Ranking the top 5 moments from “Fear the Walking Dead” season 4 episode 2: “No one’s gone till they’re gone”

Happy Tuesday TV fans!  After watching AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead season 4 episode 2, I learned that a baseball stadium can actually serve as the perfect place for survival in the zombie apocalypse.  After all, you have a field for crops, a PA system to warn you of oncoming attacks, and showers.  Did I mention showers?  I have to admit that out of all the places we have seen the characters from The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead hold up in; this settlement really seems the most promising.  Time will tell if it will last, however.  Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch the latest episode yet.  In last night’s episode, “Another Day in the Diamond,” we learn that Madison and the gang found the baseball stadium and decided to turn it into a settlement after everything they went through.  While we are still missing a chunk of time and don’t know exactly all of the details that led to this, we do get some flashes, reminding us that these characters have survived quite a lot and are still standing.  Meanwhile, Madison risks her life to save a stranger, a child is not who she says she is, and we meet the people responsible for the numbered flags, who seem to be the new big bad in town.  My top 5 moments from Fear the Walking Dead season 4 episode 2 are:

5

Nick tries not to let his fear get the best of him.

Nick has always been one of the strongest and most resourceful characters on the show.  When the going got rough, he would head off on his own and face unthinkable threats.  He learned to adapt to his surroundings and make hard choices, but he always radiated an inner strength.  At the end of season 3, Nick made a difficult choice and attempted to sacrifice himself on the bridge and blow it up to protect his family.  Throughout the episode, Nick had several flashes back to this event and it clearly traumatized him into a stagnant fear.  Nick never leaves the baseball stadium and has anxiety when he tries to head off into the parking lot.  Although Nick is clearly making an effort to get over what happened, his inner demons won’t go away just yet.

4

“No one’s gone until they’re gone.”

Madison has fully embraced her role as leader and is trying to help everyone in her settlement.  She has really connected with a young girl named Charlie and desperately wants to help her find her family.  When they go out looking for answers, Madison crosses paths with a survivor named Naomi who is played by Jenna Elfman.  Naomi pulls a gun on Madison, but is quickly surrounded by Alicia, Luciana, and Victor.  She tries to escape but falls into some sort of oil tank.  She is surrounded by walkers and it seems like she is out of luck, but Madison risks her life to jump in and help her.  We know that Madison is never afraid to get dirty and proves to be an unstoppable force, even covered in oil and gunk.  Madison brings Naomi back to their settlement and we learn that she used to be a nurse which will certainly come in handy.  Madison has a genuine conversation with Naomi and reveals that she almost lost her family because of the decisions she made before.  Madison is always moving and doing something, as if she’s almost afraid to be alone with her thoughts and memories, worrying that they could break her down.  Like Nick, Madison has been traumatized on some level, but decides to keep busy and help others to numb the pain. 

3

Charlie is not who she says she is.

Throughout the episode, I found it interesting that there seemed to be a lot of focus on this little girl, but the Clark family has clearly taken her in under their wing.  Nick even asks Luciana to find her another book so that she has something to pass the time with and Madison attempts to build her a bedroom.  Even though Madison and the others have been betrayed before, they open their settlement and heart to Charlie, trusting in the innocence of a child.  We later learn that Charlie is part of the “Vultures” group which has come to take over the settlement from Madison.  Charlie has been providing them with intel and they even know who Nick is and about the turnips going bad.  While Charlie remains quiet when she joins her “family,” it’s clear that no one saw this coming.

2

Meet Mel.

In episodes 1 and 2, we see numbered flags along the way.  Mel and his group drive up to the stadium and demonstrate how they handle walkers.  While Mel does not seem like a forceful threat, he does want something and is willing to wait patiently to get it.  He tells Madison that he wants them to listen.  He proposes that they give them their stuff and live or that they can wait for them to die and take it anyway.  While we don’t know much about Mel just yet, he seems very calm and rational.  He pulls up a chair in the parking lot and seems to think he’s right about everything.  The threat is a real one however; and Madison must decide carefully what to do next.

1

“We’re not going anywhere.”

