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Reviews
Game of Thrones: The Iron Throne (2019)
Great finale to an epic series
First of all, I loved that we had a completion to this story. From reading GRRM's books which had so many characters and so many narrative threads, I wondered if he'd ever be able to pull it together into a conclusion of some sort (jury is still out on the books). But the series did pull this together into a great final season (to me at least) and fulfilled the character arc for most of the main characters.
I loved the ending last week with Cersei as she watched King's Landing fall and of Jamie who had been mostly redeemed during the series but also doomed by his need to get back to Cersei and die with her. This week, I liked how Jon and Daenarys story ended, and how Jon even afterward was unsure if he had done the right thing.
Daenarys decision was spelled out better this week, mostly by Tyrion, but also by Daenarys herself. And it gave a better context to her actions of destroying her enemies as a means to her belief in a greater good.
I liked the 'after' scenes with Tyrion and the new council. Good open-ended sendoff for the Stark kids, and it was nice to see Jon in the North with Tormund and to see him reunited with Ghost.
Parts of this season did seem rushed, but the acting was exceptional throughout. And it was a good mix of personal moments with some epic scenes. And I'm glad that we did get a conclusion that seems to bring the story full circle.
Would love to read GRRM's version of all this, and I'm sure he's writing up a storm to get a new novel out any day now. Yeah, any day now...
The Walking Dead: The Storm (2019)
Kind of a Dud
Kind of a weird episode. With the drama from the last episode, I anticipated something of substance for the season finale. But it seemed more like a filler episode. They walked through snow. And got to deal with snow zombies which were no more threatening than other zombies.
There didn't seem to be anything that really built suspense for next season. And there didn't seem to be any reaction at all from the main group except for a defeated sadness. And apparently Alpha sent her people on vacation (whatever that means).
So much of this seems contrived. Judith wanders off so that Negan can rescue her, and prove himself a good guy. There's a blizzard because it's something different and adds a small obstacle. Lydia wanders off so Carol can sort of save her.
At least there was more Negan in this episode. He definitely adds something to the show, especially when so much of the cast is forgettable and uninteresting.
The Walking Dead: The Calm Before (2019)
Thank you Alpha!!
Really cool and dramatic sequence (and editing) for the reveal of who in the cast had been killed. Probably one of the better things TWD has done in a while. I'm also thinking that Alpha must be in touch with fan feedback to take out 3 of the worst characters from the show. Kind of a nice victory to be rid of Henry, Enid, and Tara. I kind of liked the old woman with the baby though - I would've probably kept her around.
Any episode that puts together a high quality 10 minute segment like that and rids itself of 3 fairly worthless characters gets a 9 or 10.
The rest of the episode was not as good. I liked the opening with the couple who made the 'H' jewelry. Not a big fan of the opening and ending speeches. The 2nd one seemed unnecessary and had a false note to it. Not gonna pretend there was any logic to how they might have lured these people outside of the fair to kidnap them. And how did Alpha clean up so well to sneak in? And why would she not kill the key leaders and best fighters when she had them captured? The Whisperers haven't shown any signs of being smart enough or capable enough of pulling any of this off.
Not sure if I'm gonna continue watching. This episode may have been my happy ending. Some of the most annoying characters are gone. There was a really good reveal scene to enjoy. That might be a good enough ending for me.
The Walking Dead: Chokepoint (2019)
Mostly Filler
So there's yet another group just lingering near the Kingdom? And it doesn't appear that they've come across the Whisperers yet. Whatever. I'm guessing the real reason this group was there is because the show needed to fill 30 minutes. Seemed like a clumsy introduction of this group, though the confrontation of the 2 groups was kind of entertaining. I didn't realize how appealing a movie could be. Though I'm starting to think that might be a better use of my time than most of the episodes of TWD.
The other half of the episode was with Lydia and friends. Lydia has been one of the best parts of recent episodes so it's pretty disappointing that a happy ending for her is ending up with the idiot Henry. Not sure how much of a step up that is from getting smacked around by Alpha. The choreography of the fighting seemed good enough, but I didn't sense any real drama. The main 4 characters here all seemed pretty invincible. And with Beta surviving, the actual scenes didn't really accomplish anything. We're kind of back to where we were.
