#Franchise CRM

[meetbrandwide23]

Can a franchise CRM help improve franchisee-franchisor relationships?

Can a franchise CRM help improve franchisee-franchisor relationships?

Franchise businesses thrive on effective communication and collaboration between franchisors and franchisees. Maintaining a strong relationship is crucial for the success and growth of the entire franchise network. Meet Brand Wide understands the significance of this bond and has developed a powerful Franchise CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system. In this article, we explore how Meet Brand Wide's Franchise CRM can play a vital role in enhancing franchisee-franchisor relationships.

1. Centralized Communication Platform: Meet Brand Wide's Franchise CRM provides a centralized platform for seamless communication between franchisors and franchisees. This eliminates the need for multiple communication channels and fosters efficient and transparent interaction. Franchisees can easily reach out to franchisors, seek guidance, and receive prompt responses, leading to stronger relationships built on trust and support.

2. Real-Time Updates and Notifications: With Meet Brand Wide's Franchise CRM, franchisors can keep franchisees updated with real-time notifications and announcements. This ensures that all stakeholders are on the same page, whether it's regarding new product launches, marketing campaigns, operational changes, or important updates. By providing timely information, the CRM helps establish effective communication channels and reinforces a sense of unity within the franchise network.

3. Performance Tracking and Reporting: Transparency in performance evaluation is crucial for franchisee-franchisor relationships. Meet Brand Wide's Franchise CRM offers comprehensive reporting and performance tracking features, allowing franchisors to assess individual franchisee performance accurately. This data-driven approach promotes objective discussions, identifies areas for improvement, and facilitates constructive feedback. Franchisees, on the other hand, can access their performance metrics and gauge their progress, leading to a better understanding of expectations.

Read More: https://meetbrandwide.com/franchise-crm-solution

[franchisecrm]

6 Important Utilities You Should Consider In Your Selected Franchise CRM

The centralized program prioritizes maintaining a smooth relationship with customers for achieving business growth and increased productivity.

Visit https://meetbrandwide.com/blog/2022/01/21/6-important-utilities-you-should-consider-in-your-selected-franchise-crm/.

[meetbrandwidemarketing]

Tips For Owning A Health And Wellness Franchise Using Franchise CRM Software

For decades, franchising has given a helping hand to entrepreneurs to map out a promising career path, be their own boss, and develop a strikingly new business from the ground state. Franchising business draws a lot of attraction because it permits you to take advantage of a well-proven business model coupled with a support system. It allows you to do so with more confidence even when you start from scratch.  

After you have settled on investing in a franchise business, the subsequent step lies in determining the industry type you’re keen on building your franchise in. In every sector, there are numerous franchising opportunities. However, as a potential franchise owner, you’d want to find out that perfect meeting ground between market demand and your interests.

If you aspire to be an entrepreneur that preens on a healthy lifestyle, you’d want to come to the aid of others in doing the same. In that case, a health and wellness franchise will be the ideal choice for you. Even though many things need to be considered while deciding on the exact franchise to put money into, here are four valuable tips you may take into account to be the owner of a health and wellness franchise. In addition, we’ll find out how franchise CRM software can be of assistance to the growth and expansion of the franchise.

Make sure your business catches the eye of potential customers.

When it comes to consumers, they put their well-being as the foremost priority. In current times, this is obvious more than ever before. And, franchise brands are observing rapid growth by making the most in this space. They pick up new customers that are willing to spend money on the offered health and wellness services.

Franchise CRM software helps you know a little extra about your prospective customers and empowers you to send them personalized messages to join forces with your franchise and provide additional value right from the start. Franchise CRM software makes it possible to keep track of contact details, personal history, and correspondence history from the very beginning. You can leverage these details for creating resonant, captivating messages for the individuals.

In recent years consumers are found to shell out more than 100 dollars per month to keep them fit through personal training, group fitness sessions, and creating their own lifestyle routine.  The global wellness industry currently stands at 4.5 trillion dollars. It’s expected to grow by a historic 40 percent by 2023. Therefore, there are lots of opportunities for growth short of any hyper-competition.

In line with this thought process, you need to remain focused on offering excellent products and/or services to stay on top of the competition game. If you’re an established brand, franchisees have the added advantage to gain access to the huge marketing and support system rendered by the parent brand.

Be cautious about fads.

Even though you adopt disruptive technology to build your business, make certain it complies with the fitness industry to make a more insightful and meaningful one-on-one relationship with a professional. In addition, the proviso that the fitness and wellness industry maintains consistent stability and attracts customers to a given location, landlords are in favor of providing these services in sprawling shopping malls or large commercial complexes. This comes to your help in securing a highly advantageous site.

The franchise CRM software you use at these favorable locations can be customized so that it allows your team members to set up smooth, conflict-free interactions with one another for closing sales or resolving customer concerns. You can put this into action by sharing appropriate documents with your team by employing cloud-based directories or a franchise intranet. Plus, you can set up chat sessions for plain-sailing collaborations in real time. In this manner, franchise CRM software facilitates salespeople to share company-adopted best practices.  

If you want your business to be stable, you need to note that with any speedily developing franchise, you’d like to be cautious in avoiding highly prevalent fad options in the market. Many of them wind up being a flash in the pan. Therefore, you need to safeguard your business by investing in a brand and franchise CRM software that have been around for many years with a proven track record of reliability and success.

Offer highly sought-after services.

Do some research on fitness categories that have constantly been in demand over decades. This will help you avoid ending up in a short-lived fad business. Personal training is one such category that keeps on thriving with every passing year. Personal trainers are always in demand that in turn has consistently grown in the last few years.  

Franchise CRM software helps your personal training professionals to get rid of mundane administrative busywork so that they get more time to devote to their clients. Franchise CRM software makes it simpler to find out the necessary information about their clients before, in the course of, or after their phone calls. It leads to sizable time-saving in the long term.

Nowadays clients, more than ever before prefer the personal training option since it comes up with thorough levels of customization in congruence with their individual needs and condition. Apart from working out, people are more concerned about their general well-being and with the desire to grow a personal relationship with their trainers that understand their requirements and can be held responsible to fulfill client goals. These are constructive reasons that will encourage consumers to keep on opting for a personal training type of service.

Expand your consumer base.

Consumers that are interested in receiving health and wellness offerings usually come in two distinct segments. They have widely varying goals and needs. Firstly you have the baby boomers generation that’s keen on increasing their mobility and improving their quality of life as they continue aging. As a cohort, baby boomers in the US, spend more than 50 percent of their discretionary expenses on personal training.

Next, come the Millenials who consider health and fitness integral to their lifestyle. They’re eager to pay as much as it demands to meet their goals. A significant chunk of Millenials belongs to the “coming of age” category. They earn a regular income and like to spend the money on personal training as well as group fitness.  As a matter of fact, a considerable part of the franchise market is centered on consumers aged between 18 and 34. Also, nearly 20.5 percent of overall revenue earnings of health and wellness franchise is contributed by this segment.

