Chewing the Fat with Jeff Fisher - Season 4 Episode 2: 'Another Day in the Diamond' - 4/23/18

Episode Date: April 23, 2018

My name is Jeff Fisher. Joining me on the cast is Brad Staggs, Jason Buttrill, andMaximus Fisher and THAT MAKES THIS ‘TALKING FEAR’. We discuss this episode and what the past meant and how it affects the future... We also make a couple of predictions that of course will come true. And we ask that you share in our music memory of 'Mama Tried' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 4, episode 2, titled Another Day in the Diamond. This is Jeff Fisher joining me on the cast. Is Brad Staggs, Jason Butchell, and Maximus Fisher. And that makes this talking fear. The thing I remember noise was a lonesome whistle blowing. And a young scream of growing up to ride. On a freight train leaving town, not knowing where I'm bound, the one to steer me right. but mama tried the one and only rebel child from a family making mile my mama seemed to know what lay in store

despite all my sunday learning toward the bad i kept on turning till mama couldn't hold me anymore and i turned 21 in prison during life without parole Tried to make I deny And he was only me to blame Because Mama Tried Okay, that's all the Merle I can take for right now. I want to thank Mama Tragile

I want to thank I want to thank Fear of the Walking Dead For putting Merle Haggard in my head All night long and all I dreamt about Mama Tried From 1968 For those of you'd like to hear the entire song You'll hear it at the end of the podcast

As we out I'll give you the entire song of Merle Haggard from 1968 Mama Tried Doing time. Turn 21. And sadly that was the best part of the show. Doing life without parole.

It was. It was. I had high hopes at that segment. I was like, dang, they're keeping up with the artsy feel of this, like a different look. I was into it.

At which point, I believe I asked if you were drunk. I like that. I like that day. And then I think you felt asleep because we never heard from time. I know. I know.

Well, yeah, I didn't get that comment because I was like, That was actually a good scene. A good segment. I saw you comment like maybe once or twice. We'll go through. I've got the drunk.

I was absent. I was absent. I know Maximus, well, he had a long weekend. It was tired. I would. Okay. Tired. But I look over there, I look over there after you, after Brad had set me the thing,

wake me up when something happens. And I laughed. I went, Okay. So welcome to fear, Max. It was, get used to nap time. That's not why I was. No, no, I just, I just said that.

You said a long weekend with quotation marks. Yeah, I just said that. You weren't tired. Easy. Take it easy. It's okay. Yes, I was exhausted. You know, I know.

It's okay. Somebody has to get out there and slay the bear and Max has been doing. It's okay. We appreciate you being out there all weekend. It's okay. Hey. Yeah. It gets worse, Max.

The whole before, the whole after. I mean, I guess we had to have the before to try to tell us that's where they've been. I knew that. And to jump the timeline, but I didn't think we had to go through the hole before. I knew that's where they were going to go. But I just didn't think they were going to spend that long explaining it. Like the whole episode. Right.

And then, like, what happened? Let's just point out the obvious here. So they said it had been, what, 365 days because they made that announcement. Yeah, it's been in a full year. They've been in that ballpark. That's the time jump. But what happened to Proctor John? And that was actually kind of a cool storyline.

Yeah. I like those guys. I did too. He's an actual good villain. Yes, he was a great bad guy in the wheelchair that they gave back surgery to. And that's why they were coming to Houston. All of that gone. All of that gone.

History. We just disappeared from that. Why? I don't know. I was hoping for. that. I was too. I thought that that was going to be his thing. The stadium was going to be his thing or whatever.

By saying, okay, I'm trying to remember. So Nick blew up the dam. But that wasn't, that wasn't the, was that the druggie? I guess it was. It was. It was with Proctor, wasn't it? Yeah. It was the fight between Proctor and the other one. I'm confused. I know you are.

So there's where this is a good time for you to be silent. And learn. And learn. And so, Madison and Homegirl, her daughter. Alicia. So they were down in the, what, like in the lake or whatever.

Yeah, they were in the boat. We watched them wash up on shore with some people, right? So they all got separated. So how did they get back together? That's not important. Because Madison got them back together. She said so. It's kind of a big plot line, right?

Like you'd want to talk about how that happened. Why? You're such a hater. And so we bypass all that, and we get to Diamond. We get to the stadium. And we apparently have been listening to talking Walking Dead and realized that a traitor would have been a good call inside of Alexandria. So, hey, you know what?

Let's do that on fear. So they brought out the trader. Which is exactly what I think. Little girl, trade. I thought Enid. That's exactly what I said that. A lot of things. There's your traitor.

