Driving alone and listening to her favorite song, Evie is shocked to have a tire blow out on her. Calling Deputy Leon for a ride, she finds out that he is stalking one of his past girlfriends and cannot pull himself away. As a last resort, Evie calls Stan to give her a ride since the police cruiser does not have a spare tire and it was his doing. Although he does not want to take himself away from his snake program, seeing what his daughter is trying to do gives him reason to leave the house for a very long time.
​
Driving along on the highway with Evie by his side, Stan plows into a girl that ran out into the middle of the road. Not knowing what happened, Evie comes to back in her cruiser when her tire blows out again. Getting Stan to come and pick her up again, she knows that they have done this before, but this time she is able to get him to stop the car before hitting the girl. Getting out of the car this time and trying to talk to the girl, Evie gets her throat slashed, but she is not dead as she wakes up in her cruiser once more. Replaying her day again, this time she is able to get the girl to talk without killing her and finds out that there is a man responsible for this time loop, but before Evie is able to find out who (or what) it is, the girl is taken into the woods by a demon. Trying to save her, Evie is slashed across the throat again and is starting to understand what is happening.

With a plan this time, Evie is able to keep herself safe from the demons, but Stan gets beheaded as a stranger in the woods spots the Sheriff. Giving Evie a little insight on what is happening around them, he makes note that if Evie or the girl on the road die in any way, the loop will not end. Needing something special to stop the loop as well, the stranger asks for the eyes of Constable Eccles, as he is the main reason for the everlasting loop. Needing to protect herself, the girl and Stan, Evie is forced to start the day over again and come up with a new plan of attack.

Knowing what she knows now, there does not seem to be a way to survive when getting a ride with Stan so instead of seeing him die, Evie sends him to the old cemetery to dig up the eyes of Eccles and bring them to the scene. Being able to escape the demons in the forest with little issue, Evie is able to deliver the eyes of the old Constable, but does not like what she finds. Seeing that it is Eccles himself that needed his eyes from the future, Evie and his wife have swapped places in time and now Evie is next to be burned at the stake by the leader of the coven. With no way to escape, much less contact anybody, Evie’s time as Sheriff is about to end and there may be only one person who can save her, but even Stan does not know where she is, but he is missing her company.

Wow, what an end to the first season, and I really hope that Stan Against Evil gets picked up for a few more, especially since there are a ton more demons that need to be dealt with and by only clocking one an episode, it would take another 164 to make the series complete. Here’s to hoping. Evie seems to be the easiest target for anything bad to happen in Willard’s Mill and while she is the acting Sheriff, she is smart enough to break free of most of the situations, but this time trusting the wrong person might cost her. Stan has the same thing to say and do every time, and somehow is still contributing, even when getting Kevin to dig up the grave of Constable Eccles to get his eyes. And while everyone else is out doing their demon fighting thing, Denise is trying out her new business venture and while things may not be going well to start with, I am sure she will find the right name for her tooth cleaning business, I have faith. Just give us at least one more season, come on, we need more of the horror and laughter that the gang has brought to the small screen for the past four weeks. Oh, and we also need it soon! Stay Scared.

Never being able to find any peace and quiet, Stan finally has a moment to himself and is ready to make a sandwich for the ages. But there is one big problem as he quickly finds out that he has run out of Mayo and he must find more before he eats. Getting ready to make his way into town, a man named Andrew starts asking Stan about the strange going ons that happen in Willard’s Mill and where Claire Miller is, since she is the only demon hunter he has ever heard about that has managed to keep the town safe for more than a couple of years. Not knowing what to do with this new nuisance, Stan does the only thing he can think of and passes Andrew on to Evie and finally gets a chance to eat.

While in the station, Andrew covers all of the research he has done on Willard’s Mill, but is getting nothing in return from the past and current Sheriffs. Hearing that Claire had a daughter, Andrew follows Denise to the puzzle shop and quickly finds out that she is not the hunter that he is looking for, but before he is able to find his way back to the Miller house, he is attacked by something in the dumpster he is hiding behind. Seeing the stranger in pain, Denise takes the reins on the situation and brings Andrew home with her to make sure nothing else happens to the man. Knowing that he is in the house of the greatest demon hunter in Willard’s Mill, Andrew is able to convince Stan and Evie to show him the killing room and is able to point out the demon that attacked him hours ago.

