Over the past couple of days, our discussions on the 1997 made for television remake of The Shining have helped to bring one important thing to light; that this miniseries is a phenomenally good and faithful adaptation of the source material, and it’s done an amazing job of taking its time in order to tell this harrowing story. After all, the first chapter did a wonderful of job of establishing our characters and their true identities, before ramping up the tensions and the scares in part two but seeing as to how I haven’t watched this miniseries in ages, I couldn’t 100% remember if the finale lived up to the quality of the first two episodes. 
 
I remember it being good and being satisfied with the ending the first time around and as I settled in to watch this grand finale, I came to the realization that this ending, doesn’t match the quality of what came before it…instead it exceeds it through and through. Because ‘Part 3’ of this tale is a tour de force of storytelling, one that ramps up the terror to new levels by in essence, spending most of its time completing Jack’s transition into madness and that’s really what makes this episode so incredibly impressive.
 
Because this is the completion of Jack’s journey and really, it’s stunning to see him go from a hopeful man in the first episode, to a complete and utter monster in this tale and what truly brings his story around full circle in this one, is the sheer fact that the Overlook Hotel finally pulls out the big guns and uses Jack’s greatest weakness to win him over by supplying him with as much booze as possible, and it turns out that what it takes to break a man like him is to liquor him up…and amplify the fear and doubt in his mind and give him something to believe in and once he takes that first sip, you know that the Overlook has him hook, line and sinker. 

But while that’s heartbreaking and dark in its own right, it was grossly overshadowed by Jack’s assault upon his family because that whole sequence was downright savage and uncomfortable to watch. If anything, this part of the story really felt like it was never going to end as it continued to assault my senses and while it was tough to sit through, the payoff was worth it. Because the biggest surprise to come out of this miniseries, is the sheer fact that it ends on a positive note, with Jack redeeming himself for all of his mistakes in life, and the family he shunned is what’s responsible for bringing him out of the darkness.
 
This little twist is surprising for several reasons. First because Stephen King stories tend to steer clear of happy endings in order to give us a realistic finale, and while this isn’t exactly a perfectly joyful ending, it’s damn happy for a King story and it was equally as surprising to see King use the age-old concepts of a father’s love and his desire to give his son every chance to succeed in life in order to close out the story. But it works, and it gives the ending some serious gravity and it is quite wonderful and satisfying to see Jack redeem himself and do something heroic and know that he truly loved his family through and through.
 
When all is said and done, I truly have a newfound respect for this miniseries. Because it really is a living tapestry storytelling wise and it takes us on such an incredible ride, and while I know how the story continues since I finally got the chance to read Doctor Sleep, it was nice to see Stephen King try out a happy ending for a change, if only for a moment, and honestly, I may need to re-watch this saga once again in the coming days to further reflect upon all the nuances and little moments that I might have missed because this really is an amazing adaptation of this timeless tale. 

There are so many events that people look forward to on a yearly basis, it is hard not to find something that you can get into. While most of these events for me are conventions, there are plenty of other events that involve so much more. Picking and choosing what and where you want to head off to, it is nice to know that many other people are into what you are. But you must be mindful of what other people’s intentions are at these events, while most people are just looking to connect with others that have the same passion, there are some folks out there that are looking to take total advantage of the situation and exploit it at all costs. 
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Getting out of a stranger’s car when asked to do something that she is not ready to do, Lara finds herself in front of a bus that has a final destination of Burning Man. Being offered a free ride from the driver, Lara cannot pass up the opportunity to go to the party of a lifetime. Closing door of the bus, Joan the driver is ready to give her new group the ride of their lives, but little does the group know what they are getting into. Veering off of the highway to try and get some better time on the trip, Joan happily takes out the opposition in her path and puts her plan in place. Making an unscheduled stop to check out the tires on the bus, the group of party goers find that they have been abandoned in the middle of nowhere with no way of moving on.

Seeing that their driver has abandoned them, the group exits the bus to find that there is something more sinister going on as they spot the road kill on the grill of the bus, along with a dead body in the back. Trying to find out where Joan could have gotten off to, the group comes face to face with a cult who is looking to end all of their lives. While a few people in the group are able to get back on to the bus and stay safe from the maniacs running wild outside, they are forced to watch as their fellow Burning Man party goers are devoured. Needing to take control of the situation before things get much worse, Alan steps into action and is able to break into the luggage compartment and get his gun which will help to keep the survivors safe but finds that there is much more hiding under the bus. 

