Keep Singing: A Bethyl Walking Dead Podcast

The Rambling Dead shockingly returns for the Plague Times, and your intrepid host is drinking tea in their closet. In the dark. Because this is how we live now. Talking points include: TWD used to be genuinely horror, the gender politics of this show are such garbage, Lori and Andrea and Carol all deserve better, Daryl Dixon Competence Porn, and what actually lies ahead is ROCKS AND TREES AND TREES AND ROCKS AND OCCASIONALLY WATER   Music featured is by Nicky Apple - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nicky_Apple/ Enjoying yourself? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry

It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows your intrepid host that they're... basically not watching the show anymore. Here, all in one place and in an hour and a half, is why. Talking points include: TIME JUMPS, narrative messiness, what happens when the center does not hold, this should actually be a zombie show with no zombies, Negan and Fanservice Judith, SERIOUSLY THE TIME JUMP WAS SUCH A BAD IDEA, the Season 9 that might have been, and Schrödinger's Beth. Music featured is by Anima - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Anima Enjoying yourself? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry

In which we finally complete season the first. Talking points include: The ethically difficult case of Shane Walsh, why the show should have been all about Jenner, how come we can't ever actually stay anywhere, is science good or not, "it does matter", whether the air literally being on fire actually hurts, and WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN FRANCE Music featured is by Nicky Apple - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nicky_Apple/ Enjoying yourself? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry

In which Keep Singing reveals itself as at least a little bit alive, with five fics: "Peaches" by wallflow3r, "maybe everything that dies someday comes back" by leftmywingshome, "Leaving" by ivyandocean, "The ocean in your head is so deep and dark" by cc5, and "Make of Yourself a Light" by your intrepid host. Music courtesy of FM-84, ykymr, Hyson, Kai Engel, and Black Hill

God, where do we even start. In which there is basically a gigantic rant about time jumps. There's a lot of other stuff about a lot of other stuff, but primarily this is ranting about time jumps. You've been warned. Or maybe you're into that, in which case welcome.  Also there's a brief midterms pep talk because it's my podcast and I do what I want. Music featured in this episode is by dustmotes and Ketsa -  http://freemusicarchive.org/music/dustmotes/ http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/ Enjoying Keep Singing? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry Support Keep Singing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dynamicsymmetry  

In which Rick's story comes to an end - or DOES IT? No, it doesn't. We'll get into it. Other talking points include: cliche fake "deaths", evaluating Maggie's decision-making process, the return of Shane the Scumlord, callbacks and choppers, DON'T DEAD OPEN OUTSIDE, Daryl fucking off to Mordor, AMC's blatant cash grabs, more narratology, and why I'm much more solid with regard to Beth being alive. Also: YOU BETTER EFFING VOTE ISTG Music featured in this episode is by dustmotes and Ketsa -  http://freemusicarchive.org/music/dustmotes/ http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/ Enjoying Keep Singing? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry Support Keep Singing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dynamicsymmetry

Long story short: Best episode this season. Talking points include: the unsolvable problem of Rick's arc, the joys and sorrows of a rad bromance, Daryl finally talking about his own damn feelings, callbacks and what the hell they're actually about, and a scene with Negan that's legitimately interesting (yes, really). Music featured in this episode is by dustmotes and Ketsa -  http://freemusicarchive.org/music/dustmotes/ http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/ Enjoying Keep Singing? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry Support Keep Singing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dynamicsymmetry

In which matters continue to improve, ratings not withstanding (yikes). Talking points include: STILL PROBLEMATIC TIME JUMPS, oh god NOT MORE PROBLEMATIC TIME JUMPS, Rick being bad at everything, RICHONNE BABY, Meaningful Literature, A's and B's, the deal with the choppah, whose fault is all of this (it's Rick's), and why Rick isn't actually going to die maybe (and why I still think we might see Beth again). Music featured in this episode is by dustmotes and Ketsa -  http://freemusicarchive.org/music/dustmotes/ http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/ Enjoying Keep Singing? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry Support Keep Singing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dynamicsymmetry

In which things improve slightly. There are still problems but it's better. Talking points include: Daryl's crappy life, Rick the bad friend, Aaron the perfect angel, watch out for the Foreshadowing Hammer, ship status roundups, oh wow Maggie did have a sister, why isn't everyone talking about the helicopter all the time, and Negan is still boring.  Music featured in this episode is by dustmotes and Ketsa -  http://freemusicarchive.org/music/dustmotes/ http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/ Enjoying Keep Singing? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry Support Keep Singing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dynamicsymmetry

In which we launch into season 9. And... It's good. It's okay. There are some problems. The problems are in fact pretty significant. We'll talk about them.  Music featured in this episode is by dustmotes and Ketsa -  http://freemusicarchive.org/music/dustmotes/ http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/ Enjoying Keep Singing? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry Support Keep Singing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dynamicsymmetry

