Okay. You can’t have it both ways. There’s no justifying an incredibly poor writing decision by saying it was to ‘prove that things happen in this world that we don’t understand.’ Look we already know that, we really do. It makes sense, in both our world and their post-apocalyptic one.These people have had it proven time and time again, and I feel like on that level alone ( as well as every other one that we’ve already confirmed ), they could really have done with a break. They accomplished their mission of getting to their people; everyone was together again. Given the story lines that have already occurred on the series, this should have been a 'calm before the storm’ type scenario.

TWD has been good at giving us some realism in an unrealistic situation, but you mean to tell me that a woman who has suffered severe injuries is capable of standing up from a wheelchair and walking about with little problem and someone that’s just been stabbed can pull out their gun and aim it perfectly upward to shoot another in the head? Yeah, yeah, okay. Okay, I totally see how that’s possible. I totally see how someone that’s made so much progress from a mere shadow to a strong and capable woman would make such an ill-advised decision. It makes so much sense.

Actually, it doesn’t, and I’ll never be able to comprehend what they thought they were doing here.

Foreword

I took a lot of notes on the last episode of The Walking Dead, and I thought I should share them with ya’ll. Character analysis & predictions, etc., beneath the ‘read more’ for length.

Here is my initial reaction to the recent episode, 'Crossed,’ for reference. It’s mostly comprised of me feeling slightly smug for being at least a little right. This is the promised write up of my notes from the episode, a mixture of things people have already debated about & my own thoughts, etc.

Symbolism & Connections 

We’ll start out with a bang and discuss some of the symbolism that most of us spotted throughout this episode.

• The titles of each episode is known to have some indication of what may be found within, no matter how obvious or subtle. It’s easy enough to cite the source of this week’s title as regarding the white crosses on the vehicles the hospital people use, and perhaps even Father Gabriel’s question to Daryl about whether or not they’d take the cross from the church, too. There’s a possibility that it was also referring to the group being 'double-crossed,’ first by Officer Lamson & ( quite possibly ) by Father Gabriel.

• The Strawberry Theory: I’m sure nearly everyone is aware of this by now, but there’s been some strong fruit symbolism on screen recently. My mom was actually the one that brought it to my attention. ( She stalks tags more than I do, so she’d noticed someone 'screaming about strawberries’ & then went to look up the meaning. Mom’s learning fast. ) As we know, there’s been at least three spottings of strawberries: Daryl finding them & claiming them by the tracks, on Beth’s tray in the cafeteria, and during this episode when she used it as a means of paying off another ward. This fruit is the one thing that Daryl claimed, the only one, to the best of my knowledge. It’s no coincidence that he discovered these on the tracks that would lead him right back to his people. Some might argue it’s an indirect line straight to Beth, as well. Here’s some other meanings to consider: Beth choosing to consume the strawberry, which is a sign of success and good fortune, gives her greater probability to survive this experience on her own. ( I’m firmly on Team Beth Lives, in case you don’t know yet. ) The strawberry was also once a symbol of the Virgin Mary. There’s a couple of theological-based fan theories that cite Carol as the 'Virgin Mary’ figure. Taking that into consideration, it’s a little eerie that Beth used that to pay off the man to cause a distraction in order to get drugs for Carol. Additionally, it’s breathtaking to consider Daryl 'claiming’ a fruit that now has strong ties to both Beth & virginity.

• Theology Theories: If Beth/Rick is the metaphorical 'Jesus,’ Carol the 'Virgin Mary,’ then it stands to reason there will be some other figures popping up symbolically. I’ve been suffering from an internal debate whether I think the 'Judas’ would be Carol, like a few fans had speculated, or someone else. I’m now of the belief that Father Gabriel is our Judas. We still don’t really know a lot about the man, and we certainly have little idea what’s possessing him to continue down his present path by abandoning the church and heading out on his own. Here is some evidence to support this theory: Father Gabriel getting a rusty nail through the foot ( commonly interpreted among fans as a 'sign from God to get the hell back to the Church' ), but also a symbol of martyrdom, crucifixion. Next, we have the preview for the next episode where he seems distraught upon opening a bible belonging to a 'Mary B.’ Is 'Mary B.’ the same Mary who we know to be Gareth’s mother? Did Father Gabriel actually have some sort of alignment with the people of Terminus, as some have suspected? Or, does he have something set up with the hospital people, and he needs to make sure he’s far from the scene in case Rick and Co. plan goes bottoms up? Some interesting possibilities to consider. I’ll touch on those later.