In a stranded bus with no keys, the survivors; Alan, Peter, Lara, Ivy, Warren, Reese and Stewart watch and listen as the cult surrounds the vehicle and see that things are going to worse before they get better. Then quickly finding out that the bus is not as secure as they previously thought, they get a special visitor as Joan is trying to open up the doors for her group. Trying to explain what is happening to the group and get them to release the Chosen One to her cult, the group puts together a plan of their own to make sure that there will be no more death. But little do they know what will take place on the bus once they try to change the narrative to their favor, as the Chosen One cannot be altered from her predetermined destiny.

If you’re in need of a movie that brings blood, booze, sex and rock and roll to the screen, Bus Party to Hell (also known as Party Bus to Hell) will deliver on all of those fronts. With plenty of one liners that horror fans will love, you also get the basic horror movie solutions shot down by the characters, since some of them are pretty silly. I really enjoyed the character interaction in the movie, since nobody really has a good plan of what to do, but whatever they decide to do, they will do it together. With plenty of blood, people eating people, a cult, a tattooed bus driver, a young woman finding out her destiny, a snake, a corkscrew and a plan to unleash the ultimate evil upon the world, Bus Party to Hell will take you directly where the title says. It is important to remember that there are no free rides in life and on April 13th when this movie arrives, this story will only confirm it. Stay Scared.

​What I always loved the most about Stephen King’s The Shining, was the sheer fact that the novel truly took its time in showing us Jack Torrance’s painful progression into madness. Every wild thought, every doubt and fear were present on the page and as I settled in to watch the next chapter of the 1997 miniseries, I was supremely curious as to how exactly King would pull this off on the small screen because the nuances that go into Jack’s downward spiral are what help make this story so iconic and powerful.
 
Because if this didn’t receive the proper care, how could one take this story seriously or not declare it as a mere clone of the Kubrick version since Jack would simply become mad without warning and thankfully, the miniseries did the book proud and broke the man down in incredible fashion, by first isolating him from anything that might have a positive influence on him. After all, his relationship with his family is strained at this point in the story, and healing past transgressions is no easy feat, and as soon as the weather changes in this chapter, the hotel goes to work on transforming Jack Torrance into its servant.
 
If anything, that’s what I really enjoyed in this episode, how the Overlook Hotel grew into a living entity, one that quietly watched the Torrance family from afar at first to understand their weaknesses before exploiting them and that’s precisely what put Jack down a dark path. And I loved how the hotel worked to build doubt in his family, so that he begins to care more about the Overlook than he does his wife and child and it was just fascinating to watch his downward spiral and see him begin to resent his family and push them away and see him hold the Overlook in such high regard and firmly believe that by giving it his full attention and care that he would somehow restore it to its former glory. 
 
If anything, the beginning of Jack’s breakdown merely served as a taste of what the Overlook Hotel is capable of, and I love the fact that this episode gave us an idea of just how powerful and dangerous it can be by way of two key elements; the first one being the Topiary Animals that came to life because that demonstrated just what kind of physical threats it can manifest on a moment’s notice, but those were grossly overshadowed by the second element, the iconic Room 217. Because this nexus of terror made for some uncomfortable viewing thanks to some top notch special effects and I love the tension that it built and the fact that this particular scene actually managed to make me jump when Danny thought he had escaped the room’s clutches.
 
Because let’s be honest, we’re watching this flick for the scares and really, this second chapter truly does take us on quite the emotional roller coaster. Because it does a fine job of making us feel as isolated as the Torrance family, and the slow build storytelling wise in this tale mounts the tension minute by minute and seeing as to how I haven’t watched this miniseries in years, and that this episode managed to get to me squirm in my seat, I’m expecting the finale to unleash a terrifying fury as everything comes to a head. Until next time.

