The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 14 "The Other Side" Discussion Thread

[Kane52630]

[YT]HDGhJgJlm5Q[/YT]​

 

[Drizzle]

Since they're together this whole episode, I'm expecting some sort of dialogue between Daryl and Maggie about how he feels like he could have been partly responsible for what happened to Glenn.

 

[jutlelo]

Episode Name:The Other Side
Air date:3/19/2017
Summary: The Saviors visit the Hilltop unexpectedly, surprising everyone, with plans of taking more than supplies.

http://www.bloodjournal.org/sites/default/files/WATCH-Free-The-Walking-Dead-Season-7-Episode-14-Online-TWD-7x14-Full-video-HdStream.pdf

https://www.reddit.com/r/twd7x14/

 

[squeekness]

Think Maggie and Daryl have to be too quiet for any kind of deep conversation.

 

[squeekness]

But I've been wrong before, lol.

 

[Sithborg]

And Eugene is worthless. Knew he was genuinely joining.

 

[squeekness]

And Eugene is worthless. Knew he was genuinely joining.

I was hoping not but I get it, he feels like he belongs, I guess.

 

[NotNickFury]

I think it's just he has no game plan or exit strategy. Like, at all.

Meanwhile, I'd like to sympathize with Rosita- and the show seems to make me want to do that with her giving us more of her backstory- but she's been such an absolute prat to several people that I just don't care.

 

[Man in the Suit]

"Dr. Eugene Porter, Chief Engineer. Also known as Negan, who I am."

Josh McDermitt is a national treasure and no one can tell me otherwise.

 

[Elevator Man]

Wasn’t expecting much, but I enjoyed “The Other Side”. Definite improvement over the previous Hilltop centric episode “Go Getters”. The Sasha/Rosita side plot was also more bearable than the Carl/Enid side plot from “Go Getters”.

I thought it might’ve been a coincidence both the Hilltop and the Saviors have a Dr. Carson, but turns out both were brothers. I wonder if Negan took the living Dr. Carson b/c he killed his community’s only doctor, or b/c one of his wives could possibly be pregnant, or that he knows that Eugene isn't really a doctor. It makes sense now after Negan killed his Dr. Carson during “Hostiles And Calamities” why he said “We have another Dr. Carson“. He was actually talking about the Hilltop’s Dr. Carson and not Eugene.

Speaking of Eugene I believe the reason he didn’t escape with Sasha and Rosita was b/c he had his own plan of escaping and probably wanted to execute it on his own. As well as something dour planned for Negan. Eugene told them both that he didn’t ask them to come. He probably wants to prove that he can depend on himself and nobody else, but I could be wrong.

I’m glad we got some development on Jesus and the Hilltop colony b/c they're the most underdeveloped community compared to the Kingdom, Sanctuary, and the ASZ. However I wish they had spread out some scenes in the otherwise good opening montage into other episodes of 7b. When you jam pack ’em (Maggie and Enid bonding, Hilltop training, some of Jesus’ backstory, Sasha crying over Abe’s grave, etc.) into a montage it feels a little forced. The montage was basically catch up to what the Hilltop colony was up to since the mid season premiere before Rosita showed up with her proposition for Sasha. Instead of just being fleshed out naturally throughout previous episodes. Kind of like how we got most of Denise’s backstory in the episode she bites the dust in b/c the writers believed the viewers would feel more heartbroken towards her death when it actually felt more shallow and contrived. It’s still progress that we’re getting development on the Hilltop community i.e. Gregory is slowly losing the community’s trust while Maggie’s slowly gaining it, tension continues to grow between Jesus and Gregory, etc.

Daryl coming clean to Maggie about his guilt over Glenn’s death was way overdue. Good scene but it was how I predicted it would play out. Meaning that she didn’t blame him and forgave him. A touching scene regardless. I wish certain character’s on Team Rick would take Maggie’s advice she gave Daryl at the end of the scene.

Rosita and Sasha’s little heart to heart conversation in that abandoned building was well done and cathartic even. I’m glad Rosita opened up to Sasha about her background/past and how she felt about Abe after he dumped her. Makes for some nice character development. It’s a shame Rosita and Sasha weren’t that close before. They both made a pretty good team. The scene might feel contrived b/c normally when a certain character (ala Denise) opens up about their feelings and past means they’re about to die. Hence why that certain character is getting a lot of focus and development. The scene is obviously setting up the death of either character but at the same time giving both character's closure with one another.

