-Hello. Okay. So tonight, we saw the return of the Whisperers,
the introduction of Aaron's dark side.
Back in Alexandria, Judith had
a heartbreaking encounter with a bully,
and then at the Commonwealth,
Eugene has this ice cream date with Stephanie.
Then he tried to radio home, but that didn't go so well
'cause then he got caught and then arrested.
So can the group trust Hornsby now that they're in hot water?
And how will Lydia be affected
by what Aaron did to that Whisperer?
And why would that bully kid destroy the handprints?
Y-You got to be nice to Judith.
She's already lost enough already.
So on tonight's show,
we have interviews with the cast,
including ones with the Walker cameo
from Jeffrey Dean Morgan
and Hilarie Burton Morgan's son, Gus,
a behind-the-scenes look
at the elaborate Commonwealth set,
and a sneak peek of next week's all-new episode.
My guest tonight, one of the hosts
for "The Walking Dead" Universe Twitch channel,
Clarke Wolfe is here.
Cassady McClincy, who plays Lydia,
and joining us live from Atlanta.
Ross Marquand, A.K.A. Aaron.
I am Chris Hardwick, and this is "Talking Dead" live.
[Cheers and applause]
♪♪
Welcome!
Welcome to the show!
The conversation about tonight's show is just beginning.
We want to hear from you, so tweet us,
or hit us up on Instagram @AMCTalkingDead,
or go to Talking Dead's Facebook page.
You can also go to TWDU.com/DeadLive
to vote in our polls and make your voice heard.
For now, please say hello to my guests.
Clarke Wolfe, Cassady McClincy,
Ross Marquand.
[Cheers and applause]
Alright!
Let's talk a little bit about evil Aaron for a second,
or "Sc-aron", as I've been calling him.
GlaggyBaby on Twitter says, "Aaron went dark. Hello!"
LauraBonJovin9 says, "Aaron's going full Rick."
And GrimesGreen on Twitter said,
"You know it's bad when even Carol says
you are going too far." [Laughter]
So, a-a-are you enjoying playing
a more darkly-themed Aaron --
Aaron's dark mode? -Yeah.
I've -- I've been trying to push for a darker Aaron for years.
I mean, I think he's -- he's always been
this super nice guy since the beginning,
and I think his diplomacy's
kind of reached its limit,
especially with the Whisperers who don't know diplomacy at all.
And I think you have to fight fire with fire with some people,
and I loved this torture sequence.
I thought it was fantastic.
And also, I would imagine being a parent
also changes the game a lot, as well,
because he even says, like,
it's because of them that Gracie's starving.
You know, it's like, "They did this,"
and so that also probably activated him, too,
but letting the Walker bite the guy's hand.
What was that --
You have a reaction to that?
You good with that?
-I loved it. I know --
Well, Cassady played it so great, where she -- she --
I mean, she really freaked out whenever we shot that,
and I thought it was fantastic because, I mean,
it was a very brutal moment,
and it's something we don't expect from Aaron at all.
But, you know, like you said, the whole reason why Gracie
and the Alexandria community is starving
is because of what these guys did just in season 10.
So I think he's -- he's very desperate,
and he's willing to do whatever it takes
to protect his daughter and the rest of the community.
-Yeah, and also when the guy's, like -- like,
holding the wound and going,
"It's still not what Alpha would have done."
You know what I mean? Like, they still...
And it's literally they came from, like,
a much worse fate.
So even as dark as Aaron was, it's still not anything
compared to what they came from.
But now let's find out what you thought at home.
We asked you at TWDU.com/DeadLive,
"Did Aaron go too far interrogating the Whisperer?"
Yes, as someone who's lost his hand,
Aaron should have spared the Whisperer that same fate.
Or no, it needed to be done to ensure Alexandria's safety.
While the votes are calculating,
Clarke Wolfe, what do you think,
on behalf of the fan community?
-So I was shocked that Aaron, you know,
let the Whisp-- or let the walker bite the Whisperer.
However, I loved it,
because as Ross just said, like, he's lost his hand,
He can relate. Like, he's like,
"You want to play ball? Let's play ball.
You want to go there? Let's go there.
But that said, we have to remember
that Aaron has more connection to Alexandria, arguably,
than, like, anybody else in our crew,
-Excellent point. -He's our way in.
So, the stakes are so high for him.
And this isn't the windbreaker wearing-khaki-pants Aaron
that we saw in the beginning.