Franchise CRM software comes up with valuable insights equally for both franchisors and franchisees while they meet and interact with the two consumer segments. The software helps in gathering vital information on the performance of personal trainers and conversion rates of leads into clients on both individual and team basis. To put it simply, having franchise CRM software by your side you can see the exact performance of your business and gauge its productivity. This acumen is invaluable for your franchise in the competitive arena whereby you can identify leaks in efficiency and add finesse to the offered sales processes and customer service.

The two generations are only a sample size to estimate franchise performance. The demand for health and wellness has extended to Generation X as well as the older cohort of Generation Z. Since the overall consumer pool is massive, you need to be careful in catering to each segment with their corresponding appropriate services. So finding your niche becomes imperative. Also, see to it your core consumer base considers you to be an expert in relevant categories.

Eventually, deciding whether a health and wellness franchise is perfect for you is conditional on several factors. After all, it’s crucial that you find the real passion in you to realize whether health and wellness fit into your space.

[indiapdekho]

3BHK & 4BHK APARTMENTS

Address To Own

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[whateverisbeautiful]

♥️Reveling in Richonne - TOWL

#27: The Timeout (1.04)

Every now and again there comes a piece of media that you know is going to stay with you for a lifetime. For me, that’s TOWL Episode 4.

I’ve never been more excited and more overwhelmed to try and dive into all the scenes of an episode than "What We". It’s my favorite Richonne episode of all time so I have to revel like never before. Truly what Danai crafted with her writing and what Andy and Danai delivered in their performances is phenomenal and transcendent. I’ll cherish Episode 4 forever, from minute one to the final shot 🥹🤩💛...

Now that we've arrived at the illustrious episode 4, it's only right to kick it off with a happy dance😋...

For some March 17th, 2024 is just a regular day but for Richonne stans...

Because it's the day that the Richonne episode aired.

I remember how stoked I was when the time had finally arrived for episode 4. Leading up to it there had been high praise and acclaim for the episode with it even being deemed the climax and ‘for the richonners’ and one of the best of the TWD franchise. So I was already going in with big anticipation and "What We" knocked it out of the park in every way possible.

What Danai wrote is just 🔥🔥🔥 in all the ways and I'm very grateful for her and this thoughtful powerful episode she crafted. 👏🏽

There was a time when I had ep 4 memorized from the first line to the last cuz it was just excellent and moved me like no other. There is so much to say about this one episode and I'm gonna try my best to say it all because this is the kind of episode you rave about for years on end. And as someone who already revels in every detail of Richonne's story, this episode is the epitome of why I do what I do with this blog.

The raw and visceral range of emotions captured in about one hour of television - it’s a triumphant feat and I’m obsessed. TOWL is already a dream come true but episode 4 is a dream within a dream and perfectly captures why Rick and Michonne are the greatest soulmates to grace a screen.

So let’s get into it. 🤗

The masterpiece of an episode kicks off with a bang as we’re brought back to the moment Rick and Michonne are in that rocking helicopter with Rick silently freaking out and Michonne looking right at him cool, calm, collected, and a little crazy. 😋

gif cred: @ricksmarlene

They intercut with the apartment that will become a very pivotal and important setting in Richonne’s journey. And I absolutely love the choice to have the episode mostly take place in a swanky high-rise apartment similar to where Michonne lived before the apocalypse. It’s like after years of being out in nature which is more Rick’s territory they now get to enter Michonne’s more city-girl territory. 

I also like the 'Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree' song they use for this scene. The lyrics are very much intentional and the song's meaning is also fitting as it’s “sung from the perspective of a man returning home after three years in prison and looking anxiously for an agreed-upon sign that the woman he loves would welcome his return.”

So right off the bat with this song and helicopter moment, I was like...

The lyrics start by saying, “I’m coming home, I’ve done my time.” Which by the end of this episode, Rick will arrive at that same realization with Michonne’s help. Also, Michonne is determined to head home herself too after doing her time with the CRM. And considering Rick and Michonne are home to each other and they’re finally about to get some extended alone time it really is like they’re coming home to each other this ep.

Then the song says, “Now I’ve got to know what is and isn’t mine.” as we see the little Roomba that could. I love the way electricity and these items all help to tell the story.

Throughout this opener, we see Rick and Michonne both staring at each other in the helicopter, and again the way they can express so much without words is clear.

Rick is attempting to like idk sternly stare her down but Michonne is unfazed and you can tell her mind is made up that she will do anything to keep them from falling apart. She knows if they go back to base it’ll only be that much harder to convince Rick to leave, so she’s yanking him out of there before that happens.

(Side note: I know there’s often debate on whose crazier in general - Rick or Michonne. and I honestly think Rick. Even tho they’re very equal and match each other's crazy. It's just that Michonne is a bit more composed most of the time that’s why Rick edges her out to me. But when Michonne doesn’t want to be composed...oh she can beat everybody in the crazy department. And she took the Crazy-Off trophy home in this helicopter. 🏆👌🏽 Also when I thought about it - it would probably be hard for Michonne to yank a grown man out of his seat that swiftly and so I like to think Rick basically let her lol. Like he saw that helicopter door open and while he was yelling no he knew Michonne’s gonna do what she’s gonna do and so he’s gotta go with her.)

gif cred: @chaoticroad

The lyrics then say, “If you received my letter telling you I’ll soon be free...” which is very fitting to the letters Rick used to write Michonne. And then we get that moment where Michonne grabs Rick and throws them out of the helicopter. Just iconic. 👏🏽 And Rick is genuinely shaken by Michonne doing this, understandably. You can hear it in the way he yells as they fall into the rushing water.

I like that when Michonne throws them out of the helicopter that’s when the lyrics say, “Then you’ll know just what to do if you still want me.” Fitting. And in this case 'just what to do' was to jump out of a helicopter together without a parachute or anything. Michonne is crazy and we love her for it. 😋

And honestly, Rick loves her for it too even if he’s obviously rattled by it at first. She really looked at her man and said 'the CRM can’t have this one' and plucked Rick out of the sky...again.

Also, the fact that this implies they were able to hang onto each other and not at some point get separated either in the air or in the water. Magnets confirmed lol. 🧲😂

So then I like the way it’s filmed as Rick and Michonne’s hands are seen grabbing onto rocks and then without seeing them we get this sense of movement as they make their way into the apartment building.

They rush into the apartment both breathing heavy from the wildness that has just occured as the lyrics say, “It’s been three long years. Do you still want me?” Fitting again.

And then I love the clever use of the thermostat system (there's probably a more accurate word for what that temp controller thing is but I wasn't sure what, so I'm just gonna call it a 'thermostat' lol). It’s perfect that the first thing the thermostat says is, “Welcome home,” as it's in this place Richonne will finally return home to each other.

gif cred: @nerd4music

As Rick and Michonne silently look around the lyrics say, “I’ll stay on the bus, forget about us, put the blame on me” which speaks to Rick’s current mindset of staying behind to help her get home and his willingness to be the 'bad guy' if it means keeping Michonne safe. 