Yep. I got about three or four tweets from people going, there's your traitor. Long time listener, Bacon Dad was calling that out on Twitter yesterday. And there were several that were, you know, we're also saying that they're listening.

You're darn right there. Damn street. I, thank you. Now, they'll probably stop listening to this particular podcast as we focus on fear because it's not going to be the positive as they want as they'd prefer because we were pretty, We're pretty positive on walking dead, even though a lot is negative.

But overall, this is negative trying to find the positive. It's tough love is what it is. We're... We're all, I think... We're in agreement, right, that the premiere was actually pretty good. Oh, yeah. Yeah, the premiere was great. Because the premiere was with Lenny.

And all new characters. Except for the end. Right. When they were getting robbed from the old characters. Now, this was in actual... This episode was in complete reversal. It was the old characters with the new characters at the very end, and it sucked. Right.

Now, take a clue there. Right. What is the, yeah, what's the theme there? I was rooting for the people in the RVs. I wanted the people in the RVs to win. When they pulled them in the parking lot, I thought maybe he'll kill everybody. It's going to happen. Go, it's bad.

Now, don't meet. No, don't worry about the tailgating. Just fight. Yeah, just fight. Well, we found out there, of the guys who've been putting up the flags. Yeah, we got that and there were the traveling circus show.

And he's got the little girl that goes in. We found her she's pretty good at it. Yeah. Now, are they stealing a plot line from Walking Dead that they just have not revealed yet? I think so. I think so, too. Because they also stole another plot line in this show. The weevils? Destroying the food?

Yes, from the prison. Yeah. From the kingdom. Oh, did they have that problem at the kingdom? Yeah, don't you remember? No, I don't. So don't talk down to me. I nicknamed him a night. I forgot his name. I have to rewatch the episode.

But I kind of, their leader, I kind of nicknamed Mel. Oh, okay, thank you. You're welcome. Mel, I nicknamed him less brutal Negan. Yeah, no kidding. What? You can't even put those two names together. Less brutal.

Anyway. Well, is less brutal, Negan. He's less charismatic. There's nothing. He's intimidated. Unless he is Maddox. I think he is. I thought he was,

and this was probably because I was already about four or five shots deep in at this point, but I couldn't tell if he was a new character, or if he was the older brother, but the older brother died, I guess. I didn't know I wasn't the only one drinking. Who's the older brother? Remember from the last season, the crazy son of, you know, what's his name? Oh, that's right, yeah.

Yeah, remember the one who got, forked in the eye? Right, right, right. Right. From the ranch, yeah. I forgot he died. So I was like, is that him? Did he come back? That's right.

He did die. But this guy looked like a frat boy, pretty boy that like got a group of guys to get in RVs. But he was ruling the group, though. I mean, he was ruling the group and he was ruling the, he had the girl in the palm of his hand, the traitor. I mean, he's the guy that's the ruler. That's what makes me think that while we technically can't, they didn't show us anything Neegan like from him, it did appear like he was headed in that direction. Now, was this an episode that Greg Nicotero led?

Was this his episode? Was this one of the first ones he's done? Or is he now going? I talked to Greg a couple days ago. And we were just talking about stuff. We really talked about this episode. Sorry, I don't know if he actually did that. Stuff like that.

I mean, the makeup was really good on this episode. Yeah, about his dogs. It's funny. When he comes over in my house, he just wants to swim. That's weird. Well, I can understand the feeling. The feeling of mutual. The,

I thought Nicotero's name was up on the screen. Yeah, it was, but does that mean that I think his name was up on the screen again, so. But Giphol brought over, though, right? I mean, if Giphol was the man, this is his deal, right? I thought so, yes. But if this is his deal, then he's... Wow.

I like the, I like the Vulture concept. Like, that's kind of cool, like the blockade, you know, these different settlements. How much are they paying you? No, but... Let me continue. I like the concept. The concept was good.

Of the Voltures is cool. But after spending all this money on freaking Dharma from Dharma and Greg, what's his name? All the other characters are. Eric Della Hunt, who was in a bunch of different things, including Deadwood. Right. And then all these people. And then you cast this guy, the most non-unintimidating guy I've ever seen as a villain. So I'd probably know the answer to this already.

But from when we first got introduced. to these guys, and when we first got introduced to the Saviors, who's better? The vultures are the Saviors. I probably know the answer to this already. Come on. Oh, well, obviously. It's not even a contest.

