(TV) The Walking Dead: Extended Trailer Season 7 Episode 16 Promo/Preview HD

The Walking Dead Season 7, Episode 15 Review: ‘Something They Need’

(Photo Credit: AMC)

The Walking Dead

Season 7, Episode 15

By Garrett Yoshitomi

After last week’s cliffhanger, The Walking Dead keeps the momentum going with a well-paced episode that smoothly intertwines multiple characters and storylines. It’s sad to say, but “Something They Need” is a rare example of just how good of a show The Walking Dead can be when all of its pieces are humming along. It’s a treat worth savoring for sure, although I will say that the writers have been better at crafting more enjoyable filler, during season 7B. But we’re out of the filler woods now, and there's just one more episode to go in season seven. This week’s episode succeeds in setting up next Sunday’s season finale, and manages to function as a satisfying episode on its own merits, as well. There’s a lot to unpack too, as a ton of story-telling needs to happen before things wrap up with next week’s finale.

“Something They Need” quickly gets the ball rolling, setting the table with a montage of the Rick Grimes crew marching on the all-women Oceanside community. There’s a part of me that wishes we get to see Tara spill the beans about Oceanside to Rick, but it makes sense to forego this potentially awkward interaction, in favor of getting right into the action. In a strange way, this episode actually makes the disastrous Tara-centric “Swear” better, retroactively. We get a nice sense of closure with the Oceanside community that was missing when “Swear” first aired. Plus, the growth we get from Tara is probably the strongest we’ve gotten from any of our supporting characters.

(Photo Credit: AMC)

Tara’s always been one of the show’s more peaceful characters- typically choosing to see the good in others, and resorting to violence only when necessary. However, she’s also always seemed a bit useless, due in part to how little screen time she receives. When she finally got her moment in the spotlight in “Swear,” she struggled to really make a narrative impact, and for a while, her solo episode seemed like it would exist as one of the worst filler moments in the history of The Walking Dead. But, Tara showed chops this week. She seems to spearhead the Oceanside operation- running point as the main negotiator, and setting the tone for the nonviolent approach that Rick and co. end up successfully taking.

We get to see a bit more of the Hilltop Colony this week, although it’s of tertiary importance compared to the previous episode. It would be nice to get a more in-depth look at Maggie’s time at the Hilltop; and her quick ascension up their corporate ladder, but the brief scenes we do get are solid. Her conversation with a Hilltopper (Hilltopian?) -about how to use a tarp for farming- perfectly captures the quite confidence she exudes as a leader, as well as her naturally caring persona. I’ve particularly enjoyed her juxtaposition with Gregory, who continues to be just as slimy as ever. He’s charismatic enough to garner a bit of sympathy from viewers as he fumbles his way towards an approaching walker, but he’s just so cunning that any hopes of a Gregory redemption arc are dashed just as quickly as they’re formed.

(Photo Credit: AMC)

The highlight of this week’s episode is by far, Sasha. Her entire storyline takes place within the confines of a single room, but her interactions with Negan and Eugene easily steal the show. Sasha’s come a long way since her PTSD days of season five. But, her calm sacrifice for Rosita from last episode, as well as her staged pleas to Eugene this week, both demonstrate a well-honed ability to harness her inner rage into more subtle strategic ploys. Sasha’s storyline does take a rather dark turn with the Dave scene. It’s a touchy subject for any show to broach, but it is effective in demonstrating Negan’s rigid moral code. Negan’s been strangely absent for most of season 7B. Other than this week, he’s really only appeared in one other episode, “Hostiles and Calamities.” It’s likely that the writers are saving up Negan for an explosive showing in the season finale. Surprisingly enough, though, I don’t think the show’s really been hurting for Negan during these past seven episodes, as Simon and Gavin’s group of Saviors, as well as the Scavengers, have managed to successfully occupy antagonistic roles at various points of 7B.