But I think that that's appropriate,
especially overseeing all of the carnage
that we just did at Hilltop,
being reminded of the people that they've lost,
the tools that they've lost, the community that they've lost.
I think that it makes perfect sense
that this is where Aaron is at.
So I -- I mean, I was surprised that he took it there,
but I felt like it was the right move.
-Well, you were in the 62% that said,
"No, he did not go too far."
And just really quickly, reaction to Carol stepping in
and being like, "Hey, take it down a notch."
-You know what? I loved that comment
you read earlier about, like,
when Carol said you better...
But that said, like, I think that Aaron,
while he is feeling his feelings,
is not a reactionary
or, like, a off the handle kind of guy.
So when Carol stepped in and was like, "I see you.
This needs to stop, even though he didn't like it,
I think he was like, "You're right."
-Right. Right.
Cassady, how does Lydia feel
when Carol intervenes in Aaron's interrogation?
-So I think that Lydia and Carol have very similar moral codes,
and I think that they both know that Aaron's just going
through a really rough time right now.
Right? -And the Whisperers
have done some really horrible things to him.
So he's got a lot of vendettas, and he wants revenge, and --
But they know that he's a good person deep down,
and he's probably gonna have nightmares
if he does something worse
than let this walker eat this dude's hand.
So I think, yeah, they need to step up
and like, stop it from getting any worse
before he's just mortified
and totally, like, guilt-ridden forever.
-Well, yeah, because it's one of the big struggles on the show
is how do you retain your humanity?
Like, when -- when the world is such a turbulent place,
both with walkers
and other people and the environment,
like, how do you -- how do you stay,
you know, how do you stay human? -A good person?
-Yeah, how do you not become one of the walking dead?
Yeah, exactly, but sort of on the Carol topic,
can you talk about the scene
where Lydia saves Carol? -Yeah!
That was one of my favorite things I've ever done, ever!
I just -- I love doing any scenes with Melissa
because she's just the greatest,
and she still cares so much about her character,
and she cares about being real,
and I just love feeling with her
every emotional scene I get to do with her,
I'm just like, "Is this even real?"
'Cause I also grew up a fan of the show,
and, like, she's really a huge inspiration for me.
She's just been so good since day one.
And yeah, I was really excited to be able to hug her
a million times during the countless take
that we did of then that scene, because, yeah,
we did that first scene
in Atlanta,
and then a couple of months later,
we had to reshoot it in L.A.
So it was just a lot of different takes
in different settings, filming that,
But yeah, it was one of my favorites.
-It's so interesting to hear --
just to hear you say those words, like,
you know, "I grew up watching the show."
I'm like, "Oh, my God. We've been on for like 100 years."
-I did! Yeah.
-I've been hosting shows since the 1900s.
I feel, like, 1,000 years old. -You've been doing so good!
[Both laugh]
-Coming up, we have interviews with the cast,
a behind-the-scenes look at the Commonwealth set,
and an exclusive sneak peek
of next week's episode of "The Walking Dead."
But first, before Jerry forgets
to flush and wash his hands --
He a little distracted,
so we're gonna let it slide this time --
let's slow things down and say a final farewell
to all those we've lost tonight.
♪♪
-I would say -- Well, all of the things
that Vincent said probably hurt Judith,
but the things that probably hurt her most,
when he started talking about her mom.
That's definitely what pushed her over the edge.
It's a very sensitive subject.
She's very close with her mom,
and now she's gone,
and she doesn't have much family left.
So I think family is definitely a sensitive subject
when it comes to Judith.
When Judith found the handprints
that she made with Carl on the floor --
definitely made her have a wave of emotion.
You know, Carl was her big brother,
and he was her role model.
And he's gone now,
and that's definitely very tough for her.
She's losing family members one after another,
whether they pass away
or they leave to go do something important.
When we did that scene on the steps,
and Rosita was kind of telling Judith
about her mom and her family,
I think that definitely comforted Judith
so that she knew she wasn't alone in what she was feeling.
And I love how she treats her like an adult.
[Cheers and applause]
-Welcome back to "Talking Dead."
That was Cailey Fleming
on Judith's confrontation with the bullies
and how she cherishes the memories of her family.
We're back with Clarke Wolfe, Cassady McClincy,
and Ross Marquand.
Just some Judith reactions.
Ashira on Twitter says in all caps,
"Not the handprints!"
