Only 8 days to go...

That's right...

There's now only 8 days to go until The Walking Dead returns to our screens.

We will all finally get to witness just who it was getting lucilled by Negan at the end of Season 6.

Who do you think will face Lucille? Leave a prediction below.

Season 7 Synopsis

Rick, Negan and Maggie

The synopsis for Season 7 of The Walking Dead has now been revealed. Read the below and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

I'd be interested to hear what you all think of the overall theme for this season.

“Up until this point, our characters have lived through conflicts…Disease, hunger, scores of the undead, tragedy, betrayal, and unthinkable loss. Through this, they’ve become formidable. Powerful. Unstoppable.

To start Season Seven, that power is taken away. They had found safety and stability. They had created a home. They thought the world was theirs. They thought they knew the world. They were wrong.

The first half of Season Seven sees our group fractured, broken, bereaved, and picking up the pieces while living under the thumb of oppression. Negan will have successfully brought the survivors under his control, brutally convincing them to live under his rules with a deadly and horrific example of what happens if they don’t.

Other characters are unaware of what’s happened, but have become separated from the group either by incident or choice — they will learn that they can’t escape this new turn of their world, either. This half season is about these characters starting over.

The overall theme of the season is beginning again. The world isn’t what they thought it was. It’s bigger and it’s even more dangerous.”

Brand New Season 7 Promo

Season 7 Comic-Con Trailer

Morgans Fundamental Change?

The Season 5 finale showed us Morgan like we’d never seen him before. His new outlook being that “All life is precious”. Morgan now comes across as being totally zen-like and peaceful. So peaceful in fact that he didn’t even kill the two ‘wolves’ he had an encounter with in the opening of the episode – he simply knocked them out and left them stranded in a nearby car as if to give them a chance. This is a massive contrast to when we saw him back in Season 3 Episode 12 – Clear, even Lennie James (who plays Morgan) said himself on Talking Dead: “Morgan was totally cray cray!”

This makes you wonder – what is it that has fundamentally changed Morgan?

When we last saw him in Clear, Morgan was going through a mental, psychotic breakdown. Back then, Morgan was too busy setting up traps to CLEAR the surrounding walkers – and people if and when it came to it. It’s fair to say he was in an extremely dark place. He literally begged Rick to kill him right after their fight upstairs. Even Rick called him a “Crazy son of a bitch!”

“PLEASE! PLEASE KILL ME…”

Lennie James said on the season finale of the Talking Dead that “Morgan has went through a fundamental change” since that episode in Season 3, and that he now views things differently. He went on to mention that it will be interesting to see how Morgan got to the place he’s at now – mentally speaking that is. This got me thinking. You see, showrunner Scott Gimple recently confirmed at the San Diego Comic-Con that there will be a number of flashbacks in season 6, and that one of the episodes will consist entirely of a flashback.

I’m betting that specific flashback episode we’re going to see will focus on Morgan and show us what it is that changed him – and I think it’s going to happen pretty early on in season 6. The reason I think this is going to happen early on? Because it will show us the massive contrast that now exists between Rick and Morgan and the way they deal with things in this new world. After all, did you see the look Morgan gave Rick as he entered Alexandria to witness porch-dick Pete’s murder? Kinda’ conflicts with Morgan’s “All life is precious” mantra doesn’t it?

"Rick!?"

Morgan stares on in shock as he witnesses Rick shoot Pete. This just isn’t the same guy he used to know.

Rick says to Morgan in the Season 6 trailer “I don’t take chances anymore!” To which Morgan replies “And you shouldn’t!” – I just sense there is a big BUT missing from the end of his reply.

With Rick and Morgan we have two people who we’ve been with since the very beginning. Morgan has only appeared 3 times (excluding end credit scenes that is) and every time we’ve seen him he has been in a fundamentally different place – again, mentally speaking that is!

The question is, what place will he really be in this coming season. And why? Will he be anti Rick Grimes – or maybe the yin to Rick’s yang?

Do you think Morgan really is as zen-like as he is being portrayed, or is it just AMC’s way of trying to throw us off track? If you remember correctly, they did a similar thing with Gareth in the season 5 trailer – they made it look like Gareth and the rest of the Terminus termites teamed up with Rick and co. and headed to Washington, and we all know how that REALLY went down. #OneHellOfAChurchService #PraiseTheLord

Anyway, leave your thoughts and comments below – I want to hear what you guys think!

Walking Dead Cast on Conan Show

Mid-Season 4 Finale... SUCKED

I rarely blog about television shows – most likely because I don’t watch that many and also because being an author, mother, and wife doesn’t leave much time for anything else. However, after last night’s mid-season episode of The Walking Dead, I am angry. I would love to have ‘The Powers That Be’ from the show in front of me so I could tell them exactly how they screwed up. I’ll have to settle for a good rant and a cup of coffee.

We all knew we would lose a cast member that we loved on the mid-season finale. After all, The Walking Dead is notorious for knocking off favorites (Dale comes to mind here). The show is also known for its creativity when it comes to these casualties, and they own the patent on bombshells and shock-factor. I thought I was prepared for just about anything last night when I sat down to watch the show. What I was not expecting was to see a beloved character die so horrendously.

On Talking Dead, Robert Kirkman stated that when it comes to the demise of a character that has a major impact on the show (such as Herschel), he believes their death should reflect their importance – that they should die how they lived or some crap like that. In other words, the death should be as monumental as the character was. I took it upon myself to read between the lines of gibberish he spouted and interpreted his speech to mean that a character’s departure from the show should emulate the type of person they portrayed.

In Herschel’s case, his death should have been a noble one. He lived his life trying to save others. He instilled hope, humanity, and morals in the group. He was their conscious – a little angel sitting on everyone’s shoulders whispering that just because the world had gone to Hell didn’t mean they should give in to their inner demons. He should have died in a blaze of glory while saving someone or perhaps by gunshot as he iced the Governor or one of his followers. Instead, his head was partially chopped off with Michonne’s katana (which has never failed to take a head clean off in other episodes) and then left to drag his broken body along the ground until the Governor finished him off (which took several more blows with the sword). WTH was that about? Is that Kirkman’s idea of a death that reflected Herschel’s impact on the group? If so, I’m sending the man a dictionary. He has no idea what the word ‘reflect’ means.

Let’s talk about the Governor’s death. The man was scum. He kept walker heads in a fish tank. He tortured, maimed, and killed without batting his one eye. Kirkman stated that in the comics the Governor is killed by Lilly. He later learned this was not a ‘satisfying’ death and decided to change things on the show by giving him a “three-punch” murder with Rick, Michonne, and Lilly all getting a turn. In the end, Kirkman’s idea of a ‘satisfying death’ was Rick getting a few punches in before the Gov. nearly choked him to death. Michonne ran him through once with her sword before helping Rick to his feet and giving the maniac a sly smile. Lilly, whose only real contact with the man was a roll in the back of a van and questioning his attack on the prison, was the one chosen to deliver the final blow. Again, I say WTH?! Also, that idea of sending Kirkman a dictionary is looking better all the time.

Hello?! Herschel’s head was chopped off! The psycho mentally tortured Maggie, killed Andrea, tried to have Michonne killed, and was responsible for Oscar, Axel, and Merle’s deaths – and these are just the ones associated with Rick’s group. In all, the Governor killed twenty-three people during his time on the show. Twenty-three – and his death was quick and almost painless compared to what he dished out to others. This was a ‘satisfying’ death? Not for me.

My final gripe about last night’s episode is one I am sure I share with other fans. How many bites does it take from a snake before you stop playing around with it (trying to reason with it and tame it) and kill the thing? Carl was the only one with a brain in that episode. He was right when he told Daryl they should take the Governor out – no more talking or trying to negotiate. You can’t negotiate with crazy. How many times have we seen it in this show? Shane. Tomás. Their first round with the Governor… What did talking and negotiating do for them on those occasions? When someone has gone that far around the bend, you can’t pull them back. Some have said, “Rick tried to talk him down because he had Herschel and Michonne held hostage.” I’m sorry, but their death certificates were signed the second the Gov. got his hands on them. If you think for one second he was going to let them all walk free if they gave up the prison, then you obviously haven’t been following the show very well. There is no way he would have let them go. Once they cleared those gates he would have shot down as many as he could. He wouldn’t risk leaving anyone alive who could get word to his new followers about his past. That would have incited a revolt from within. The Governor might have ended up hanging over the prison fence from a very long rope as a Walker chew-toy (now that would have been a proper death for him).

All in all, I think those of us who have been loyal fans of The Walking Dead since Rick woke up from a coma were treated like virgins in last night’s episode. How gullible do ‘The Powers That Be’ think we are? Not all of us watch the show for the ‘zombies.’ Some of us actually follow it, think about scenarios, make predictions, and love the show for the struggling characters, as we relate to them in some way or another. The least they could have done was acknowledge that not all of us fell off the turnip truck yesterday and given us a show worthy of the three and a half years we’ve given them.

Nicole Storey

www.nicolestoreyauthor.com

The Walker with Bloody Eyes

The opening of the season 4 premiere showed Rick busy farming the prison grounds. He stops for a moment when he comes across a handgun buried in the ground. It is during this pause that he happens to notice the walker with the bloody eyes right outside the prison fence. This same walker is then shown later near the end of the episode when Rick once again stares at it ever so intensely.

Rick stares intensely at the walker

What do you think the relevance of this walker is? Do you think the blood coming from the eyes is a nod towards the new threat which we have been hearing about?

Could it be related to the death of Violet the pig? (If only Rick let Hershel take a look, after all he is a vet!)

What about Patrick’s death in the shower, do you think this walker possibly died in the same way? Patrick also seemed to have blood coming from his eyes/nose (but that could have just been from the fall), is this what the new threat is about? When we saw Patrick heading to the showers, he was in an awful state; sweating, shivering and coughing. All signs leading towards a fever of some sort.

Could Patrick’s death be related to the walker with the bloody eyes?

There is also the possibility that it is in the water somehow? Or maybe something like the Spanish flu / Ebola?

Then again, it could be something like the Viral hemorrhagic fever what a lovely thought that is… although it could explain why we see Daryl wearing a scarf around his nose and mouth in next weeks episode “Infected”.

So many questions, what do you think?

You can read my thoughts on the new threat here…

Worried about another new showrunner? I’m not, and here’s why…

By now you must know that The Walking Dead has a new showrunner who will be in charge for Season 4. If you didn’t, then you do now. Yes, this is the 3rd showrunner that The Walking Dead has seen in its 3 season run thus far, and this seems to have a lot of fans worried.

But should you be worried? I’m not, and here’s why…

The new showrunner’s name is Scott M. Gimple. He has already been heavily involved in many episodes of The Walking Dead, so it’s not like he doesn’t know how everything works both on and off set. The original showrunner, Frank Darabont, did an exceptional job with Season One, and Glen Mazzara managed to carry that success on through season 2 and into season 3. Many fans are worried that this growing success simply can’t continue for a fourth season, especially with a new showrunner in the driving seat.

But here’s the thing…

Mr Gimple has in fact been the one who has written my favourite episodes in the series so far. Episodes such as Save The Last One, Pretty Much Dead Already, 18 Miles Out and Clear. I think we can all agree that these have been substantial episodes that have added a lot to the series as a whole. All of these episodes have involved pushing the characters further and further and have been extremely significant in changing the course, and the depth, of the story. Character development is something that Gimple seems greatly focused on, and this is where I think Season 3 went off track slightly, especially when compared with the previous two seasons. This is partly why I am so excited to see what he can do when given a whole season to work with. There is simply so much that can be done with these characters, and I can’t wait to see it all unfold on screen.

The season 2 mid-season finale, Pretty Much Dead Already, for example, still stands as being one of my favourite episodes so far. This was the moment at which every character was at breaking point due to the enduring search for Sophia and Glenn’s recent discovery of the walkers in Hershel’s barn. What made this episode so powerful for me was the way the writers managed to handle each character’s awareness of this situation. The whole episode managed to continually build upon the growing tension that was primarily held between Rick/Hershel/Shane and the rest of the group. There was then that brilliant scene with Shane and Dale out in the swamps where Shane tracked down Dale in order to get back the guns that Dale was trying to hide from Shane. This was the scene in which Shane muttered to Dale “Hell when you really look at it, cold light of day… We’re pretty much dead already!“. The episode then ended in such an explosive, jaw-dropping way when Shane busted open the barn forcing the group to step up and shoot down the walkers that escaped. That was of course up until the point when Sophia ended up stumbling out of the barn which left the entire group totally speechless. This was the moment when Rick was forced to step up and put her down as everyone else stood by in total shock. Easily one of the most, if not the most, powerful ending to an episode I have ever witnessed. And not just for The Walking Dead, that stands for any TV Show I have ever seen.

