Example was last season finale when Rick was about to be killed, Sasha comes out like a Jack in the box and all the sudden the tables are turned (what?). 99.9 a single zombie is nothing but have one pop out of a coffin and it’s like the end of the world for the Saviors.

Didn't Negan and Eugene talk about shooting the zombies? Rick's plan with the zombies was to cut off the Sanctuary. Hoping that as the workers ran low on food and supplies they would turn on Negan. The snipers were there to prevent them from clearing the zombies. However, once they got inside, the snipers were no longer able to prevent them from just shooting the zombies. I could be wrong, but that was my interpretation of the end of the episode.

Yeah that whole bit where she rides in a casket was a ridiculous plot device. Really lazy writing.

Kill Bill 2 casket scene :drop mike:

Never can top that so don’t try.

I've missed maybe a handful of shows since the show premiered and I'm frustrated at how poor the writing has become. Boring and so lazy... Used to be one of my favorite series but has dropped to rank somewhere in our top-20. Special effects are still great.

And he framed the doctor so that he became firewood!

My wife and I are both lukewarm, but there isn't a lot else we watch during this time of the year. We still watch talking dead passively. I always get a little annoyed with how self-satisfied everyone involved in production is. It's like watching the Stern anniversary party from Expo every week. The show could be so much more.. it might get ratings, but it's not anywhere near the quality of a show like GoT, Sopranos, The Wire, etc.

There's no longer an overarching goal to the show and it's become stale because of it. Fighting one group and another, and then another may be fine for the comic but not a TV show that has been running this long. The show needs to find a sense of mystery again. How about getting a radio signal from Washington DC and going into the city since its so close? Now that would be cool. Right now the show seems rather stale.

We did see another helicopter. So they are setting up for the next season. Same formula different group?

Cooooarll! Cooooarll! Cooooarll!

Carl and Rick (resized).jpg

Speechless again. So bad. This article sums it up well.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2017/12/10/the-walking-dead-season-8-midseason-finale-review-what-a-joke/

They really just need to end it this season, there's no coming back from how bad this television show has gotten. The lack of comments here after tonight's mid-season finale proves it.

Rick wanted to kill Negan so bad that when he was pushed out the window with his gun in his hand, he runs away? what a dumb show now, I was so bored that I pretty much slept thru most of it and when Coral showed daddy his bite wound I didn't seem to care. I used to look forward to watching this show, now I watch just to get thru the season in hopes they will cancel it.

The whole episode took place at night. I had a hard time seeing what was going on watching it on my old TV. The way this show is going I wouldn't be surprised if Carl lives.

The extra 30 minutes last night was pretty much just dramatic close ups.

I thought exactly the same thing when I watched it! Why didn't he try to shoot Negan through the window to try to end all this?

I realized I stopped watching a few weeks ago, and this morning just read synopsis to catch up.

and I was a hardcore fan, definitely was motivated to buy my TWDLE sight unseen because we were such big fans of that time. Also got screwed by jpop because he was offering a Zombie theme before anyone else during the height of early season TWD.

I so agree with what is being said. First, the darkness. At one point I think I was supposed to care who was shot but could not see so I didn't care. And this is on a very new 47" LED TV. Of course I had to adjust the TV so it does not look LED or both my girlfriend and I get headaches.

The grab your gun and run was so stupid. Why? Because he might have picked up his stupid baseball bat? Oh, that's right, we saw that bat stop a bullet before so a Colt Python might not be enough.

Coral bitten. We've been looking forward to Coral getting killed for so long it just isn't fun. Unless then make him shoot himself, that would be funny. "Hey Coral, here is one bullet. Go visit mom".

They will probably use this as an excuse to find out the disease has been in their systems so long it is not deadly. Then they can ignore single walkers even more than they already do.

Oh, an I'm glad to see Negan thanked Eugene for the bullets. And then pulls out an arsenal of grenade launchers.

They really skirted around the "how did you get out?" question. Everyone just said "Eugene", but there was no indication of HOW they got out. Lazy, lazy writing.

The probably called them over to Human Resources using the intercom system Eugene fixed.