• To cover all my bases, I want to clarify now that I’ve also considered Dawn & Doctor Edwards for the position of 'Judas.’ I’ll be talking more about Dawn later on, and I’ll also be covering possibilities for the MSF, so read on if you’re interested.

• Connections: As we all know, this season has been hailed as a 'journey’ for Beth, one wherein she gets to use all the things she’s learned so far in order to survive her separation from the group & come into her own. We get to see some examples of this in 'Crossed,’ the most obvious being the display of her medical knowledge. Thanks to her time spent at Hershel’s side, she knows the proper way to insert an IV & how to read the labeling on medicine bottles. She’s also seen using her resourcefulness to bribe another patient into creating a distraction. Beth’s a real smart and practical girl, and it’s great that we get to see her stepping further out of the position of 'naive little girl,’ into a young woman that knows what it takes to survive and is willing to do anything to protect what’s left of her family & get herself out.

• Something else that everyone is already aware of, but is so important that it needs it’s own slot: Daryl’s continued demonstration of just how much Beth has influenced him. Daryl from Season 1 to 3 would have allowed Rick to kill that third cop, wouldn’t have batted an eye, but he’s tryin’ this new thing where he’s attempting to give people a chance. Because people lives matter to Beth, and he’s willing to allow others the opportunity to prove that it’s deserved. People seem to be misinterpreting him 'siding’ with Tyreese 'against 'Rick,’ in a way. Rick is Daryl’s 'brother,’ and Daryl’s shown in every way that he supports Rick, and this is no different. Rick is there,heading the group to go get their people back. His plan, as Daryl acknowledges, would work, but so could Tyreese’s. Rick’s plan is more along the lines of something that Carol might advocate, and as we all know, Daryl & Carol are on two separate paths. They are supporting one another, but Daryl’s thinking has changed. It’s the clearest indication of how multi-layered both characters are, and how far they’ve come in their individual character arcs. 

Keep reading

Some of my theories from last week that actually came to pass:

• One or two members disagreeing with the plan. I was banking on it being Noah who came up with a different idea, but Tyreese made a perfect substitute. Daryl sided with him.
• Rick didn’t necessarily plan to go in ‘guns a-blazing,’ but he certainly had a firm idea of what he wanted to do, by keeping it quiet. He didn’t allow any room for error, though.
• I know some people aren’t happy about him citing Carol as the only reason that he had to be part of the group, but by saying that they’re going to give a weapon to Beth, he’s the only other person to acknowledge her capability. I’m of the belief that this is a nod to his knowledge of how much his 'mission’ means to Daryl, and he’s indirectly saying that he believes she’s alive. 
• We see Beth relying on herself…with a bit of help from Dawn, who gave her the key so that she can help Carol herself. 

I’ve got a lot of notes from this episode, but I’m going to wait until tomorrow to write anything up. In the meantime, this episode was everything I thought it was going to be, and I’m very pleased.

Seeing as how there’s a lot of anxiety in the tag regarding this particular article, I thought I’d offer ya’ll a bit of what I personally believe will be happening next episode, and in the future.

