Chewing the Fat with Jeff Fisher - Season 9 Episode 8: ‘Evolution’ | 11/26/18

Episode Date: November 27, 2018

Jeff Fisher Along with Jason Buttrill and Maximus Fisher THAT MAKES THIS ‘TALKING WALKING DEAD’  IMDB: A small rescue mission braves a dangerous herd in their hunt for a missing comrade, only to discover a surprising threat that could doom them all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to Chewing the Fat on Demand. Season 9, episode 8 of the Walking Dead, midseason finale, entitled Evolution. This is Jeff Fisher, along with Jason Butchrell and Maximus Fisher, and that makes this talking Walking Dead. Okay, the IMDB description really doesn't do it justice. A small rescue mission braves a dangerous herd in their hunt for a missing comrade, only to discover a surprising threat that could soon doom them all. I mean, yes, that's what happened. But so much more to this episode.

It was really good. I really enjoyed it. This episode was amazing. This season has been amazing. I mean, I'm just totally shocked at the direction they've gone. It's like they've gone all out on just... Everything from the writing, the story, everything. A lot of people have said this, and I kind of agree with them.

Angela Kang, you have saved this show. Well, if we want to go that direction in the beginning, we can. She's saved the show for this season, but the numbers don't show it. Walking to AMC and Walking Dead don't seem to care because they're still banking on movies and other things with Rick and maybe even Jesus and some other characters that have passed us in the television series that could come back in the movies. so AMC and Walking Dead don't seem to care that the numbers have decreased, but they have decreased a lot. Really? I mean, that's, but there's still one and two as far as like Walking Dead One,

fear two for AMC's total, right? I think so. Well, the latest numbers were showing that they have dropped dramatically from, it was still a power show. They're still getting two to three million live. and then, you know, then you have the three-day wait period for those numbers. Yeah. So it's still strong, but instead of being seven or eight, now you're at two to four.

Wow, that's huge. And then before it was seven to eight, it was 10 or 14, right? I mean, at season six, season five and six, I think, for sure, we're way up there. Does that worry you for the movies? Do you think that that will make them take pause? It's too far? Yeah. Like it's such a drop or like we can't afford to...

I don't think so because I think the movies and the spinoff little mini series they're planning on doing are already in the works. Because you said that they're planning on making movies where all the characters who have died maybe could have been in them. I don't think that was it. I think it was Rick's getting the three movies after he left and the spinoff series could be about people who have already died. But if they're just barely in pre-production, I could see them scrapping him. And let's be clear, season 10 has not been re-upped yet. Oh, is it not? Wow.

I mean, is that common? They're doing pre-talks about what they're going to do for the season, but it's not AMC has not rubber-stamped that season yet. Dang. That's not good. That doesn't seem common. It seems like they've already re-upped it before we get to this point, you know, in the cycle. Yeah, I mean, if they, I would say that if we don't get word before the first of the year,

maybe before they launched the second half of this season in February. And by the way, I told you last week it would be after the Super Bowl. And yes, it's the week after the Super Bowl is the start of the last half of the season. And by the way, we talked about, I did a little bit of homework for you, Jason. A little bit of homework. It was just surprising, by the way. But I did a little homework for you because we talked last week about Game of Thrones in April. Yeah.

So if you look at the numbers, they don't have a launch date for Fear yet, season five. Okay. So if season nine starts February 10th, then they have, what, eight or nine episodes left, right? That takes them to the end of March. All right, that leaves April free for Game of Thrones. Of course. Game of Thrones is only six or seven episodes. Yeah.

All right, the final season, which then leaves you open for the beginning. of fear. The first of June. So, the first of June. So you're going to have the end of Walking Dead, Game of Thrones,

fear. That's hilarious. They're working around the nerd schedule. Absolutely working around the nerd schedule. 100%. So great.