And then y’all, I love this final moment of the teaser when Rick slowly looks at Michonne, upset but also very clearly reminded of who he’s dealing with after she chucked them off a helicopter. And then Michonne looks right back at him like she’d do it again too. 🤭

gif cred: @ricksmarlene

Once again they are very much communicating with eyes alone and after he talked cash crazy to her, you know in this episode it’s now going to be Michonne’s turn to do some talking. 👌🏽

And then the teaser ends with this great shot of Richonne facing each other with some distance between them in front of that scenic stormy window and I love the symmetry of it. 😍 For me, it illustrates how they may not be in sync yet but they're still in some way aligned.

gif cred: @nerd4music

There really are so many great cinematic shots in TOWL and this is definitely one of them.

The way that teaser ended with them just silent staring at each other and the lightning - ooh I just knew we were about to eat good as Rick and Michonne get a whole episode to themselves in this building. 🙌🏽

gif cred: @perryabbott

After the title sequence, Michonne and Rick are again staring each other down, and then Michonne says with certainty, “We needed a timeout.” I mean she’s not lying. 💁🏽‍♀️ It’s hilarious tho that that’s her first explanation for doing what she did. For her, those extreme measures were justified because of how badly they needed a timeout. And I agree with her entirely.

Also, I adore her saying 'we' and still operating like a package deal despite what Rick said about what they had being broken at the end of ep 3. She knows this relationship well and so she knows they just needed to get away from CRM territory to finally talk.

And after all that posturing Rick was trying to do last episode, I like how Michonne still heard the subtext in his words so she knew clearly 'Everything you’re saying and doing was just a sign that you and I need a breather away from all those other people.' Like I just love the wording of calling this a 'timeout' so much. (See, RJ’s not the only Rick Grimes who needs an occasional timeout. 😁)

Then Rick testily says, “I can’t believe you did that.” and Michonne is quick to retort, “I can’t believe you said that.”

gif cred: @figmentof

I always love how to Michonne, his words and her actions were equally crazy, if not Rick's words being crazier. 😂 She’s like 'You nearly ended our relationship, I nearly ended our lives so...

Then the thermostat, which really nicely needles a thread through the emotions of the story says, “Your preferred temperature will be reached in ten minutes.” That distracts them a bit as they look around and then Michonne walks away to take in the place some more.

And as she does this, Rick reaches for his PRB which I hadn’t noticed the first time I watched. I was like dang so had Rick not lost his PRB he might’ve called the CRM here before he and Michonne could even get some much-needed time to talk. Thank goodness he lost his. Reaching for it so quickly definitely demonstrates that the CRM has done a number on him.

Rick starts taking in the swanky apartment too with its electricity and running water and I love seeing the two of them in this new environment. He asks, “What the hell is this place?” And it’s clear this is way more of a familiar environment to Michonne than Rick.

Again, I thought this setting was such a great choice because it’s almost like they want to exacerbate Rick and Michonne’s differences even with the whole city girl/country boy thing to make you wonder if enough time has passed for their differences to now outweigh their similarities. But of course, the answer will be a resounding no and they’re still the compatible soulmates we know and love. 👌🏽😌

I love seeing Michonne admire the place and feel like she’s really at home. Like she’s not rattled at all from plunging into the water after leaping off a helicopter just moments before.

gif cred: @kinyany

And then I adore this next moment of Michonne going to the closet to change clothes for several reasons. There’s so many scenes that accomplish multiple things at once in this episode and this scene is layered in the best way. 👏🏽

Naturally, Michonne wants to get out of that soaked uniform but on a symbolic level it shows how she’s far more eager than Rick to shed the CRM off of her. It's like as she changes, she’s letting both herself and Rick know, Dana's gone.

She's gonna be Michonne Grimes from here on out. 👌🏽😌

And then "somehow" Rick finds his way over to where he can watch Michonne changing. 😋

gif cred: @nat111love

And even though they’re supposed to be mad at each other, he of course can’t look away as he watches her. He’s not even trying to be subtle about it lol.

gif cred: @nat111love

As he watches Michonne from the legs up, I know good and well Rick knew at this moment that ain’t nothing feels 'broken' between her and him.

Also, I just know this whole moment was a lot to take in for Rick because so far since reuniting, he had only seen Michonne super covered up with ponchos, jackets, and soldier gear. Like he hadn’t even seen her signature tank tops and tight pants combo - but here, Michonne was like let’s just dive right into 🎵panty and a bra we can’t get involved, boy🎵 (yet lol 😉) 

gif cred: @nat111love

And honestly this whole ep I was like Michonne really knows the exact things to do to help Rick come to his senses. Because while yes there’s definitely the steamy checking-her-out element of the scene, I also always appreciate how changing in front of him like this is effective in establishing their closeness and comfortability.

Like Michonne is not gonna just strip down like this in front of anybody but in doing so here it’s setting the tone to communicate to Rick 'you’re still my husband, I still feel safe with you, and so I can comfortably be this bare.' 👌🏽

gif cred: @nat111love

And then, because each scene expertly communicates several things at once, this moment of Rick seeing his wife’s body for the first time in years then takes a somber turn when Michonne lifts up her shirt and Rick sees that X scar she got during that excessively brutal episode in season 9. 🥺

I thought it was such a smart move to include Rick seeing the X scar in this scene, and it gives Rick this reminder that Michonne has been through a lot he doesn’t know about while they’ve been apart.

Rick has been so convinced that Michonne won’t be safe if he goes home with her but this lets him know she still has had to face a dangerous world without him. She's been through so much. 😢

gif cred: @nerd4music

Breathing really does tell quite the story throughout this episode. The way Rick takes a breath when he sees Michonne's X scar, you can tell that it sobers him up after longingly eyeing her down and he’s shaken by seeing she’s been hurt.

I feel for him because I think every scenario overwhelms him right now. It’s overwhelming to think about all Michonne has been put through in his absence & it’s overwhelming to think about all she could be put through if he doesn’t get her home. Like he’s feeling a lot. But never peeling his eyes off of her while he’s feeling all these things tho. Just saying lol. 

gif cred: @nat111love

And because Rick is staring straight at her, Michonne can likely feel his eyes all over her and so she gives this look back at him which I love. 😊 She knows what she’s doing. She knows what he’s thinking. And she knows because Mr. Everything We Had Is Broken has his eyes glued to her rn.

Rick Grimes really is the reason there are phrases like “eyes glued” because the way his eyes consistently get stuck on Michonne is really something.

