Month: October 2012

Episode  3, Walk with Me

 

Summary:

The episode starts with a helicopter experiencing some technical difficulties. The bird goes down in sight of Andrea and Michone. The helicopter pulls in an unknown group of survivors to investigate. And lo and behold, Merl is with the newcomers.

SO what are the people of Woodbury after?  I didn’t see a whole lot of women in town.  Is it the classic breeding scenario? – Nope, right after the commercial break the town looks a lot more normal. So what is the badness? There has to be badness.

The Governor seems real interested in other groups. I wonder if he is going to raid them? Is it a contest to see who can get the most supplies? Michone seems to feel that something is off in the Governor’s community, she keeps giving him the stink eye.  So the question is why? Why?  Only fifteen minutes left in the episode. Are we going to find out tonight or are we going to be forced to wait until next week?

Nope, we found out.  It is all about the guns and supplies. The people in the new community will pretty much kill anyone for their supplies. Interestingly, there are two groups in the community, those who know about the killings, and those who don’t. They keep the “innocent townsfolk” in the dark about how they are getting their supplies.

And then, at the very end, you see that the Governor likes to sit in a chair and watch walker heads in aquariums. (still not as weird as binders full of women)

Things I loved about this episode…

• Michone uses her two zombies to carrry stuff, they both have backpacks on.
• Michone don’t mess around. When her two “pet” walkers are making too much noise she doesn’t hesitate to take their heads.
• Merl is back!!!!!!!!!!!! I love his dagger hand.
• When the Governor says welcome to “Woodbury” – I used to work in Woodbury. I loved that line.
• Michone is super intense, which I think is realistic. I think you’d have to be tough as nails to survive.
• The Governor walking into the midst of the soldiers during the ambush.  Great Action scene.

Things that I didn’t like about this episode…

• Is anyone afraid of getting zombie juice in their faces when they are going at them with baseball bats?
• Everyone at the new compound is a bit too clean.
• The Governor walking into the midst of the soldiers during the ambush.  Great Action scene. But…I think it highly unlikely that they would be able to take out all the soldiers without a single one of them getting a shot off. And since the Governor was out in the open, I don’t think he would have gotten away without taking a bullet or too.

Cat and Mouse by James Patterson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is so hard to describe. I can only say it is like the hot girl who will talk to you, but she has horrible breath. You can’t help but stick around, and hey, she’s talking to you which is a bonus, but in the end, you just can’t get around the fact that you know kissing her would be like licking a public toilet.
So what you might ask is so likeable about the book?
The story is awesome and Patterson can write a thriller like no one else. The story segments are great. It is the big picture that makes it fall apart. I actually commented on it in an earlier review, how I was afraid I could see the pattern emerging.
The moment Thomas Peirce was mentioned, and he was going to be a doctor, did anyone not know he was going end up being Mr. Smith? And if you did, do you start drinking before noon?
It was just so telegraphed and not a surprise at all. And that makes it very hard as a reader, because the line to line writing is so good, but it just sucks when you know how it is going to end thirty pages in. And at least for myself, it doesn’t help that I still couldn’t put it down.
Book 5 better not have someone in the FBI, a cop, or another person “on” the investigation doing the deed.
And for Christ’s sake, please move Alex, or put bars and your doors and windows. Your kids were almost murdered, Nana almost died, and you have now been assaulted twice in your house. Maybe if you are hunting crazy people, you should invest in some better security.
And that reminded me, after kids are attacked in their own home and beaten, I don’t think they snap back to normal so quickly.
Arghhh, I really liked reading it, but disliked it as a whole, even though I liked it. Damn you pretty girl with bad breath.

 

He’s got a point…

Figure it out….

Episode  2,  Sick

 

Summary:

Rick and team meet up with the survivors from the prison, and things immediately get tense. The two sides work to figure out how they are going to survive together and things turn out about as you would expect.

Things I loved about this episode…

• When Rick opens the door to what I assume is where the prisoners stuck in the caf have been using as their latrines.
• The fight scene when the prisoners are earning their “Zombie Killing” merit badges. Poor Big Tiny, or Tiny Big, whatever his name is.
• Rick killing the prisoner boss. I wasn’t expecting it.  And then he shuts the door and locks the runner in with some walkers. Finally Rick is getting tough.  The question is, is he loosing himself in the process.
• Carol cutting a walker in hopes of getting any anatomy lesson. That’s dedication. How many of your friends would do that for you?