100%. It was really good. That was fascinating. But I don't... Just one more quick point on this. I'm not surprised at all about the millions of viewers. that have dropped because you've got to think like

there's got to be I don't know how many millions of people read the Walking Dead comic books that are like very hardcore you know like don't want a straight like they're pissed you know like if you you were like okay I'm watching this because it's Walking Dead well now I mean you can hardly there's still a few plot lines but it's vastly

different yes so I mean I just it makes total sense on top of which they had and it makes sense because they made such a deal and I know that this is it's okay Max just relax for a little bit while I talk about this. It made such a big deal about, you know,

the lengthy seasons with Negan that everybody got tired of. Yeah. And instead of working their way through that, they just let it happen. And a lot of people went away because of that. And those people have not come back yet. Now, maybe when the word on the street

has been this first half of the season has been great. We get a big launch in February. They promote the heck out of it in the first of the year. you know, maybe you bring back a crowd. And part of that crowd also left because of the violence. People that work here, you know, did just stop, you know, some of our coworkers, so they stopped watching it because it just got too violent.

We don't have any control over the vaginas in the world. True. But once the, to your point, once the word gets out that it's maybe a little different, maybe those people come back. It's probably not going to be less violent. It's just different. Well, there's a difference between what they were showing. in season seven, specifically in season seven and the beginning of Negan,

and how, you know, you see the death. I'm going to break this to you if you haven't seen the episode. Jesus died. It was a great death scene, a powerful scene with the whispers. It was great. That whole scene was great. Oh, perfection. But his death, while violent, wasn't gory.

No, and we pointed this out. I think it was it was it last season or two seasons ago. Remember when Morgan killed that one douchey guy? Yeah, when he ripped out the guy's... Oh, when he killed the... He did it with his staff, I think. But the way they showed it was they didn't really show it. You know what I mean?

Like he took him out, but it was very, very... It was very PG-13, the way they did it. Right. And I remember us kind of making that point out of... Yeah, talking about how they've dropped that back. Scaling that back. And plus now that Angela is in charge with this season overseeing it all, I think this season's been great.

I mean, I've done a really good job. No doubt. Now, that haven't been said, you lost your number one guy. You lost your number one draw. And so, you know, that's a big chunk. That's a big chunk of the crowd, man. That's got to be her influence on like, like, just like, so good. We're just totally skipping ahead.

But the Jesus scene at the end was done so well. It sure was. It felt like a horror movie. It felt like one of those movies Like song movies where they're in the cemetery And the fog rolls in You know what I mean? Yeah

Just the way they did that Like I don't I can't Right now I cannot think of another show on TV That can do Then pull that off that well And that's saying something Because there's a lot of good stuff out there right now Because Jesus is still alive in the comics

Yeah Jesus is a big character Throughout the comics Which lends back to why the comic people are best But it was that whole That whole scene was amazing The whole buildup to the cemetery scene when they were,

when Daryl realized that the herd didn't come his way. That was an amazing scene with the dog. And he was like, what? Yeah. And they were all struggling with, I really love the struggle with the walkers are evolving.

Yeah. I love that struggle because what are you going to think? Yeah, that's what you think. As a viewer, we know, right? We know that, hey, that's the whispers. That's part of the deal. Right? We know that.

We're comic book people, people who know the show, know about the show, know that that's not real. But if you're living it, you're struggling with it. Totally. And the audience, it's not familiar with the whispers and just watching it. Right. Because that's actually like a pretty like popular plotline. And that's what Romero, like all of his, like that's where they end up.

Eventually the zombies are picking up guns and fighting and talking. Right. Because they evolve. Right. Because they're dead, but they're still alive inside. It's a plausible way. But then they ended up that. you know, going to the cemetery.

And I thought for sure we were going to lose Eugene. I wish we would have. I did too. I'm happy to lose Eugene over Jesus. I would have to. No question. Jesus was a bigger shock, though. Yeah, for sure. He's all cocky, doing everybody's Kung Fu fighting, you know, and I was hearing that, like,

song in the background. Well, you know, he was happy to do that. He said, in fact, he said he was kind of. Tom Payne, he actually did all those stunts. And he said, he's had other articles where he talked about being frustrated with his character on Walking Dead. You couldn't show it off. Yeah, they made him train and do all this stuff for the part,

and then they never used it. And he was all happy that, you know, he got to use all the stuff he trained for, but then the end. It's funny because Tom Paine, the actor who plays Jesus, he said on the show that comes on after, he said that if one day Angela called him and he missed the call, and he was talking with his girlfriend, and he was like, oh, maybe it was the call.

