• Home
  • Movies
  • Music
  • TV
  • Video Games
  • Wrestling
  • Topics
  • Latest Comments on Cult of Whatever
Search
Cult of Whatever logo
  • Movies
    Featured
    • The Living Daylights: Timothy Dalton as James Bond

      The Living Daylights is still awesome, thirty-five years later

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 28, 2022
      Movie Blogs
    Recent
    • The Muppet Christmas Carol: Michael Caine as Scrooge

      The Muppet’s Christmas Carol remains the gold standard for the book

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 20, 2022
    • Nightmare Before Christmas 1993 1

      2022’s Christmas Movie Watchlist!

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 18, 2022
    • Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Poster

      REVIEW: GDT’s Pinocchio is my favorite film of the year!

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 14, 2022
    • Troll: Ine Marie Wilmann as Nora

      REVIEWS: TROLL and TROLL HUNTER -A giant creature double feature!

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 5, 2022
    • Harry with The Hendersons

      Harry and the Hendersons is still awesome, thirty-five years later

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 1, 2022
    • Fantastic Four Poster

      The five best “rogues galleries” in superherodom! (part 3)

      By Matthew Martin
      | November 28, 2022
  • Music
    Random
    • Santa Music

      YOUR official Christmas 2017 LISTENING Guide

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 20, 2017
      Music Blogs
    Recent
    • The Beatles: Get Back

      What GET BACK reveals about the Beatles

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 15, 2021
    • Simon And Garfunkel at Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam1982

      The Boxer is a song about being conned

      By Matthew Martin
      | July 4, 2021
    • Lady Gaga: Chromatica Album Cover

      Lady Gaga’s discography is totally out of order

      By Matthew Martin
      | June 3, 2021
    • Michael Jackson Thriller Album Cover

      Thirty years ago music fans said “Nevermind” to Michael Jackson

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 21, 2021
    • Queen II Album Cover

      On Queen’s The Miracle, and the importance of track ordering

      By Matthew Martin
      | February 16, 2021
    • Linda Paul Mccartney 1976

      50 years ago, McCartney dropped “Lennon” and went solo…

      By Matthew Martin
      | June 5, 2020
  • TV
    Featured
    • Big Sky S03e05: Kylie Bunbury, J. Anthony Pena and Katheryn Winnick as Cassie Dewell, Mo Poppernak and Jenny Hoyt

      Big Sky S03E05 Review: Flesh and Blood - Glamping!

      By Salome G
      | October 22, 2022
      TV Blogs
    Recent
    • Big Sky S03e10: Gang

      Big Sky S03E10 Review: A Thin Layer of Rock – Break time…

      By Salome G
      | December 11, 2022
    • Rick And Morty: S01e03

      Is Beth from Rick and Morty a bigger sociopath than Rick?

      By Jason Collins
      | December 7, 2022
    • Big Sky S03e09: Dedee Pfeiffer and Cree as Denise and Emily

      Big Sky S03E09: Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire – Stalling

      By Salome G
      | December 1, 2022
    • The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special: Dave Bautista and Pom Klementieff as Drax and Mantis

      REVIEW: The GOTG Holiday Special is a sweet prelude to next year’s finale

      By Matthew Martin
      | November 27, 2022
    • The Midnight Club S01: The Gang

      The Midnight Club S1 Review – A series of unfortunate events

      By Salome G
      | November 24, 2022
    • Big Sky S03e08: Reba McEntire as Sunny Barnes

      Big Sky S03E08 Review: Duck Hunting – I love a weirdo.

      By Salome G
      | November 19, 2022
  • Video Games
    Featured
    • Arkham Knight

      Batman: Arkham Knight - A fitting end to a trilogy

      By Tom Farr
      | July 18, 2015
      Video Game Reviews
    Recent
    • Splatoon 3 Screenshot

      A trio of Nintendo Switch reviews!

      By Matthew Martin
      | September 28, 2022
    • Nintendo Switch Logo

      Looking ahead to the Switch 2: Predictions and Wants

      By Matthew Martin
      | August 15, 2022
    • Legend Of Zelda

      Can a Legend of Zelda movie work?

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 6, 2022
    • Super Mario 64

      Which system had the better launch: A battle of four Nintendo consoles

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 1, 2021
    • Luigi's Mansion

      Happy twentieth to Nintendo’s underrated gem, the Gamecube

      By Matthew Martin
      | November 18, 2021
    • Metroid Dread

      Metroid Dread – Post Game analysis and sequel needs

      By Matthew Martin
      | October 29, 2021
  • Wrestling
    Featured
    • AEW All Out 2022: Keith Lee. Anthony Bowens, Max Caster and Billy Gunn

      AEW All Out 2022 - Review and (wild) Speculation!