(Photo Credit: AMC)

At this point, I think it’s pretty fair to say that Eugene’s gone full traitor. There was some fan speculation that he might be playing the long con- getting on Negan’s good side now to infiltrate the Saviors, and help take them down later. But after this episode, that ship has clearly sailed. Sure, there’s hope for Eugene’s eventual redemption- it’s obvious that he’s hitched his ride to Negan’s wagon more out of fear than outright malevolence. But, it’s going to be hard for some viewers to forgive him; or at the very least, find any future acts of heroism to be genuine. There’s only so many times you can take a character to the cusp of true change, just to drag their development backwards in the opposite direction. I fear that the writers will take the easy way out, and turn Eugene’s wishy-washy bravery into nothing more than a plot device, when he has the potential to be one of the show’s more compelling characters.

“Something They Need” is a pretty solid episode, and it wouldn't surprise me if it ends up being better than the season finale it’s meant to lead in to. There's a lot of loose ends that need to be wrapped up by next Sunday and I'm not entirely convinced that the writers have left themselves with enough runway to do so. I feel like an entire episode could be dedicated to dealing with this week’s last minute twist, but based on the preview for the season finale, it seems like this latest revelation will get resolved rather quickly. For the most part, The Walking Dead has proven capable of delivering a compelling finale, so I think it’s fair to expect a couple of fun, action-driven moments, even if all of the various loose ends aren’t fully fleshed up and tied together by season’s end.

(The Big Disrupt) Uber: Are We Witnessing Uber's Downfall?

A lot has been happening with the rideshare giant, Uber, lately. Allegations of sexism and discrimination, lawsuits from Google, and a slew of other things. All of which are probably not helping Travis Kalanick’s self esteem. One has to wonder how far this will go. On the one hand, he recently stated that Uber’s finances are just fine according to rumor. But if you do a quick search for Uber profits 2016 you find page upon page of results reporting otherwise. Not a good sign.

As we finish out Q1 of 2017, we are seeing headlines like “Here’s everything that’s gone wrong at Uber in the last month” (CNBC) and “What Travis Kalanick Can Do Now to Dodge Another Messy Month at Uber” (Fortune). As industry changing and innovative as the company has been, it is clear that their product alone will not sustain the company unless drastic changes are made. It would seem Mr. Kalanick may be on the brink of finally answering the wake up call from the rest of the world.

“...the criticism we’ve received is a stark reminder that I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up. This is the first time I’ve been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it.” - Travis Kalanick (Fortune)

That’s great and all, but with the frequency he has been speaking out of both sides of his mouth in recent history, it’s dubious whether that help will actually be sought.

In Susan Fowler’s post about her experience with sexual harassment during her tenure at Uber (Susan J Fowler), she highlights that the two-faced nature of management goes deeper than just the top. She did all the right things in reporting the manager that was harassing her to HR (more than once) and even changed teams (again, more than once). HR defended the manager in question and essentially gave her an ultimatum presented as a ‘choice’. The story continues onward and just lays plain the issue at hand - Uber’s chain of command has some big problems. Companies with corrupt management may enjoy big successes, but eventually the company will either die from internal rot or external pressure.

Uber is seeing plenty of both.

In the last month some of their top staff have left. Most with titles like Director, Vice President, and, last but not least, President. At least seven high level people have left, which means that their departments are suffering from a lack of whatever leadership those people provided. Even if all of those players can be replaced within a reasonable amount of time through either internal promotions or external hires so much damage has already been done that it will be difficult to recover; if recovery is even possible.

Companies like Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and Intel have helped lead the charge regarding diversity in their workforces. Uber will have to learn and change very quickly if they are to have any chance of saving themselves.

(TV) The Walking Dead: The Walking Dead 7x15 Trailer Season 7 Episode 15 Promo/Preview [HD]

The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 14 Review: 'The Other Side'

(Photo Credit: AMC)

The Walking Dead

Season 7, Episode 14

By Garrett Yoshitomi 

The Walking Dead enters the homestretch of its seventh season with this week’s episode, “The Other Side.” We’ve officially left behind the filler-filled fun of the past three weeks, as “The Other Side” focuses more closely on the group’s central conflict with Negan. We get to see the culmination of Rosita’s season-long quest to hitch a one-way ticket to Savior Town, as well as the current state of the Hilltop Colony, including another run-in between Simon and Gregory.

