"The Walking Dead: Walk With Me" EP Recap

The show opens up with members of the Nat’l Guard on a helicopter hovering over the rural regions of Georgia when they mysteriously get shot down. The soldiers crash down into the trees of a forest. Who are these soldiers?

Within the same rural area, Andrea and Michonne (and her walker pals) can see the smoke in the distance where the helicopter crashed. The women go to the sight of the crash, where Andrea gets sick. Michonne ties up her zombie pals to a tree and hovers to Andrea to comfort her. Michonne tells Andrea to stay put and she’ll keep watch. Michonne goes to the helicopter to find a soldier torn in half. Before getting the chance to explore more, mysterious vehicles arrive on scene. Michonne and Andrea hide within the bushes as they see men jump out of the truck. One black male kills one nearby walker with a bow-and-arrow.  Another one beats them with a baseball bat (with a killer swing, no pun intended). A walker sneaks up behind Michonne and Andrea but because of Michonne’s zombies, the walker passes them. The walker gets shot by one of the men. Andrea wonders if they should reveal themselves but Michonne disapproves. The men go towards the body of the mutilated soldier, whose now waking up as a walker. One of the men stabs him in the head.. Michonne’s zombie pals are making noise and the men are taking noticed so she immediately chops off both of their heads off. The men are startled as to why the noise stopped so they roam out. But a man from behind asks the women to put down their weapons and to spin around. A walker sneaks up behind him but he immediately slaughters the walker with his unusual weapon. The man is none other than Merle. 

The two women are blindfolded and taken to what looks like a military facility While Andrea is given a cigarette, a nurse is checking her out. The nurse tells her they need to stay the night. The women demand where they are at but the nurse refuses to disclose the location. Merle comes in to talk to the women and explains what happened to him after he was handcuffed by Rick in Atlanta; "When they found me, I was near bled out and starving and thinking to myself a bullet might make a good last meal,” he explained. “Took a nice long nap waiting for Daryl on the other side. Have you seen my brother?” Andrea replies that Rick, Daryl and the rest tried going back for him but by the time they got there, all that was left was Merle’s severed hand. Merle shows her the severed wrist. Noticing he’s still resenting Rick and the crew for leaving him, Andrea tried convincing Merle that Rick and the group tried to look for him. Merle then acknowledges the loss of her sister.Andrea then tells Merle about being on the farm and Daryl becoming a valued member of the group. She explains that it was about 7-8 months ago, Andrea was “left behind” after being chased off by a herd of walkers. She then asks Merle want he wants from them. Michonne doesn’t have a fond first impression of Merle either, as she remembers Merle pointing a gun at them back in the woods. A frustrated Merle tells them that they should be grateful that they were rescued and are being cared for. Andrea finally expresses her thanks but Michonne demands her weapons…just in time for Governor to walk in. While the comforting shelter and necessities were luxurious for them, Michonne isn’t buying any of it; “We know enough about you to know you stabbed two men in the head!”  The women said they were already dead humans but the Governor informs the women that no matter how they die, they all turn into walkers. The Governor says they can retrieve their weapons and are free to leave and assures them; “You’re not prisoners here, you’re a guest.” 

Welcome to Woodsbury

The Governor than leads them to the community of Woodbury and welcomes them. Woodbury is a beautiful town with streets, building, homes and trees. It looked like a beautiful, peaceful community. As the women explore the town, they notice it’s a fenced community guarded by male survivors. Andrea asks if they are military but they are not; “We’re self-trained”. The arsenal used to protect the community are weapons that were picked up along the way. Merle then warns the Governor that “we got us a creeper!”! A spotlight is shone on walkers coming in. They are immediately shot down and the Governor commands them to retrieve the bodies in the morning. The Governor then takes the women through town and leads them to a room with food, water, fresh clothes, a comfortable bed. They were also provided a guard stationed at their door.  The governor acknowledges they have questions but that the men are outside and that he will see them in the morning.The next morning, a female tour guide takes Andrea and Michonne through the town, which she explains is populated by 74 survivors and that there had been no casualties since early winter, since the Governor enforced a strict curfew to the townsfolk that no one is to be out after dark. Andrea and Michonne are still suspicious about the Governor and all of Woodsbury. 

