Review - Walking Dead 3.16: "Welcome to The Tombs"

 

The Walking Dead ends its Season 3 run with a whimper and an uneven episode. Plus we say goodbye to a few characters both loved and hated.

It seemed ominous when I realized a few weeks ago that the finale of this show would coincide with the much anticipated return of Game of Thrones on HBO. As good as The Walking Dead can be at times it seemed impossible for it to surmount the return of one last year's biggest TV hits, and notably this episode felt like it wasn't even trying. As is often the case with this show there were moments of great genius and then unfathomable mistakes.

The Good:
-Milton: While I'm truly sad to say goodbye to Dallas Roberts and his character; the final moments of his story were emotional and ironically tragic and virtually everything this show's character arcs should be when they work well.

 -Attempting to give Andrea a noble ending: Possibly this season's most hated character; the show tried to continue its effort from last week to provide some redemption for Andrea in the end. Her final moments with Rick, Michonne and Daryl felt truly emotional and provided some nice remiders of just how long she was part of this group before recently. It doesn't make up for the 9,000 other bad decisions or pure idiocy she displayed this season, but it was nice to send her off on the best note possible in this case.

- Carl: There aren't enough adjectives to describe the level this character reached last night. Watching Carl pull the trigger on that guy's son and defending his actions to his father were phenomenal. Carl's arc has always been that of a child growing up too soon in a vicious world, and these moments felt like the perfect cap to his continuing evolution in the second half of the season.

Now for the Bad:
-The sequences with Andrea trying to escape: During this scene I pondered whether this zombie apocalypse would end, the second ice age would come, and the White Walkers would show up before Andrea managed to get the pliers off the floor.

-The showdown with the Governor: The season's big bang should have been the much delayed confrontation between the Governor's Woodbury crew and Rick's prison gang, but sadly it amounted to nothing more than some flashbangs and Maggie and Glenn being the only people in the group who can hit the broad side of a barn. The luring in and trapping of the Woodbury crew in a specific part of the prison seemed pretty telegraphed to me, and tactically it seemed like the best (only?) option. In addition to this the Governor's force expended what seemed like an unusually large amount of ammo shooting walkers in front of the prison rather than its defenders, all of these things together made the whole bit seem uneblieveable and poorly thought out.

-Rick, just everything Rick: I understand that last week he tried to make a statement about the group being more of a democratic collective than a Ricktatorship, but nonetheless these people are following him like a leader. And they're doing so despite the fact that his emtoions tend to swing wildly between useful logic and bordering on the edge of breakdown territory. His seemingly absurd, and unsound, decision to bring all the Woodbury folk back to the prison seems beyond explanation, and when your 10-year old son is making more sense than you are you've got serious problems.

This one gets a 70 out of 100.

The confrontation was a disappointment and the improbability of some of the decisions the character's made seemed to outweigh the few profound moments in this episode. It didn't leave me very excited for next season, but hopefully that will change once I've had a chance to miss this show for a few months.

Other stuff:

- "In this life now, you kill or you die. Or you die and you kill." -The Governor
- Hershel leaving the bible quote out was a nice thematic touch, but honestly Hersh I don't think eternal damnation will scare off a one-eyed psychopath and a bunch of people with automatic weapons.
 - When the bus pulled up I was sincerely hoping it was empty and the prison gang was just going to go back on the road like the Scooby Gang in the Mystery Mobile.
- I liked Carol and Beth emphatically killing those walkers at the gate. Those two so often get left out of the fun killing sequences that it felt like a nice end of season treat for them, and like the actresses took it as such.

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Review - Walking Dead 3.15: "This Sorrowful Life"

Many times in TV it takes the impending end of the season to really bring the best elements of a show's story together, which often results in the last two or three episodes of a season being the strongest outings. And this hour by far was one of season 3's strongest. The driving conflict of this hour is fairly simple but necessary: as the group gears up for battle Rick is warring mentally with himself over whether he should take the Governor up on his offer and turn over Michonne. Early on He decides to do it for the good of the group and consults with Merle for help (but not the rest of the group). Later on he changes his mind, realizing that morally that's not who he as a leader is, nor who they are as a group. Unfortunately, at this point Merle, who doubted Ricks ability to follow through all along, has taken matters into his own hands and run off with a kidnapped Michonne.

This episode hit the right balance of thoughtful nuance, forward movement and action; plus it managed to give most of the major characters some good screen time. I loved the scenes between Merle and Michonne while riding in the car, particularly their discussion on their status as the outsiders of the group. And Michael Rooker did a great job throughout the episode showing Merle's process as he realizes what he must do, and has a serious change of heart. After freeing Michonne to return to the prison he eventually goes after the Governor himself, by leading a pack of walkers behind him in a car blaring . One the other things I've appreciated about this episode and the last somewhat is the shift to showing how deeply disturbed a character the Governor really is. This is apparent very early on in the comics when the character is introduced, but it's great that the show is really trying to ramp it up going into the end.

