Sunday, February 23, 2014

The Death of Daryl Dixon – Why Daryl WILL die this season

***Spoilers***

If you are not all caught up on The Walking Dead, you may want to stop here.

The Walking Dead truly needs to get professional screenwriters. What looks good on paper or sounds good in talks, doesn’t necessarily translate onto screen in an exciting manner. Too many characters, too many stories, divided episodes, with anti climatic endings. They have lost focus. Who drags stories on for six months to barely touch upon them? Not to mention trite dialogue that is also nothing but forced foreshadowing and a way to mention off screen happenings. (IE: Lilly’s death, passing the bus). Daryl Dixon is supposed to be this amazing tracker, right? Yet how does he miss a dirty diaper? Even I could sniff out a fresh shit diaper and I don’t track.

Speaking of cool characters, hate me for saying it, but Daryl Dixon is gonna die. One of the last episodes this season. And I present the eight reasons why I THINK he is going to die.

8.  He was not meant to be in the show. Norman Reedus auditioned for the part of Merle and they created his character. They have shaped him, molded him, gave him his due last season but what now?

7.  What has he done for us lately? Nothing. A few lines, arrow shots. His bestie, Carol was kicked out and we never really got to see him to react. That storyline seems buried. It seems to me that the writers, who look at the comic books and figure a way to change them, keep forgetting about Daryl because he’s not in there. So they are like, “Shit, we forgot Daryl. Oh, yeah, just have him shoot an arrow, fans will like that.”

6.  They have taken him out of character. How much have we seen Daryl this season? His recent 15 minutes with Beth were stupid. Lame tracker missing those rabbits and diaper. Is this the same Daryl that went to look for his brother in Atlanta, for Sophia half of season two? Yet we are to believe Daryl wouldn’t go back to the prison for Judith or Carl and choose to run with an annoying teenage girl. Yeah, right. Again, they don’t know what to do with him. Merle is gone.

5.  He’s getting his own episode. Yeah, an entire episode, like the Governor. Sound familiar. Granted Beth is in the episode and it’s the bait and switch. Make us think they are killing her, but they aren’t. Does anyone really care about Beth? We’re rooting for her to die, and we all know WD never kills the ones we want.

4.  Daryl has already been replaced. In the comics, after Tyrese dies, Ford becomes Rick’s right hand man. Tyrese never became the right hand man on tv, Daryl did. So … out he goes. Plus, we will soon forget about him because Morgan returns (IMDB) episode 15 this season.

3.  They already played their high card this season. Walking Dead can’t survive by simply killing red shirts (A term for characters brought in to die). They survive by shocking us and killing people we love. When killing Hershel, they crushed us. Sorry to say, they now must top that. Who is left? Who will the fans really clamor about? Who is that high ended that people would riot over … Daryl.  He is the only one that can top Hershel’s death.

2.  They won’t kill him. That is almost my top argument as to why they will. People are so convinced the show won’t kill Daryl, that I think they will. The show can and will survive without him. Again, I refer you to Number “What has he done lately?’

And finally, Number one … the guilt move. I can see it. Ring. Ring.
Norman Reedus: Hello.
Robert Kirkman: Uh, hey, yeah, Norm, I’m like really sorry I killed you off this season.
Norma: Sucks, dude.
Kirkman: Yeah, I know, anyhow … to make it up to you. How about... uh a starring role in my new sci fi dystopia movie? (Winks to Gail Hurd with a look that says, we got him)


The movie is all true. Read Here. Robert Kirkman called Reedus to co produce and star in the new thriller AIR. Production has been kept secret. Probably to hide the fact that production on the movie coincides with production of WD. Confirming that Daryl Dixon won’t be back for season 5.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

No High Hopes from me on Walking Dead Season 4.

Today Walking Dead Mid Season premiere will show, and I believe it will probably be the last Walking Dead that I watch.  I expect the back half to suck.  I am prepared for a good opening episode, but I am also preparing to turn it off for good mind you, unless my expectations of the show are proven wrong.

I’m sick of the way they handle it and here’s why.

My first expectation is they divided up the group, I will bet money, the first episode back,  that they don’t show the group. That we don’t see Glen, Maggie, Tyrese or the others. That we only see Rick and Carl and maybe Michonne. They left us in limbo for 8 weeks and sorry, bet we have to wait another week or two to get answers. Typical anymore to get us back.

They don’t know what to do. Start a plague, end a plague, no reason for it. Just to eat up time. Jump to the Gov on a road trip. What the hell? Did they say, “Hmm how do we end this plague, I know, show the Gov for two weeks and people will forget.” I expect more of that on the back half.

While I totally understand the need to vary from the comics, my argument is don’t do it half assed, as the writers and producers have done.