Also - Michonne/Danai's beauty is truly divine. 👑

gif cred: @kimwexlersponytail

When Rick makes eye contact with Michonne here he has another one of those shaken breathing moments as I think he’s brought back to the reminder that they’re still supposed to be in a fight. Cuz homeboy looked like he forgot for a sec. 😋

So he finally looks away and then Michonne looks away with a knowing expression as she resumes changing. 

gif cred: @kimwexlersponytail

Rick walks over and sees Michonne’s PRB and in his state of stress, he’s convinced himself that this PRB is a solution to their problems and will be what best keeps Michonne safe. But as he looks at it, he then sees Michonne emerge in fresh new clothes. (Side note: it always makes me so happy to see Danai and Andy’s executive producer credits each ep and especially seeing Danai’s writing credit this episode 👏🏽🥹) 

Again without even needing words, Michonne immediately can tell what Rick is thinking as she looks from him to the PRB and then rolls her eyes, disappointed. She wants them to be done with the CRM so bad. And I completely get it. So she grabs the PRB and then she says, “You lose yours, huh?” Rick is silent and then Michonne slowly approaches him as she says, “I know what they do.”

And then y’all, I have about 85 favorite parts of this one episode but among those favorite parts is this part here when Michonne and Rick have this whole magnetic tension that’s mostly silent but speaks volumes. 🔥🔥

gif cred: @msanonships

Andy and Danai are truly the king and queen of layered acting because every single choice they make is never one-dimensional. There’s always so much communicated in each second, hence my need to dissect each second. And in this scene, they manage to express so much - tension, desire, fear, lust, love, anxiety, etc.

Michonne asks, “You want to call them here?” and even just the way she says it is perfectly delivered because it’s not taunting or even unempathetically challenging. It’s more like she’s asking knowing he knows full well that the PRB is not what he actually wants to be pressing up on right now. 😋

After she asks this, it’s such a great and hot moment of the two making eye contact and trying their damndest to resist each other. I know they had those magnets within them confused as to why they weren’t kissing like their life depended on it being this up close in each other's space. (Also, their height difference has always been so complementary 😊)

gif cred: @nat111love

I love the way this scene breathes as their chemistry and sexual tension just fill the atmosphere. The unique effect they have on each other is made abundantly clear and only Richonne can make a moment of just staring at each other this sexy. ❤️‍🔥 The tension of their fight was outmatched by the sexual tension between them.

Like the way she puts the PRB against his chest and raises her eyebrows. The way Rick stares into her eyes and I believe also at her lips and then down at the PRB, trying hard to maintain his whole “it’s over” energy from ep 3 but not doing it successfully. And then all Michonne has to do is tilt her head for Rick’s attention to be right back on her.

She doesn’t break away from looking at his face the whole time and when Rick looks at her again you can tell they both know loud and clear that he does not in fact want to call them here. He's got other things he wants to do. But there's so much fear and shame consuming him that it has him not thinking straight.

gif cred: @nat111love

Along with Rick's immense fear and anxiety communicated in this exchange, this is also where it is just so clear that Michonne has a hypnotic hold on this man. Cuz while Rick still thinks they need to go back, he also can’t bring himself to take the PRB when Michonne is basically handing it to him.

The way he’s staring at her and moving his head it looks like he's feeling every emotion there is and it’s also taking every cell in his body to resist her. He’s so focused on trying to resist that he seems to be rendered silent, at a loss for words. But no words are needed for both of them to know exactly what this whole moment is about. 👌🏽

And make no mistake, Michonne is also putting some effort into exhibiting restraint too because during this hot moment, there are a couple times when she’s looking at him like she wants to be all over him the second he stops acting up.

gif cred: @nat111love

What they both clearly want to do but are resisting right now, will be something they finally do in a later scene that actually parallels this one...but they’re not there yet. 

So in a rare moment, they go against their inner magnets and instead of leaning in, Michonne gives Rick this lingering eye contact and walks away as Rick watches her.

gif cred: @ricksmarlene

As she walks away she pockets the PRB since, without even saying it aloud, they’ve established they don’t want to call the CRM here right now. And thank goodness they don’t because Richonne has a lot to talk about.

And the most pressing thing Rick and Michonne have to talk about next is their children. As in plural. 😊👌🏽

[glamaphonic]

as a rule, i am not a person who typically pays a lot of attention to reviews of fiction outside of gleaning specific empirical details. this is because there are no reviewers that i follow closely and the random opinions of a stranger are wildly unlikely to tell me much of anything about how i'll feel about a piece of fiction

please consider wrt a particular strain of reviewer having mixed feelings or thinking the towl finale doesn't surpass the previous episodes

that due to the nature of this franchise there are a substantial number of people watching who fundamentally don't understand what this is

they think the echelon briefing matters. they think the crm matters. they think that there's simply no way to wrap it up in one episode because how could two people win against an entire army and beale has to be the new twdu big bad and the 500 year plan is because they have the cure and ppp means they're actually in contact with paris and blah blah blah.

if i had to predict what will happen in episode six, it would be that rick and michonne, who we have been told again and again can do anything together to the point that it terrifies those who know them and are ranged against them, are going to succeed in crippling the crm because of the power of their love for and devotion to each other, and it won't even take them that long. and the rest is going to be them getting their happy ending with their kids complete with mini-montages of the characters throughout the years as a farewell to mom and dad of the apocalypse as they effectively go into retirement to live out their life with their family because the crm was them dealing with all of this shit for the last time.

this is an ending that would make me weep like a baby until i dehydrate myself.

this is also an ending that many people, even if they were very happy for rick and michonne, would find anticlimactic and disappointing because they have ip brain poisoning and think in terms of franchises and interconnected cinematic universes and perpetual continuations and the attendant necessity for every conflict to balloon and become a protracted battle with the latest ultimate villain.

there are many people who will fundamentally find it to be a letdown if this series, proposed conceived and presented as a love story, is executed like one.

[trips2saturn]

TOWL SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!!

enough time has passed and i’m impatient so here it is. episode two debriefing! ❤️‍🔥

danai and andy’s chemistry is unparalleled and has never been executed so well before by any other actors. their words, emotions, and energy into bringing these characters to life in such a tender way is something absolutely so enigmatic and goshshfgshdhsn i just love them. i love their dynamic and their power to create such an immaculate foundation that will always be such a memorable piece for all of us as fans of this franchise. 🫶🏼

michonne and nat deserved more time. point blank period. i sobbed violently and had to pause the episode for ten minutes. i loved his dynamic with michonne and how much impact his character had in under 40 minutes of screen time. missing him forever and ever. and not to be an asshole but their relationship is what the dude-bros wanted rick and okafor’s association to be ! tell me i’m wrong.

dana from a group of 40 people with her sister el. yaaaas go girl! she’s a b your honor please believe her!!! she’s totally not a badass powerhouse wife and mother of two who’s experienced more in her life than the crm ever have!!!

it’s FUCK the crm forever actually. CHLORINE GAS? killing the pregnant lady and her boyfriend???? im distraught. the most disgusting group of people to ever exist apart from the saviors. hoping to see their entire base burn to the ground by the end of this series !!!! <3

RICHONNE REUNITING AFTER CHOOSING TO GIVE UP HOPE TO FIND EACH OTHER 😭😭😭 the universe loves them soooo much they’re like this 🤞 when it comes to fate. i am still actively emotional over all of their scenes. they’re sooo in love with each other it hurts. i’m still on cloud nine just from seeing them kiss (and moan omg!) so excuse me. ❤️‍🩹

michonne cradling rick’s face and rick nuzzling into her hands? THAT IS HER BABY POOKIE SUGAR PLUM CRISP. keep them together! they cannot be separated!

jadis can die with all due disrespect. she ruined everything. it’s been her fault since the start. she separated them. she’s the reason that rj doesn’t know his father and only knows of his legendary stories. fuck her. d*e!

rick asking about jude multiple times :((( his baby. bring him home to his kids PLEASE. must’ve been such a shocker to hear him ask about his daughter and not daryl or negan oh no! abused, kidnapped father finds the love of his life and wants to make sure that their daughter is still okay after being away from her for a decade! SHOCKER! WOW. this is shocking news! 🙀

the scenes of michonne and nat having to rebuild their health after the chlorine gas bomb was so heartbreaking but powerful. michonne working out and continuing to push herself by being reminded of her strength, grief, and love. she is so strong and i’m so proud of her. i hate the crm.