The episode had a lot of other strong moments from the rest of the cast as well: Glenn's conversation with Hershel about marrying Maggie, and the resulting proposal; Rick's quiet insistence that the ghostly Lori isn't real; Carol and Merle's conversation in the prison about how much she's grown personally since the death of her husband. Perhaps the most jarring though was Daryl in the end having to murder his own brother,now a walker after losing his battle with the Governor, which ends the episode in a truly tragic but moving fashion. Daryl may have found a new family in the group, but Merle was still his brother no matter what. I loved that this episode managed to touch on all the major themes of the season: group dynamics, loyalty, the shifting moral standards and the emotional toll everything has been taking on the survivors.

I really loved this episode and it got me pretty excited for next week's final installment so 90 out of 100. Hopefully you all enjoyed it as much as I did- one more to go!

Odds and ends:

- "You got any whiskey around here, hell I'd even drink vodka"- Merle

- Glenn ups his badass factor by not only gentlemanly making his intentions with Maggie known to Hershel, but also by hacking off a walker's fingers to snag her a ring. And Maggie has the good grace just to accept it and not ask where it came from.

- Michonne, showing off her skills even while tied up and weaponless

- The music in this episode was surprisingly good, my favorites were the Bear McCreary piece during the Glenn and Maggie proposal, and of course Merle leading the walker parade to Motorhead.

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Review - Walking Dead 3.14: "Prey"

In which the show tries to figure out this season's Andrea problem....

Often shows have a problem character who somehow winds up spending the majority of a season languishing in emotional confusion or poor plot devices; and the writers are left to dig this character out of the hole they stuck them in (Anne Perkins on Parks and Rec comes to mind). Digging Andrea out of this current season's hole was always going to be a massive task, considering both where she ended last season and the compounded missteps along the way.

The opening scene felt like a bit of nostalgia designed to ease the pain of the coming hour. A reminder of a promising time when Andrea might have been a sturdy ally for the new and mysterious Michonne. However, it also seems like a cop out; an easy way to garner some good will from viewers who at this point are likely to be tired of everything to do with this character. Nonetheless, it also reestablishes the nature of the original bond between Michonne and Andrea from the beginning of the season which sets things up nicely for Andrea's upcoming turn of heart.

When Andrea and Milton discover the Governor has built a "torture room" in anticipation of Rick handing over Michonne they both realize they are following a very disturbed individual. Milton also reveals to Andrea that he believes the Governor has no intention to honor the baragin even if Rick upholds his end of things. While these are seemingly obvious realizations this did provide what is probably my favorite scene of the episode. I'm one of probably 5 Milton fans on the planet and having both the Governor's closest associates realize the same level of dread at the same time added weight and meaning to the scene.

Milton, still holding onto a shred of loyalty, prevents Andrea from killing the Governor then and there and instead dispatches her to go to the prison and warn the others while he takes care of burning some walkers that the Governor is keeping penned up to release on the prison gang. Symbolicly, Andrea's road to redemption is frought with skeptical Woodbury-ites, walkers and a pretty thrilling chase scene encounter with the Governor himself (probably my second favorite scene of the episode, and shot wonderfully). While Andrea's releasing a pack of walkers on the Governor doesn't necessarily make up for a season's worth of disappointment it at least made me (and hopefully other viewers) feel better momentarily.

Things don't end well though as Andrea is caught by the Governor just outside the prison before Rick, who's on guard duty, can spot her. The final scene terrifyingly shows her strapped into the Governor's torture chair after he's told everyone he couldn't find her. And we are left to ponder her fate until next week. I felt this was a quality episode about a frustrating character, whom I enjoyed in the comics, so it did the best it could. 65 out of 100 - I don't know that it solved any or all of the Andrea problems from the season but I think it did what needed to be done for her going into the finale next week.

Odds and ends:

- I didn't mention the Tyrese/Sasha subplot really but it appears they might be switching sides again next week, or at the least Tyrese will.

- Last night's "Talking Dead" was a particularly good one. Kumail Nanjiani of the Indoorkids podcast as a guest, plus Lori Holden describing how they filmed the abandoned warehouse scene was awesome!

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Review - Walking Dead 3.13: "Arrow on the Doorpost"

Everybody gears up for war, but before things get too out of hand- a peace summit...

I actually liked the heads-of-state feel to the scenes between the Governor and Rick, despite being a tad melodramatic (the whistling wind sound effects were a bit much).The conflict presented at the end with the Governor's offer is a tried and true dramatic plot device. But I'm still a little split on whether it was too predictable (didn't Lost revisit this conflict many times?) or whether it was inevitable and I should have seen it coming. Either way I appreciated the Governors brutal honesty about the matter. This was also one of the few episodes this season, due to that scene and others, where I was happy to have this deliberate and more calculating Governor, which differs from the character in the comics.

