Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1911

Breaking Down Everything From THOR: RAGNAROK

Thor: Ragnarok ‘n’ rolled into theaters this past weekend, and it’s already a big hit for Marvel. But is it really as good as everyone is saying? We answered that on today’s spoiler-filled Nerdist News Talks Back, along with breaking down everything from the film, and what it could mean if Disney ends up purchasing Fox’s entertainment division.

Host Jessica Chobot, Nerdist editors Dan Casey, Alicia Lutes, Kyle Anderson, along with producer Jesse Gill, formed their own Revengers team today to talk all things Thor. But before that they addressed the breaking, mega-news that Disney has engaged in talks to buy most of 21st Century Fox, and that includes their entertainment properties like X-Men. What’s the good and bad of such a massive acquisition that would condense two big time Hollywood studios? Since Disney already owns Star Wars and Marvel, is it too much for one studio to own?

But otherwise today’s show was basically “All Thors Considered,” starting with what everyone thought of the movie. Did Thor’s character change work? Was the movie as funny as it looked in the trailers? What about the dynamic between Thor and Hulk? Was keeping Bruce Banner stuck as Hulk a good call?

As for the villains, what did everyone think of Cate Blanchett’s Hela? Was she underwhelming? Do we think Loki has really grown as both a brother and character who can be trusted? Did we get enough of Karl Urban’s Skurge? What about Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie?

And did we enjoy the two post-credits scenes? Was the first one a good enough setup for Infinity War? How much did we love getting some extra Goldblum at the end? Were we happy with just two extra scenes, or would we have liked even more?

Finally, what was our favorite moment? (Uh, you mean besides every scene with Korg?) Were there a few too many cameos? Do we hope director Taika Waititi returns to lead another Marvel movie? Where does Ragnarok rank among all films in both the MCU and the three Marvel MCU releases in 2017?

Remember Nerdist News Talks Back airs live every weekday at 1:00 p.m. PT on our YouTube and Alpha channels. When you join us live you can get in on the conversation. It’s as much fun as Thor: Ragnarok, and no one has ever lost an eye during the show.

But we still want you to talk back to us about today’s topics, so enter the arena of our comments section below and share your thoughts.

Wanna Hear Us Talk Back Some More?

Here’s where Thor: Ragnarok ranks amongst the MCU.
Our thoughts on the seemingly very spoiler-y The Last Jedi trailer.
And finally: what do you think about Infinity War being a heist film?

Images: Marvel

Levitating Home Camera/Smart Hub Charges Wirelessly, Watches Everything

The Internet of Things (IoT) revolution is in full swing, and everything from smart assistants to smart mirrors are starting to pop up and carve out their own little networked niches in our hearts and homes. But until now, the vast majority of those items haven’t floated, or looked like something that really just wants to keep you safe, Dave. Here to fill that particular niche is the the Moon by 1-Ring. It’s an “all-in-one smart hub” and security camera that levitates, charges wirelessly, and does about a half-dozen other things that help to monitor your home and blow people’s minds with sweet tech party tricks.

1-Ring set up an Indiegogo campaign aiming for a fixed goal of $45,000 to start production on the Moon, but this is one of those rare cases where you don’t need to stress about donating if you want to make this IoT dream a reality. With 17 days left, the campaign has already over $156,000 in backing, which sets up the start-up with more than three times its desired budget. (People really like things that float, don’t they?)

As suggested by the Moon’s “all-in-one smart hub” descriptor, this little floating eye is way more than… meets the eye? The relatively high-res camera itself is able to rotate 360° — due to either wizard magic or magnetic fields — as well as detect and lock in on motions or sounds made in range of its sensors. The Moon also has temperature, CO2, and humidity sensors, two-way radio communication, and the ability to control other smart devices in your home using an IR (infrared) blaster or bluetooth. 1-Ring notes that this suite of features allows you to “remotely manage your home from anywhere in the world,” and also, again, make people who come over to hang out say “whoa, cool.”

