Warning: This Walking Dead Season 3 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching, before reading further.
SPOILERS BELOW. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.
Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker) in The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 15 Copyright 2013 AMC TV
In The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 15 (This Sorrowful Life) Merle Dixon engages in a suicide mission to assassinate The Governor. After Merle falls in battle to The Governor, his brother Daryl finds him as a zombie and is forced to put him down.
The Governor (David Morrissey) on The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 13 Copyright 2013 AMC TV
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: Andrea arranges for Rick and The Governor to meet on neutral turf so they can negotiate. While the two men try to hash things out, their companions unexpectedly find common ground. At the prison, Merle fights with the others about whether they should take the offensive against The Governor.
At first I had absolutely no idea where Rick, Hershel, and Daryl were at the start of The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 13 (Arrow on the Doorpost). It was pretty exciting to see them sweeping a giant complex on the lookout for trouble. Hershel looked slick leaning out the car window with his M-16 and his gun hidden near his stump. Although once I realized what they were doing I was surprised Rick brought Hershel along on such an important mission given his disability.
Based on the trailers for this half of Season 3, I knew Rick and The Governor would have a face-to-face talk at some point, however I wasn’t expecting it to happen in Episode 13. After the previous episodes, there was nothing to suggest either Rick or The Governor was truly interested in a sit-down. There were also no actual scenes prior to Episode 13, which showed Andrea discussing terms of a powwow with either person.
Once they actually meet, poor Andrea tries to talk sense by encouraging them to “Save the bullets for the real threat (walkers),” but she’s thrown out of the room, and instead of fighting to stay, she goes off to sulk. Apparently even during the zombie apocalypse men still treat leadership like a boys club.
I know I accused Season 3 Episode 11 (Ain’t No Judas) of being the talky-est episode to date in this season, but Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 13 easily takes the prize. It was extremely frustrating to me because I felt like Rick and The Governor talk without saying anything consequential; they just dance around in circles. The Governor reveals that he doesn’t want peace, only surrender, while Rick indicates he won’t kowtow to demands. They trade verbal jabs as The Governor tries to warn Rick about messing with Woodbury’s numbers, and Rick cautions The Governor over throwing it all away.
Outside the meeting there are amusing interactions between Rick’s men and The Governor’s. They almost come to blows, before Hershel assures them there will be plenty of time for that later. As Milton intelligently points out there’s no reason they can’t explore the issues in their own way. Daryl and Martinez engage in a hilarious game of one-upsmanship killing zombies and smoking cigs. And guess what? They’re not all that different. Neither are Milton and Hershel who discuss documenting their history (pretty smart) and the science of Hershel’s survival. Good call on not showing him your stump though Hershel. I’d make Milton buy me a drink too before revealing my leg.
At the prison Merle argues very strongly in favor of sneaking out to defend his brother and to kill The Governor while they have the element of surprise. Merle tries the hard way, which ends with him getting wrestled down by Glenn and Maggie, as well as the nice way where he tries to sweet-talk Michonne. Neither work and everyone stays put. At least Glenn and Maggie make up finally with a quickie. Plus Glenn drops the “L” word. Way to go buddy! However I wanted to slap them both for leaving their watch to get busy. I kept thinking it was a horror movie and something terrible would happen because they were having sex. Thank god everything was okay.
Finally the conversation between Rick and The Governor boils down to an ultimatum: Rick can make all his trouble go away if he turns over Michonne. Did anyone believe that lying bastard would keep to his word? Hell no. Rick doesn’t and neither do we. But none the less, Rick must consider the option if Philip isn’t bluffing. So both men go back to their respective camps while intense music builds up tension. We see both Rick and The Governor lying their asses off like Axel Foley might say in Beverly Hills Cop.
