Titus Makin, Melissa O’Neil and Nathan Fillion in ‘The Rookie’ (ABC/Tony Rivetti)
ABC’s officially given the new cop drama, The Rookie, a full first season order. The news of a full season one order comes as no surprise given the fact the series has increased ABC’s viewership in the Tuesdays at 10pm ET/PT time slot by 84% over last season.
The network reports The Rookie‘s total viewership numbers at 8.3 million versus last season’s 4.5 million in the Tuesday night spot. Plus, The Rookie gained viewers among the coveted 18 to 49 year-olds group, posting a 36% increase over last year. The series premiere on October 16, 2018 brought in 9.7 million viewers which gave the network its best Tuesdays at 10pm night since March 29, 2011.
Nathan Fillion (Castle, A Series of Unfortunate Events) leads a cast that includes Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez, Richard T. Jones as Sergeant Wade Grey, Titus Makin as Jackson West, Mercedes Mason as Captain Zoe Andersen, Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen, Afton Williamson as Talia Bishop and Eric Winter as Tim Bradford. Fillion also serves as an executive producer along with Mark Gordon, Michelle Chapman, Jon Steinberg, and Bill Norcross.
Alexi Hawley created the series and is the season one writer. Hawley also executive produces.
The Season 1 Plot:
“Starting over isn’t easy, especially for small-town guy John Nolan who, after a life-altering incident, is pursuing his dream of being a Los Angeles police officer. As the force’s oldest rookie, he’s met with skepticism from some higher-ups who see him as just a walking midlife crisis. If he can’t keep up with the young cops and the criminals, he’ll be risking lives including his own. But if he can use his life experience, determination and sense of humor to give him an edge, he may just become a success in this new chapter of his life.”
Matthew Goode and Teresa Palmer star in Sky One’s ‘A Discovery of Witches.’
In July 2018, Sundance Now and Shudder announced they’d picked up Sky UK’s A Discovery of Witches season one to air in the U.S. and Canada. Today, Sundance Now confirmed they’ve picked up season two and season three of the series which is based on the bestselling books by Deborah Harkness.
Season one debuted in September in the U.K. and will arrive on both Sundance Now and Shudder on January 17, 2019. Premiere dates for seasons two and three haven’t been announced.
“Season one was a brilliant introduction to the All Souls world and the love story between Diana and Matthew,” said Anne Mensah, Sky’s Head of Drama. “We can’t wait for the show’s fans to continue the journey with season two and three, become more enchanted by the characters and watch the magic further unfold.”
“We were absolutely thrilled that A Discovery of Witches was such a hit with viewers. There was a real sense of community throughout the run as fans old and new joined together to watch each week,” stated Jane Tranter, Executive Producer, Bad Wolf Ltd. “We cannot wait to continue the journey with them and, as the show continues to sell around the world, bring a global fan base to these engaging and fascinating characters.”
The cast of season one was led by Matthew Goode and Teresa Palmer. The cast also included Alex Kingston, Valarie Pettiford, Owen Teale, Lindsay Duncan, Malin Buska, Edward Bluemel, Aiysha Hart, Gregg Chillin, and Trevor Eve. Sky and Sundance Now confirmed these cast members will be returning for season two.
“Given how warmly the season was received, I’m thrilled that we will be continuing with the story of the All Souls trilogy. There is so much to look forward to as we travel into Matthew’s past and delve further into the mysteries surrounding Diana’s power and Ashmole 782,” said author/executive producer Deborah Harkness.
Season two is being adapted from Harkness’ novels by Sarah Dollard (Doctor Who, Being Human) and Susie Conklin (The Musketeers, Cranford). Conklin, Harkness, Lachlan MacKinnon, and Bad Wolf co-founders Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner are executive producing.
Season one ranks as the year’s biggest drama on Sky One. More than two million viewers tuned in to watch the love story between a powerful witch and a handsome vampire.
The A Discovery of Witches Plot:
A Discovery of Witches is a modern-day love story, set in a world where witches, vampires and daemons secretly live and work alongside humans, hidden in plain sight.
In the second season Matthew (Emmy-nominated Matthew Goode, Downton Abbey) and Diana (Teresa Palmer) are hiding in time in the fascinating and treacherous world of Elizabethan London – here they must find a powerful witch teacher to help Diana control her magic and search for the elusive Book of Life.
Back in the present day, Diana’s beloved aunts, Sarah (Kingston) and Em (Pettiford), must take shelter with notorious witch-hunter Ysabeau de Clermont (Duncan) at her ancestral home, Sept-Tours. Meanwhile, in Oxford, Marcus (Bluemel) and Miriam (Hart) take on Matthew’s mantle to protect daemons Nathaniel (Ezra) and Sophie (Aisling Loftus), whose pregnancy is advancing. Gerbert (Eve), Knox (Teale), Satu (Buska) and Domenico (Chillin) are determined to hunt down every clue they can to Diana’s and Matthew’s disappearance, and the secrets their allies are keeping from them.
FXX has set a January 9, 2019 premiere date for the fifth and final season of the half-hour comedy series, You’re the Worst. The fifth season will air on Wednesdays at 10pm ET/PT.
The network also released a brand new season five trailer along with the premiere date announcement. The trailer shows Gretchen in a wedding dress, but it also reassures fans of the series that even if Gretchen and Jimmy are planning a wedding, that doesn’t mean they’ll start behaving like responsible adults.