Michonne giving the Governor, Milton and the rest a permanent side-eye

Back in a mysterious hospital room, the wounded pilot from the crash talks to the Governor about the survivors going “haywire”, about how people went into panic mode and how “the whole place went to hell in a few hours”. He tells him that he and his unit of 10 men abandoned post, grabbed supplies and escape and that he left them in a desolate location so the pilot could scout ahead; “I took the bird up in the air while they were still ahead.” The Governor assures him that the rest of the unit will be rescued and he promises that if they are still alive, he will bring them in to the town. Governor goes outside and into a secret warehouse where he sees his advisor Milton and Merle in the lab arguing about something.  The Governor puts a stop to it and demands Merle tell him about Andrea. Merle talks about Andrea and how she is from Atlanta and how she was “the same one who left me on the roof and forced me to mutilate myself.”  The governor commands him to talk to her more. Merle leaves when the Governor turns his attention to Milton. Milton shows him the zombie head of one of the zombies that Michonne kept with her and explained to the Governor that Michonne cut off the arms and jaws to lose their appetite for flesh and to be used as a repellent. Milton suggests cutting the jaws off the walkers to serve as “zombie camoflauge”.

The next morning at breakfast, Andrea and Michonne had breakfast with Milton and the Governor. The Governor asks the women about what they think about the walkers and their memory; Milton jumps in to mention the walkers Michonne kept with her and  goes as far as to asking her if she knew them. Michonne remains quiet but only speaks to demand their weapons. After breakfast, Michonne confides in Andrea about not trusting the Governor. Andrea is more curious about the walkers Michonne kept with her for 8 months. Andrea boldly asks her who were they; “The way you controlled them and used them to your benefit, did you know them?” Michonne barks back at her “it was easier than you think” and storms off. Meanwhile, one of the Governor’s men is observing the two from a distance. 

Merle, Milton and the Governor plotting something that's probably not very nice

Out in a rural area full of military trucks, a car approaches what is left of the pilot’s unit.  The Governor rolls down the window and tells them not to shoot, waving a white flag. The Governor then gets out and tells the squad leader of the unit that the pilot was shot down but they had him and they were going to take the unit back. The Governor and his men then open fire on the soldiers. One soldier tries to make a run for it but is shot by Governor. He then tells a Woodsbury boy to take a knife and to put a “muscle into his knees”. The men confiscate the trucks and roll into town, which greatly peeks the townspeople’s interest. The Governor steps out and makes an announcement: “We brought in 3 new people yesterday, one was a helicopter pilot in the National Gaurd. He’s clinging to life, he told us about his convoy on the highway. His men….I promised I’d bring them back alive. They didn’t have our walls or fences….the trucks had weapons, food, medicine, things we need. We’ll honor their sacrifice….” He then closes his announcement by advising the people of Woodsbury to “watch out for each other”. The townsfolk go back to their houses as Andrea asks the Governor what she can do. She then asks for his real name, which he tells her that he’ll never tell. 

Back at the Governor’s residence, he takes a drink and contemplates his next move. He walks by his bed where a naked woman is sleeping. He takes a key necklace off and places it on an old family portrait of his wife and son that's on a mantle. He goes in a private room and sits in a room that was lit up by severed zombie heads in lit up tanks. Two of the men are Michonne’s walkers and the other one is the head of the pilot (add that to list of things I do not need to see before bedtime, along with horror movies about Dybbuk Boxes and social media sites after presidential debates). 

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Janes Notes: I honestly had to rewatch this one because this episode had A LOT packed into it in such a short time where we are introduced to another aspect of surviving a world full of walkers. I was a bit thrown off at the beginning of the opening scene with the military, which makes me wonder if there are other military units that survived the whole ordeal. Are there other towns set up like Woodsbury? What about Rick and the rest in the prison and how will the two crews clash? Time will tell so we have to stay tuned! I am also very curious as to Michonne's connection with the two walkers she kept with her. Perhaps they were her enemies she had? Who knows....

David Morrissey

This week, AMC featured an interview with David Morrissey, aka The Governor so check it out!. 

And because there was no Daryl Dixon in this episode, I enclose my notes with this picture, which should also help me forget the scene with the walker head aquarium; 

A serious case of puffy hearts and awwwwwwwwwwwwws!