MJoelnirs on Twitter says,
"That conversation with Rosita and Judith has me sobbing."
MillersRe -- "I've never hated anyone
as much as I hate those kids who were mean to Judith.
That is Michonne and Rick Grimes' daughter!"
And ImpossibleGirl11 on Twitter says,
"Judith acted just like her dad
'cause she definitely had a Shane moment."
Oh, come on! [Light laughter]
Ross, now that Aaron has gone to the dark side,
how worried
should that bully be?
-I think Aaron's gonna give him the what-for.
You know, he's gonna give him a stern talking to.
I'm amazed that -- that that kid had the gall
to talk to Judith that way.
I mean, Judith is one of the best fighters we have.
And she can take care of herself.
So I mean, that's just --
that's just plain playing with fire, I think, you know?
-Clarke, how did -- how did you feel in that sc--
Obviously, you kind of wanted
to see her just like... -Yeah.
...knock the kid down,
but she restrained herself.
-I -- Listen. Judith -- Okay.
So first of all,
that was like a teenager pushing a small child.
-Exactly. -What is happening?
What is going on in this place?
I did not care for this moment.
However, I was very --
I was actually very proud of Judith.
Judith Grimes is probably
my favorite character --
One of my favorite characters on the show.
I think Cailey is outstanding.
And if I may embarrass Cassady
a little... -No! [Laughs]
-...both Judith and Lydia
are such, like, powerful characters.
And if I was a little girl watching this show,
I would feel so many things,
and I would feel so grateful.
And so in this moment,
Judith is so wise beyond her years,
and she tried to use diplomacy. -Right.
-And it didn't work, so she had to give him what-for,
and I think she did the right thing.
-Me too. -I just --
-It's just, like, watching that kid,
and I'm trying to imagine being in that universe.
Like, that kid's already being an ass hat.
They got to, like, just let him
wander around outside for a while, and be like,
"You can come back in if you stop being a dick."
Like, then it's gonna -- Then -- Then it's gonna be okay.
-And then he went and broke those handprints.
So guess what? He gotta go.
-Yeah. -He's out.
Let's go to the Internet.
Grace30758 on Instagram.
Cassady, how would Lydia have reacted
to Gage's death in the subway,
considering their history?
-Yes.
I think that I would have --
or Lydiawould have reacted just the way Maggie did.
I think he did that whole group dirty.
He took all their supplies
and was just gonna leave them for dead.
Yeah, I would not have saved him.
And I think
Lydia would not have either.
[both laugh]
I don't think there's anything --
I mean, that's a very honest, fair answer,
and I totally agree.
I don't think her -- I think her character
probably would have done the same thing.
-But I love Jackson. He did amazing,
And that was like, a really, really cool death scene,
one of the coolest on the show, I think.
This is from at @TheMamaStones on Instagram.
Ross, does Aaron ever wish
he had just kept on walking
instead of strolling up to Maggie and Sasha?
-[Chuckles]
I mean, you could certainly make the case that
the moment Aaron brought back Rick and the gang,
that's where everything started falling apart in Alexandria.
I mean, we had a thriving community
of several hundred people, and then now it's literally
only three people left from that original cast.
It's me, Barbara, and Scott, and, you know,
that's -- that's a kind of, like,
philosophical discussion for another day.
But you could -- you could certainly make the case that,
you know, the bad stuff started happening when they came there,
but they also protected them against the Wolves
and the Whisperers and the Saviors.
So it's -- it's, you know, good and bad.
-Alright. That's -- That's a nice answer.
That's a fa-- I like that you tried to balance it out.
I mean, there's only three of us left,
but it's good and bad."
You know? -[Chuckles]
-Little of both.
-Clarke, let's talk about Yumiko and her brother,
the reunion, where he's like,
"I'm happy for the first time in my life.
Please don't mess this up for me,"
and she's kind of like big sister'ing him a little bit.
-Well, so we get so quickly into their dynamic, like that,
which I think is just a testament
not only to this great writing by LaToya Morgan,
but also -- but these performances.
You know, I love Yumiko.
I love her.
I love her in the Commonwealth.
I love when she asked to speak to the manager.
I am here for it, and --
But this is the type of --
This is the type of philosophical discussion
that I think you can have in the apocalypse.
Like, "Hey, I don't want that life.
You know, I've been given a second chance,
and if I choose to be happy and work in a bakery
as opposed to what I was doing before,
you have to let me do that,"
and I love that this far into the show,
we're still asking those questions
and having those conversations because that's the human part
that I think we can all relate to.
