Waiting for the girls to get out of the No-End House, Seth is shocked to see how the house has affected his friend J.D. As room number five has visibly shaken his friend, the two make their way home in what appears to be their neighborhood, but there is something strange about this place. As Seth takes a look into a window and sees a beautiful woman in her underwear, he is grabbed by some neighbors locked up in the middle of his cul-de-sac. Knowing something is not right, Seth starts back to the No-End House only to find that there might not be a way out of this strange world, while J.D. finds that his home is not the way he left it.
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The shock of seeing her father again has Margot beside herself, but having her best friend Jules see the same thing is a little refreshing. Sitting down for breakfast with Mr. Sleator, Jules knows that there is something really wrong with what is happening. While Margot needs some time to process what is going on in the house, Jules sits and talks with the dead father and finds out he knows exactly what is happening, even that he died a year ago. Calling out Jules for not being a good friend to his daughter by leaving her in her time of need, Mr. Sleator knows that he is the only one that will be able to make his daughter whole again. 

Stepping outside with Margot, Jules tries to explain to her friend what is happening and that they are still inside of the No-End House. While her friend is making perfect sense, Margot does not want to leave her father, especially after his coming clean that he killed himself a year ago. Blaming Jules for leaving her in her time of need, Margot is fine with letting her go now that her father is back and wanting to be a part of her life. With memories running rampant in her mind of the good times that the two had, Margot has no idea what her mind is able to do in this new realm. Watching as his daughter dreams, Mr. Sleator is able to tap into Margot’s mind and brings a woman to life in the basement, but not to become a family with, but to feed.

Seeing himself living in his own house, J.D. is taken back by seeing how well his copy is living life. Being able to talk to himself, J.D. sees that this version of himself is much cooler and has a hottie by his side. Talking about what is happening inside of the house, neither of the young men know exactly why this is happening, but know that the house is able to make dreams come true in a way. With several drinks being put away, J.D.’s copy has a guilty need to taste ice cream and is willing to go all the way in making sure that his dream will come true.
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Knowing the power of the house, Dylan has made his way out of the fifth room with only one thing on his mind, to bring Lacey back from the house. Walking down the street and seeing one of her copies in the middle of the street, Dylan knows that it is not her and makes sure that the house knows he is not playing. With nobody else paying any attention to his actions, Dylan is able to make it home to see his wife once again. But Lacey does not know who this man is and is threatening him to leave before her real husband gets home. Not knowing how to prove himself, Dylan is faced with another side effect of the house that might not be so kind.

This episode had a much better flow than the first one and thank goodness, because this story is going fast. With everyone experiencing something different in room number five, they all find out quickly that they are still in the house, but not everybody wants to leave. It appears that the friendship between Jules and Margot has come to an end as their true feelings for each other have come spewing out. Seth has no idea what the heck is going on around him and after meeting with Jules while looking for the house and finding nothing, they decide to team up and keep a lookout for something strange that might be coming their way. The J.D. and his clone’s story was pretty interesting, yet gives us nothing regarding what the house is capable of doing. Then Dylan finding his wife who never made it out of the house proves that the stories are wrong, you can get out of the house, you just need the right directions to survive. Now I am hooked on this show, not only because I want to see how you get out of the house, but to learn more about its strange inhabitants, like why Mr. Sleator is eating his wife from another realm. Stay Scared.

It is difficult to deal with a loss of a family member. While you might put up a front to show everyone that you are okay, if you are hiding all of your emotions from yourself as well, you might find that it will destroy you from the inside out. Make sure that you have someone to open up to, be it a family member, a friend, or even a doctor, because if you don’t, you will feel much worse and even get ill. It is healthy to have an open dialogue about your feelings and while some people don’t believe in leaving them out on the table for others to view, it is up to you to make sure you are living life to the fullest.
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After a long summer break, Margot is excited to see that her best friend Jules has made it home and wants to hang out. Sitting by the pool, the two women have a chat about life when they both get strange text messages that show a shady house. Not knowing what this means, Jules is able to get Margot to agree to go out for the evening. With the loss of her father the previous year, Margot has been shut down to the world and Jules wants to see her friend happy once again.

Meeting up with Jules’ friends at a party, the discussion arises about who knows about the No-End House. Telling the group everything he has heard about the house and the infamous six rooms that make people go crazy, J.D. has a feeling that the house is in their area. While the party is coming to an end, Margot steps inside and sees the mysterious address pop up on the television while her friends get the same creepy message on their phones. Wanting to try something new, J.D., Jules, Seth and Margot pile into their car and make their way to the mythical house to see what it really has to offer.

