Trying to locate Francis Booth, Officer Amy is shocked to find the body of Daphne thrown aside in the basement, but getting another report of a murder, she needs to find out what is happening in Iron Hills.  Rolling up on the Yolan place, Amy finds Jessica’s body stabbed to death and knows that the four kids that she saw in the gymnasium are responsible. With the entire police force at her beckoned call, the man hunt for Mrs. Booth and the four kids is underway, but there might be more to the story when she sees what effects Candle Cove is having on the rest of the town.

Waking up with a toothache, Mike wants nothing more than to spend time with his daughter and seeing how well Lily and Marla are getting along, it is best that nothing interrupt them. By putting his brother’s body to rest and having his daughter back, the curse of Candle Cove should have ended in Mike’s mind, yet a visit from Officer Amy ruins the perfect morning in the house. Hearing that Mrs. Booth had killed his childhood friend and had many props from Candle Cove in her basement, and along with hearing about Jess’ death, Mike needs to see everything and make sure that she is the creator of the show and the one responsible for the kids of the town acting out. With no cops around to take him to Mrs. Booth’s house, Mike takes Gary along with him to investigate, but the props from Candle Cove that he finds are not the ones that were used on the show. Getting a call from Mrs. Booth, Mike is forced to leave the house alone and have a one on one chat with the old teacher, but it may be more difficult than he thinks when the entire town is looking for him. 

Erica has been able to make her way to Iron Hills and pick up her daughter to take her away from the strange town, but the drive is much more sinister than she thought. With a vision of strangers walking on the road, she is forced to skid out, wrecking her car and she has to hold up in a hotel room until another car can be delivered to her. Not knowing what is happening in the town, Erica does not know anything about Candle Cove, or how her daughter was able to make it down to Iron Hills without a scratch on her, the important thing is to get her home. But Lily is not immune to what is happening in the town and the show is able to find her once again and this time it comes with a special visit from the friendly tooth monster that has popped up around the house from time to time.

Mike is in need of answers and after being stopped from seeing Mrs. Booth by Officer Steve and seeing the young man murdered before his very eyes, another meeting is set up, this time at his mother’s house. Sitting and listening to Mrs. Booth talk about the talents that his brother had, she confirms that Eddie was the cause of the show and wielded so much power, more than she had ever seen before and now with Mike being home, Eddie can be brought back to life in his place. Not knowing what this could do to the town, much less if Eddie was really the cause of the show and the horrors it is responsible for, Mike’s tooth pain gets worse and he changes the only thing that ever differentiated himself from his twin. As night closes in, it may be the last one for Iron Hills as the children are starting to revolt and their true leader is on his way back to the living.

Seeing the power that Eddie had over anyone and everyone, it was interesting to see Mrs. Booth’s take and what she was willing to do to see it again. A little scary that she threw her son into the fire for her own benefit, but she wanted more and that is what she got in return. The visions that Mike is having will not stop and they are getting to be more disturbing every time they happen, becoming a puppet in these hallucinations may not be so bad, when he sees himself preparing to kill his daughter, things are getting more twisted. I don’t know what Amy is going to be able to do to save the town from the utter destruction it is about to face since the children appear to be ready to take over everything, but I am sure that Gary being out will throw a wrench in the plan and I hope his sights are set on doing something to help, rather than seeking revenge for his wife’s untimely death. Only one episode left and now we are left to wonder if the power the Eddie and Mike share can be released once again, even though I think that Mrs. Booth has some of it as well, and what it will do to the town and what will the last episode of Candle Cove bring to the table, outside of a message for the children to strike once again. Stay Scared.

Of all the genres out there, it is safe to say that horror, and the respective franchises that populate it, face the greatest struggles when it comes to keeping the story fresh and invigorating for the fans. After all, there are often rules that go with the monsters of these worlds, and specific moments that make a particular tale special so its no wonder that we often fall in love with a creature or a storyline only to eventually taste disappointment when we see the same concepts and ideas used over and over again.