I mean, these guys look like the good Sam RV. And I didn't understand the... Agreed. So the girl, the traitor, is so good. And they go, of course, that shows the dingleberryness of Madison that the traitor allows her to go and look for, a family member that she knows is already dead and Madison falls in the oil

well in the oil tank rescuing this lady that's full of sludge walkers that was a good scene I actually like that scene. I mean this I guess the scene itself was okay but the whole thing around it was foolish. Yeah made no sense why would you jump into that thing

after somebody who had just had a gun in your nose? It just had a gun in a face and when she falls man you'd yeah you'd look sorry I don't want to I'm not to quote Richard Pryor, but I will for just a moment. They'll look like you're going to make it. Exactly.

You go, ha! You would not jump down in there to risk your life for him. I mean, that's the Richard Pryor thing where you don't see, death will seep into your loan. You're going to make it unless you get somebody who wiped that crap off your mouth. You know, I always think about the smell in those things, because that, first of all, it had to smell like oil mixed with dead people. It had to, I mean, ugh. Yeah, putrid.

Yes. I mean, how can you even get near that without throwing up? How come more people don't throw up on that show? That's true, especially when they're spreading it all over their bodies. Wait, it was, they were oil tanks? Yeah, they were big oil tanks. I thought they were big water tanks and the black was from the goop from the walkers. I think that was one of those.

I think that was sludge because we're in Texas, so those were oil. Those were leftover oil tugs. The impression I got. Because that's what the, Mel, yeah, said that the valve. The flange valve The flange valve The Fennartner got stuck Oh right, yeah

I tried to tell him Don't mess with that Panortner it will get stuck That's what happened Yeah They just happened to burn Pff And then why wouldn't it have a wood roof

On the tank? It didn't It was rusted metal Is that what it was? Okay I'm sorry I was in a drunken stupor And half asleep I know I haven't written a DIY book

But you know I can tell the difference Which we would have meddle. Like I said, I'm claiming drunkenness and I was asleep. And then, of course, at the end, right, when we talk about the reverse where we're after or now, that's when it got good again. Yeah. Yep. So we have Morgan, we see Morgan, John, and Al on their knees, basically being patted down.

Yeah, but at the end, they go to take away, right? Because they're going to go show them where they found the flag. Yeah. So they're on some hell-bent mission for the flag. What? Okay, my question is... She wants to catch up with Mel, right? Mel waited him out, blew him up, whatever. She's trying to backtrack to Mel with the flags, right?

So she can kill them. Is that the plan? Get her stuff back? Either that or she's part of them. What, Al? No, not Al. I'm talking about Madison. Oh. Madison's trying.

That's why they were concerned when she came out. I had this flag. All right, so we're going, so now. But we guys actually were drunk when you were watching this last night. It's hard to follow this timelines. But now, next week, they'll be on the, so they've lost the state. This is unacceptable. I expect sober.

I'm the only one allowed to be sober because I'm not allowed to drink. Yeah, and some of the people are not going to be. No, but what I was getting as right now, we don't know if Al. is... No, we don't. Legit or not. She could be part of this group. Yeah.

And remember in the premiere, remember that group of guys? They knew her. Yes, they did. We never really explored that. They were like, oh, crap, it's home girl with their machine guns. You got your hand down the trigger? Love her.

So they had already seen that in action. And she knows that entire area. She's like, oh, there's usually people not in this area. And she has a gas station? Well, didn't they... Yeah, she definitely has a gas station. I've never seen so many gas-guzzling vehicles in the Apocalypse.

Boy, no kidding. Okay, so let's call it. So Al is probably the girlfriend of Mel. Of Mel? Mel and Al. Certainly sounds feasible. Yes. One thing, too, that those guys...

Those guys who captured Morgan and John first, and then Mel showed... No, not Mel, Al showed up. They did say, hey, you usually don't drive at night. So she's not a night driver. So they definitely know her. Yeah, they knew her. They knew who she was. You're not in this neck of the woods at night.

And the dominant force there are these 12ers, right? Vultures, I think they're... So have they lost the stadium now? I think they have, right? That was short-shooted the stadium. That was the point, right? Because Mel said, I'll wait you out. Okay.

So, all right. But it makes as much sense than anything else. They're going to show up with... And he knew exactly how many weapons they had, exactly how much ammunition they had. He knew about the, you know, the bull weevils, and whatever the heck, grubs that were eating the turnips. I mean, he knew about it all, because that little girl,

and remember when he came around the corner, she was talking to him? Right. And what are you doing? Nothing. And so he thought she was trying to talk to the group that was going out to look for her family. Right, right, right. Yeah.

She was really talking to Mel. To Mel. Right. Yeah, but that's, That's a good call. She's definitely with Mel, right? Because she's, as soon as the flag, that's not ours. She said, that's not mine.