• In ‘Crossed’ and 'Coda,’ we’re going to see a little bit of the epic 'bromance’ between Rick & Daryl. Rick was the only one that bothered to find out what happened to Daryl and Beth out there, and he’ll understand without needing the words what the important lead means to Daryl. I think we can expect minor resistance from maybe one or two people about launching a rescue mission, but Rick will be spearheading the faction that immediately jumps on the chance, right alongside Daryl.
• There’s been some speculation regarding the sneak peek, where Dawn orders them to shut off Carol’s machines. People are saying she’s either going to fight through it, or she’ll die without its assistance, because she’s more gravely injured than she was letting on. The way I see it, Carol’s probably not going to wake up until somewhere near the end of the episode. I was hoping like everyone else that she’d have the chance to let Beth know that help is coming, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that it doesn’t make sense to go that route. Everything we know about Beth’s journey suggests that she’s relying on herself, first and foremost, and she's already done some amazing things working on her own ingenuity. No, I believe Carol’s going to be out for the count through most of the episode, with only Beth to stand beside her and try to protect her & keep her going.
• That being said, I believe that once Team Family starts their attack on Grady Memorial, Beth’s going to be forced to make some tough choices. She won’t know what’s happening or who's causing it all, but she’ll understand that this is the best opportunity for her to escape, while they’re still distracted. Beth wouldn’t just leave Carol, but I’m going to admit here that I’m in the camp that believes this season will see the end of Carol’s character arc. She’s going to die, and Beth's going to be the one that ensures she won’t be returning as a walker. This will provide plenty of room for further character growth on Beth’s part, as well as create some new tension for the group.
• Beth attempts to escape the hospital. Like most people, I’m really hoping that Daryl & Beth will at least be able to see one another before the end of the MSF. While I think it's likely to happen, I do not believe we’ll be getting our longed-for reunion right away. I’m thinking that something’s going to happen (an explosion, or something), and they’re all forced to jump ship. Beth’s going to be separated from the group once more and have to make it out of Atlanta on her own, possibly following their trail. Maybe we’ll see Daryl purposefully dropping clues only she would know to look for along the way.
• Someone else is going to die besides Carol, and I’m thinking it’s going to be Tyreese. You don't get to be Judith’s caretaker for very long on this show. If it’s not Tyreese, then it will be Sasha, but we can bet they’ll be whittling down the cast and opening new possibilities for story-lines like this throughout the rest of the season. 

I’ve considered some other theories where they keep Carol alive, but I’m hard pressed to accept that her arc has any further room for development and anything else will just seem forced. I was thinking they might try to explore the possibility of a Tyreese/Carol angle, but it makes infinitely more sense to cut those two characters now. If we consider this coupled with that article, then it caters directly to the promised 'devastation,’ and the rest of the quote from Norman. “…the carrot falls right in the mud before he’s about to get it,” if you will. His chance to 'restart’ his friendship with Carol is gone, and Beth’s slipped right through his fingers, again…Not to mention, more of his people would be lost. This gives him 'new emotional territory’ without taking away the hope that Beth has sparked inside of him. 

If Beth dies or they believe she’s dead, he’ll be right back to where he was at following the fall of the prison, or even the start of the series. That sort of character regression would be a discredit to the wonderful writing of the show. 

Prompt: N/A.
Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Beth Greene.
Word Count: 3,362.
Notes: Just a bit of practice for me, really. I don’t usually write anything slightly NSFW, so this was real different, even though nothin’ explicit happens. I’m considering continuing this if there’s enough interest. Little warning here for Daryl’s mouth, unusual contractions, and the use of colorful language. It features a Dixon, after all, and I can never seem to stop writin’ the accent when I write Daryl. Under ‘read more’ for length.

It was probably nothin’ like she’d ever imagined, and not in the good way.

Daryl couldn’t see innocent, sweet lil’ Beth Greene picturin’ her first time happenin’ in some shack in the middle of the woods whose former occupants had quite obviously conducted some less than legal activities within its walls. He couldn’t see her ever wantin’ it to be with a man like him, large and bumblin’ and old and wholly unworthy to be touchin’ that soft skin, wrappin’ that long, cornsilk hair around his wrist and pullin’ and she sure as shit would never have pictured herself caught in a bruising kiss that was all teeth and little finesse as she was forced unceremoniously backward onto a threadbare mattress that creaked beneath their combined weight. These were all perfectly good reasons to stop this, whatever the hell this was, and back out. His senses hadn’t all fled him, he wasn’t all animal instinct and action, and he was sure old enough to know better, to have some control. Truth was, he didn’t know if he could stop.

That scared him a bit.

Beth scared him. It might be unimaginable to anyone else in the world how some tiny little woman-child could possibly have him so out of sorts, but the fact remained, all the same. She’d forced herself into his life, wiggling her way into the crevices of his torn heart, slowly yet surely fillin’ in all those little cracks that she encountered along the way with her youthful optimism. Not so naive, anymore, though. Shame. Her blind optimism had gotten on his nerves, early on, but he’d learned to appreciate it and now saw its loss as somethin’ of a travesty. There hadn’t been any other option, given the circumstances, but it did little to appease him whenever the logic made itself known.

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Prompt: bright.
Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Beth Greene.
Word Count: 485.
Notes: Small somethin’ for day two of the mini Bethyl week. Cheesin’ real hard here, folks.

Beth Greene is something like the moon.

He’d heard one or two of the others mention that she was pure sunshine, all blonde and optimistic and pleasant as a Georgia peach, and he’d never thought they were wrong in their assessment — Until he’d gotten to spend a little time alone with her, gotten to know her better. It seemed wrong, somehow, to write it off like that, when the actual experience had been initially one of the toughest moments during this whole apocalypse thing they’d had yet to endure. The truth of the matter was that he hadn’t had any intention of learning anything knew about her at all; this wasn’t some grand adventure or an extended sleepover, but a matter of life or death. Life or death after losing everything.

Well, it wasn’t much of a surprise that she’d managed to talk him around from that particular opinion. She did offer her own brand of optimism that was unmatched in its enthusiasm, especially when it came to talk of their family.

It wasn’t until that night when they were sitting on the back porch in one of the shittiest shacks he’s sure ever seen, let alone this young woman who’d never had the displeasure of roughing it until all this that he comes to the realization that she’s more like the moon that the sun. The sun is warm and pleasant and bright and caring, caressing the earth and prompting life to burst forth in much the same way that Beth had taken to caring for Lil’ Asskicker and just about anyone that stepped into her life and looked as if they needed a gentle touch. Beth surely possessed those attributes by the barrel, but she was something more, something much different. She was far more complex than he could ever remember being at her age, something he thought must’ve always been there but only had a chance to take root and blossom under these grim circumstances.

Yes, Beth was more like the moon and all the stars combined than the sun, ethereal and constant and so damned bright it was almost painful to look at until the mesmerizing force of her presence was enough that it drew a person in, captured in the weight of her gravity. Beth was a force of nature and, like the moon, she was going to prove that she could endure, no matter what the universe threw at her. She might have been certain in her belief that Daryl would be the last man standing, but he knew better that she was the sort that survived.

Little Beth Greene — not so little now, he can admit — would outlast them all. If they were lucky, a little of her luminescence would light their way through the dark path each of them was wandering down and lead them out, in the end. He thought maybe a little bit already had, for him. She was like the North Star, the guiding light. More than that, she was Beth, and that was enough.

Something that I’ve been thinking about lately is the purported introduction of a homosexual male character to The Walking Dead. ( X, X, X ) As no exact timeline has explicitly been stated for when this character will be introduced, it’s hard to say for certain whether or not it is this season that we will be meeting this character. Therefore, this isn’t something I can definitively state, but I have considered the character in question may be Noah. 

Now, before any accusations are made, I’m not forming this opinion based off anything we’ve seen so far in regards to his statements or his actions & reactions on screen. There are not ‘signs’ that a person might be homosexual, so unless it’s actually outright stated, we’re never going to know. However, Tyler James Williams didn’t exactly respond conclusively to YNB’s assertions that Noah & Beth would make a good couple, which I believe might be in part due to the cast and crew’s infamous taste for letting fans & viewers make their own conclusions until such time as the answers to their questions are revealed by the series.

He wouldn't say for certain one way or another, so I feel as if the likelihood that Noah just might be this storied homosexual character can’t be discredited just yet.

Prompt: family.
Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Beth Greene.
Word Count: 1,379.
Notes: Here’s my contribution to the first day of the mini Bethyl week. It’s been a while since I did something like this, so I’ll apologize right now if it’s beyond terrible. Under ‘read more’ for length.

Family mattered to him.

It hadn’t always. He’d lived some thirty years without knowing what it meant to belong, without experiencing the warm sense of comfort one found in a community whose bonds transcended blood. The house he’d grown up in had never been a home, the people that shared his last name and a bit of the same genetics had never been a family, not really.

Like most children, his mom had been his world and he’d loved her, despite all her faults. The man he called ‘dad’ was only his father in the loosest meaning; more or less a sperm donor, when it came down to it. And Merle? Merle was his brother. He might have been an inconsistent presence in his life, but Daryl had always known that he could count on him to be there, when it really mattered. They’d been all each other had for so many years that he’d simply come to except that’s the way things would always be.

Didn’t matter that Merle wasn’t good for him; he was still his brother, and blood won out, in the end.

