The Walking Dead: The Prison, Woodbury & the Governor

Walking Dead: The Prison And the Town of Woodbury

Spoiler Alert:  While they are not the same, the below contains information about the Walking Dead comics which could give away certain plot points of the TV show.

This was written prior to tonight's episode

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

A quick recap of some of the major differences from the TV show and the comics leading up to the Prison & the town of Woodbury.

New Faces:  Daryl, Merle & T-Dogg did not exist in the comic, while arguably one of the favorites in the comic (Tyreese) does not exist in the TV show.   Daryl has been an excellent addition, I just hope he doesn’t meet the same fate that Tyreese met in the comics.

How Shane Died: While Carol shoots Shane in both the Comics and the show, I liked the comic version better where he shoots him while alive – not as a zombie).  Rick buries Shane in the comics and only later goes back to dig him up and shoot him when he realizes her will turn.

Dead or Alive:  There are several differences, but key characters Sophia and Dale died in the show & are alive during this story line in the comics.

Cool or Not Cool:  On the show, Andrea's kind of annoying but in the comics she's pretty cool.  Carol, if she lived past last week's episode is kind of worthless.  In the comics she is still worthless, but crazy (makes out with a zombie, hooks up with Tyrese, attempts to hook up with Lori as well as ask Lori and Rick if they want a 3-some type of marriage, attempts suicide, then does let a zombie eat her on purpose...yep crazy.

Entering the Prison: In the show, everyone attempts to escape the farm and end up at the Prison (except for Andrea who meets up with Michonne in the woods).  In the comics, Hershel kicked Rick and crew off of the farm who end up at the prison (except for Glenn who stays with Maggie).  Rick later invites Hershel and his group to join them since it is more secure and they accept.

NOW THAT WE ARE HERE, WHAT’s DIFFERENT SO FAR?

We all saw Rick & crew take the prison and meet up with the prisoners.  In the comics, there was no early confrontation with the prisoner's and rather, the prisoners are allowed into the group, some seeming more dangerous than others.

Tomas vs Thomas: In the show, Tomas was the leader who got up close and personal with Rick’s Machete.  In the comic, Thomas (see what they did there) was a supposedly normal con who ended up decapitating two of Hershel’s twin daughters.  He also attempted to do the same to Andrea (ended up slicing up her face).  Rick savagely beat him and wanted to hang him in the prison yard but the others were against it.  Ultimately one of the women sympathized with him and tried to break him out of the prison – and he tried to kill her too.  Maggie ended up shooting Thomas dead and Hershel had his body thrown out to the Zombies.

Axl: In the show he is the rather shy prisoner who is still alive.  In the comic he is a big biker dude in for armed robbery who becomes a big asset to the team…although he doesn’t make it – another casualty of the Governor.

Meeting the Governor (And The Town of Woodbury).  In the show, Michonne and Andrea are on there own and come across the the Governor at a Helicopter crash. In the comics, Rick, Michonne (who meets the crew at the Prison after saving Otis (yet, he is still alive in the comic, although he is more of a redneck) and Glenn investigates, the crash and finds Woodbury.  The Governor had captured the helicopter people and fed them to the zombies to keep them at bay.  At the end, a guy from town seemingly helps them escape (it was a set up so the Governor could find the prison).

Lori’s Death:  In the comics, Lori gives birth to a baby girl (delivered by a 2 legged Hershel).  However, the Governor invades the prison in a takeover attempt (he convinces the townspeople that Rick and crew are the “bad” guys), and the survivors need to make a run for it.  The governor orders one of his people to kill both Lori and the girl in the escape.  She does but realizes it was wrong and shoots the Governor.  Rick and Carl have to continue on alone.  You all know what happened on the show.

STILL TO COME?

If the show continues to bring in most of the comic story lines, below are a few that I am most looking forward to.

Let’s Give Rick a Hand:  It’s early in the TV show, but in the comic, the first meeting between Rick and Governor ended with the Gov cutting off Rick’s hand.