When it comes to television or movie adaptations of popular novels, there always seems to be one particular complaint that is directed toward the finished product in that; the book was better. Granted, that complaint is understandable, because creative liberties are taken with adaptations in order to maximize the drama. But once in a great while, a perfect book adaptation comes along, and one of my personal favorites, was an ABC Miniseries that was released in 1997…The Shining.
 
Of course, I know that by declaring this miniseries as one of my favorite adaptations that I’m opening up myself to quite the attack, simply because many view Stanley Kubrick’s big screen adaptation of this story to be nothing short of a masterpiece, which is ironic in its own right, considering what we just discussed. But the fact of the matter is, there’s room for both of these adaptations in the horror world because they bring such vastly different things to the table and as we recap this three-part miniseries from here on out, I want to honestly leave Kubrick’s version out of our discussions because it stands on its own and accomplishes its own unique journey. 
 
Instead, I want to talk about the wonder of this particular iteration, and the fact that it truly is a damn near flawless adaptation of the book, thanks in large part to the fact that Stephen King wrote the teleplay himself and by getting the opportunity to do that, and by splitting the story up into three chunks, King was in essence able to take the audience on an epic journey with the Torrance family, and as I settled in to re-watch the first part of this miniseries, something surprising hit me early on in that…this first leg of the journey is actually filled to the brim with hope.

I say that’s surprising, simply because this is a story that truly ends up being an awful tragedy, and while there are dark moments in this opening chapter, there are some genuine moments of hope and desire for a second chance when it comes to this family. They want to use the Overlook Hotel to heal their wounds and come together once again and there’s a glimmer in Jack’s eye that speaks to how much he’s looking forward to getting his play completed and finding a path in life that doesn’t involve the drink and well, this is what sucks us in to the story because in a weird way, despite knowing the ending, we are rooting for Jack through and through to heal his wounds and enjoy a healthy family life at last.
 
However, I made mention of the fact that there’s darkness to be found in this opening chapter and in classic King fashion, the story doesn’t mess around there either. All the ominous notes play out in beautiful foreboding fashion, and credit is due to Director Mick Garris for making the Overlook Hotel an essential, living character to the story as well as it slowly creeps to life with Danny inside of its walls and I won’t lie, having stayed at the Stanley Hotel on many occasions in my lifetime, there is a creepy joy that comes with seeing the real life hotel that inspired King to write the story, and which still stands to this day, be immortalized on film in proper fashion.
 
Yet, what I truly enjoyed about the opening chapter to this harrowing saga, is that it took its time in telling its story. It made sure to teach us everything we will ever need to know about Jack Torrance. We’re well versed in the hotel’s awful and sordid history and there are zero questions when it comes to Danny’s powers. That way the story cannot shoehorn in any surprises when it comes to the characters, nor will it rush this tale in the slightest. Instead, a slow descent into madness and terror awaits in the next couple of episodes, and I’m looking forward to re-watching every single chilling moment. Until next time.  

​My favorite moment, when it comes to any television series, is when everything comes together in beautiful and magnificent fashion. You know what I’m talking about, when every plot thread left dangling suddenly ties together, and epic moments present themselves every step of the way thanks to this magnificent convergence and wouldn’t you know it, that’s precisely what happened during last night’s episode of Ash vs Evil Dead.
 
Because ‘Twist and Shout’ saw Ruby’s evil plans come to fruition and well, let me get this off my chest now, this was hands down the best episode that season three has offered up to date, because this one ladies and gents, had it all. There was gore galore, genuinely creepy moments and some solid drama as well, the kind that makes you accuse others of crying, because you are most certainly not doing that in slightest. But I digress, because we need to talk about Ruby’s evil machinations and how she basically laid everything out on the table in this tale.
 
In essence, the plan that’s been in motion for hundreds of years, is to have the offspring of the Prophesied One murder him violently, so that the imposter and Ruby can step in and rule over Evil and likely all mankind. Which now explains exactly why Ruby has been so hell bent on getting Brandy to hate her father and to finally push her over the edge and to make all of this come to fruition, she set in motion the final part of this wicked plan, by hatching a fully-grown version of Evil Ash, and sending Brandy an important text.
 