Yet despite the many franchises and horror themed fads we have seen come and go due to familiarity, The Evil Dead saga is one that continues to endure and ignite our imagination in ways we never thought were possible. Part of that comes from the fact that if a gag(s), or concept(s) from earlier movies are going to be recycled (the intros to Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness come to mind) the powers that be find a way to make it exciting and fresh or over the top and we simply eat it up. Or...the wonder we experience sometimes comes from the fact that this franchise goes out on a limb to do something we've never quite seen before leaving all of us in awe when this new feat is accomplished...as was the case with last night's episode of Ash vs. Evil Dead, 'Delusion'.

Because this is an episode that straight up messed with our minds, taking us on a trippy ride that forced us, and Ash to question something that the show has thrown in his face all season long...that everything that ever happened in Ash's life is a lie and he did indeed commit grisly murder in the cabin all those years ago, and is making everything else up to cope with his actions. Of course, up front it seemed as though that Baal was simply screwing with Ash, digging into his deepest and darkest fears to wear the Jefe down and finally break his spirit, but let's be honest...as the minutes progressed and Ash tried to distinguish between reality and fantasy, one had to wonder if by chance Ash really was in a home for the criminally insane and whether or not we have indeed been living a wild and delusional lie after all this time and well...thankfully our initial assumptions were correct, but our validation was nothing more than a pyrrhic victory since Baal was successful...he shattered the Jefe's spirit.  

So when all is said and done, this was an outright stunning episode of the show. Credit needs to go to the writer of this one, Hank Chilton, and the director, Mark Beesley, for putting together what was in essence a minimalist story set in a single location...that managed to keep me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was a beautifully crafted script and episode that was complimented nicely, by some of the finest performances to date on the show as well. The entire supporting cast helped greatly in keeping us guessing as to whether or not Ash was nuts, but really...the highlight of the night had to be Bruce Campbell. His work on this episode was simply breathtaking as he struggled to comprehend the nightmare unfolding around him and those final moments where he admitted to Linda he was in essence a murderous monster...well that was just heartbreaking to watch.

Either way, when this franchise decides to try something new...it goes all out in doing so and this time around it gave us one of the finest moments in the saga's storied history and now for the second time in Ash's life...the Evil has found a way to control him and this time, it's hold on him is strong. There's no romantic ties to help him to come to his senses, he truly believes in the garbage that Baal was selling him and the Ghostbeaters will have to come up with one hell of a solution to snap him out of this madness and get him back on track to help send Baal back to Hell, and to finally take his rightful place as the savior of all mankind. Until next time.

It's a well known fact that each and every single one of us have a breaking point. That imaginary line where we can no longer take or handle the stresses that are surrounding us and affecting us in our lives and when that moment comes, when we reach that breaking point, everything changes for us. We shut down, we hide, we do what it takes to survive and that's exactly what happened to Rick Grimes at the end of the season seven premiere of The Walking Dead.

After having to endure hours of psychological torture from Negan, and seeing two members of his surrogate family brutally murdered, Rick finally reached his breaking point and in an effort to end the bloodshed, made an incredible compromise and it was clear to all of us in that moment, he would never quite be the same. But alas, we saw so little of Rick and the Alexandria Safe Zone after that stunning episode that we were left wondering how our characters were getting by after burying two of their own, that is until last night, when the show returned us to that tiny little berg to show us the aftermath of Glenn and Abraham's loss...and just how evil a man Negan truly is when he and Lucille and the rest of the Saviors arrived in town early for their pickup, and considering how brutal 'Service' turned out to be, one now has to wonder...can Rick walk away from that dark place in his mind and can he stand up and fight once again. 

But before we explore those possibilities, let's talk about Negan because if the premiere didn't get the point across that he's an outright sadist who takes incredible amounts of pleasure in maintaining power over anyone and everyone he encounters...this episode took care of that. In fact, it seems that Rick is now Negan's favorite whipping boy, since he asked the man to not only hold Lucille for the duration of his visit to Alexandria, he demanded a personal tour, taking the time to humiliate and intimidate virtually anyone in his presence, and making sure that Rick agreed with what he was saying or backed him up in a decision to continue to drive home the point that Negan was now the man in charge and Rick was nothing more than a figurehead, one that executed any plan he set forth with glee, and it was simply devastating to see Rick put in this position after spending so many seasons as a much stronger character, yet in many ways, Negan was just getting started. 

