Tag Archives: The Walking Dead

Prison Crew vs. Woodbury Round 1: Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 8 (Made to Suffer)

Posted on by
Michonne (Danai Gurira) on The Walking Dead

Michonne (Danai Gurira) 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: A new group of survivors stumble upon the prison and take shelter there. Back at Woodbury, Rick launches his rescue operation, Michonne finally faces off against The Governor, and Andrea uncovers some of her new boyfriend’s dark secrets.

The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 8 pulls a Lost with its opening. Remember that exciting moment right before stuff was supposed to down in the last episode? That spot where you were focused on all your favorite characters? We’re not going to pick up there. Instead we’re going to be in a completely different place with brand new characters, and we’ll get back to everyone else later. Normally I would be annoyed by that kind of tactic, except it’s hard to stay mad when an awesome new character from the Walking Dead comics is introduced right in the beginning.

We start out with Tyreese (Chad Coleman) and his daughter, his daughter’s boyfriend, and some other random couple fighting their way through walkers in the woods, until they come upon the broken backside of the prison. Unfortunately the woman is bitten and with zombies hot on their trail, they must make the quick decision to seek shelter there. Luckily for them, Carl hears their screams of terror and tracks them down to help. He escorts them back to safety and even offers to shoot their doomed friend. Already displaying excellent character, Tyreese waives off the assistance with the line “We take care of our own,” as he wields a ball pein hammer. Then his daughter flips out when Carl locks them up together (smart move Carl), but Tyreese continues to be a cool cat with the response “His house (his rules)…” Heck he’s just grateful for a place to sleep.

For those unfamiliar with the comics I’ll briefly explain why Tyreese’s appearance is so great. In the comics, Tyreese and Rick become total besties because they’re both strong, determined guys. They often disagree about how their group should be run and who should be the leader. Sometimes their arguments are so serious that they get physical. One of the most beautiful two-page pieces of art in the comics, involves fists flying between the two. I’m looking forward to fascinating drama and complex dilemmas Rick will have to face with Tyreese around.

Anyway, how could we forget about everyone else at Woodbury? First off, props to Glenn and Maggie for their escape attempt. Glenn’s plan to rip sharp bones out of a dead walker for weaponry is pretty genius. Rick, Daryl, Michonne, and Oscar infiltrate Woodbury and not a moment too soon, considering they save Glenn and Maggie right before execution. The ensuing firefight left me on the edge of my seat constantly wondering who would get killed. I wasn’t surprised that Oscar goes, though I was a bit sad that he gets a throwaway Star Trek red-shirt style demise.

Michonne’s showdown with The Governor is fun, although a bit agitating because she leaves everyone else high and dry just to fight him. She kills The Governor’s walker daughter, smashes his zombie televisions with her head, and shoves a glass shard into his eye. Believe it or not, that’s Michonne being nicer to him than she is in the comics. She brutally mutilates The Governor there, but she has more reasons to.

I love (sarcasm) how Andrea stumbles onto the whole nasty scene and still manages to stay with The Governor, even after he dodges her inquiries about what happened. As a Daryl fan, I was so mad that he stayed behind to find Merle, and that he was taken prisoner. I was legitimately surprised that the scumbag Governor gave that big speech in which he sold out Merle, outing him falsely as a traitor. I’m extremely nervous for Daryl and Merle, since The Governor whipped the crowd into a murderous frenzy. Hopefully Andrea will intervene on their behalf.

Were you surprised that The Governor turned on Merle? Let me know in my poll.

What do you think is in store for the characters when the season resumes in February? Will Daryl and Merle survive? Will Rick and The Governor come directly to blows?

The Governor’s Shifting Loyalties in Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 8

Posted on by

The Governor is placed in a situation where he must sell out one of his own in order to keep his power in Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 8.

Thoughts on AMC’s interview with Steve Yeun (Glenn)

Posted on by

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

Just checked out AMC’s interview with Steve Yeun who plays Glenn on The Walking Dead. In it he discusses being taken hostage, acting opposite Michael Rooker (Merle Dixon), and taking on more of a leadership role this season.

Yeun reminded me that Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 6 (Hounded) wasn’t his character’s first time being held hostage. I forgot that he was taken way back in Season 1, by the guys who turned out to be decent people protecting the elderly. I was glad to hear that escaping from the chair and killing the zombie in the room was a fun experience for him to perform, though he’s right: he’s lucky that his legs weren’t tied down. A smarter captor probably would have done that. Still it was a badass kill and seemed like it would have been a blast to shoot.

It was very cool to read that the actors are given creative freedom to improvise and choreograph new ways to kill walkers. I would probably love that part of the job. Although he makes a decent, somewhat depressing observation about love in the zombie apocalypse. The attachment could be your downfall if you put others ahead of yourself, yet how could you not do that if you love someone?

Based on what Yeun has to say about Michael Rooker, it seems like the actor completely throws himself into the role of Merle. He may be going method with the character, or he’s just insanely well cast, because he is very convincing as a psychopath like Merle.

Lastly, in the interview with Steve Yeun, I thought his final comments about taking on more of a leadership role both on and off the set to be fascinating. With all of the dead bodies this season, Glenn must step up and take charge just like he learns to do in the comics. And with other core actors gone, Yeun is also given more room to experiment and to do work with his character. He’s also in charge of death dinners now if you recall the interview with Sarah Wayne Callies from earlier in the season. A lot of responsibility is on his shoulders right now. However I’m sure Yeun/Glenn will soldier on like he always does.

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

Posted on by
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

Posted on by

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)

Posted on by

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)

Posted on by
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?

 

Michonne’s lack of action in Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 6

Posted on by

Michonne sat completely idle while Merle kidnapped Glenn and Maggie in The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 6 (Hounded). Did that bother you at all?

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

Posted on by
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead

Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes 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: 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?

 

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

Posted on by

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?