Evie takes the lead in trying to locate the spider demon that is attacking innocents in her town and winds up making her way back to the church. As the two descend the steps into the basement, Andrew recites everything that happened in this holy place three hundred years ago. Staying a step behind the Sheriff, Andrew hints at it, then releases his true form and captures Evie in his web. With one Sheriff down, the hunt must continue for the other, but Stan will not be as easy to fool as Andrew finds out. Waiting for the demon in his weaponless house, Stan tries to fight Andrew man to spider, but is sent to the Land of Shadows with Evie and the two are left with no way out.

With the two surviving Sheriffs of Willard’s Mill to offer to Constable Eccles, Andrew has the perfect plan to return to the land of the living for good. Seeing the other trapped spirits moving away, Stan and Evie see Eccles moving in and get Andrew to divulge his plan for all to hear. With the demonic armory at his fingertips, he can be the one and only living demon to keep Eccles and his demons at bay. Hearing the news of a double cross, Eccles does not hesitate and takes the head of the demon and watches as Stan and Evie are sent back to the land of the living. But there may be no stopping Eccles from making his way back to Willard’s Mill as he continues to walk towards the light, bringing him closer to the town that he once called home...

Just a cute episode as the season draws near a close. As Stan and Evie are not as gullible as they make themselves out to be, Stan moves his armory out of the house so the new demon in town cannot get his hands on it. Although Evie is taken back to the Land of Shadows, she is ready to fight once again, but this time with her words while Stan is ready to fight with his fists. Not knowing the end game for the old Constable, the two are forced to stay together to make sure Eccles does not succeed at whatever he is trying to do. Denise is great as always, as she is trying to figure out why owls hate puzzles, because she just loves them so much, and she even made a puzzle cake to celebrate it. Losing her focus to get a new tattoo while guarding the armory, she is happy and has become more street than anyone ever thought she could be. One episode left and I know that all of the demons have not been killed yet, so I am very curious as to how we are going to end the story with Eccles and his hatred towards all of the Sheriffs of Willard’s Mill.  Stay Scared.

If by chance, the world as we know it was to end just like that...what would come next for those that survive? Would they try and rebuild civilization exactly as it was before, or would they try to correct all the mistakes we made and build a better life for future generations of a brave new world? These are fascinating questions to ponder upon and as the seasons progress, what comes next is clearly becoming the focus of The Walking Dead.

Gone are the days of fighting off hordes of walking corpses in order to see another day, those flesh eating monsters have been replaced by something far worse...human beings that are completely in control of their destiny in a world without rules and when it comes to figuring out how to rebuild our world, the show has offered little insight or concrete direction thus far, instead opting to put forth a cautionary tale. One where fear and the instinct to survive is exploited by Negan and the Saviors, since so many people have handed control of their lives over to a man who enjoys the thrill of outright messing with people's minds and last night's episode, 'Swear' provided us with some fascinating insight as to what the future could hold for Rick and the people of the Alexandria Safe Zone...if they continue to hold onto their fear. 

Oddly enough however, this fascinating lesson unfolded without Rick or any of the principal characters, it instead came about by way of Tara and Heath...well, mostly Tara as we finally caught up with the pair on their supply run through the countryside. It turns out that despite being out in the world for a little over two weeks, their mission has been an outright failure. So far they've gotten their hands on a little bit of canned food and that's pretty much it and the disappointment of that, combined with the guilt he now carries over what the group did to the Saviors, is wearing upon Heath's conscience to the point where he is beginning to find himself concerned about what kind of people he and the group are turning into.  

But before his philosophical thoughts advance much further, the pair stumble upon an abandoned community that barricaded itself onto the top of a bridge, and the two venture inside of it in the hopes of finding something to make their trip worthwhile...but alas they only find terror when they accidentally uncover a tiny herd of the dead, forcing them to fight for their lives and in the process of getting back to the truck, the two of them are separated when Tara falls over the railing and into the river...eventually washing up weak and worse for the wear on a beach where she is helped out by a young woman who leaves her food and water.

The young lady heralds from a small community not far from the beach named Oceanside, and unfortunately for Tara...the people that inhabit this community are far from friendly. Upon discovering her presence in the camp they immediately open fire and corner her, demanding to know who she is and where she comes from before later informing her that she must either stay with them to protect the community...or face death. 

