel like a sharp bit of Twilight Zone-esque bitter irony and morality plays. And the animation is gorgeous, with stunning realizations of the show’s characters in another art style that feel different yet fitting, which is a tough line to walk. Not for nothing, there's also some good laughs in this one, mainly in Lisa’s increasingly contrived ways to off the people she needs offing. This one is distinctive and memorable as hell.
But the final segment is creative and exciting too! Mixing The Simpsons and Westworld is not a cocktail I’d have thought about as a natural fit, but they blend together perfectly here. I love the show using the concept of a robot park to comment on its own recursive fandom, with the most memeable and best-known bits and moments from the series being trotted out by fans who want to relive the show’s glory years.
The segment works on multiple levels. As a pure story, it’s exciting to see a self-aware robotic Simpsons family try to escape the park so they can live their lives. As a horror tale, it’s cool to see the potential for both physical and psychological fear of self-aware artificial beings rebelling against their creators and fans. As a bit of meta-commentary, it’s neat to see the show commenting on the way its iconic moments have been commodified and regurgitated ad infinitum for a hungry audience of nostalgic fans. And the short can have its cake and eat it too, because it’s just as fun for the inveterate die hard Simpsons fan to play “spot the reference” in this one as the show packs in scads of shout outs to classic eps.
Hell, as a big Bob’s Burgers fan, it’s just as much of a treat to see Our Favorite Family end up in the Belchers’ restaurant. Even the wrap-around segments, with some stylish stop motion animation, were a treat. All-in-all, this is one of the best Halloween outings The Simpsons has had in a long while, and I’m glad for the creative swings and good spooks.
[7.6/10] I appreciate the fact that co-showrunner Matt Selman likes to take big swings before. While we’ve had full-length Halloween episodes before (the excellent “Halloween of HOrror”), we’ve never had a full-length horror homage on the show. So color me excited when I heard that this parody of Stephen King’s IT would be a full episode and not just a single segment in the annual THOH triptych.
And what do you know, it was good! They impressed me with how genuinely scary Krusty (er, “Krusto”) got to be. Some of that is the inherent creepy nature of a scary clown, and some of it is simply pulling from the source material. But the show really cut loose with the jagged tooth harlequin’s ability to taunt the young heroes and and torture them with their worst fears. The animators also stepped up to the plate, coming up with some fluid and frightening movements for the clown, especially when he realizes he can earn genuine laughs with slapstick. Everyone put their best Overly long) foot forward here.
I also appreciated the way they adapt the original story to Springfield (in this instance, Kingfield, replete with fun jabs at both King’s other work and the Maine setting). The emotional throughline, of Homer and Marge having a missed connection as kids, is a strong one. And the pastiche walks the line of incorporating the spirit of the material, while not just being a slavish spoof either. Homer’s concerns about losing Marge to a young CBG, and the dynamic of the group is different than what takes place in IT, even though the kid heroes facing down a supernatural fear monster, and general beats of the story remain the same.
The nice blend extends to Krusty himself. I like the twist that Krusto doesn’t necessarily thrive on fear, but rather on forced laughter. The idea that he’s a longstanding, unfunny comedian who haunts children for generations so they can be compelled to chuckle at his weak gags gives him a purpose beyond copying Pennywise’s. The twist of him being wounded when he does slapstick to earn genuine laughs is a good one. And while the “break the applause sign to stop him forever” solution is a little out of nowhere, it fits thematically, and I appreciate the setup and payoff for Marge’s baseball skills.
Hell, while it’s a little overblown, I even like the Marge/Homer/Comic Book Guy love triangle, which isn’t something I ever thought I’d say. The story puts a lot of stock in a simple love poem, but CBG taking credit for HOmer’s work, and it spoiling all their lives in some way makes for a compelling story. I particularly appreciate the signs that something is “wrong” in the future, with mixups like Homer tending bar at Moe’s (er, D’ohs), and Bart and Lisa’s personalities being flipped. It helps add to the sense that something went deeply wrong when they were kids and it needs to be fixed.
As I said, the scares are good along the way. Despite the full episode runtime, “Not It” does bite off more than it can chew sometimes, since the original story took two movies and/or a miniseries to adapt. But it covers the ground between past and present nicely, with some solid gags and creative ways to make the tale The Simpsons’ own. Hell, I even like the update that in the present, Krusto taunts the Losers’ Club not with their childhood fears, but with grown-up anxieties about student loans and family meals with reactionary relatives. And Marge learning the truth, finding some solace with Homer, and CBG even earning some redemption with a sacrifice gives the climax emotional weight.
Overall, Selman’s done it again, using the canon-free confines of Halloween to do a creative adaptation of an iconic work of horror, while melding it nicely with the show’s sensibilities, and adding some genuine heart and psychology to the spoof. Another spooky season winner!
"It was all a dream." Is there anything cheaper in storytelling? This episode tries to avoid the cliche by piling fake-out after fake-out as to whose dream it was, but that just made the narrative all the weaker from the first reveal, leaving the audience wondering whether to believe anything we were seeing and taking away any emotional punch the proceedings would have.
This was pretty dire, especially for a season premiere. There's a reason the diehards make fun of the show doing constant Marge and Homer marital problems episodes. The Simpsons have all but tapped that well dry, scooped out the leftover droplets, licked the dirt at the bottom. That said, there was an interesting angle here -- Homer's loneliness and genuine struggle at being alone and apart from his family. Sure, the show's done the same thing in "Secrets of a Successful Marriage" and "Three Gays and a Condo", but there was, briefly, a different and worthy tone in this episode. However, that quickly fell by the wayside in a sea of lame dream fake outs and even lamer humor.
Perhaps I would have appreciated the episode more if I watched 'Girls', since this episode featured most of that show's cast and seemed to be parodying it a bit. Lena Dunham had some trouble with voice acting, but maybe it's just her show's style and it didn't mesh well with that of The Simpsons. Regardless, aside from the stretch exploring Homer's loneliness and a brief but touching (and imaginary) scene between him and Lisa, this episode was a jumble of ideas that never really solidified; they weren't executed well, or even competently, and the scattered, infrequent laughs weren't enough to make up for it.
