The Walking Dead Season 9, Episode 7 “Stradivarius” Review

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

After last week’s shocking ending of the episode with the debut of The Whisperers as Eugene and Rosita were hiding from them, This week, we have a character driven episode as we witness more of Magna and her group, Daryl and Carol and much more. The Walking Dead usually does great with their character driven episodes and it was no stranger that this one is a very good one which sets up the mid season finale on next week’s episode. But now, it is time to give my thoughts about the seventh episode of the ninth season of The Walking Dead.

Rosita was running in the woods as she was escaping The Whisperers but we do not see Eugene with her. She hears whispers from different directions during this as she was horrified from realizing that the dead were talking. She passes out and while this was going on, Aaron and Jesus found her after they see that a flare was fired. Aaron and Jesus were also trainning as well and it is finally great again to see Jesus acts like his comic counterpart as far as action goes. Rosita mentioned to them that she left Eugene in a barn for him to be safe and for her to alert the rest for help.

At The Hilltop, we find out that Jesus is now the leader, but he seems to not liking the responsibility of leading a community since he was a scouter. He is a leader by name, but Tara is running the place and it is about time that Tara had a better position from what she was in the last few seasons. You would most likely ask yourself “where is Maggie?” Well that question has been revealed as Siddiq revealed to Michonne that Maggie went with Georgie from Season 8 to build another community. This explains the “open ended” way to have her return in a future season. But I wish that she got a better sendoff.

Carol and Henry visit Daryl as he has stayed there for six years. He was originally looking for Rick’s body, but he got used to the area so he just stood there. That is Daryl being Daryl everyone. Carol wants Daryl to help her take Henry to The Hilltop so he can learn how to craft weapons as a blacksmith. Daryl also has a dog now that helps him build traps for incoming walkers. There was also a scene with the dog being trapped in one of the traps as the walkers were about to eat him alive. Daryl tried to save him, but Henry winds up saving them both. As a dog owner myself, I was on the edge of my seat hoping that the dog would not die in that scene. Another thing I liked about Carol and Daryl’s interaction is that these two has had chemistry going back to season 3 and it finally was displayed here once again. Carol also gives Daryl a much needed haircut and I bet that the fans wanted that for the last 5 seasons.

Michonne changed her mind of taking Magna and her group to The Hilltop and decided to do it but once a few scouts from Hilltop notify Michonne that Rosita needs care, she goes.  She still does not trust her after the introduction meeting with the counsel on last week’s episode as Michonne was very suspicious of Magna. When they went back to the area where Judith found them, they discover that everyone else at the camp is dead so they spent a night at an old building until the next morning. Michonne notices that the walker herd is the same one from when Magna’s group were introduced. Magna and her group did not want to put down Bernie since he turned so Michonne did it. It has been a long time since we had a scene like this. Michonne and Magna’s conversation is also very good as the writers of the show did not hesitate to make Magna and her group big parts of the show.

Based on the information Rosita gave to Daryl, Aaron, and Jesus, the three of them go out to look for Eugene and this is where the episode ends.

This episode is worth watching as it is building up to the impending doom of the danger of The Whisperers (especially since the next episode is called Evolution) so how the rest of the group will react to them will be something to look forward to. Daryl and Carol’s scenes were my favorite parts of the episode along with his new dog and once again, it is great that Tara is not taking a backseat anymore. Even Enid is now the new doctor of The Hilltop and I believe the reason for that is the way she saved Aaron when he got his arm injury. This season continues to grow stronger each week.

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The Walking Dead is on AMC Network every Sunday at 9:00 PM EST.

The Second Season of National Geographic’s MARS Premiers Tonight and my interview with Jihae Kim

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

The second Season of National Geographic’s hit show MARS premiers tonight as we take a trip back to the planet to see how everyone will live and adapt to the planet Mars and how will the relationship of all the characters will play out this season. The new season has a new showrunner who is Dee Johnson who is known as the executive producer of Nashville four seasons. MARS is also based on the 2015 book “How We’ll Live on Mars” as many of The episodes took inspiration from the book. The first season was set on the year 2033 as it focused on the very first human mission to Mars and the second season will feature the extremely private space exploration on the sector. What impact the humans will have on mars after the colony of Olympus Town is found upon will be a mystery, but the strong cast of characters including new cast members Esai Morales, Jeff Hephner, Roxy Sternberg, and Akbar Kurtha will be interesting to see this season.