The Governor says he’ll play nice, but reveals to Milton that he intends to slaughter Rick’s people and Rick avoids telling everyone about the offer on the table to trade Michonne. Instead he lets everyone know they’re going to war while the episode ends on a creepy crane shot as Rick and Hershel discuss whether they actually should dump Michonne. Hey at least next episode should be a lot more exciting!
Click here to take this week’s poll: If you were Michonne would you team up with Merle to attack The Governor?
Were you also worried something bad might happen while Glenn and Maggie were “distracted?” Would you surrender Michonne if there was a possibility for peace? Weigh in with your thoughts on Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 13.
Andrea (Laurie Holden) in The Walking Dead Copyright 2013 AMC TV
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: 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!
Warning: This Walking Dead Season 3 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching, before reading further.
This is the first season I’ve started receiving AMC’s weekly newsletter, so I have no idea if they’ve done one before, but I’m surprised they took this long to do an interview with Norman Reedus, who plays my favorite character, Daryl Dixon on The Walking Dead.
Because I heard tons of hilarious stories about Reedus clowning around on set with his co-stars, I was expecting an epic interview. Although I was disappointed that this one turned out to be a bit anticlimactic, given my anxious anticipation to hear from Reedus about his experiences working on the show.
I was definitely fascinated to learn that Reedus actually rides a motorcycle and likes cruising around down south while working on the show. I also liked finding out about the ways he has influenced who his character is on the show, since Daryl is so layered and complex. I would have asked more questions about his character’s back story and influences.
I can definitely see what Reedus means about how his fight scene with Michael Rooker (Merle) went down. It would have been cool to see them really go at it like “wild animals” as he puts it, but I think they did things just right. It had an authentic sibling vibe to it.
He does show his fun side too, talking about how he re-gifts some of his fan mail to Chandler Riggs (Carl) and how they hang out. Some of his fans who send him those things are probably disappointed to read that however. I got a laugh when he said that he accidentally called the baby on the show “Lil-Ass-kisser” instead of “Lil-Ass-kicker.” Whoops.
Like Reedus says at the end, there’s always the concern that your character could get killed off at any moment on a show like this. Although I think we’re all hoping that Daryl will stick around for a good long while. He continues to make The Walking Dead worth watching, even when the writers do annoying things with other characters.
Do you have a favorite Daryl line or moment from the show so far? What is it?
Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker) in The Walking Dead Copyright 2013 AMC TV
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: 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?
Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) in The Walking Dead Copyright 2013 AMC TV
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: Rick rescues Daryl and Merle from the Governor’s clutches, but he’s forced to decide whether to let Merle join the group or to cut both brothers loose. In Woodbury, citizens start panicking in the aftermath of Rick’s attack, so Andrea tries to take charge while The Governor sequesters himself. Meanwhile back at the prison, Tyreese and his friends struggle to find acceptance and trust from the survivors there.
Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 9 is much less action-packed than I expected, although that isn’t a bad thing. Suicide King is a very character-driven episode, which feels appropriate since we have been away from everyone for almost a couple of months. We really get reminder of who all of the people are and how the traumatic events from the previous half of the season changed them.
Picking up immediately where Episode 9 left off, we find ourselves back in Woodbury with an angry mob chanting for blood while they encircle Daryl and Merle. Just enough time elapses where your anticipation and nerves are on the edge before the pair starts fighting. Then Rick and Maggie come to the rescue before the situation gets out of hand.
Based on the trailers for the season, I already knew Daryl and Merle would make it out alive somehow, however I didn’t realize they’d bust out so quickly or that Maggie would be the sharpshooter picking off citizens of Woodbury. Since she annoyingly cracked under torture in episode 7, it was nice to see her redeem herself with a badass moment. Did anyone else chuckle when Daryl grabbed his crossbow back from the Woodbury guy who stole it as he was escaping? I thought that was hilarious.