After all, despite the smiles and charm Negan exhibited at first, he was quick to turn to his darker side when he discovered that a pair of guns had gone missing from the Armory. If anything it was stunning to see the evil that resides within this man appear so quickly but just like that, it was there and Rick was suddenly on a mission to find those guns and any other ones missing lest he see another person endure Lucille's wrath once again and this was...truly the lowest moment of the episode. Because while it's clear that Rick is broken and afraid, so many others in this town are not. After all, as Rick pointed out, they weren't there to see the horrors that he was witness to, and they have to take Negan's savagery at Rick's word...but it's clear that few in this town are pleased in the slightest that they have to deal with this man...and they are looking to Rick to do something about this mess, which brings us back to an earlier talking point...is there still a fight hiding within Rick?

The answer to that question is thankfully a resounding yes. Throughout the entire episode, the fire within, the one that Negan thought he had removed from Rick popped up from time to time. Heck, it was evident enough that at one point, Negan told Rick once again to back down when it came to that crazy look in his eyes and Rick even had a chance to give Negan a taste of his own barbed wire medicine, but he never once gave in to that rage...and while that was disappointing at first, we at least found out why Rick has suddenly changed his tune when it comes to fighting the Saviors...Judith. 

In one heartbreaking moment, Rick expressed to his new love, a secret from his past that well...has had the audience guessing for years...that deep down he knows that he is not Judith's biological father, but despite the fact that he is aware of this sobering fact, in his mind Judith is still his daughter and had the fight continued, had he done everything to resist the Saviors, innocent lives such as hers would be in jeopardy. It was a moment that gave all of us pause and reminded us of the Rick we first met seven years ago, the one who tried to find the peaceful way out before firing his gun and while it's not necessarily a bad thing that a less feral Rick has returned, the people of Alexandria are now suffering, which brings us back to the second half of that talking point, will he ever find a way out of the darkness that now surrounds his mind and see just how bad things are going to get under Negan's rule?

Eventually...he will. He has to, because this is a town filled with people that he cares for deeply and clearly he will make incredible sacrifices to keep them safe. But despite his best efforts to keep these people in line with the Saviors' agenda, insurrection is building in this tiny berg. We saw subtle versions of it by way of Father Gabriel and his digging a grave for Maggie when no one was in it to protect her from Negan's unwholesome desires and we saw outright defiance by way of disgust and disdain from Carl, demanding they leave the medicine and from Rosita and her desire to have a gun and get her hands on some ammunition to avenge Abraham. So really, it's only a matter of time before Rick comes to realize that the deal with Negan will cause more harm than good, especially considering that the mattresses the Saviors took from Alexandria were burned just for the hell of it.  

Soon he will figure out that Negan and his merry band of thieves are going to do nothing more than make life in Alexandria a living and oppressive hell and when that day comes, more sacrifices will be made, in blood no doubt because Rick will have had enough...and Rick will be more than happy to fight Negan and the Saviors to the last man standing. Either way, what a stunning episode this turned out to be. We more or less learned that the time has come to outright hate Negan, despite the fact he can make the audience laugh because wow...the guy is just an asshat, no two ways about it and by the end of this one, I wanted nothing more than to see Rick get the Python back and make Negan kneel for a change. But alas, we must be patient, and sit through this quagmire in the here and the now because eventually, Negan's day will come. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow...but it will come. Until next time.

As the new Sheriff of Willard’s Mill, Evie Barret is finding out that things in this small town are not only strange with demons trying to kill her, but also not that far out of the ordinary with the crazies roaming the streets. Trying to get a crazy man off of the road to stop shouting about the end of the world, she is given a charm that might help her to understand what is coming for her next. Seeing that the man is not as crazy as she previously thought and finding out that the Woman That Knows Things is actually Stan’s past wife, she needs to find a way to protect herself, along with the ex-sheriff from the remaining 171 demons that are still after them.
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Stan’s daughter Denise is amped up for a day with her father, but when she mentions blueberry picking as the activity for their special day, Stan wants nothing to do with it.  Heading out on her own, she meets a nice little goat that is roaming in the area and makes friends with it.  Bringing the goat home to show her father, Stan opens the door to see a demon standing outside of his house that wants nothing more than to kill everyone inside. Locking the doors, Stan cycles through movie scenarios that could help him defeat the hell raiser outside and decides that he and his daughter are in Jaws and they need to find a way to blow the demon up. Without any oxygen tanks or fire extinguishers around, Stan finds that hair spray might be his only way to cause a big bang, but he will need to find some way to get it attached to the beast.