-Totally, and how could they -- how could, you know --
I'll just call them our characters.
How could our characters trust
anything, anything, or anyone?
Every group that
they've pretty much ever come across
has turned out to have not great motives,
at least, you know, from their point of view.
So you come into this society,
you know, where there's all these soldiers,
and there's weird rules, and it's like, of course,
they're gonna be like, "Is everything on the level?"
-I'm having Terminus flashbacks. You know what I mean?
Like, how could you not as a viewer.
Like, you know what I mean?
So, yeah, I think it's --
As the kids say, it's sus.
[laughter] -Ah!
-Hey, I want to thank you for bringing some of that
hip kid talk to our program. -You're welcome.
That's what you bring me here for.
-I'm 100 years old.
I literally have no idea -- I'm glad you.
I would've had no idea what that word was that you said.
-Join us on Twitch. We use it all the time.
I would have been like, "Yep, it sure is.
Well, I guess let's go to commercial,"
'cause I got to go look that up.
-Can I start flossing right now. Can I do the floss?
-We were just doing that on the break!
-We were just doing it, just before.
-We made a Hawaiian floss did. -We did.
-Alright. Well, coming up,
we have more interviews from the cast
and got a behind-the-scenes look
at the elaborate Commonwealth set,
and later, an exclusive sneak peek
of next week's episode of "The Walking Dead."
But first, are you ready to go Inside the Dead?
We'll hear some inside info from tonight's show
that you can't get anywhere else.
Please enjoy.
♪♪
-I'm Gus.
You may know my parents as Negan and Lucille.
Now, unlike Negan,
me and Lucille are quite deceased,
but hey, sometimes that can be fun.
I had a very good makeup artist that knew what he was doing.
First, they would apply a layer of lotion,
and then they'd start applying the makeup.
It was a very fun process,
actually watching all of it come together.
My reaction when I saw myself in full walker makeup
was amazement.
I was actually wearing pajamas when I was the walker.
So my story was, "It was pajama day in the school,
and something happened."
Being directed by Greg Nicotero, it was very fun.
He's a great person to work with
on your first day of being on TV.
When I had to be serious,
I personally just pretended that
the people I tried to nip at were tacos,
'cause my determination for tacos is very strong.
The overall experience was great.
Made a lot of friends.
Yes, I would love to do it again.
[Cheers and applause]
-Oh, my gosh.
Welcome back to "Taco Dead."
Tacos, what a great --
He just encapsulated, like, being a walker.
Of course that's what it would be like.
That was Gus Morgan,
who was awesome on the show as a walker
and talking about his experience in tonight's episode.
Give him a big hand.
[Cheers and applause] Oh, so cool.
That was so cool.
He's got the coolest parents. -Yeah.
-We're back with Clarke, and Cassady and Ross Marquand.
Now let's talk about Connie.
This is from... Gwease89 on Twitter.
"They finally know!"
GreensClark on Twitter says,
"They know Connie's alive. I'm so excited.
Oh, my God! My girl's coming back."
CocoRosita on Twitter says,
"The chills I got when that Whisperer
spoke about seeing Connie."
Clarke, reactions!
The Whisperer reveal of Connie.
-Yes. Excited. Happy for it.
Miss Connie very much.
Really want to know what's up with her.
Truly that's like -- That's it.
I just was thrilled that they now know,
and I want more Connie.
-Yeah. -Want more Connie in my world.
-Well, hopefully it's -- I think it's possible
that could happen very soon.
I've not watched ahead.
Cassady, what did Lydia mean
when she told the Whisperer, "Don't ever look back"?
-Oh.
I think she was like, "Okay, you're --
The Whisperers have no place here.
Everyone around here, in this community,
has gone through enough Whisperer nonsense.
So, I think she meant, like,
if you still want to live this Whisperer lifestyle,
you're gonna have to go far away and not come back,
because you're lucky that you ran into Aaron,
who deep down as a nice guy,
and he let you off with no hands,
because I think a lot of other people have vendettas,
and they would have done far worse,
because Aaron's one of the nicest people
you can have on your side.
-Well, and obviously,
Aaron is just going through this emotional torture,
as we see in this nightmare scene
where he's just being attacked on all sides.
So can you talk about shooting Aaron's nightmare scene --
[Laughs] -I'm trying to look at you.