After several weeks of build-up, Rosita’s incredibly well-thought out plan to assassinate Negan, finally gets put to the test. Rosita’s been a pretty unpleasant character this season- angrily berating anyone who isn’t onboard with her mission to storm the Sanctuary and shoot Negan in the face. This “my way or the highway” attitude has quickly transformed her from a forgettable side character, into a rather unlikeable antihero. As stupid as her plan is, it’s really her selfishness that makes her storyline so hard to embrace. It’s difficult to believe that a character would willingly commit to such a flawed plan, knowing full well that when it fails, Negan will take his vengeance out on the innocent people of Alexandria.

(Photo Credit: AMC)

With all that said, I don’t particularly mind the way Rosita’s arc plays out this week. It probably helps that this is a pretty well-balanced episode, featuring an enjoyable B-plot with Maggie and Daryl. If this episode had been entirely dedicated to Rosita, the pacing would have undoubtedly dragged, especially around the character development parts. Now, the character development that we do get for Rosita, this week, is fine. It’s not particularly groundbreaking by any means, but it gets us invested enough in her storyline for the episode, and she’s been enough of an unknown for the past several seasons, that any insight into her background is more than welcome.

It’s kind of poetic that after all of Rosita’s verbal chest-puffing, it’s Sasha that ends up swooping in and stealing her long-awaited moment. Some fans might call it lazy writing, yet another example of one of The Walking Dead’s heavy-handed misdirects, but I think it kind of works, given the context of the episode. Rosita’s spent a good portion of her life (and this show) being taken for granted, but if there’s one thing she’s proved over the course of this season, it’s that the eclectic mix of skills she’s gleaned from her former flames, actually makes her one of the most valuable members of Rick’s group. Sasha understands this, and acts accordingly. It’s a quick gesture, a sacrifice that focuses less on bloodshed and bullets (as most Walking Dead sacrifices do), and more on the subtle character dynamic behind it. It’s pretty easily my favorite (and probably last) Sasha moment, though, it’s fair to say that it’s a little out of character for her.

(Photo Credit: AMC)

If this week’s Daryl and Maggie scene doesn’t stir something up deep down inside of you, then you’re probably not a fan of The Walking Dead. We’ve had very few shared scenes between characters reacting to Glenn’s death, and this moment between Daryl and Maggie beats them all. It’s short, but sweet, as Daryl is finally forced to face Maggie after indirectly causing Glenn’s death. Of course, Maggie holds no ill will towards Daryl, and the way she reassures him is everything that The Walking Dead should aim for, in terms of scenes like these. It’s a little disappointing because it shouldn’t be this hard for The Walking Dead to manufacture these types of character moments. There’s so much potential for great drama baked into this show, but it’s constantly wasted on the n^th conversation about “doing what needs to be done to survive” between Rick and character X.

Rounding out the rest of this episode are some enjoyable appearances from several supporting characters, all of whom I hope we see more of in season eight and beyond. First and foremost, we get another encounter between the enigmatic Simon and the still slimy Gregory. Simon has popped up in a handful of episodes, though the only thing we really know about him is that he’s a high-ranking Savior with an ever-changing taste in alcohol. Still, he’s probably the Savior lieutenant I enjoy the most, especially when compared to the paint drying personalities of Dwight and Gavin. Enid displays her usual amount of precociousness, although it’s against a much more formidable opponent than we’re used to seeing her face. She’s certainly come a long way from the Enid who was basically willing to abandon Alexandria and take her chances on her own, and it looks like she’ll be settling into a permanent position by Maggie’s side, for the foreseeable future. Finally, Jesus continues to demonstrate that he’s right at home with our ever-growing ragtag group of survivors. He’s always been an easy character to like, but he’s also had a surprising lack of major storylines to work with. Hopefully this changes in future episodes.