Things that I didn’t like about this episode…

• Apparently fifteen people can’t share a massive empty prison. I get it a little bit, but if you were the prisoners and you just got freed, don’t you think you’d be a little more willing to “Join Up” with the other survivors?
• Do you get the dumb zombie car commercial when you watch The Walking Dead?
• So Hershel got bit and they cut his leg off.  Let’s just suppose for a minute that he is infected. Could we maybe be a little more cautious with his blood people?
• The prisoners doing exactly what Daryl and Rick told them not to do.
• OMG, they finally told Carl not to run off on his own. Oh, and then he ran off again.
• It seems awfully easy to put a knife through someone’s skull. I guess walkers skulls rot.
• They unlock Hershel a mite quick. I would have been a bit more cautious.

Jack and Jill by James Patterson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The best Alex Cross book yet.

Lots of twists and turns and Alex didn’t fall in love and lose that person, which I was afraid was going to be a hallmark of the series after Book 2.

The plots and subplots were well thought out and characters continue to grow. If you like murder/mystery, you can’t go wrong with this series.

So now onto my complaints and fears.

1.) I do feel like the bad guy is always turning out to be someone in power in each book so far. The evil doer can’t keep coming from the small pool of elite members of the team. It just feels like a lazy approach.

2.) If I knew a serial killer had already come into my house had escaped, do you think maybe I might be a little more cautious? I am not sure what they are setting up at the end of Book 3 with Gary from Book 1, but Alex is way to casual about the whole thing.

3.) Jill’s death. I just hated the way that “Jack” killed her even at the same time she is begging him to tell her there will be an after. That they will be together.

In the end, I guess the fact that Patterson can make you mad, happy, and angry over a book is why it got 5 stars.

The slingshot channel rocks.  And he came up with a very good point.  If a military personnel are turned, they are going to come back as zombies with their body armor and likely their helmets on.

But as  Joerg shows, you can still take them down with a bit of planning ahead of time.

Episode  1,  Seed

Summary:

It’s finally that time again. The Walking Dead season 3 is back!!!

The season premier starts with Rick’s small band of survivors charging into a house and clearing it, searching for supplies. And then, just as soon as they get to rest, the horde is approaching. They’ve been looking for somewhere to survive, but it looks like they are running pretty ragged.

The first episode was a home run. The team is working hard to survive, and fight to clear a prison, trying to find a place to rest and heal. Which is especially important to Lori, as she is about to pop.

Things I loved about this episode…

• The fight scenes as they were clearing the house rocked.
• Finding the prison and taking the yard was awesome. I heard rumors the producers were trying to cut the budget for the show.  I am glad to see no evidence of it so far.
• Don’t f*ck with the black lady with the sword. She’ll kick your ass.
• The zombies in the riot gear. That would  make things hard. The special effects when they pull the gas mask off and it takes the flesh off was sweet.
• The carabiners and chains is an ingenious way to to close the gates. A great survival technique against the zombies when there are fences to be closed.
• Glen macking on Maggie. Checking for “scratches”.  You go Glen, get it while you can.
• Michonne  and her sword. That thing is mean looking. And where did they get the armless dudes on chains? Or is that CGI?
• Lori talking about “what if the baby is stillborn and is ripping me up from the inside?” The thought is chilling and scary, and the whole scene between Lori and Hershell is very powerful.
• The glances between Carl and Beth (I think that is Hershel’s younger daughter’s name). The careful glances are very sweet. I hope that doesn’t mean that Beth has to bite it soon.

Things that I didn’t like about this episode…

• I get that it is a hard new reality, but letting Carl take point with a semi auto just feels like they are asking for trouble. Teach the kids how to use it, and let him, but keep him close in case he panics or freezes. Why put your kid at risk?
• When Rick takes the keys off the dead guard in the cell block, I still think he would have put his sword into its head.  Just to be safe.
• OMG, did they really make a Walking Dead Facebook game?  Really?
• Andrea trying to push Michonne away. Is she really that suicidal? If she get’s left she is dead.
• The fighting in the prison when they try to explore it is a little chaotic.  And then Hershel just steps over a walker. You’d think that they would just hit everything as you went by it as a survival thing.
• Will chopping a limb off really save you once you are bit?