Picture Credit: Syfy, Tumblr

Follow me on Twitter @janedoeghost

"Paranormal Witness: The Tenants" Season Finale Recap Pt. 2

Edwin decides to talk to his neighbor Walter to see if he can find any information about the Verdere family. Walker remembers the family as acting “very strange” and that they never smiled or spoke to Walter.  The family had built the complex in the 1900s and was strictly family owned. The Verdere family had 3 sons and a daughter. Walter recalls the one son was named Ben and the daughter was Myra. Walter mentioned the youngest son had died. Ben was a dominant man in the house and controlled the house and everybody in it. He also mentioned that Ben Verdere passed out dead in the bathtub due to a massive coronary. That’s the only information that was given to Edwin at the time.

A distraught Edwin trying to hold on and solve the problem

One night, Marsha and Edwin lean up against the wall and hear thumps plus a woman’s chilling scream. She thought it was Dan and Diane downstairs but felt it was getting too violent. “I couldn’t understand it because they were a very loving couple,” Marsha said. It began to happen night after night; they thought it was occurring down the base of the stairs. But then Diane and Dan began to hear it as well and thought it was Marsha and Edwin. “We heard arguing, moaning and crying,” Dan said; “it sounded terrible”. Edwin stuck his head out around the staircase and it stopped. There was nothing to be seen. 

Edwin went back to Walter for more information and he told Edwin about Ben and his wife, whose marriage was in turmoil full of turmoil, fighting and hateful screaming. Walter said she should’ve never moved into that house. The wife felt she couldn’t escape the abuse until she took her own life so she went down to the basement, wrapped a noose around her neck and hung herself. When Edwin relayed this story to Marsha, Marsha felt it all come together. “I realized the ghost of this family, the Vedere family, was occupying our house. It was built by them and someone died there,” Marsha explained. Myra’s words and profanities at Edwin to get out of the house suddenly began to haunt him. 

While Edwin was at work, Marsha would be home but she was losing sleep, her mood was changing and he felt she went through a spell of depression. It all affected Diane as well. Diane had always been bubbly and laughing and now she looked troubled. Dan would see her just sit there and cry. Marsha was constantly on the move, wondering if things in the house were still in place and the fear almost became too much for her to bear. Both Marsha and Diane fell into deep states of depression, which was probably caused by the suicidal woman’s energy imprint that she left when she took her life. Diane decided to leave with the baby and left Dan. “When Diane left, I was devastated.” Marsha remembers. “I felt alone. During dinnertime one night, Edwin noticed Marsha was very quiet. He then noticed the door opening up. He goes up to close it. The door opens up again. Edwin got angry, got up and got a piece of heavy string and tied it around the doorknob and said “now open the door you pervert!” Edwin sat back down. The door kept opening and got more manic and worse. Edwin lost his temper and was tormenting Ben “I had no respect for him,” Edwin explained. “I fell in despair because there was nothing I can do. I cursed ben and the whole Vedere family. I felt they were ruining our life.” Marsha held out a glimmer of hope so she tried to find someone in the psychic research field. She contacted a psychic who then got in touch with NBC. NBC called back and wanted to perform an exorcist on TV. Edwin didn’t know what to do but they decided to do it because they were at their last rope.

A warm, inviting house....

The production team on NBC came and created chaos in the house. Among the NBC team was a priest and a psychic. “There were people all over the place, sound people, camera people and I lost track who everyone was,” Marsha said of the experience. Edwin helped the sound team close all the windows. Reverend Dale Davis tells the couple and the rest that they must hold a crucifix. Reverend Davis then tells the psychic would go in a “trance” and communicate with whatever spirit is present. The whole room fell quiet. As the priest prayed, they saw the psychic move. The sound man who was hooked up on electronics and headsets were getting very nervous since he could hear things that the others couldn’t. The priest had a crucifix with a mirror on his right hand. A gust of wind just blew through and the venetian blinds rattled. “Be gone, evil spirit in the name of Jesus Christ! Send your holy angels to watch over and protect us!” the priest prayed. All the sudden, they could hear screaming and gusts of wind. Thousands of birds flew around the house and the noise became louder and louder. The psychic began shaking. The birds caused more racket. Something banged the window and the birds flew away. The psychic opened his eyes and the priest claimed the house to be “pure”. Edwin and Marsha were dumbfounded and not sure what to do next. “I knew that they honestly tried their best. They really believed that they were doing what needed to be done,” Marsha concluded. Edwin said if the activity continued, they would leave for good. “This whole experience was tormenting my life. I had to get out of there. So I took off and never came back.” Dan said, disgruntled at how the residence tore his life apart. 

Meanwhile, Edwin’s sister April came over. She saw the footage and wanted to live on the 1^st floor but he didn’t think it was a good idea; she insisted that she had to live there. She insisted that she had to live there. April moved in and brought in an old piano of hers. She went in a room and saw the chandelier move on its own. She told Dan and Marsha that the chandelier moves frequently and a lot. She asked if it was the ghost. “She was too excited about it and to her, it was a ghost party,” Marsha said. And a ghost party it was when April and her friends decided to come up with a genius idea and use an Ouija board. Marsha spied in on them; 

April: “We want to know if there’s anyone here with us”

The planchette began moving.

“y-e-s”

“Whose here with us?” April asked.

“H-E-N-R-Y”

The planchette then moved on its own

“Whose Henry, what are you doing here?” April asked.

Marsha had seen enough and interrupted the ghost party. She told Edwin, who was less-than-pleased. “I was in a blind rage that I started ripping it, folding it and tearing it into pieces,” Edwin said. Edwin warned April never to bring a board or any other voodoo items in the house or she’d be kicked out. So Edwin went back to Walter to ask about Henry. Walter told him that Henry was the youngest son and that the family was ashamed of him because “he was evil”. His own family restricted his travel and kept him in the house. Walter saw him looking out the window of the second floor but that’s all he saw of him.One night, April was in her room when her piano began playing. There was no explanation for why it was playing by itself. She confided in this to Marsha. Marsha said she was worried about April because April felt she has established this connection with Henry and was excited about it. She began hearing voices from the basement. Edwin went to the basement and experienced feelings of “being watched”. Edwin worried about April because he saw a huge change come over her. All the sudden, the piano was becoming more of a torment…ding, ding, ding…like a cadence…notice me, I’m here….

April began telling Marsha that she felt she was being touched inappropriately. She also began hearing voices saying “kill yourself”. Edwin was in despair and having really terrible thoughts. So Edwin would go down in the basement to investigate. He discovered a hidden door in the back wall of the basement. He discovered a small room that was completely empty. It had a mattress, a water pan, plates and bottles. It looked like someone was locked in the room. It became a revelation that Henry was locked inside this room. “What happened to him?” Edwin thought. But then he thought back to the time he found bullets in the basement too and so Edwin couldn’t help but wonder if Henry was killed by his own family. 

A couple holding onto hope...

Horrified at this revelation, Edwin put the house up for sale. The family sold the building and property for a measly $10. Edwin and Marsha took off for good. Three weeks later, the police found April. The family lost all contact with April. “I should’ve never let her move into the apartment….” Edwin concluded, shadowing the words of his neighbor Walton when he told Edwin that Ben Verdere’s wife shouldn’t have moved in…..

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Jane's Notes: What a great episode to end a fantastic season of Paranormal Witness full of ghosts, ghouls, a UFO and alien abduction…and an evil Jewish wine box (I still get comments for that one!). Now let’s get to business here….first off….the video! No shocker, the first televised exorcism is on Youtube. Some made comments on the production but keep in mind, this was the 70s, a time where the likes of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were probably building computers in their garages. Speaking of Youtube, I can't help but post this comment that made me laugh for 5 minutes straight;

I do believe that this case was sincere and genuine....as far as demonic activity goes, I am not too sure about that as I don't know quite enough about the subject of demonology to know. However, let's look at the house...full of violence, abuse, rage, suicide...and a possible murder...there is no doubt the energy imprints at the location were toxic and draining.

I also came across Edwin’s website and after looking over it, he has a book that he published about the haunting and went on to publish more ghost books and articles. He even took the time to answer some FAQ’s, which I liked. I also like that it included his biography and not only that but he also blogs about some thoughts concerning the field of society, culture and healthcare. He takes pride in his daughters and grandchildren, with a son-in-law serving in the law enforcement field. Personally, Edwin seems like the kind of man you can sit with at Starbucks over a good cup of coffee and talk to for hours.  Check out his site and see if there's anything there that sparks your interest...make sure to sign his guestbook too! 

Picture Credit: Syfy

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