After listening to Mel, Madison confidently stands up to him and lets him know that they worked hard to build up their settlement and they are not going to just hand it over to him.  Mel tells her that they will be tested, but Madison is a very capable and strong leader.  We know that she will do anything to protect her own, but is she ready for a new threat?  At the end of the episode, we finally catch up to present day and the end of episode 1.  Alicia initially thinks that Morgan, Al, and John are working with the Vultures, which is why they hold them at gun point.  After they clear up this misunderstanding, Alicia demands that they show them where they found the “51” flag.  While we don’t know how much time has passed between then and now, we know that the Vultures have got everyone on edge.  Stay tuned!

I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own theories and thoughts on Fear the Walking Dead in the comments section below.  Happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

@TV_Fanatic_Girl

 

Ranking the top 5 moments from “Fear the Walking Dead” season 4 episode 1: “Tell Me One Real Thing”

Happy Wednesday TV fans!  I have to admit that Sunday television has got me playing catch-up, as some of my favorite shows happen to all air at once.   After watching AMC’s The Walking Dead season finale, I had some mixed feelings, but there was a lot to wrap my head around.  I finally got the chance to watch the season 4 premiere of AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead last night, however; and I have to say that the crossover event was a success to me.  Although it had almost an eerie sense of quiet compared to the deafening chaos in The Walking Dead, it was something that truly resonated with me, as I found myself lost within the story and truly sympathizing with Morgan Jones.  Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch the latest episode yet.  In last night’s episode, “What’s Your Story?” many of our fan-favorites from The Walking Dead show up and try to get Morgan to change his mind about leaving.  However, Morgan feels that he needs to be alone and heads out on his own.  This is short-lived however; when he crosses paths with a man in a cowboy hat named John Dorie and a female journalist named Al.  My top 5 moments from Fear the Walking Dead season 4 episode 1 are:

5

“You can hide but you can’t run.”

When the season premiere begins, we focus in on Morgan who is still in the junkyard, closed off from society.  This is interrupted over and over, however; when Jesus, Carol, and Rick all show up, desperately trying to get Morgan to change his mind about leaving.  Morgan sticks to his decision and explains that he needs to be alone.  Morgan has been struggling with inner-demons and is searching for a way to overcome this.  He knows that he is a danger to those around him if he stays, but will he lose himself completely if he goes off on his own?  His friends remind him that he cares about people and should be with them, but Morgan remains strong with his decision and steps out onto an open road, leaving his past behind him.  We know that Rick’s words, “you can hide but you can’t run,” will catch up to him all too quickly, but Morgan continues on his journey all the same.

4

Meet John Dorie.

That’s Dory like the fish, but spelled with an “ie.”  This new character is not from the comic series and is played by Deadwood star, Garret Dillahunt.  The stranger in a cowboy hat proves to be quite the “gunslinger,” but seems to have a good heart and a strong sense of doing what’s right.  He offers Morgan shelter and when Morgan takes off and gets into trouble, John Dorie is not far behind, proving that he can be a worthy ally.  John Dorie shares his own story that he is searching for his wife who has his matching gun, which is heart-breaking and commendable at the same time.  He refuses to give up hope and he seems to remind Morgan that human connections are all they have to cling to in this harsh reality filled with death and decay.  The “karate man” and “gunslinger” prove to be quite the team, but will Morgan be able to truly open up after all he has been through?

3

Meet Al.

Shortly after the introduction of new character, John Dorie, we also meet Al who is a journalist played by the beautiful and talented, Maggie Grace.  As a huge fan of Lost, I was more than pleased to see Maggie Grace step into a new and different role.  Her hair is cut boy-short and she packs quite the punch with her van filled with handy weapons, but what sparked my interest the most is that she is out to discover everyone’s story.  Morgan gently reminds her that there are no more news stations around and why does it matter, but Al’s need to continue the story anyway proves that she hasn’t given up hope either.  She keeps her camera with her and documents everything she can, looking for something real to connect to.

2

“Tell me one real thing.”

After Morgan, John, and Al survive the attack from the armed men and walkers, Morgan is finally ready to open up, even if it is for just a moment.  Al records him and asks him to tell her one real thing and explain why he left Virginia.  Morgan explains, “I lose people and then I lose myself,” which touched my heart instantly.  It’s hard not to feel sympathetic toward Morgan and understand his need to run away.  Even though he was part of many settlements before, he still chooses to be on his own, desperately trying to hold on to his humanity.  Perhaps being around people again will remind Morgan that he has the chance to truly do something great and make a difference.