The context of that conversation was simple; she wanted to clear the air with Brandy at the school dance and Brandy saw this as a grand opportunity to prove that her father has been right about Ruby all along, allowing for them to isolate and put down the Dark One, and this storytelling wrinkle was awesome quite frankly, because it was wonderful to see these two working together at last, and just like that they were off to the dance and well, that’s where things got ugly real quick. Because Kaya/Kelly came along under the guise of helping Ash, but instead she helped to isolate Brandy with Ruby so that the Dark One could tell Ash’s dear daughter that her father was in fact, a demon and well…that’s where Evil Ash comes into play.

Because this vicious monster began to murder Brandy’s classmates with impunity, all in the hopes of selling her on dear old dad being evil so that she could drive the Kandarian Dagger through Ash’s heart, a plan that quite frankly, seemed to work until Brandy came to realize that she wasn’t capable of committing murder. And thanks to an assist from Pablo, the truth was exposed about Ruby and her plans and she served up her own brand of revenge for having hundreds of years of work foiled, by killing Brandy in cold blood, an act that left Ash completely and utterly heartbroken…
 
So, as I mentioned earlier, this one really had something for everyone and while I enjoyed the laughs, the gore, the one liners and an ending that was difficult to watch because there was definitely something in my eye, what caught me off guard here, was the incredible acting that was on display. After all, it’s best we be honest about horror, in that, it often features reactive acting rather than giving the characters and the people that play them something more to work with, but that simply wasn’t the case here. Look at Arielle Carver-O’Neill’s performance for instance. She sold some of the biggest moments of the night and this talented lady just continues to impress week in and week out when it comes to her acting skills.
 
Her amazing performance was complimented nicely by Dana DeLorenzo, because it cannot be easy for any actor to suddenly play a different version of themselves, but Dana pulled it off just fine in this one, transforming into Kaya and making it look uncomfortable in the right way since it was clear that Kaya struggled in ‘becoming’ Kelly outright. But, the Oscar this evening goes to Bruce Campbell, who turned in a tour de force performance in this one. I mean, he sold Evil Ash through and through by giving this iteration of Ash Williams a unique and quirky personality that perfectly separated him from the real one, but honestly, that was overshadowed by everything Bruce was able to do on screen when it came to his family. Not only did he exhibit a genuine sense of shock and humility when Brandy made it clear she was ready to accept her dad into her life, but the emotion he put on display in those final moments with Brandy was downright stunning because you could simply feel the pain he was experiencing from the look on his face. 
 
So, bravo to this trio for taking us through an emotional wringer and bravo to the Writer’s Room for delivering one incredible episode. I really am in awe of this one with all the amazing moments it brought to the table and really, what’s most impressive about season three is that it continues to try to top itself week in and week out, which makes the wait for next Sunday’s episode all the more excruciating. Because you know Ash is going into the Rift to save Kelly and Brandy, and that such an act will be filled to the brim with epic moments and I’m fairly certain that this decision will be based upon the fact that the Jefe is done with losing important people in his life, and that’s a good thing, because Ash deserves a shot at happiness for a change. Until next time.  

I must admit, that the opening sequence to this week’s episode of The Walking Dead, completely and utterly caught me off guard. I honestly thought that Carl’s letter to his father was going to be a private affair, never to be shared with the world, but the show took the time to do it and it was beautiful to hear him remind his father about the importance of a second chance for the Grimes family, and for humanity as a whole. Yet, hearing Carl’s words to his father, wasn’t the only surprise when it came to the beginning of this tale.
 
Really, what downright stunned me when it came to this story, is the sheer fact that the episode opened up on such a positive note. After all, there is a war on, and an enemy lurking in the shadows and it was just so out of place for ‘Worth’ to kick off in such a lovely and beautiful fashion. But as is often the case, there is a rhyme and a reason for everything that happens on this series and really, as this episode rolled on, it became clear that this penultimate episode to season eight was going to be about tying up as many loose ends as possible before the finale so we can focus on the final showdown between Rick and Negan.
 
However, that meant doing things in reverse for a change, and rather than take us on a tough journey that pays off with a happy ending, that surprise opening was designed to get the good out of the way, because varying levels of darkness awaited us as the story progressed, and the first dark domino to fall came about by way of Aaron’s storyline in this tale. Because in this episode we learned that he’s been outside of Oceanside all this time without food and minimal water in the hopes of inspiring this community to fight, and while his storyline wasn’t the darkest the evening had to offer, it was tough to watch him suffer as he tried to reach this group and there’s a small chance that he finally did. 
 