And then he called her back, and then he was like, it was the call. crap, it was the call. And just a side note for the show that comes after, those numbers have taken a little bit of hit, too, looking at the number. So the whole process has started to take a little hit with the numbers. How long has it been, eight years? Season nine. You're approaching that burnout.

I know you are. I know. That's why I think maybe we might have, and I said this before, I think we're going to have one more season. That's going to be it. I wouldn't I'm giving them season 10 I wouldn't be so they could wrap it

too disappointed if they turned it into like major feature films you know what I mean like I wouldn't that wouldn't bother me at all end it at 10 and just go to films

yeah yeah yeah that's a good idea and why not right that way you can have characters come and go and you're still okay you can have a full on like big Hollywood production

like trilogy you know what I mean something like that be cool I'm doing anyway with Rick he can't come back he died in movie one.

God. And then we have on our notes here in the beginning, we had Negan and Gabriel. That was really good. That was really good. And that was some good scenes in there. And one of my favorite, if you look at some of the tweets making the rounds last night, this guy here, Maximus, is a big fan like you of Negan at Suburban Ryan. So every time you come down here to change my bedpan with my shot,

something that was in my rear goes straight to your nostrils. I swear Negan is hilarious. That's totally something that like a fratboy would say, you know, like a college jock, you know, screwing somebody. That's hilarious. That's funny. You had to admit that one scene before where Negan was throwing the ball at the wall and like Gabriel was doing the whole prayer thing.

That was good. Gabriel just needs to die. I'm sorry. What is time out? What is wrong with Gabriel other than the fact he's with Rosita? And he was with Jadis. Boom.

Right. Boom. That's uh-uh. That's two times. You're out, buddy. And be careful. Edith's on the loose. Oh, who'd say?

Enid's on the loose. Because Edid, Ed is hooked up with the other guy. Dude. Ed. Enid's with the guy who was with the Savior's before and switched to Hilt up. She brought her A game on last episode. Yes, she did. She's like looking pretty good.

I know. It's funny how Henry was like, like, I'll try to get with her. Then you realize something. It was a six year time jump. So Enid's like 25 now. Wow, is that right? I guess that's right. Yeah.

Well, as another great tweet because of that, when we saw when Edid went back and kissed Homeboy and we all thought Henry was going to get a little Enid action. Oh, totally. A great tweet, Enid really did Carl like that? Okay. Okay.

That's funny. That's really funny. But yeah, if you think about the time jump, she's like 25. I know, and she's still working undercover as a snitch. I know, man. She's a long-term sleeper agent. A very long-term sleeper agent.

And now that Negan is back, again thanks to the preacher man yeah that was another great scene done great when he was throwing the ball and then the ball goes outside the cage and he realizes like the rest of us he didn't lock the door so so Gabriel did that yeah by accident he was in it he was he didn't lock the door I mean he didn't you know because that's we all realized the time when Gabriel got mad and left he didn't lock the door I didn't notice that I didn't notice neither until the ball went through the cage. Did you rewined it?

You kind of remember. I should rewind it. And then you actually hear a little creaking. I think that's what Niga got him because he was like, wait. And so, you know, so now that Negan's out, where he'll need Eid. Yeah. Whip up another of that tea or whatever. He's going to have to go back to the old team.

Have to go back to me. I'm getting the gang together. We're just, yeah, I'm waiting just to see if you're right or wrong. I'm right. totally right no question and if you are wrong i am waiting for that written apology you promised let's be clear i never promised written apology from me or written apology to the fans that you were wrong

you are sadly mistaken even if they don't pay it out we all know that that was the original intent in the script so we're still right most definitely was i agree with that as a writer you well as a writer i know these things and then we had and then we had We had that one guy riding through the main road into Hilltop. The riders are coming. And then they all went in. And then we see Michone, Sadiq, and Magnus Group come in. What is the deal with the Shown hate?

Yeah, let's talk about that a little bit. The hatred is, I don't know what happened. I don't know why it had to have something to do with the D sections. Maybe. With the X's on the back. Carol gave her that, I don't think so, girl. I know. gave her the shoulder turned around.