1

“So what the hell’s your story?”

At the end of the episode, the three characters come across a woman who is sobbing in the middle of the road.  They cautiously approach the woman, not knowing what to expect, but offer to help her.  The woman is revealed to be Alicia who turns a gun on them and Nick, Luciana, and Victor appear as well to surround them.  The crossover has officially well…crossed over and these characters are now all connected whether they want to be or not.  While we are unclear on how Alicia, Nick, Luciana, and Victor all ended up together, since it seemed like everyone was separated at the end of last season, we have plenty of episodes to find out what they are up to and how they got here.  Stay tuned!

I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own theories and comments on Fear the Walking Dead below.  Thanks for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

@TV_Fanatic_Girl

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My top television shows of 2017 on Cable Networks: The best of the best!

Greetings TV Fans!  For today, I am going to be listing my top favorite television shows that aired in 2017 on cable networks.  While some shows near the top of my list were no surprise for me, there were others that crept into the top 5 that I would not have predicted last year.  There were also some shows that I used to enjoy a lot which fell short this past year and are in need of something earth-shattering to happen in 2018 to get them back to the top of the pack.  While I haven’t gotten a chance to view all shows that aired new episodes in 2017, I did get to more than I initially anticipated.  Please feel free to include some of your favorites below as well.  I will be breaking the shows into 3 categories:  the best of the best, honorable mentions, and shows that have lost some steam.  Please note some spoilers are ahead.

The Best of the Best for television shows airing on cable networks for 2017 in no particular order are:

Game of Thrones

Fear the Walking Dead

American Horror Story:  Cult

SMILF

Shameless

While Game of Thrones and Shameless are two of my all-time favorites, I was pleased with the seasons airing in 2017.  Game of Thrones sped things up to the delight of fans, which I guess makes sense since they are running out of time.  Either way, it was great to see Daenerys and Jon Snow finally meet face to face and discuss terms of an alliance on a war against the undead.  Everything is falling into place and I am eager to see the remaining episodes in 2018.  Shameless is another favorite of mine that has had me laughing out loud this season.  Even though the show is on its eight season, it is proving to still have fresh material.  American Horror Story:  Cult bounced back from American Horror Story:  Roanoke from 2016.  Cult was terrifying and real at the same time, providing viewers with a dangerous view of society.  Evan Peters played his best character yet in my opinion, diving into his terrifying role of Kai Anderson.  Newcomer SMILF is the perfect mix of raw humor and sentimental moments, as Frankie Shaw has had a stand-out performance.  The most surprising one of the bunch for me is Fear the Walking Dead.  I will be honest and admit that I had been previously watching the show out of obligation.  It’s the prequel to The Walking Dead and in some way I felt like I owed the show a chance, even though I wasn’t too hooked.  However, this all changed for me this past season in 2017.  Alicia played by the lovely and talented Alycia Debnam Carey stepped out from her shadow as Madison’s daughter and has grown into an independent and powerful survivor.  Main characters with interesting story-lines were killed off to the shock of fans everywhere; including myself, proving that the show is ready to take on a life of its own.  Rick and the gang should take some notes from the characters in Fear the Walking Dead who are making difficult decisions and moving on to each new obstacle without too much fluff in between.

Honorable mentions for television shows airing on cable networks for 2017 in no particular order:

Homeland

Bates Motel

Better Call Saul

Pretty Little Liars

The Strain

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

South Park

Some of these shows are favorites of mine and did enough in 2017 to earn a spot in my honorable mentions.  South Park and It’s Always Sunny kept the laughs coming and Homeland and Better Call Saul did the same with the edge of your seat drama and big moments.  While the shows had solid episodes, there wasn’t enough of a hook to move them into my top 5.  That being said, I thoroughly enjoy watching these shows and I am looking forward to new seasons.  Bates Motel, Pretty Little Liars, and The Strain ended in 2017 on a strong note.  While none of the series finales were that epic in my opinion, they did a good job of bringing everything full circle and satisfying the questions fans had.