But that’s where any semblance of hope ended in this episode, especially when one considers how Eugene’s storyline played out, since this was finally his opportunity to shine and show Daryl and Rosita that he still supported Rick and the group after they kidnapped him to bring him back to Hilltop. But rather than walk a road of redemption, Eugene let his cowardly ways take control once he realized the freedom he was enjoying with the Saviors would be taken away, and in stunning fashion, he executed the most creative escape I’ve ever seen and returned back to the bullet factory to finish the job and complete his disgusting transformation and who knows at this point if there will ever be any kind of redemption or forgiveness for Eugene.

​However, the centerpiece of the night came by way of the Sanctuary, since this story featured Negan’s return home and well, I think we all knew this meant bad news for Simon. Yet, while bloodshed seemed to be in the cards for Simon, Negan surprisingly took the gentle route with his right hand man, providing him with forgiveness simply because there was a bigger plan in Negan’s mind as to how to deal with the Hilltop and this sense of absolution only seemed to embolden Simon further and he continued to make plans, with Dwight, to take down the big man once and for all.
 
But since we know where Dwight’s loyalties lie, that meant bad news for Simon since good ol’ D revealed the plan to Negan, allowing for a final showdown between Negan and Simon to take place and honestly, this was another unexpected surprise. Because I think we were all expecting a swift and ugly end for Simon by way of Lucille. But instead, Negan decided to settle this matter with a bare knuckled brawl to the death, in front of the Saviors no less to hammer home the point of who is the man around these parts and it ended with Negan victorious, and regretful, because Simon’s actions to this point meant that the Saviors were going to have to wipe out Hilltop in order for Negan to properly maintain order and well, the series still wasn’t quite done in delivering some dark moments our way. 
 
Because one of the last loose ends that needed to be tied up, was who exactly Negan picked up on the side of the road at the end of last week’s episode, and it turned out to be Laura, the Savior who saw Dwight betray the group at Alexandria and she told Negan everything he needed to know. Which meant this entire storyline was one long con from Negan, one where he utilized Dwight’s skills to the fullest, even going so far as to leak a fake plan to Rick and the Allies at Hilltop and now…Dwight is exposed, the group is in trouble and to make matters worse, it would seem all of these events have pushed Negan over a proverbial cliff, since he promised fury and bloodshed despite hearing the gentle words that Carl wrote to him…
 
So, yeah, this one ended on a supremely bleak note, and I have to tip my cap to the writers of this episode; David Leslie Johnson and Corey Reed for packing in so many plot-lines in this particular tale and making them as compelling and fascinating as possible and it was nice to see the series work to tie up all of these dangling threads. And in doing so, all that really matters now is the final battle we have all been waiting for and considering how unpredictable the back half of season eight has turned out to be, I get the feeling that next week, anything can happen and that may make the grand finale to All Out War, about as devastating as they come. Until next time. 

While I am amazed that people care about my opinion on horror movies, a tough question was raised to me in that that the next Texas Chain Saw Massacre Leatherface should be a female. While I chart this question up to being click-bait, it did spark the thought in my mind that there really are not a ton of female slasher movies out there, at least ones that don’t feature the woman killing for no other reason than doing so. As I have watched and reviewed many movies over the years, especially in the indie horror market, I always love the story when it comes with a strong female lead that is able to take charge of the situation, no matter what it is and that makes me wonder what would need to be done to make a good horror movie with a woman that everyone should fear.

So, before I get away from the subject, my thoughts on a female Leatherface. I have a problem with this being just shot out there with ease, as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has become an essential in all horror fans collections. The narrative that the story plays when it comes to Leatherface is simple, a powerful killer that only takes commands from his father. There is something that would not sit right with the audience when taking this in to account, since Leatherface is a person that has major developmental issues, would you really want to see a woman in the role, especially since all she would be able to do is grunt? And then being submissive to a vulgar man, who she may or not be related to, well, let’s just say that it would send the franchise straight down the tubes as women are sick of seeing submissive characters on the screen, much less I do not know a woman who would do anything that is commanded of her, especially when she grows up. 