Seeing the street lined with cars and people, the group has arrived at their location. Asking people how their trip was, it is obvious that this house has struck a nerve with several people. Not shying away, the group enters the house and is met with some up-tempo music and sculptures of their heads. Not thinking that this house is creepy at all, the lights dim them come back up showing the heads being torn apart. While they cannot put their hands on what just happened, the group continues into the second room of the house.
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Eying an empty room, the lights flicker once again and a man dressed in black appears out of nowhere. Whispering in Margot’s ear the pet name her father used to call her, she wants to move on, but the others are starting to think differently when they notice a trail of blood and one of their guests disappearing from the room. As Margot follows her own path, she is put into a hallway with a creepy laughing man, then arrives in her house’s attic and is given a view of her father dying. Wanting to see more, she steps into the fifth room and watches her childhood home movies with her dead father.  Wanting to leave, the cadaver tells her the only way out is to make it through the sixth and final room.  Steeping through the door and winding up outside and seeing Jules, the two head back home, but Margot quickly finds out that there is something very strange going on.

I cannot believe that I missed this show when it came out a couple months ago, I guess I need to watch some more SyFy channel to make sure I get the dates embedded into my memory. Let me say this first, this episode was paced like a snail and only giving us a single scene in between commercial breaks is not the way to keep the viewer intrigued. Outside of that, this seems to be a pretty interesting story and I do want to know more, since this house seems to know the people in it better than they know themselves. I really hope the pacing gets better and consistent, because if it does not, this is going to be a really difficult series to stomach. Stay Scared.

It can be difficult to find a place where you truly feel you belong. While it can take years to become comfortable with your surroundings and those around you, there are some places that will take you in, no questions asked. Being where I am now in life, I have found plenty of places I feel comfortable with myself and have plenty of fun with others. The goal is to make sure you are making the decision to join these places on your own and that someone else’s whispers are not persuading you to do something you do not want to do.
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After a couple of years of hard bible study, Hannah wants to see what else her faith has to offer. Getting in touch with a bible study retreat group, she is more than excited to visit and see what else she will be able to do to get closer to God. Coming along for the ride, her friend Andrew is ready to show his faith and Colin with video camera in hand is ready to shoot everything to show the folks back home how awesome the trip was. With the message from Pastor Dave Randell still ringing in their ears, the group is in for a life changing event, but maybe not the kind they were expecting.

Arriving at the base of a trail, the group is greeted by the retreat group and their charismatic Pastor who is more than happy to make them feel at home. Not recalling that there was going to be a camera present from their previous correspondence, the Pastor takes his new followers back to their campsite, but Colin is getting a strange vibe from his surroundings. Arriving at the camp site and seeing that it is nothing like what they envisioned, questions come into play about what kind of retreat this really is, but being told that everything is designed to bring them closer to nature makes things much easier.

Sitting down with the Pastor for an interview, Colin is not able to get his given name on tape, only that he calls himself The Messenger. The Messenger goes into his past life before he found his faith and how he is now preparing for the impending Rapture that will soon be upon the world. Getting called away by a new message, The Messenger lets Colin know that a storm will soon be upon them and they need to prepare for the night. Getting time to have another interview, Colin sits down with follower Michael who talks about his past life as well, but he has a much more disturbing message to deliver; that the group should leave as soon as possible. Trying to get Hannah and Andrew together to talk, Colin tries to convince them to leave, but The Messenger has promised them entertainment, so they will have to wait and watch the retelling of Adam and Eve, but with a more sinister ending.

From the description of this movie, I had a good feeling that there would be something strange happening on this retreat, but The Faith Community took it a bit further than even I expected. It was great seeing how the charismatic Messenger was able to get his point across and flags should have been raised after his interview that he might be willing to take things too far, that and he called watching horror movies a sin. I was very impressed how the movie took a turn for the dark during the special performance being put on by The Messenger and his followers, it really put things into perspective for Andrew more than anybody. Plus, I have to mention that Hannah’s transformation was downright incredible, but I won’t say much more than that, because you need to see it firsthand. With a beautiful forest, a group of devoted followers, a charismatic preacher, a camera and the promise of redemption if someone believes it is deserved, this movie shows faith at its most extreme level and leaves you questioning who the faithful are really talking to. Stay Scared.