I watched through some scenes a few times. This was perhaps the biggest fight night between these two group and the 'good' guys best fighters, namely Carol, Rick, Daryl, Michonne and Morgan were basically MIA the entire night. Michonne managed one kill. Daryl maybe used a gun at the ambush scene but it's not shown. Lots of close ups, emotion build-up shots, slow zooms, etc. So little action. I just can't believe how bad this show has gotten. Rick deciding to go find his family instead of finally taking care of Negan where he had much superior odds (Colt Python vs bat!) is amazing departure from reason and common-sense. I think back to the farm, Merle and the good ol' days of this show. The best part of this show nowadays is when Rosita is in the scene.

Edit: just read the piece at Forbes by Kain. Agree with him 100%!

I think I see where this is all going btw. The broader arc this season is to show that the smaller communities (hilltop, Alexandria and even Oceanside and the wacky trash people) all with semi-democratic leadership structures can work together, find a way to get along, and beat the big, bad Saviors led by one uber-dominant leader.

Why doesn't Maggie look pregnant yet?

I agree with all of the above. Horrible writing and terrible directing. Had no idea what was happening. So Jerry, Carol, and Rick are all in a car that is hit by something. We see Jerry is captured and all wounded from the crash or saviors? So, ok, the saviors crashed them and captured them. No, wait, Carol is running around the kingdom just fine. And Rick is kicking ass in Alexandria. What? I knew the whole episode was going to suck when after 2 episodes of setup, the garbage pail kids run off after the first shot...again! Then, look there are Carol and Jerry in a car just in time. Where did they come from. Why were they going there. AAHHH!

Best part for me was when Maggie asks for the coffin for some dude? My wife and I were like who are they talking about? We backed up and figured out that the dead guy was the dude in the backseat who said, "hell yeah." Oh man, that guy meant a lot to me. UUGGHH!

I’ve been wondering that for awhile now.

Only thing kept me watching was to try and unlock the new walker in my TWD Encounter app..... It's more entertaining than the show at this point.

I watched the episode. Too dark to see much, a lot didn't make sense to me and the darkness didn't help.

I watched Twin Peaks ending and a lot didn't make sense there either (but that was due to the dream and deliberately direction to be confusing) but this episond was just a crazy mess. It's almost like they left out a some of the scenes.

:shrug: the show sucks anymore. I think I'll need to read that review to figure out what happened.

So Coral got bit? And I didn't recall him ever being in a fight, maybe I missed that. Scenes out of time sequence? I really am not sure? Is it supposed to be Pulp Fiction like timeline? I didn't get it.

This show is basically just as bad as FTWD at this point. I only saw the first season of FTWD, but it was obvious that they paid little attention to the writing or looking for plot holes and bad directing. They should have script consultants from the military, survivalists, etc. Instead these shows now feel like they were written completely and directed by people who have rarely experienced life outside of a Hollywood Starbucks.

All of the dramatic closeups at the end were enough to make me puke. Every time I saw Carl on the screen I was hoping to see the side of his head blown off by a 45 - sort of like Prop Joe's nephew on The Wire. Sorry for soiling the name of a great show like The Wire by mentioning it along with this complete crap.

Thanks for the Forbes link, seems spot on.
From the beginning scenes the show forecast the silliness of it all.
Coral walking down the street spouting to Rick about his now transformed vision of peace while carrying a gallon gas can with a siphon hose...
What the heck was that for? His lawn mower??

Did I miss something? It was so dark not sure if they showed Coral in a fight with walkers? Did I fast forward past something?

I was going to say he’s going to live somehow like he’s immune? But then I read they fired the actor, sad I was just starting to like Coral.

Also when Rick came home he was calling Judith like she can be by herself now?

I try to watch this show and just can't get over the acting and terrible writing. It made a great pin though my favorite pin actually so something good came from it.

Seems to me it was when he was clearing those walkers with the new guy.. he fell and apparently got bit. The timeline is seriously questionable, though..

That also bugged me... gun drawn and you're going to walk through shouting peoples names? Since when do they make noise trying to clear a house? Before it was all handsigns and carefully navigating around corners.. now it's in the open shouting for your toddler?

I was also questioning how they knew they missed Rick's house when they were firing mortars blindly over the wall.

Most seem to think it happened when he was fighting off the walkers with that Muslim guy.

Yeah, I can't see him being immune. The virus is already inside humans. Pending how that virus was activated they could probably come up with an ending where the next generation was immune, but Carl has been around since the beginning. I don't see how they could explain that, seemingly, everyone that we've seen up until this been effected. Having it somehow miss Carl would be some BS.

Ok I must have missed a part of the episode since I had recorded it while watching football.