Thankfully Tara is able to talk herself out of this mess and they eventually agree to let her return to Alexandria, but Tara is suspicious of how quickly they agree to this, and rightfully so since once again, she finds herself under fire and that's when the show began to delve into its cautionary moment. Because this camp of survivors, also met the Saviors a long time ago...and they chose to fight Negan and his men and paid the price dearly. For their insurrection resulted in the execution of every man and boy that was over the age of ten to make a point that such insolence would not be tolerated and rather than stay behind and live a life under Negan's rule...they left their community in the middle of the night to find Oceanside, which they promptly secured before taking a vow to murder any stranger they encountered...

Thankfully with the help of the young woman that saved her life in the first place, Tara was able to escape and eventually return to Alexandria to learn of what Negan has done to her friends and surrogate family...and girlfriend for that matter, but the lesson remains clear for Rick...the fear that he has chosen to embrace and demand from the people of this community, will make all of their lives a living hell. By giving in to Negan completely, by not using this mess to his advantage to spy upon and learn about his enemy so he can find a weakness or a way to properly resist this monster and his madness...he is no better than the leadership of Oceanside, Gregory at the Hilltop or King Ezekiel for that matter since everyone on that list...is okay letting Negan bring out the worst in them and in the process they are allowing the new world to be formed by what is in essence evil.

If anything, while the show offers no easy answers on what the new world should look like it does make one thing inherently clear...that evil should not be in control. The end of civilization should signal the opportunity for a new beginning, one where people could potentially work together for a change, and instead they've let the worst parts of mankind rule and at this point, it's really a matter of how much more of this everyone we've met this season is going to take. Because the seeds of discontent we've seen planted all year long are starting to take root and grow and all these people need now, is the right leader to give them a gentle push in the right direction to rise up and take back their lives from Negan and the Saviors...the only question now is...who will that leader be and I'm hoping that it will be Rick Grimes and that something will happen soon to snap him out of his funk. Either way, this was quite the cerebral little episode and I think it's wonderful that the series took the time to analyze a bigger problem in a new and unique way...and that it reminded all of us of the dangers of what we can become when fear infects every inch of our soul. Until next time.

It's just a normal day in Willard’s Mill when Sheriff Evie Barret spots a driver running a stop sign. Pulling over the criminal, she finds out it is Stan who has more important things on his mind, especially when it comes to adding sugar to his coffee. Trying to get out of the ticket since he was once Sheriff of the town, Stan’s charms fall short on his replacement and he is forced to pay the fine just like everybody else. Not feeling like letting this go, Stan is more than happy to pay the fine, but puts his mark on the proceedings by making sure Evie knows that he never should have gotten a ticket in the first place.

Out of towners/Goth kids Charlene, Craig and Keanu have made their pilgrimage to Willard’s Mill and have secured a very special room in the local bed and breakfast. Being the room where famed witch and their savior Minerva Garret was killed, they are dying to try and find a way to release her witchy powers to make their own. Starting preparation for their event, Craig believes that the group could use the blood of a virgin to help in the spells and as luck would have it, Denise is walking down the street. Inviting Denise to a party, the group is ready to unlock the secrets of the spirit world, but when an actual spirit is released, they do not know what to do when said spirit inhabits the body of Craig, who promptly kills a helpless Denise in the hopes of using her body as a vessel to aid in his plan to murder at least one of the remaining Sheriffs in this town.

Not believing their eyes, Charlene and Keanu rush to the police station and file a murder report with Evie who is beside herself. Getting up the nerve to call Stan, Evie hears that Denise is sort of alive and needs to check and see what is happening with her predecessor's daughter. Returning to her desk to see Keanu has been run through with a shotgun and Charlene is nowhere in sight, Evie rushes over to the Miller household to see what condition Denise is really in. With his daughter duct taped to a chair, Stan is trying to communicate with his daughter, but the demon that has taken over her body is refusing to speak to him. Threatening violence against his daughter’s body, Evie is able to step in and find out a strange fact about Constable Eccles and what he was actually up to during the witch trials of yesteryear.
 
Checking on the room where the Goth kids were staying, Evie is surprised to see that Charlene is still there, but she won't be there for much longer. Believing that Eccles was released into Craig’s body, Evie wants to see if Charlene could summon Minerva Garret to take over her another body in order to fight off the evil spirit. Agreeing to help, Stan, Evie, Charlene and possessed Denise head to where the burning took place and Charlene is able to summon a good spirit. Without a moment to lose as Eccles is on the warpath to kill Stan and Evie, Minerva comes to life and is able to slow down his hunt, but it could all be for naught if someone is not able to subdue Craig’s body before Eccles gets stronger.

