Tag Archives: Season 3

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

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

Michonne (Danai Gurira), Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Oscar (Vincent M. Ward), and Daryl (Norman Reedus) on 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: 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?

Michonne’s Quick Decision in Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 7

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Michonne rapidly decided to kill a stranger during The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 7 (When the Dead Come Knocking) that was making too much noise with a swarm of zombies outside. Then she fed his body to the hungry zombies. Was she in the right?

Thoughts on AMC’s Interview with Melissa McBride (Carol Peletier)

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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.

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

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Steve Yeun as Glenn in Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 6

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?

 

Which baby name did you like best in Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 5?

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Survivors at the prison were still trying to decide what Rick and Lori’s baby should be named in The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 5. Below are a list of names that they tossed around, including one they didn’t. Which one was your favorite? And can you spot which one wasn’t mentioned?

What Happens When You Assume: Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 4 (Killer Within)

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Sarah Wayne Callies as Lori in The Walking Dead

Sarah Wayne Callies as Lori 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:  At the prison, things go horribly wrong for Rick and company when a saboteur lets walkers in and sounds the alarms. Meanwhile, Andrea starts to have her doubts about leaving Woodbury as she grows more attached, Michonne suspects The Governor of foul play after does some snooping, and Merle talks about going out to find Daryl. 

You know the annoying expression: When you assume, you make an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me.’ During The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 4, I felt pretty assy and I bet Rick did too for assuming that Andrew, the axe-toting prisoner from the season premiere, had become zombie chow. Not only was he alive, but he was really pissed, and understandably so, considering he was left for dead.

As they show the mysterious figure carrying a fuel jug, cutting open the prison gates, and using the deer carcass to attract zombies, you get casual hints that it’s Andrew, based on the clothes and his footwear. Later in the episode when he’s revealed to be the culprit who was sneaking around in the woods, it’s not terribly shocking or satisfying however. I was really hoping that someone more fascinating was spying and trying to mess with them.

It was badass though when one of the other prisoners shot Andrew. I’m glad that they were finally able to convince Rick that they’re worth trusting. I was getting really annoyed about how no one was willing to let the decent prisoners join their group. Literally Rick was at the point where he would rather turn the poor bastards loose on the road then take them in, and it was just wrong.

In the melee caused by Andrew’s sabotage, unfortunately we saw the untimely deaths of two main characters: Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and T-Dog (IronE Singleton). Both were sad, but personally I was more distraught over the loss of T-Dog. The moment he got bit, I literally yelled “Nooo!” out loud. He was just a consistently nice, honorable character even down to the end, when he bravely sacrificed himself to hungry walkers so that Carol could escape. And speaking of Carol, it sucks that everyone thinks she is dead.

Lori could be incredibly obnoxious, although it was still difficult to see a mother pass away at a time when her baby would need her care more than ever. At least her character redeemed herself a bit this season. I feel incredibly bad for Carl who not only had to be scarred for life by seeing his mom in labor, he had to ensure that she didn’t become a zombie after she died.

Should be interesting to see how they figure out how to take care of a baby without a mother around to feed it. I’m also curious if Rick will take Lori’s death as hard as he took it in the comic, almost losing a bit of his own sanity.

Nothing at Woodbury happened which was that eventful. Even The Governor was so bored he was just hitting golf balls. Andrea just further proved that she has terrible judgement when it comes to men (i.e. The Governor) and Michonne continues to earn points with me for her distrust of the falsely benevolent leader. Hopefully The Governor will let Merle go looking for Daryl soon. I’d like to see the Dixon brothers reunited.

Which character’s death hit you the hardest? – Take my poll and let me know your thoughts.

How long do you think it will take Rick’s group to find Carol? Do you think Michonne will actually convince Andrea to leave Woodbury? Will The Governor let Merle go looking for Daryl? What else do you want to see happen this season?  

Which death in Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 4 made you saddest?

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Warning: Don’t take this poll if you haven’t seen Season 3 Episode 4 of The Walking Dead. It contains spoilers.

Sadly, a couple of key characters die in The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 4 (Killer Within). Two of them were main characters that have been with the show since the beginning, so it was hard to let them go.

Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 3 (Walk with Me) Recap

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Andrea and Michonne in Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 3

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: Andrea and Michonne search for survivors to a mysterious helicopter crash, but in the process, they’re apprehended by Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker) and a band of strangers. The pair is taken to a heavily guarded settlement ruled by a seemingly benevolent leader called The Governor (David Morrissey). Can he be trusted though?

If you’re like me, and you’ve been anxious for more focus on Andrea and Michonne, The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 3 (Walk with Me) doesn’t disappoint. In fact, Walk with Me is all about Michonne and Andrea.

For a scene that should be full of intrigue, the helicopter crash during the opening, surprisingly lacks punch. That’s mostly because you don’t find out much about the military men in the chopper or where they’re coming from. However, there’s plenty of gripping tension in the moments when Andrea and Michonne are hiding outside the crash site, looking for survivors. Director Guy Ferland uses some wicked cool camera angles to build suspense, like an over the shoulder shot from behind Michonne where the samurai sword on her back diagonally crosses the frame.