Just naming movies off of the top of my head when it comes to really good female-led slasher movies, where the woman is charge of the bloodshed, Friday the 13th comes to mind, because Pamela Voorhees loses her mind when it comes to the loss of her son, and anyone that crosses her path needs to watch out. American Mary may not be a standard slasher film, but it does show Mary taking control of her life after being taken advantage of by a former professor, and there is plenty of blood when she knows what she wants to do with the rest of her life in body modification. Even Lambs Have Teeth was also great when best friends and sex slaves Sloane and Katie take their revenge on the town that has taken their innocence. The I Spit on Your Grave original and remake series both showed how badly abuse can damage a person, and that revenge is a dish served very cold and bloody. Axe to Grind showed an aging actress making sure that she can get back to the top, but she would need to dispose of those youths in front of her with magical axe kills. While these may not be qualified by the horror purest as conventional slasher films, they do hold the spirt, as the blood splatters all across the screen, but they all have the same theme attached, revenge.

So, when thinking about the Texas Chain Saw statement, it made me wonder what women in history would serve as the solid basis for a slasher film revolving around them, and I dove into a couple stories from female serial killers from the past. While the research did not give me as much blood as the Ed Gein story did for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, I did stumble across a couple that would help to bring a woman slasher to the big screen. Leonarda Cianciulli, a.k.a., ‘The Soap Maker of Correggio.’ This just an interesting story about an Italian woman who killed three women and instead of getting rid of the bodies, turned them into soap and teacakes. Then Elizabeth Bathory, ‘The Blood Countess’ who used to kill her servants to drink and bathe in their blood to stay young for all eternity. There are two stories that have not found their way to movie screen at this point and could be done in their natural timeline, or someone could even bring them to present day and have a little bit of fun with it.

Then the thought of another couple of famous serial killers came to mind and the first was Jack the Ripper. While we have had a couple of Ripper stories over the years, the verdict is still out on who the killer was and why not have the killer be a woman? Having the killer be a woman would give a much different narrative than what the stories have told us in the past, a jealous woman of the night, a scorned lover, a nurse that wants to prove she can be more in medical school that is held out because of her gender. The ideas could keep flowing for a new storyline, and unless they are able to prove who Jack the Ripper is, a rewrite in history could turn the tables.
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The story of H.H. Holmes has been gripping the country recently as well as we have found out so much more about his history, growing up and murdering his cousins, along with animals in the neighborhood.  Then masterminding the building of the infamous Murder Castle which claimed the lives of countless victims. Why not have the mastermind be a woman instead of a man in this story or adaptation, since nobody really knows what happened when the victims made it to the basement. This could be a story that is shrouded in blood with an extremely intelligent woman at the helm that will never be brought down.

While I don’t like the idea for a reboot of a franchise that has been struggling for years, I do like the idea of women being killers in slasher movies and these are a couple ideas of what I would like to see. And these are just a few little stories of what could be, as there are many more out there that I did not cover.  It will prove difficult for the studios to choose what they want to try on the big screen, as if they do it wrong, they can lose many of their viewers. I just hope that what comes out over the next couple years continues the trend that we have been seeing in horror; the strong female lead who is able to keep her head on her shoulders, for most of the movie anyway. Stay Scared. 

When it comes to the many horror franchises I’ve enjoyed in my lifetime, I’ve come to find that there are two constants that apply to a fair majority of them. First and foremost, you’ll rarely see the story twist or surprise the longer the franchise continues and second, expect everything that’s mysterious about said franchise to eventually be revealed in an effort to keep things interesting. Unless of course we’re talking about the Evil Dead universe, since it is a saga that tends to defy convention and for proof, look no further than last night’s episode of Ash vs Evil Dead.
 
Because ‘Tales from the Rift’ had the opportunity to follow those all-important genre guidelines. It could have revealed all of the secrets of the Necronomicon and followed a boring formula to bring Ash and the Ghostbeaters closer to their final showdown with Evil. But the series refused to let any of those things happen, and it instead dropped all kinds of jaw dropping twists into our collective lap by throwing season three’s storyline for quite the loop by revealing that in essence, the good guys are getting played by Evil through and through and by killing off a major character, at least…for the moment, I hope.
 
In fact, let’s take a moment and talk about that stunning development first, because it’s a big freaking deal and it came about from the fact that Kelly had reached her limit when it came to Ruby’s shenanigans and she paid the Dark One a visit and unleashed her fury in epic fashion, bringing Ruby to her knees in the hopes of finally getting revenge for everything Ruby’s done to Kelly and her friends over the past few years. But despite the sheer enjoyment that came about from watching Kelly beat the living crap out of Ruby, this savvy immortal had a few more tricks up her sleeve and lulled Kelly into a false sense of security before unleashing her special brand of fury upon Kelly.
 
Of course, that didn’t stop Kelly from trying to put Ruby down with the Kandarian Dagger, but despite an explosive effort to gain the upper hand, eventually Ruby was able to do what we thought was impossible and put the Dagger through Kelly’s heart and this was in a word, devastating. Because Kelly has been such an integral part of this series from day one and it was wild to see that she’s been waiting for an opportunity for revenge after all this time and to make matters worse and more heartbreaking, Ruby used her body as a vessel for her buddy Kaya on the other side and it’s clear that this Evil Pal is going to help in Ruby’s plans to drive a wedge between Ash and his daughter. 

That matters because in this tale, Brandy was all in on reconciliation and dad’s role as El Jefe and sadly, before these two had proper time to properly bond, Ash was greeted by the Knights of Sumeria at his home and after a little chat about what they missed out upon before their arrival, they saw a grand opportunity to end their long battle with the Evil by using the rift that Ash had hiding underneath the store and thanks to an assist from Pablo, they were able to send a scout through the rift to the Dead Lands that wait beyond our world in the hopes of using this void to fight the Evil on its own turf, and really, this is where it became inherently obvious that the Evil has been using Ash and his friends as pawns.
 
Think about it for a moment. Everyone has been steadfast in the belief that the missing pages of the Necronomicon will guide our world to salvation from the Evil, yet it was those pages that allowed for the rift to exist and send a monster back to our world to wipe out most of the Knights of Sumeria, and we know now from Ruby that the rest of the Dark Ones are planning to use this rift to escape their otherworldly prison and all of this has been made possible by Ash and his friends. Because in reality, the Evil has been a step ahead of Ash and the audience this entire time and not only does this raise the stakes, but it makes the rest of season three completely unpredictable.
 
Because at this point, it seems like anything Ash and the Ghostbeaters do to fight back is playing into what the Evil wants and having Kaya/Kelly around seems to be part of the plan as well and I am just loving all these surprises through and through. Granted, it sucks that Kelly appears to be dead, but Pablo has taught us that some people can come back when they’re touched by the darkness, so there’s hope there. But, outside of that, what a wild way to build up to the season finale and I really can’t get over how unconventional this episode turned out to be since this really was the grand opportunity to reveal all of the Necronomicon’s secrets but…it turns out that no one has a clue what lies in the pages of this book and I’m so glad its mysteries remain intact.
 
But really, the fact that this episode dropped such big twists into our laps now, twists that quite frankly you would normally find in a season finale, means that we are likely in for more incredible moments as the rest of this year rolls on and well, it just goes to show yet again that this series is one of the best television shows on the air right now, and that’s largely due in part to the fact that it is bold in its storytelling and it will take whatever risks necessary to make sure that its plot lines flesh out to a tee and well, I really don’t know where we go from here, but I guarantee you it’s going to be amazing, any way you slice it. Until next time. 

I think it is safe to assume that every single fan of The Walking Dead has been wondering for some time now exactly how the show is going to evolve without Carl Grimes being a part of the narrative. After all, those who read the comics religiously are fully aware of the fact that several important plotlines past All Out War involve the young man, and those may no longer happen on screen or be severely altered as a direct result of his untimely passing, and really…the conclusion of this nasty war between the Allies and the Saviors has to happen before we truly get to see what kind of undiscovered country we are heading into. 
 