(Photo Credit: AMC)

We’re just two weeks away from the season seven finale, an episode that Andrew Lincoln says will be one of the most exciting, yet. It does feel like we’re running out of time for some of these lingering storylines to come together, although based on the preview for next week, it looks like this season’s penultimate episode will see the return of the Oceanside community. It’s been made pretty clear that this year’s finale won’t end on a cliffhanger, which makes it even harder to believe that things will all come together in a satisfying way. I’m thinking we’ll see something similar to this year’s mid-season finale- a fairly standard episode, with multiple storylines all converging onto one, non-cliffhanger point that gives us a clean starting point for next season.

(TV) The Walking Dead: The Walking Dead Super Trailer Season 7 Episode 14 Promo/Preview (HD)

The Walking Dead Season 7, Episode 13 Review: ‘Bury Me Here’

(Photo Credit: AMC)

The Walking Dead

Season 7, Episode 13

By Garrett Yoshitomi

The filler keeps rolling with this week’s episode of The Walking Dead. “Bury Me Here” focuses on the Kingdom’s ever tenuous agreement with The Saviors, as well as Morgan’s path of nonviolence and Carol’s next arc. The show is gradually building up to an all-out war between The Saviors and a coalition between Alexandria, the Hilltop, the Kingdom, and the Scavengers, but so far, the going has been slow. Very slow. At this point in the season, it’s pretty typical for The Walking Dead to become bogged down by filler, but these past few episodes have been particularly arduous. And, it’s not that these episodes have been egregiously bad- for the most part, they've been fine. But, with Negan looming in plain sight, it’s easy to feel frustrated and sidetracked by the seeming lack of forward progress for this main plot. It’s been a month since Rick first approached King Ezekiel about joining forces against the Saviors, and three weeks since he struck a deal for guns, with Jadis and the Scavengers. This episode makes small progress towards the first of these two plot points, but there’s still a long way to go. And, with just three episodes left in the season, it’s fair to wonder if we’ll actually see a definitive conclusion to these storylines, or if history will repeat itself, and the writers leave us with yet another cliffhanger.

(Photo Credit: AMC)

I've been pretty critical of the way the writers have handled Morgan and his pledge of nonviolence. “To kill or not to kill” was a legitimately interesting conversation to have five seasons ago. But now? Not so much. After almost a hundred episodes of death and despair, it’s hard, as viewers, to accept that anybody, who’s survived the zombie apocalypse for this long, would so ardently cling to such a noble, yet flawed philosophy. And that’s ultimately what’s so hard to look past. It would be one thing if Morgan was painted as a generally peaceful person, who respects human life, but understands the necessity of killing someone as a way to defend himself, or others, from harm. Instead, the writers took Morgan hard in the opposite direction, making him unwilling to kill anyone, even those who wish him harm- like the Wolves from season six, who sought to murder as many Alexandrians, as possible. It’s frustrating for sure, but not as frustrating as the new leaf Morgan seems to have turned over this week. The reasoning behind Morgan’s sudden shift in attitude is sound- there’s a point A, which leads to a point B, which leads to a point C. But, the causality is weak, at best. The fact that Morgan changes his tune so quickly is rather insulting to fans who have had to put up with his irrational refusal to kill for one and a half seasons.

(Photo Credit: AMC)

Despite this season’s fair share of misses, I’ve been quite pleased with most of the supporting characters we’ve been introduced to, so far. In particular, Richard and Benjamin have both been solid additions to the show, serving as important pieces to the plot, as well as interesting characters, in their own right. Richard’s smoldering hatred towards the Saviors acts as a reflection of the audience’s similarly unbridled rage. His thirst for immediate action is also representative of a large portion of the fan base, who still seek vengeance for the events of the season premiere. Benjamin, on the other hand, stands out due to his kind and gentle nature- very reminiscent of an early season Glenn. Sure, there is a narrative purpose behind his naiveté, but it’s been genuinely fun to watch his earnest interactions with the hardened Carol, as well as the father-son relationship he inhabits with King Ezekiel.