“shoto? shoto?” PUNCHING ME IN THE GUT WOULD HURT LESS. meanwhile judith is also trying to reach out but their signal is too far gone for them to do so. 😭 pleaseeee i just need one future scene of them reuniting. michonne loves them so much she is the best mother ever. ❤️‍🩹

okay!!!!! that’s all that i have for now. still collecting my thoughts after this episode but i love my tv parents more than life. so happy to have them back and i can’t wait for the next four episodes!!!!!!!

[frangipanilove]

I don’t really understand how Beth would’ve ended up in all these different places. Is it because of the Commonwealths? The CRM? I’m confused and hate to say so cause it should be obvious but I’m feeling lost on it. I guess I should just trust “Beth is alive” and we’ll see her again. Just frustrating how long we’ve waited for her.

Hi friend, sorry it took me so long to get to this. I’ll try to answer, even though it might not be the kind of answer you had hoped for. I’m not really sure what you mean by “all these different places”. I personally don’t have any fixed opinion on exactly where she will show up, geographically. I expect there to be lots of hints and symbolism referring to her in Daryl Dixon season 2, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I believe she will literally show up. She might, but I’m not relying on it.

If your question is about the logistics of world travel, I don’t think that should be a problem. For starters, remember this is fiction. If tptb wants something specific to happen, they can just write it. We’ve seen that technology for world travel exists in this universe. We’ve seen advanced military technology like chinook helicopters, that were able to cross the North American continent without any issues. We’ve seen Daryl cross the Atlantic on a boat, we’ll see Carol do the same with a small plane. In FTWD we once saw Strand communicate with an astronaut on the International Space Station. Also in FTWD, we once saw them rehabilitate an old aeroplane and fly it out of a nuclear waste zone. We’ve also seen them travel by using a hot air balloon (shaped as a beer bottle, no less, and I’ve written about the incredible symbolism of that elsewhere)

For what it’s worth, people were crossing oceans centuries and millennia ago, and while I don’t think Beth’s on a viking ship or a balsa raft, humans have always migrated, and I don’t think a zombie apocalypse is enough to stop that drive. People will travel if they have a reason to, in real life, and certainly in fiction.

Tptb have also dropped hints of international trade throughout the seasons, with references to coffee (which only grows under very specific conditions), exotic fruits like pineapple, and also sugar cane. While none of that guarantees the presence of an international trade network, it does indicate the existence on one. At the very least, it renders it plausible that one COULD exist.

Also, Major General Beale from TOWL mentioned the CRM has spies everywhere, and I don’t remember his exact words, but I believe he mentioned overseas territories. So I wouldn’t worry about the logistics of travel. If TPTB want Beth to show up somewhere specific, they can just write it.

But there’s one thing we have no real insight into, and that’s the business part of the equation. Remember, TWD is ultimately a business, and if Beth is to come back, it will be because someone made the business decision to bring her back. And we can’t know what goes on behind closed doors at AMC. We can’t really know why she wasn’t brought back a long time ago, and we can’t know IF she’ll be back at all. We can’t really know for sure that EK even wants to come back. We can speculate, analyze interviews, social media posts etc, but it will still only be speculation and our subjective, biased interpretation.

And that’s what we do in TD, right? We watch the show and look for ways in which the symbolism tells us Beth is coming back. There’s an extensive symbolism framework present in TWDU that would help facilitate her return, and I like to believe it’s there for a reason. But ultimately no one can know for sure.

So I’m afraid I can’t guarantee that Beth 100% for certain will be coming back. I watch the show and I offer my interpretation of the symbolism, but you’ll never hear me make any promises, because I don’t think anyone can.

I understand the frustration, but for me, I’m a fan of the entire franchise, I love the main show and the spin offs and the entire TWDU, and I’ll continue to watch my favorite show regardless of whether or not Beth comes back, and that helps. I’d love for her to return, and I do believe that’s the story the symbolism is telling us, but I enjoy the show immensely regardless.

I hope this helps, but I’m sorry if it wasn’t the answer you were hoping for. Would love to hear more of your thoughts though 🥰

[youmakethelight]

us Rick and Michonne fans and the general audience had a blast with the ones who live,a beautiful love story,for the only couple in the franchise to wrap up everything,sorry your fave characters didn't deliver for you but we had a great time over here,it's heartwarming when your faves deliver

Hey, thanks for your message! 😊

No, I feel you, and I totally respect that. I think, for me, I'd have maybe liked it to be a longer series so they could deliver on all the love stuff and still give a really good focus to the CRM part of the story. I don't resent any of the romance stuff - I wanted them to be happy as much as anyone else. I just wanted more than just that.

I'm glad people got to enjoy TOWL. I was in the GA camp when I watched TOWL, and for the majority of TWD. And I just was more invested in the plot seeds (e.g. helicopters, "A"s and "B"s) than I was in shipping, so it felt strange to me it was getting marketed as "an epic love story" bc that's not why I watched TWD, you know?

Like I felt like the pay-off to all those plot seeds was going to be a big exploration of what's going on at the CRM, rather than a focus on one of the romantic stories in the show. And I don't mean to downplay its importance bc I've always loved that the TWD is a show about people and human relationships. It just wasn't what I expected or wanted as the CRM pay-off for it to *just* be that.

This isn't bc of my "faves not delivering". I'm just thinking about all the spin-offs generally. Rick and Michonne are also some of my favourite characters. And although I'm personally more invested in Carol and Daryl generally as characters, I also wouldn't really connect with their spin-off being marketed as something like "an epic love story" or their equivalent. Then again - maybe some of the problem I feel about TOWL is bc they tried to put both the CRM plot and Rick and Michonne's relationship in the same 6 episodes. I think it probably needed longer to do justice to both?

Also, it's totally okay that you and other fans loved it. I'm not saying you shouldn't. It just wasn't for me. And I felt let down bc I invested a lot of time and brain space in the franchise.

Thanks again for reaching out. ☺️

[nerdsworld]

⚔️The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live ⚔️

You will never be able to satisfy your family base, no matter how well you try,there will always be those who complain.