In which the Keep Singing reading series gets a bit of a makeover. This episode is devoted to two chapters of your host's fic Safe Up Here With You, with another episode devoted entirely to The Vampire Cat's Burn to follow.  Content warning: episode features disturbing imagery, gore, sexual violence, and fantasies of murder and suicide. Promise it's not quite so brutal in the end. Songs featured are: Tycho - "Dye", "L"; Kristian Eidnes - "Credits pt. 2"; Jean-Pierre Taieb - "One Way to Life"; Brian Eno - "An Ending (Ascent)" Full fic soundtrack: http://dynamicsymmetry.tumblr.com/post/126121742181/what-were-we-hoping-for-music-for-safe-up-here Full fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4200327/chapters/9488922 

In which we attack the penultimate episode of season 1. Talking points include: funerals are so important, Jim's death is totally dope, hooray for Jenner, these writers still can't do anyone consistently, turns out this is probably the weakest season, and why walkers are not apex predators or indeed predators of any proper kind. Music featured is by Nicky Apple - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nicky_Apple/ Enjoying yourself? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry Support Keep Singing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dynamicsymmetry

In which there's a fair bit of yelling about Robert Kirkman. Talking points include: screw Robert Kirkman; why you need to respect your dang audience; more about Daryl's mental state; Dixon-esque racism, and why Team Family is the real villains in all of this when you really look at it. Music featured is by Nicky Apple - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nicky_Apple/ Enjoying yourself? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry Support Keep Singing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dynamicsymmetry

Your host sits amidst nature in all its birdy glory and opines on episode 3. Talking points include: lay off Glenn; oh boy MORE gender problems, no seriously why can't these writers do women at all; T-Dog the Cinnamon Roll; HEY IT'S EVERYONE'S FAVORITE REDNECK ASSHOLE; really though let's get deep into Daryl's psychology right out of the gate; Rick and Daryl's zombie apocalypse meet-cute; how is it that hard to find a damn deer; Bear McCreary can go straight to hell and stay there. Music featured is by Nicky Apple - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nicky_Apple/ Enjoying yourself? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry Support Keep Singing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dynamicsymmetry  

The rewatch continues and we get deeper into it. Talking points include: oh my GOD Shane is skeevy as hell; Andrea is emotional and incompetent because she's a lady; the perfect living sunbeam that is Glenn Rhee; Merle Dixon as (super) problematic fave; there are still worldbuilding problems; dude that helicopter wtf. Music featured is by Nicky Apple - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nicky_Apple/ Enjoying yourself? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry Support Keep Singing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dynamicsymmetry

The rewatch kicks off. Talking points include: oh wow this show used to actually be horror; boy oh boy there are some gender problems; Shane is not likeable; Rick really shouldn't be alive. Music featured is by Nicky Apple - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nicky_Apple/ Enjoying yourself? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry Support Keep Singing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dynamicsymmetry

In which we sort through the wreckage of the season finale, which... Let's just say your intrepid host is displeased. Details of why are gone into, including how we ended up here in the first place, why endings matter so much, what it looks like when these writers fall down on the job, what might have happened had Carl not died, what the hell Rick's deal is, and what (few things) actually went right.  Music featured in this episode is by Ketsa - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/ Enjoying Keep Singing? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry Support Keep Singing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dynamicsymmetry

In which there is much nerdy yelling about the next-to-next-to-last episode of the season. Talking points include: Rick's hotness/moral bankruptcy correlation, whether or not a Negan redemption arc is working or can work, why Carol is so inexpressibly great, Morgan as a Biblical prophet, Carl as a saint, holy relics in the ZA in general, what's with all the callbacks, and WHAT IS WITH THE DAMN HELICOPTER Music featured in this episode is by Ketsa - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/ Enjoying Keep Singing? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry Support Keep Singing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dynamicsymmetry

In which we review the events of the most recent episode, with talking points including: How I'm annoyed with the show for making me take Negan seriously, why you don't want to be a doctor or near a child in the zombie apocalypse, the glory that is Maggie Greene, Daryl and all his queer friends, and Morgan as a center of mysticism.  Music featured in this episode is by Ketsa - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/ Enjoying Keep Singing? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry Support Keep Singing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dynamicsymmetry

In which we take this past Sunday's episode point-by-point, from Daryl's moment of breakage to Maggie's general amazingness to Tara's somewhat problematic character arc to how Gabriel is good now to why I think Carson miiiight not be quite so very dead as the show would have us believe. Also included: The running theme of the fantastic in the show as a whole, and the notion that magic is creeping back into the world.  Music featured in this episode is by Ketsa - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/ Enjoying Keep Singing? Buy your fannish host a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/dynamicsymmetry Support Keep Singing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dynamicsymmetry