The more I think about it, the more I’ve come to realize that season eight of The Walking Dead has been quite the harrowing journey. After all, we’ve said goodbye to plenty of good people in unexpected fashion. We’ve seen suffering and we’ve seen pain, all in the name of a better tomorrow, and as I settled in to watch last night’s episode, with the ominous teaser to this tale still fresh in my mind, I was expecting more of the same. 
 
However, as it turns out, ‘The King, The Widow, and Rick’ was nothing like I expected to be. Instead of another hour filled to the brim with dark moments and commentary on our humanity, this tale ended up being quite the uplifting affair. One that actually managed to find beauty in the midst of war and one that left me feeling quite hopeful when all is said and done. But of course, it wouldn’t be The Walking Dead if the show didn’t toy with us just a little bit, and at first it really did seem like things might take a turn for the worse.
 
Because this episode reintroduced us to the mysterious Heapsters and they returned to the storyline simply because, Rick Grimes knew that in order to maintain the upper hand in this war, he needed them to turn their backs on Negan and join his cause and Rick pleaded his case to them in bold and foreboding fashion since the Heapsters basically received a simple ultimatum from the man; join us or die. But alas, his request wasn’t taken seriously in the slightest and not only did Jadis refuse it outright, she locked Rick up as well. 
 
In addition to that little mess, it seemed as though serious trouble was brewing in the Hilltop as well. Because despite Jesus’ best efforts to keep his prisoner’s safe, the mood inside the complex was grim, and execution was on everyone’s mind and the dark clouds only continued to gather as Gregory worked to convince Maggie to put the prisoners down and the hammering noises everyone heard in the night added to some serious tension. But as it turns out, Maggie had the high road in mind and had a makeshift prison put together overnight in order to keep the Saviors there for the time being, and Gregory too for that matter, and while this decision wasn’t the purest in the end (more on that later), it kicked off a series of uplifting moments. 

​Because while Maggie wrestled with her tough decision, Carol took matters into her own hands inside the Kingdom, since the King was destitute over his decimated army and well…it was simply beautiful and tear jerking to see Carol push her way into the King’s chambers and confront him in proper fashion. She did her best to lift him up and point out the fact that he inspired people to do more and to be more and that his loyal subjects needed that now more than ever and that like it or not, he had no choice in the matter. He had to push the pain surging through him to the side for greater good, and whether or not the King will rise from the ashes has yet to be seen, but Carol definitely gave him some magnificent words to ponder upon.
 
But perhaps the most uplifting moment of the night, came by way of Carl Grimes who once more ventured out into the world to try and help the mystery man he met in the season premiere and wouldn’t you know it? He found the man, who revealed his named to be Siddiq, and in classic throwback fashion by way of the Three Questions, Carl offered Siddiq a chance at a fresh start in Alexandria and really, this was just wonderful to see because this is what Rick and the Alliance are fighting for. A better tomorrow, one where every life matters and where people are willing to go the extra mile to make sure their friends and neighbors get to see another sunrise and I love the fact that Carl is seeing this and that, he’s not alone in understanding what’s at stake, especially considering the dark way that this episode ended. 
 
I call it dark, simply due to the fact that not everyone in this tale had a better future in mind. After all, while Maggie did do the right thing, she revealed the that the prisoners in her stead might serve the Hilltop best as ‘bargaining chips’ down the road and that once their lives no longer had a beneficial purpose, the time would come to put them down, prompting Aaron and Enid to head off to apparently make something happen to help them win the war and ensure that these people don’t have to die, and to complicate matters further, Rick is still imprisoned in a world of junk and Daryl and Tara are ready to exact their revenge upon Negan, regardless of Rick’s wishes and all of that spells great trouble.
 
But in the meantime, this was a lovely break from the horrors of war. It was nice to see everyone have a chance to catch their breath, and reflect upon their losses and grieve properly, if only for a moment, and more importantly, it was wonderful to feel a sense of hope for the first time in a long time when it comes to this series. It really seems as though there’s a chance for a better tomorrow, but before we can see it or even remotely get to it, this war still has to be won and we will have to wait another week to see how Rick gets out of his mess, so that he can hopefully put an end to this bloody conflict. Until next time.

It’s never ceased to amaze me; just how much villains manage to captivate an audience. These are the men and women of a particular story that we are supposed to revile and reject, yet when they are written well enough, they suddenly fascinate us in ways we never thought possible and while I find their appeal amazing, I also understand why we smile with twisted joy when they return to the forefront of the story.
 