With the Kingdom now in the mix, things should start to get interesting as we head into the final three episodes of the season. While “Bury Me Here” isn’t exactly the most exciting hour of The Walking Dead to ever grace our screens, it has some cool moments, and manages to steer clear of being outright bad. Sadly, that’s probably the most we can really hope for out of these awkwardly paced filler episodes- the proverbial middle seats to The Walking Dead’s business class. Luckily, there are some interesting storylines coalescing within the upcoming episodes. The preview for next Sunday teases the continuation of Rosita and Sasha’s plan, from two weeks ago, to personally take out Negan. And, it looks like we’ll also be catching up with Daryl, who’s currently hiding out at the Hilltop.

(Photo Credit: AMC)

The storyline I’m most looking forward to, though, is Carol’s. I was getting ready to write off Carol completely after it seemed like she was going to be kept on the outside looking in, for the rest of this season. But, it appears that Carol is back. And, after spending so much time on the bench, there’s no character I’m more invested in than our favorite Suzy Homemaker. I’m immensely disappointed that Carol finally finds out about Glenn in the way that she does this episode. I feel like it was never a storyline that should have involved Morgan, although, I understand- with where our characters are currently positioned- why it has to happen this way. It was still a tender moment, of course. And, I’d be lying if I said a few tears weren’t shed in my household. But, it pales in comparison to the scene we could have had between Daryl and Carol in “New Best Friends,” already one of the most emotionally charged scenes of the season, even without the Glenn reveal.

(The Big Disrupt) Are Airports Handing Out Your Information?

“Step aside please and take off your shoes.”

What’s not to like about airport security? Everything? That’s about right. As concern about terrorism and smuggling rises around the globe, so too do the security measures at airports. It started with the request to put your shoes on the conveyor for the x-ray machine. Then it stepped up to ‘random searches’ (which some might argue are not so random). Now we have automatic body scanners. In a world where trust is limited, how far can we trust the data collected by airport security?

These days airports and the transportation commissions that run them are catching more heat with each security measure they implement. Why? Mostly due to the fact that people are impatient, but the privacy piece is also very relevant. While the things that we may have in our luggage or carry-on may not be dangerous or illegal, in some cases they may not be things we want others to see. Private notes, embarrassing medical items, that gag gift Larry gave you during the company retreat; the list is long and everyone has a different definition of ‘private’.

How are airports countering these concerns? As an example, Canada is testing automated biometric stations at some of their airports in an attempt to streamline check-in and remove the human element while maintaining a high standard of security. These kiosks will use facial recognition technology to perform a quick check of certain criminal databases to make sure travellers are not a risk. While little information has been disclosed about how the kiosks will work, it has been mentioned that they are able to scan iris’ for comparison against NEXUS databases which exist to expedite entering the US and Canada (CBC).

Questions of both ethics and privacy have been raised in scenarios where this type of biometric technology has been deployed. Australia has announced a plan to implement biometric technology across all of their airports to address a concern around an increase in international travel to and from their country. Ethically, the biggest concern is economic. By implementing a machine to do the work of a person, you lose jobs (Guardian). Another angle is how that data may be used. During the Stanley Cup Riots in 2011, an insurance company defied FIPPA [Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act] and offered to release its database of drivers license photos to Canadian authorities to help identify suspects (Canadian Underwriter). On top of that a machine needs to conform to certain security standards that are constantly changing and nebulous. It is easy for a creative hacker to find an opening nobody has thought to protect to exploit with a ‘Zero Day Attack’ that nobody will see coming.

Attacks like these prove how woefully inadequate digital security is and are a huge cause for concern when considering the sheer amount of data that would be collected at even a single airport. Tens or hundreds of thousands of people who will be forced to trust unproven systems with their personal data. ID numbers, age, address, fingerprints, the list goes on. In short, safety and privacy should not be sacrificed through unproven systems. Biometric programs should be tested through opt-in beta programs and monitored closely before being forced upon the public.