Every episode of Stan Against Evil has its special charm, but I could not stop laughing at this one from the get go. As Stan is not able to get out of a ticket, he makes sure that Evie knows that he is still the boss in a manner of speaking by delivering his fine in pennies and he emphasizes his point by making sure he is exactly one cent short. The Goth kids were great, especially when they give their own blood to their ritual, because I don’t care who you are, if you cut your hand, it’s gonna hurt. I was surprised that we finally got more information about Eccles and his witchcraft ways, since it turns out he was actually the witch, and he pinned his evil deeds on the women that he burned at the stake and I'm kind of interested as to how that is going to play out in the rest of the series. Possessed Denise was priceless in this episode as nobody seemed to know how to handle her, but it did teach everyone the importance of having duct tape around, it even works on possessions.  Stay Scared.

After a sleepless night in Willard’s Mill, Sheriff Evie Barret sees that there is a new flower growing at the front of the station. Giving it a whiff and smelling how terrible it is, she wants to know what the deal with it is. Deputy Leon knows all about these strange flowers that are popping up around town and gives Evie the locations. Connecting the dots on the station map and seeing that the locations make up a pentagram, she knows that there is only one place to turn, to Claire’s demon killing library. 

Bugging Stan while he is watching a WWII documentary, Evie is able to find out the secret behind the Black Flowers that have taken up residence in Willard’s Mill and what they are going to do. With the first flower opening and not allowing people to sleep, when the second flower opens, it will take an unknowing soul to a different realm. Not wanting things to get to that point, Evie gets the idea of trying to contact Claire in the spirit realm and while Stan is against it, he goes along with the idea, but things do not turn out the way he expects.

During the séance, Stan is taken from this plane and placed in another one filled with the dead. Seeing that he is home and that Claire is there and willing to do anything to make him happy, he does not know which life is real and which is the dream. But this world seems to be pretty darn good when all is said and done, since Claire is alive and is letting him watch his favorite war program and is bringing him beer. But all is not well when Hitler comes on the screen and talks directly to him, causing him to think that he is going crazy, yet what the former Führer is telling him does not seem that far off. Turning off the television and looking into his wife’s loving eyes, Stan cannot believe that he has been asked to kill the woman, but the signs are there that he may not be in Willard’s Mill any longer.

Losing Stan during the séance means that another flower has opened in town and now Evie and Denise are in a race against time before something else evil happens. Wanting to try and communicate with Stan to let him know what is happening, Evie and Denise perform yet another séance and communicate with him through the television, but don’t know if he really understands what is happening. With the third flower opening, Denise and Evie are forced to keep each other at arm’s length since this one will turn best friends against each other, but they don't have to worry since it was a man and his dog who suffered when the flower opened. The fourth flower opening signals the start of the return of the dead and yet again, the two are spared, but the grounds keeper at the cemetery is not. But the fifth flower opening, the last one, means that the person on the alternate plane must spill blood on both the living and dead side, and while that seems to be impossible, Evie gets the wild idea that it might not have to be Stan who needs to spill it, but someone related to him and in order to save the town, now seems like a good time to take a chance.

This show just continues to bring some of the most frightening aspects of witchcraft to the table and yet have enough fun with it to keep the mood light and bring out the jokes. I must agree with Evie in this episode to try and summon Claire, a bad ass demon killer, to try and help with the situation, but as always, nothing ever goes as planned. Even as retired Sheriff Stan is trying to get on with his life, he continues to get pulled into the situations to keep his old town safe, whether he likes it or not. You do however get to see Stan open up a little bit in this episode about how much he misses his wife, so you know that he is only human, trying to cope in his own way. Denise’s obsession with The Wizard of Oz and the munchkins however takes the cake, since she believes they should have the answers for everything. And Claire’s hatred for 'Brinner' fascinates Stan along with myself as there is nothing better than a good breakfast for dinner.  Stay Scared.