Because the fact of the matter is, evil fascinates us. We are raised to understand good, to be better people, so when we discover that one of our own, by way of fiction or reality, has chosen to reject their own humanity and harm others, we simply have to know more about them. What is it that brought them to this level of darkness? What made them okay with inflicting pain and suffering on others? The list of questions running through our minds goes on and on and it is the answers to those questions that make fictional villains shine and on last night’s episode of The Walking Dead, ‘The Big Scary U’, we finally got to learn more about the enigmatic monster that is Negan, and what we uncovered was downright fascinating.
 
To begin with, we came to learn that Negan’s true power over the Saviors, is his charisma. His constant confidence, his swagger and his temper all serve to maintain control over a group of men and women that quite frankly would tear one another to pieces without his leadership. But by being this cool and collected boss man, one that will throw down and put people in their place without question, everyone looks to him as a man with a perfect plan and as their true Savior since he appears to fear nothing in this world.
 
However, there is much more to Negan than meets the eye since Father Gabriel was able to uncover the fact that Negan used to work with children before the world came to an end, and he also had a wife, one that he loved dearly but treated like garbage and when her time came to pass into the great beyond thanks to an illness in the midst of the collapse of mankind, he was unable to put her down when she turned and well, it’s that sliver of weakness that made Negan so fascinating to me. Because it’s clear now that in that moment, the ruler and monster that we know today was formed in that critical moment.

Because when you combine the fall of mankind, with Negan’s inability to put down the creature his wife had become, you suddenly understand his logic and what he is trying to accomplish. The man is simply projecting his pain onto the rest of the world, and by becoming the protector of the Sanctuary, and by trying to put the world back together with a ‘get shit done, no matter what’ edict, he truly believes he is finally doing something worthwhile in his life. But his one mistake is that he has allowed for anger to be his fuel and by letting it supersede his more benevolent ideals, the more savage side of Negan has taken control and led us to this bloody conflict.
 
Yet perhaps the most fascinating thing we learned about Negan last night, is the fact that he and Rick are in essence on the same page. They both want to avoid a great loss of life because they understand that lives are important and let’s be honest, it was quite shocking to hear Negan, a man who crushes skulls with impunity and has learned how fear can control human beings, say out loud that people are a resource and nearly slap Simon around for even posing the idea of killing just for the hell of it and the fact that he even had to step in and do that, brings about the only real disturbing element of this entire episode, the fact that the men in charge might be losing their lieutenants to the power of blood lust.
 
Because even Rick is staring to see cracks in the foundation of the Alliance since he and Daryl came to blows last night over Daryl’s desire to wipe out every last human being at the Sanctuary, including the innocent, and that’s something that’s a huge deal, since clearly Rick will at some point, side with Jesus on the matter, which will no doubt allow for this conflict to grow when others severely disagree with the notion of mercy for the Saviors. But in the meantime, it’s supremely unsettling to know that both leaders have people ready to do horrible things to the other side, because that could lead to serious trouble if they are left to their own devices.
 
In the end however, this was quite the fascinating little episode. It was nice to go inside the inner workings of the Sanctuary and see how this place actually runs and what their top people are all about and really, it was magical to get to know Negan at last and while he’s still an ass biscuit for what he’s done, at least we know there’s still some good hidden underneath that leather jacket. Either way, the war rages on and hopefully Daryl and Rick can find common ground when it comes to how the innocent are treated in this war and also, I hope they can fix up Gabriel now that he’s sick from covering himself in rotten guts. Until next time.  

It’s rare that a television series sucks me in to the point where I find myself chewing on my nails out of anticipation and nervousness, but that’s precisely what Stranger Things managed to pull off when it comes to its second season finale. After all, we said goodbye to dear old Bob a mere episode ago, and I was jittery over the possibility that we might bid farewell to another character in heartbreaking fashion.
 
Thankfully however, ‘Chapter Nine: The Gate’ did not feature any terrible deaths, instead it delivered a tour de force finale. One that resolved every single plot thread introduced this season in beautiful fashion…starting with the ugly and long-awaited showdown between the Shadow Monster and Will’s friends and well, what made this part of the story so incredible, is the sheer fact that it took a three-pronged attack to defeat this powerful being.
 