The camera ball itself can also be used autonomously, without the base, for up to five hours. Which may be the neatest trick out of everything this little moon can do, considering many home cameras require they be plugged into an outlet.

The retail price of the Moon will be $330 when it officially goes on sale — no release date has been announced — but if you’re willing to go out on a limb to support a tech start-up you can preorder now for $219.

What do you think about this Moon smart home camera? Float us your thoughts in the comments below!

Images: Moon by 1-Ring 

Blizzard Unveils a World Record-Breaking WORLD OF WARCRAFT Diorama

Blizzard gave old school gamers a reason to celebrate when it announced World of Warcraft Classic at BlizzCon 2017, but that doesn’t mean that the company isn’t looking towards the future. The seventh Warcraft expansion, Battle for Azeroth, is coming in 2018. And to get fans excited for the new release, Blizzard used the occasion to unveil a massive diorama that depicted 1,300 square feet of battlefield and over 10,000 characters from Battle for Azeroth‘s epic Battle for Lordaeron. The result was a Guinness world record breaking video game diorama that is simply stunning to see.

The truly astonishing part of this diorama is that Blizzard didn’t simply populate it with generic characters. Instead, the warriors were all unique 3D printed miniatures that were based upon the character models used by BlizzCon attendees. Players were chosen at random, but the miniatures even captured the race, class, and armor of their respective characters, while offering fans a chance to find their characters on the diorama through its online guide.

This video doesn’t fully do the diorama justice in terms of conveying its size and scope. Nothing quite beats seeing it in person, but this panoramic picture taken at the con does offer a better glimpse at this massive creation.

 

The Battle for Lordaeron was teased in Blizzard’s recent cinematic trailer for Battle for Azeroth, which will unleash a new age of war between the Alliance and the Horde. As exciting as it is to see that battle depicted in this diorama, what we’re really looking forward to is participating in it when the new expansion hits next year.

What do you think about Warcraft‘s record breaking video game diorama? Declare your alliance and share your thoughts below!

Images: Blizzard

More from the epic world of nerd news!

This chameleon getting birthed looks like a Stranger Things nightmare !
These 45 ‘disturbing’ monsters give ample Dungeons & Dragons creature inspiration!
Takashi Miike explains why Blade of the Immortal is his favorite of his films!

The Top Easter Eggs You Missed in THOR: RAGNAROK

Thor: Ragnarok burst into the theaters last weekend with all of the power of a lightning bolt. Marvel’s God of Thunder is now truly a box office god as well, with an opening that rivals even some of the top MCU films. Now that we’ve finally seen director Taika Waititi‘s uniquely comedic superhero movie, today’s Nerdist News is breaking down some of the best Easter Eggs that you may have missed in Thor: Ragnarok.

Warning: there are spoilers ahead from Thor: Ragnarok! It won’t be the end of the world if you keep reading, but it may be the end of the Gods. Trust us when we say that you’ll enjoy this a lot more if you’ve already seen the film first.

Join host, and heir to the Oldstrong power, Jessica Chobot, as she walks us through Thor: Ragnarok‘s primary influences: the legendary Thor run by Walt Simonson and the Planet Hulk arc that redefined Bruce Banner’s alter ego over a decade ago. Ragnarok doesn’t take itself quite as seriously as Simonson’s epic tale, but many elements from that story made it into the final film, including Skurge’s last stand with a pair of machine guns, the battle with Surtur, and even the joke about Thor’s time as a frog. That really happened in the comics!

As for Planet Hulk, many of the supporting characters from that story were dropped entirely, including the Hulk’s lover, Caiera, and his enemy, the Red King. However, the Hulk’s fight with Thor echos some of the moments that took place during Silver Surfer’s gladiatorial match with the Hulk. Korg and Miek also made the cut, but we suspect that this version of Miek won’t be taking the darker path of his comic book counterpart.