Seeing the tools to defeat a demon in Stan’s house, Evie borrows them and heads off to visit with crazy old Ray Taft down by the river. Being able to pick the doomsday lover's brain for a little bit, Evie finds out that the Baphomet Demon is who is hunting her next and she has the tools to stop it, but she needs to know much more about the trickster. Being everywhere at once, the Baphomet knows what is happening and is able to control Ray and force him to do something that he normally would not, but with the only tools that can kill it in Evie's hands, Ray has to secure them for the demon and chokes out Evie before she can join the fight. Waking up to see that everything that she values is gone, Evie knows that Stan is in trouble and finds her way back to his house to join the fight against evil once again.

With a plan in mind to blow up the demon outside of his house, Stan arms himself with his pistol and hair spray bomb to make sure that the beast will know what hit him. Using an old jungle gym to hide behind, Stan takes on the harmless goat, but when he gets knocked down, he sees the Baphomet demon in the flesh. Not able to overpower the evil beast, Stan is shocked to see Ray show up with what used to be a decorative piece from his home, followed by Evie who could be his only chance of survival. With bullets having no effect against the beast and when trying to blow it up fails miserably, the unlikely hero of the bunch comes into play and secures her right as the lead character in Jaws.

I don’t know what it is about goats, but now I don’t want one because they seem to be a prime carrier of evil, that and they eat everything in sight. With Stan trying to ignore what is happening in town, he is more than willing to give his replacement hints and tips when it comes to the secrets of Willard's Mill, but somehow he continues to be thrown into situations that he has been avoiding all of his life. Evie is still trying to feel out her position and with everyone around town starting to understand that there is a new sheriff in town, the phrase ‘Stan never did’, will continue to be etched in her mind. Denise, played by Deborah Baker Jr. truly did carry this episode and is just a gem in this role, as the storylines are getting more outrageous, she has found a place in everyone's heart with her innocence and soon to be badassness and I am sure she will develop as the series moves on. The television and movie jokes that are thrown into this series are awesome as so many of them are directed towards my generation, I cannot wait to see what movie scenario Stan is forced to turn to next as there are 170 demons still out there looking for the blood of the past and current sheriff.  Stay Scared. 

Every time a new horror television show gets put on my radar, I have to give it a view to see if it will pique my interest, I mean hey, I love horror and everything about it. A couple of weeks ago when I was changing channels trying to find something to watch to get into the Halloween spirit, I saw a trailer for a show called Stan Against Evil.  Seeing an aged Doctor Cox (John C. McGinley) killing demons planted that seed in the back of my head of something to watch at a later date. Unfortunately, I forgot all about it when it was supposed to premiere, but a friend gave me a friendly reminder this past weekend and since he enjoyed it, I figured it was time to give it a try and I was not disappointed.
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At his wife’s funeral, Sheriff Stanley Miller is trying to grieve for his loss when he sees a woman laughing at the loss of his loved one. Yelling at her to make her pay her respects, the woman refuses and turns into a laughing demon that Stanley is happy to beat the ever loving hell out of. Being forced to resign from law enforcement, a new sheriff has been appointed in the small town of Willard’s Mill and for the first time ever, the sheriff will be a woman.

Sheriff Evie Barret is ready to start the next step in her career at the station and seeing the rat hole that it is and running into Stanley who has failed to leave after his wife’s passing, she has no idea what things this town has in store for her. Getting used to sitting behind the big desk and meeting her Deputy Leon is more depressing than positive as Leon knows what troubles come with the job and lets the single mother know what she is in for. With every constable in the town's history dying a horrific death while in office, it all stems back to the old witch burning days where the sheriff at the time burned 172 witches during his tenure, resulting in a curse that has been visited upon everybody who wears the badge, except Stanley, who was able to walk away scot free.

