The first Richonne centered action episode. Nuff said.

I'm with you.  I just like the show and the genre. I've been watching from day one, and I'll keep watching.   Some episodes are more compelling than others, but it is my favorite TV show at this time.  All hail The Walking Dead!

Yes, I will too, and I can imagine complaining about it from time to time, but never that ooooohhhhhhh, jumped the shark king of nonsense.  I <3 The Walking Dead

Indeed. We got the rubbish episode out of the way now and the rest of the season to look forward to.

I have mixed feelings about this episode.  For the most part they are positive feelings/thoughts/opinions with a small bit of negative thoughts (please take note that negative feelings are not part of the equation) thrown in for fair measure.

And while this episode did not stick with me as much as the Dwight scenes from the previous episode there were still moments that struck a chord with me.  

The Richonne moments of course were beautiful and I do love seeing them together.  But surprisingly (and thankfully) they took back seat to the more pressing matters of finding food and guns.

First I want to offer a blip about the two golfing Saviors, they seem to have been lost in the mix of all that went on in this episode.  While up to this point in the episode Rick and Michonne's findings were lackluster at best.  And then they happen upon the Mulligan brothers who are so busy hitting the balls and gossiping about the demise of fat joey that they are oblivious to Rick and Michonne watching them.  A part of me wishes we would have seen what exactly R&M did to them but some things are okay to leave off camera.  I do think that adding how the mulligan brothers were taken out would not have added any relevance to the story line.  This small victory was needed, they needed a chance to put a check mark in the win column.

I understand Rick not wanting this moment in time to end too soon.  I understand why he wanted to hold on to it for as long as he could.  It was his respite.  It was his escape.   He wants so much to delay the inevitable.  To delay what he knows will happen - that they will lose yet more people.  That people are going to be hurt, people are going to die, people are going to be left alone to grieve the loss of a loved one, a friend.  But right in that moment, with Michonne out on the road they are free from that happening just yet.  They have one more day.  Maybe even another day.  A day or two to remember what happiness feels like, to remember what freedom feels like. 

Poor Tara - I love her.  I truly do.  Although she has seen a great deal, has been in the thick of the fight at times she has still retained some of her innocence.  Tara talking to Judith, well that was just hella adorable to start with.  But beyond being cute it was a great moment for Tara.  Here she is laying her heart out to Judith, trying to work it out in her own mind what to do, if she should tell Rick about Oceanside.  Her struggle as she sees it (and I agree) is a very real one.  She is torn because she knows that no matter if she tells the secret or not, in one way or the next there is going to be fallout.  If she does not tell, then they miss out on obtaining the guns they need to take on Negan.  If she does tell Rick then she runs the risk of not only putting her people in the cross hairs of the Oceanside ladies but also of the Oceanside group falling victim to Rick's dire need for guns and what he might be willing to do in order to fulfill that need.  Judith was Tara's non judgmental sounding board.  Why do we do that?  Talk through our problems with someone (or our dog or our cat) that cannot respond to us?  We do it because we already know what our answer has to be.  We do it because we have to hear ourselves say it aloud, to make it feel real.  To make it feel more concrete, "there, I have said what I need to do - now do it".