I’m still not 100% convinced that Sasha loved Abe the way the writers want us to. Or that she would carelessly avenge him. I know this episode attempted during the montage to show us that Sasha loved him by having moments of her crying over Abe’s grave. As well as during her emotional conversation with Rosita. The problem is we never really saw her perspective of her relationship with Abe before or after they became a couple. In fact during most of their relationship before and after the breakup with Rosita we always saw Abe’s perspective of how he felt about Sasha. She always seemed like she was only along for the ride. We only saw one moment prior to this episode where we saw Sasha grieve over Abe and that was during the beginning of “Go Getters‘, where she and Maggie were grieving over their lovers graves. Doesn’t help that Sasha was underdeveloped this and last season either. I just don’t quite believe that she would sacrifice herself the way Rosita would out of vengeance for Abe. The writer’s seems to be suggesting that survivor’s guilt is the reason why she would go on a suicide mission to avenge Abe. Sasha’s normally more level headed. If they had developed her relationship with Abe better and had her PTSD return after Abe died. Then I would buy her going on a suicide mission to avenge him. It’s very careless of her to leave a pregnant Maggie behind and let some minor protect her while she’s away. [BLACKOUT]So long Sasha. If you’ve been following the entertainment news for the past few months on the actress her character’s death is inevitable this season.[/BLACKOUT]

Even though I don’t agree with a lot of Rosita’s careless decisions lately. It makes more sense why Rosita would go on a suicide mission. During season 6b Rosita was broken emotionally when Abe dumped her, add her guilt over Denise‘s death happening on her watch, being helpless to stop Abe and Glenn’s deaths, being constantly bullied by Dwight and the saviors, getting Olivia killed and Eugene taken for attempting to assassinate Negan, being screwed around with by Jadis‘ group. I can somewhat understand why she’s having a hard time keeping a level head.

Oh and it was obvious before the episode even aired that Sasha wouldn’t be able to take the shot at Negan that easily.

At the end I think the person that Rosita saw hidden in the dark with the crossbow was Dwight and not Daryl. The worried/bewildered look on Rosita's face gives it away. I don’t believe that Daryl could get to the Sanctuary from the Hilltop on foot at night that quickly. Especially since Rosita and Sasha had to drive there. If that is Daryl then that’s sloppy writing. I believe it’s Dwight b/c the conflict between Dwight and Rosita has been setup since “Twice As Far” in 6b. The writers could be setting up a team up between the two, which would be interesting character progression for both characters to put aside their differences and form an alliance against Negan. We all know that Dwight is waiting for the right moment to rebel against Negan all season. Or he could also turn her over to Negan.

Judging from the promos of next week’s episode Rick and co. will be heading to the Oceanside colony. It seems like they’re going to take their weapons by force instead negotiating or bartering with the colony for 'em.

 

[Art Vandelay]

I mostly enjoyed this episode. Actually, I've mostly enjoyed this second half of the season. It's almost certainly no coincidence that it's because Negan has barely been in this second half. But how big an "f you" will this be when the season ends with the war only starting? An entire season just to build up next season.

Also, this episode has cemented my feeling that Jesus is a poorly written, and cast, character. Seriously, he's such a bland character, and it's almost as if the only reason Payne was cast was because the produces wanted a beatific Jesus. Anytime I see him, he looks like a female cosplayer.

 

[Steyin]

The one thing Rosita should have learned from her past men was patience

Worst sniper team ever. This was a blah episode for me, and normally I like the slower episodes everyone else complains about.

 

[squeekness]

"Dr. Eugene Porter, Chief Engineer. Also known as Negan, who I am."

Josh McDermitt is a national treasure and no one can tell me otherwise.

Yeah, even though I question his motives, he is a treat.

 

[BestGirl]

This episode was not nearly so exciting as the promo made it look. This whole season has been tremendously disappointing. I'm not sure I'll be back for the next one.

As for Eugene, I'm not sure he's really gone over to Negan as much as he's afraid of leaving. What if he gets caught? I'd stay put, too. Maybe I'm just seeing things from his perspective because he's the best part of the show.

 

[Art Vandelay]

So how does this season rank? I think it might be the worst. I know most fans hate season 2, but I don't remember the quality being anywhere near as bad as it is now.

 

[squeekness]

It's the worst for me by far, it'll be the only one I won't buy.

 

[Elevator Man]

Maybe I wasn't expecting much from this episode but I enjoyed it overall. It wasn't as emotional or gripping as last week's "Bury Me Here" ep though.

The jury's still out for me on Season 7. Despite some quibbles I have with 7b I slightly enjoy it more than 7a so far. The problem with this season as a whole is that it's all over the place. The main plot isn't coming together cohesively. I don't mind bottle episodes but Gimple constantly relies on that schtick. It was a major issue I had with most of 6a. I know it's b/c of lack of a strong budget but it's still a major issue. Some of the characters of the core group are split up into different communities. The writers dedicate an episode to a very limited amount of characters. Instead of just showing most of the core group's separate storylines simultaneously. B/c of this approach characters won't show up for like 3-4 episodes. Then the writers have to play catch up with those characters (as well as what they've been up to) by cramming in as much character development and screen time into one episode instead of spreading it throughout each episode. Unfortunately, some characters still end up getting little to no development i.e Aaron, Jesus, Sasha, Heath etc.

