10.21: The Walking Dead - Divergence

[ctg]

Daryl and Carol come to a fork in the road and head their separate ways. Each going into their own type of survival mode, the easiest of challenges become much harder. Will their individual journeys be the tipping point needed to mend their friendship, or is the distance between them permanent?

 

[ctg]

To be frank, this episode feels a bit like a betrayal for the other main cast. Rosita and Michonne could have had their own episode, but they were cast aside as not important. Maggie could have been shown with her struggles on adapting back into the community, but no. It's the old path we've already trod down a couple episodes ago.

Maybe they even had a draw on whose script wins, but seeing the pair taking another special episode slot, not a great move in my books. It feels as if the AMC needed to have a filler instead of giving people in the main cast time to shine.

Maybe there are other reasons. What they are, I don't know. I'm just feeling slightly disappointed.

Dog, man, you're betraying your master. We know you were brought up with Daryl's love, but really Carol and Alexandria instead roaming around the woods with the scruffy humie? Are you becoming an old boy, with less of runs around.

Is that it, you want to stay home with the ball and whoever comes around to give youbelly rubs?

Hhhhhrrrrrmmmmmm

October. You look at the tree in the background and the state of the veggies on the ground and it's becomes obvious that the scene was shot at late autumn. Not much of chance for them to raise crops. But out of all places, I find it strange that they haven't revisited the Kingdom and seen if it's ready for the late harvest.

Then there are the untold number of fields around the DC, which are pushing up things from wheat to corn and whatever else they might be growing there. I get that the Whisperers made their best to ruin the infrastructure, but I seriously doubt that they could have ruined all the fields and the present day wild gardens.

Another thing that I don't get is the fishery. I understand that they lost things, and the fishes died, but how much work is it to get new fishes from the Oceanside or wherever to restart the fishery?

Are they facing a starvation or not?

It was interesting to learn that the pantry had been cleaned out and there wasn't much of stock left. If none at all. When Dog trashed the ingredients on to the floor, why Carol didn't pick them up and washed them?

They were going in the boiling water anyway. So can someone please explain to me why you cannot wash the dropped ingredients?

Why to waste stuff when you cannot?

It was kind of disturbing that on Carol's hunt she came across the Dead and proceeded to dispose them as if they were nothing. And then she wasn't troubled about the state of her cleanliness, but she proceeded to cook like mad chef.

When the rat got loose, I absolutely loved the hunt. And the fact that the Dog did nothing to help the situation. He just watched as Carol run around

Maybe he's smarter than the average dog. After all he got Carol up when the rats returned. Sleepy humie knows nuffin about when it's time to hunt. Also unlike Melanie in the Snowpiercer, it was fun seeing Carol unleashing her inner psycho on the rat hunt.

It was a proper "Here's Jack" moment.

Daryl and his troubles with the engines is a never ending saga. I also get that it hurts when other people lend your tools and never return them. But what a score to find a multitool, MREs, ammo, mags, and all the other stuff in the survival package at ten years into the survival situation.

It's like a rare miracle and it also gives hope that there are still untapped sources in the field. All they need to do is to find them. Also note that the Dead was an army pilot. So in that sense, what I've said before about their importance, here we are again facing those prospects.

 

[REBerg]

Spoiler

Knowing that characters have a future in the real world takes all the suspense from their continued existence in the imaginary present.
So many things could have gone wrong for both Daryl and Carol in their solo adventures, but we all knew that wasn't going to happen. Daryl had his routine bike problems, and Carol had her domestic duel with Rizzo.
I thought that, at least, when Carol started smashing the drywall, that she was in for a rodent shower. I, like @ctg, was reminded of Melanie's rat roast in Snowpiercer and was expecting Rizzo to end up in a soup pot.
I agree that this episode could have been better if devoted to other worthy characters, but the showrunners opted instead to promote the franchise spin-off. I suppose we can expect Daryl and Carol to get more disproportional screen time as the series winds down.

 

[nixie]

I feel cheated, why focus on Carol and Daryl, there are others we need to catch up with.