Now, let’s talk about the callouts! The Grandmaster’s “Contest of Champions” was a reference to one of Marvel’s first event miniseries, and the previous champions of his arena apparently included Beta Ray Bill, Bi-Beast, Ares, and maybe even the Man-Thing, as depicted in giant carvings within the film. Ragnarok was also pretty heavy with references from the MCU, including Thor’s overuse of the “sun is getting low” mantra used to calm Hulk from Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the absolutely catty way that Hela tossed aside Odin’s Infinity Gauntlet as a “fake.” That might be one of the most hilarious retcons that we’ve ever seen.

Waititi couldn’t resist referring to his movies outside of the MCU as well, including the bizarre return of Hal Jordan’s Shake Weight from Green Lantern, as well as a weapon clearly inspired by What We Do in Shadows. Outside of the Waititiverse, we loved the way that he even worked in an Ace Ventura reference with the name of Odin’s retirement home: Shady Acres.

What was your favorite Easter Egg in Thor: Ragnarok? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Images: Marvel Studios

More of the latest, greatest nerd news!

Why X-Men movies and the MCU should never merge!
Did you happen to catch Valkyrie’s female lover in Thor: Ragnarok?
Breaking down the real mythology of Thor: Ragnarok!

Student Raps About Cell Reproduction for Extra Credit, Gets Props from Common

For an extra credit assignment in biology, college student Julien Turner decided to write and produce a rap music video all about cell reproduction. And not only is the track, titled “XY Cell Life” — a remix of Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO Tour Llif3” — jam-packed with informative bits of information about everything from meiosis to cytokinesis, it’s also a decent earworm that you can bump in the lab until the blood-spinning plasma separators fall off the table. Although you really shouldn’t let that happen.

Professor: Make a music video over any subject we’ve covered and I’ll curve your overall grade.

… pic.twitter.com/uO6IBMl2CS

— Julien Turner (@JuicyJu11) November 3, 2017

Turner’s music video was recently posted to Reddit, as well as Twitter, where it quickly became a hit. As of this writing, the video has been retweeted close to 150,000 times (by musician Common, among others), which stands as a testament to the sick hook that is the nucleus of this song: The DNA starts to unwiiiind, the RNA reads the other siiiide, meiosis is the key to making liiiife… Try to get it out of your head if you want, but there’s a good chance that the hook has already invaded you like a virus.

Turner and his younger 15 year-old brother, who helped to make the music video, noted on Reddit that they “have been in filmmaking for the last 6 years,” and that this is one of their lowest quality videos ever made, production-wise, and yet still their most successful to date. The brothers have made multiple other projects together, under their studio banner Dreadhead Films.

Professor @JuicyJu11: Make a music video over any subject we’ve covered and I’ll curve your overall grade…

Student: Hold my drink… pic.twitter.com/i71nBs1kJ1

— COMMON (@common) November 5, 2017

As for the most pertinent question here, regarding whether or not Turner received the extra credit, the answer is yes. He also may have inadvertently popped the lid on a market for science education rap videos. If he’s willing to take requests, we’d like to suggest anything involving the seriously complicated CRISPR technique. At least it’s easy to rhyme with Cas9. (See?)

What do you think about this cell reproduction rap video? Does it make you wanna DNA-hey-hey-hey errrryday day day day? Spit hot fire in the comments below!

Images: Julien Turner 

Can Stop the Beat? Here’s more scientifically good music…

Music video made epic with actual experiments as instruments
The “music” coming from a recently discovered exoplanet
Secret Science Nerds: the Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA

Ultimate Muggle Dad Built HARRY POTTER’s Diagon Alley for His Community

Jonathan Chambers knew he wanted to make a splash for Halloween and Christmas with a big attraction of sorts people could visit, and his 7-year-old daughter Avery came up with the perfect idea: a replica of Diagon Alley from Harry Potter. Chambers was inspired and pulled some Dumbledore level magic to build Diagon Alley in his Seattle neighborhood driveway. And when I say build, I don’t mean he put up a few cardboard storefront facades and called it a day. He pushed his sickles all in and spent 17 days recreating the first magical location Harry ever saw.