(The Big Disrupt) Advertising: Why the Facebook/Google duoploy will fall apart

It's no secret that Google and Facebook all but own the digital ad market but with the world's biggest advertiser calling BS on the media supply chain looking to increase its ROI, the Google and Facebook duopoly is now feeling the pressure. 

Google and Facebook have largely had things their own way but of late the world's biggest advertiser proctor and gamble have been clear in their intention to get a better return on their large investment in advertising. Last month, P&G's Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard took the whole media supply chain from agencies to platforms to task to improve and "grow up" 

it's been a long time coming as brands have been largely silent about issues that plague the digital ad market from the lack of clear and universal metrics, ad fraud and ad blocking. But Pritchard put an end to the silence as P&G are finally putting their foot down. 

P&G forcing Google and Facebook to adhere to their demands would be a win for brands who have largely trusted ad agencies to negotiate with publishers online but with Google and Facebook effectively being the game in town worth entertaining as far as digital advertising is concerned, ad agencies can find themselves with no option but to accept the metrics Google and Facebook give them. 

How Google and Facebook respond to P&G threats to send their ad dollars to companies that meet their demand will be interesting as both parties have largely pledged to fighting ad fraud, improving viewability. Both Facebook and Google have been keen to share data with marketers but one can only imagine a world where Facebook and Google open up their books to a third party to scrutinize without a fight to the death.  

Kudos should go to L2 founder and chairman Scott Galloway who predicted a day when CPG brands like P&G would either put their feet down or vote with their dollars as soon as they realize the correlation between their ad spend and sales isn't as strong as they think it is. The only flaw in his prediction is that he failed to take into account just how this realization among CPG brands would affect both Google and Facebook who are just as dependent as publishers on ad dollars. 

Google and Facebook rose to prominence because they've managed to outperform rival platforms and publishers in the marketplace who have neither the platform, reach, or more importantly, the insight into consumer behavior both companies have. However they've managed to do it in an environment of light regulation and very few viable competitors which has left Google and Facebook atop of the digital ad marketplace unchallenged.  

The only real threat to Facebook and Google's dominance was CPG brands, who are the biggest spenders on ads, pulling their weight and holding them to task directly which never happened as brands were willing to accept the growing pains of what is still a very young industry. However, with digital ad spending outstripping the dollars spent on TV ads, brands are now willing to assert themselves and clean up an increasingly dodgy looking digital ad market where ad fraud and ad blocking is rampant. 

Why P&G are pushing the digital ad industry to change now instead of a decade ago when it would have been able to make demands with an awful lot less resistance may seem like a difficult question to answer but in truth there's only one real answer, Amazon. While store only purchases represent 90% of the retail market, e-commerce is by far the largest source of growth in the sector, much of it driven by Amazon. CPG brands like P&G know full well that e-commerce is the future of retail and have made a point to partner with Amazon where they can. 

WPP CEO Martin Sorrell was dead on when he pointed out that Amazon pose so many dangers to the Google/Facebook duopoly as while Google and Facebook maybe where customers get reviews or discover a  brand, Amazon are knee deep in the only game that matters, conversion. This is such a threat to Google in particular as should Amazon start offering ad inventory akin Google, they'll take a chunk out of Google and Facebook overnight. 

No one knows this more than Google which accounts for why the Mountain View based company  have been to compete with Amazon's popular  AI assistant device, Amazon Echo, as it represent a very real threat to its search business as it swaps desktop and mobile searches for voice commands.       

Should CPG brands come to the realization that much of its growth is coming from Amazon rather than its ad spend with Google and Facebook, both companies will fall victim to one of the largest divestments in business history. In sum, P&G demands maybe a source of consternation and greatest challenge the Google/Facebook has faced so far but why P&G are now putting their foot down is what really should drive everybody Google and Facebook to avoid some of the biggest writedowns in corporate history.