Yeah, I don't know. I won't go as far as say definitely, but that's a very strong possibility. It's a possibility. I mean, because they've all got, look, the whole thing is, the whole thing is a traveling circus, man, with gas-guzzling vehicles. And the music and the- Yeah, that was a good. I have to, I love the bike scene. I'm not denying that at all.

I love the bike scene with the circus music. It was funny. Somebody should just shot him in the head. Well, that's what they should do. If you're in the stadium and this group rolls up into your parking lot for a tailgate party that wasn't called for. And he's taking all this time to stop his truck and get out of his truck and get his bicycle and his little radio. You know what stops that? A bullet in the head.

Yeah, pretty much. Well, I mean, it kind of helps everybody's attention. It helped with the walkers. I guess. Well, you notice they loaded up all the walkers. He opens the back of the truck. He pulls the ramp out of the back of the truck, walks all the walkers up into the truck,

and then shuts the door. How's he going to get the ramp back in the truck? He doesn't need to, man. And he didn't. Didn't you notice when they walked out? The ramp was still out? Yeah, that's what Brad was saying. I'm saying.

So how are you going to do what are going to do the truck? A lot of those trucks are made so the ramp won't close when the door is down. Perhaps he's, you know, he readjusted. These are the things that I noticed. I have no recollection at all of this scene. that you're talking about right now. So really what Mel pulled up?

Wow. This is when he first pulled up to the parking lot. Yeah. Okay. And he's like setting up his little stadium seat and everything and his cooler.

And then this one guy I don't have at that point, I guess. The cloud boy, the cloud boy that will draw, paints the numbers gets out of his truck and gets his little bicycle

and his radio and rides around with the ride and the music. And he goes up to the truck. And then the trailer and he didn't put the ramp and then yeah. All right, this drinking on the job,

this drinking on the job has got to stop. Wow. Obviously, I know exactly what you're talking about. And let's talk about Nick for a second. The guy who was walking up marks the walkers. Mr. heroin walking with goo everywhere. Walking in the midst of her. Now he's having PTSD where he goes into a pole in the middle of the parking lot.

I'm so tired of this guy. Jason, I'm sorry. What happened was Nick wanted to leave the stadium? He wanted to go find his mom. And he's gotten a truck, and the girl opened up the gate, but then he started having flashbacks. I don't know if you were awake. Oh, no, yeah.

I'm just trying to help you out with the scene. But let me tell you my issue here. I don't know anything about Nick. And then when he said that he walks among the walkers, I was like, immediately thought it whispers. Just that was my immediate thought. He would, yeah, actually, that's probably where they got the idea for him walking amongst the walkers. Yeah, because that's what he loves to do.

Uh-huh. That's what he did. Let me tell you my issue with Nick. Okay, because I don't know if you guys know this, but I'm a writer. And you don't write a character. We're not aware of that. I'm not aware of them. Did you get a new job?

Anyway, I just do that in there for you guys. Did you take an online course of writing? That was the Easter egg for the podcast. Anyway, you don't write a character like this. You don't write a character that's constantly got issues to where you can never like the guy. Like you have him to where he's completely damaged in the beginning as a complete junkie. Then you have him take a couple steps. forward. Then all of a sudden he's back in with doing drugs again on that island.

Yeah. Then it's always back in. He's looking, he's digging through the people's goods for their drugs. Right, right. And then all of a sudden he like, he has this huge like, a comeback, you know, and he's hooking up with that Miss Hotness, you know, at the Tijuana community. And you think he's all good. But then what happened at the end of the season? He's back doing weird Walker drugs. Yeah, they're smoking, they're smoking Walker brains or whatever. Yeah. So this character is completely. And now he's having PTSD flashbacks. I don't think he's all that unlikable though. I still like Nick.

I do too. I kind of like him too. I mean, I should say this. He's the only character that I want to like from the original fear people. He's the only one with any depth at least. No, no,

he's depth as far as low. I mean, he's way down the depth meter. I can't take her. Madison's the leader. The only older, old old, OG from fear is

Strand that I like. He's the only one that I would say actually has a real depth. And I like Strand and you're right. You're right. I like Strand. You're right. He's a complicated character. And one of the reasons that we like him though is because we know so much about him. Right? We first came into contact when he was in jail in L.A. Made it flashback. He had the watch and he already had a plan to get out of there.

You know, but Nick just happened to run into him. Remember? Is he still gay? Oh yeah. Oh yeah. He was flirt. That's what the guy. The guy said. They told him to go talk to the guy. Yeah.