Part of this might just be me. It's been nine years and the show is feeling old. The improvements under Angela Kang are obvious, but being better than season 7/8 does not mean the show is actually all that good. The biggest disappointment is that the show doesn't seem to have any real sense of surprise to it anymore.
How many days until Game of Thrones is back?
The Walking Dead: Guardians (2019)
4 Stars
The good -- the Michonne and the council scenes were interesting. That seemed well developed and logical. The early scenes with Alpha and Lydia with neither of them trusting each other were good and had a nice tension to them. Intro of Beta as an enforcer was needed & might be good in the future. And Negan makes every episode better.
The bad -- henry. Annoying and stupid and completely useless. And now he is somehow at the very center of the show. Judith is mostly good, but still seems to be smarter than every single adult she talks to. It made sense that someone would challenge Alpha's leadership, but that was a pretty weak challenge. Still no idea why this group would follow Alpha. Eugene/Rosita/Father Gabe?? -- the commercials are more interesting. Also, is having a barking dog with you a good idea when tracking a group?
Dumb Finish -- interesting buildup to have Lydia ordered to kill Henry. But then the usual stupidity. Somehow in this sort of thriving camp, the normally non-threatening walkers are suddenly decimating this group. Was nobody watching the perimeter of their camp?? It seems like the walkers are an afterthought except when the writers can't think of a way out of a situation. It's a shame lydia didn't kill Henry -- that would have been a more interesting story.
The Walking Dead: Bounty (2019)
Terrible
Seemed like a complete waste of an episode. The baby in the field scene was just stupid. Not sure why there would be a baby with this group in the first place -- is this the first time the baby ever made a noise? And the hiding girl rushing out to save the baby with no resistance?
Henry is so annoying and apparently free to do what he wants with prisoners. Enid might be even more annoying -- putting them together in scenes is excruciating. The writing used to be the problem with this show. Starting to wonder if the acting is to blame for some of this too.
And where are all the guns the group had when they were shooting out windows near Negan?
There should have been some good drama with the 2 sides but it was really kind of unimportant. Not sensing any real menace or danger in the Whisperers. And why would anyone follow Alpha?
The theater scenes were actually better but just barely.
What's happened to this show?
The Walking Dead: Omega (2019)
Flashback fun
The flashback scenes were the definite highlight of this. And that really helps establish the character of Lydia as she resolves the conflicts in her head. Daryl was good, and the Alpha in the flashbacks was really impressive. This seemed to lose a lot at the final moments though, where she and her group did not seem especially menacing, just a crazy woman with weird makeup and a thick southern accent.
Henry is still annoying and not that bright. It would be nice if Carl was there instead. The scenes with the newbies and Tara were pretty forgettable too. I assume the newbies are to make the cast younger, but they've added very little so far.
At least with Lydia they're taking the time to develop a good character. There seems to be a shortage of these now.
The Walking Dead: Adaptation (2019)
Not Great, but not Terrible
Overall quality of season 9 is way higher than it was in 7 or 8, but the show does feel like it's still lacking something. Despite his misuse in earlier seasons, it looks like Negan is the best thing about the show right now. And it looks like there's real potential in seeing what how his story evolves. And the relationship with him and Judith has potential. But I wish they would write her as an actual child. Also, was she such a good shot that she can hit the bike without hitting Negan? Or was she trying to kill him? And why is she left alone so much to roam wherever she wants?
Not a big fan of the Whisperers so far either. The zombies have been next to zero threat for many seasons now. And we're supposed to believe that a smart strategy is to mix within that useless and slow group and then do a surprise attack? Possibly a good strategy against 1 or 2 people. But against a bigger force or against someone with a crossbow or guns, that seems unbelievably stupid. And you can't pull out a gun of your own in that group, because then the zombies would attack you.
I'm also sensing too much of the writers simply moving people around instead of conflicts developing naturally from the characters. Not finding too many of the characters all that interesting now either.
For what it's worth, I recently watched the Korean zombie series 'Kingdom' which was excellent. Recommended.