Can someone please enlighten me on this... I must have been sleeping through that episode. I always thought the virus had to be transferred by being bitten. If it's already inside, why worry about being bit?? Is being bitten like striking a fuse? Why did Hershel have to loose his leg?? This is just nuts.

If that's the case, maybe everyone will realize that it's actually hopeless and this will all mercifully end with a Jonestown finale when everyone drinks the coolaid.

Funny, I was barely paying attention by the end. When Carl showed his wound I figured it was from shrapnel from one of the explosions he was near. I was just happy that it seemed he might die.

Next season the guys in the helicopter will probably save him with some new serum.

Yes, the virus is in everyone already. That is why when you die you turn. Even if you die from a gun shot or even a heart attack. As long as you don't have a traumatic injury to the brain or stem. That is why when someone dies they shove a knife in their head. So they don't come back.

This is the secret the scientist at the CDC whispered to Rick at the end of season 1. Everyone else found out near the end of season 2 at the farm when Coral had to put down a turned Shane after Rick killed him.

The bite seems to bring on death by giving a blast of the virus or something that makes you sick, feverish and has a 100% mortality rate. If they become immune to bites there is no real reason to have zombies in the show at all.

Also why the flu in the prison was so bad. Dying people turn. And why in a recent episode Negan's people realized they didn't need to push the attack forward. As their dead turned they became an issue behind the lines.

It's inside them. Not only do they turn after being bitten, they turn after they die, regardless of how they die.

Is that inconsistent with chopping off a bitten limb to stay alive?

Why would a bite mean certain death if you're already infected with the virus?

Pretty sure it's just making you more susceptible to a basic infection and that's what you die from. Mouths are dirty.

We're dealing with a made up world with undead walking around. Obviously there's no sound science behind any of it, beyond what the writers decide on.

And to that end, they certainly can come up with some reason why Carl being bit is a swerve this time. Even though that would be worse than the decision to take him out.

exactly, stop anaylizing this fantasy world. This is why so many geeks disliked Prometheus, just be entertained and don't pick at it because its not real. I have a buddy whos into Marvel and I said something about the Thor films, he went into a long explanation as to why this and that were untrue and don't accurately represent the Marvel universe, so I said "who gives a shit".

What a terrible midseason finale. What has happened to this show? For one the production values have fallen so hard that it was difficult to see many scenes even on a good HDTV due to how dark they were. Also, how many slow close up shots of characters does an episode and season in general need? Just way too many and a waste of time due to the shots excessive use.

After 8 seasons and no overarching goal other then fighting one group after another the show has become boring in my opinion. The loss of the sense of mystery to the show has ruined it. Fighting one group after another for survival in a comic may be ok but not for a TV show that has been on this long.

When you are alive the virus in you is dormant, but if you are bit the active virus gets into your body from the walker's mouth.

This show is brutal now. Painful to watch.

I don't think Carl was bitten. How would it line up with the first episode flash forward?

Terrible writing. Terrible effects. The show is just dying. Too bad but then need to end it.

I too thought I was missing things with all the darkness. Just terrible,

Are we taking bets on if Carl lives through this?

My wife's theory is that he got bitten by someone dressed as a zombie. He will live.

I think the only way to save the show at this point is to have the helicopter we saw a couple episodes ago land, and it turns out to be the U.S military who then takes Carl and Rick into Washington D.C where there's some survivors and a medical team working on a cure.

Maybe we find out that the medical team has been in contact with other medical teams from around the world. If they did this it could return the mystery element to the show and provide the groundwork for an overarching goal to end the show.

Fighting Negan and whatever groups come next for another few seasons before the show finally ends sound like a terrible pay off for people who have been watching the show for years.

Hes gonna die, you could tell the fever has set in, he looked sick, I didnt think he was bitten but when he was on the wall talking to Negan I thought to myself he looked sickly.

As soon as I saw Carl was bit, I turned to my wife and said, "Shit! My TWDLE just dropped in value $500!"

I looked it up and as mentioned previously by another poster here, the actor playing Carl was fired from the show.

I won’t spoil anything for anyone but those curious should look up the firing or the actor.

Read the article but I don't believe it. Seems like a smoke screen. Just like how Steven Yeun's name was dropped from the opening credits for a few weeks when they pretended he died.

It would be insane for them to try this same trick twice, but we're at such a low level now, I don't put it past them.