-So, it looks very normal.
Well, you'll come full screen. [Laughter]
That's really interesting.
Good to see -- You something in your beard.
You just got a little. Yeah, okay. Great.
Got it there.
-What was the question? Sorry.
-We're discussing
Aaron's nightmare scene.
Mm-hmm.
I feel like I feel like you're my therapist.
This is great, yeah.
I mean, he's obviously very broken by this --
I'll stop. -No, listen.
You know, a commitment to a bit. I'm all for it.
But I guess if you have to look forward,
I guess that's fine, too. -No, I'll do it.
No, I mean, he's -- he's, you know --
Everyone is so horribly traumatized
by what the Whisperers did.
I mean, they completely decimated Alexandria,
the battle of Hilltop,
completely destroyed Hilltop.
And I think he is...
ultimately, just obsessed with protecting,
not only Gracie, but the entire community.
And he's -- he's in a really bad place.
All of them are. They're in dire straits.
And his his chief goal is
to make sure that he is providing
the safest community possible for everyone.
And that's why he's having these recurring nightmares
about all of the -- all of the threats
that have come upon Alexandria over the years.
[German accent] And what do you think the zombies represent?
[Normal voice] Zombies. They represent zombies.
-Oh, wow. Yeah. -Yeah, very good.
Coming up, we have a behind-the-scenes look
at the Commonwealth set
and an exclusive sneak peek.
We will be right back on "Talking Dead" live.
[Cheers and applause]
♪♪
-I think what's really cool
about where we've placed the Commonwealth
is to think back
to everything else that's been in its place.
It's the same place we had the sanctuary.
It's the same place we had the prison.
Now it's just the Commonwealth,
and we have the train station,
and we have, you know -- there's an ice cream truck,
and there's this and there's --
An I mean, it's like the biggest set we've ever done.
-There's still so much here, which is, like, so familiar,
and it looks very much like the old world
we had before it fell.
A train station, working shops, a bakery.
What's next? Who knows?
Maybe all is not what it seems,
but I think in this particular moment,
we have to take it as a win.
[Cheers and applause]
-Welcome back to "Talking Dead."
That was a behind-the-scenes look at the set.
Oh, my God, I remem--
I visited that prison set when it was the prison.
I've got all these pictures. I got to post stuff more.
Clarke, let's --
The Commonwealth orientation video
is so awesomely, like, '90s.
What was your reaction to seeing it?
-It was pretty excellent.
I mean, so the two thing --
I'm sure that savvy viewers
will pull things out of there that I will never pick up on.
But the two things that really stood out to me were
Lance Hornsby saying 50,000 str--
a community 50,000 strong,
which I was like, "Is that...
Is that real? Is that not real?"
And also the little clip of the hospital,
because I am very -- I love Ezekiel,
and I am very concerned
about Ezekiel's well-being
and so I'm hopeful, fingers crossed, maybe,
that that turns out to be real.
But aside from that, the production value,
I mean, come on,
if you've got -- if you got storm troopers,
you don't have like Avid or something --
Like, you know, there's something made for it.
I know it's a zombie apocalypse.
-Shooting them on old, like, Hi8 cameras.
-Yeah, it was -- I just don't know
who's watching that video and going, "Alright.
Well, sign me right up for this."
-Well, let's talk about it.
We did a poll, and we asked,
should Eugene's group trust Hornsby,
or Lance Hornsby and The Range, as I call him,
'cause I'm a Gen-Xer.
89% said yes.
11% said no.
So most people think that --
that he's -- he's trustworthy.
If Lydia went to the Commonwealth,
do you think she would like it?
Do you think she'd fit in?
-I do not think that she would fit in.
I think she would sense
the sus immediately.
This she would be very suspicious.
I can't say it. [Laughs] Sorry.
-I know. We're talking like, "Why shrink it down to sus?"
You're like, "Well, you're saving two syllables."
-No one understands that.
-It just shortens it up. -Shorter.
-Yeah. But yeah.
I don't -- I don't think she would fit in.
I think she'd be very uncomfortable.
And yeah, I think she's meant to be outside in the apocalypse.
She grew up in the wilderness, foraging for her food.
Even in Alexandria,
she sleeps outside on the patio.
So yeah, I think she would hate it.
-It's the most structure she would have ever, like...
Like, that -- that -- that civilization.
But but sort of speaking about that,
you know, Ross --
Thank you. Thank you for -- Yeah.
