Philip Waxes Poetic: Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 16 (Welcome to the Tombs)

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Evan Crean

Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes in The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 16

Warning: This Walking Dead Season 3 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching, before reading further. SERIOUSLY, there are some mega spoilers here, so don’t read ahead unless you’ve seen the episode or you absolutely don’t care about learning major plot points.

Summary: The Governor tortures Andrea and leaves her for dead, so that he can storm the prison with his army. However he quickly discovers that his troops don’t have what it takes to kill the prisonfolk, because they’re chased out. Afterward Rick, Daryl, and Michonne travel to Woodbury to finish the fight, although they’re surprised to find that that the people of Woodbury are anxious to switch allegiances.

Just as Season 3 opens with a closeup on a zombie eyeball, its finale, The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 16 (Welcome to the Tombs) starts by focusing on a human’s. It slowly pulls back to reveal The Governor’s one good eye as he’s face-punching the crap out of…dun…dun….dun…Milton, for torching the walkers! Guess Milton finally grew a conscience (pair). Too bad it wasn’t Morgan who did it like some of us suspected.

Milton tries to reason with his captor, however The Governor is beyond saving. Philip issues Milton a scumbag ultimatum: kill Andrea or die. Milton tries to kill Philip instead, but sadly he gets crazy stabbed and left in the room to become a walker with a chained up Andrea. That’s sadistic Phil! During this scene he delivers a scary insightful comment akin to Jule’s Ezekiel 25:17 from Pulp Fiction, “You kill or you die. Or you die and you kill.” I think Jules would agree; that’s some cold-blooded shit to say.

Back at the prison everyone is making plans seemingly to flee. Carl is acting like a big baby giving Rick the silent treatment while they pack. The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 16, is actually the first episode Carl has annoyed me all season long. Unbelievable after all the “Get Out of Here Carl” memes from Season 2. Michonne and Rick then have a heartwarming moment where she thanks him for taking her in. I really like her now.

Speaking of other characters I love, Tyreese politely declines The Governor’s invitation to fight, while offering to keep guard over the remaining folks. I was shocked The Governor tossed him a gun and said “Thanks.” Once The Woodbury troops arrive at the prison, they’re hooting, hollering, and blowing stuff up like they have unlimited ammo. Kudos to the writers and director for creating a massive amount of escalating tension as the Woodburyians comb the cellblocks looking for trouble. The highlighted bible passage sitting out was brilliant.

I was fairly disappointed however by what I felt like was an anticlimactic end to that fight. A few grenades plus Glenn and Maggie shooting and yelling scatters everyone to the wind. Then the pissed off Governor kills his troops for punking out, while his lackeys Martinez and the other dude just sit there in silence. Plus The Governor lives to see another day. UGH! I was hoping he’d get a huge satisfying death during the prison siege like he did in the comics. I was fascinated though by the whole piece about Carl shooting an innocent kid and trying to deny he did anything wrong.

I dug that Rick, Michonne, and Daryl found the one survivor of The Governor’s wrath and they went to Woodbury together where they got Tyreese and Sasha to switch teams. There was some good suspense leading up to Andrea’s bite. I loved the shot of Milton’s reanimated fingers just before the commercial, as well as the one of a closed door with screaming on the other side. It was touching when everyone came together to wish Andrea goodbye. Michonne even got misty!

The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 16 ends on a happy-go-lucky note with the Woodburyians joining Rick’s group. Rick has regains his humanity (which I’m happy about) and he no longer sees Lori (thank god). But it’s not an ending that feels right to me. Not many characters die (at least important ones) and that closing seems uncharacteristically upbeat for the show. I didn’t have any significant attachment to Milton, Andrea, or Allen so none of their deaths got to me. Plus Andrea’s death was completely avoidable if she just tried to escape faster instead of wasting time. I was hoping for a huge throw down with lots of death and drama like in the comic. Sadly I didn’t get it.

Click here to take this week’s poll: Were you satisfied by the Season 3 finale?

Any predictions for what will happen in Season 4?

Thoughts on AMC’s Interview with Laurie Holden (Andrea)

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Evan Crean

Warning: This Walking Dead Season 3 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching the season finale, before reading further.

