Paul Brian McCoy" />
Psycho Drive-In logo
Search
  • PDI Press
    Featured
    • BETTY WHITE VS THE STUPID WORLD: The Movie

      Paul Brian McCoy
      January 17, 2022
      Fiction, PDI Press, PDI Press Writers
    Recent
    • BETTY WHITE VS THE STUPID WORLD: The Movie

      John E. Meredith
      January 17, 2022
    • Betty White Vs the Stupid World (Chapter Seven)

      John E. Meredith
      January 16, 2022
    • Betty White Vs the Stupid World (Chapter Six)

      John E. Meredith
      January 15, 2022
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-D
    • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Anything Joes
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Cahiers du Horror
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • Dungeons & D-Listers
  • Columns F-P
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
    • Page to Screen
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
  • Columns S-Z
    • Schlock & Awe
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Unnatural Selections
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    Featured
    • X (2022)

      Paul Brian McCoy
      April 22, 2022
      Movies, Reviews
    Recent
    • X (2022)

      Nate Zoebl
      April 22, 2022
    • Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

      Nate Zoebl
      April 15, 2022
    • The Adam Project (2022)

      Nate Zoebl
      March 16, 2022
    • Books
    • Comics
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
    Featured
    • Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

      Paul Brian McCoy
      July 13, 2018
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

      The Final Girl
      July 13, 2018
    • David Black: Carnies, Carnage, and the Creative Chaos of Darkness Visible

      Dan Lee
      March 7, 2017
    • Jaiden Kaine joins the Marvel Universe as new Luke Cage baddie, Zip

      Andre Lamar
      September 29, 2016
    • SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Batman: The Killing Joke

      Jason Sacks
      July 28, 2016
    • SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Syfy’s Van Helsing

      Dave Hearn, Paul Brian McCoy
      July 27, 2016
    • Wondercon Interview: The Cast of Damien

      Gary Richardson, Laura Akers
      April 16, 2016
  • News
    Featured
    • John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum arrives on Digital 8/23 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand 9/10

      Paul Brian McCoy
      July 30, 2019
      DVD/Blu-ray, News
    Recent
    • John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum arrives on Digital 8/23 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand 9/10

      psychodr
      July 30, 2019
    • X-Men: Dark Phoenix arrives on Digital 9/3 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD 9/17

      Paul Brian McCoy
      July 16, 2019
    • Avengers: Endgame arrives on Digital 7/30 and Blu-ray 8/13

      psychodr
      July 16, 2019
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
Breaking
  • X (2022)
  • Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
  • The Adam Project (2022)
  • The Batman (2022)
  • Entropy (2022)
  • Killer Sofa (2019)
  • RSS
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Who We Be
  • Contact
  • PDI Press
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-D
    • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Anything Joes
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Cahiers du Horror
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • Dungeons & D-Listers
  • Columns F-P
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
    • Page to Screen
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
  • Columns S-Z
    • Schlock & Awe
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Unnatural Selections
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • Comics
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
Home
Reviews

The Walking Dead 5.16 “Conquer”

Paul Brian McCoy
March 30, 2015
Reviews, TV, Zombies 101

EZMM-2015-3-small

It’s that time of year again! Time to celebrate the Resurrection with a weeklong plunge into all things zombie! Here’s the history: In 2008, Dr. Girlfriend and I decided to spend a week or so each year marathoning though zombie films that we’d never seen before and I would blog short reviews. And simple as that, the Easter Zombie Movie Marathon was born.

For the curious, here are links to 2008, 2009 (a bad year), 2010, 2011, 2012 (when we left the blog behind), 2013, and 2014.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

The Walking Dead 5.16 “Conquer”

Director: Greg Nicotero

Writers: Scott M. Gimple & Seth Hoffman

When asked why she lied to the Alexandrians, Carol (Melissa McBride) says, “Because these people are children, and children like stories.” As usual, Carol gets all the best lines; and in the finale of Season Five, she gets more than a few. In between moments of Carol-Cool we also get a few stray story threads wrapped up, some life and death struggles, some philosophy, some politics, and a dramatic change in circumstances that came out of left field (unless you’ve been reading the comics). So let’s get down to it, boppers!

That is how you both end a season and kick off an Easter Zombie Movie Marathon!

I wonder if the show’s suits consciously schedule it so that the season finales are either on Palm or Easter Sundays? If they do, I commend them. Who doesn’t love a little harmless blasphemy, eh?

Anyway, MORGAN’S BACK!