Yeah, thank you for looking me in the eye.
You know, Eugene's there, having an ice cream social,
and Alexandria starving.
Like, what do you think Aaron would do
if he knew that, you know, they were at this place
where all of these comforts existed?
-I think he'd smack
that ice cream right out of his hands.
I'd be pissed off...
especially if it was chocolate chip cookie dough,
because that's my favorite. -Especially that.
That's a good one. -Especially that.
-Yeah, no. I mean, it's --
It's a pretty big gap there.
I mean, the disparity between what the Commonwealth have
versus what Alexandria has at this time
is pretty, pretty vast,
and he and the rest of the community
are literally fighting for their lives.
So I think he'd be pretty jealous
of that ice cream, yeah.
Can you talk a little about what it's like playing
a TV dad to Anabelle, who plays Gracie?
-She's wonderful. You know, it's funny.
We were talking about the flossing earlier,
because when I first saw her on set this year --
'cause I'd been working on the floss during the pandemic
'cause what else are you going to do?
And I got -- I was her, and I was like,
"Hey, Anabelle, floss," and I try to do it.
And she's like, "Ross, that's so 2019."
And I was like, "Aw."
And then she taught me a new one,
where you do this thing thing.
I can't -- I don't know what it's called,
but you skip and do this.
-By the way, I think it's funny that you spent,
like, most of the quarantine,
just learning to do this one thing,
and it's got shot down immediately.
-Yeah. [Chuckles] yeah.
-"I worked so hard on this."
-I really did.
-"This was my whole quarantine."
-But she's -- she's wonderful. I mean, she's able to be --
You know, she's so light and fun and goofy at times.
But she can really just -- as we saw on the scene
with -- with Judith and the bullies,
she can just go to those dark places really quick
and -- and certainly with a nightmare sequence.
I mean, we were, you know -- It's kind of a weird thing.
We're joking around and having a good time.
But then, you know, she immediately disappears
and then I get stabbed to death.
And every time, she just --
she brought her A-game each take.
And she's wonderful. She's wonderful to work with.
-Well, before we go to break, I want to show you all this.
Speaking of ice cream,
it's a hoodie featuring the Taste of Tradition logo
from the Commonwealth's ice cream truck.
So if you go to TWDUShop.com, you can get one for yourself.
And I don't know.
I guess everyone who showed up will get one of these, too.
[Cheers and applause]
-Ahhh!
-Yes.
-Whoo!
-Actually, I really do want --
-I do.
-Yeah, I really do want to get one of these.
Coming up, we have an exclusive sneak peek
of next week's episode, but first,
here's Josh McDermitt on how Eugene is feeling
being away from his home and family.
Check it out.
-The bliss that he experienced
while tasting the ice cream was short lived
because he's thinking about his people back home
who were engaged in a fight,
and he feels a little guilty for it.
Like, here I am eating ice cream,
and meanwhile, Rosita is killing
other human beings.
Who knows if Aaron's alive right now,
and he feels guilty
that there's so much going on back home,
and he's, like, on vacation.
That's where he's just like, "Okay, Stephanie's great.
I think I need to get home,"
and that's why he's like, "We can't stay.
We have to go.
You know, I can't help but think
that if the ice cream was better, he might stay.
But, you know...
she didn't give him the flavor he wanted.
♪♪
Hi! My name is Tamyra Mensah-Stock
and I am the 2020 Olympic champion
for women's freestyle wrestling at 68kg.
And I love "The Walking Dead."
Also, by the way, this is Otis, and this is Lula,
my two little fur babies.
I'm gonna put them down,
show you my medal that I won.
When I was at the Olympics,
I would stay up when I was cutting weight
the night before competition
and watch a few episodes of "The Walking Dead."
The Olympics is something that's extremely stressful
and "The Walking Dead," honestly,
even though it's stressful,
you know, with the plot twists and everything,
it was definitely less stressful to watch "The Walking Dead,"
because when I watch "The Walking Dead"
and everybody's killing the walkers
and fighting the other people that they have to go against.
It made my life seem
a thousand times less stressful.
So thank you so much to all the actors and actresses
and to the producers and everybody in making the show.
It has really been a huge part of my life,
and I greatly appreciate the time and dedication
that you guys have been doing for these past few years.
So thank you very much.
[Cheers and applause]
Welcome back to "Talking Dead."
That was this week's featured fan,
by the way, Olympic gold medalist, Tamyra.