The Governor and Michonne:  The comics did an almost too good of a job setting up how Evil the Governor was.  After he cuts off Rick’s hand, Michonne attacks the Governor.  The Governor then captures Michonne and tortures her relentlessly for days (while forcing Glenn to listen).  It was so disturbing and graphic I cringed and had to turn away from the comic.  The author calls out that there are two types of people who will survive in this world and he wanted to show how cruel and evil the Governor could be.  I honestly hope they do not go to these lengths in the TV show.  On the plus side, Michonne gets her revenge which was extremely satisfying (although she doesn’t kill him).

Zombie Thunderdome: In an effort to entertain the townspeople of Woodbury, the Governor creates a sort of Thunderdome where two people fight each other with Zombies tied up around them in a circle.  While I thought it was a pretty cool visual, I am not sure why the seemingly normal townspeople didn’t find it a little odd.

Head's Up Tyreese:  In an attempt to get Rick to open the prison gates, he captures Tyreese and cuts off his head in front of the prison survivors.  Hopefully this is not Daryl’s end since he has become the second in command it seems (much like Tyreese was in the comics).

A Penny For Your Thoughts:  In the comic, the Governor’s Niece Penny is a zombie.  He ties her up in his apartment and feeds her body parts from various people he captured or townspeople to keep her alive.

I love that the show, for the most part, is true to the comics.  It also allows itself to create its own characters and stories.  Both are fantastic and I look forward to seeing how the show honors the comics while also creating its own characters and stories.

Post episode thoughts:

I see both Penny and the Zombie Thunderdome was included (hell yeah!).  As far as the phone call at the end of the episode...that was something that occurred in the comics a little later on post the Prison & Woodbury storyline.  But if it holds true...Say hello to Lori...sort of!

Advice To My Daughter

• There is nothing you can’t do
• Have confidence
• Dream big
• Never try to make someone like you. They will or they won’t
• Don’t hide your intelligence
• Respect yourself or no one else will
• Be nice
• Kiss a lot of toads to find your prince (only kiss!)
• Don’t second guess yourself
• You’re body, you’re decision
• Don't judge
• Re-define what it means to "throw like a girl"
• You never have to prove anything to anyone
• Like yourself
• Talk to me
• He is the lucky one
• Learn how to change a tire
• Just because I will never think anyone is good enough for you, doesn’t mean you should also think that
• Let him down easy
• Look out for your brothers
• Go easy on your mother
• Break stereotypes
• Be happy
• Be yourself
• Have no regrets

And remember, no matter what, you will always, ALWAYS, be my little girl

Advice To My Boys

• Give more than you take
• Kindness is not weakness
• Trust few, but trust completely
• The right thing and the easy thing are seldom the same thing
• Choose role models carefully
• Dance
• Don’t hold grudges
• Look people in the eyes
• Be nice, even if other’s are not
• Give credit, take accountability
• Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
• When all else fails, trust your gut
• Love your mother
• Protect your sister
• Be there for each other
• Question authority, just do it respectfully
• Extend olive branches
• Do what YOU want to do, not what others want you to do
• Don’t be a bully
• Stick up for yourself
• Try new things
• See other’s perspectives
• Don’t settle
• Call home
• Have faith

“I may not love you for the rest of your life, but I will love you for the rest of mine.”

This One Time... How Movie's Have Impacted My Life

Thanks to movies…

1.  Not only can animals talk, but they are probably making fun of me right now.  Yeah, screw you right back squirrel! (Dr. Doolittle / Zookeeper / Every Animated Movie ever)

2.  When I drive through a tunnel and get to the center, I always look for doors and a way to get higher than the water that will inevitably come gushing through when the tunnel collapses (Daylight)

3.  I think that all prostitutes have a heart of gold (Pretty Woman / Milk Money)

4.  I am always on the lookout for wooded areas where I can take drive away as soon as the Russians parachute in (we know they will). I also start inventorying the things that I will need to “borrow” from the local gas station to get me through the winter. (Red Dawn)

5.  When I see above ground electric poles on an open field, I stop and wait for the monsters that will come and eat them away like a deranged Pac-man (Langoliers)

6.  Every time I hear the song…

a.  Cruel Summer by Bananarama – I think of Ralph Machio playing soccer (Karate Kid)

b.  Poker Face by Lady Gaga – I think of a dancing half goat half boy in a casino (Percy Jackson)

c.  I’m Alright by Kenny Loggins – I think of a dancing gopher (Caddyshack)

7.  If I go 1 on 1 with someone in any contest, I use a fake Russian accent and say…. “I must break you”.  Of course, I guess that is better than going to the hospital and looking in on people and saying “If he dies…he dies” in the same accent. (Rocky IV)

8.  Any pitch that is remotely out of the strike zone is met with a resounding “Just a bit outside” in my best Bob Uecker imitation (Major League)

9.  Whenever I am on a boat, in any weather, I yell…”Iceberg…right ahead!” (Titanic)

10. I grew up thinking the fastest way to a girls heart was to raise my boom box above my head and play “In your eyes” (Say Anything)

11. Anytime I reference a large amount of money, I automatically say 1 billion dollars and put my pinky in my mouth.  (Austin Powers)

12. I tried to befriend my old eccentric neighbor thinking he may have a time machine made out of a Delorean in his garage.  Nope, he was just weird.  (Back to the Future)

13. I wonder why the president just doesn’t come out and say that he knows about Area 51 and the upcoming alien invasion (or asteroid heading towards Earth) but that it is OK because Will Smith (or Bruce Willis) is on the case (Independence Day / Armageddon)

14. I think every archeologist carries a bullwhip (Raiders of the Lost Arc)

15. Anytime I have a cold I just assume it is some sort of Zombie Virus (Dawn of the Dead / 28 Days Later)

16.Every time I hear “This one time…” I follow up with…Yeah you know the rest

Pop Culture's Impact on Our Kids: Past & Present

For some reason I was sitting here thinking, has pop culture changed because kids and society have changed…or have kids and society changed because pop culture has changed.  Let’s take a look at how certain aspects of pop culture are different now as compared to when I grew up…and you can be the judge.

Teen dilemma in a TV Show

·         Then: “Mom always said, don’t play ball in the house” – Brady Bunch

·         Now: Freshman Amy, juggles being a young parent while entering High School as a Freshman  – The Secret Life of The American Teenage

Message in Rap Lyrics

·         Then: “Superman looked up at me and said I rocked so naturally” – Newcleus

·     Now: “@!#$ the FBI and @!#$ all the Army Troops..." - Soulja Boy

Video Game Villain

·         Then: Donkey Kong

·         Now: Nazis

Celebrity trying to be a singer

·         Then: Eddie Murphy “Party All The Time”

·         Now: Paris Hilton or maybe Kim Kardashian – Oh wait, I said celebrity

Risque’ Poster

·         Then: Farrah Faucet in full one piece bathing suit sitting down

·         Now: Megan Fox dressed in, well nothing but her Megan Foxiness

Time for the news

·         Then: 5 o'clock news stations reporting…well, actual news

·         Now: 24/7 opinion stations that report, I am not exactly sure – but they are loud when they do it

Reality Television

·         Then: The same 5 o’clock news channel

·         Now: “Who’s my Daddy?” A show where an adoptive woman tries to guess who her daddy is as 20 men pretend to care about her and convince her that they are her dad to win $100K

Movie Sequel

·         Then: The Empire Strikes Back

·         Now: That one with the sparkly vampire

Young girls “rebellious” clothing

·         Then: The Jennifer Beals' Flash Dance off the shoulder sweatshirt and leg warmers

·         Now: Short skirts with thongs (short skirts optional)

Four letter greeting

·         Then: “Word”

·         Now: “YOLO”

College Coach’s Bad Decision

·         Then: Indiana coach Bobby Knight throws a chair on the basketball court

·         Now: Penn State coaches throw away their humanity

The Bachelorette Finale: Thoughts From A Reluctant Viewer

But I don’t want to watch the Bachelor Finale. OK Fine.  Wait, what, 3 Hours?  Crap, lets open up some wine.

OK, so yes, I have been coerced into watching the finale and I haven’t watched a single episode of the Bachelorette this season.  But let me take some guesses as to what happens:

• Emily doesn’t know who to choose, say’s she loves two guys and she breaks down once every 13.3 minutes of airtime 
• Chris Harrison will say, “Coming up on the most shocking bachelorette finale ever” 
• Someone will say they “have fallen for” someone else and didn’t believe it could happen but it did 
• Someone’s dignity will go poof (with odds are that this will include every person who gets camera time) 
• I will say “Oh God. So Lame. This is Stupid” each about 57 times during the 3 hour show 

Well, let’s see what happens, onto the show: 

• “This is the most anticipated television event of the summer”. Well Chris Harrison, maybe you didn’t realize that NBC was going to air a “What’s Happening Re-union” hosted by Dee, the obnoxious sister

Bachelor #1 Meets The Parents:

• Holy crap, did Emily’s Mom eat a Turtle or is that an Adam’s Apple
• Was bachelor #1 part of Flock of Seagulls? What’s with the hair?
• Maybe he is Parker Lewis from Parker Lewis Can’t lose (bonus points for ANYONE who gets that reference)
• Oh he has a trust fund? Now I get it.
• Seagulls is asking Emily’s dad for his blessing if he proposes: “I’m an old fashioned guy so I….” Wait stop right there.  I don’t recall Cary Grant going into a hot-tub with 20 other guys on a reality show before sweeping Ginger Rogers off her feet
• Oh his name is Jeff? Yeah, we will continue to go with “Seagulls”…

Bachelor #2 Is Up

• As a present, #2 (Ari) gives away all the roses he got on the show to the parents.  Mom says “Wow to give something away that is so precious to him”.  Look Mom, if he doesn’t “win”, those roses are really not going to be that special to him…unless he could sell them on Ebay.
• Asks dad for permission to marry his daughter.  Dad, apparently giving out permissions like a pamphlet on the corner of a NYC street sale, grants said permission to 2^nd guy in about 4 hours

The Parents & Emily debrief

• Emily to her parents “So, what did you think?”  For once, I would like a father to say “You know what I think.  I think they both suck and you are an idiot for going on this show not once, but twice and thinking that you can find a lasting relationship.  But love ya honey”
• Emily “I’m not 100 percent sure I should get engaged at the end of this”.  Really? What tipped you off? That you’re a single mom and you don’t want your kid to meet any of the guys?  That you spent a cumulative of 4 hours all season with each person on dates you can never afford? That the one guy still looks like he is from the Flock of Seagulls?

The Last Dates

• It may be my age, but every time I hear Emily refer to her daughter as “Little Ricky” I can only think of I Love Lucy and little Ricky Ricardo
•  “I wasn’t planning on introducing my daughter to anyone this time”…Yet, surprise, surprise, here she is.  I mean god Emily, it’s not like you’re talking about a tattoo of New Kids on the Block  you got when you were drunk in college.  And, how can you plan on getting engaged at the end of the show but not want to introduce your daughter to the final 2 guys?  Now I know why I didn’t watch this season.
• Meeting Little Ricky
• Emily “If Ricky doesn’t like him it will change my relationship with him”.  If I were that kid, I would pull the guy aside and say “Look dude, an XBOX 360 gets you a hug & if you throw in a flat screen I will call you daddy and give you a kiss”
• You know ABC is counting down the days until this little Ricky chick is old enough to do her own reality dating show.
• Yep, spending 1 hour with the kid swimming in the pool is “just like being a dad”.  Nooooo, you’re not naïve or anything Seagulls, it’s all we dad’s do day in and day out.

The Decision

• Yeah, it is just as bad as Lebron’s…well maybe not that bad.  Sorry Lebron.
• Emily schedules a special meeting with Chris Harrison “Yeah, I don’t know what to do and who I should pick”.  Yeah, the guy who also hosts “Mall Masters” on the Game Show Network should have all the answers.
• So Ari makes a love potion for Emily.  Not sure if you know this Ari, but you have to slaughter a live chicken first.  Maybe next time.
• Jeff went to go see Vera Wang to pick out the ring.  “Hold on, what is that honey? “.  I stand corrected; Evidently, Jeff went to see Neil Lang to pick out the ring.
• My wife’s advice – “Just pick the biggest ring – It's not like you’re not paying for it”
• Emily “I don’t know if I want to get engaged.  I don’t want to be the girl who gets engaged 15 times. “Um how about you stop going on this stupid show then?
• Wow, that kiss between Jeff & Emily means that either he really doesn’t like girls or Emily reminds him of his sister.

The Aftermath

• So I guess Ashley & J.P. replace Ali & whoever as the example of how successful the show is at forming lasting relationships since everyone else has broken up.
• I’m sorry, did I miss it?  Where was the shocking part of this finale? Then again, the only way for the hype to have been met would have been for Loki to come swopping in, destroy the set and for Katniss Everdeen to shoot him between the eyes (Yes, I mixed in a couple of things there, but they did say most shocking finale ever!)
• Bachelor Pad premiers tomorrow.  Break out the Purell!

Things I didn't know I signed up for when I become a parent

1. I would never have privacy in the bathroom... Ever again
2. Negotiating business deals is nothing compared to negotiating which cartoon my 3 toddlers will watch
3. There actually is a place called "At Wits End" and I'd visit there…A LOT. (It's close to "Up To Here")

4. I would have to watch every single thing my toddler does and respond like they just mapped a genome.
     o Kid: “Daddy, watch this”
     o Kid: “Daddy you’re not watching”
     o Kid: “OK Daddy, now watch me”
     o *kid flaps arms*
     o Me:”Awesome!”
5. I would have to be an encyclopedia of knowledge and explain everything ever created in world. “Daddy, what’s this? Daddy, what’s that? Daddy, what’s this?...”
6. An appropriate dinner can be gummy bears, a banana, a frozen waffle and an ice pop
7. Burying my head in a pile of pillows can be an acceptable form of dealing with my kids arguments
8. Three of my most dreaded words would be “Some assembly required”
9. I would need to navigate my home like it was a mine field ·
10. I would be manipulated so easily.
     o “Daddy, you are so handsome, I love you so much. Can I have an icepop?”
     o “Of course you can sweetie”
11. My choice of words would be forever changed. Case in point. As I am stepping out of a meeting at work I announce to everyone “Excuse me, I have to go potty”
12. I'd get my own personal “play by play” announcers. “Daddy’s brushing his teeth. Daddy is sleeping. Daddy is getting dressed.”
13. I'd become a doctor and that kissing a “boo-boo” actually does make it better
14. I'd wake up some days and immediately start counting hours to my kids bedtime
15. I’d find out that there is a sound worse than fingernails on chalkboard and it’s called whining
16. That I would need to protect myself like MMA fighter when playing with my kids.
17. I would be able to read the future: For example, here is a recent conversation with my son:
     o Me: “No”
     o Me: “I said no”
     o Me: “Buddy don't do it”
     o Me: “Look, we know how this'll turn out. You'll do it, I'll get mad, & you'll cry, so can we just skip it?"
     o *Son does it*
     o *Daddy gets mad*
     o *Son cries*
18. Not only would I watch cartoons, I would call out inconsistencies in them.
     o “Shouldn’t the Octonauts go through a depressurization chamber before going into the station?”
     o “Wait a second, how come the cow talks but the pig doesn’t?”
19. I would know what it is like to be bi-polar.
     o Me: “awww, I love these kids more than life itself”
     o *2 minutes pass*
     o Me: “STOP IT! GET OVER HERE! YOU’RE IN BIG TROUBLE. I SAID GET OVER HERE!!”
     o Awww I love them