Think Alexandria needs a lunatic asylum( sorry not feeling very PC) Carol has always been unhinged I can see the same madness in Gabriel.

Rosita deserves her own story, she has been part of the main group for a number of seasons.

Next week it will probably be about Eugene, Ezekiel etc.
Feel rather guilty completely forgot about Jerry.

 

[svalbard]

I wonder has some of the storylines with minimum cast interaction something to do with the Covid restrictions and availability of the actors. Agree with the postings above.

 

[ctg]

Next week it will probably be about Eugene, Ezekiel etc.

Next week is Negan's. That is promised. Our bad boy had to have one.

I wonder has some of the storylines with minimum cast interaction something to do with the Covid restrictions and availability of the actors.

We'll find out. I think there might be a news piece about it at some point. I am just hugely disappointed that Rosita nor minor cast got own episode even though they definitely deserved one. Funny thing is, if you check the IMDB score for the episode, it stands at the moment at 4.4, which itself is historical low.

I think the audience has spoken. We can only hope that AMC is listening.

 

[ctg]

"Diverged" is currently the lowest-rated episode of The Walking Dead on IMDb, where it's received a "4.5." rating from registered users. The episode went live for AMC+ subscribers on Thursday, March 25, before its television airing on Sunday, March 28.

As of March 28, "Diverged" is ranked lower than Season 7 episode "Swear," the former worst-rated episode ever of The Walking Dead with a "5.6" user score. "Swear" held that spot until last week when "Splinter," also part of the pandemic-proofed episodes, received a "5.2" rating as determined by the weighted average votes from IMDb users.

"Boring and pointless," reads a 2 stars out of 10 review from one IMDb user. "Won't miss anything if you skip this episode." Another user's 1-star review calls the episode "mundane, empty and pointless."

"It was an average episode that has nothing to offer," reads one user's 5 stars out of 10 review praising the episode's performances. Another 5 stars out of 10 rating calls "Diverged" the "worst episode of The Walking Dead."

More favorable reviews compared "Diverged" to the worst-rated episode of Breaking Bad, "Fly," which is similarly hyper-focused on a character's attempt to rid themselves of a pest. "This did develop Carol's character, by the end she learns she doesn't have to fix everything to feel like it makes her other problems fine," reads one 9 stars out of 10 review in part. "The acting was also great as usual."

“Diverged” Is The Walking Dead's Worst-Rated Episode Ever

The Walking Dead's latest is a chore to watch, according to viewers who voted 'Diverged' the [...]

comicbook.com

There is only silence from AMC part. I wonder if they are under order to not talk.

 

[Judderman]

As we know, farming simulation has been a key arc of The Walking Dead storylines for the second half of the show's existence. This episode not only showed some crop issues, but we also got to see examples of basic cooking, and pet and pest control. When you look at it that way it was an important step before we get to the end. Plus the infamous Daryl returned to the community. There was a bit of humour in there, and some brief action for Daryl. Carol showed a bit more of her unstable nature.

Perhaps there are some writers saying what garbage can we roll out and still have people come back for to see the final season?

 

[Judderman]

Some critic reviews:

This is a one star rated review. Makes a fair point that a spinoff with Daryl and Carol is made less appealing by this episode.

‘The Walking Dead’ Season 10, Episode 21 Review: The Worst Episode In Years

Yeah let's never have an episode all about Carol ever again.

www.forbes.com

This one actually quite positive.

The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 21 Review: Diverged

Carol gets back to the rat race in Alexandria while Daryl gets to spend time tinkering. Two roads diverge in a yellow wood, but every path leads to zombies on The Walking Dead.

www.denofgeek.com

 

[ctg]

This one actually quite positive.

I know and I glanced his score as I always do before posting. There is nothing that they'd done wrong in the script, it just was boring and felt like a filler plus a betrayal towards the other cast.

 

[Dave]

I actually liked this episode. I couldn't tell you why. It was slow, nothing happened, and nothing changed! It was a very different episode to the usual TWD. Even in FTWD there weren't episodes this slow. So, I can understand why fans didn't rate it much.