 

I also got the chance to interview one of the actresses and also rock musician Jihae Kim as she talked about the show, her role this season, what would she do if she was on Mars, what food would she miss and much more as you can catch it right here

MARS premieres their second season tonight at 9pm EST on National Geographic

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CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS WITH WALMART, DC AND THE WORLD’S GREATEST SUPER-HEROES!

Rob Leave a Comment

CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS WITH WALMART, DC

AND THE WORLD’S GREATEST SUPER-HEROES!

The 100-Page Walmart Exclusive Arrives in Stores by Sunday, November 11

THE WORLD’S GREATEST SUPER-HEROES! HOLIDAY SPECIAL Includes an Original Story Featuring THE FLASH, Plus Popular Holiday-Themed Stories from the DC Vault, Including the Eisner-Nominated BATMAN Short Story “Good Boy,” By Tom King and David Finch

With the holidays rapidly approaching, DC and Walmart are adding to their lineup of 100-page “Giant” comics with a new one-shot to ring in the holiday season! Following the success of their horror-themed SWAMP THING HALLOWEEN HORROR SPECIAL, DC’s WORLD’S GREATEST SUPER-HEROES! HOLIDAY SPECIAL is headed to participating Walmart stores in the U.S. today and should reach stores by Sunday.

The fan-favorite creative trio of THE FLASH—Scott Lobdell (writer), Brett Booth (artist) and Norm Rapmund (inker)—have reunited for an original tale featuring the Scarlet Speedster, “Twas the Riot Before Christmas.” Barry Allen’s holiday tradition of giving gifts to the kids at the Central City Home for Wayward Children gets interrupted by a riot at Iron Heights penitentiary featuring some of the Flash’s deadliest foes. In restoring order, he receives help from an unexpected source, but will it be in time to spend Christmas with the kids at the home?

This Walmart exclusive also reprints a host of holiday-themed stories from throughout DC’s history: Tom King and David Finch’s “Good Boy,” from the 2016 BATMAN ANNUAL tells the painful (certainly for the Dark Knight) story of how Batman and Alfred brought Ace the Bat-Hound into the family.

Originally featured in the 2014 HARLEY QUINN HOLIDAY SPECIAL #1, “K!llin’ Time,” written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti with art by Darwyn Cooke, shows how Harley Quinn decides to deal with aging and finding her first gray hair—by killing Father Time!

Written by Joe Kelly with art by Ale Garza, “All I Want for Christmas” from the 2006 DC INFINITE HOLIDAY SPECIAL spotlights Supergirl in a tale of making a little girl’s Christmas wish come true by reuniting her with her father after the Maid of Might shows him the importance of not being an absentee parent and gives him a second chance to be a father to his child.

The anthology also features two stories from the 2016 DC REBIRTH HOLIDAY SPECIAL. In “A Light in the Dark,” Kate Perkins (writer) and Paolo Pantalena (artist) featured Batwoman in a holiday rescue story involving pie and the story of Hanukkah, while Green Lanterns Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz are subjected to a series of trials by a mysterious alien race where the prize is not just the fate of the world, but something that Earth will always need: Hope. “The Epiphany” was co-written by Steve Orlando and Vita Ayala, with art by V. Ken Marion.

1992’s SUPERMAN #22 rounds out the lineup with the story “Metropolis Mailbag,” written by Dan Jurgens with art by Jackson “Butch” Guice. As the holidays approach, the Man of Steel finds out that even he has limits when he reads some letters that are addressed to him in the Daily Planet’s “Superman room.”