WD-516-Morgan

It’s about time they brought Morgan (Lennie James) into the fold. If only because he’s an intriguing and mysterious character who has gone through some sort of off-screen transformation that has turned him into a Zen Bo Staff Warrior who believes that all life is precious — even the lives of those who try to kill him. That’s some next-level shit right there, and it’s the sort of spiritualism that The Walking Dead needs to supplant the emptied out Christian mysticism that has failed pretty much every single character.

Will that lead to even more misguided attempts to value pre-apocalypse morality at the expense of innocent lives? Probably. But at least it’s a different road with different obstacles, and since I’m getting extremely tired of watching Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) struggle with his guilt, despite how well Gilliam plays it (and he’s in full-blown suicidal/homicidal panic this episode), a change-up would be nice.

We also got our first glimpse at the Wolves this episode and I have to say I’m not really impressed yet.  We still haven’t gotten enough insight into just what their agenda is to figure out if they’re a valid threat. The trap they set was clever; although I have trouble believing Daryl (Norman Reedus) would have tripped it. I like that it allowed for a satisfying way to introduce Morgan to the group, but overall the scene was a bit forced.

WD-516-Morgan-2

While all that is cool, the real meat of the episode focused on what would happen to Rick (Andrew Lincoln) after last week’s blood-covered, gun-waving rant. Deanna (Tovah Feldshuh) has called a town meeting to discuss the event, hear opinions, and then decide whether or not to exile him. On the plus side, even her husband (Steve Coulter) is against exile. On the down side, Reg is a voice of reason and compassion — and we all know what happens to those voices.

Also, someone needs to inform Rick of the proper dress etiquette for addressing the citizenry of Alexandria. While being covered in blood and gore is an effective way of getting people’s attention, sometimes a nice opening joke or an attractive tie can achieve the same results in a more positive manner.

But seriously, Greg Nicotero’s direction again is amazingly intense, particularly as he amps up the tension of the conclusion by cross-cutting between Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) vs. Father Gabriel, Glenn (Steven Yeun) vs. Nicholas (Michael Traynor), and Rick vs. a trio of zombies — which included another grotesque visual effect as Rick physically shoves his gun up into the head of the walker that has him pinned, before firing and exploding the head from the inside out. Yuck.

WD-516-03

While all of this is going on, his friends and family are arguing Rick’s case to Deanna, but don’t seem to be making any headway. Until Rick shows up covered in gore, tossing a zombie corpse at her feet, that is. Rather than apologizing, he reiterates the exact same points he made the previous day — albeit in a calmer, more rational voice — this time upping the ante by admitting he had wondered how many of them he was going to have to kill to make the rest safe.

Before Deanna can go ahead and pass judgment, Pete (Corey Brill) staggers in drunk, raving, and waving Michonne’s (Danai Gurira) kitana around. When peacemaker/voice of reason Reg steps in to calm the situation down, he ends up with his throat slit, dying in Deanna’s arms.

And when Deanna gives the order to execute the pinned-to-the-ground-and-disarmed Pete, Rick shoots him in the head without any hesitation.

The question now becomes, was it really the right thing to do or is this the beginning of the end for Alexandria?

WD-516-04

Clearly Gimple and Company are setting up a few different examples of how this situation could have possibly gone down, with Glenn choosing to spare Nicholas’s life and Sasha sitting down to pray with Father Gabriel. One is a form of mercy that will require further action (or incarceration), while the other buys into the idea that people can redeem themselves (not that Gabriel had really done anything criminal — although leaving the gate open could be argued as an executable offense). So in a matter of minutes we have examples of forgiveness, capture, and execution in response to three varying social transgressions, all of which we’ll have to wait until next season to see play out.

But into this equation they’ve now inserted Morgan and his Zen “All Life is Precious” philosophy.

This is a little bit different from the alternatives to the pragmatic acceptance of violence that we’ve gotten in The Walking Dead before now. Instead of a straight up civilization vs chaos argument, Morgan brings a more subtle argument; one that doesn’t deny the realities of the new world, and doesn’t even reject violence per se, but draws the line at killing. Morgan has essentially been reimagined as Kane from Kung Fu, with the zombie apocalypse taking the place of the Old West. But where Kung Fu was centered on presenting that pacifist-who-can-kick-your-ass approach, The Walking Dead has very little patience with characters who refuse to respond with deadly force.

WD-516-05

So does this mean that Morgan is already on the chopping block? That his attempt to value all life is going to prove just as futile as Dale’s/Hershel’s/Tyreese’s desires to maintain some sort of moral innocence? There’s a very real chance that Gimple and Company are attempting to find some sort of middle ground between the two viewpoints (Rick vs. Morgan), but if the past is any indication, showing mercy to the wrong people can only end in blood — especially in a world with no law.