After his long talk with Francis Booth, Mike has finally discovered that Eddie has been behind Candle Cove the entire time and needs to find a way to get through to him. But time is not on his side as he discovers that Eddie has taken Lily away from him once again, but this time she is in the show and has no way of getting out. Knowing that he is the only one that can save his daughter, Mike is ready to give up everything to bring her back safely, and even though he knows that he has to go at it alone, he will have help from his mother and wife if needed. Giving Marla specific instructions on what to do in the event of something terrible happening, Mike heads out into the woods to find out how to enter Candle Cove and silence his ailing brother once and for all.

With children going missing left and right in Iron Hills, Officer Amy has recruited her Sheriff to come along with her on the hunt. Even though Gary is there to help, he admits that his past life must be left in the past since now he is the only parent that his children will have. Roaming through the woods, Amy spots a child out of the corner of her eye, but Gary sees his prize as Katie and Dane move out of the trees. Pleading with his kids to let him be the best parent he can be to them, he is able to break through the killer voices the kids are hearing and take his prized possessions back home where they are safe. Amy is still on the hunt for Francis Booth and spotting her once, she makes her way deeper into the children’s Candle Cove territory not knowing who or what she will find.

Finding Lily passed out in an open field, Mike knows that he must trust that the tooth monster that is hidden away will take him to the place he needs to be. Knowing that it is his brother, Mike allows himself to be taken to another reality, but this one is much more sinister than his own. Walking through the halls of Eddie’s reality, Mike encounters many characters from his dreams, he even finds the kids that Eddie killed when he was still alive. Making his way to Eddie’s bedroom, Mike sees that his brother is alive and well and that a trade is on the table for the life of Lily. Even though Mike is not ready to give up just yet, he is able to agree to his brother’s terms to free his daughter and give her one last message.

Trying to get Eddie’s mind off of going back to the land of the living, Mike challenges him to the card game of War, that never ended when they were both still alive. Knowing that this is a tactic to keep him from being free, Eddie agrees and the two finish their unfinished game. Needing to keep his brother occupied until his mother can complete what he has asked of her, Mike continues to talk to Eddie who is hell bent on returning to the world and carrying on his work. Knowing that there is nothing he can do to stop him, especially with the Skin Taker roaming around the room, Mike has one final play that will ensure that the two are reunited for all eternity...

Seeing Lily making it home without a scratch, Marla is surprised to hear that Mike wants her to finish the job to end the cycle between him and his brother. Rushing out to the woods, Marla sees Francis Booth and is forced to confront her former friend. Wanting to bring Eddie back from the dead to continue his work, Francis will do anything to keep Marla away and pulls out her killing hook and tries to finish her off. But little does Francis know that Amy is hot on her trail and when the slashes are seen, Amy opens fire and keeps Francis from delivering the killing blow. Marla however is quick to the draw and finishes the job that Amy started and puts Francis in her final resting place and has to move on before the police or paramedics are able to stop her. The one last request that Mike had was to keep his brother from coming back to the world of the living and the only way to keep Eddie from doing so is to kill Mike while his body sleeps. With one last look at her son, Marla does what needs to be done to free her boy, the children in Iron Hills and end the Candle Cove curse that has been spreading for over thirty years.

Well, season one has finally come to an end and this finale has left a void inside my heart. I wish there could have been a couple more episodes for some more build up, yet, they did a great job in bringing it to an end. The hatred that Eddie had towards the world made him more powerful than anyone really knew and the killing of four children was only a stepping stone for him. Seeing the hate in his brother’s eyes, even when he was about to be alive again, Mike knows that Eddie’s evil can never be released in his world for the sake of saving innocent lives. I really liked the scenes between Mike and Eddie in this episode, from grown up to pissed off kid, it really showed how Mike’s training as a child psychologist ended up being quite handy when it came to saving the world from certain doom. So, it’s over, but there will be another season coming up with a different story and cast to keep us glued to our seats once again, I just hope it is as magical as this season turned out to be. Stay Scared.

It's been quite the interesting second season for Ash vs. Evil Dead simply due to the fact that the tone and design of the show has managed to evolve as the season has progressed. What started out as a lighthearted and silly Evil Dead II type of story has quickly shifted gears, reverting to the darkest corners of the saga and playing more on our fears.  

A fine example of this was last week's episode, where Baal made Ash question his sanity in order to finally break the Jefe and this week took every dark and dreary element that episode had to offer and ran with it further because 'Ashy Slashy' was a tour de force of horror one that evoked memories of classic horror films left and right, saw Kelly rise to impromptu leadership in a time of crisis while also providing us with one powerhouse twist filled ending that completely changes everything for the show going forward.

