The Spoiler's Review

!!SPOILER ALERT -- LISTEN TO THE PODCAST BEFORE YOU COME HERE !!

My chapter fanart this time around turned out to be more troublesome than I imagined. Originally I started working on an interior shot of a helicopter but after a weeks of struggling with the concept I realized my civilian eyes don’t know squat about what the inside of a helicopter is supposed to look like and so I burned it with Plan B. Behold, Plan C!

Chapter 22.3 – What Is Yours Is Mine

Pegs narrates us into the episode which perks me right up. Victor’s driving her to the airport to meet Kalani and the others. Of course Michael coolly chose one of his strongest warriors as an escort for his lady. As they bicker about directions I can’t help but wonder where Writing is going to take them. Will they run into the surviving Mallers? Will they come across creatures fleeing the Arena? Pegs complains of dizziness and a headache. Eventually they pull over for her to be sick.

OMG MICHAEL IS A DADDY! But wait, it’s only been like, like a week and a half? Oh no, she’s infected! But wait, maybe they strayed into ground zero. *GASP* Don’t kill my Peggy!

Both of them soon realize the area is not safe and they speed away. Phew!

There’s no narration into the next part where the boys at the airport are working hard to fix the helicopter. Kalani’s holding strong as a mission leader and keeping everyone moving. Burt’s talking to someone at the Tower via radio. No further details are given but it appears that he’s checking up on the Pippin situation. Since we can’t confirm this we can chuck it on top of the pile of unanswered questions left over from Chapter 21. Datu’s excited and hopeful that the bird will be functional in good time.

The group notices that Pegs and Victor haven’t arrived yet and start to worry. Burt suggests they halt repairs long enough to look for them. Saul’s evidently bitter about the idea since Lizzy’s search has been put on hold temporarily for the helicopter. Because of his injuries, he can’t do much other than watch everyone else work and as a result is becoming more anxious as time passes. Victor and Pegs pull up right on cue and inform the group about their detour into ground zero.

Interest in the area builds among some in the group, including Saul, as a place to investigate. As they discuss this, Burt and Datu imply that exposure to ground zero could cause infection. Pegs and Victor assure him that they feel fine. Burt takes this opportunity to criticize her judgment as the 2nd pilot but Vic and Kalani win points for coming to her defense. Saul assesses her abilities and is quickly convinced.

It makes perfect sense for the army guys to feel uneasy about giving her a job to do. From day 1 of the outbreak she’s always been the “damsel in distress,” THE ONE person you have to protect in a fight. In Season 1, you could hand any of the main characters a gun and be confident they’d use it to protect themselves and others. Pegs could be labeled as one of the “others” however there’s been someone or something to nudge her into a higher role (ie, Lizzy, Riley, Michael).

I still feel that Pegs is going through a character transition. She’s called upon a new level of confidence we’ve only caught glimpses of before. I noted some of it there in Chapter 12 and in Chapter 11.1 when she was the only one brave enough to climb balconies to warn the others about Suit Zombie. She takes action when she has no other option but doesn’t let bad things happen when she’s capable of stopping it. Sure some of her behavior can seem childish but it’s not hard to fake. Yes, I said fake.

I’m not afraid to line my favorite up as a suspect for wrongdoing. Who’s to say she jumped balconies when in reality, she could have been in the room alone the entire time! Suit Zombie was beating on a door when Michael and the others arrived. Maybe she got caught hiding in there just before they showed up? Ooooo, smell the mystery! I'm just saying she has good aim for someone that’s had virtually no target practice.

Moving on!

Jobs are assigned and everyone gets back to work. Audio does some cool fading tricks to cover each group. As Kalani teaches Pegs how to fly the copter, we hear the voices of the other members speaking softly in the background to remind us that everyone’s in the same closed space. Between the echoes, scrubbing, groans of the controls, and Burt’s heavy footsteps I feel like I’m actually in the helicopter with them.

Over the radio they learn the other search team has found a 2nd helicopter. And guess what? It’s at a hospital (or at least near one).

***HIGH-FIVES YARRI*** BOOYAH!!

Upon hearing this news, with a courageous heart, Saul runs off to go rescue his lady love! Go man! Go!

CHAPTER 22 REVIEW

Okay so, we got NO answers out of 22.

Like the previous chapter I felt this was mostly filler. The story’s definitely slowed down to a crawl and that’s likely because the end of the season is so close. *CRY* Writing is a teaser (and crowd pleaser!) but thankfully the most loyalist and diehard fans are weekend masochists so we shall endure!

The great thing about this story is that all the filler or seemingly “useless” information becomes useful somewhere down the line. Writing put in overtime to blow all common plot theories apart and confuse the audience on who is doing what and why. (It’s going to be one heck of a break) So it’s best to just take notes and keep them in mind for Season 3 when the story starts to move forward again.

I must comment that there was almost a feeling of normality when the crew was working together in 22.3. Having all these personalities in one place nearly sent my awesome meter into overload. The actors meld into these characters so well you’d swear they all live in the same house in real life. The bar’s been set so high that when new voice actors come in, the audience expects the same quality from everyone. We should remain attentive and remember that it takes significant time to get a feel for the role.

The obvious is not always the right answer. Although there are other incidents, I'll forever refer to this chapter as an example.

OBVIOUS = MAY NOT BE TRUE. SEE 22!

The primary highlights of this installment reminded us that the Rat is still around, Michael is a different leader, and how close this group has gotten in all this time. Saul’s gone straight up lover boy. And though Michael is still playing leader with a cool head, I sense a hint of overprotective B/F in the works. This could play out well when they run into Scratch again. (WIFE SWAP!!!) Kalani ‘s leadership capabilities are shining bright! I wouldn’t believe this was the same guy sucking up to Burt a few chapters ago. Victor’s showing more and more that he’s a person who can be trusted. It’s good to hear Datu sounding so perky after becoming so disgruntled during the fire. Having Hope now appears to have changed his whole attitude about survival. But take her away and he’ll relapse in a snap.

Burt’s been very laid back since stepping down and he's watching over Saul like a concerned father. It’s unclear if Michael told him the truth over the radio (doubt it) or not but I’m not certain how he’d handle uncovering the lie. His suspicion alone is enough to cause skepticism amongst the Tower residents if he wishes it. Pegs’ time to shine is in the works. I’m happy for her but I know Writing’s just looking for a place to stick a monkey wrench. *Random thought: Scratch forces Pegs at gunpoint to fly the helicopter of supplies south to Durai’s encampment while Michael watches in horror. Season cliffhanger.* Stop it! Stop it! Focus!

With no journal narrations and Saul running off to ground zero, I fear for his life. The cards are all lined up: no Tower radio to call for help, he’s alone, he’s weakened, and not thinking straight. Now that he’s unrestrained, his recklessness can very well mean his end… or the end for someone else.

NO RATINGS

**My rating system is flawed. I’ve known about it for a while but haven’t gotten around to doing anything about it. As soon as I talk myself into going back to fix all my entries, I’ll change it to something that better reflects my feelings about the episodes (Promise!). Otherwise at this rate everything will always be over 90%! (No, really the show is just that good.)**

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