Television shows airing on cable networks for 2017 that are running out of steam in no particular order are:

The Walking Dead

Archer

I have watched all of the episodes from both shows and was somewhat disappointed overall in the seasons from 2017.  While neither show was terrible enough for me to take them off my DVR line-up permanently, there was something missing.  Whether it was too much fluff in between major moments or a missing connection to characters, both shows have the potential to win their fans back and provide some good content.  Are they going to deliver on this, however?  I am optimistic and will continue to watch both series, but am looking for something fresh and over-the-top to remind me why I loved watching in the first place.  I know it’s a lot to ask for, but consistency in television entertainment is important.  Let’s make it a great 2018 for shows everywhere and hope these two shows ignite a spark that will keep viewers coming back for more and more.

I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post some of your favorite television shows from 2017 that aired on cable networks below.  Happy viewing and the countdown to 2018 is here!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

Watching “The Walking Dead” out of responsibility or necessity? Can the popular series survive changing the future of the comic?

As a loyal television watcher, there are some shows that I cannot live without and others that I find myself watching out of responsibility, becoming more and more like a chore, which isn’t a good sign, right? There are shows that I have to watch as soon as they air because I don’t want anyone to spoil what happened and there are others that I can wait a few days to catch up on via my DVR.  However, there are some I have invested quite a bit of time in since the beginning of the series, which just aren’t hooking me in the same way anymore.  Don’t get me wrong, I have watched The Walking Dead since the very beginning and would even say I considered it to be one of my absolute favorite shows in the earlier seasons.  However, the show has lost that edge for me that it initially had, reserving its shocking over-the-top moments for mid-season and season finales only.  However, this sometimes becomes a struggle getting through the fluff episodes in between just to see which main character will not make it through the night.  Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not watched the mid-season finale, which aired on Sunday, 12/10/17.

While I am not going to rank my top moments of the mid-season finale, I find it important to talk about Carl.  If you type in “Carl” online, you will find hundreds and hundreds of reviews and comments about what was revealed on the mid-season finale.  As a loyal fan to Rick, I have to admit that he just isn’t doing it for me anymore.  I know he’s been through a lot but it seems like he is always crying or whining about something out of his control.  Carl was outshining him, outsmarting the saviors, and making the right decisions to protect the people around him.  Last season, the introduction of the enemy, Negan, portrayed by the brilliant Jeffrey Dean Morgan sparked some much needed life into the show, killing off main characters last year in a horrific and violent way.  But can one villain carry a show?  Sure, the show is about the surviving the undead, but there is not much happening in the episodes throughout the season.  For example, Rick and the others have declared war on the saviors.  When I first learned that this season would focus completely on the war, I was thrilled.  I thought I would get the action and fast pace that I desperately missed from the earlier seasons.  However, we didn’t lose any main characters in all of these episodes leading up to the mid-season finale.  Rick has been off recruiting others and I sometimes forget where he is in the episodes.  That being said, characters like Carl and Maggie have stepped up, proving that a pregnant woman and a boy can be more of a threat than a former police officer.

So why kill off Carl then? In the comic series, the future of all is left in the hands of Carl and now we know that the show is going in a different direction.  But what direction is that? While we know that the new episodes will return with a long, drawn out goodbye from Carl, there is no way he is getting out of this alive.  In earlier seasons, I didn’t mind us losing Carl, as he seemed like more of a liability to Rick.  However, now he has become a force to be reckoned with.  Unlike Rick who is constantly making ill decisions because of his emotions, Carl uses his head and knows how to outsmart the enemy.  He kept emphasizing that everyone follow his plan, knowing that running off aimlessly would get others killed.  When he revealed the bite mark on him, I was genuinely upset.  Not because I care so much about Carl as a character, but because the one character with true potential to spark some life into the series was about to fade away, much like fan-favorite, Shane.

So where do we go from here? I have to think that the writers must have a plan and are not just winging it episode to episode.  Perhaps Maggie’s unborn child is the key and the future? Either way, there needs to be much more content included in episodes leading up to season finales.  I no longer want to watch this show out of obligation.  I want to go back to actually wanting to watch the show.  I’m hopeful that this can still happen, but will continue to watch the show out of loyalty if need be.  I would just prefer to be counting the days down to the season premiere and binge-watching earlier episodes to prepare.  Remember those days?  RIP Carl.  May your death bring some life back into The Walking Dead.