#diagonalleyproject looks great in the moonlight.

A post shared by Jonathan Chambers (@dummaloop) on Nov 2, 2017 at 12:53am PDT

That is not a movie set. It’s in a driveway. I am impressed.

As reported by Mashable, Chambers pre-planned and put pencil to paper to complete drawn sketches of his vision. He made six storefronts, including Flourish and Blotts and Ollivanders, using donated materials and his own money. By the time he opened Diagon Alley on Halloween, the hype was real. Approximately 2,000 people have already visited. Two thousand.

Look at the early stages of the project:

@jk_rowling dear JK. If you are in Seattle on Halloween, a friend is building Diagon Alley in his driveway. pic.twitter.com/blAwcDUndy

— Cyndy Eng-Dinsel (@iheartagile) October 26, 2017

And the finished product:

Y’ALL I WENT TO ACTUAL DIAGON ALLEY!! pic.twitter.com/uRYrE1A4XW

— Anne Bean (@AnneBeanTweets) October 31, 2017

Thank you, @dummaloop for opening your home & for sharing #diagonalleyproject w/the #Seattle community! #HarryPotter #HappyHalloween pic.twitter.com/VOjoZm5JVx

— Amy Neuberger (@AmycusBrief) November 1, 2017

"Yer a Wizard, Harry"

Watch a Neural Network Attempt to Play SUPER MARIO KART

As gamers who picked up the SNES Classic Edition can attest, Super Mario Kart is still a masterpiece 25 years after its release. Later games in the series have refined the gameplay and graphics, but the original version can still present a challenge for anyone who attempts to master it…even when the challenger is a machine. As you can see in the video below, one man has attempted to train a neural network to play Super Mario Kart. However, the network, known as “MariFlow,” is still somewhat limited in what it can accomplish within the game.

Via Polygon, YouTube user SethBling posted a video about MariFlow, the recurrent neural network he used to play Super Mario Kart. MariFlow has a form of artificial intelligence that allows it to learn by example and act like a memory cell. To prepare MariFlow for Super Mario Kart, Seth programmed it to examine 15 hours of game footage and analyze his choices to emulate his style of play. So far, it’s been able to get gold medals in the mushroom and flower cups, but it has only been able to land a silver in the star cup.

MariFlow can and does make some mistakes along the way, but the network was able to “forget” the errors and it eventually became a fairly competent Mario Kart player. We’re curious to see how it would fare against a human opponent, although the video appears to humorously suggest it could easily defeat SethBling’s father.

SethBling has previously unveiled MarI/O, a neural network that appeared to achieve mastery of an early level in Super Mario World. In this particular game, MarI/O is clearly superior to many human players, as its jumps and movements easily allow it to quickly advance to the end of the level.

What did you think about MariFlow? Unleash the red koopa shell and share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Images: Nintendo, Seth Bling

Press pause and read more Nintendo stories!

Hear the Super Mario Bros. theme played on calculator.
Why Nintendo’s Famicom cartridges have little holes.
Could Nintendo’s next classic be the Game Boy?

Did You Catch Valkyrie’s Female Lover In THOR: RAGNAROK?

Warning: SPOILERS FOR THOR: RAGNAROK INSIDE!

Over the weekend, Thor: Ragnarok dominated the box office. The film was a much-needed breath of fresh air in a world that increasingly feels like we’re living in the darkest and grittiest timeline. Director Taika Waititi and writers Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, and Christopher Yost infused both humor and humanity into a mythical saga about prophecies and the end of the world. But in-between Chris Hemsworth stretching his comedy chops and Jeff Goldblum “Jeff Goldbluming” all over the place, there was a pathos about pain and loss. No, I’m not talking about Loki, though Tom Hiddleston played the dichotomy between wanting love and wanting to be selfish well. I’m also not talking about Hela, though much could be said about her arc as a daughter scorned for being too ambitious. No, I’m talking about how Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie is an avatar of suffering as a human (or Asgardian) reminder that Gilded Ages are built on blood and war.