Then I laughed my ass off again when Rick knocked the wise cracking Merle unconscious with the butt of his gun. I certainly didn’t envy Rick’s subsequent dilemma about what to do with Merle. Daryl wouldn’t go anywhere without his brother, and Rick couldn’t stand the idea of Merle coming back with them to the prison, so it made the most sense to let them go. I wouldn’t have wanted Merle in the group either, but it would have been incredibly tough for me to let a valuable team member like Daryl go.
The following scene where Glenn starts going off on Rick about allowing Maggie participate in the rescue and for letting Daryl go, is so agitating for me. I don’t like Glenn’s sudden alpha male protective b.s. and outrage with Maggie like it’s her fault what happened. I also dislike his whiny attitude. I’m getting the suspicion that this will continue for at least a few more episodes this season. Damn it, I like Glenn because he’s a nice guy and level-headed. I don’t want him to become a jerk.
Back at the prison there were some touching character moments between Carol and Carl, and a number between Hershel and the other characters. Hershel reaffirms his role as the caring, fatherly figure we all know and love. I give him a lot of credit for consoling Maggie AND Glenn. He takes the time to tell Glenn how important he is and how he’s like a son, which he totally doesn’t have to do. Hopefully he doesn’t become the Dale of Season 3.
When it comes to Tyreese and his friends, I’m amused that the show is cherry-picking characters from the comic to introduce like Alan, his deceased wife Donna who died in episode 8, and his son Ben. In the comic Alan, his wife Donna, and young twin sons were part of the original survivors living outside Atlanta. It seems strange to introduce them now and to only have him with one son who’s a teenager. I’m really glad those idiots didn’t convince Tyreese and his daughter to make a play for the weapons while Rick was gone. So far I’m enjoying Tyreese as a character. He’s cool, calm, and a decent guy. He had a great line to Rick toward the end about being willing to pitch in, “You’ve got a problem with other folks, we can help with that too.” What a nice fellow.
Okay, lastly why the heck is with Rick totally losing his marbles? He saw some bizarre spectre in white which we can only assume is Lori, but why are the writers making him way crazier than he gets in the comics? Is it to add a wildcard element to the conflict with Woodbury? I think it’s intense enough on its own. I’m a little nervous to see how they play this out.
What did you think of Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 9? Are you annoyed with Glenn? Do you think the survivors will learn to trust Tyreese? Do you think Rick has become unfit to lead?
Also, click here to take this week’s poll: If you were Rick would you have let Merle join the group if it meant keeping Daryl?
Warning: This Walking Dead Season 3 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching, before reading further.
A few days ago, AMC posted this interview with Melissa McBride who plays Carol Peletier on The Walking Dead. In her comments she talks about actually getting to kill zombies this season, hanging around on set, and how she gets along with Norman Reedus.
McBride raises a couple of interesting points when talking about killing walkers. The first is the emotional impact of having to kill something that “is supposed to be somebody.” Even though walkers are nameless strangers, they were still people too and it would be hard to get over the emotional impact of killing them at first. I’m sure at a certain point survival instincts would take in and you would just stop considering them living beings. Her second point is more along the lines of a technical problem. When killing zombies you have to be precise, but at the same time you want to be careful not to injure the actor playing the zombie. That must be pretty difficult. I’m sure like any other action shows or movies people still get bumps and bruises despite efforts to be safe.
No surprise that she gets along with Norman Reedus off-set as well as on it, since everyone on the show says good things about him. I thought it was cool that she spends downtime just hanging out watching other people on set. I’d probably want to do the same thing, just watching everything unfold and seeing what’s going on in the scenes without me in them.
Her bit at the end is funny too about losing weight so that Daryl can pick her up at the end of episode 6. I was so happy that she was finally discovered alive and that Daryl was the one to find her, since they clearly have an attraction going on. It was sweet how he scooped her up and carried her out.
Hopefully Carol will make a quick recovery in episode 7 and won’t be too scarred by her experience.
Steve Yeun as Glenn in The Walking Dead Copyright 2012 AMC TV
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: 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?