Arriving home after a week away, Stanley is forced to enter his wife’s sewing room, a place that he had been forbidden to see in her lifetime. Opening the door and seeing a wall of weapons and a wall of who’s who, he is drawn to her desk where a strange book lies in wait. Seeing some of the illustrations in the book, Stanley has to turn to his daughter for answers, but since he was never able to connect with his family when his wife was around, it will not be any easier now that she is gone. Finding out that the necklace that his wife wore is the key to reading the strange text, Stanley is forced to head off to the cemetery to dig her up, but there is someone waiting for him there.

Seeing the old sheriff trying to dig up a body, Evie threatens to kill him if he does not come clean about what he is doing, so Stanley is happy to oblige. Showing her the sewing room, Evie gets her hands on the book, only to find out that she cannot read it without the seeing stone hidden in Stanley’s wife’s necklace. Heading back home to check on her daughter and finding that the baby sitter has been beheaded, the witch that stopped in her office earlier in the day must be trying to make a point of who is in charge in this town.  Returning to his wife’s gravesite and seeing it is already dug up, Stanley sees Evie tied to a stake and ready to be burned like the witches were back in the day. Pulling out his know how, and subduing the witch, Evie and Stanley are forced to work together to vanquish the curse that has been plaguing the town for generations.

Not a bad opening episode, I wish it was a little longer, but I am pretty impressed overall. The main reason I wanted to see this was for John C. McGinley and it seems like he has reprised his over the top Doctor Cox role from Scrubs, but this time around he is a little bit saucier in this new role. Janet Varney lights up the screen as Evie and plays great off of McGinley. With two strong leads, I have high hopes for this show and hope that there will be more blood than what we had in this first episode, but as a horror/comedy listing, I am sure that it will come in due time.  Stay Scared.

After finding his daughter standing in front of his mother’s house, Mike needs to know how Lily was able to get that far away from home. Trying to ask Lily, his mother steps in and wants the child to get a good night’s sleep. Waiting until the morning to call his wife, Mike informs her of the situation at hand and she is ready to rush down from her business trip to get her child out of harm’s way. Trying to plead with his wife will do no good to keep his daughter with him, but it may not be Lily who is standing in front of him as he is soon to find out.

Being acting Chief of police in Iron Hills, Amy has her hands full with trying to keep calm in the town while Gary is locked up behind bars. But there is still something eating at her and after talking to Mike and Marla about why Gary was questioning him so hard, and Mike giving her a statement that he did not kill his twin brother, she needs to find more. Plus, she also needs to find the stabber kids that she encountered in the park who ran away before she could find out what they were up to. With a full day ahead, Amy makes her way down to the school and is able to get the kids to be held late for questioning since they are all in Mrs. Booth’s class together. Arriving to see an empty classroom, Amy is able to question Mrs. Booth about Mike’s brother Eddie from back in the day and finds out that he was a nice, yet strange kid that was a friend to her lonely son. Walking the halls, Amy sees one of the stabber kids that she is looking for running around. Finding the kids in the gymnasium reenacting something strange, she tells them to disperse and go home, but the stabber kids have something more sinister in mind.

As morning rolls around and Lily seems to be a little more aware of what is happening, Mike tries to get some information from his daughter. But when his daughter’s response is always, 'I am not Lily', Mike is having a hard time trying to figure out who she is. Not giving a direct answer, whomever is in Lily’s body walks over to a prized hiding place that housed an old Candle Cove doll that only Mike and Eddie knew about. Seeing that his brother is back and has taken over his little girl’s body, Mike connects with his childhood best friend (that he had to kill) and even though he is forgiven for his act, Eddie has one last request, to be buried properly. Needing to get his hands on his brother’s body, Mike is not alone as Jess has decided to tag along and help. Being able to take the deceased body of Eddie to an open field and give him a fiery funeral, they can only hope is that his spirit is released from Lily’s body and Mike can finally have his daughter back.