First and foremost, Joyce had to free her son from the evil residing within him. Because once Eleven seals the Gate, any of the Shadow Monster’s minions left on Earth will suffer a slow and painful death after being cut off from the hive mind and after remembering what Will said about the creature liking it cold, she had an inspired idea on how to free her son, and using extreme amounts of heat at Hopper’s cabin finally freed her baby boy from the evil lurking in his mind.
 
While Joyce worked to free Will, Dustin and the gang decided they needed to help out as well. Because if Eleven was going to close the Gate, she needed a clear shot at doing so, so everyone piled up in the car after a nasty run in with Max’s step brother and headed into the tunnels beneath the city to set a fire to grab the attention of the Demo-dogs and draw them away from the Lab and thankfully, their plan worked like a charm.

​Because as the pack of Demo-dogs responded to the flames, Eleven and Hopper were able to get back into the Lab and deal with the tear between our world and the Upside Down and despite a few hiccups and after coming face to face with the Shadow Monster, Eleven was able to seal the rift at last, putting an end to this two year nightmare in beautiful and seamless fashion and yet…the show wasn’t done wrapping up this season’s storylines.
 
Because shortly after this grand showdown, Hopper and Eleven were finally able to understand a sense of family since Dr. Owens made a little magic happen by granting Eleven a birth certificate that tied her to the Sheriff, making him a proud poppa once more. Plus, the whole group finally seemed to move on from the nightmare that started a year ago and enjoy their childhood once again as was evidenced at the Snow Ball, and heck, Mike and Eleven finally shared their first kiss and Joyce has her family back together as well and it seemed that for the first time in the short history of this series…that everything ended happy.
 
But alas, we learned in the closing moments of the episode, that the Shadow Monster doesn’t go down easy and he’s quietly watching and waiting in the Upside Down and clearly…we’ll be seeing him again down the road. But in the here and the now, the kids are happy and so is the audience because wow…what a season. This one really had it all, depth, character growth, plot lines that weren’t left hanging and a satisfying and epic ending. There’s really no flaws to be found in season two of Stranger Things and the only question remaining at this point is how the Shadow Monster plans to return to our world now that his only way in is closed and sadly, we’ll have to wait another year to find that out. Until next time. 

​Despite the fact that season two of Stranger Things started off in lighthearted and fun fashion, I think that deep down, we all knew that eventually, some supremely dark moments would come to fruition for the good people of Hawkins, Indiana, and while some might argue that Will’s possession by the Shadow Monster was dark enough, I would have to say that ‘Chapter Eight: The Mind Flayer’ would serve as far more dismal territory, because holy cow…this was a heartbreaking and devastating episode through and through.
 
Because in many ways, the good guys lose in this one. The baby Demogorgons find their way into the Hawkins Lab and bring about the wholesale slaughter of just about everyone in there in another moment reminiscent of 1986’s Aliens and it was truly chilling to see this place mired in darkness and filled to the brim with monsters running about in the shadows, and while one might expect a hint of satisfaction to come with seeing the Lab get its just desserts since hey, this was all their fault in the first place, there’s no joy to be found in seeing these things have free run of the place.
 
But while all of that was tough to get through, it doesn’t top the hardest and most painful moment in this episode…the death of Bob. All over the internet I’ve seen people saying that the man deserved better and you know what? He did. It doesn’t matter that he was goofy or far too enthusiastic. He was a guy that simply wanted to see people be better to one another in this world, and to be open about their feelings be them good or bad and while he does get a hero’s ending by helping to save the day, his passing was downright soul crushing and while I understand that his death serves the story and adds danger to the whole matter, it doesn’t make his exit any easier.
 
However, despite the melancholy surrounding this episode, there was at least some silver lining in the end. At least the group now has a better understanding of what they’re up against since they figured out what the Shadow Monster is up to, in that it’s looking to conquer our dimension and world and one has to wonder how many other alternate realities this being has already sunk its smoky fingers into, and they also have an idea how on to beat him by way closing the Gate at the Hawkins Lab and as an added bonus, Eleven, is back! Her timing was simply perfect in this episode and I’m certain she’s the key to ending all of this madness.
 
If anything, THAT is how you set up a season finale ladies and gentlemen, because this tale did everything right. It was filled to the brim with action and adventure, we laughed, we certainly cried, and everything is set up perfectly for a grand showdown between good versus evil in the season two finale. But, considering the fact that the series was willing to off one of the good guys in this one, will everyone survive this final battle with the Shadow Monster? There’s only one way to find out…which means it’s time to part ways for a little while so I can steel my nerves before I press play to see how this story ends. Until next time.

​When we last visited the world of Stranger Things, our beloved characters were facing an incredibly grim situation. The Shadow Monster had laid a trap for the soldiers at the Hawkins Lab and everyone inside said lab was now in danger of getting up close and personal with the legions of baby Demogorgons emerging from the tunnels beneath the facility. Which meant the next episode, should have been filled to the brim with action and terrifying moments as everyone worked to survive the imminent attack…right?
 
Well, as it turns out, this series decided to go in an incredibly bold direction by abandoning that action-packed storyline in favor of a dark and powerful character study since ‘Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister’ gave us Eleven’s darkest hour to date as she sought out the young woman she once shared the Rainbow Room with and well, after having watched this one, and having seen the reaction online to it, I have to say that I completely disagree with folks that found this one to be an awful episode; because this story was downright brilliant and necessary as well.
 
I call it necessary simply because Eleven has been the only real character without a purpose thus far this season. She’s been lost and desperate to find herself and peace for that matter and seeking out the only other person out there who can remotely understand her pain and her suffering is hands down the best way for that to happen. Plus, let’s be honest, her embracing of revenge as a whole is also a logical turn for this character since she’s never really enjoyed any resolution or justice when it comes to the people that have wronged her.
 
But most importantly, without going down that dark road, and coming to realize who she really is in the process and what matters to her, then there is no redemption for this troubled character and that’s what makes this episode so supremely special, the fact that this is Eleven’s long road back toward the light. Because she learns the value of life in this tale, and the dangers of revenge and of course, that there are people in this world that truly care about her and need her and this revelation could not have come at a better time since it’s clear that Mike and the gang desperately need her help right now.
 
However, regardless of whether you loved or hated this episode, I think we can all agree upon the fact that Millie Bobby Brown is ridiculously talented. She put on an acting clinic in this episode and left everything on the table and her fine performance is one of the many reasons this episode works for me, because all the pain and anguish that Eleven experiences in this tale felt one hundred percent genuine and all of that aside, this episode was a welcome break from one incredibly tense moment, one that I have no doubt we are about to be thrust right back into, because the Shadow Monster is on the prowl for blood and I am dying to know how on earth Will and his friends are going to get out of this mess. Until next time.   

Film is a medium that at its finest provokes a strong emotional response from the viewer. Generally speaking, that response results in rapturous praise, introspective and philosophical discussions over dinner with friends, or even aching abs from laughing so hard. Game of Death definitely elicited a response in me. However, it was one of seething hatred at a film for wasting my time pissing all over any idea that life is something to be remotely valued.
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The plot, such as it is, revolves around a bunch of entitled dumbass kids enjoying a debaucherous weekend at a lakeside cabin. Various PG-rated freakiness ensues before someone happens to find the titular ‘Game of Death’. Everyone puts their finger on the board, they get their finger pricked to extract blood from each player. The game then generates a random number, which is the number of people who must be killed by the players to keep from being killed themselves.

Of course, nobody takes it seriously until the first person’s head explodes in a beautifully bloody fashion and the film sets off on the rest of its brief, yet too long, 73-minute runtime.

At this point, the film quickly devolves into a celebration of pessimistic nihilism where everything in life is bullshit and there is no regard for human life in such a cold way that I actively hated every single character in this film. Even when life’s sanctity is given lip service before another character is dispatched coldly, the ulterior motives are clear from the beginning that just trying to survive is the film’s only point of existence.

As if the film’s message wasn’t insulting enough, it’s clear that the threadbare concept wasn’t enough to sustain even a 60-minute runtime, so the audience is ‘treated’ to PG-rated sexual grinding that makes no sense and mind-numbing extended scenes of characters looking at each other over music to stretch the film’s runtime out by 15 minutes. I’m not saying I was craving nudity and explicit sex scenes at all. It just felt incredibly at odds with the blood and guts on full display throughout the rest of the film.
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I understand that it’s impossible to know what’s in the cultural zeitgeist at all times, but the godawful delivery of a couple lovingly calling each other ‘bitch’ made it impossible to not respond, ‘Awwww…biiitch’ a la Scary Terry in Rick and Morty. That’s the least of my complaints about the film, and it DID make the viewing almost bearable when everyone watching with me did the same thing.