Thompson gets a chance to play a character audiences are very familiar with, though one rarely played by women: That of a loyal soldier who realizes her country lied to her and betrayed her, costing her everything. And I’m not just talking about her comrades, the other Valkyries who died in glorious battle only to be shunted into the annals of history by Odin. I’m talking specifically about her lover. But wait, I hear you say. There was no romantic subplot for Valkyrie! Oh, but there was. Hela killed her girlfriend. Thompson has been very open about Valkyrie’s bisexuality. And while Marvel shied away from overtones–frankly a disappointment in the year of our Lord Cthulhu 2017–that didn’t stop Thompson from playing the character that way. Don’t believe me? From Rolling Stone:

Thompson even summoned the courage to pitch Waititi on making Valkyrie bisexual, based on her comic book relationship with anthropologist Annabelle Riggs. [S]he convinced Waititi to shoot a glimpse of a woman walking out of Valkyrie’s bedroom. He kept it in the film as long as he could; eventually the bit had to be cut because it distracted from the scene’s vital exposition.

Pay attention to her agony in a flashback where Blanchett’s Goddess of Death murders the rest of Valkyrie’s warrior clan. “There’s a great shot of me falling back from one of my sisters who’s just been slain,” says Thompson. “In my mind, that was my lover.”

And boy does Thompson sell that moment when her lover–a Valkyrie that looks strikingly like the blonde Nordic version from Marvel comics–jumps in front of Thompson’s warrior to save her from Hela’s blades. That is true love right there. Another hint as to the depths of Valkyrie’s feelings for her fallen lover is her current state when the audience first meets Thompson in Thor: Ragnarok. Belligerent and drunk, Valkyrie is a classic example of a trope that’s as old as time: the former warrior who lost their spouse to violence turns to apathy and alcohol to drown their sorrows. It’s just that usually that character is a man, and usually he’s the protagonist. Without those obvious narrative markers, Valkyrie’s pain is harder to see. But not impossible. And it lays a foundation that can be built upon in future films, if only Marvel chooses to.

So there it is. Marvel’s first official in-universe queer character is a bisexual warrior woman of color. One whose actress and director tried to bring represention to the forefront only to have it buried in subtext in the editing room. Now, we could all get annoyed about that, and trust me, I’m fighting the urge. But even if Valkyrie wasn’t openly bisexual in Thor: Ragnarok, the groundwork is there. Disney has been inching towards more LGBTQA+ inclusion, most recently by making Le Fou openly gay in the live-action Beauty and the Beast. Having creators and actors behind the scenes to champion these characters as vital to the narrative is a step that couldn’t have been made even a decade ago. As recently as 2015, Marvel Studio President Kevin Feige was still kicking the can down the road, telling Collider that hopefully they’d have a gay superhero by 2025. Then Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn tried to force Marvel’s hand last year, telling The Guardian in May of 2017, “There are gay characters in the Marvel Universe” but that Marvel just hasn’t outed them yet.

Well, 2025 is too far off, I say, and it looks like the men and women behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe cameras agree with me. The iron is hot for Tessa Thompson to team up with Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), and The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) for a Lady Liberators spin-off. There’s a 100% chance Black Widow is also a queer woman. Have Nat get into a relationship with Valkyrie. Heck, bisexuals have claimed Steve Rogers too, so here’s hoping Marvel has the ovaries to just let Valkyrie wake up in bed sandwiched between Captain America and Black Widow. The ship name can be Cold Space War. Hey, a girl can dream.

Images: Disney/Marvel

Read more about Thor: Ragnarok!

Learn all about the Lady Liberators.
Why you should watch What We Do in the Shadows if you liked Thor 3.
Thor: Ragnarok‘s mid-credits scene explained.

THOR: RAGNAROK Almost Had an ’80s Flashback to Little Pudgy Thor and Emo Goth Loki

Warning: This post contains minor spoilers for Thor: Ragnarok .

