The Walking Dead Season 5, Episode 8 "Coda" Discussion Thread

Exactly!

I laughed when Maggie had her emotional outburst. Really, show? I'm supposed to believe this when she didn't seem to care at all over the past year? Okay then. She put Sasha and Bob at a total risk last season because of her obsession with Glenn. Why didn't she put forth that effort and hope for her sister, too? Especially considering that she chewed out Sasha big time for losing hope on her sibling! Oh wait, that's right: Beth isn't Maggie's lovey-dovey boyfriend. Gotcha.

I'm not coming from a place where I'm like "OMG I LOVE BETH WHY IS SHE GONE! GRR!" I'm coming from a place where I think the writing has gotten really, really bad. The writers really dropped the ball big time with Beth. This hospital story arc feels like a complete waste of time now. If the writers were going to kill Beth, then why not just cover it in one episode and not go through the whole minutia in several episodes with Carol and all of that stupid crap? Have Noah find the group, and then dedicate an episode where he tells his story (though flashbacks) that ends with Beth sacrificing her life to get Noah out of there. Bim bam BOOM, story arc done in one episode. But nope! Let's rush everything with the Terminus dudes (who were much more fun and interesting) but take our time with a story arc that has no payoff whatsoever!

The term "jumping the shark" is seriously going through my mind right now.

 

Also, the term "fridging" comes to mind, too.

The writers totally killed Beth off to give Daryl some more "man pain."

YAWN.

 

how old was Beth supposed to be?

 

Late teens, I think? The actress is actually 28 years old in real life though.

 

What!!!

 

Oh, BS. She said right after the prison fell last season that she was going after Glenn because she couldn't find Beth. Beth was last seen by anyone at the prison, which was now overrun. She couldn't go back.

Glenn, she believed was still on the bus, and she knew what direction that went in. She had no way of getting back to the prison, but she could follow the direction the bus went in, so she chose that. She even said in that episode that she was doing it because, "I can't find Beth."

It's right there in the episode. Pay attention next time.

 

WTF is "man pain" ???

 

Yeah, she really put Sasha and Bob at risk when she left them in the middle of the night along with a note written in the ground that said "DONT RISK YOUR LIVES 4 ME. GOOD LUCK" and Sasha only ran into her by chance at the end of the episode.

 

They posted an apology for it on their official FB page tonight. Doesn't sound like it's going to happen again.

 

I am guessing that they are saving the budget for the finale. Otherwise if this show does not have an amazing season finale. I want new show runners. The direction this show is in now does not cut it

 

They said last night on the talking dead. Robert Kirkman in particular said about the 2nd half of the season. "It'll be a different show" and talked about going in a different direction.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgLxZXOKBZw

 

It's a phrase literally nobody says in real life that basically tries to devalue the impact of a female character's death by saying it's just to provide development and angst to other male characters thus advancing the plot. Despite the fact that all of the characters are going to feel the impact of her death. And as if using a character's death to motivate progression in the rest is a bad reason to kill them off.

The opposite of Hershel being killed to give Maggie and Beth Ladysobs.

 

Nah, they make these hyperbolic statements all the time, and it doesn't come to fruition.

 

So why did Beth sacrifice herself for that guy Noah? Didn't he abandon her a couple of episodes ago?

 

I liked this episode. The opening was just too awesome with Rick. The car part is what happened to Martinez in the comics. I'm actually surprised he wasted a bullet, but I think it was more to show the other two guards he wasn't ****ing around.

I knew Beth was going to die as soon as she put the scissor in her cast, I just didn't think she was going to go out like that...damn. Props to Reedus for really selling that scene and then taking out Dawn.

And although I don't have FB or Twitter and the like, spoilers being posted on their official page as soon as the show is over is complete ********. I think this is actually the second time they spoiled something for people that aren't on the East Coast.

 

It was an okay episode, but I'm not sure it was worthy of the slow build up.

I never got a good grasp on the hospital, what their plans were, how many people lived there, the true nature of the social structure, how they survived, etc. And Dawn was a bit all over the place as well. At one point, I thought she might have had a crush on Beth, but I think I was just misreading her desire to have loyal "wards".

And, in a way, it seems that Dawn was proven right. No-one except Noah left with Rick's group. And more than likely, one of the truly lecherous cops will now take Dawn's place as leader and will probably instigate an even worse regime over the wards. And it's questionable whether Noah would have ever left were it not for the beating he suffered covering for Beth and due to his desire to help Beth escape. Sure, their circumstances are crappy, especially the wards who were violated and beaten, but I don't think they effectively communicated any real sense of injustice amongst the wards.

And once again, Rick's methods were proven right. I don't quite understand what they're trying to say by having everyone question Rick's more severe methods, but then showing that things go wrong even when Rick's group "plays nice". I don't see any reason to agree with Tyreese, Sasha, Gabriel, etc. They just come across foolishly naive given everything that they have experienced. They're setting up everyone, even Daryl, in opposition to Rick's plans, yet they're still suffering losses.

Beth's death seemed poorly handled. I know she's just a teenager in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, but stabbing Dawn could have started a firefight between the two groups which would have killed most of them. Sure, Dawn's methods were questionable, but I didn't understand why Beth felt the need to hurt her (or even attempt to kill her, although I'm not sure why Beth thought that Dawn would die from a single stab wound to the shoulder - unless she was aiming for Dawn's neck).

Father Gabriel's little adventure also seemed odd to me. He escaped and then led a large pack of zombies right back to where Michonne, Carl and Judith were hiding in relative safety. He then deliberately dismantled their protective spikes (so that he could get to the door and have a weapon). I was hoping that Michonne would leave him outside.

And I'm not sure what purporse giving Morgan the map to Washington will serve, especially since Rick is no longer headed that way (or at least, he now has no obvious reason to go there). I also wasn't sure how far behind Morgan is now meant to be. In the premier, I thought he was weeks or months behind Rick's group. But, it seemed he came across the church not long after Abraham and company left (although it was hard to tell).

Anyway, I'm really just glad that Carol survived. Maybe she'll remember to look both ways when crossing the street now. I still don't understand how an accomplished survivor like Carol, who would have been looking in all directions for walkers, could fail to see or hear a speeding car headed in her direction.

 

No, she led him out because he was badly injured. She wasn't willing to let her daring escape attempt and Noah's suffering and effort to get free of the hospital end with him back where he was, still under Dawn's thumb.

 

She mentioned being 17 back at the prison. I don't remember if she said anything about being 18 or having a birthday after that.

 

I don't know what Beth was trying to accomplish by stabbing Dawn. It would have made more sense if she had been more explicitly shown going crazy but they hadn't other than a few small moments. Beyond that it came off like she was trying to get herself killed. It could have easily ended with others getting shot as well. I felt like they could have handled that scene better.