Please feel free to post your comments, thoughts, and theories on The Walking Dead below.  Thank you for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

Ranking the top 5 television series with numbers in the title: What’s your favorite zip code?

Happy Wednesday TV Fans!  As I am counting the days until the weekend and I am sure you are too, it got me thinking about numbers in particular on television.  I started to create a list of television series with numbers in the title and couldn’t believe how many there were over the years.  If you are bored at all throughout the day, I challenge you to create a list of as many number TV shows as you can without using the internet of course. 🙂  It’s actually really fun and you can post how many you were able to come up with in the comments.  Naturally, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to rank my top TV shows that fit into this category.  My top 5 TV shows containing numbers in the title are:

5) One Tree HillOne Tree Hill has always been a guilty pleasure of mine.  I used to watch Soapnet all day when I worked from home and this show came on quite a bit.  I was actually really disappointed that they took the show off of Netflix streaming because it is really addicting to watch.  While it may seem like your typical teenage soap centered on high school drama, the show does a good job of involving real issues as well.  There is a strong emphasis on family in the show and the narrator and main character, Lucas Scott, has a romantic view of the world, which elevates the show for me and ties in epic works of literature along with a lot of important thoughts that may have crossed our minds in different points in our lives.

4) 24.  While I have to admit, I have not gotten a chance to watch through this show recently, it is my mother’s absolute favorite and I thought very deserving of a spot in the top 5 even though it is not necessarily my top choice.  When this show aired on television, it had a quality that hooked the audience to watch the show live similar to The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones now.  You didn’t want to merely record 24 because you could miss something crucial or you didn’t want someone around you to spoil what happened.  The number 24 is significant in the series and not just merely in the title, as each season contained 24 episodes covering the 24 hours in Jack Bauer’s life.  All of the events happen in real time, which keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat seeing everything from Agent Bauer’s point of view.

3) 13 Reasons Why.  When this series streamed on Netflix earlier in the year, it was considered to be very controversial because of the subject matter and targeted audience.  As a result, it got mixed reviews.  After watching the first episode for myself, I found myself binge-watching the season all in one day.  While I am sure many of you have done the same, the show did an excellent job of drawing the viewer in wanting to unlock the real reasons why Hannah Baker decided to end her life and how her friend, Clay Jensen is involved.  Rather than leave a suicide note, Hannah records everything on 13 audio cassette tapes and has them delivered to the different people responsible so that they can hear the whole story.  While the show makes you want to dive deeper into truth, there is something very raw and painful about the emotions that are revealed along the way from each character who wronged Hannah and how they are dealing with the aftermath of her death along with issues in their own lives that they are facing.

2) The 100.  I have to admit that this is one of my favorite shows on television right now and I am counting the days until new episodes are aired.  The 100 reminds me of a futuristic version of Lost, revealing mystery after mystery where you truly can’t guess what is coming next.  The series starts off after earth has been destroyed by the nuclear war and the remaining survivors are living in a space station called the Ark.  However, air and supplies are running low and the leaders of the Ark make the decision to send 100 juvenile prisoners down to earth.  While it seemed initially that they were sending them off to die to sacrifice the few to save the many, earth is in fact livable again.  The prisoners are all trying to exist in a world without adults and laws, but find out that earth has many dangers, including other people who were already living there, “Grounders,” who are not looking forward to sharing their land with these invaders.  While each threat is dealt with, a new one emerges, forcing the Sky survivors to deal with betrayal, love, death, and war.

1) Beverly Hills, 90210.  It should be no surprise that my top choice takes place in our favorite zip code.  The show lasted for 10 years and even had a revival series done years later.  Many of us have grown up watching our favorite twins, Brandon and Brenda Walsh move from Minnesota to the very different and superficial Beverly Hills, California.  The soap-drama is a guilty pleasure of many and I recently watched through the entire series again over the summer.  Through all of the drama, this group of friends sticks together and grows up fast in a materialistic world only to realize that things don’t come as easily as they did in high school and that you can’t always buy your way out of everything.  While many of the plots are outrageous and over the top, there is a lesson in all of them, and we find ourselves rooting for each character who we have come to know well from years of watching them.

I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your comments below about any of these shows or some of your own favorites.  If you do complete the challenge, feel free to post how many shows you were able to come up with that do have a number in the title.  Happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl