Deep Thoughts with The Walking Dead

SPOILER ALERT!! If you have not seen season 4's mid-season finale, do not continue reading! I am not going to be responsible for ruining it for you. If you are all caught up, then by all means, please continue on.

So Man Friend and I watched the mid-season finale a few days after it aired. We were both a bit anxious and eager, knowing that something big was going to happen. Everyone getting sick and Carol killing two people, thus getting her kicked out, have been the biggest things to happen for a while. Plus, with a big episode, there has to be something very suspenseful. Before the episode started, Man Friend said that he bet someone was going to die and we placed our bets against each other on who we thought it was going to be. I victoriously threw my hands in the air and yelled "THE GOVERNOR!!" But then was like, "Nah. As much as I want him dead, I doubt it will happen. Too many people love to hate him and he always adds something more to the story." Man Friend's bet was for Rick or Herschel. We debated a little and I said there would be no way they'd kill off Rick. He's the face of the show and without him, the prison group won't mean much.

Well. We both ended up right. Man Friend was a little more logical about it. He was upset by the death of Herschel and was even a little quiet after the show saying that he was so mad he was right. He said he felt the same way when they killed off Dale earlier about killing off the good guy/the voice of reason/ a really likable character. I was not exactly as rational. As soon as the governor beheaded him, I started sobbing. Uncontrollably sobbing.  I know I cry very easily at fictional events, but this was easily the hardest I have ever cried at something that wasn't real. Because it felt so real. I have such an emotional attachment to these characters that I feel so connected to them. I feel a part of this. Unhealthy or not, there it is. Anyway, here is what I sounded like on and off for a solid half hour, at least. "I hate the governor. I HATE HIM! I hate him so much! I hate this stupid show. I hate the writers of this stupid show. I'm never watching this again. I'm going to leave a flaming pile of dog poop on their front porch. I hate you for making me watch this stupid show. I hate this show. I hate the governor. WHY DID THEY HAVE TO KILL HERSCHEL? Why couldn't it have just been a swift bullet to the head? Why did it have to be so cruel to chop off his head? And his daughters had to watch it! Herschel was SUCH a good character! I hate the governor and this stupid show. I'm so glad the governor is finally dead, but he died too easily. I wish Michonne could have made him a walker. Or poked out his other eye at least. But at least he's dead." Guys, I know that it's "just" a tv show. I know.

One of my favorite parts about the show and the prison crew is how insanely in sync they all are with each other and how much every single one of them has each other's back no matter what. As soon as Herschel died, every single person standing outside the prison started shooting and fighting back for what's theirs and for Herschel. The people inside the prison gathered everyone up and into the bus immediately. One of the most bad ass things, though, was when the young girl, Carol's prodigy so to speak, took control of the other girls. She said that Carol had taught them and they should have guns too. When she started shooting, I thought she was Carl. And threw my arms in the air and yelled "YES!" when I realized it was her. I was so oddly proud of her for that. For listening to Carl. For being so brave. And when Maggie threw Beth's words back at her and said "We don't get to be upset. We all have a job to do." For some reason, that moment between the two sisters was just so powerful to me.

After watching the mid-season finale and somehow calming myself down, we turned to Netflix to watch some older episodes. Since I still have not seen most of season 1 and half of season 2, Man Friend is insistent that I watch all of it for better understanding of the show and the characters' past. We picked up where I left off, which was episode 3 of season 1. Although I do appreciate being able to see how the characters and the show has progressed to what I watch now, it's hard for me to go back in time, essentially, to the start of it all. The worst part was being like, well, she's dead, he's dead, he's dead. All of these people are dead! Why am I watching this now? It was really interesting, and actually kind of comical, to see how the interaction and view of the walkers has changed so much. In the current episodes, the characters take out the walkers with such ease. And they are such badasses about it. Darryl with his bow, Rick and Carl with the guns, especially. They are all such fighters now and so little scares them. One person can take out a slew of walkers in one fell swoop. The episode we were watching, a walker got to the camp and it was the first time one had gotten so close to them. It took four of them, at least, to cut its head off before Darryl finally walked up an explained they have to get them in the brain. It was really amusing seeing them all suck so much at it.

The biggest change I think is the evolution of Carol. Can we please talk about that? I think watching her evolve throughout the seasons in chronological order would have been really cool. Watching her grow to the person she's become would have been so much more awesome knowing how she started. Seeing her go from such an independent, strong, confident and courageous person in season 4 to the weak, terrified person in season 1 was really hard. Painful, in fact. Where we left off with her, she had been kicked out of the group with a car and supplies to be on her own. I'm sure she will come back. I'm almost confident she will come back now that the prison group has split up and will probably save someone. And when she does make a reappearance, I'm sure it'll show that she was sad to leave her prison family and worried to be on her own until she found a new group. But the thing is, she left at Rick's wish. He told her she was strong enough to make it, and she is. She's a survivor and will still live no matter where she is or who she's with. I don't know if season 1 Carol could have done that. If she had been kicked out of the group in the early days, how would she have reacted? Begged for forgiveness and tried to stay at any cost? I watched this frail woman cry over her abusive husband when he got his ass kicked for beating her. It was as if I had just watched a completely different person.

And now, I have to wait another two months to see what's going to happen next. I can't handle this kind of stress. My heart is racing a little just thinking about it.

Sucky and Super Wednesday

Hello, dear readers! I thought I might actually be able to create an entire post about "Super" things, as I've been having a pretty good few weeks. Then, yesterday happened...

Sucky: 

• Yesterday at work there was a sewer backup. Right. By. My. Department. It was so disgustingly awful it hindered our work. Luckily, there wasn't shit (literally) puddled or piled up in the hallways at all, but the smell was WRETCHED. It was nauseating, and gave myself and everyone around me headaches and/or stomachaches. And of course, the area of my department is completely open, and we have no door to block out the stench. It was a rough day, to say the least. I'm just glad I don't work in facilities. Talk about hating your life.

Super:

• Man Friend and I got an apartment! We were extremely lucky to fall in love with the first one we looked at. More to come on this after the official move April 1st, but I couldn't possibly be more excited. I cannot wait to live with the love of my life, come home to and wake up to him every day. I am so excited to have all of my belongings in one household for the first time since 6th grade (divorce, college, moving, storage sheds), to be in a nice neighborhood, have lots of space/storage (especially for an apartment) and to not have to worry about moving for a long time.
• About a week and a half ago, I got a really unexpected compliment. It was just a simple statement that made my whole day. I'm sure the complimenter had no idea how much of an impact it made, but it was such a self-esteem boost.
• Walking Dead Double Dates have continued each week, and each week gets better. It's one thing I know I can look forward to for relief and relaxation, no matter what is going on that week. Eating like a fat kid makes it even better. By the time we were all done eating last night, we all had taco food babies. And it was magnificent.
• Over the weekend, I ran into my favorite Mom Friend and my favorite little munchkin while shopping. We got to catch up and chat for a while. I got to play with Munchkin for a bit, which is super nice because I don't get to see her very often anymore. It was a nice surprise.
• Last weekend, I spent Saturday morning and afternoon spoiling myself. The whole day was dedicated entirely to taking care of me, and only me. I spent part of my tax return on my once-annual trip to the spa, lunch and shopping. I didn't have to worry about anything, and was able to totally relax. Days like this are incredibly rare and it was needed. I love getting massages, and wish I could afford them more often, but alas, once a year is typically my max. For anyone in the Green Bay area, I highly highly recommend The Day Spa in DePere. I have never been disappointed from the moment I walk in the door to the moment I leave. I also got some super cute clothes with awesome end-of-season sales and am excited to wear all of it.

Walking Dead Double Dates

A little more than a year ago, Man Friend got me to start watching AMC's The Walking Dead. At first, it was rather begrudgingly. I had zero interest in watching a stupid zombie show, but he watched ABC's Once Upon a Time with me, so I figured I'd watch his show with him. It didn't take long until I was hooked on the show. Every week left just enough suspense and a cliffhanger to bring you back to the next week to find out what happened next. I was mostly interested in the story line, and would cover my eyes during any bloody scene, but had really begun to enjoy the show.

Fast forward to the beginning of season three. Man Friend and I no longer had AMC and were looking for a place to watch it. We found out one of our friends is also a huge fan and he offered to record the show so we could come over and watch it. We decided we'd make a double date of it with him and his girlfriend and spend an evening that week watching the show together. The four of us have been getting together every week since. What started off as a get-together out of convenience has turned into one of my favorite parts of every week.

It has been so much fun having our low-key double dates every week. The Friend who offered to record the show for us is dating one of my closest friends, and I always enjoy hanging out with her. And luckily, all four of us get along well and enjoy each other's company. Knowing that we have at least one night a week that we can get out of the house and hang out with another couple, but still be able to just relax and hang out in our sweats makes the date night so great. Even though we're just watching a tv show, at least Man Friend and I are doing something more than watching Netflix by ourselves or zoning out in front of the tv forgetting to talk to each other. We all get so into the show and have our own theories that we like to discuss as it goes on (hooray for being able to pause a recorded show!) and we even record the Talking Dead after for further theorizing. Somehow, we even manage to eat while watching the show and have recently made it into a real "date" by adding dinner into the mix. Last week we ordered Chinese, and this week we'll have a pizza.

I'm so glad we started doing the double dates for season three. I didn't see much of the first season at all, and only caught about the last half of season two. From what I saw, season two was mostly about character development. Season three has way more action, plot development, and intensity. It's great watching it with other people to get their perspective and ideas for what's happening next, why a character did what they did, and what the consequences of certain actions will be. There's so much depth to every single character, and as they're all pushed to their limits, they start changing. Take Rick, who has gone from a strong leader to batshit crazy, while his son Carl is no longer seen as a whiny, nusicancy little kid and is absolutely a man in a child's body.  I love trying to figure out Michonne, who is such a bad ass. As one of the most silent characters on the show, she is one of the strongest, and carefully thinks out every single action and word. Then there's the governor, who I hate more with every single episode, but unlike Rick, his craziness is methodical. And with every episode, he grows even crazier.

I also enjoy watching the show with other people because I also learn about the comic book series. I didn't even know the show was based off a comic series, so it's equally as interesting to learn about what the differences are between the show and the comics. It's particularly fascinating to me that the Dixon brothers were never part of the comic series, and have become so crucial to the show's plot. Daryl has grown into one of the strongest and most popular characters, into a leadership role and even into a partnership with  Rick. I remember saying last week that I was never really attracted to Daryl, but the more I watch the show, the sexier he becomes.

When I first started watching The Walking Dead, I could hardly even bear the zombie killing scenes. I covered my eyes for almost every single death. But now, I have grown to love the show so much that I even enjoy watching the zombie killing. I can watch almost every single one of them, though there have been a few recently that still turned my stomach. Also, the governor's eye creeps me the fuck out. When he took his bandage off last week, I thought I was going to lose it. Sick, sick sick. Anyway, not only can I stomach the zombie killings, I even find myself cheering along with my peers for the good killings. I especially like the "in memoriam" part of the Talking Dead when they show some of the good killings. I also find it amusing how they cleverly name them with something like "hatchet to the face zombie."

Hopefully I didn't spoil anything for anyone who is behind on the show. Thank you to Man Friend for introducing me to one of my unexpectedly favorite shows, and thank you to Friend and her man friend for allowing us over every week to watch.