Looking at another episode, this time from Season 3, Clear, saw Rick, Carl and Michonne take a trip out to Rick’s hometown back where he was the sheriff’s deputy. This trip was in search of guns from the police station lockup. Upon realising that all the weapons have already been taken, they exit to the street in search of more from some of the local bars that Rick knows the whereabouts of. They soon encounter a stranger which results in a brief gunfight. This is soon ended by Carl who shoots the stranger in the torso which results in him fainting. We soon come to realise that this stranger is, in fact, Morgan from the season one pilot. When Morgan gains consciousness, Rick see’s just how crazy this world has made him as he tries killing Rick by stabbing him in the chest. Morgan then begs Rick to kill him, that is, up until the point when he recognises who Rick actually is as he exclaims “I know who you are!“. Morgan then tells Rick of the heartbreaking story how he lost his son Duane to his already zombie turned wife. “I was checking out a cellar, and I didn’t want Duane to come down there with me, and then when I came up…she was standing there right in front of him, and he had his gun up. And he couldn’t do it. So I called to him, and he turned, and then she was just, just on him!! And I see red, I see red, everything is red, everything I see is red, and I do it!! Finally… finally was too late.” This episode ends as Rick, Carl and Michonne leave to head back to the prison with the newly acquired weapons from Morgan, leaving Morgan behind as he professes he has to ‘clear’.

- Rick Grimes in Clear -

The whole way that those episodes were handled was simply brilliant and I really hope we get more episodes like that in Season 4. I take my hat off to Gimple and the rest of the writers for managing to construct those episodes in the faultless way that they did.

Other standout episodes for me such as 18 Miles Out, Hounded and this Sorrowful Life furthermore worked so well thanks to the writing process that went on behind them. Just bear in mind that all these episodes were written by Scott Gimple (18 Miles Out was co-written with Glen Mazzara), the very man who is the newest showrunner to The Walking Dead.

But it’s not just those past episodes that are the reason for my lack of worry for Gimple to take over as the new showrunner. Other reasons include the fact that he has worked on other TV Shows such as NBC’s Life, Fox TV’s Drive and ABC’s Flashforward. He also co-wrote the script of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Gimple created the cartoon, Fillmore! and the comic book Heroes Anonymous with Bill Morrison. Yeah, he has done a large number of things during his career.

Still not convinced? Here’s what Kirkman had to say about Gimple in a statement – “Scott has been an essential part of this show since he came aboard at the very beginning of Season 2. He’s contributed to guiding this show in a substantial way that has resulted in a lot of the key scenes and storylines fans have dubbed signature moments. I am thrilled to begin work on a brand new season of The Walking Dead with Scott at the helm, and I truly believe we could be embarking on what will be the best season of this show yet.”

Something else which is very exciting for me is the way Kirkman mentioned that Gimple is more closely adapting the comic book series than Frank Darabont or Glen Mazzara ever did. Gimple had the following to say in an interview with Daily Dead on the matter – “We’re at a point now where it has to change. We have characters that are not alive in the show, but still alive in the book and we have characters that never appeared in the book. There’s so much in the book, including stuff we passed in the timeline, that I thought was awesome. I really wanted to get back to it. We’re using big moments from the comic in different ways, with different characters, and in a different context. We’re using the novels as well. It’s been a lot of fun to fulfil our theme and characters in different ways, but I know that our fans will completely recognise them and I can think of a couple of moments in the trailer that people will see.“

So there go the reasons why I ain’t at all worried about Scott Gimple being the showrunner, and I truly believe that Season 4 may be the best season yet. Go ahead Gimple, prove me right.

But what do you think? Do you suspect there is no room left for improvement in the show? Or do you think that Gimple will steer The Walking Dead into an ever higher level of greatness? Leave your thoughts and comments below.

I am Daryl Dixon’s Crossbow

There are many like me, but I am his.

I am Daryl Dixon’s Horton Scout HD 125 compound crossbow.  That may not mean much to you, but just my name tells you a lot about Daryl and a lot about our relationship.

If I was single (i.e not with Daryl), I’d enter the following information on a person/crossbow dating matchmaking site so you could tell if we’d be a good match:

My measurements:

Model Number: CB721 (but everyone calls me “Scout”)
Weatherproof synthetic stock and barrel, MicroFlight™ arrow groove (tight)
Talon™ CUSTOM field-grade trigger with ambidextrous safety (up for anything)
ToughBoy™ wide-body limbs with CamoTuff™ Limb Shield (toned and buff)
Precision aluminium riser, Machined aluminium alloy wheels (I drive fast)
ICAD cable system, Dial-A-Range® trajectory compensator, steel stirrup (kinky)
Draw Weight: 125 lbs,  Total weight: 5.5 lbs (zero percent body fat, built for love)
Length: 29 in,  Width: 25 in (36, 24, 36)
Power Stroke: 10 1/2 in,  Arrow Length: 17 or 20 in (let your imagination run!)
Velocity: 250 fps,  Energy: 250 ft lbs (I go all the way, every time)

Extras I bring to the relationship:

25-mm Red Dot Sight, Hunter® Elite Lite 3-arrow quiver (look into my eye)
3 practice arrows, 3 practice points (practice makes perfect)
So that’s me.  Well, the boring details anyway.  There’s a lot about me that’s subtle, and those little subtleties explain why Daryl takes me everywhere, and we are never apart for more than a moment.