Ferland also expertly emphasizes their fear when Michonne’s walkers start growing loud and ornery, nearly giving away their position. The finest part of that whole sequence though, is the reveal where we find out that Merle Dixon is not only alive, but he’s in league with the men searching the crash site. Best of all, he and Andrea instantly recognize one another when Merle delivers the famous line you’ve seen to death in Season 3 trailers.

I like that this Merle is very different from the one we encountered in the early episodes of Season 1. It’s obvious that he’s a changed man, less gruff and offensive, with enough humility to make him a more sympathetic character. There’s still something not quite on the level about him though, and Rooker does a fantastic job of disguising that fact to the other characters.

The Governor is an even greater master of deception, a real wolf in sheep’s clothing. He oozes charisma, Southern charm, and conviction. He acts benevolent, but he’s definitely got darker motives as witnessed by his massacre of the military men and his weird zombie-head fish tanks. I appreciate that the TV show doesn’t set him up as a cartoony villain. He’s a layered character who’s not purely evil and nihilistic like he is in the comics. I’m looking forward to learning more about him.

As a huge fan of Michonne from the Walking Dead comics, I’m thrilled to see her getting more attention in this episode. Just like in the comics, she is a woman of few words, although in the show her character gains much more depth because Dana Guirira, the actor portraying her, uses her face to say all kinds of things her mouth doesn’t. Michonne’s expressions at Andrea, reveal just how much she likes being cooped in Woodbury and how little she trusts The Governor. If she’s even a quarter as deadly as she is in the comics, I can’t wait to see her unleash rage on anyone/anything who crosses her.

And now, on to discussion questions:

Did you trust The Governor when he said that he wants to rebuild society? Did you believe him when he said Andrea and Michonne could come and go as they please?  Merle is clearly not the same, but do you think he’s as bad as he used to be? Do you think the next episode will just be about Michonne and Andrea again? Or will the show return to the prison?

Did You Trust The Governor in Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 3?

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At first, The Governor seems like a decent enough guy in Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 3. In less than an episode though, he already shows himself to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He seems serious when he said Andrea and Michonne could come and go as they please, but do you think he’s trustworthy at all?

Walking Dead Season 3 Ep. 2 (Sick) Recap

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Norman Reedus as Daryl in Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 2

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: Rick’s team frantically attempts to save the Hershel’s life, while trying to work out a truce with the prison’s other newly discovered inhabitants.

Thankfully, Episode 2 (Sick) of The Walking Dead Season 3, picks up immediately where where Episode 1 left off, so you don’t miss a minute of action. After amputating Hershel’s leg and the encountering the prison’s survivors, Rick, Daryl, Glenn, and T-Dog desperately try to stop the bleeding. They manage to rush Hershel back to their cell block, where Carol, Lori, and his daughters provide care, but without medical supplies his fate is uncertain.

Next, Rick, Daryl, and T-Dog regroup and explain to the cooped up prisoners exactly what has been happening on the outside. I find the prisoners’ inability to digest the situation comical; one of them is so dumb, that he asks to borrow a cellphone. Once everything sinks in, everyone quickly realizes, that an agreement must be formed about sharing resources, since the convicts insist on staying.

Unlike the comic, which gradually builds up tension between these two factions, I dig that the show just drops you right into it. Rick and the long-haired leader of the cons are instantly at odds over their arrangement. Rick continues to be a commanding leader, telling the prisoners how it’s going to be rather than haggling. In exchange for half the food, Rick and his friends offer to help clear out a cell block for the other men.

Again, the prisoners’ stupidity hilariously abounds when they fail to comply with simple zombie killing instructions. Instead of going for the head and staying in formation like they’re supposed to, the idiots scatter and start shanking the undead in the guts. My favorite part of the episode is when the long-haired dude takes a swing at Rick. The punk gets a badass machete to the head in the most satisfying kill of the episode, maybe even of the season so far. Unfortunately another prisoner crosses Rick and ends up becoming zombie chow. I understand why Rick feeds the second prisoner to them, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I like that he lets the two gentle-seeming cons live, however I’m curious to see how they get along with everyone in the long run.

Faster than in the comic, Rick is becoming a darker character who makes hard decisions to ensure everyone’s survival. As the leader, he also appears to be emotionally distancing himself from the group, especially from Lori and Carl. It’s a joy to see Lori eating more humble pie in this episode, when she admits to being a lousy mom and wife on multiple occasions, though it’s kind of sad that Rick still wants nothing to do with her.

I still appreciate that this show keeps me guessing even though I’ve read the Walking Dead comics. Hershel’s situation literally kept me on the edge of my seat and when they showed a mysterious party spying on Carol from the woods, I legitimately had no idea who it was.

Who do you think it was spying on Carol? Are you happy Hershel appears to be okay for now? Do you agree with Rick’s decision to feed the second prisoner to zombies? Do you think Rick and Lori will patch things up at some point?