I know TWD is guilty of padding out each season but it's obvious that Season 7's main plot can't carry 16 episodes. That's why they continue to split up the core group, having character's causing unnecessary drama, adding threats/obstacles (Jadis' group), which haven't amount to much in the plot so far. Since Season 5 TWD's been struggling with balancing the large cast. They really need to condense the cast and the show's episode run. The story/plot will be tighter and more focused. Or better yet hire writers who know how to balance the large cast without relying on the same tired tactics that Gimple uses.

 

[Man in the Suit]

I'm thinking it's an AMC thing with the bottle episodes. "Here's your budget. Figure it out." So they only contract Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, and others for so many episodes. And that's why Oceanside happens. I can't imagine them not wanting to write the characters who've been around forever. Carol and Carl feel like nobodies this season.

I'm waiting for the last two episodes to see how it all comes together before I rank them.

 

[Elevator Man]

That's why AMC should condense the episode run to like 10-13 episodes. They'll save more money.

Another complaint I have about this season is how they undermined Rick and co. (aside from Maggie) grieving over the deaths of Abe and Glenn. They waited till 7b for Rick to open up about Glenn to MIchonne, Daryl talking to Maggie about his guilt over Glenn's death (when they had the opportunity to do that during the mid season finale since Jesus took him to the Hilltop after he helped Daryl escape), Sasha and Rosita resolving their conflict/beef over Abe, etc. By that point it was too little too late. I can understand that some characters (specifically Daryl, who was also the Saviors prisoner during most of 7a) probably wasn't ready to talk about it.

The first 5-10 minutes of Ep 7.1 should've started with the victims being killed (b/c there's no way around that cliffhanger), the aftermath, and Negan telling them when they'll come for their pick up. The rest of the episode should've focused on Team Rick taking Maggie to the Hilltop to see the obstetrician, giving Glenn and Abe a proper memorial, telling the ASZ what happened and that Negan is in charge now. I would've liked to have seen the ASZ community's reaction to a broken Rick and having to answer to Negan. That was a missed opportunity.

Instead 7.1 decided to drag out the reveal of the Lucille victims for 20 minutes to rebuild the tension that was lost from the season 6 cliffhanger. By adding a pointless Negan/Rick road trip so Negan can break Rick, who Gimple and co. claimed was already broken at the end of season 6.

 

[Rowsdower!]

I feel like nothing has actually happened this season. I've been kinda feeling that way since they've gotten to Alexandria to begin with; it seems like they keep starting new threads that could be interesting but they don't know where to go with them. Yes, obviously Glen and (I guess) Abraham dying had an impact. But aside from that? Negan and the Saviors are just a bunch of a**holes and I don't find them intimidating or scary so much as just annoying as hell. I started off really digging Negan but the more the show goes on, I have to say that he's just not that compelling. If I compare him to the Governor, there is no comparison. The Gov was a superior villain in every way. I seriously could have watched an entire show just about him. But Negan? I just want to see Rick and everybody else kill him and all his men. But not because I "love to hate" them or whatever. Just because they're irritating.

The other colonies haven't been that great either. Ezekiel and the Kingdom are okay but that whole story has taken too long to get moving. Though at least we've got Crazy Morgan back; maybe that will go somewhere. The Garbage Pail Kids are ridiculous. The Hilltop people are also totally worthless aside from Jesus; why would any of these people allow a chickensh** like Gregory to continue as their leader? Why not just depose him? What's he going to do about it? And then there's the secret female tent society that Tara found and somehow Rick or Tara will eventually win them over. Though probably not until next season.

And I think that's the thing here. A lot of what's eventually going to happen will be predictable. That kid from the Kingdom that Morgan was training was so OBVIOUSLY going to die because we needed something to motivate Morgan and Ezekiel to join the fight. And that's fine. But it seemed to take forever for it to happen. I get that they wanted us to invest in the kid so that we'd feel something when he died. But I think most of us had the reaction of, "Yeah, fine. Now will one of you DO something already?!"

 

[Iron_Stark]

This episode was not nearly so exciting as the promo made it look. This whole season has been tremendously disappointing. I'm not sure I'll be back for the next one.

As for Eugene, I'm not sure he's really gone over to Negan as much as he's afraid of leaving. What if he gets caught? I'd stay put, too. Maybe I'm just seeing things from his perspective because he's the best part of the show.