So thank you so much for submitting your --
Actually, she's gonna ask a question in just a minute.
But thank you for sharing
what "The Walking Dead" has meant to you.
I was, like, what an honor.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
If you want the chance to be featured,
send us a 30-second video of yourself,
explaining how "The Walking Dead"
has impacted you at fansubmission@TalkingDead.tv.
And now Tamara is gonna ask a question via video.
Let's roll it.
So my question is for everyone.
Out of all the threats that you all have encountered,
who do you think
gets the fold medal
for the most threatening?
-Okay. Most threatening, what do you think?
First of all, Tamyra,
I have a fur baby named Otis, and I love you.
-Oh, my gosh. That's amazing. -And congratulations.
And, obviously, I'm gonna say Alpha.
No bias at all. -Right.
-Yeah, I think Alpha is the scariest
because she's the most realistic.
I mean, they wear Walker skins
on their faces to blend in,
and she's unpredictable, so yes, Alpha.
-What do you think, Clarke? -Actually, I do agree
that I think it's the Whisperers.
I think it's because its ideology.
Ideology is very scary.
And then when you add those numbers
and also, you know,
just no value for human life, whatsoever,
not a great combo.
So, I'm gonna go with the Whisperers.
-Excellent. Excellent question, Tamyra.
Thank you so, so, so much.
It's now time to see what everyone thought at home.
When we asked you at TWDU.com/DeadLive,
was Princess's interaction with Mercer a diversion
or a flirtation?
Diversion -- she just didn't
want him to catch Eugene using the radio.
Or flirtation --
She had to thank him for the $2
and his beautiful eyelashes.
While the polls are calculating, Clarke, what do you think?
Could it be secret option number three -- both?
Could be both!
'Cause I know that if it were me --
and Mercer is a good looking gentleman.
He's got a cool job, so she's doing her job,
helping her friends,
but also, he cute.
-Yeah, yeah, he's very... -Yeah, I think it's both.
So it's a "flirt-ersion"?
-It's a "flirt-ersion."
-Good. I like it. I like it.
Secret option number three, "flirt-ersion."
See younger people shorten words.
Older people lengthen words.
-Exactly they combine them. -It's a "flirt-ersion."
It's a sus "flirt-ersion."
58% say diversion.
What do you -- what did -- What did you think?
I-I would love them.
I ship that, yeah.
Alright. -I think --
They're both cuties.
And yeah, I love them.
Ross, as a fan, what is your reaction
to seeing Negan and Maggie, like, kind of working together?
[Light laughter]
-Well, it's -- it's very interesting
because I'm just waiting for Maggie
to just boil over and kill him
because it's been a long time coming,
and I don't know how she's managed
to hold it together as long as she has,
because every time I would see Negan,
I would think of Glenn, and I don't --
I'm amazed that she hasn't already thrown a knife
into the back of his head, for real, so yeah.
-My favorite thing about your commitment to this bit
is that on the show, you're full screen,
So it just looks like you don't know where the camera is.
Just, like, occasionally, we'll be in a two-shot.
But most of the time, it's just you,
and it's like, has this guy never been in front of a --
Does you think it's like a TV?
Does he think this is "The Walking Dead,"
where they can acknowledge the camera?
I don't -- What's he looking at?
-Okay. Thanks. I didn't know that.
Now I feel weird. -I respect --
Again, I respect commitment to the bit.
I love it. I love you. Okay.
This is from BenzocaineArianna on Twitter.
Clarke, Team Maggie or Team Negan?
Pretty basic question, but most asked.
Listen, I really admire Maggie's leadership skills.
However...
I am Team Negan right now.
-Amazing. -I really am.
I know that we, as fans,
have had the luxury of seeing his evolution,
seeing what he has done for the group, et cetera.
She hasn't.
That said, I think she is letting
her previous experience,
which yes, was negative,
in that he killed her husband in front of her,
but I think she's letting
that cloud her leadership and her judgment.
So I'm actually --
I think Negan makes some sound points.
-I'm disturbed by what I'm about to read,
some of the reactions about...
[Sighing]
Maggie and Negan as a...
Oh, my God. Come on, really?
NeganAddict on Twitter.
My dad keeps saying Maggie and Negan are gonna hook up.
And then it was just a bunch of random characters
that they typed because they couldn't process it.
-I think he's right.
SaviorsNegan says, "I hate it. I hate it. I hate it."