When you’re making essentially a high-concept Jumanji, but with horror tropes, there is a responsibility to make it at least fun. There’s a way to make a film that is just as gory, but finds fun ways to play with the intersecting board game and horror tropes. Unfortunately, Game of Death wastes any of that kind of promise with cold laziness that results simply in a waste of everyone’s time and energy.

I’ve always found it supremely fascinating how society tends to romanticize war, and it is completely understandable as to why. After all, when a great evil is introduced to all of mankind and nations and armies rise up against said evil to conquer it and make the world a better place, how can one not look at such an act without awe and wonder and find the beauty within it all?
 
It’s why we see stories that celebrate the more noble parts of conflict in popular culture, and the fact of the matter is, some wars have managed to make the world a better place for all of mankind. But for every single story out there that romanticizes war, there are plenty of critics and storytellers waiting in the wings to remind us of the brutality and sacrifice that comes with it and last night’s episode of The Walking Dead, ‘Some Guy’, was more than happy to show us what the bold and the brave will lose when they make their stand.
 
It accomplished all of that, by zeroing in on one character in particular, King Ezekiel. Because let’s be honest, the man is incredibly attached to the romantic side of war. He sees the cause as just and true and that good conquers all and while that makes for beautiful bluster and powerful speeches, the harsh realities of war with the Saviors washed over the King in the opening moments of this episode, when he finally pulled himself free of the human shield that his subjects created, only to discover that his forces were dead and returning from the grave one by one.
 
Yet, while it seemed as though the loss of his forces, and the subsequent harassment from perhaps the creepiest Savior to appear on screen to date would be enough to shatter the once and future King, the man stood strong and well, I found that disconcerting. Because Ezekiel refused to let go the persona he created and seemed to be in disbelief that his forces were defeated and well…that’s when it hit me. This episode wasn’t just going to deliver a commentary on loss and sacrifice in wartime…it was also going to be break the King and break him hard to make him finally understand and experience the world he’s tried so desperately to hide from and it pulled this off in two painful stages.

​First and foremost, the series shattered Ezekiel’s psyche, by finally allowing for him to witness the power of what he has built in the Kingdom, and also just how far people are willing to go for an ideal and a concept, and all the consequences that come with that. Sure, the idea of people rallying behind their King and dying in his name for honor and glory sounds great and looks great on paper, but to see it happen in person and in the most brutal of fashion, was more than Ezekiel could handle. These were fathers, sons, mothers and daughters that he took into battle, people with lives and hopes for a better future who fought to achieve that goal with the belief that they would be coming home because their King would lead them to victory, and their deaths are clearly going to haunt him since he could barely face his subjects upon his return to the Kingdom.
 
But the moment that truly broke this man, that finally allowed for him to shed his persona and forgo the fantasy was when he discovered that the dead are relentless, and that they are the true rulers of the world right now, and they will take from mankind without question and last night, they took Shiva from the King when she tried to protect him, and while some may not see the loss of a kickass tiger to be as powerful as say the loss of Glenn or Abraham, to Ezekiel…she represented the first real honest and good act that the King performed in his life. She symbolized the transition to becoming a better man who could actually do some good for a change and in losing her, the King says farewell to his innocence and his romantic notions of war, and who knows if he will ever be the same after this bloody and pyrrhic victory.
 
Yet the story wasn’t filled with only gloom and doom. This episode did feature a healthy dose of Carol in full on warrior mode since she was able to escape the initial onslaught before singlehandedly taking out ninety percent of the Saviors hiding behind their big guns and the two that she didn’t get to, well Rick and Daryl dealt with them. In fact, that was perhaps the most thrilling and joyous moment of the night since it involved a high-speed chase and also, who knew that Rick Grimes was this big of a badass? I mean come on, the dude leapt from his jeep and into the enemy’s truck like a bloodthirsty Indiana Jones. 
 
But all of that joy and badassery aside, make no mistake about it, this was a dark and sobering episode, one that could change the course of the war since the Alliance lost plenty of good people on this day and in all honestly, I’m quite concerned as to whether or not Ezekiel has any fight left in him after this harrowing incident. My hope however, is that by seeing the spoils of war, and by truly understanding this world and what’s at stake now, that Ezekiel will continue to fight the good fight so that years from now, when the war is over…people will properly honor those that were lost, and hopefully when they hear tales of this conflict, the old King telling the story will strip away the romance that comes with their sacrifice so that others can learn that they have to find a better way. Until next time.