The WORLD’S GREATEST SUPER-HEROES! HOLIDAY SPECIAL sells for $4.99 and arrives in participating Walmart stores throughout North America by Sunday, November 11. To find your nearest Walmart location, check out the store finder page at www.walmart.com.

The Walking Dead Season 9, Episode 6 “Who Are You Now?” Review

Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

Six long years has passed since the disappearance of Rick Grimes as the rest of the characters are moving on. But some of them are still grieving in different ways that I have never thought of. Rick has been the one person to lead the right way for the last few years and it struck me even more when I did not see Andrew Lincoln’s name on the opening opening sequence and we will have to get used to that every week from this point forward. With the end of last week’s episode when we got introduced to Magna’s group and a 10 year old Judith Grimes, it is time to dive deep in “Who Are You Now?”

Michonne visits the area where her and everyone else last seen Rick Grimes as they still think that he is dead. She has a great monologue about how they are pushing forward for the last few years. We are also shown Daryl as he is fishing and living by himself in the woods. Also to add, Carol and Ezekiel are full fledged married and she even has longer hair now. When Michonne leaves the area, she sees the bridge as we found out that it was never rebuilt since the explosion. Michonne is also the new leader of Alexandria as she has toughened up to not let any new survivors in at all. But that will soon change.

Carol has also changed in the last six years as she is much more bold and stronger now than ever and I believe that is what love does for you. She takes Henry (who is now a teenager) to the Hilltop so that he can learn how to craft items as a blacksmith. During the trip, they run into a few Saviors and who would have think that they were still the bad guys six years later. I also wished that there was an explanation on the fallout of the riot before the time jump but that might happen in a few more episodes. Regina and Jed of The Saviors has robbed Carol and Henry and they also took Carol’s wedding ring and Henry was shocked to see that Carol just let them do that. She later tracks down the Savior that took her ring and burned him and the rest alive. That was pretty dark and it reminded me of when Carol burned those Saviors alive way back in Season 6.

There were also scenes of Rosita and Gabriel as Gabriel wants to try to communicate with other survivors via the radio. This was an interesting twist from the comics since Eugene is the one to do that in the comics. When they realize that the signal is very weak, Rosita and Eugene heads to the water tower to place an amplifier to boost the signal. But the trip back will have a shocking discovery with them but more on that towards the end of my review. Also, can we have Gabesita trending because Gabriel and Rosita are now a couple.

Judith Grimes brings Magna and the rest of her group to Alexandria as she also pleads with Michonne to let them stay. Gabriel and the counsel which includes Aaron, Michonne, and others also interviewed all of them and asked them questions about what they were doing before the apocalypse and who they are as a person now. This scene mirrored the one in the comics as Rick Grimes was the one to ask them the questions. Michonne does not fully trust Magna since she lied about her background as she notices a prison tattoo and a knife in her belt (can I also note that Magna has a knife everywhere she goes because she had a few more after this scene). Michonne wants to take them all to the Hilltop. We also find out that Michonne has a son so this must mean that she was pregnant before the time jump. Imagine if Rick comes back from wherever the helicopter took him to find out that he has another son?

We get a nice scene with Negan helping Judith with her homework and he is still in the cell. Negan tried to play a mind game on her to reveal who the new people are but Judith was smart enough to know to not buy into his tricks at all. I would like to see more scenes with these two.

 

The episode ends as Eugene and Rosita tries to camouflage themselves from a zombie herd. But the shocker is straight out of issue #130 of the comics as some of the “zombies” were whispering asking where were the two that they just seen. Eugene and Rosita were shocked to hear this as this is the first appearance of The Whisperers!

This episode moved up the pace from last week’s episode but there are two questions that rings into my head. What was the fallout of that camp riot with The Saviors and where is Maggie and how will her disappearance be explained for the rest of the season? Other than those two questions, this was a great episode that not only dealt with the emotions of the three characters that were tied to Rick Grimes the most, but it gives us more exciting story lines to look forward to especially now since The Whisperers are now here. There are two more episodes left for the first half of Season 9 and we are just getting started.

The Walking Dead premieres live every Sunday at 9pm EST on AMC Network

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