You’re the Worst was created by Stephen Falk. The cast is led by Chris Geere and Aya Cash, with Desmin Borges and Kether Donohue co-starring.
The Season 5 Plot of You’re the Worst:
“You’re the Worst is a modern look at love and happiness told through the eyes of two people who haven’t been very successful with either. It’s the story of Gretchen and Jimmy, fear, heartbreak, romance, sex, food, Los Angeles, Sunday Funday, friendship, and the fact that sometimes the worst people make the best partners. An original comedy from writer and executive producer Stephen Falk, You’re the Worst puts a dark twist on the romantic comedy genre.
Narcissistic, brash, and stubborn ‘Jimmy Shive-Overly’ (Geere) has inadvertently found himself paired up with cynical, people-pleasing, and self-destructive ‘Gretchen Cutler’ (Cash). After a whirlwind courtship, and a very rough post-cohabitation period of dealing with Gretchen’s clinical depression, Jimmy and Gretchen were forced to learn how to manage a relationship in the face of tragedy when Jimmy’s father unexpectedly died. Ultimately drawn closer, Jimmy proposed and then suddenly disappeared when confronted with the notion that Gretchen would be his family. After a prolonged period of separation, Jimmy and Gretchen are in it for the long haul now… at least they think they are. Maybe.
Rounding out the cast is Desmin Borges, who plays ‘Edgar Quintero,’ Jimmy’s once homeless war veteran roommate who, having recently learned to manage his PTSD, is now firmly entrenched in the world of television comedy writing; and Kether Donohue as ‘Lindsay Jillian,’ Gretchen’s best friend and former partner in crime who, after conquering the corporate world, finds herself yearning for love again.”
The cast of ‘You’re the Worst’ season 5 (Photo Courtesy of FXX)
Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant, W Earl Brown, and Sean Bridgers in HBO’s ‘Deadwood.’
HBO’s just announced filming is now underway on the much-anticipated Deadwood movie. The network also confirmed which members of the series’ cast will be participating in the feature-length film, and they revealed very basic details of the plot.
Per HBO’s official announcement, returning Deadwood cast members include Ian McShane as Al Swearengen, Timothy Olyphant as Seth Bullock, Molly Parker as Alma Ellsworth, and Paula Malcomson as Trixie. Also returning are John Hawkes playing Sol Star, Anna Gunn as Martha Bullock, Dayton Callie as Charlie Utter, Brad Dourif as Doc Cochran, Robin Weigert as “Calamity” Jane Canary, William Sanderson as E.B. Farnum, Kim Dickens as Joanie Stubbs, and Gerald McRaney as George Hearst.
School of Rock‘s Jade Pettyjohn joins the cast as Caroline.
Filming is now underway in Los Angeles. Series creator David Milch wrote the screenplay and Daniel Minahan is directing. Milch, Minahan, Carolyn Strauss, Gregg Fienberg, Scott Stephens, Ian McShane and Timothy Olyphant are executive producing.
The original series premiered in 2004 and ran for three seasons, finishing up on August 27, 2006. Over its 36 episode run, Deadwood picked up 28 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. The series won Emmys for costume, hair, makeup, cinematography, and art direction. In 2004, Walter Hill won the Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series Emmy for the series’ pilot.
Deadwood also earned Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild of America, and Writers Guild of America award nominations. Ian McShane was awarded the Best Performer by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama Golden Globe in 2005.
The Deadwood Movie Plot:
“In the Deadwood film, the indelible characters of the series are reunited after ten years to celebrate South Dakota’s statehood. Former rivalries are reignited, alliances are tested and old wounds are reopened, as all are left to navigate the inevitable changes that modernity and time have wrought.”
CBS’s primetime drama God Friended Me continues its season one run with episode seven airing Sunday, November 11, 2018. Season one episode seven is titled “The Prodigal Son” and was directed by Marcos Siega from a script by Carmen Pilar Golden.
Season one’s cast includes Brandon Micheal Hall as Miles Finer, The Flash‘s Violett Beane as Cara Bloom, Suraj Sharma as Rakesh, Javicia Leslie as Ali Finer, and Joe Morton as Reverend Arthur Finer. Malik Yoba, Kyle Harris, Britne Oldford, Rachel Bay Jones, Erica Gimpel, and Eleanor Koski appear in recurring roles.
Season one episode seven’s guest stars include Michael Vartan as Jeffrey, Abby Awe as Lucy, Gerald Bunsen, and Robert G. McKay.
“The Prodigal Son” Plot: Miles is forced to face uncomfortable truths about his family when the God Account points him toward his Uncle Terrance (Malik Yoba). Also, Cara’s father (Michael Vartan) pays her a visit, and he discovers that she’s reconnected with her mom who left them when she was a child.
The God Friended Me Season One Plot Description:
God Friended Me is about an outspoken atheist whose life is turned upside down when he receives a friend request on social media from “God” and unwittingly becomes an agent of change in the lives and destinies of others around him. Miles Finer is intelligent, hopeful and optimistic, but he doesn’t believe in God. This puts him at odds with his father, Reverend Arthur Finer, a beloved preacher at Harlem’s Trinity Church for 25 years who is stung by his son’s strong rejection of his faith. Miles feels he’s found his purpose in life hosting a podcast where he’s free to speak his mind, but that changes when he receives the ultimate friend request.
After repeated pokes by “God,” Miles’ curiosity takes over, and he accepts the request and follows the signs to Cara Bloom, an online journalist suffering from writer’s block. Brought together by the “God” account, the two find themselves investigating “God’s” friend suggestions and inadvertently helping others in need. Joining them on their journey are Miles’s supportive sister, Ali, a doctoral psych student by day and bartender by night, and his best friend, Rakesh, a sometime hacker who helps Miles and Cara research the enigmatic account. Miles is set on getting to the bottom of what he believes is an elaborate hoax, but in the meantime he’ll play along and, in the process, change his life forever.
CBS’s military drama SEAL Team continues season two with episode six airing on Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at 9pm ET/PT. Season two episode six titled “Hold What You Got” was directed by Kevin Fink from a script by Spencer Hudnut and Mark Semos.
The episode’s guest stars include Mirelly Taylor as Rita, Ammon Jacob Ford as Michael Hayes, Felix Solis as Col. Martinez, Bobby Daniel Rodriguez as Lt. Juan Lopez, Michael McGrady as C.O. Harrington, Paolo Cesar as Carlos Gonzalez, and Bianca Lopez.
The SEAL Team cast is led by David Boreanaz as Jason Hayes. Max Thieriot is Clay Spenser, Neil Brown Jr is Ray Perry, and AJ Buckley is Sonny Quinn. Toni Trucks plays Lisa Davis, Jessica Paré is Mandy Ellis, and Judd Lormand is Lieutenant Commander Eric Blackburn.
Recurring guest stars include Tyler Grey as Trent, Alona Tal as Stella, Parisa Fakhri as Naima, and Kerri Medders as Emma Hayes.
The “Hold What You Got” Plot – Bravo Team partners with the Mexican Marines to hunt the head of one of the most powerful and lethal drug cartels in Mexico.
The SEAL Team Plot:
SEAL Team is a military drama that follows the professional and personal lives of the most elite unit of Navy SEALs as they train, plan and execute the most dangerous, high-stakes missions our country can ask of them. Jason Hayes is the respected, intense leader of the Tier One team whose home life has suffered as a result of his extensive warrior’s existence. His team includes his trusted confidant, Ray Perry, the longest-tenured operator with whom Jason shares an ingrained shorthand; Sonny Quinn, an exceptional, loyal soldier with a checkered past who still combats self-destructive tendencies; and Clay Spenser, a young, multilingual, second-generation SEAL with insatiable drive and dedication.
Vital to the team’s success are troop commander Lt. Cdr. Eric Blackburn, who serves as a leader and confidant both on and off the battlefield; CIA analyst Mandy Ellis, who has sacrificed everything in her drive to root out evil and take down terrorists; and Lisa Davis, a no-nonsense, take-charge logistics officer and unofficial den mother responsible for outfitting the team with the necessary gear for each mission. Deployed on clandestine missions worldwide at a moment’s notice, and knowing the toll it takes on them and their families, this tight-knit SEAL team displays unwavering patriotism and fearless dedication even in the face of overwhelming odds.
Samuel Goldwyn Films has debuted a new trailer for the dramatic film, Back Roads. The movie marks Alex Pettyfer’s directorial debut and is based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Tawni O’Dell. O’Dell and Adrian Lyne wrote the screenplay.
Pettyfer (Elvis & Nixon) pulls double duty starring in the film alongside Once Upon a Time‘s Jennifer Morrison. The cast also includes Oscar nominee Juliette Lewis (Cape Fear), Nicola Peltz (Transformers: Age of Extinction), Robert Patrick (Scorpion), Chiara Aurelia (Gerald’s Game), Hala Finley (Man with a Plan), and June Carryl (Dead Women Walking).
The film had originally been set up back in 2012 and was going to be the first project Adrian Lyne had directed since 2002’s Unfaithful. Andrew Garfield, Jennifer Garner, and Marcia Gay Harden were all attached to the project when Lyne was on board to direct. Lyne – director of Fatal Attraction, Indecent Proposal, and Flashdance – remained involved as an executive producer years later when the film ultimately went into production with Pettyfer as director.
The thriller will be released in theaters and VOD on December 7, 2018.
Jennifer Morrison and Alex Pettyfer star in ‘Back Roads’ (Photo Courtesy of Samuel Goldwyns Films)
The Back Roads Plot:
After his mother, (Lewis), is imprisoned for killing his abusive father, Harley Altmyer (Pettyfer) is left to care for his three younger sisters in rural Pennsylvania. Harley forgoes his college education, working dead-end jobs to pay the bills and raise his siblings, including his rebellious and promiscuous 16-year-old sister, Amber (Peltz). Scarred by his past, Harley becomes infatuated with Callie Mercer (Morrison) the older married woman who lives nearby. Things take a dangerous turn when they embark on an affair and shocking family secrets soon begin to emerge. As Harley’s life spirals out of control, unspoken truths leading to a devastating conclusion come to the surface and threaten to consume him.
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in ‘The Walking Dead’ season 9 episode 5 (Photo Credit: Jackson Lee Davis / AMC)
Spoiler alert: Don’t read any further if you haven’t watched The Walking Dead season nine episode five. The episode was advertised as Andrew Lincoln and his character Rick Grimes’ final episode in the series, but what AMC didn’t reveal in advance was that season nine episode five didn’t put a period at the end of Rick Grimes’ story.
Immediately after the show aired, Chief Content Officer Scott M. Gimple for The Walking Dead Universe revealed plans for a series of AMC Studios Original Films. The films will continue Rick’s story, with the first film set to go into production early next year. Andrew Lincoln will continue to play the character in the films.
Per AMC: “In Lincoln’s final appearance on the hit series The Walking Dead, the character of Rick Grimes is mortally wounded and last seen being flown away by helicopter to an unknown destination. The first film will explore the story of where Rick is taken and what he faces in a new corner of the zombie apocalypse.”
In an interview on Talking Dead, Andrew Lincoln discussed the new projects that will allow him to continue playing Rick. “It’s not the beginning of the end, it’s the end of the beginning. And I like the idea that we get to tell a bigger story, maybe with a sort of wider vista,” said Lincoln. “And I’ve always been interested in what’s going on out there, you know, whether or not there is contact with the wider world. I want to know the meta of it all. And I suppose to be able to kind of touch upon that in a contained story for me is a very exciting proposition … Maybe it’s the start of a bigger story.”
Gimple also revealed there will be other films that focus on different characters and storylines within the The Walking Dead Universe. In addition to the original films, Gimple and AMC are planning specials, series, and digital content in this new expanded TWD universe.
“We have a lot on the horizon – starting with a new epic featuring one of the greatest leading actors in television history and one of the best people I’ve ever met,” stated Gimple. “These films are going to be big evolutions of what we’ve been doing on the show, with the scope and scale of features. We’re starting with the first part of the continuing story of Rick Grimes, and there is much more on the way, featuring yet-unseen worlds of The Walking Dead and faces from the show’s past, as well as new characters we hope to become favorites, told by TWD veterans and emerging voices. We want to break new ground with different, distinct stories, all part of the same world that’s captured our imagination for nearly a decade of the Dead.”
“We believe this is a world and narrative with many possibilities and opportunities for character development and we’re excited to expand the series into a franchise that can live across multiple formats,” said David Madden, president of original programming for AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios. “For many years, fans have talked about things in the apocalypse they want to see and now we have an opportunity to explore those stories, beginning with the character who started it all, Rick Grimes.”
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in ‘The Walking Dead’ season 9 episode 5 (Photo Credit: Jackson Lee Davis / AMC)
Ready or not, it’s time to say goodbye to Rick Grimes, the leader of the ragtag group of zombie apocalypse survivors played for nine seasons by Andrew Lincoln. Season nine episode five is titled “What Comes After” and marks the end of the road on AMC’s The Walking Dead for Rick and Andrew. Rick’s farewell episode found him taking a stroll down memory lane, reuniting with characters who’ve exited the series in previous seasons.
The very emotional season nine episode five opens with injured Rick telling an unconscious Rick in a hospital bed to wake up. He finally takes his own advice and wakes up, still pierced by rebar with blood pouring from his wound. The slowest bunch of walkers ever appearing in The Walking Dead can’t close the 20’ gap before Rick can muster the strength to remove the rebar.
Stumbling away, he makes it to his very patient horse, climbs in the saddle, and sets off on a slow pace just ahead of the merging hordes.
Elsewhere, Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) attempts to start a car as the voice on the walkie-talkie asks for her location and if she has the “A.” She gives her location and says she has the “A” and is ready for transport. He warns her if it’s a trick, there will be consequences.
Back with Rick, his white horse has turned a disturbing shade of pink from the blood. He tries to talk himself into staying awake but he’s having a rough time of it. The walkers nearly reach him as he briefly passes out while scenes from his past flash through his head.
Meanwhile, Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Dianne (Kerry Cahill) continue their ride to Alexandria, taking out walkers as they come upon them. Maggie’s current weapon of choice is the crowbar and she’s brutally wielding it.
Rick notices a mailbox up ahead and has a renewed burst of energy. He and the horse pick up the pace and disappear from sight of the horde. He stumbles into a cabin and rips apart sheets to try and stop the bleeding. The cabin was the scene of a shootout and the walls are dotted with bullet holes.
He passes out again and has a dream in which he’s talking to Shane Walsh! (Welcome back Jon Bernthal, however temporarily!) They talk and Rick says he’s looking for his family. Shane asks after his baby girl, and they joke about whether Judith has Shane’s eyes or nose. “Good thing she ain’t got my ears, man,” laughs Shane.
It’s a good-natured reunion in which they call each other assholes, but out of love. The talk does turn serious when they discuss Shane’s final days. Shane warns Rick he has to remember when he was mean and dirty and return that way to finish this job now. He has to dig down deep to get this done. “You can do it, brother,” says Shane.
Rick apologizes to Shane and then Shane screams, “Wake up!” in his face in the dream, just as a walker’s about to make a meal out of the slumbering, wounded Rick. Rick jolts awake in time to avoid the bite. He breaks through a wall and barely escapes ahead of the front of the horde.
Rick manages to get back on his horse who has, once again, remained bizarrely calm with all the walkers nearby.
Over at Alexandria, Judith and Michonne (Danai Gurira) are going about their day like normal. The calm is shattered by the surprise arrival of Maggie.
Maggie carries the crowbar as a weapon and demands Michonne get out of her way when she heads over to kill Negan. Michonne refuses to budge even though Maggie reminds her what Negan did. She admits she’s not sure what Glenn would have wanted, but she never got to say goodbye. She’s furious that Michonne and Rick took away the only thing she wanted – getting to see Glenn’s murderer die.
Maggie insists killing Negan would help start things over. She tries to get Michonne to admit that if Negan butchered Rick in front of her and left her with a baby to raise alone she’d do the same thing. Maggie has suffered a year and a half and refuses to suffer any longer. Maggie gets emotional as she says she can’t keep living like this, and Michonne even tears up.
Michonne hands over the keys after a final warning that Maggie might not be able to live with herself after she kills Negan.
The moment’s come and Maggie is face-to-face with Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Negan looks at Maggie and says, “I remember you screaming in that clearing. I remember how much I broke you breaking open your husband’s head like I did,” taunts Negan.
“Glenn,” replies Maggie. “His name was Glenn.”
Maggie claims she’s there for justice, not revenge. She demands Negan get on his knees but instead, Negan keeps describing what he did to Glenn in graphic detail. He even admits he enjoyed killing Glenn.
Negan finally gets on his knees and Maggie’s about to open the cell, even as Negan continues to taunt her, but something makes Maggie think twice about her actions. Instead of unlocking the cell, she instructs Negan to come into the light. He doesn’t, continuing to verbally abuse her. When she won’t open the door, Negan begins crying and begging her to kill him.
Maggie finally unlocks the cell and tosses Negan across the room, into a wall. He begs her again and she demands to know why he wants to be dead. He cries, confessing he just wants to be with his wife, Lucille. He can’t kill himself, so it has to be Maggie that kills him. “I should be dead,” cries Negan. “I have to be dead.”
He continues to beg her to not make him stay like this. He wants Maggie to settle it and put him out of his misery. When she tells him to get back in his cell, he begs her to finish him. She won’t kill him because he’s already worse than dead. Negan continues to cry as the cell door locks behind him.
Maggie emerges from the jail and Michonne immediately notices her crowbar is clean. They look at each other, understanding what happened. Dianne interrupts and tells them something’s up at the camp.
Rick’s back on the horse, barely conscious and continuing to have flashbacks. He sees Hershel (Scott Wilson, may he rest in peace), and together they look out over the farm. Rick praises the place, calling it beautiful, and then they hug. Rick says he’s sorry for what happened to him and for everything Maggie’s lost. “My girl, she’s strong. And my grandson, he’ll only make her stronger. You ain’t got to worry about her,” says Hershel.
Rick says he needs to find his family because he must keep them together. Hershel tells him he doesn’t and that everyone will get to the place they need to be. Rick admits he’s tired and that maybe he can find his family here. Hershel responds, “No, Rick. You have to wake up,” and then nudges him back to consciousness.
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in ‘The Walking Dead’ season 9 episode 5 (Photo Credit: Jackson Lee Davis / AMC)
The horse is the only thing keeping Rick ahead of the walkers as Rick’s no longer strong enough to lead the way.
Rick passes out again and walks through bloody halls in a hospital. He emerges into the light, standing on top of a sea of dead people. Daryl, Maggie, Jesus, Rosita, and more are among the dead. He turns and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) rises up. Rick’s confused about why everyone is dead and Sasha tells him it’s okay. She assures him he did his part, just like she did hers. She reminds him the others gave him the strength to do what they must do. “We make each other better, and it never ends,” says Sasha. Rick replies, “It feels like it’s ending.” (This episode is absolutely heart-wrenching.)
“It’s never the end of everything because we don’t die. It’s not about you or me or any one of us. It’s about all of us. And I don’t think it just evens out. I think it always crosses over toward the good, toward the brave, toward love,” says Sasha. She tells an emotional Rick that his family isn’t lost and neither is he.
She wakes him up as he falls from his horse. This time the ever-patient horse races off without him.
Blood pours from his wounds as he makes it into the bridge camp. Saviors who’ve been turned into walkers wander toward him. Rick picks up his gun and begins taking them out. The gunshots attract more walkers who tear down the camp as they walk through it.
Rick gets to his feet and walks at a pace barely above a walker’s back to the road. He glances over his shoulder as his pace slows down even further. Finally, he falls just feet from the bridge. With his vision blurring, he hears Daryl (Norman Reedus) call his name. He then sees his friends all running past him to take on the horde. Ezekiel, Maggie, and even Eugene have arrived to save the day.
Michonne stops to help him, but Rick wants her to fight the walkers. She insists it’s not over and that they don’t die. Rick shakes his head in agreement. Michonne reveals she fell in love with him because he’s a fighter and never gives up. She asks him to keep fighting now. “Fight for me. Fight for all of us,” says Michonne. Rick replies, “You’re my family. I found you.” As they look into each other’s eyes, he says, “This isn’t real.”
Michonne tells Rick it is real, gives him a kiss, and then says to wake up.
Rick comes to once again, feet from the bridge. He manages to get back on his feet and walks across the bridge. He stumbles once on the other side but gets to his feet again. As the horde walks over the bridge, it holds together and Rick can’t believe the bridge didn’t fail. He’s no longer able to walk ahead of the walkers and as one approaches to take a bite, an arrow takes it out.
Rick glances over and sees Daryl and his friends but, of course, he doesn’t believe they’re real. Another walker gets within biting distance, and another arrow from Daryl fells it.
Carol (Melissa McBride), Eugene (Josh McDermitt), Maggie, Jesus (Tom Payne), Michonne, and more have actually arrived and they realize Rick’s hurt and that he’s trying to bring down the bridge. Maggie wants the horde to turn around and tells the gang to fire their guns to divert them. It doesn’t work.
Rick tries to signal to his friends to go away because there are too many walkers. Daryl continues to pick off the walkers who get close to Rick. As the walkers head toward him, Rick notices they’ve knocked over a box of dynamite.
Maggie and the crew race along the road toward the bridge as the walkers continue to march forward.
Daryl runs out of arrows.
Rick raises his gun and takes aim at the dynamite as Michonne screams, “Rick!” Rick pulls the trigger and says, “I found them.” (Damn it, Rick! If you’d just done what Daryl had suggested and led the walkers to the bridge in the first place, you’d still be living happily with your friends and family in Alexandria.)
The bridge goes up in a massive ball of flames.
Daryl sobs as he looks toward the last place he saw his friend.
Walkers on fire plunge to their final deaths off the destroyed bridge. Nearby, Michonne is overcome with grief and Maggie and Carol try their best to comfort her.
Daryl, alone, walks slowly into the woods.
Jadis sees the smoke as a helicopter arrives. She then watches as body parts float by in the river. However, that’s not all she sees. Rick, barely alive, is near the river. She calls the chopper and says she never had an A but she has a B who’s badly hurt. She asks if they can help. She assures them it’s not a trick and that she’s just trying to save a friend who saved her. She demands to know if they have a deal. In response, the chopper lands.
Rick’s loaded in the helicopter with Jadis, and she assures him she’s going to save him. They fly away with Rick being tended to.
The episode ends with a group of people attempting to hold off attacking walkers. Shots are fired and a path is opened up for them to escape into the woods. There, they encounter a young girl who asks their names. The young girl bends to pick up a familiar hat, places it on her head, and introduces herself as Judith Grimes.
We’re apparently leaping forward in time once again. The previews for the next three episodes show Carol with longer hair, Michonne with a different style, Eugene sporting a new haircut, and a still alive Negan.
Goodbye to Andrew Lincoln:
Thank you Andrew Lincoln for nine seasons of playing a character we loved, sometimes hated, occasionally got frustrated by, but ultimately had come to really feel like we knew.
Season nine episode five ended with a plot twist that left open the possibility Rick Grimes/Andrew Lincoln could eventually return. That Rick’s exit would come as part of the Jadis/helicopter storyline was unexpected but actually a pretty interesting way to end his The Walking Dead storyline.
During Talking Dead, Scott Gimple cleared up what the episode’s ending means. Gimple explained this would be the end of Rick Grime’s story on The Walking Dead but not the end of Rick Grime’s story. Rick’s story will be told in a series of original films on AMC. Gimple also said there’s a lot of story to tell and that the original films will expand The Walking Dead universe. The original films will screen on AMC, but they’ll have the scope of a feature film. “We’ll be seeing an epic story told over years,” said Gimple. There will also be much more to this expanded universe than just Rick Grime’s story.
Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan in ‘Outlander’ season 4 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Droughtlander is OVER!!! Season four episode one of Starz’s Outlander opens well before that period though, 2000 BCE (“before common era”) to be exact. The scene is not from the book, given the time frame is thousands of years ago with North American natives. They’re building a standing circle with stacks of stones. The natives start dancing ritualistically around the circle, just as we’ve seen performed at Craig Nah Dun in Scotland.
You will see a reoccurring theme of ‘circles’ throughout the episode. The concept of a circle of standing stones in North America was introduced much later in the books but does make sense to keep that in front of the season so viewers understand the stones are closer than our hero and heroine might expect. The books explain a lot more about the concepts of the stones and other mysteries they hold, but I won’t get ahead of the show. You’ll have to read the books or wait for the season to unfold. Into the wilds of colonial America we go.
We see a rather sturdy scaffold with a hangman’s noose as we jet to North Carolina 1767. Not one of my favorite circles I must say, but a hangman’s noose is a circle nonetheless. Claire’s (Caitriona Balfe) voice-over takes us to where she and the rest of the shipwrecked cast have now traveled…the colony of North Carolina from Georgia over a four-month period. Jamie (Sam Heughan) has kin in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
Jamie slinks through the crowd and into the area behind the scaffold to visit one of several prisoners headed for that cringe-worthy noose. His good friend, Hayes (James Allenby-Kirk), has managed to get himself into a rather bad spot. Naturally, Jamie and the others are willing to break him out of the situation, but Hayes tells Jamie to let it ride as ordered by the magistrate. We don’t see that scene in the book. Claire just speaks to Jamie’s wish to comfort a friend and be there for him in his hour of greatest need. We don’t see Jamie get his first look at Stephen Bonnet (Edward Speleers) at that moment in the book, but it makes sense given all the condemned men are being held together.
The others in Jamie and Claire’s party are surprised they’re not breaking Hayes out when Jamie returns outside with the crowd. As the men are brought out to meet their fate, the occasion is very solemn as you might expect. Hayes looks around to find Jamie and his dear comrade-in-arms, Lesley (Keith Fleming). Hayes has rung a promise from Jamie to be the face of a friend staring back at him as they drop the trapdoor and send him to his maker. As Hayes is positioned in the noose, he has a little look of panic since he cannot see Jamie anywhere. Jamie and Lesley force their way through the crowd, so they’re standing close enough for Hayes to see.
Jamie and Hayes smile as Hayes is dropped into oblivion. Lesley is not so peaceful about it and tries to push his way to his friend. The stir allows two of the others waiting for their chance to fight gravity, and lose, to make a run for it. Naturally they don’t get very far, but it’s enough to allow the cool and collected Stephen Bonnet to slip away successfully into the crowd and down the side street.
Que the new intro with amazingly beautiful title cards. Love the episode title scene where the Bald Eagle is snatching a fish from the waters of a lake. America the Beautiful indeed!
The group retire to a tavern to plan their next move. One key deviation from the book is that Marsali (Lauren Lyle) is not in Jamaica at that time; she’s sitting with Jamie and Claire in the North Carolina tavern. Fergus (Cesar Domboy) and Lesley return after trying to find a churchyard in which to bury poor Hayes. Jamie and Lesley opine about how afraid of spirits Hayes was, so they’ll not see him laid to rest anywhere that isn’t consecrated ground. The story that Jamie and Lesley reference about a spirit Hayes encountered will raise the hair on the back of your neck. They don’t go into it in the show, but I would recommend reading it in the book. Super creepy doesn’t even cover it.
They decide to lay him to rest in the churchyard after dark. Lesley believes his dear friend should have a proper Scottish lament sung over him, so he starts low and soft. Jamie and the others at the table join in, and suddenly the entire tavern is giving a rousing chorus to dear departed Hayes. In the book, Jamie doesn’t sing because he’s tone-deaf, but it’s a subtle detail that doesn’t bother me at all to see Jamie join in for his friend in the show. Slainte Mhath!
As Jamie and young Ian (John Bell) are digging the grave for Hayes, Ian starts having a PTSD flashback about the deeds that Geillis had him do with/to her in Jamaica. He explains he didn’t want to do what she wanted, but she forced him into performing sex anyway. Jamie is all too familiar with being forced to do things against his will, sexual or otherwise. The flesh is weak as the saying goes. I do very much like how Jamie puts it to Ian. “Your cock doesna have a conscience, but you have.”
Jamie manages to get Ian on his feet and they go to get Hayes from the wagon. As Lesley is letting down the tailgate, something comes rising out of the wagon. Lesley and Ian freak out like it’s a spirit, but Jamie tests if the form is more substantial by hitting it with the shovel. Surprise, surprise, it is the crafty opportunist du jour, Stephen Bonnet.
Bonnet explains he had been lying next to Hayes since noon, and in the book, you get the understanding of the sacrifice that took, so you feel a bit sorry for him. The body would have been rather ripe all that while, and under the tarp it would have been extremely warm during the day making the odor even worse. Not exactly a restful afternoon.
Jamie inquires about the reason Stephen was headed to the noose. As Bonnet explains his reasons, they mirror several occasions Jamie had faced himself. Very silver-tongued in his begging of help from the group is Stephen. If you haven’t read the books, you don’t know the mask being worn by the very charismatic Bonnet.
After they bury Hayes, Jamie and Claire take Bonnet to a place near the river where he indicated he should have companions waiting for him. In the book, everyone goes together to take Bonnet, but in the show, it’s just Jamie and Claire driving the wagon. They’re stopped by British soldiers – not good! It’s just like our Jamie to put his neck on the line for someone he feels has had a hard and forced path, such as his life has been. He doesn’t know yet that Bonnet chose the path he walked and that led him to the noose. But he soon finds out the hard way, as tends to be the case with our honorable Fraser family.
The soldiers are picking around the back of the wagon when Jamie indicates a body is there. The soldier decides to test Jamie’s assertion that the body is a corpse by taking a bayonet and stabbing the leg. In the book, the bayonet is plunged into Bonnet’s leg, but in the show, he missed most of Bonnet’s leg and got a leg of venison instead. But Bonnet didn’t get away without a bit of a wound that Claire must fix up for him.
Bonnet comments about Claire’s rings when she’s tending to his leg. They don’t have this exchange in the book, but it’s a way for him to deceptively charm Claire. It’s also another reference to the underlying theme of the ‘circle’ for the rings and the hangman’s noose. Bonnet explains he has a fear of drowning, not the noose. I don’t recall the book having this level of vulnerability about Bonnet as he explains his fear to Claire. She reveals she nearly drowned in the hurricane landing in Georgia those months before. Bonnet gets to his feet and bids the couple goodbye, but not before warning them of thieves and outlaws infiltrating the woods. You can’t say he didn’t warn you!
Jamie and Claire decide it would be best to camp in the woods and not take the risk of passing the soldiers again. Here comes more of those amazing Diana Gabaldon lines fans love so much as Jamie and Claire are alone together for one of those rare moments of intimacy. Given the events of the day, they of course talk about death. Claire voices her concern about death parting them again, but Jamie says death is a small thing compared to the bond they share. Their souls are together no matter life or death. They decide to feel alive instead of dead and take full advantage of their time alone by joining their living flesh together as one.
The next morning, Claire’s looking out into the mountains from where they camped. She explains much about modern-day America including what the American Dream is and why people come to the American shores. Jamie asks about Native Americans and what becomes of them. He sees the parallels to the Highland way of life. It is true that America isn’t without her growing pains and deep scars that every nation inflicts upon itself.
Jamie and Claire get ready for a dinner with Governor Tryon (Tim Downie) of the territory, invited because of Jamie’s kinship with River Run Plantation and his Aunt Jocasta. Jamie is able to get one of their gemstones mounted so Claire can wear it to the dinner. They need to sell one for spending money and transport to River Run and then back to Scotland.
At the dinner party, there’s the typical talk of taxes being imposed by the Crown. A very hot topic in any day or time. {snort} Catty women are jealous of Claire, and lecherous men eye her ruby necklace and the fleshly setting it ordains. The Governor speaks to Jamie about his aunt and her land. Jamie mentions his intentions to see her and his eventual departure back to Scotland.
After dinner the Governor invites Jamie to a private conversation about furthering his stay in America. They speak of land grants and subtle undertones of allegiance to the Crown. Jamie, no stranger to hidden meanings, is fully aware of the strings that come with such a land grant. They don’t mention the religious element to the issue in the show. In the book, it’s explained that Jamie’s Papist beliefs could be ignored, but the subtle understanding of it being a decidedly heavy string that could be pulled if necessary, for loyalty to the Crown. The Protestant and Papist war is in full bloom for Scots and Brits during this time.
Back in their room, Jamie and Claire discuss the events of the evening. Claire managed to sell the stone to a particularly lecherous ogler who Jamie didn’t find to his liking. But the money is very needed, so he let it pass.
As Claire heard Jamie mention returning to Scotland, she looked sullen and turned quiet. It doesn’t go unnoticed by Jamie, but Claire deflects with the half excuse of the offer made by the Governor. If you have read the book you know that’s not the only concern on her mind. The stone in the churchyard she found 200 years in the future came to mind if Jamie returned to Scotland. The conversation between the pair turns to the stirrings of the Revolutionary War that’s to come a short eight years hence. Another war! Je Suis Prest! But Jamie has another reason to see this war as his cause…Brianna’s future is part of the outcome.
Rollo and John Bell (Young Ian) in ‘Outlander’ season 4 (Photo Courtesy of Starz)
The next morning Jamie and Claire meet a new friend, though it is more Ian’s new best friend. Rollo!!! The white ghost wolf-like dog was won by Ian in a game of dice with sailors. The confession that he was playing dice isn’t welcome news to Jamie and Claire. In the book we meet Rollo much sooner, shortly after Hayes was executed.
Jamie and Claire tell the group as they’re all sitting down to a meal at a nearby tavern that they’ve decided to stay in America to make a home. The group goes around the table making their own decisions about whether to stay to help the Frasers in their task of making a life there. However, Fergus and Marsali have a bit of news of their own. They’re expecting a child. The first Fraser grandchild, given that Fergus is their adopted son and took the name of Fraser at the wedding on Jamaica. It seems all feel they should make their home in America.
As the group’s traveling downriver Jamie’s explaining about his aunt’s life and how she ended up in America. Claire takes notice of the black man managing the pole guiding the barge and assumes he’s a slave. The captain of the boat explains that he was a slave but was given his freedom. The slave saved the captain’s life, so the captain returned the favor by giving his slave his life to manage as he chose.
Claire’s visibly surprised and pleased to hear the news.
As Claire’s getting instructions about the workings of the oar, Jamie calls her over to give her an anniversary present. Jamie found a complete and full surgeon’s kit in Wilmington. Claire’s overjoyed to receive the thoughtful gift. Jamie regrets not having been able to give her very much, but Claire points out all the amazing gifts he has given her. Brianna, for starters. They’ve had a tumultuous 24 years as husband and wife, but neither regret any of it.
That night as all are asleep, Bonnet and friends storm the barge looking for stuff they can steal. Jamie gets tricked to leave the cabin and is overpowered and beaten in the front of the boat. Inside the cabin, Claire, Ian, and Lesley are fighting with a few of the crew. In the scuffle to save Claire from one of the attackers Lesley manages to get caught from behind by Bonnet.
As Claire watches, Bonnet slits Lesley’s throat. He then approaches Claire in expectation of taking her rings. The gold band from Frank and the silver band from Jamie are all she ever wears. Claire manages to get them off her fingers and shoves them in her mouth to swallow them. Bonnet chokes her and attempts to retrieve them from her mouth. He does get one ring out; the silver ring Jamie gave her. In the book, it was the gold band he took. The entire time all this is happening in the cabin, Jamie’s being dreadfully beaten on deck. The gang take their leave and the episode ends with Jamie staggering to make his way to see the heartbreak inside the cabin.
Bonnet’s character has come full circle. I see him as Black Jack Randall with charisma, but that’s just me. {wink} His path crossing with the Frasers’ has only just begun. If you’re a fan of the books you probably were hoping for a certain entertaining rough-edged character to show up with a rather poorly placed hernia. I hope we do still get to see him in the next episode somehow. I cracked up at him several times in the book. Television viewers, sorry but you must read the book to find out of whom I speak. Tulach Ard! And NO, the man isn’t a Scot.