That’s what Merle had raised him to believe, what he’d clung to in order to convince himself that all the shitty circumstances they’d been forced into together were worth it. Daryl wasn’t entirely sure when that perspective began to change, but change it did. Losing Merle had been the best and worse thing to ever happen to him. Sure, he could take care of himself, knew what it took to survive more than anyone else in their rag-tag band. He just hadn’t been sure until he’d discovered Merle had disappeared from that damnable rooftop in Atlanta that he had what it took to move on without his brother, nor did he feel he’d ever been able to make room for the increasing presence of other persons unrelated to him entering his life. 

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I’ve been wondering why everyone is so certain Beth is going to die in MSF. People are extremely worried about her fate, and that’s understandable, but the fact that there seems to be even more anxiety after every episode & every so called ‘spoiler’ is really disheartening. Ya’ll need to believe in Miss Greene.

Here’s an article for you about the picture Norman Reedus posted from the set of the next episode. Now, there are some that is saying that’s Beth’s body, and I have to admit that it’s a little suspicious given the size. Beth’s a small girl, and we all know she looks even smaller when held that close to Daryl. However, when I first saw it I considered that it might be a child, and my mom agreed with me. We still believe it’s child-sized. Besides, as the article points out, the Family doesn’t burn their own, they bury them if they have the chance.

Additionally, I highly doubt the reactions of the two characters featured in this scene would be as cool as they were depicted. We all saw how Daryl broke down when he chased after the car but ended up falling behind, how he immediately jumped into action when he spotted the other car that looked suspiciously like the one that had taken Beth. It’s unlikely he’d be quite so somber in a scene where he’s burning Beth’s body. Not to mention, Carol specifically 'thanks’ him for doing whatever he did. I find it hard to believe that Carol would thank Daryl for possibly killing and burning Beth. Mom & I have a theory that may have been yet another child they were unable to save, and Carol…froze? Was distraught? 

That might be a long-shot, considering her character now, but she did cry after killing Lizzie & it seems she’s not in an emotionally secure place at the moment.

Either way, it looks to me like that might have been before whatever happens to get Carol in the state we see her at the end of Slabtown.They’re journeying through Atlanta, after all. Who knows what they’re going to encounter there?

There are many other reasons why I remain optimistic about Beth’s fate, and all of it stems from what I know about story writing, and what I’ve seen from the series’ standpoint on plot advancement & character growth. The writers and producers of The Walking Dead are always keen on foreshadowing events, dropping little hints in every single episode about possible future scenes and following the standard plot development. 

Let’s not forget that Beth’s character arc is being described as a 'journey.’ A journey is not a single step, but many.When they advertise something like a grand adventure for a single character, they definitely don’t mean a small venture out of the hospital and an almost escape. Beth’s character is at the beginning of the 'rising action’ sequence. She’s got a ways to go before it meets its climax.

I’ll leave ya’ll with this good bit of wisdom: “Wouldn’t kill ya to have a little faith.”

“Thank you for everythin’,” she’d say, but it was already too late. 

There was never enough time in the world. Even…before, it seemed a shame to waste any moment, but it was especially so now. Any moment could be the last. Complacency was a foolish errand; there was simply no room to become quite that comfortable. 

Beth wasn’t a stupid girl, though her seeming naivety and innocence sure gave the impression to many, so it was a grave error on her part for ignoring the point.

She shouldn’t have spent so much time arguing, regretting, mourning – Shouldn’t have wasted any time in following her gut-instinct to stick by Daryl’s side, orders be damned. Should’ve pushed him to answer her questions clearly so her heart would quit shuddering and stammering in her chest, releasing the painfully anticipatory grip the cliff-hanger had taken over her very breath. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. 

The time for all of that was long since passed. Maybe there would never again be an opening to bring up the subject, maybe she’d never know for certain – Maybe there was never anything to know. In hindsight, it probably didn’t even matter. There was more important things to worry about: escaping and surviving being the most necessary of tasks awaiting her now. 

Once it was done, if – When she made it out of there and found her way back, then she could…What? Beth Greene, what’re you plannin’ to do? She didn’t know, couldn’t count on anything further than a minute into the future, but she had a suspicion where to start. 

A solid ‘Thank you'was surely in order.