One of the things you may not know about me is that I’m a “youth” model.  See, Daryl and I met when he was younger.  We fit together better than any other pair-up, and we know each other’s moves so well by now that we’re almost a part of each other.  Daryl knows to expect one of my bolts (what he calls my “arrows”, and that always makes me giggle because we both know he knows they’re bolts, but he always says “arrows” just to get a rise out of me) is going to drop about 5 inches for every 10 yards of distance to the target.

There are two styles of a crossbow, the “recurve” and the “compound”.  The recurve is the simplest type, with just a string, stretched between the two ends of the bow.  Recurves are easier to maintain in the field but more difficult to cock since you are fighting the full weight of the string’s pull.

Cheap, slutty recurve that Daryl DIDN’T choose!

Compounds, like moi, employ a pulley system where the string is leveraged using a block-and-tackle cable arrangement to minimise the cocking effort and give maximum speed to the arrow with the least amount of bow energy.

About My “Arrows” (tee hee)

Daryl used to have several of my original Horton Carbon Strike bolts with practice tips:

He even had some broadhead hunting tips which can replace the practice tips, but he never really used them once the Walker plague hit.  I think I know why, too.

Broadhead Tips (razor sharp!)

Practice Tips (tough as nails!)

See, broadhead tips are meant to penetrate the flesh of living game (like deer and hogs) and create a significant blood channel so the game animal will bleed out quickly if it doesn’t drop immediately.  Well, walkers don’t bleed out, and they don’t even respond to flesh hits.  And since my practice tips are considerably stronger and lower maintenance than the razor-blade-edged broadheads, Daryl just uses those.

He’s even made some new bolts from some ash tree limbs he whittled down and chicken feathers he made into “fletchings” at the back of the arrow (tee hee).  I don’t know if those will last more than 1 shot, but 1 shot to the head is all it takes, so we’ll see…

Nock Nock, Who’s There?

For improved accuracy, Daryl uses “half moon nocks”.  These are the string-contact part of the bolt and attached to the rear end of each bolt.  The half-moon style allows the string to engage the arrow at a very consistent angle, making for very accurate shots.  Before everything went to hell, these were made in green, orange, and even illuminated models

I’m All a’Quiver

Since more than one bolt can often be required in a hunting or fighting situation, I have a quick-detach quiver which holds 3 bolts.  This is mounted perpendicular to my stock so the arrows are parallel to my limbs.

Daryl giving me a piggy-back ride – see my quiver with 2 arrows?

I Only Have Eyes For You

Sighting a target is done using my illuminated 25mm diameter red dot sight.  If you’ve never used a red dot sight, you’re in for a treat.  First, you keep both eyes open.  Second, select the intensity of the red dot illumination (from 1 to 10) that makes the most sense for your current lighting conditions (evening or night, 1, dusk maybe 3 or 4, daylight, 10).  Finally, place the dot where you want the bolt to strike, and squeeze me gently until that moment of sweet release…

Aiming the Horton Scout crossbow

This pic is a little fuzzy and the dot is a little arc because Daryl was moving when he shot it, but you get the idea.  See the quiver, 2 arrows, cocked string, and limbs?

Our relationship

Daryl and I have known each other since long before the zombie apocalypse.  See, that’s why he chose me.  Like I said earlier, I’m a “youth” model, with all the power and smarts of a full-size crossbow, but less weight and size. Daryl knew that when you’re hunting for meat to save your life, you feel every ounce you’re carrying out in the field, and every inch of something sticking out makes you that much more likely to snag a branch or otherwise get caught on something.

So I’m everything he wanted, and I give him everything he needs.  Sure, there was that one incident in front of Hershel’s barn where he was flirting with that shotgun, but it meant nothing to him.  It was a one-time thing, and I know it won’t happen again.

Scout and Daryl, walkers, him, and me, S H O O T I N G