J&J Talk's Blog

Season 8 of The Walking Dead has been full of glorious highs and brutal lows. As we near the mid-season finale, true fans of the show know what could be about to happen. The showrunners even said there would be a moment ‘everyone would be talking about’ after the episode airs. A finale doesn’t always mean a death. But given the wartime environment the characters are currently living under, with strongholds and alliances crumbling, it seems all but certain at least one major character will meet their demise. The question is – who? 1. Nobody Or at least, no major characters. The show has slowly and quietly built up the population enough that a few minor characters could meet their end at once. We’ve already seen it happen, but how likely is it the showrunners would cap off such a chaotic first-half of the season without having someone we’re attached to check out? In our assessment, not likely at all. Chance of Death:  Low 2. Negan Rick

UFC 217 was expected to be the biggest UFC card of the year, and possibly one of the biggest cards of all time. It did not disappoint, with all three title fights ending in spectacular fashion. The card took place in New York’s Madison Square Garden, and marked the second UFC event at the historic venue.  Fast-rising middleweight Paulo Costa continued his unbeaten streak as he scored a TKO victory over former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks. Former welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson picked up a unanimous decision victory over George Masvidal. Rose Namajunas came into her strawweight title bout as a massive underdog against the undefeated champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She shocked the MMA world by scoring a first-round finish, knocking Jedrzejczyk down multiple times and making the feared female tap to strikes. Bitter rivals finally met in the cage as bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt faced off against former champion T.J. Dillashaw.

After leaving The Sanctuary in the season premiere, the group didn’t stop for food or gas – they took the fight straight to Negan’s outposts. The gun battle at one outpost saw the crew working to box in their adversaries, letting them exhaust their ammo and allowing the newly reanimated Saviors to help them clear the place. Deaths and injuries were prominent on both sides, with longtime Alexandrians Tobin, Francine, and Eric all getting hit in the shootout. At another outpost, Morgan, Jesus, Tara, and a number of others had to face the reoccurring dilemma of to kill or not to kill after they’d gained the upper hand. Jesus took the latter choice, much to Tara’s chagrin. Morgan continues to fluctuate between his two personalities of centered peacemaker and bloodthirsty kill-machine, miraculously surviving a hail of bullets that claimed the lives of the two people he was with. Before entering the outpost, he uttered the line “I don’t di

We wanted war, and we got it. The Walking Dead started season 8 off with a bang, showing Rick and the group taking a calculated, strategic approach to dismantling Negan’s empire. After Daryl gets some intel from Dwight, we see Negan’s lookouts getting picked off one by one. Anticipating that such a loss of ground would result in an investigation, the crew has already rigged up a trap to dismantle the soldiers Negan sent out. The three communities combine their forces, rolling up to The Sanctuary in armored vehicles and packing enough firepower to stand their ground. It’s then the showrunners reference a concept that still doesn’t get the attention it deserves – Negan’s followers. His lieutenants are all given a choice to walk away. They’re all there – Simon, Gavin, Dwight, Eugene and…Regina? Fine, but that fifth spot could’ve gone to Arat, just saying. Rick holds off on the fire fight here because he understands a simple truth that has been