But before we get to that, let's take a quick moment and talk about the scares for a moment because wow, this episode felt like an old school slasher film and kudos to the series for trying out something new once again and to Bruce Campbell for another fine performance by transforming into a madman stalking his own friends. However, while all of that was fun and creepy, slasher films can only take you so far substance wise and the show is fully aware of that fact which is why Kelly took the center stage in this story, serving as the group's impromptu leader as both Ruby and Pablo expressed their doubts about being able to complete the mission and send Baal back to Hell. But in addition to stepping up when the team needed her most, she also served as the story's outright badass, battling Deadites left and right in between searching for Ash.

However, the ending is what looms large over this episode because two incredible things took place. For one, we learned that Ash was pulling the wool over Baal's eyes all along. He was never broken, never bought into his lies. He simply knew the only way out of this mess was to play along to get Baal and Pablo (a,k.a. Necronomicon 2.0) in the same room together to get Pablo to fire off the incantation and send Baal back where he belongs. It was a genius stroke storytelling wise but it also led to the darkest moment in the series to date because despite the fact that Pablo was able to successfully banish Baal to the darkness beyond and in essence save the day, the manipulative demon had one last trick up his sleeve, striking Pablo with his flesh cutting finger mere moments before he was banished from our world...to ensure that Ash, Ruby, Kelly and Linda would be forced to watch poor Pablo die right in front of them.

Just like that...the episode was over, leaving us with that shocking image burned into our minds and a day later...I'm still in shock. Pablo's gone and while I get that death is part of this show and we've seen plenty of good souls depart in this series, it's the first time we've seen a Ghostbeater suffer that ultimate fate and it will most certainly change the landscape of the show as we venture toward the season finale, especially when it comes to Ash. After all, this was what he feared the most, and no doubt this will rattle him to his core, and to make matters worse, it's clear that Ash's work still isn't done. The Evil is still roaming about because of what Ruby unleashed and well, I'm not sure that Ash is going to be able to continue on because of Pablo's passing. Either way, it's shaping up to be a somber finish to season two and here's to hoping Ash can find the strength to put an end to all of this before it gets out of hand. Until next time.

When it comes to losing someone that we love, we all need proper time to grieve. We have to have those precious moments where we remember the joy they brought into our lives, and we have to take some time to purge the pain from our soul as well in order to heal and move on without that person at our side. But sometimes, that task is easier said than done...especially when it comes to the world of The Walking Dead. 

Because when you think about it, after that horrific moment when Negan unleashed his fury with Lucille, the audience found time to process the pain and anguish that came with that moment, but our characters have not. They have to push forward, keep going with the pain hanging over their shoulders and last night's episode, 'Go Getters', finally allowed for us to see what kind of problems are arising for the characters by being robbed of their opportunity to grieve. But it wasn't all gloom and doom and struggle, there were some moments of levity and healing in this episode as well, but before we get into that...let's talk about the conflicts that came about from not being able to properly heal.

Because back in Alexandria, the fear of Negan and of losing others is starting to drive a wedge between Rick, Michonne and even his son Carl. Our once fearless leader has made pleasing Negan his new life goal, forcing him to make the decision to head out on the road to gather supplies by any means necessary for the next pickup from the Saviors and Michonne refuses to join him in the hopes of trying to figure out how to reach Rick and make him see that this will only get worse before it gets better and oddly enough, Rick's behavior is harkening back to darker days on the show when Carl was more or less left to his own devices, because his father wasn't there to be his father and this time...that's a dangerous thing.

That's largely in part due to the fact that within Carl's heart, he only wants one thing...revenge. He firmly believes Negan needs to pay for what he has done and he hatches quite the plan to make that happen, following Enid out into the wild after she makes the choice to go and see Maggie at Hilltop, and oddly enough, their journey to the tiny colony featured perhaps some of the best moments on the show in weeks. It was simple, it was lighthearted, it was kids being kids for a change and there was even a little burgeoning teenage romance between the two of them since they shared a precious first kiss...but alas, all of that was wiped away by the fire in Carl's heart when he enacted his plan at Hilltop, something we'll come back to in a moment. 