Pretending that there are rules when dealing with people with no interest in the existence of rules never ends well; and hopefully we won’t have to sacrifice Morgan to make this clear one more time.

(Visited 34 times, 1 visits today)
The Walking Dead 5.16 "Conquer"
Paul's Rating
4.5Overall Score
Reader Rating: (0 Votes)

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Andrew LincolnCorey BrillDanai GuriraEZMM 2015Greg NicoteroLennie JamesMichael TraynorNorman ReedusPaul Brian McCoyScott M. GimpleSeth GilliamSeth HoffmanSonequa Martin-GreenSteve CoulterSteven YeunTovah FeldshuhWalking Dead

The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz (2005)
Justified 6.10 “Trust”

About The Author

monsterid
Paul Brian McCoy
Co-Founder / Editor-in-Chief / Dreamweaver

Paul Brian McCoy is the Editor-in-Chief of Psycho Drive-In. His first novel, The Unraveling: Damaged Inc. Book One is available at Amazon US & UK, along with his collection of short stories, Coffee, Sex, & Creation (US & UK). He recently contributed the 1989 chapter to The American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1980s (US & UK). He also kicked off Comics Bulletin Books with Mondo Marvel Volumes One (US & UK) and Two (US & UK) and PDI Press with Marvel at the Movies: 1977-1998 (US & UK), Marvel at the Movies: Marvel Studios (US & UK), and Spoiler Warning: Hannibal Season 1 - An Unauthorized Critical Guide (US & UK). Paul is also unnaturally preoccupied with zombie films and sci-fi television. He can be found babbling on Twitter at @PBMcCoy.

Daily Top Ten

  • Page to Screen: The Boys Season OnePage to Screen: The Boys Season One by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Utopia 1.05Utopia 1.05 by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Adventure Time 6.14 “Princess Day”Adventure Time 6.14 “Princess Day” by Dave Hearn
  • The Watcher (2016)The Watcher (2016) by Jessica Sowards
  • Lost in Translation 116: Mr. Peabody & Sherman, ReduxLost in Translation 116: Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Redux by Scott Delahunt
  • The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 (1984) vs The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007)The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 (1984) vs The Hills Have… by Corin Totin
  • Iron Man (2008) ReviewIron Man (2008) Review by Shawn Hill
  • Flash Gordon (1980)Flash Gordon (1980) by Charles Webb
  • The Hour 1.03The Hour 1.03 by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Chuck 5.03 "Chuck vs. The Frosted Tips"Chuck 5.03 “Chuck vs. The Frosted Tips” by Kyle Garret
400x400 GI Joe Funko Banner

Weekly Top Ten

  • Page to Screen: The Boys Season OnePage to Screen: The Boys Season One by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Big Eyes Smart Mouth: Porco RossoBig Eyes Smart Mouth: Porco Rosso by Serdar Yegulalp
  • Adventure Time 6.06 “Breezy”Adventure Time 6.06 “Breezy” by Dave Hearn
  • Women in Horror: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)Women in Horror: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by The Final Girl
  • The Watcher (2016)The Watcher (2016) by Jessica Sowards
  • Advance Review: Russian Yeti – The Killer LivesAdvance Review: Russian Yeti – The Killer Lives by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Drive-In Saturday: Heavy Metal 2000 (2000)Drive-In Saturday: Heavy Metal 2000 (2000) by Alex Wolfe
  • Advance Review: The Legend of Tarzan (2016) Blu-rayAdvance Review: The Legend of Tarzan (2016) Blu-ray by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Women in Horror: They Call Her One-Eye, or Thriller: A Cruel PictureWomen in Horror: They Call Her One-Eye, or Thriller:… by John E. Meredith
  • The Return of Julie James: I Still Know What You Did Last SummerThe Return of Julie James: I Still Know What You Did… by The Final Girl
400x400 UA Affiliate Banner

FACEBOOK

FACEBOOK

Latest Reviews

  • X (2022)

    Nate Zoebl
    April 22, 2022
  • Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

    Nate Zoebl
    April 15, 2022
  • The Adam Project (2022)

    Nate Zoebl
    March 16, 2022

psychodrivein

Today at https://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: S01E38 - Greg And Joel's Favorite Modern Figures, Part 1

Greg & Joel (@OrderOfBattlePod) break down their favorite modern figures from the first half of the line. 
---
Listen to the guys at the link in our profile!