This is a one star rated review. Makes a fair point that a spinoff with Daryl and Carol is made less appealing by this episode.

That is an important point there. Maybe AMC are quiet because they already have that spinoff in production. They would be very worried if so.

Dog, man, you're betraying your master.

The single most unbelievable part of the plot.

explain to me why you cannot wash the dropped ingredients?

Rat poo?

was expecting Rizzo to end up in a soup pot.

Yes, true. In which case, the vegetables would be fine. It certainly, wasn't clear how much of a problem food was. No one was so desperate that they ate Carol's foraged soup.

 

[ctg]

Rat poo?

I wouldn't say it's a big issue because after all it was once upon time food and if there is bacteria, it should wash off and viruses die in the boiling water. But I guess there is some health and safety issue that were alarming the director so that he didn't order a reshoot.

When you think about it, the thing was so huge for Carol that she went let steam off in her ingredients hunting. Again unleashing that inner psycho. If we would be in the Fear beginning, I'd put her in the kill-list, just because there is nothing in the future that she can do to redeem her actions. In some cases she's a threat to the community survivability. Just like Travis was and he had to go.

The list of things that she has done that has threatened the whole community is long. So in that sense, Daryl is right, Carol needs to face the situation and somehow fix things or there's going to be a long road ahead across the wasteland.

It certainly, wasn't clear how much of a problem food was. No one was so desperate that they ate Carol's foraged soup.

That's the thing, Jerry's stomach was grumbling but it was not like he was bothering Carol every minute, reminding how hungry they all are. I have had days when I've been completely skint and there has been little to nothing to eat. The hunger takes away most of your thoughts.

 

[Judderman]

Yeah it didn't seem like having the soup was something Jerry was excited about. And I agree that the rat would have been a prime ingredient for a meal! Carol taking the dog back to Alexandria to eat would have really been something.

 

[Judderman]

Dogs are a source of noise. If not trained for a specific purpose I can see how those that remain would be on the menu several years after the "apocalypse" started. They are already on the menu in some places. Wouldn't be my first choice. I suppose there was that group who had gone into cannibalism several seasons ago, so dogs is small fry in comparison.

 

[ctg]

So, there were a lot scripts and somehow this one ended on top, if I'm reading this right.

CB: Speaking of these anthology episodes, The Walking Dead has these six episodes coming. We just found out Robert Patrick is in them, Hilarie Burton is there... What can you tell me about the kind of when and where we can expect these episodes to take place?

SG: It's in the aftermath of 10A and 10B. It is a part of that story. It's connected to all that. Even like "Here's Negan" obviously has to do with Negan's backstory, but even then, that is directly connected to the story coming out of season 10. These episodes, I mean... There were six episodes, six weeks. They were written in a... We had to go right at it. Angela [Kang], the staff, some writers from the past, from Walking Dead past, some people who came back to actually work on them. Everybody just gave it their all. And like Fear the Walking Dead, they're concentrated stories because they're shot in a way where we only have a couple of characters that we're focusing on. I just love those kind of stories. It's weird, for all of the intensity and fire that was under everyone to turn out as well, they're amazing in that "Here's Negan" is an incredible episode. It's really strange, the circumstances, how this all came together, but these six episodes are gonna be something that I think people are gonna really, really enjoy.

Initially I looked upon it as sort of an acoustic set, but it's so much more than that. I guess it's like, it's still a rock concert, but it's very intimate. It's like you got into a show, like you're 50 people at the Whiskey seeing the Rolling Stones.

The Walking Dead: Scott Gimple on Past, Present, and Future of Movies, Fear, and World Beyond

The Walking Dead wrapped up its most packed year of content since it launched in 2010 on Sunday night. Fear the Walking Dead aired the first half of its sixth season, The Walking Dead: World Beyond debuted its premiere season, and The Walking Dead aired the second half of its tenth season. There...

comicbook.com

 

[Judderman]

A lot of expectation with this backstory episode. I think it will be good. Will it be brilliant though?
Is it going to end back in current timeline with some incident linking to season 11?

 

[AE35Unit]

This episode seemed like a filler to me. Something and nothing