Overall however, this episode used lots of flashbacks of Mike and Eddie as kids and we are able to learn just how possessive Eddie was over his twin brother. As Mike knows that his brother is leading some of the kids in town to their death, Eddie does not see it that way, he is sending them to Candle Cove. When Eddie sees that Mike and Jess are starting to get close, the brotherly friendship will face its greatest challenge. When Mike meets with Jess and finds out that his brother was trying to lure her to the crow’s nest where all of the other kids have died, Mike is ready to call the relationship quits. Giving Jess a way to tell the brothers apart, Mike confronts his twin and the battle for dominance begins in sibling rivalry fashion.

You can feel the buildup in this episode, especially since there are only two episodes left in this short season. The stabber kids are really freaking me out, practicing their parts for Candle Cove in a dark gymnasium. I was a little surprised with who they went after, I could have sworn it was going to be officer Amy getting the boot this week, or her new guy friend that she left in bed, but with a little twist and turn, the person that is getting close to Mike gets it instead. I would have to believe at this point that Mrs. Booth is the one behind the program coming back, since she is able to control everything around it, but as the show has proved, there are still a couple tricks left up its sleeve and we will not find out all the details until the season finale. I don’t know what I want to see happen next, but I know that Marla’s house is no longer safe from the freakish Candle Cove characters and I just hope little Lily makes it out of her possession Jawbone free.  Stay Scared.

As the second season of Ash vs. Evil Dead continues to unfold, it's becoming obvious now that this series is about something more than just a good old fashioned splatter tale about a loveable loser battling demons from beyond. This is a flat out origin story for a true hero and protector of mankind in Ashley J. Williams. Granted, it's taken him thirty years to even remotely get close to that point, but hey...baby steps. What matters more is that last night's episode, 'Trapped Inside' brought this unexpected surprise into the light and that the Evil is struggling with the fact that Ash is close to fulfilling his destiny.

After all, the events that transpired thirty years ago left Ash a broken man. One on the run from his own shadow as he drifted from place to place, haunted by his past and hoping to never have to deal with such matters ever again and that's what the Evil was hoping for. That the Jefe would stay scared and remain in the shadows so it could take over our planet and its people. But alas, despite the fact that the Evil has thrown just about everything it can at Ash, he just keeps coming and now...he's finding strength in what he does, he's starting to accept his role as the Jefe and this revelation is forcing the Evil to try harder to defeat Ash on a fundamental level and last night...it went all out to do so, resurrecting his dead sister Cheryl, in the hopes of finally shattering him at his core.  

But, what made this little twist all the more impressive, is the fact that the powers that be behind the scenes, actually managed to cast the original actor to play Cheryl, Ellen Sandweiss; and she did an outright phenomenal job reprising the role. She can still play a Deadite in proper fashion and that's important because for the story's sake, Cheryl 2.0 managed to be far more lethal than she was thirty years ago. She teased and tormented Ash, all in the hopes of breaking him, even going as far as to kill Chet to force him to make a mistake. But the Jefe never wavered. He was steadfast in putting down this abomination and his resolve paid off in spades. Because as it turns out, the town had come to 'greet' Ash and the gang at his father's house, where the Ghostbeaters went to lick their wounds, in the hopes of dragging him off to jail and at long last Ash was able to show the world, or rather...his home town, that this Evil does indeed exist and that he's here to protect us all.

As Ash dealt with his dead sister...again, Ruby and Pablo had to find a way to save the young man from the fact that he was merging with the Necronomicon, because once the merger was complete, Pablo would simply become the book...something no one in the group was cool with so Ruby came up with a plan to accelerate the book's growth just far enough to gather the spell to send back Baal...and while Ruby's plan is a success, the night turns out to be a costly one for the group. After all, Pablo's transformation into the book is further along than anyone would like. Ruby is badly wounded and revealed her immortality is gone forever and well...despite Ash saving the day, the idiot Sheriff is under Baal's influence and helped the ancient demon to capture El Jefe and at this point...Ash's future and fate is unknown.  