      By Matthew Martin
      | September 5, 2022
      AEW
    Recent
    • article placeholder

      Which Is Better AEW vs WWE?

      By Coder
      | September 29, 2023
    • article placeholder

      Which Female Wrestler Leaves WWE?

      By Coder
      | September 29, 2023
    • article placeholder

      Which WWE Wrestler Had a Heart Attack?

      By Coder
      | September 29, 2023
    • article placeholder

      Which WWE Legend Recently Died?

      By Coder
      | September 29, 2023
    • article placeholder

      Which WWE Game Has the Best Story Mode?

      By Coder
      | September 29, 2023
    • article placeholder

      Which GM Should I Pick WWE 2K22?

      By Coder
      | September 29, 2023
  • Topics
    • site logo
    Latest
    • Which Is Better AEW vs WWE?
    • Which Female Wrestler Leaves WWE?
    • Which WWE Wrestler Had a Heart Attack?
    • Which WWE Legend Recently Died?
    • Which WWE Game Has the Best Story Mode?
    • Which GM Should I Pick WWE 2K22?

    The Walking dead S07E11: Hostiles and Calamites – Eugene and Dwight showcase the two meanings of being one of the Saviours

    By Kevin Boyle
    | February 27, 2017
    TV Blogs

    Hostiles and Calamites is such a typical move by The Walking Dead that I’m not even a little bit surprised. It seems to be the show’s go-to strategy that anytime it even gets a little bit close to gathering momentum they give us an episode like this which stops the story, for lack of a better word, dead.

    The previous two episodes have been all about the comeback: Rick gathering supplies and support in order to attempt an uprising against Negan.  The group have been given their next task by the settlement that took Father Gabriel: get guns in exchange for support. Great, let’s go with that. Instead we get an episode which parallels the events of these two episodes from the point of view of the Saviours compound, starting with the puddle of brains Darryl eft Negan as a goodbye present. From here the point of view switches between Darryl’s captor Dwight, who in Negan circles is something akin to a made guy, and newcomer Eugene.

    Walking Dead S07e11 Negan Eugene

    The Walking Dead is a slow show, taking far too many episodes to set up what is really just the events of the season, or mid-season finale, mostly by basing episodes around different characters that should represent a different, and compelling route to go down narratively speaking. Hostiles and Calamites is one of those episodes, one that relegates most of the show to tell a smaller story. Whether it succeeds or not will have a lot to do with how you feel about either Dwight or Eugene. I personally thought that this episode worked. Yes, it’s frustrating how much The Walking Dead is addicted to spinning its own wheels, but this episode told a compelling story about characters that don’t always get the spotlight and, shockingly, Negan didn’t suck.

    Eugene is a coward, plain and simple. He was introduced to the show in the fourth season as part of the Abraham/Rosita package spouting a plan to get to Washington to find a cure for the zombie virus. Like most things with Eugene the plan turned out to be a piece of very clever bullshit, a way to keep himself with capable people in order to survive. Since the revelation of that bullshit plan Eugene has been nothing more than a background player, never more than the comic relief. There was an episode in which he proved that he was as brave as everyone else by saving Tara, and he bit Dwight’s dick (which Dwight seems to have forgotten about; he forgets things dontcha know).

    Walking Dead S07e11 Negan Eugene Laura

    Eugene is a coward but he is also hustler, in his own terms a man apart in intellect and it has served him well thus far.  That is until his last act of bravery got him taken by Negan ion order to save Rosita. As I said, Eugene has never had the spotlight all to himself so who knew that an episode based around him would be any good. Yet it is good, not because of Eugene himself per se but due to the contrast of his experience of the Saviours and Negan to that of Darryl’s. The opening scene in which Eugene comes face to face with Negan is a good example. Eugene, sensing his own precarious situation, falls in line quickly by playing up his worth to Negan. He is then taken to his own room, looking like he’s going to piss himself the entire time, only to be given creature comforts like pickles and books. We even get another rendition of “Easy Street” the song that drove Daryl half mad when used as an ironic message of torture, here perfectly describes Eugene’s situation: he’s on easy street.

    Eugene is an asset to Negan: he can manufacture bullets, come up with solutions to firm up the wall of Walkers, and is technically a medical doctor. Negan quite rightly feels that in Eugene he has a goldmine at his disposal. It is in Negan’s treatment of Eugene compared to that of Dwight that gives Hostiles and Calamites it’s through line. After all this is Negan’s kingdom and if you displease him, made guy or not, you must pay the price. Dwight knows this better than anyone being on the receiving end of the scolding iron, which isn’t helped when Daryl’s escape outs him in Negan’s sights.