Laurie Holden as Andrea on The Walking Dead

I’m still working on my recap post about The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 16, so I thought I’d put something quick up about this week’s Dead Alert newsletter which has AMC’s interview with Laurie Holden who played Andrea on the show. Unfortunately for Holden, but perhaps fortunately for viewers, Andrea met her demise in the season finale.

I for one was relieved, since her character had taken over Lori’s spot on the show as most annoying female character. Although her intentions were good Andrea was prone to the same irrational, irritating behavior that got Lori under my skin. I’m hoping that the show’s writers start creating better characters and that another female personality like Michonne, Maggie, or Beth doesn’t get sucked into this vortex of unlikable behavior.

Even if I didn’t care for Andrea, I do agree with Holden that Andrea’s final moments felt true to the character and organic. Although I don’t really support her following statement about Andrea not being a victim. I think that Andrea became a martyr and helped prevent deaths, so in that way her demise was positive, but she didn’t need to die. If she hadn’t wasted so much time talking to Milton, she could have easily escaped and figured out a way not to get bitten. Also she had plenty of chances to kill The Governor which she didn’t take or follow through on.

I do like Holden’s comments about Andrea’s character arc because she did travel through some serious emotional highs and lows over the course of her time on the show. And I dig the advice she would have given Andrea at the beginning of the season if she could. She should have pressed Michonne more about The Governor’s suspected misdeeds. On the flip side however, Andrea should have been willing to trust her friend over a stranger.

The interviewer’s questions about love scenes and the Woodbury prison rivalry aren’t very interesting since they’re similar to ones we’ve read in other interviews. Though the final inquiry about the Twitter photo of Holden playfully strangling David Morrissey who plays The Governor was a good one. Now that’s an ending I would have liked to see.

Did you like Andrea as a character? Were you sad about her demise?

We Didn’t Start the Fire: Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 14 (Prey)

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Evan Crean

Warning: This Walking Dead Season 3 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching, before reading further. Similarities and differences between the show and the comic are also discussed, but whenever possible, details of the comic are left ambiguous in case you decide to start it later on.

Summary: Milton tells Andrea about The Governor’s plot to massacre her friends, so she flees Woodbury to warn them. Furious that she’s chosen the prison over him, The Governor leaves to hunt Andrea down personally. Meanwhile, Tyreese and his daughter clash with Alan and his son because they refuse to blindly follow orders and they start to suspect The Governor isn’t actually the man he claims to be.

The pre-credits sequence in The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 14 (Prey) features a flashback to when Andrea and Michonne were traveling together. They’re huddled around the campfire while Michonne’s chained up walkers restlessly moan and groan. As usual, the tactless Andrea prys by asking her who they were, prompting a brilliant response from Michonne, “They deserved what they got. They weren’t human to begin with.”

Speaking of inhuman, shots of the chains morph in a brilliant transition into freaky disturbing images of The Governor creating his own little torture chamber for Michonne. That sick puppy is getting all kinds of twisted pleasure out of the process. The only reasons I see for them showing these moments are to remind us of the bond between Andrea and Michonne, as well as to foreshadow Andrea taking Michonne’s place (at least temporarily) at the end of the episode in The Governor’s chair-o-punishment.

I know I complained about Episode 12 (Clear) because it only focused on one group of people, but I actually didn’t mind the almost exclusive concentration on Woodbury in The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 14 because of how suspenseful the episode is. The majority of the thrilling elements come from The Governor’s chase of Andrea, which feels like a classic slasher film villain stalking his hapless prey (Oh hey, that must be why the episode is called “Prey!” How clever!).

Thankfully Andrea is smarter than the traditional horror movie victim, since she stabs her way out of being pinned down by walkers in the woods and sicks a horde of trapped stairwell zombies on Philip. If I were her though I would have either stayed to make sure the bastard died or stolen his truck. After all she did to escape, I couldn’t believe that The Governor cornered her near the prison and got her all the way back to Woodbury tied up without her putting up enough fight to get away. I did like the moment near the prison where crazy-ole Rick was on watch and thought he saw something in the woods before shaking it off.