Because while some used anger and fear to heal at least one person was able to take care of their pain in a more traditional manner...Maggie. As it turns out, she thankfully didn't lose the baby, and was asked by the good Doctor at Hilltop to stay there for the duration of her pregnancy for safety's sake. It was an idea she completely agreed with. Obviously for the health of the baby, but also because...Hilltop is now her late husband's final resting place and the fact that he is properly buried, allowed for the healing to begin. 

But of course, this is The Walking Dead and nothing ever quite comes that easy and well...the peace that Maggie was beginning to find internally was rudely interrupted by the always inept and annoying Gregory who feared that if she and Sasha stayed at Hilltop, they would jeopardize everything so he asked them to leave. But before they could pack up and roll, the Saviors sent a message to Gregory and the residents of Hilltop. letting the dead into the compound, forcing Maggie and company to repel them before coming in outright to remind Gregory who is in charge around here and of course...taking their usual half.  

That darkness led to a magnificent moment where Maggie finally slugged the cowardly Gregory for not only stealing Glenn's watch, but for not having a back bone in the slightest, and it's clear that Maggie's strength this episode came from her time with Glenn. Everything she did last night was to help people, to make their lives better and keep them safe and by adopting her late husband's mantra, she somehow found the peace she so desperately needed and was able to heal at last. But alas, she was the only one to find closure since the desire for vendetta burned bright in Sasha's heart as well and she made a special request of Jesus...to find out where Negan lives. It's a request he was happy to oblige and after hopping into the back of a truck headed for the Saviors' compound he ran into a surprise traveling buddy in Carl Grimes...who hitched a ride as well to exact his own special brand of revenge on the man who asked his father to slice his arm off...

Either way, what an awesome episode this turned out to be. In many ways it felt as though this episode was going to serve as filler, giving us a moment to catch our breath before another intense story came along but instead...this tale turned out to be a powerful character study for Maggie. Her journey this episode was simply beautiful and truly, it was amazing to see her become a leader and drive the people of Hilltop to do more than stand idly by for a change and it's clear that Jesus is hoping she will eventually take over the reins of this tiny community from the weasel that is Gregory. But more importantly, once more the seeds of insurrection were planted, this time at Hilltop. Minute by minute, day by day, people are having quite enough of Negan and the Saviors and it is only matter of time now...before people begin to rise up, and we can only hope that Rick Grimes will be among them when they decide to stand up to Negan's madness. Until next time.

No longer fearing his impending doom, Stan is ready to move on in life, at least a little bit. Taking his hero's life motto to heart, Stan will no longer wear a helmet to protect himself from evil, just like Bobby Orr did on the ice. Seeing that her father is ready to pack up her mother’s sewing room, Denise is curious as to what will be done with the free space. Wanting to finally build his hockey shrine, there is nothing stopping Stan and with his prized Bobby Orr stick as the centerpiece, he can think of nothing better, but there is one small problem...Claire donated all of Stan’s hockey stuff to the church before she passed away.

Needing to rectify this as quickly as possible, Stan makes his way to the church to find a new priest in charge for the week. Father Donovan is keeping an eye on the town for Father Michael as he is visiting family, but that does not matter to Stan since he only wants his hockey stuff back. Trying to use his former authority against the priest, Stan comes up short and a call is placed to the Sheriff’s office. Rushing down to try and keep Stan from beating up Father Donovan, Evie is given the best news of her day, that she can get the stick from the basement and be on her way, but what she does not know is that Father Donovan is not who she believes him to be.

Searching the basement of the church for Stan’s little piece of history, Evie is shocked to see that Father Donovan is chanting something strange. Before she knows what to do, Evie is sent to the world between worlds, a place where the dead lie in wait to be conjoined to a demon for their evil deeds in the town. Being chased by the hooded ones, Evie runs into Abigail Goodwin, one of the women burned at the stake for being a witch who was also innocent. Finding out more about her surroundings, Evie starts to understand that her time is limited and she may soon be leaving her daughter an orphan. The only way to escape her new realm is to have someone kill the demon priest who has taken his place in the church, which is all well and good, but without a way to contact the outside world, her only hope is that Stan’s patience runs out and he comes looking for the stick.

A day has passed and Stan is still without his prized possession. Calling Deputy Leon to find out what is going on with Evie, he finds out that she has not shown up to work yet. Bringing Denise as a distraction for Father Donovan, Stan has a plan of his own to get his property back. Being able to sneak into the church's basement, the former Sheriff stumbles upon something unsetting as he sees the lifeless body of Father Mike on the floor. Being subdued for a moment, Stan is able to get a call into the station to have Leon come down locked and loaded to kill the Father Demon, but that is not the way to kill the beast as a shard of wood must pierce the heart of the demon to send it back to hell and with hockey stick in hand, there may be no other way to save himself and the town from its impending doom.

Just when I think I can’t be blown away by another story in this series, this episode goes ahead and leaves me in awe. I loved how Evie gets put into a different world and understands quickly that her life may be ending sooner than expected, and finds herself distracted from what she will need to do to get back to the land of the living. The appearance of a wrongfully accused witch is a first with Abigail, and it would be nice to see her show up in future episodes, since she might be able to help us learn more about what is happening to the 168 remaining souls in the other realm. Denise continues to have impeccable timing when it comes to getting her father’s back and is just as innocent as ever. Stan’s temper stays a little more in check this go round...as long as you are not talking about his hockey stick or Bobby Orr or killing a demon or, well, you get the point. Deputy Leon showed his 'cop wits' the way I expected him to, maybe he will be able to pull the trigger in an episode to come, although he is not the sheriff and nobody is trying to kill him.  Stay Scared.

Sheriff Evie Barret is battling the realization that her ex-husband has moved on and she needs to find a way to get her mind off of it. Hearing from Deputy Leon that there is a speed dating event coming up, and since she needs to meet people, it might be the best opportunity to get to know someone new. Needing a dating partner to point out the crazies, Evie is able to convince Stan and his daughter Denise to join her on the adventure, but little does the group know that they will find much more than love on this fateful evening.

While getting to know a new person every couple of minutes, Denise does not shy away from any of the difficult conversations with the guys, but her heart is set on getting a baby pig and she makes sure that everyone knows it.  Stan gets paired up with a couple of women that flat out don't 'get' him, but when a dark beauty comes to his table with a cup of bourbon, he may have finally met his match.  After all of the losers that Evie has been dealing with, she is greeted by a handsome suitor named Sloan that is charming and is able to sweep her off of her feet. Leaving the dating event early with Sloan, Evie may have found a match that could last a life time.

Getting to the station and talking with Leon about how the night went, Evie notices that she looks a little worse for wear and does not understand why. With dates lined up with Sloan, she does not want to cancel, but every moment that she spends with the handsome devil, she feels older and weaker than before. Stan on the other hand is getting a new outlook on life when going out with Brenda who wants him to live forever. Taking away his joy of eating meat and replacing everything with vegetables, Stan has almost had reached his limit with the woman, but there is something about her that keeps him coming back for more. Denise finds love a little off of the beaten path as a baby pig is delivered to her door. Not knowing or caring where the truffle finder came from, she happily names it Murgatroyd and goes on with her merry days, but she is starting to feel the same effects as Evie is with her man.

Knowing that something strange is going on that she cannot explain, Evie returns to the Miller household to get Claire’s book on witchcraft and finds out what is eating at everyone. A Succubus has made its way into Willard’s Mill and has the three under its spell. The only way to end the curse without dying is to break up with the life feeding beast and Evie has found the spell to go along with it. With a date tonight with Sloan, nothing has to change with the exception of her intentions for the night. Reading the words and seeing Sloan explode in front of her eyes, she knows the trouble that Stan and Denise are in and rushes back to their house to help, but Denise is not willing to give up on Murgatroyd, because he is a pig and she loves him, yet the beast inside of him will not give up until everyone around Stan’s daughter is dead.

I had no idea where this episode would take us, but I was happy it gave us a story about the legendary Succubus, because it is always a fun demon to see in fiction and it proves that love can be a killer. It seems like Stan has come to terms that the new Sheriff will always be asking him for help in one way or another and he will not keep pushing her way, but he will will continue to take shots at her whenever the moment presents itself. Evie is still trying to figure out the town, but with all of the strange things going on directed towards her, along with her ex-husband getting remarried, she is going to need a ton of help to cope with her nasty feelings. Denise is just happy, like she is most of the time and is still winning everyone’s hearts over, even if she did not get a date, she was happy with the results. And we got a little bit more from Deputy Leon Drinkwater, who is also alone and looking for love and does not take any amount of strikeouts as a bad thing, he just sees them as a learning experience.  Stay Scared.