He didn't want the guy to go out with them because he was, maybe it's the other way around, remember? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he was like, well, I don't think, because I don't think that guy is gay. No, the way he responded to, what's her face when she told him it might be the other way around, it didn't seem like he was gay. He responded like, oh, even if that wasn't the case or something, it was really weird. like it was like he wasn't gay

I was what she meant by that too and that's what I mean that she was making him you know he doesn't want you out there because he likes you right

he doesn't want you hurt I don't even you know I don't even care he's just like a he's just like a he's just like a complicated character yeah I don't like he just

he's the guy he's the guy he's the guy who brought in the syrup and has the beard right yeah the strand yes the black guy

he's a cool character yes from what I saw why did they get rid of Daniel I know I know He was the other character that actually I thought had real depth. Well, and they just, and remember we talked about this before, he was just getting to the point of us really grabbing onto him and making him the hero.

Yeah. And then they get rid of him again. Right. This is the second time he's gone away. Yes. Maybe he's difficult to work. And why is the Madison character so bad in this show? I don't know.

She's good in everything else she does. Madison is the leader. Yes, the mother. Okay. Yes. She's good in everything else she does. She was great in Deadwood. If I freaking hear about Deadwood one more time for you.

She was great in sons of anarchy. If I freaking hear about sons of anarchies. But she's not, it just doesn't work. Maybe it's the script and not the actor. The writing. You know, as a person that does a little scripting and writing. You're familiar with it a little bit. I can kind of come from that angle.

But basically the writers suck when it comes to. Well, we have a new showrunner. They've spent all kinds of money on it, and we expected so much more. Because of Gimple. The new characters were powerful. I love them. Oh, my gosh. Last week was so great.

Oh, my gosh. Yeah, so good. I keep forgetting this guy's name, but the other Deadwood character. Garrett Delahunt. Yeah, that guy. Who plays John Doree. Like the Fish, except I.E. Instead of Y.

That opening sequence, the wrong. writing on that was super. Oh, the opening sequence of that episode of the first episode of for that I can't talk. It was great. The season premiere was great. And by the way, speaking of sleeping,

I did. The Fear the Walking Dead did put a picture up on their Instagram account of him asleep obviously watching the episode last night. And I sent it. And what's the quote underneath? What's the quote of the tweet? It says, don't be like John Dory. Don't sleep through tonight's episode.

Yeah. Well, we tried. The Alicia characters sitting right next to the point and doing them. We tried, but we can't quite make it. I really want this show to work. I really do, too. I don't even know why I want it to work. I do too. But I want it to.

Well, the premiere is why I want it to work. Because it's got potential. Bob. But it's got potential with Bob. Got to get those characters. I got to get them in so they can overshadow the horrible other characters. I want someone to say, you look more like, just say someone says, oh, what's your name, Steve? Or, oh, what's your name, Bob?

and then he says Morgan, that'd be hilarious. That would. And that's going to happen. I predict it. I predict it. All right. So is that it? Can we kick it anymore?

I don't know. I think we, I can't. I mean, I can kick it a little bit more if you want. And yet we come back. I mean, I just, I don't know.

It'll be, I guess they're going to commit to what, the 13 or 16 episodes, but it could very well turn into a, long season. It's too close to call, though. I know. So let's get the new interesting characters mixed in with the old. So do you think it's going to be a long

wait until October or a fast wait? Yeah, well, right now, right now we have to hang our hopes on fear because that's where they spent the money. And the new, we don't even know where they're going to take Walking Dead yet because they said it's going to be all new.

So we may end up Whispers, we may end up praying that fear was back. By the time walking dead, it'll be a strange world. By the time Walking Dead rolls around and we start watching that, we may be saying, Madam, can we get fear back? You know, Madison wasn't so bad after all. Remember Mel, the Winnebago warrior?

We thought he sucked at first, and then he turned out to be really cool. It was the coolest Winnebago warrior ever. They used to do this traveling circus thing with the flags. It was so good. The frat boy that rounded up the meth community in the RV. Just so you're not alone. Thanks for listening to the podcast, Talking Fear. Just so you can join in on the fun.

Oh, you're not going to argue. So you can join in on the fun. Oh, boy. Here's a little Burl Haggard from 1968 and Baba Tried. Especially for all the mamas in the house. First thing I remember knowing was a lonesome whistle blowing. And the youngish dream of throwing up to ride. On a freight train leaving.

not knowing where I'm bound the one to steer me right but mama tried the one and the only rebel child from a family making mile my mama seemed to know what lay in store despite all my sunday learning toward the bad I kept on turning till mama couldn't hold me anymore and I turned 21 in prison during life with I You stir me right but mama tried Mama tried, Mama tried to make me better But her pleading I denied And leaves only me to blame what Mama tried