If they are going to vary and stray from the comics so as to give the element of surprise plus new storylines, than damn it. Do it. Stray. There is no element of surprise if a character dies in the novel and still dies on the TV show, Just because the writers change the course of direction and don’t’ change the outcome just irritates us.

Point taken … Judith. In the novel, she died in Lori’s arms. On the show, Lori died, Judith lived … lived the entire season. Through the flu that really didn’t make sense, just a way, I guess to eat up time. And then they kill her, showing nothing more than a bloody car seat.

Who the hell would put their child in a car seat in the apocalypse anyhow. I can guarantee my grandkids wouldn’t be in one, they’d be in my arms, as any baby would. Buckle them in, buckle them out? Too much work should you have to run.

Many are saying she isn’t dead. But unfortunately, according to Gimble, the show’s front runner, they couldn’t show her death on TV. She’s gone.

What the hell? I am so sick of Walking Dead killing people for the shock. Yes, inevitably people have to die,  but, really two years post apocalypse, some sort of survival skill has been acquired enough that one will not die as easily or as stupid. Putting a child in a car seat. Not clinging or assuring your own baby? They led us on with Judith, and to shock us and bring about emotions, they slaughter her.

Wasn’t Hershel enough? Really. Not only was I the viewer distraught but the cast was as well.

What made Walking Dead appealing throughout the novel was its ability to hold true to the center of an apocalypse universe. To have a good solid story, you need strength, weakness, hope and wisdom. So you need a sense that there will be a better tomorrow … children. Along with the weak, and the survivors and you need older characters to deliver the wisdom.

They killed Dale but Hershel was waiting in the wings. They killed Hershel there is no more voice of reason or wisdom. Gone.

The writers have turned to a shock effect instead of a story. Killing Judith is just wrong. A baby in the z-poc is a challenge, I feel the writers wanted to go with it, then chickened out.

And where the hell is Carol? How many weeks do we have to wait for answers? It’s ridiculous.

Actually, that’s a problem this season. Toss out something here (Michonne emotional with Judith) A tease  there, kick Carol out, wait three weeks to show Darryl’s reaction to Carol being gone and it’s what? Ten seconds?

Someone needs to go into that writer room and say, “People focus. Go back to basics and tell a single story.” They are all tossing out so called brilliant ideas on the table, starting them and not knowing how to weave them.


If Judith is really dead, we don’t see anyone but Rick, Carl and Michonne on the premiere, then I’m saying goodbye to the Walking Dead. They are using nothing but bait and switch tactics to reel us in, keep us waiting. I waited eight weeks to find out what happened to everyone, and if I have to wait any longer, I don’t want to know. Hershel’s gone, they need to give me a reason to tune back in for good.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

The Castaway: Real, Killer, or Cannibal?

I have to weigh in, I do. I have to give my theories on Jose Salvador Alvarenga. Who? If you haven’t heard, recently in the news, he’s the man who was stranded at sea for 13 months. His boat lost power, and he drifted for thousands upon thousands of miles and finally drifted to safety .. over a year later. He survived from eating fish, birds, turtles and drinking the blood of these things and his own urine.

When he first left, he set sailed with a young man whom he just met. He didn’t return with the young man. The young man died four months into the survival turmoil. You probably have two reactions. Either , “wow, that’s amazing’ or ‘No way, Jose,’ (No pun intended to our castaway).

Now you can believe everything he says, and bask in the survival wonder. Or you can look at the facts.

Doctors say he was weak and severely dehydrated.  Yet, he seemed ‘plumper’, they explained it as swelling. Hmm. I thought the tissues had to hold fluid to swell, if you’re severely dehydrated where is the fluid coming from? Maybe I’m showing my ignorance.

Let’s go visuals…
This is him before (Left) and after (following his haircut) 


Maybe I’m wrong but does this look like a man who spent 14 months at sea starving?

To better demonstrate, look at the picture below and ask yourself which of these two look like they can use a cheeseburger?


Honestly, no one is away at sea, doesn’t eat, doesn’t have enough water and looks healthy and fit. Just go look up pictures of his whole body. He didn’t lose weight. IN FACT, he looks as if he gained it. So what’s the scoop? I offer two scenarios
.
1) It never happened. He could have killed the young man, took him out in this boat and dumped him in the ocean. To cover the murder, he stayed away for a year, got back in his boat and, inspired by the look of Tom Hanks, mimicked that and returned. Uncanny, isn’t it? That would explain the lack of weight loss.


2) My favorite theory. He really did get lost at sea, his boat really did break down, and to survive it became a ‘me or you’ situation and he chose himself, killed his companion and yep … wait for it … ate him.


What he didn’t eat he used as bait.

I honestly believe the whole story will eventually unfold. We’ll either find out that someone saw him during that time frame he was allegedly floating about ot he’ll admit to dining on his companion.


I for one am very interested in this story and will keep following it.