If you’ve already seen Thor: Ragnarok you know it’s two hours of pure joy from start to finish, and it’s hard to imagine the movie could have possibly been any more enjoyable. But a scene that didn’t make it into the movie might have done just that, because it would have been a flashback showing a young Thor and Loki as two very awkward little kids.

Director Taika Waititi was a guest on MTV.com’s Happy Sad Confused Podcast with Josh Horowitz, and he mentioned how his pitch to Marvel included scenes from some classic John Hughes movies. When asked how they could have influenced Thor: Ragnarok, Waititi said he originally planned on including a flashback to an ’80s like Asgard full of big shoulder pads and mullets, and it would have shown Odin’s sons in a very different light.

“Our idea was Thor and Valkyrie meet and he’s like, ‘Hey I know you,’ and she’s like ‘Ha I remember you,’ and then it cuts back to this thing and he’s just this pudgy little kid walking around with a mullet and being picked on by other kids. And Loki’s like this little emo goth hanging out by himself.”

Pudgy Thor (Thudgy?) and Emo Loki (Emoki?) would have been hilarious to see, and the scene would have fit perfectly with the hilarious tone of the film. So what happened? Waititi said once it became necessary for Thor and Valkyrie to not know each other, the flashback “would’ve been forcing it” and “pointless.”

Just because something is a good idea doesn’t mean it makes sense for the story you are telling, so it sounds like leaving it out was for the best. But don’t give up hope on ever seeing the scene, because Waititi also said it could still be included if they ever make Thor 4. And considering how much fun Ragnarok is, they might have to pull out all the stops to live up to our expectations. And now we’ll be expecting Thudgy and Emoki.

Do you think this scene should have been included? Do you want to see it in the next film? Tell us why in the comments below.

In the Mood for More Ragnarok?

Watch the cast play superhero “Would You Rather?”
Here’s why Ragnarok and What We Do in the Shadows are a great double feature.
And finally, here’s that mid-credits sequence explained!

Images: Marvel

THE WALKING DEAD’s “Monsters” Makes Us Question Who’s Really One

Warning: Spoilers are ahead for the season eight of The Walking Dead. Keep reading at your own risk.

What’s the difference between a hero and a villain? It’s a question The Walking Dead has asked several times over, and depending on the season, the answer might very well be that there’s barely a difference at all.

“Monsters” plays with this concept throughout, with several characters having moral crises–or not–about the value of human life. We see these ethical conflicts unfold in different ways across the three separate teams working to take down Negan. Rick, still emotionally thrown from realizing the man he killed in the last episode was just protecting his infant daughter, finds himself being held at gunpoint by season one’s Morales. “I guess we’re not the same guys we used to be, ‘cause you’re a monster,” Morales tells him. Ezekiel and Carol take out various garrisons in the surrounding areas, but Ezekiel’s carefully crafted confidence in leading the all-out slaughter starts to show signs of cracking. Elsewhere, on the way to the Hilltop, Jesus and Morgan clash over Jesus’ decision to take prisoners as Morgan’s PTSD rears up again.

In many ways “Monsters,” plural, is an apt title for the episode, and perhaps for the series in general. The pathos of The Walking Dead has always worked because the show strove to explore dual and parallel concepts: what happens when a body reanimates without the soul, and what happens when a person’s soul, their humanity, starts to die within the body. The former creates a monster in a physical sense, while the latter creates an arguably more sinister and unpredictable creature–one that The Walking Dead has told us over and over again is the true monster to fear.

It’s unsurprising that again we’re reminded of Rick’s own monstrous mental state in the episode, which can fluctuate wildly depending on the season. His stand-off with Morales involves a conversation about family, with Morales noting that somewhere between there and here, both of their souls died when their families did. Rick reaches out for points of connection, but it seems Morales believes there’s no good left in Rick. And really, after witnessing Rick kill a man who was protecting his daughter, can you blame Morales?