But it would seem, that the Writer’s Room on this series is eager to let us know what we can expect in the future, since last night’s episode featured a decidedly different kind of tale, at least when compared to the past couple of seasons. Because ‘Still Gotta Mean Something’, more or less took us back to the basics of this storied saga. Wherein the characters were king and the harrowing situation around them forced them to work together to provide a better and safer future for one another, one filled to the brim with potential, and it accomplished that, by forcing several characters in this story to face their past, and some of the sorrow that they are currently going through.
 
Take Carol for instance, who once more found herself rattled by death following Tobin’s unfortunate passing and resurrection in last week’s tale, forcing her to retreat to her safe place mentally in the hopes of healing properly this time around before King Ezekiel and Morgan pressed her into service once again when the possibility arose that Henry was headed back to the Kingdom following his decision to let the prisoners out. And while out there in the open with Morgan, she once again faced her painful past, since this in a way paralleled the loss of her daughter Sophia, to the point where Henry was hiding in a creek like her daughter did all those years ago. But what matters here is that Carol put aside her fears of finding Henry dead, and in doing so, saved the young man from a group of walkers, giving him a chance at another day and giving her a sense of peace that she rarely enjoys.
 
Yet the series wasn’t content to have only Carol revisit her emotional agony from days gone by, even the wicked were given an opportunity to face their pain since we also caught up with Negan in this episode, and we saw the man on display like never before, and no, I’m not talking about the fact that Jadis strapped him to a board and threatened to punish him in a uniquely disturbing way, what I’m referring to is that for the first time ever we honestly saw Negan as a man and not a monster. We saw him apologize sincerely for a change for Simon’s actions at the Junkyard and beg and plead to see Lucille remain unharmed and undamaged because that bat was in fact, the last real tie he had to his wife and it was just fascinating to see this villain weep over the possibility of losing the final memory of his wife and show such compassion and humanity.

​Which is ironic, because a pair of our favorite heroes turned out to be the monsters last night when the tale took a few moments to explore what can happen to people when they let grief and anger consume their souls and that was accomplished by following Rick and Morgan in this tale. Because these two men, hell bent on revenge, went looking for the missing prisoners, and were eventually captured by them and after waking up in an abandoned bar near Hilltop, Rick made quite the incredible gambit to diffuse the situation by telling these men that if they let Rick and Morgan go, they could return to Hilltop and start over fresh without the fear of reprisal for their actions as Saviors and when the dead arrived, the former prisoners granted the duo their freedom…and quickly came to regret their decision.
 
Because this is when both men let revenge take control…with interesting results. Morgan for instance, took to revenge like a fish to water, savoring the opportunity to put down anyone within reaching distance of his stick, and this wanton violence also gave him the opportunity to deal with Jared once and for all in brutal fashion and while this seemed like another day at the office for Morgan, Rick’s bloodlust seemingly brought about regret. Because once the carnage came to an end, Rick wasn’t quite himself and this was compounded by an important moment between Rick and his unstable friend when he asked Morgan point blank, why he bothered to save Rick all those years ago, and Morgan’s reply was devastating to say the least when he admitted to the fact that Rick is alive because Morgan’s son was present on that fateful day.
 
It meant that Morgan wanted nothing more than to be a good father and teach his son the value of life in that moment, and well…the silence that came after that exchange was deafening since for a brief moment it seems that Rick was able to see a future where he became Morgan and that finally allowed for him to apologize to Michonne for going out into the world to seek revenge in the first place, and finally read the letter from his son. And one has to wonder now, if he’s ready to listen to what Carl had to say to him before he passed away and if Rick is ready to make peace after everything that’s happened and well, when all is said and done, I really have to give this episode a round of applause for being downright brilliant.
 
Because it’s been a long time since The Walking Dead gave us a quality character study, and this was a magnificent one to say the least. I really appreciated the intimacy this episode provided us with, almost as if, this was finally the time to for everyone to properly grieve and take inventory after everything that’s happened, and I also loved the fact that it pointed out in the darkest way imaginable that sometimes you have to let the anger within burn itself out before moving on, as it seems was the case with Rick. Either way, I feel like this story was more than just filler, that everything that happened here is going to be relevant in the next couple of weeks and quite frankly, if this is what the future holds for this storied saga, then I welcome it, because this was some damn fine storytelling through and through. Until next time.