I was like, whoa, what was that? I know. And Mishon smiled at her, too, and she did that to her. I was like, holy crap. When they came to the hilltop, you know, the old school even treated like, what do you want? And what about Tara treating her like that? That's what I mean with Tara? And what's her face, too, the overweight security guard?

Yeah. Maggie's overweight security guard. The, she's growing up. So lighten up, all right. But I will say that another tweet, though, which I agree with this tweet, 100%. At Paradox 039, 0329. You can do better. I would be okay with an entire episode dedicated to what the F happened.

Yes. It probably will do that. I hope so. I bet they do. Because everything's happening. Even my show and said, I made choices that I knew wouldn't be easy. And we're like, what happened? Yeah, the world was.

No. In the past, in the past, although, you know, guys like, I don't know, somebody like that's in this room, what's his name? Oh, yeah, Jason. Had was upset with episodes dedicated to what happened to people in the past, building up to today. Sometimes they can be, they're okay. They can be fine, but I just, I got a bad taste in my mouth with the stupid, yeah, like the whole. Well, and that aside, this would be more of what happened to all of them, not just one person. after Rick died, because I think that's what kind of fell apart.

After Rick died, or died, everything fell apart. And Maggie, you know, even Michone, who's getting annoying, I really wouldn't have minded her being the whisperer kill, which would have been poetic since it was the giant sword. Anyway, the, Michelle was like, you know, we're all family, but, you know, Alexander is the only thing I care about. Is that what you said to Carol? Yeah.

Pretty much. Yeah. That's obviously not a quote, but that's what, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Hilltop is Hilltop. Sanctuary, sanctuary. Sanctuary doesn't exist anymore. Alexandria.

No, it's kingdom. Or kingdom, yeah, yeah, yeah. And because, again, even Carol crossed the border, right? After the cold shoulder and after all that, came back and said, you know, we're still family. And that's why we really need this fair. We need to be all together. Fair again. Keep mentioning that bad boy.

I know they want everybody to show up for that. I wonder if that's going to be the first. Nah, it won't. You think it'll be the first? The fair's got to be the buildup to the end, right? I guess. They all come together and. Wow.

So you think we'll have a whole another half of the season where they're still building up? Building up for the fair. Man. And fighting the whispers. Hmm. But when they first, we'll go back to Jesus's death there in the cemetery and they were struggling with the walkers are evolving. And they're, you know, starting to talk.

And Eugene's all. freaked out and he thinks that they're evolving, which was, you know, plausible. Then when they, after the Walker, whisperer killed Jesus and whispered in his ear, you know,

where you don't belong. You are where you do not belong. There you go. And the... So are all of the... I'm sorry, go ahead. I'll say this after you. No, I was just thinking.

that it was so great when they killed them because they were so pissed that they killed Jesus and then they see the mask you know there they see what the hell is that and they take the mask off the guy and then they realized it was really powerful how they how they did it but they realized that they're evolving these are just wacko humans I thought that was really cool yeah yeah um I saw I'm confused I have to ask max this is it it's not every single one of them is not a a walker, right? I'm sorry, a whisperer. Like some of them are, are they mixed in with other walkers?

Yes, they are mixed in with real walkers. They are. All right, so the vast majority of the people that they were like fighting at that point were just walkers. Yeah, the first wave was actually walkers. See, the problem with fighting that crowd, though, is you don't know which is which, right? Yeah. So you're killing walkers and like you saw where, you know, Jesus was, is fighting

walkers, but so he knows he kills this one and he's got this one stepping three steps a way that he's going to get back to, but that's a human, right? And that human speeds up or goes back around. That was cool when he, like, he did that dodge all of a sudden. Yeah, you're like, whoa. I know, it's fantastic. I watched some people watching it who aren't, who don't know about the Whispers in the comics, and then that scene where he swipes and then the, and then the walker ducks and then just

who goes behind it and stabbed. They're like, what the hell? I know, it was powerful. That was dope. And I watched how they filmed it in the cemetery with the smoke machines. Oh, really? Nighttime. And they all were saying how cool it was because it was just, I mean, it was so real.