X Formerly Known as Twitter 🐦 some fans of the series or whomever is left,or just found TWD on streaming are whining about "not enough CRM".

Seriously?

Long time fans have always wondered about who was flying the black helicopter back in season one or season two,it's been so long I can't even remember when Rick saw the helicopter.

But,it wasn't something we harped on especially after Rick was assumed DEAD after the bridge blew up,then to see him in one of the black helicopters being flown away.

Rick has always been "I need to get BACK to my FAMILY!"

In the beginning it was Lori and Carl.

In the end it was Michonne and Judith (he didn't learn of his son R.J until Michonne and himself) was reunited.

If Scott Gimple was serious about the CRM backstory he would have made that "The Walking Dead:World Beyond" a mini-series about CRM from season one,not focus on the group on season two.

No one was interested in a Walking Dead mini-series about teenagers,young adults and how they were coming to grips with a "zombie apocalypse".

That's why there were kids, teenagers and young adults in The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead,fans did not want to watch a series devoted to them,since we already had them.

Out of three mini-series for the franchise,The Ones Who Live was the best,they gave us the ending we always wanted for Rick and Michonne.

Andrew Lincoln's special message to the fans of The Walking Dead.

P.S,

I think the stunt people from the original series might be looking for royalties,for "reused or recycled stunts" .

Stunt Performer Compensation:

Wednesday

04.03.2024

L.George

[sssm1l3]

Lets Talk About TOWL: A Rant

Spoilers for The Ones Who Live, The Walking Dead, and trigger warning for brief mentions of SA

This is all my personal opinion on the show.

Overall, I thought the plot was good. The CRM is fucked up, but there's also some kind of twisted logic behind the mass amounts of violence they commit.

Much like most of the decently large communities in this franchise.

I thought that Rick's rise to the highest of ranks was pretty obvious, and gave him loads of opportunities to...be Rick. As a side note, I was very happy when he lost his hand because that happened all the way back during The Governor era in the comics. It felt long over due, but I felt it was a fantastic sort of....hook, into the show.

The humor was there, and my favorite line of the entire show was Rick saying to Jadis "You're a hero, with a shit haircut."

However, that's about all of the positive things I have to say about it.

My biggest issue with the show was the dialogue.

I'm not unfamiliar with dialogue that sounds off is the best way I can put it. For example, one of my favorite series is The Hunger Games, and while I think that Suzanne Collins is a wonderful author and her descriptions and world building is immaculate, her dialogue never reads to me how actual people speak to each other.

That's how it felt watching this show, especially the finale.

"Love never dies." (ep 6) "I've been wanting to say something. It's a broken world, Michonne, and you're the only thing that puts it back together. 'Til my last breath, I am yours." (ep 5)?

3/4 of the dialogue in this show felt off and dare I say even slightly out of character?

In TWD, when Rick and Michonne got together, the last thing said before they went off and had sex was "Have your mints."

It just felt like the entire show was trying to force these two to be poets when before their declarations of love weren't so much with words, but with gestures, and actions.

I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but everything just felt forced and wrong regarding the dialogue between the two of them.

Anyway, one last thing honorable mention for The Claimers and Carl getting SA'd finally getting mentioned after 10 fucking years of radio silence on the matter.

"What's the worst thing you've ever done to keep someone alive?"

"I killed someone with my teeth. Like they do."

Rick honey, no, you deserve a round of applause and a medal. Probably financial compensation, too.

Don't get me wrong, I love Rick and Michonne, but the dialogue bothered me. I'll probably think of more examples, especially in the finale later.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

[meetbrandwide23]

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[akajustmerry]

I've seen people ask about why CRM would kill innocent people and maybe I'm remembering wrong but in the 1st episode they said they use the walkers to generate electricity and if that's the case then I would think the reason is to keep making walkers/zombies that they can use to generate electricity for the city because eventually they have to run out. I just haven't seen anyone talk about this lol

I was very busy twirling my hair and kicking my feet and giggling at rick grimes being unhinged on my screen again so I might have missed that. I do feel like the show wouldn't build up the echelon briefing the way they've been doing if using walkers for electricity was the big secret. and if, as you say, they already revealed that in the first ep (I've watched it twice and don't recall, sorry!). so assuming you're right and using/creating more walkers for fuel is part of it, then the echelon briefing is Something Else. But also, the CRM are literally just fascists. Fascists do mass killing for power and population control. It's their thing lol. Not many people are talking about it probably because [gestures at the state of the world] we have enough of that to contend with irl and also the walking dead is fundamentally uninterested in presenting modern societies in a nuanced way. every community/city rick and the gang come across who have been living "normal" pre-Apocalypse life has been unmasked as an evil sham in one way or another and so the CRM's hidden agenda is largely business as usual for the show. it's not a big shiny new idea for this franchise to be like, "modern society bad probably because fascism and militant dictatorship will be there." . Honestly I'm just hoping after all this build up, it'll feel like a big deal rather than something we've seen the franchise do at least half a dozen times.

[sarahthisis]

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - This European Vacation Proves Refreshing

AMC's The Walking Dead has come and gone, but just like its shambling zombies, the franchise lives on. The latest spinoff is The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, a 6-episode series following Daryl (Norman Reedus) in France as he leads a young boy and woman to safety while also hoping to secure passage for himself back to America. As a premise, it's not too dissimilar from HBO's The Last of Us, which earlier this year brought a renewed interest into the now well-worn, post-apocalyptic genre. Daryl Dixon is looking to do the same, and inject a little freshness into television's longest running zombie story.

Thanks to a brand-new setting and largely new cast, Daryl Dixon manages to be exactly what it promises - a new tale within The Walking Dead universe that, while in many ways familiar, is different enough to feel exciting. Daryl is a stranger in a strange land, literally washing up on shore and needing to start from square one. In fact, this show itself feels like it's starting from square one, free from most of the baggage the main show collected over its 13-year run. We're familiar with Daryl, of course, the gruff loner who's actually one of Walking Dead's most kind-hearted characters, but placing him in situations where he doesn't fully grasp what's happening (and not just because of the language barrier) creates interesting challenges for him to overcome.

Daryl Dixon is a strong entry in The Walking Dead's catalogue because it's pulling in everything that's worked best before. Its story is straightforward, and thanks to a limited run of 6-episodes, moves at a good pace. Beyond the core three, characters can come and go, never at risk of overstaying their welcome, and the show doesn't linger in one place too long. It largely centers on Daryl protecting and ultimately mentoring his young charge, which has always been a good role for Daryl to play, so making it the focus here is a strong choice. The move to France also allows Daryl Dixon to be easily the best looking of The Walking Dead shows, with downright beautiful cinematography of the French countryside and Paris. There's a spooky ambiance permeating the show, too, helped along by a setting that feels more ancient and has weathered worse over the centuries. "America is an infant," one of Daryl's new allies says, "but here, we have survived many apocalypses. We will survive this one, too." 

Traveling along with Daryl are Clémence Poésy as Isabelle, a nun with a checkered past, and Louis Puech Scigliuzzi as Laurent, a mysterious child who many believe is their new messiah. Because of this, Daryl Dixon is a surprisingly more spiritual show than expected, with a more positive perspective on faith than The Walking Dead has depicted before. This adds not only to Daryl's challenges, with him needing to figure out what it is he believes in, but also lends a different air of the supernatural with a kid who may or may not be destined for something greater. Both Poésy and Scigliuzzi work well alongside Reedus - who, now extremely comfortable in the role, is given the chance to peel back some layers and show new sides of the character - with Poésy's Isabelle proving an especially strong companion to Daryl as she similarly only began to understand her worth when the world ended.

Where the show suffers a bit is with its villains, who either are connected with the CRM or are just so similar they're indistinguishable. As the fascist military group is positioned to be the ultimate villains of the whole saga, it makes sense to tie them in, but it does begin to pull Daryl Dixon towards feeling a bit too much like later seasons of The Walking Dead and its spinoff World Beyond. Again, only being 6-episodes helps the show not feel too bogged down by this, but knowing a season 2 has already been ordered, it's certain they'll continue to be a problem for Daryl and his new allies. That said, the walkers this time around are given a few twists to make them scarier and more interesting than they've been of late, and it's always welcomed when the literal walking dead get to be actual threats rather than mere nuisances.

It's not controversial to say The Walking Dead became a bit stale in its later seasons, and while it did find its footing again before the end, Daryl Dixon proves a reboot may have been all that was needed. Not that this show is a true reboot, but it's enough of a return to basics to remind us why we enjoyed watching in the first place. In having Daryl struggle with new challenges in an unfamiliar setting, all while opening himself up to new people, Daryl Dixon injects The Walking Dead with a freshness the franchise has been lacking. Here's hoping a second season can continue that trend, as will the next spinoff entry centering on Rick and Michonne.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Dead City, Episode 6 (Final Episode)

Okay, here is some of our convo about the final episode of Dead City. I will probably do another post next week (or whenever I can get around to it) about season 1 as a whole, but for now, this is what we talked about.

***Warning: Spoilers abound below for Dead City, season1. Don't read until you've watched!!***

@galadrieljones

I just finished Dead City season 1. I have to say, looking back, I can’t believe there was a time I used to despise Negan with a red hot fury lol. I hated him so much in season 7 I almost stopped watching. Ofc he got funnier in season 8, and then things changed.

I love how they have found a way to complicate his relationship with Maggie without consistently rehashing old plots. I love how they have woven Hershel into this. The scene with him and Maggie in the truck really hurt my heart and my spirit for Maggie. As a mother, I watched her character melt and despair how she fears she’s lost the only thing she has left to love. Maggie is in a very dark way. She still hasn’t clawed her way to the light. She talks about losing things and how the world keeps “taking,” and how she’s always trying to get things back. I really hope it gives her something back.

I was very interested in the Dama and how she seems to be referencing the CRM and their glut for “resources.” The woman who’s totally lording over Armstrong wants to know about the methane. She doesn’t even care about Negan. This is super interesting. I did not see that angle on the horizon.

@wdway

I was thinking about this very same thing. How we saw in TWB Coda the female scientist taking out three tapes but we only saw one. I'm just so curious about the other two. I've said this before that it could be possible that Beth is actually seen on one of the tapes. These could be tapes sent to France by the scientists that were stranded in America. I guess that's why the short one shot I mentioned above was intriguing, because I thought it kind of tied into that kind of theory.

@galadrieljones

The way it ends, with the Croat bringing Negan as his prize, and Negan essentially taking Hershel’s place as a karmic price, and then the slow reveal that he’s there, not for punishment, but for glory, to rule…that was really good. I’m super excited for the future of this show and for all the ensuing spin-offs. If they’re half as good as Dead City is right now, that means big things for the franchise! Seriously I just really loved it. I want more lol.

I love how Negan can’t escape his past because he was just really really good at being a tyrant. He as so good, it keeps coming back to haunt him. Not because people want revenge, but because they want to serve him. They want him to keep playing his role. Even Maggie can’t help herself. She is charmed by him and we know she’s going to go back for him. What I love most about DC, and then I’ll shut up, is that I can finally see a way out for Maggie. I can see her choosing to forgive Negan. I can see Hershel asking her to forgive Negan, and for her to let go. I can see her letting go, rather than killing him in revenge, like she did Carver in season 11. Because we know that won’t solve anything. Anyway, that’s all lol.

@galadrieljones

Totally. I really think one could contain recordings from Grady. I’ve got my eye on Slingerland still as a potential lead. I was thinking, too, earlier about how, if Laurent was a guinea pig, he would have been a little baby when the experiments happened. If they were the same experiments that happened to Beth, it would have been around the same time frame. Just based on his age. Maybe he’s 11? 12?

@wdway

What I came away with about Maggie in DC e6 is we saw her so bitter and broken in Home Sweet Home and then in s11. She's just bitter. Which is understandable, but I hated how she was teaching that hatred to Herschel.

In this latest episode we see that Herschel is old enough now to start to put things together for himself. He's turning into his own person, trying to make his own judgments about situations and people. Maggie definitely is starting to realize that people change, things are never quite as black and white as we want them to be. I think we will see Maggie on her own road to redemption by coming to terms with who Negan really is now. And the difference between the persona of Negan and who he really is are two different things.

@galadrieljones

Totally. I was glad for how they gave so much agency to Hershel, and the ability to see things for what they are, and how he calls her out. I was so glad to see him accuse her of being obsessed with Negan, because she is. And it’s clearly harmed her relationship with her son and with everyone she’s ever been close to, since Glenn’s death.

One thing I love about TWD and its female characters is that the writers don’t let them get away with these vendettas. Sometimes, I feel modern female characters are shown as badasses who can do no wrong and who are always entitled to their whims. But characters like Maggie and Carol are truly flawed and those flaws are layered and realistic and they’re always evolving to meet the story they’re a part of. Maggie has become a really good character I think since season 11. She’s become fearful. Not that she might die, but that she has been living her life all wrong, and that because of this, she might survive and find herself totally alone. Just good writing.

@wdway

Isn't it funny how the females in the series, Maggie and Carol have become hardened as time has gone on. Daryl who is not a wimp by any means. he has came into himself, to show his soft side. He has in many ways softened over the years.

@galadrieljones

Yes. I sometimes think back to the first conversation that Rick and Shane have in Days Gone Bye, about the difference between men and women. While it’s very subtle, I think one theme tptb explores, particularly in the earlier seasons, is how men and women handle things like catastrophe differently.

Women grab the picture frames while men grab the survival gear. This makes sense at first. But as time goes by, we see that it’s really men who are hanging on to the dreams and romance of the old world. They want to fix the world. They want to save the world. The women recoil from expansion, become protective, ruthlessly practical, like snakes in a den.

Of course it’s just one interpretation, and it’s not universal. But I think in general, men are more romantic than women. Women are practical. The here and now. Men are all big picture. I think it can be approached in different ways.

Beth is a softer version of femininity in the show. But she still does a good job of bringing Daryl back down to earth. He can’t stop thinking about the big picture, how he failed them, failed Hershel, failed everybody. If only he would have done something differently, he could have saved them.

Beth grabs him and just helps him to remember he’s still alive, and that he did save her, and he did a good thing that day, and they can’t give up, because there’s still more to do. “We’ve all got jobs to do” is like this ultimate motto of practicality. It’s how Beth organizes her will to live, one foot in front of the other, and how she helps Daryl move forward even when he can’t stop looking back: she just gives him a job. OKAY WOW I just need her to come back now :’)

@twdmusicboxmystery

I wanted to put in my impressions of the end of Dead City. I agree with everything you both said about Maggie and Negan. I do think she’ll go back and get him, and there will be forgiveness. And the bit with Hershel was definitely heart breaking. I was thinking about how Hershel could never truly understand what happened with his father. He wasn’t there, and he doesn’t understand how it affected Maggie.

But none of that means he’s wrong about her. Maggie isn’t a terribly open or nurturing parent, and she needs to talk to him more about what happened. Not just the bare facts, but what she actually went through internally. But Maggie isn’t one to do that. She often feels cold and distant. So, I think it will also be interesting to see Maggie and Hershel’s relationship grow and hopefully come full circle around Negan.

The thoughts I have as to where they might be going with it are more big picture, I suppose. Obviously, this Dama woman is something of a queen in New York. One of you said you got Rich Bitch vibes from her, and I totally agree. She’s the epitome of a rich class living lavishly in her little enclosed space while people live not far from her in utter squalor, and she oppresses them for own amusement and aims.

But she also just basically asked Negan to help her run New York. In an evil and oppressive way, of course. But I’m assuming, even if it’s several seasons away, that since this woman is a relatively minor and new character, that she’ll die and Negan will become king of New York.

That’s interesting, because—again, perhaps several seasons away—when Rick and Daryl and Beth and all of TF reunite to fight the CRM, Negan may be running New York.

Remember in S8, when Rick and Negan went down into that basement together, past the “Abandon all Hope” sign? That foreshadowed something major between Rick and Negan, and the end of AOW just didn’t seem epic enough to fulfill it. I’m wondering if this hints at something more, a much larger scale conflict between them.

This is both subtle and obvious, but the show has set up a foil between the countryside and the city. We’ve had it long before now, with how TF has always avoided the cities, such as Atlanta, because they’re overrun with the dead.

Beth was taken into the city, which is probably more important symbolically than I ever gave it credit for.

And now we have New York. Of course there are plenty of evil people in the country, and plenty of walkers, but big cities are just their own monsters. Much different. Much worse.

In the bible—early Old Testament—we learn of two great cities under great leaders that are built up side by side. The first is the City of Enoch, which was filled with people so righteous and perfect that eventually the entire city was translated and taken up to heaven. Led by the prophet, Enoch.

The other city was built by a man named Nimrod, a mighty hunter in defiance of God. He hunted the souls of men. He became the first king of Babylon, which became synonymous with evil, sin, darkness, and the kingdom of the devil.

The two cities grew up at the same time, in different places, and as foils to one another. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil.

I’m just saying they’re sort of making Negan king of Babylon here.

Beth was taken into the city. Into Babylon, the kingdom of the devil. And the CRM is most likely running other cities. Is Rick in Pittsburg? Another city run by the devil? No idea, but all big cities probably fall under the same symbolism.

It’s even somewhat reminiscent of the Morgan/Strand dynamic in Fear. Strand in his high tower, building a community based on fear and oppression, while Morgan, on the outside, strives to build a community based on respect, mutual protection, and self-reliance.

And I’m not even saying Negan and Rick will forever be enemies. (Morgan and Strand aren’t.) It would make more sense for them to eventually join forces against the CRM, which would make everything come full circle as well. Once enemies, now allies to bring peace and justice and order to the world. Anyway, I’m rambling now. This is what the end of DC got me thinking about.

@galadrieljones

This is really good, @twdmusicboxmystery. I love the idea of us returning thematically to AOW. Because we really haven’t yet. After the war ends, Rick “dies” almost immediately, then there’s a time jump. Negan is incarcerated, and Maggie leaves. There’s no opportunity for meditation on what happened.

Even Carl’s death is somewhat lost in these developments. Because for Michonne, who would be the only person left for whom it was truly life-shattering, it is overshadowed by Rick’s and also by her pregnancy. Daryl has left and he goes through his own Underworld experience, while Carol is with Henry and Ezekiel attempting to rebuild.

Then when Negan becomes a real character again, it’s the Whisperer War. So what I’m saying is, AOW has never really been processed thematically. And I think you’re right that we are headed back in that direction. I love the idea of an inverse scenario, in which Rick, a leader of his own rebellion, is able to employ Negan for help.

If Negan is leader of Manhattan, and Maggie is the leader of the hinterlands, and Ezekiel is governor of the Commonwealth, then we have an entirely new iteration of The King, the Widow, and Rick. Only instead of fighting against Negan, they infiltrate NY to ask for his help. Or they may be fighting him at first, but once Rick realizes they have a common enemy, they will be inclined to work together.

Also, we may then finally have an opportunity to process Carl’s death. Carl died to try and pave a way for peace ahead. And he wanted Rick to forgive Negan and for the two of them to work together to make the world a better place. We already know that the CRM will be after NYC for their methane operation. It looks like after all this time, resources are truly what it’s about, and TD was right about that.

I love the idea that tptb is creating a massive scenario in which Negan and Rick will meet again in some epic inversion of AOW. Even Jadis will be there. During AOW, she tried to play both sides and got burned. Now she seems to be playing both sides again, but she’s smarter this time, presumably. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s Jadis who somehow gets Negan and Rick into the same room again, to broker some sort of deal. Anyway. Love this idea!! I’m super excited for how things seem like they’re going to come together.

Thinking about Carl’s death and how it’s never been processed actually makes me think about Beth’s. Really can’t wait for all this stuff to truly kick into gear!!

@wdway

I really liked your take on the episode as well. I really felt that Negan was forced, blackmailed into joining her. She hinted to the fact that she could always go back and get Herschel and she understands Negan has a lot of guilty feelings about killing Herschel's father, Glenn.

I think right now Negan main concern is to keep Ginny and Herschel safe and that hopefully the fact that he has a wife and a son of his own will stay secret between him and Maggie. She has the means of destroying Negan by telling his enemies that he has a family.

At this point I don't think she would knowingly let it slip that he has a family I think if she did that purposely she would sever any possibility of a relationship of any meaning with Herschel. I think he would see it as her choosing revenge over him, that he is less important than her hate for Negan.

And where is Negan's family? Missouri, where I imagine they've probably run into the CRM. I think Rick or Michonne are even Jadis meeting up with Annie finding out that Negan had a family might be a turning point that give Negan the incentive to join Rick against the CRM. We've seen Negan be brutal, but we've never seen him in action against people who could harm the people he loves. The all in, full out killing machine we've never seen before in him.