I also enjoyed the parts of the The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 14 that follow Tyreese and his daughter. I chuckled when his daughter mocks him for being a terrible shot and desperately hoped when they let Andrea sneak out that they’d go with her. I’m happy that they heeded Andrea’s warning about The Governor not being what he seems., and that we got some hints about some of Tyreese’s backstory with Alan. Their conflict at the biter pit was awesome. It honestly made me think that Tyreese was the one that torched all of the zombies there at first, but then later on when Tyreese apologized to The Governor for running his mouth, I wasn’t so sure and suspected Milton of doing the deed.

That brings us to this week’s poll. Click here to let me know: Who do you think torched the walkers in the pit?

Do you think someone will warn the prison about the impending slaughter? If so, who will it be? Any predictions for the next episode?

Uncle Phil Wants You: Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 11 (I Ain’t a Judas)

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Evan Crean

Andrea and a zombie from The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 12

Summary: Rick’s people argue about their next move and whether they should allow Merle to stay. At the same time, The Governor starts forming an army to “defend” Woodbury. A frantic Andrea decides to sneak back to the prison in an attempt to negotiate peace before the impending war. Tyreese and his friends find their way to Woodbury where they offer their allegiance to The Governor in exchange for sanctuary.

The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 11 (I Ain’t No Judas) is the talky-est, most
dialogue-heavy episode of the season so far. Believe it or not, I’m actually happy about that because it pleasantly reminds me of The Walking Dead comics with of its rich verbal exchanges between the characters.

There are some very bold words thrust into the conversation as Rick and his people debate their next move. The most unexpected comment of the lot is that Merle is right. And I hate to admit it, but he does makes a valid point. By hanging around the prison instead of leaving immediately, they’ve lost their strategic advantage. What’s not shocking though is that Hershel publicly calls Rick to the carpet for his looney behavior. “You said before that this wasn’t a democracy, now it’s time for you to own up to that!” he yells. Amen Hershel.

Then we actually see young Carl muster up the courage to tell his dad to stop being the leader. Carl’s advice is to let Hershel and Daryl handle things while Rick gets a rest. Good move little man. Speak your mind.

Later on Glenn tries to say that they should toss Merle, maybe even give him back to The Governor as a peace offering. Hershel shoots him down with gusto (did I mention this was another great Hershel episode?). “He (Merle) may be erratic but he has military experience. Don’t underestimate his loyalty to his brother.” Hallelujah Hershel! And speaking of Merle, Hershel goes to see him and they have a kick-ass moment. They quote the Bible together, AND we find out that Merle likes to read?! Maybe this other Dixon has more than meets the eye.

Merle seems to be truly turning over a new leaf and this time I buy it. He tries to make things right with Michonne, giving the closest thing he can to an apology and admits with what seems to be absolute sincerity (this time) that he’s done a lot of things he’s not proud of. Plus Michonne actually has lines in this episode! Holy crap! She starts to become the character I know and love from the comic when she tells Andrea off “You chose a warm bed over a friend.”

Phil wants YOU/ Phil wants YOU/ Phil wants YOU as a new recruit. He’s certainly not putting together a Navy as my singing may suggest, but Uncle Phil (aka The Governor) is forming an army to take on Rick’s crew. And he wants every able-bodied person to serve in it, even old ladies and asthmatics. Well he decides against the old lady but still keeps the asthmatic. It’s needlessly silly and over-the-top.

Lucky us, we get to see him take off his bandage to reveal his nasty eye before he switches to an eye patch. Which reminds me, I loved the line where Daryl says to Andrea “Next time you see Philip, you tell him I’m gonna take his other eye.” Damn straight Daryl.

I’m kind of annoyed that they’re lining Tyreese’s group up with The Governor and Woodbury. Tyreese is so desperate for shelter he’s willing to do whatever to “earn their keep.” He has nothing to do with The Governor in the comics so it’s stupid they’re putting them together in the show. Although at least Tyreese seems like he doesn’t entirely trust The Governor.

And finally, Andrea may have earned awesome points with her brilliant curb stomp maneuver and her hatchet jobs on several zombie faces, however she quickly lost them when she failed to stab Philip at the end of the episode. Totally weak Andrea.

Make sure to click here to take this week’s poll: Are you tired of Hershel’s daughter singing?

Where do you think Rick plans to take Michonne and Carl on the “run” he discussed at the end of the episode? Also, who do you think will spill blood next? Rick or The Governor? Leave me some comments and share your thoughts!

The Governor Strikes Back: Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 10 (Home)

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Evan Crean

Merle Dixon in Season 3 of The Walking Dead

Summary: Rick leaves the prison to chase ghosts, while members of his group debate whether they should flee or stay. On the road, Daryl and Merle try to survive together, but quickly end up at odds with each other. And back at Woodbury, The Governor questions Andrea’s loyalty before slipping away to retaliate against Rick’s people.

Rick is obviously still living in Crazytown at the beginning of Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 10. The loon runs off to search for the ghost of his wife in the nearby thicket. After Rick finds her and kisses her, I was thinking how funny it would be if he snapped out of his hallucination and realized he was making out with a zombie. I’m still amused by how far off the deep end the writers are taking his character. But I’m going to stop laughing at Rick’s misfortune; I don’t want to be too mean.

Glenn continues to get on my nerves in each passing episode with all his alpha male posturing. I really hope he snaps out of it soon. With Rick out of his gourd and Daryl gone, Glenn feels like putting unnecessary pressure on himself to take charge. As Hershel astutely says later in the episode, Glenn’s heart is in the right place, but he just can’t fill Rick’s boots.

Glenn is blinded by the rage he feels about what happened to both him and Maggie back at Woodbury. Because of this he can’t make up his mind about what to do next. He toys with the idea of going straight back to Woodbury to fight The Governor, before quickly abandoning it to hold steady. The poor sap is so anxious to fortify their position that he runs off and misses all the action. I’d feel bad for him except he’s a total ass to Maggie, forcing her to reveal exactly what happened while she was in custody.

For the most part, Episode 10 is another character-heavy outing. While drama is going down at the prison, Daryl and Merle are traipsing around the woods. As always Merle is in rare form, spewing racial epithets, and engaging in selfish behavior. The scene where Daryl and Merle rescue a family from walkers up on a bridge is a real nail-biter. What I love about the incident is that it just reaffirms for Daryl the type of person that he’s become. He wants to help others even if he’s not necessarily getting something in return. His exchange soon after with Merle is fascinating because you find out new things about the characters, like the abuse Daryl suffered at the hands of their father, and the secret plan they both had to rob the camp blind back near Atlanta. I love the moment where Daryl tells his brother that he’s leaving to go where he feels at home even if it means going somewhere Merle can’t be. You just got served Merle!

Of course we finally get to know Axel (Lew Temple) just a little bit better, as does Carol, and he gets killed by The Governor’s attack. Speaking of Woodbury’s douchey leader, I didn’t buy his turn the other cheek malarkey he was telling Andrea, but I certainly didn’t think he’d strike back against Rick so soon. I was worried for our heroes when The Governor and his men started firing on the prison. That part where the van crashed through the fences had me on the edge of my seat because it sat there idling for so long. I had no clue who was in there, but I flipped when the door opened and out came a pack of zombies. Everything seemed hopeless, especially for Rick, who was pinned by several walkers. When Merle and Daryl arrived for the rescue, I’d never been so happy to see either of them. There was something slightly reassuring, yet also strangely disquieting about Merle’s giddy laughter while he helped Rick.

Which brings us to this week’s poll. Click here to tell me: Who was your favorite badass in Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 10?

Were you surprised Tyreese and his people were gone all episode? Where do you think they went? Do you think Merle is turning over a new leaf? Or will he just cause more trouble for the prison crew?

Thoughts on AMC’s New Trailers for Walking Dead Season 3 Return

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Evan Crean

Last week, AMC release two new trailers teasing the return of The Walking Dead Season 3 on February 10. I waited as long as I could without watching them, but couldn’t help checking them out, so here are some quick thoughts on what’s in store for us.

The first video is a quick little 30 second piece promising a look at Rick and The Governor meeting face-to-face for the first time. Thankfully it indicates that Daryl survives his bout with Merle, because he’s seen telling someone that The Governor is on his way to the prison. The majority of the trailer just plays up the impending war between the prison group and Woodbury, with soundbites from the characters mentioning how the action is going to heat up. Nothing we didn’t already know was coming. Then finally at the very end we just see separate shots of Rick and The Governor supposedly talking about how they have things to discuss. It’s kind of a rip off, because it’s not even clear they’re in the same room or that the clips are from the same scene based on the way it’s cut. No need to waste your time on this video. If you’d like to see it though, it’s below.

The second trailer for The Walking Dead Season 3 part 2, is a minute-long piece that seems like a music video at first with its credit in the corner revealing the name of the artist and song that it uses. There are some revealing tidbits with Carl telling Rick he should stop being the leader, The Governor telling Andrea to leave for the prison, and a naked Andrea standing over The Governor while he’s asleep holding a knife. Maybe he catches her contemplating his murder and that’s why he sends her away? Glenn has gotten much more badass, talking about how if The Governor wants a war, then he’s got one. Hopefully that trend will continue in the second half of the season. What piqued my curiosity the most was Hershel at the end of the trailer, calling Rick out. He’s yelling at Rick about taking responsibility for his dictatorship. I wonder what prompts that moment. Again the trailer is below. This one is definitely worth checking out.

What are you most looking forward to about the return of The Walking Dead on February 10? Any predictions on what will happen with the second half of Season 3?

Glenn Goes Beast Mode: Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 7 (When the Dead Come Knocking)

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Evan Crean

Michonne (Danai Gurira), Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Oscar (Vincent M. Ward), and Daryl (Norman Reedus) on The Walking Dead

Summary: Glenn and Maggie are brutally interrogated in Woodbury, while Andrea helps The Governor with a bizarre experiment. After rescuing Michonne from a pack of walkers, Rick and company learn of Glenn and Maggie’s misfortune. Michonne, Rick, Oscar, and Daryl then set out on a mission to rescue their friends from Woodbury, but hit some snags along the way.

I’m proud of Glenn for taking such a brutal beating in the opening of The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 7. I can’t believe that he manages to take all that abuse and still maintain his wits. It’s a little sad though when he tells Merle about T-Dog being dead, and rather silly when he lies and says Andrea is still with his group. Can’t wait to see the look on Glenn’s face when he finds out Andrea is in Woodbury.

Later on that sicko Merle leaves a tied up Glenn to fend for himself against a zombie. Thankfully Glenn busts out of his chair and goes beast mode on that thing. It is simultaneously awesome and hilarious when he screams like a madman after killing it.

Any ounce of sympathy I might have felt before for Merle or The Governor immediately evaporated once they started abusing Glenn and Maggie. I’m just glad that scumbag The Governor didn’t actually rape Maggie, since he did force himself on another woman in the comics. I was upset that Maggie is the one who finally cracks and reveals the prison considering the show already does such a poor job writing female characters. The writers seemingly throw every opportunity out the window to show women in a positive light. In the comics, Glenn is actually the one who can’t take the interrogation, so why not carry that over to the show? Give Maggie a chance to prove she’s tough.

Andrea does The Governor an interesting favor by helping out the nerdy guy with an idiotic experiment. Obviously The Governor wants to see if his daughter has any of her old memories left, so he has nerdo see if a dying man’s memory stays behind inside the zombie’s brain. No surprise that the experiment is a failure! Andrea has to stab it in the head. No idea why we needed to see this. I don’t remember it from the comics.

Back at the prison, Rick reluctantly rescues Michonne from a pack of walkers with sharpshooting assistance from young Carl. I can’t believe that Rick immediately tries to squeeze information out of her wounded leg. What a bastard! I thought his very tearful, emotional reunion with Carol was rather bizarre. Maybe Carl will get a new mom? That would be weird since Carol clearly has the hots for Daryl.

Rick and Carl decide on a name for the baby: Judith, the same name given to her in the comics. Being the great father that he is, Rick decides to leave Carl and the others at the prison while he gathers a rescue party for Glenn and Maggie. In a completely twisted scene, Rick’s party gets surrounded by walkers and Michonne kills some noisy kook who finds them (thank god she finally became useful). Wisely they feed his corpse to the zombies. Did you agree with that decision? Take my poll and let me know.

Rick’s crew is right outside entrance of Woodbury by the episode’s close which left me totally amped up for the next episode. Shit is clearly going to hit the fan and there will be some serious bloodshed in Woodbury.

Do you think Merle will remain loyal to The Governor? Or will he take Daryl’s side? Will Daryl remain loyal to his friends?

Dial ‘R’ for Rick: Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 6 (Hounded)

Posted on November 23, 2012 by Evan Crean

Steve Yeun as Glenn in Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 6

Summary: Merle and Michonne have a bloody face off in the wilderness, while Rick talks more to his mystery caller, and Andrea hopelessly swoons over The Governor. Also, members from Rick’s prison crew and citizens of Woodbury finally cross paths under unfortunate circumstances.

Did anyone actually think The Governor would let Michonne leave Woodbury without trying to kill her once she was out on her own? I know I wasn’t surprised to see Merle out in the wilderness with a couple of men stalking her in The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 6 (Hounded). I got a chuckle out of her “Bitergram” as Merle put it, but mostly I was relieved that Michonne finally showed some creativity and personality in her arrangement of zombie body parts in the form of “Go Back.” At least she tried to warn them before unleashing the fury with her katana.

It was bloody and beautiful to see her slicing and dicing The Governor’s men just like she does in the comics. What caught me off guard was Merle’s attempts to help the younger guy keep it together. Although he threatened to kick the dude’s teeth in, Merle seemed to be genuinely trying to mentor to the up-and-coming henchman. I liked how Merle kept asking the kid about how to pronounce his last name. There was something comically tragic about Merle trying to say the youth’s name before putting a bullet in him. I get the distinct impression that Merle’s lies to The Governor about killing Michonne will come back to bite him as bad a hungry walker.

Back at the prison Rick talks more on the phone to the woman who contacted him at the end of episode 5. He even goes as far as to tell Hershel about the calls, which is pretty brave considering he turns out to be imagining them. This is just like the comics, where Rick loses his mind after Lori’s death, and invents the calls in his head. I was fairly certain the show would do the same thing, however I wasn’t expecting them to reveal that Rick was crazy so soon. In the comics, Rick talks on the phone for a while, maybe months before he even reveals his conversations to anyone. I’m glad that talking to Lori on the phone helped Rick get his head out of his ass, so that he would remember Carl and the baby.

Every time I think that I can’t love Daryl any more as a character, he does something new to score additional points like the conversation he has with Carl. As they’re clearing out a hall in the prison, I love how Daryl opens up about his own mother’s death and offers to condolences to Carl for his loss. At this point Daryl is a better parent than both Rick and Lori. They better not kill him off. If they do I will be pissed.

I should be annoyed with Andrea for falling for The Governor’s charms and sleeping with him, but she continues to prove that her judgement is terrible so I can’t be too upset with her. You know who got me really agitated though? Michonne! I couldn’t believe that she just sat idle while Merle kidnapped Glenn and Maggie. I understand that she was nervous, but it was obvious that Glenn and Maggie were kind people considering that they were shopping for a baby. Her appearance at the prison gates with baby items in hand was a fantastic way to end the episode and a great way for Rick to meet her however.

Did Michonne make you angry for hiding instead of helping? Take my poll and let me know your thoughts.

Were you surprised to see Carol alive at the end of the episode? Are you excited to see the impending showdown between Rick’s team and The Governor? Will Glenn crack under the pressure of torture? What do you think will happen in episode 7?

Mad Merle Beyond Thunderdome: Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 5 (Say the Word)

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Evan Crean

Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead

Summary: Following Lori’s death, Rick loses his mind and storms off in a violent rage, forcing the rest of his group to find food for the new baby. In Woodbury, The Governor’s dark secrets are revealed, and Michonne tries to convince Andrea that they need to leave immediately.

Literally as soon as The Governor mentioned his daughter in Episode 4, I knew that we would probably see him with a zombie girl in The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 5 (Say the Word). That’s because in the comics, The Governor cares for his zombified niece like she’s still alive, except feeding her flesh and her and keeping her chained up in his apartment. I like that the writers decided to make her his daughter instead though, since it gives the plot point greater emotional impact, especially during that creepy opening scene where he’s brushing her hair. As a loving father, he becomes sympathetic, and less outright evil.

What makes your skin crawl even more is the shot where The Governor is looking out the window with his daughter covered up, and sees Michonne staring at him outside. It’s almost as if she knows exactly what’s going on without actually seeing it all clearly. Feels very Hitchcockian.

Michonne continues snooping around Woodbury, reclaiming her sword, and making The Governor angry by killing his collection of zombie specimens that were locked up. Again, from the moment I saw those caged zombies, I knew we’d be seeing another element featured in the comics: The Governor’s zombie Thunderdome. I didn’t necessarily expect to see him put on the sadistic game in the same episode however. It’s completely unsurprising that a thug like Merle feels right at home in a ring like that.

I don’t care how insane things became after the zombie apocalypse; I would never find amusement in something that twisted. Although I do get where The Governor was coming from when he rationalized it to Andrea by saying it taught people not to be afraid.

Speaking of Andrea, I wanted to find out what Michonne said that almost convinced her to leave Woodbury. It was frustrating how they cut away just before Michonne could explain herself. But it’s more troubling that Andrea decided to stay despite those words. I’m glad Michonne is on her own again and curious to see what dastardly plans The Governor has for her.

Rick lost his mind just as bad as he did in the comic after Lori’s death. I was pretty annoyed with him for throwing a tantrum, leaving everyone else to care for the baby. At least we got some quality time with other characters in the episode. Oscar and Axel showed their sympathy for the dead, and that they’re reasonable guys who want to help. Glenn also opened up to Hershel, saying all the kind things we all were thinking about T-Dog. And my favorite part of the episode: when Daryl tenderly cradles the baby in his arms to feed her, as everyone huddles close to discuss names.

I’m really surprised how closely the show is following the comic this season, compared to the first two. It’s kind of refreshing to have some clue as to what might happen next, but I hope it’s not a permanent trend since I don’t want it to become too predictable.

What was your favorite baby name? Share your thoughts in this week’s poll.

Also, were you surprised about The Governor’s zombie daughter? Did you think his zombie Thunderdome was screwed up or did you understand it? Who do you think was on the phone when Rick answered it at the end?

Walking Dead Season 3, Ep. 1 (Seed) Recap

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Evan Crean

Summary: Months after the events of Season 2, an exhausted Rick and company discover a prison that they decide to use for shelter. The only problem is that it’s filled with zombies, so Rick pushes his troops to clear out all the undead inside. Meanwhile, Michonne, the samurai sword-wielding, hooded figure from the Season 2 finale takes care of a sick Andrea.

This episode’s opening shot is fantastic. It starts on the blank lifeless, eye of a zombie and pulls back to reveal the entire ghoul just before it’s assassinated by a shotgun toting Rick. Then, everyone in the group comes swarming in to clear this house. Not sure where they found or made silencers for some of their guns, but I’m surprised no one thought of the idea sooner.

The whole pre-credits sequence is really gritty and intense. Everyone looks ragged, even Carl. The lack of dialogue in this scene ups the anxiety. No one says a word after they come up empty handed in their search and must flee a group of approaching walkers. All it took was that opening to get me.

Daryl continues to be my favorite character on the show for his complexity and his humor. It’s silly enough that he has to kill an owl for food, but only he could get away with a line like “While the others wash their panties, we should do some hunting, because that owl did not hit the spot.”

I’m also pleased to see Rick has become a much stronger leader since he declared Ricktatorship. He’s firm, resolute, and fast-acting. He even gives a rousing motivational speech to his team like a coach before the big game. And although Lori has long been a source of annoyance for her vacillating loyalties and her emotional behavior, it was nice to see her actually show remorse for turning Rick and Shane against each other.

Very little story focuses on Michonne, my favorite character from the Walking Dead comics, which is sad but understandable because she’s new. I have a feeling the writers will get to her more in the coming episodes.

Speaking of the comics, I’m happy that the writers decided to carry over the plot about encountering survivors in the prison at the end and leg amputation, even though it’s with a different character than the comic. Those two elements should be the source of gripping drama this season.

Anyone disappointed with the low amount of zombie killing so far in the series will change their attitude after this episode. More zombies are probably taken down in this 45 minutes than all of Season 1 and 2 combined.

What do you think of the first episode of Season 3? Do you like the new Rick? Were you happy to see Lori pay for her mistakes? Do you think they’ll tell us what happened during the months between Season 2 and Season 3? Any predictions on what might happen next?

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