Yeah. They all had a really great time filming it. Yeah. And then there was that, you have to admit, that was that cool scene in the beginning where we saw it in the trailers where Jesus, Aaron, and Daryl were like, have you ever seen them mill around like this? Right. And then right before the intro, we see them walking around. And there's that one walker who stops and then just turns. And I love the, you know, Eugene.

in the Heidi hole. Affirmative. And they're not the average term. They would buy her twice. Man, he took a 180. Like, they were showing him as like a total like bad A, you know, like before. You know, he was like taking people out with dual wielding knives and stuff. And now he's back to like the snibling.

He dislocated his knee. Yeah, he twisted his ankle, put a little baby. He dislocated his knee. Whatever. You're still, you're either a bad A or you're not a bad A. There's the person with knee problems. So he's clearly not. Thank you.

He was showing off Rosita. That's exactly what he was doing. He wanted a little Rosetta business. She had to breach a man, though. Bring that back up again. You had to preach a man. You have to admit, that was a pretty cool one, especially that one scene in the barn where

where Eugene said this wasn't a normal herd. Yeah, I mean, they're all freaked out, right? But at first you could tell Aaron, Jesus, and Daryl were like, what the hell? Are you crazy? And then the herd came back And Darrell was just like, there is no way That's the same herd.

Right, but obviously it was. And then he realized that when he was up on the roof Trying to make them come his way. And they started and then it was like, we've got to go back the other way. And Darrell's face, you have to have been, Norman Reedis played that scene perfectly because Darrell's face was just like,

What the heck is going on? Yeah, yeah, it was really good. Did Aaron lose his entire hand? I think he lost up to here, I think. Okay, so he actually is rocking like a football metal arm. Like Army of Dark, they ever seen Army of Darkness? No. Never saw that?

I love Army of Darkness. It's one of my favorites. You never saw it. Like, I don't know how many times. I can't count the times. How did you not see Army of Darkness? I don't know if I have or not actually. Well, in the movie, the character, they put on this like robotic, you know, like hand.

And it was just, yeah, that's what reminded me of. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, we talked about Game of Thrones last week. And that too, yeah, the Jamie Landister. I was actually watching some of the show that comes on after, and the actor who plays Aaron. He said when they were making up that hand, originally, apparently some of the original designs they had to scrap because it looked too much like the infinity gauntlet. That's funny. And he talks about also how they made it so that he could move his wrist.

Oh, they were going to do that. Because they didn't want him to, they wanted him to be able to, if he fell off a horse or something, be able to move his wrist. And he said that it was too unrealistic. It was too, he had to... Flappy. Yeah, it was just like, I wouldn't be able to do that. So, yeah, he purposely made them, like, make it so it looked like his ant. And he uses it, right?

He uses it as a weapon. It was cool. He saw him use it to bite the, let the Walker get him so he could kill it, right? I mean, that was a perfect weapon. I don't know what... They just don't have any kind of imagination, apparently, in this group, because I totally would have been, like, affixing some kind of, like, machete on that bad boy. They talked about that, actually.

Oh, did they really? They talked about it. the show that airs after. And they jokes around about it. He said they were joking around about putting chains on it and roping people too over seven. Welding like a chainsaw on that bad boy or something. That's what Merle had, right?

Oh, that's right. He had the big sword on the end, right? So, I mean, they have done it before. Yeah. So maybe they've never rehashed plot lines or anything like that on the show. Right. I thought it was interesting.

We have to talk about the young punk kids too For just a little bit Oh God Henry with the young With the other teenagers Well I don't I mean what really was the point of that I don't know except to say that maybe

Maybe they're trying to say this is the These are the future of Walking Dead You know we're better not be We're at you know we're growing with youngsters coming up Maybe I don't know I mean I was like yeah I was struggling to find the whole point. I was like maybe to just to show how he's different.

You know, he's not, you know, like. He's the new Carl, right? Yeah. I mean, he's definitely the new Carl. Everybody saw it. That's what they wanted to promote that he's the new Carl. That's why he jumped in the hole to kill the Walker. That's why he was drunk.

To come together. I know he was drunk, but it was still, he's the new Carl. He's, he apologizes to homeboy. He sits in the cell. They're going to take care of him, and he's going to be set again. and these other kids are going to say something to him and he's going to tell them to get bent. Yeah.