But despite the downer ending this episode finishes with, there's a lot to celebrate from this story. The fact that Ash is no longer haunted by his past is a huge deal and it's incredible that he was finally able to put to rest the whole Ashy Slashy legend by revealing to Elk Grove that he was telling the truth all along, because all of that means he is far too strong for the Evil to control now and for proof, look no further than the fact that Baal had to use the Sheriff to bring Ash in. This ancient demon knows that directly confronting Ash will be a waste of time and he will see right through Baal's tricks. Either way, this was a top notch episode from the series last night. I loved the throwback, and the heavy dose of horror it helped deliver and it's wonderful to see the Jefe finally come into his own...and he's going to need that strength because I think it's fairly obvious that Baal is going to make one more push to try and break Ash once and for all. Until next time.

Something incredibly fascinating is starting to happen on The Walking Dead this season, in addition to it clearly being the darkest year on record for the show; we get to slowly but surely see the world put it self back together and we are starting to find out what life is like in communities outside of the Alexandria Safe Zone.

Last week, we were privy to the happy go lucky fantasy world of The Kingdom, where if you're in need of a smile a gum drop should brighten your day and everything is absolutely hunky dory. But last night it was time to take a look at a contrasting world, one where people survive, are fed and have shelter and safety surrounding them...but they remain miserable. This my friends is Negan's world, a dreary place known as The Sanctuary where the baseball bat toting despot has built his own kingdom where only one thing matters...fear. 

Truly, 'The Cell' taught us everything we ever wanted to know about what it's like under Negan's rule, but we will get to those specifics in a moment, because in addition to showing us life with the bad guy, this episode also answered the only question remaining on our minds after that brutal season premiere...what the heck happened to Daryl after they dragged him off? Well the answer to that came quickly, the Saviors are doing anything and everything they can to break the man. For some time now his day and life consists of sitting in his cell naked, listening to awful campy pop music while being fed dog food sandwiches for his daily meals.  

It's a dreary existence, one designed to make Daryl yearn for creature comforts...at a price. Because Daryl was given a choice and essentially if he ever wants to live a normal life again, he has to surrender his soul to Negan, and become the man in a philosophical sense. In return for doing so he would receive a tiny apartment, complete with a cushy bed and anything he could want if he accepts the role of Negan's enforcer. Or...if he can't handle that, he can live amongst the 'common folk' doing dangerous jobs and working for points, or return to his cell, to enjoy that 'fine' music' and 'fine' food for the rest of his days. The decision was a difficult one to say the least, and one we will circle back to in a moment...but his final choice mattered plenty and tied in to something special that is clearly beginning to brew at the Sanctuary...

Because what we learned last night is what Negan is truly all about. It's not enough for him to just rule over a network of communities that feed their leather clad King by way of fear and suffering, Negan expects every last person under his thumb to be completely and utterly shattered. They are to endure the worst psychological and physical torture available to shatter every ounce of their spirit. He is building a world of servants and slaves, that act exactly as he sees fit and well...it makes him the most terrifying villain we have seen on the show to date.

He is filled with desire to mold humans into whatever image or subservience he sees fit and it means he is rebuilding the world into his own twisted vision community by community and well, what made this sneak peek into the Sanctuary so fascinating is that it is...so bleak. At one point Negan tells Daryl that he could 'live like a King' but it's clear that no one is living that life outside of him. These people are still forced to steal from one another, fight to survive in a place that is supposed to provide comfort and all they do is try their best to make it to tomorrow and well, while that should bring about a sense of revolution for a better life...the true method to Negan's madness is the power of fear. Because he has figured out one important thing about people...while they will come to a breaking point where they believe that death is a release so that men like Negan no longer have power over them...he and his lieutenants vow to go after those they love after their death, harming them to no end so that a sacrifice becomes meaningless...and a catalyst for more pain and suffering and no one will allow that horror to come to those they love.

It is that particular power that drove Dwight back to him, and allowed him to surrender his own wife to become Negan's. To endure physical torture all in the name of saving another life and it's what makes Daryl's decision so incredibly important. Because in the end, he told Negan no to a life of 'comfort' and was returned to his cell, and well...that decision matters simply because he did the impossible. He gave Negan the answer he and Lucille hate to hear and Daryl can get away with that because in his eyes...he has nothing left to lose. But his decision is also a dangerous one, because it will likely inspire. Others will hear about the man who told Negan to shove it and wonder...if he can do it, why can't I, and judging from the man that Dwight was asked to hunt down last night...insurrection is quietly brewing amongst Negan's people and there are others looking for inspiration and direction to rise up against him.