    Dwight must find his ex-wife Sheri, who actually freed Daryl not Jesus as I first thought. Dwight is told in no uncertain terms that he dies if he can’t make this right; either by bringing his ex back or killing her. He does neither as he finds a letter from her at their meeting place asking forgiveness for turning Dwight into the man he is now. The horrible part is that Dwight had no intention of killing her, or bringing her back, he wanted to go with her: even bringing the planned pretzels and beer mentioned in the letter. So, to cover both their asses Dwight callously blames the compounds doctor for freeing Daryl, a brutal decision that keeps her alive and Dwight in Negan’s good graces for now.

    Walking Dead S07e11 Dwight

    Through Dwight and Eugene, we are shown multiple examples of cowardly behaviour to stay alive. It’s easy watching a show like The Walking Dead, having hypothetical conversations about how you would survive the zombie apocalypse, imaging yourself as someone brave, who could make tough decisions and kill when you have too. Eugene and Dwight are more realistic in their behaviour. As much as Eugene’s rushed proclamation that he is Negan makes you cringe what would you do if Negan and Lucille were in front of you asking that same question? Would you prefer the bat? The iron? The smelter? Or would you say you’re Negan?

    7/10 – Despite taking another break from the main plot Hostiles and Calamites was a surprisingly compelling side-bar which gives us our most detailed impression of what it’s like to be a Saviour so far.

    Tags

    The Walking Dead

    COMMENTS

    Please read our Commenting Policy before you join in with the discussion.

    Note: If you have email notifications enabled, please check your email spam folders to ensure emails are not missed.

    Subscribe
    Connect withD
    I allow to create an account
    When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
    DisagreeAgree
    Notify of
    guest

    Connect withD
    I allow to create an account
    When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
    DisagreeAgree
    guest

    0 Comments
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments

    You might also like

    • The Walking Dead S07E10: New Best Friends – More episodes like this please!

      By Kevin Boyle
      | February 20, 2017
    • The Walking Dead S07E09: Rock in the Road – A middling return is one of the best episodes of the season

      By Kevin Boyle
      | February 13, 2017
    • The Walking Dead S07E08: Hearts Still Beating – Plots that go nowhere weigh down a good mid-season finale

      By Kevin Boyle
      | December 12, 2016
    • The Walking Dead S07E07: Sing Me a Song – Why didn’t they do this all along?

      By Kevin Boyle
      | December 6, 2016
    • The Walking Dead S07E06: Swear – Another detour from the main story but this time it’s actually good

      By Kevin Boyle
      | November 28, 2016
    • The Walking Dead S07E05: Go Getters – A visit to the Hilltop can’t stop this poor run of form

      By Kevin Boyle
      | November 21, 2016
    • The Walking Dead S07E04: Service – Alexandria is at Negan’s Service in a dull extended episode

      By Kevin Boyle
      | November 14, 2016
    • The Walking Dead S07E03: The Cell – Back to misery, but at least there’s a point.

      By Kevin Boyle
      | November 8, 2016
    • The Walking Dead S07E02: The Well – TWD embraces the contradictions by going overboard with the good.

      By Kevin Boyle
      | October 31, 2016
    • The Walking Dead S07E01: The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be – It’s a new era with the same old problems in this frustrating season opener

      By Kevin Boyle
      | October 24, 2016

    FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

    TV Topics

    Recommended for you

    • Big Sky S03E10 Review: A Thin Layer of Rock – Break time…

      By Salome G
      | December 11, 2022
    • Is Beth from Rick and Morty a bigger sociopath than Rick?

      By Jason Collins
      | December 7, 2022
    • REVIEW: The GOTG Holiday Special is a sweet prelude to next year’s finale

      By Matthew Martin
      | November 27, 2022
    • The Midnight Club S1 Review – A series of unfortunate events

      By Salome G
      | November 24, 2022
    • Doctor Who 2022 October Special Review: The Power of the Doctor – Lackluster

      By Jason Collins
      | October 25, 2022
    • Can the Doctor regenerate into a previous incarnation?

      By Jason Collins
      | October 23, 2022
    • Is the Tardis more sentient plant or machine?

      By Jason Collins
      | October 10, 2022
    • Star Trek Strange New Worlds – Season two wishlist!

      By Matthew Martin
      | September 14, 2022
    • Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Every episode ranked! (Part 5/5)

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 30, 2022
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Affiliate Disclosure
    • Cookie Policy and Settings
    • Terms of Use
    • Photo Credits
    • RSS
    All Cult of Whatever articles, logos, illustrations and graphics are copyright CultOfWhatever.com. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. © 2023 CultOfWhatever. All Rights Reserved.
    • facebook
    • twitter
    wpDiscuz