Right? And it'll be good. Because the girl, the girl is going to end up being on Henry's side because she didn't really necessarily like the whole. She was fine with getting drunk. It looked like she did. Like every female.

It didn't look like she liked the whole walker in the hole. No, she did not. You have to admit, that scene was weird. Even Henry being drunk, he was just like, what the heck? It didn't make any sense. And they wouldn't have these, the rest of the adults, I mean, I know every kid has their little hangout and everything in real life, but this is a new time. And they're still able to sneak out of the hilltop and have their little party. It reminded me there was a, there was a very similar scene in fear.

They did the same thing. There was like a group of them, remember went out and went out and went drink in. When they crawled down into that bunker. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Same thing. Yeah.

Same thing. Yep. Same exact thing. Same exact thing. Same exact thing. Drinking and the depravity with the Walker. Yes. Same crap.

Come on. Thank you. Just stop it. Stop. Stop it right now. And then, uh, all right. So we've got, uh, well, we gotta wait until February 10th, uh, for the mid-season premiere of season nine, which I, you know, if, if it's as good as this first half has been, it'll be great.

It will be great. I hope that it brings some numbers back. I hope that we can help bring some numbers back because it's worth watching, no question. Those of you that got bored and went away, come back. It's worth watching. You need to watch this season for sure. No question. You know, AMC's not paying me.

They could, however. My name is Jeff Fisher, and they could send me a check any time they wanted. I'm happy. I mean, I'll put it in the bank. But they don't. And it's well worth it, though. No question. If you're a fan, if you were a fan and you went away, it's worth it to come back.

And if you're like, we are, I mean, we were close to saying, we almost had enough. And this season really strengthened that. I'm glad we're still here. I was, I seriously debated, and you know this, that I was seriously debating not watching after the Rick episode. Yes. But they proved me wrong when they did the next episode. The next episode was like the Judith episode, and it was awesome. So we will be back with

We will be back with Talking Walking Dead In February Maybe we'll do an early one A pre-mid-season Premiere show And we'll be back for that Until then we're on the holiday break Do we have any

With Talking Walking Dead Do we have any what? Do you have any theories Any predictions By the end of this season They won't re-up season 10 And they'll all be dead Day.

How dare you? I'm being serious here. One thing is... Dead will be dead. Did you get... I know you did. Jason, did you see the preview to next episode or the next half of the season?

It looked good. We see Yves Moshone fighting, of course. Then we see Sadiq actually says something to Mishon. I'll tell you exactly. Sidique was talking Michon saying, what does it mean for Alexandria if the kingdom falls?

No, like, what does it mean for Alexandria to survive if the kingdom falls? And do you know what Michone's answer was? That's where I saw that she said. It wasn't from this episode. It was from the premiere where she talked about she didn't care. Alexandria has to survive. That's what she said, yeah. It was the premiere.

That's where I saw her say that. It wasn't, because I remember her saying she didn't care. Alexandria was it. And we have Negan out, right? He picks up the shovel. Saw that premiere where he walks into Michelle and Rick's house and sees a cute little painting with the kids up on the wall. We're all a family. And then we actually see a little bit of alpha and beta in the preview to the next half.

I'm looking forward to the Whispers because they are, that's going to be fun. That's going to be fun. That's a good gang, good gang of bad people. The guy that's Alpha is a good bad guy. You mean beta because. Or beta, beta, alpha's the chick. Alpha is the leader and the chick, yeah. But Beda is a great bad guy.

He'll, what's his name? Crap, what is it? He's the guy from Sons of Anarchy, isn't he? Yes. And he's also from the outsiders. No. Do you remember the show The Outsiders? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Don't say no to me when you know I'm right. I thought you were talking about the, like, old school, like, outsiders. Not the musical. It's not a musical. And one thing I am. Hoping that at least gets shown this season is the relationship between Alpha and Nigen. That it would be good. Yeah, let's hope so.

I mean, if Nagan adds out, let's hope that he stays out. It would be fun. All right, so thanks for listening to Talking Walking Dead. And, of course, you know, you have the daily chewing the fat. Why would you miss that on the Blaze Podcast Network? Just subscribe, rate, and review. Thanks for listening to Talking Walking Dead. We'll see you first part of February.