Either way, for being an episode that was light on action and adventure, this is one that glued me to my seat for so many reasons. For starters, the Sanctuary is just an intriguing place to be, it's so strange to see such a clean and sterile place be filled with such sadness and despair. It's a stark contrast to every other community we've been introduced to thus far and a welcome change of pace to see that the worst parts of the world survived the apocalypse as well. In addition to that, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is simply brilliant as Negan. He steals every scene he is in and Jeffrey's acting is absolutely incredible here because it's amazing to watch Negan go from logical and calm to outright psychopath in a matter of seconds. In the end, I have to admit I am thoroughly impressed with season seven thus far, these three episodes have been unique and fascinating and I'm glad we are returning to Alexandria next week to see Rick and Negan interact once again and to see what life is like in this proud little town after Negan has spread his special brand of fear. Until then. 

After being picked up by Gary, Mike sees that he is going nowhere near the station for questioning after admitting that he killed his brother to his mother. Gary has something more direct in mind and begins to tell Mike about his hopes and dreams when a house came on the market and how nothing ever came of it when he was out bid by someone from out of state. But once again, the house is abandoned and now Gary has the perfect project on his hands, especially since he cannot afford it. Putting a chair down in the middle of an empty room, Mike is the house's new guest and will not be able to leave until a couple of friends show up. 

Not knowing what Candle Cove is or really what is causing the strange things that are happening around town, Officer Amy is stopped by a woman in hysterics. Seeing a group of kids with steak knives taking out their frustration on what appears to be a body, Amy is relieved to see that it is only a classroom dummy, but that does not keep her from wanting to ask questions about what is going on. With the kids running away before she is able to find out what is happening, Amy at least knows who some of the kids are and will be able to find them when needed. Finding out that her boss went out to pick up Mike and never arrived at the station from Marla, Amy has something else that she needs to do in finding Gary before something bad happens in the town once again.

Being forced to tell the truth to his friends, mainly because he is tied up in a chair, Mike comes clean about what happened back in 1988.  Seeing that Candle Cove changed his brother Eddie into something that he had never seen before, it seemed like he was focused on revenge. Back in the day he took care of his biggest bully Gene first by showing him things in his mind before demanding a toll to make his way to Candle Cove and with teeth in hand, Gene walked the plank to his death. With this happening to three of the other kids as well, Mike knew that his brother must be stopped and that is why he took the hook to him, but the amusement in the room about the link to Candle Cove goes unseen as Tim wants to serve justice for himself and his dead brother. Taking a shot at Mike, Gary is able to keep the situation from getting worse, but when Marla and Jess find his hiding place, they are able to get Mike to safety before Tim is able to finish the job.

But there seems to be more behind this pirate show than anyone has ever seen before as Mrs. Booth, Jacob’s mother, starts to come into play. Seeing that she had a seizure condition before the loss of her son and is now dealing with that loss in her own way as a teacher at the school, she has some prized students that will never leave her sight again. Having her new children watching Candle Cove in her living room while she tends to their needs, she is always the bleeding heart that listens to everyone else’s problems around Iron Hills, even if she has an alternative motive behind it. She still seems to have a good friend in the tooth monster that is lurking around the town, who has also developed a taste for Mike Painter and I am sure that there is some sort of reason behind it when everything is said and done.

More of a powerful episode this time, especially with us being able to see Eddie and the power he yielded over his fellow murdered kids. I liked the reasoning behind it, making them feel vulnerable like they did to him and sending them to Candle Cove is the only release that they should get. The hatred that is brought down between Tim and Mike was just amazing and I really wish that Daphne would have gotten a little more involved with it as we will not be seeing her again. Jess has secrets from her husband about Mike and Gary has his own secrets that I am sure he will have to share at some point since he has been taken into custody by Officer Amy who stumbled on the illegal interrogation that took place. Then with Lily finding her way back to her father, the tooth monster that has a taste for Mike and a band of misfit children looking to kill anyone that gets in their way, Iron Hills is about to get a rude awakening to the power of Candle Cove, along with why the Painter family is so important to its success. Stay Scared.