But it's also kind of hot. I'm struggling."
And then EggRollsBad on Twitter says,
"Maggie and Negan are like toxic exes, I swear."
And then SlingshotSister says, "To people suggesting
Maggie could end up with Negan,
what is wrong with you?! -Ew!
-Yeah. -That's just nasty.
-I don't know. Do you have a thought?
It's -- It's like -- -It's nasty.
-It's too weird.
Yeah, it's too weird. I do not ship that.
-Yeah. -Yeah, I'm not --
I'm not. I'm not on that.
I'm not -- I'm not on board for that.
Before we go to break, I want to --
Just there's just too much. -It's too much!
-It's just too much. It's just too much.
Even in an apocalypse, it's too much.
Before we go to break, I want to remind you
to go to AMCplus.com
or you can sign up for a free seven-day trial offer
to watch episodes of "The Walking Dead"
a full week early.
Coming up, we have that exclusive sneak peek,
but right now, here is Michael James Shaw
on his thoughts about the interaction
between Princess and Mercer in tonight's episode.
Check it out!
So with Princess, basically, throw some game down for Mercer.
I think he's taken aback by, you know.
It's probably been a while since he's had any sort
of interaction of the romantic type,
and she's kind of the polar opposite of him.
So I think he's drawn to her -- her --
her wild kind of exterior,
and he's more reserved.
He's fascinated by her.
♪♪
[Cheers and applause]
-Welcome back to "Talking Dead."
Earlier, we asked everyone at home,
do you ship Princess and Mercer?
68% said yes.
32% said no.
But now it is time for our exclusive sneak peek
of next week's episode, and here it is.
-You and me,
let's give the house another sweep.
Okay?
♪♪
Connie!
[Muffled whoosh]
[Muffled rumbling]
♪♪
-Oh, what a good clip. -Whoa!
So, we do see Connie.
So you didn't have to wait that long.
Alright, we only have a couple of minutes left,
but really quickly from WalkerTheDead on Twitter,
Ross, will we see more of dark Aaron in this season?
Or as Carol helped rein that in.
-Nah, he's gonna go real dark.
-Okay, alright.
-"Sc-aron" is... -"Sc-aron" is coming back.
"Sc-aron" -- Darth Aaron is coming back.
D-- "Daron." -"Daron."
-Dark Aaron. -Daron?
-[Speaks gibberish]
Let's just link in words.
Clarke, what can fans look forward to seeing
on "The Walking Dead Universe" Twitch channel?
-So we're still gonna do our watch-alongs
for the rest of, you know, 11A,
"Fear the Walking Dead," "World Beyond."
We're so excited.
And also...
on Wednesday, October 6th,
I will have Angela Kang live. -Fantastic!
So the great thing about Twitch is that it's interactive,
so you can send us your questions,
your reactions live, and I can ask them of Angela.
So follow us at Twitch.tv/TWDUniverse.
Well, you've been a phenomenal guest,
and y'all do such a great job over on the Twitch channel.
Thank you so much for coming
and being a part of our show. -Thank you for having me.
-Real quick question for Cassady from RobinBatman1.
What can fans expect from Lydia for the rest of season 11?
-Oof!
She's going to be better --
and happy?
And no, I don't know.
Just watch it. I don't know.
Yeah, you know what? That's the best answer.
Just watch it. I can't tell you.
And then speaking of Lydias,
my wife, Lydia, today's her birthday.
So happy birthday, Lyds.
-♪ Happy birthday to you -I love you.
And I guess that's all the time we have for "Talking Dead."
I mean, it's so wonderful to be back live every week.
I cherish this.
I still -- We're five weeks in.
I still am delighted that we're here.
Thank you live audience for being here.
Thank you to everyone for watching at home.
My guests have been Clark Wolfe, Cassady McClincy,
Ross Marquand.
Be sure to catch Clarke. [Laughter]
Follow TWDUniverse on Twitch, where the conversation
continues four days a week.
have to check that out.
Also, don't forget to go to AMCplus.com
to watch next week's episode of "The Walking Dead" right now.
Next week, we'll be joined by Connie herself,
Lauren Ridloff,
and "Walking Dead" superfan and friend of the show,
Yvette Nicole Brown will be here, as well.
So please stay safe.
Take care of each other out there.
I am Chris Hardwick. Have a good night.
Bye-bye.
See you next week.
[Cheers and applause]
♪♪