Morales asserts that Rick and the Saviors are not so different, an idea that Rick is quick to deny. Rick sees his cause as just and right, you see. Between the two of them, he sees Morales as being the only one who’s lost his way, a thought that Morales finds laughable. “Look at me?” He says to Rick. “Look at us, Rick. Look at us. We’re two assholes who will do whatever it takes to keep going.”

By the time Daryl comes in to save Rick, we see Rick questioning his own actions; it could be the first step towards his “my mercy shall prevail over my wrath” flash forward that we saw in the premiere. Finding Gracie the baby right before running into an old ally-turned-enemy seems to make Rick realize that the people he’s killing are actual human beings who he’s been treating thus far as one dimensional bogeymen. As he watches Daryl kill Saviors who have already surrendered, he’s also forced to acknowledge the parallels between Negan and himself. Back in season one, Rick once told Daryl “we don’t kill the living.” Although that idea went swiftly out the window by season two, up until the last season we saw Daryl often exhibit his own brand of mercy and honor. By the end of the episode, Rick looks at Daryl like he doesn’t recognize him.

It’s clear Rick begins to see how his own words and actions may have had a hand in poisoning those he claims to be protecting, maybe a ham-handed realization because really, Rick, you don’t realize how influential you are? We see this play out not only with Daryl but with Morgan, whose mental break is clearly linked back to Rick’s speeches about hurting the Saviors before they can hurt us. “We’re the same,” Morgan tells Jesus after Jesus tries to differentiate them from the Saviors. Even Ezekiel, who had to be convinced by Carol on Rick’s behalf to join the fight, looks disturbed by all the violence. Do Negan and many of his followers deserve to die for what they did to Glenn and Abraham? Yes, but you can see how the act of even carrying out that justice destroys them all inside.

“Monsters” raises the question of what we mean by “the good guys.” We know Negan is uppercase The Bad Guy because of his executions and extorting ways, but can we also say Rick’s group are wholly the good guys? Think about how Rick decided to settle his group in the prison and then in Alexandria and essentially took both over by force, with many of the people who originally lived there dying along the way. Think about all the people Rick and his company have killed in the name of their own survival. “Monsters” tells us that every person in this apocalypse is their own breed of bad at this point, and it’s just a matter of who has more humanity left.

In light of all this, it’s unsurprising that it feels as if the show is heading towards a civil war, or a civil dispute, with these differing moralities finally coming to a head. We see Ezekiel is uncomfortable with the killings, and Jesus’ philosophy stands in direct opposition to Rick’s, Tara’s, and Daryl’s. “No matter what they’ve done, they’re still people,” Jesus tells Morgan. “We’re gonna have to live with these people after.” We can expect Carl to also weigh in, and we know from the season eight premiere that he’s uncomfortable with Rick’s unwillingness to no longer see the good in people. Even Gregory, who has somehow survived all this time, implores Maggie to let him back into the Hilltop with, “We’re all just human beings with faults and flaws. Is this who you are? Do you have no humanity, no mercy, no charity?” A self-serving line, to be sure, but one that can be asked of all the characters.

In the end, “Monsters” provided some much-needed clarity on each of the group’s locations and goals. The season still struggles with telling a totally coherent, linear story, but it’s undeniable that “Monsters” is an improvement on the last two episodes. While I’d like to see other characters get attention–Michonne and Maggie, in particular, have been rarely seen and are pretty one-note so far–I also feel strangely disconnected from characters like Ezekiel, whose exaggerated Shakespearean act even during wartime seriously threatens to snap my suspension of disbelief. While “Monsters” started with some ridiculous fade-in, fade-out camera work, and while there’s still the looming question of why Rick and company feel comfortable wasting all these bullets, the episode does succeed in proving a point: war makes monsters of us all.

How did you feel about the episode? Sound off in the comments!

Images: AMC

Feast on More The Walking Dead Content:

Yes, Sesame Street really did do a  The Walking Dead parody.
The Walking Dead themed cookbook is a real thing.
And uh, so are Negan-branded adult diapers.