#AnythingJoes #OrderOfBattle @AnythingJoesPod #GIJoe #Habro
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Lost in Transl Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 415: Remaking Gilligan's Island

Gilligan’s Island was escapism comedy, with everyday and weird science devices made from bamboo and coconuts. 
---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#GilligansIsland #LostInTranslation #BobDenver #AlanHaleJr #JimBackus #NatalieSchafer #TinaLouise #DawnWells #RussellJohnson
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: Unboxing Kotobukiya's Dawn Moreno (Snake Eyes II) & Mighty Jaxx's Off Werk Snake Eyes Vinyl!

Greg takes a quick look at two new releases in the world of GI Joe statues and collectibles!
---
Watch Greg at the link in our profile!

#GIJoe #AnythingJoes @AnythingJoesPod #DawnMorano #SnakeEyes2 #SnakeEyes #Kotobukiya #MightyJaxx #OffWerk
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Lost in Transl Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 414: I Love You, Colonel Sanders! (2019)

The game has a heart, and that heart is Colonel Sanders.
---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#ColonelSanders #KFC #LostInTranslation #ILoveYouColonelSanders
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Lost in Transl Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 413: Cloak & Dagger (2018)

Cloak & Dagger is a coming-of-age story with superheroes, a teen drama with superheroes, and works as such.
---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#LostInTranslation #MarvelComics #MarvelTelevision #CloakAndDagger #AubreyJoseph #OliviaHolt
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Popcorn Cinema Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Popcorn Cinema 48: THE MULTIVERSE IS MADNESS

POPCORN raises his hands, putting them together in front of his face. He then pushes his face slowly through them as if he's giving birth to himself. 
---
Read more of John's reviews at the link in our profile!

#DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness #EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce #SamRaimi #Daniels #BenedictCumberbatch #MichelleYeoh #ElizabethOlsen #JamesHong #JamieLeeCurtis #KeHuyQuan #StephanieHsu
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: S01E37 - G.I. Joe #12 / Three Strikes For Snake-Eyes!

It's the start of one of the most iconic Joe stories in it's entire history, and it includes the return of two pivotal characters from the past! Join Greg and Jaren as they venture into Rio Lindo to root out Cobra's next devious plot!
---
Watch Greg and Jaren at the link in our profile!

#AnythingJoes @anythingjoespod #GIJoe #MarvelComics #SnakeEyes
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Lost in Transl Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 412: Good Omens (2014 BBC Radio Dramatisation)

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch was first published in 1990 and was a comedy about Revelations and Armageddon.
---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#LostInTranslation #GoodOmens #NeilGaiman #TerryPratchett #BBC #MarkHeap #PeterSerafinowicz #JimNorton #AdamThomasWright #JosieLawrence #Charlotterichie #ColinMorgan #CliveRussell #JuliaDeakin #BBCRadio
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: S01E36 - Lexington Comic & Toy Convention 2022

Greg & Jaren recount their experience meeting Larry Hama at the Lexington Comic & Toy Convention 2022. Plus, the latest news, recent acquisitions, and listener mail!
---
Listen to Greg and Jaren's podcast at the link in our profile!

@anythingjoespod #AnythingJoes #GIJoe #Mezco #LarryHama
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Latest Columns

  • Anything Joes: S01E38 – Greg And Joel’s Favorite Modern Figures, Part 1

    Greg Engle
    June 24, 2022
  • Lost in Translation 415: Remaking Gilligan’s Island

    Scott Delahunt
    June 24, 2022
  • Anything Joes: Unboxing Kotobukiya’s Dawn Moreno (Snake Eyes II) & Mighty Jaxx’s Off Werk Snake Eyes Vinyl!

    Greg Engle
    June 15, 2022

TWITTER

My Tweets

Look Who's Talking

Oliver Ghingold
Oliver Ghingold - 2/18/2022
Muppet Madness: You’re the Director
Do you still have these tapes? I've been looking everywhere for them! I loved the Interactive Vision...
white swan
white swan - 12/22/2021
The Hills Have Eyes (1977) vs The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
I enjoyed the article though I would never call brutality gorgeous.
Shawn EH
Shawn EH - 10/26/2021
13 Days of Halloween Day 12: Halloween Kills (2021)
Very disappointing, it's true. And very mean-spirited murders of nobodies. And I don't even see how...
RSSTwitterFacebookinstagramtumblr

Archives

Large_rectangle_336X280
All work on this site is Copyright © each individual writer.
  • PDI Press
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-D
    • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Anything Joes
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Cahiers du Horror
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • Dungeons & D-Listers
  • Columns F-P
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
    • Page to Screen
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
  • Columns S-Z
    • Schlock & Awe
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Unnatural Selections
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • Comics
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
%d bloggers like this: