The Spoiler's Review

!!SPOILERS AHEAD -- LISTEN TO PODCAST BEFORE YOU COME HERE!!

Hola friends!

We’re Alive! We’re back!

It’s been a few…. months. Oh yeah I know what I said last entry, but I’ve been up to something since the S2 finale and it took over my life! But it was all worth it because after 35 months in a dragging economy I can finally rejoin the ranks of the employed! Hooray for finding work in town with a 14.7% unemployment rate! Go me!

SO… between that, the Fall enrollment rush, and night school. I kinda, sorta let my hobbies sliiiiiidddde.…

Now 2/3s into a 21 day vacation I’m suddenly like “hmm, maybe I should finish that blog post I started *looks at watch* 4 months ago.” I admit I find sweet relief in firing up a new document that doesn’t begin with the words “Dear Hiring Manager.”

So I'm going to do things a little bit different with this review because there's so much to talk about in this season that I could write a novel. I'm just going to overanalyze and offer my point of view on some key parts in the show that got my attention. Here we go:

[Locations]
Like all sequels, we have to expand the universe beyond what we already know or else the story becomes redundant and stationary. KC’s been telling fans since the beginning that he could take our heroes ANYWHERE he wants. I sense that’s a hint our next location involves leaving the country or at least the state. Writing really dragged us all over the LA area to show the audience how far the chaos has spread. This forced our main protagonists to separate and venture into the unknown with pleasing results. Through their eyes we got to see the beach, Anaheim, LAX, and the mystery location of Cain Hospital.

Allow me to expand on this.

We know the Colony monitors a wide region to the south. Anyone passing through their turf will be noticed. Thanks to radioman Glenn we’re left to “assume” (<-- bad word) that this disaster probably goes all the way into Mexico. The other great assumption is that Durai is heading South to join forces with the Colony however most people forget that a-whole-nother country exists just 2 ½ hours away from L.A. Anyone that’s lived in SoCal long enough has seen more than a few hard-assed criminals flee to the border to avoid the death penalty. The Mallers situation isn’t much different. What kind of results would we see if Durai’s crew actually collided with the Colony on the way to Mexico not knowing they were there?

[Plot]
Season 1 was chuck full of mystery but the main focus of the story revolved around the creatures and what the characters personalities were like before things changed.

After C13, we came off a huge adrenaline high and for a while it felt like things slowed down almost too suddenly. With the shift in power in the Tower and everyone revealing a side of them we hadn’t seen before, I asked myself a few times what the H was going on? M/P/K’s beach house side trip and even Angel & Kalani’s mission felt like filler as if Writing didn’t know where to take the story. Even my resident listener asked me “Did they run out of ideas?” Ouch.

I believe it was Kelly that switched the light bulb on for me. Her character’s sudden change in personality had me thinking the most. I finally realized that the trauma from having to deal with a chaotic situation WITHIN another chaotic situation was designed to spark change in everyone. This sudden shift in mood that began in Season 2 was merely set up for what was to come: War 2.0. Perhaps this is Writings interpretation of past experiences?

I really like that KC expanded the Maller’s universe as well. We entered their world briefly and got a glimpse and how they managed to survive all this time. We saw how the aftermath of the war affected their morale and finally forced them to take their show on the road. KC wisely took them out of the picture for half of the season and brought in a new antagonist, one just as deadly if not worse than the Mallers. The story moved away from all the things we already knew and introduced us into an alternative point of view at the Colony. Michael could have easily been like Marcus. And the situation he was forced into may have happened to Michael had he not stepped down. Both these characters are very similar and you can find my thoughts about that in my 19.2 blog.

What’s a Zombie apocalypse without real Zombies? I noted a while back in a few of KC’s interviews that he’s h-e-s-i-t-a-t-e-d or even s-t-u-t-t-e-r-e-d when he has to call the monsters the Z word. True he’s thrown it out there a few times but I can sense the deception in you, Sir. It’s common knowledge now but the thought has been in the back of my mind since C-10. We can’t fully know the extent of the creature’s change but there’s evidence that it’s happened to them too. Their bodies are different, their leadership is different, their priorities are different, and now their home base is different. The rest is still a mystery.

[Characters]
So much has happened with the characters this 2nd season, I can write a 50 pages about it. But I’ll try to save you from eye cancer and only pick a few characters of interest.

Angel –
Oh you knew he was going to make this list.

The Maller attack and the Tower fire was such a traumatic event that it altered many characters perceptions thus reprogramming their personalities. Some for the better, others for the worst. If that didn’t do it, the repercussions and events that followed tipped them over the edge. For some reason the Change Bug hasn’t bitten Angel . He’s the same selfish, snot-nosed brat from the Season 1 and I can’t help but wonder why this is.

I can forgive his cluelessness regarding his feelings for Riley because when you’re around someone you like, it’s hard pay attention to all the details. However every time he does something somewhat noble or shows some sort of devotion to brotherhood and friendship, he says or does something immature (usually within the same episode) that takes all his brownie points away (aka pick on Kalani, pick on Hope, pick on Datu, uncaring about Lizzy). It’s almost frustrating because I really want to see him do better. I want his character to bloom into this new man that every other guy in the show has already done. So what’s taking Angel so long?

I trust KC has his reasons and I’m hoping they are colorful.

I’m looking forward to having scene with Angel chained to wall and being tortured by none other than the almighty Scratch. Why not? Riley already knows he’s got a thing for her but she’s not interested. She made that clear earlier in the season. Even with all the emotional exchanges they’ve had, it feels like this couple was not meant to be. So who else is left for our loveless Casanova? If anyone can make a man out of Angel, it’s Scratch!

They have a history. He needs love. And she’s good at persuasion. I’ve mentioned this before but it’s long buried in the forums somewhere. Although the idea is far-fetched the WA creators have shown us time and time again that anything is possible. Even if they don’t hook up, she could be the one to knock some sense into him. Just how Marcus unexpectedly brought Michael out of his funk, Scratch can be the green thumb to make this manflower bloom (that didn't sound right).

Angel showed his first sign of change in the final moments of Chapter 24, by doing the opposite of what he did in Chapter 12. He showed courage not just by taking care of his love interest but also helping someone he barely knows with a handicap before thinking of himself in a crisis. Maybe he didn’t have time to make a smart-assed remark, but it’s definitely a noteworthy sign that something is happening inside of him. If he is alive, hopefully he’ll come back a changed man.


Pegs -
Chicken Little is little no more. Yes, she is my absolute favorite but I’ve been eyeballing this chick for quite some time now. I initially admired her because she was honest and stayed true to herself even when things were at their worst. No, I’m not talking about hiding in a back room crying or pouting because someone hugged Mikey. She had beliefs and she stuck by them. Though they may seem innocent, I have reason to suspect she’s not all that she seems. Whenever things go wrong who do we overlook first? Pegs. If this were softball and we needed heavy hitters, who is the last person to get picked? Pegs.

Despite all this she’s shown some strength. If she were a total wuss, she would be dead by now. Luck be damned, her passiveness would have killed her off a long time ago. Pegs appears to act only when she has to: the balcony, the helicopter, Latch, the radio in C-12, when she thought Kelly was after Michael, the beach house, etc. What do we know of her background? She flies planes with Dad and runs a flower shop. Gee, that’s tells us SOOO much.

I think she’s hiding something. I’m not saying she knocked the flower pot over on purpose, but what if…. What if? What if Dad is a pilot for the AirForce (at Fort Irwin?)? What if Pegs moved the guns to get the guys to give up and prevent bloodshed? Ya never know.

Scratch & Durai-
Just what’s really going on with these two? There’s multiple hints all over Chapter 21 showing how much our ruthless, unforgiving villainess respects Durai. She doesn’t want to disappoint him and enforces his will without question. She has the kind of loyalty towards him that doesn’t come easily. We haven’t seen much of Durai since Chapter 12 but I believe that’s on purpose. My best guess is that he’s not as evil as we think he is. He also has lots of unexplained knowledge about the creatures. So far Scratch has been the primary representative of the upper hierarchy within the Maller faction. If we could switch the story to their point of view, we’d understand their motives better and learn why they’re taking the rougher approach to survival. In a company of hardened criminals what other choice do you have?

There have been minor clues scattered across the seasons hinting that they’re both former military. Everything from their terminology, strategy planning, and the fact they keep an army of criminals in check. Marcus pretended to be military to get the Colonists to listen to him but he had nothing to back it up. I don’t think that’s the case with these two. I have no doubt we’ll learn more about their relationship in Season 3. I can’t wait!

Riley-
Although she’s taken a bit of a backseat compared to her involvement in Season 1, her presences is always felt. Since Lizzy’s disappearance, she’s become a ticking time bomb. The sad part is no one is clear on why she’s so upset. I’m guilty of having done this before. You’re pissed off and no one knows about it so you get even more pissed off! Her unchecked anger is dangerous under these sort of conditions. We’ve watched her attitude go from being a kind person to being a snappy bitch. Usually Riley is the one to give everyone a pep talk when they’re down. But who comforts Riley?! Angel would surely love the job, but as I said before, I doubt she has the slightest interest in him beyond friendship. She did say she was tempted but whether or not that changes has yet to be seen.

What I don’t doubt is Riley’s involvement in some of the strange occurrences happening at the Tower. I’m not saying she pulled the trigger on Pippin, but I don’t see her not taking some kind of action during this whole fiasco. She’s just as upset as Saul and I wouldn’t be surprised if we learned what she did about it later on.

[I was right about]
So here’s the part where I get to gloat and brag. Some of these were predictions made within my blog posts or the forums before it went live in the show. I wrote this section in a rush so I probably missed a couple things. We get enough chest-puffing and ego-tripping on the boards so I’ll keep it short.

• They used helicopters (also buried in a post somewhere)
• They used a helicopter from a hospital! (got lots of criticism for this one, IN YO FACE!)
• Pippin’s evil connection to Scratch (1/2 credit, because I didn't go with my gut).
• WIFE SWAP scenario (Lizzy/Pegs)
• A death (though everyone predicted that)
• There aren’t any undead zombies.
• Pegs saved the day/daring rooftop escape (can't find the link but it's all over my blogs)

[Final Thoughts]
Season 1 gave us everything we could ever hope for in a “zombie” horror show and it made me wonder how in the flipping world they would every top themselves. I don’t know how they pulled it off but the WA team did it! The audience was thrown off by the slow parts in the beginning but they really pumped it up a notch by straying away from the monsters to examine humans in a post-apocalyptic world. We were introduced to a new faction to remind us that the world is a cruel place and everyone reacts differently to the same situation. We learned how close the little haven inside the Tower came to dismantling itself without intrusion from outside forces. Pure human instinct can make us kill someone we don’t agree with, enslave the weak, follow the person that speaks up without questioning why, and forget where we came from. Morals, ethics, and social etiquette goes right out the window when it comes to survival and I enjoyed watching listening to the characters experiences with those situations. There were a few far-fetched ideas such as the escape scene from the Colony that kind of felt like movie magic at it's best but the characters situation didn't make it impossible either. I had a few small issues with editing in some chapters but I understand they are trying new things. There were also a few minor mishaps with acting but I expect that to clear up with time. Overall I think the WA team did a wonderful job this season and I can't wait for the next one! Great work guys!

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