Why do you keep watching if you don't like it? Every week you post the same thing on how disappointed you are with the show or how boring it was, or how it was nothing but filler, or something else. Yet you keep watching.

Look at me, I tried Into the Badlands, the superhero CW shows, and some others, thought they were excruciatingly bad, and walked away from them. I didn't watch them to come onto some forum to complain about them.

TWD has been the same since season 2.

 

[BestGirl]

I feel like nothing has actually happened this season. I've been kinda feeling that way since they've gotten to Alexandria to begin with; it seems like they keep starting new threads that could be interesting but they don't know where to go with them. Yes, obviously Glen and (I guess) Abraham dying had an impact. But aside from that? Negan and the Saviors are just a bunch of a**holes and I don't find them intimidating or scary so much as just annoying as hell. I started off really digging Negan but the more the show goes on, I have to say that he's just not that compelling. If I compare him to the Governor, there is no comparison. The Gov was a superior villain in every way. I seriously could have watched an entire show just about him. But Negan? I just want to see Rick and everybody else kill him and all his men. But not because I "love to hate" them or whatever. Just because they're irritating.

I kinda like Simon. I think he would've made a better villain than Negan.

The other colonies haven't been that great either. Ezekiel and the Kingdom are okay but that whole story has taken too long to get moving. Though at least we've got Crazy Morgan back; maybe that will go somewhere. The Garbage Pail Kids are ridiculous. The Hilltop people are also totally worthless aside from Jesus; why would any of these people allow a chickensh** like Gregory to continue as their leader? Why not just depose him? What's he going to do about it? And then there's the secret female tent society that Tara found and somehow Rick or Tara will eventually win them over. Though probably not until next season.

I thought Ezekiel and the Kingdom were really cheesy at first but I've come round to liking them. Yeah they don't make any sense but whatev, they're fun. Oceanside has potential. The GPKs are awful and probably irredeemable unless they pull a complete 180.

Why do you keep watching if you don't like it? Every week you post the same thing on how disappointed you are with the show or how boring it was, or how it was nothing but filler, or something else. Yet you keep watching.

Look at me, I tried Into the Badlands, the superhero CW shows, and some others, thought they were excruciatingly bad, and walked away from them. I didn't watch them to come onto some forum to complain about them.

TWD has been the same since season 2.

At this stage, I simply intend to complete the season. I also rather enjoyed Bury Me Here because it centered around the Kingdom so I haven't hated every episode.

ETA: I also enjoyed Hostiles and Calamities and Rock in the Road.

 

[Art Vandelay]

You're right about the Governor. Say what you will about him, but at least by this point in season 3, we had a pretty good idea of who he was. The same can not be said about Negan. We know he's obnoxious, we know he's viscous, but beyond that, he's just a big bully. How did he get into power? And not just any power. The kind of power that makes people bow to him? He's such a grandiose figure, but they're still keeping him mysterious, which is strange given how the season is almost over. I know Negan is sticking around, at least for another season, but it's worrying to think that they have spent an entire season just to set up next season's conflict. Seriously, next episode appears to involve a raid on the Oceanside. So just when does the war start in earnest? The finale?

The problem is, the Saviors are too powerful, and not in a way that's interesting. They're pretty much in control, meaning we need groups like the garbage people for Rick to have conflict with. One critic suggested it would have been more compelling if Negan had a Savior physically present in each community. Meaning, Rick and the gang would have to go to even more extreme lengths to overthrow Negan. In the last episode, we find out Maggie had an escape hole dug. Why not work that into the storyline? That's like some Great Escape $H#%.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Why do you keep watching if you don't like it? Every week you post the same thing on how disappointed you are with the show or how boring it was, or how it was nothing but filler, or something else. Yet you keep watching.

Look at me, I tried Into the Badlands, the superhero CW shows, and some others, thought they were excruciatingly bad, and walked away from them. I didn't watch them to come onto some forum to complain about them.

TWD has been the same since season 2.

I really hate this sort of argument, as it supposes people have hated the show since the very beginning. You can't compare this to Into the Badlands. Most of us haven't soured on the show since this season, and we're too deep into the series to just stop watching.

 

[Iron_Stark]

At this stage, I simply intend to complete the season. I also rather enjoyed Bury Me Here because it centered around the Kingdom so I haven't hated every episode.

ETA: I also enjoyed Hostiles and Calamities and Rock in the Road.

Fair enough

I really hate this sort of argument, as it supposes people have hated the show since the very beginning. You can't compare this to Into the Badlands. Most of us haven't soured on the show since this season, and we're too deep into the series to just stop watching.

But this show has basically been the same since season 2. I've heard the "nothing but filler" complaint since season 2.