Glenn stepping in as temp leader, or at least prison manager, was a nice moment; and also another sign of the good things Steve Yeun and the writers have been doing with that character this season. The even better scene later in which he at least attempts to give Merle some pause about questioning him was also great. Even if Glenn doesn't necessarily come out on the winning end of that fight it speaks to how far his character has come and how he might stand out in these last few episodes.

Dallas Roberts got quite a bit of screen time this episode which I enjoyed, but sadly it reminded me how much I miss Rubicon. Nevertheless seeing some of the other characters actually have to pay attention to Milton was a change from the past few episodes. The other B story was the showdown of the lieutenants! Daryl goes up against the Governor's guy in a walker for walker contest while the meeting inside takes place. The scene between these two outside was another highlight for this episode. Like the opening scene it had the feel of two soldiers on the eve of war. And the slightly rye way the show approached it, commenting on the futility of the peace proceedings, was a smart way to go with it consdiering the personalities of both those characters.

Another 75 out of 100. A lot wheels being put in motion for this season's last few chapters, but I also thought this episode covered a lot of ground for the supporting characters in a pretty efficient manner.The set up for next week looks interesting with the both sides seemingly realizing that the other probably isn't going to own up to their terms honestly, and the decision about Michonne's fate. I imagine next week will be more preparation but I'm looking forward to the build-up for WAR!

Quotes and such:

- Andrea's realization is a long time coming and maybe a bit too little, too late.

- I didn't think Beth being allowed near firearms was actually going to come in handy.

-Glenn and Maggie! Back together and ditching watch duty like a couple of horny teenagers.

-"I brought whisky."-The Governor

-"Nah, I prefer menthols." "Douchebag"- Daryl, getting better all the time.

-"I'm not showing you my stump. I just met you, at least buy me a drink first"- Hershel

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Review - Walking Dead 3.12: "Clear"

This week we follow Rick, Michonne and Carl on a trip off the reservation with a few interesting side missions. But all of this just delays the inevitable battle with the Governor. The episode isn't bad though and it seems to bring Rick back from the brink of insanity, so it's not a total waste.

First off, apologies for my absence last week, but I was without cable due to a move. Apparently I didn't miss much because I could have summed the episode up like this: ANDREA WHY ARE YOU SUCH AN AWFUL CHARACTER!?!?!?- Tom Waits montage. Anyways, moving on…

This week Rick decides to venture out on a run for guns to fend off the impending attack from the Governor and he takes Carl and Michonne along for company. After getting stuck on the road they encounter a settlement/ experimental modern art installation, which appears to be inhabited. Rick and Michonne attempt to take out the lone gunman guarding the place, but resident bad ass Carl eventually takes down the masked, and bullet proof vested, gunman who almost kills his father. As it turns out the gunman is none other than S.1's MORGAN! (the dude Rick left with his son Dwayne to practice sniper shots on his wife). Since we last saw him the perils of life among the walkers has made Morgan pretty insane, and when he wakes up he manages to stab Rick before realizing that his friend has somehow returned.

Meanwhile, Carl is on a mission to retrieve the last known picture of his family (which seemed to be hanging at the bar at a local watering hole?) so that Judith (ass kicker!) can see what her Mom looked like. Awwww! He doesn't really  want Michonne's help but Papa Rick insists she go along just in case. The two bond a bit and Michonne manages to prove her loyalty to the group's most discerning member by retrieving his prized picture from a literal room full of zombies. Pause here to consider how awesome Michonne must be to get in and out of there so quickly, and without alerting any of the vicious undead.

The most significant part of the whole episode turns out to be the story Morgan tells Rick about how his own son was eventually killed by his zombie mother because, unlike Carl, he couldn't bring himself to shoot her. Morgan's story and his speech to Rick about the meek inheriting the earth and everyone eventually turning were definitely the best parts of this episode and Lennie James certainly did them justice. Towards the end even Rick and Michonne bond over their shared penchant for speaking to the specters of dead loved ones. And Michonne's place within the group seems cemented enough that they can go into the upcoming battle with her firmly on their side.

I'd give this one a 75 out of 100. This was an emotionally strong episode, but it did seem like it was killing time a bit before next week's episode which looks far more exciting. Also, this was the second week in a row in which we didn't get much focus on the other characters so I'm anxious to check back in with them. On the other hand it did make me feel better about Rick leading the group into battle next week.

Odds and ends:

-Michonne's walker bait trick was not only pretty genius, but also provided some laughter in the form of: rats on skateboards!!!

-Also double points for Michonne stealing the brightly colored cat statute, it's the little things that matter when the world has gone to hell.

-I left out the minor side story involving the survivor the group encountered on the road, but I did enjoy the imagery and the way it concisely showed how much things have changed since the early days. The end scene where Carl jumped out of the car and retrieved the now-dead survivor's pack was especially good.

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Review - Walking Dead 3.10: 'Home'

Things are tense following last week's events, but this episode redeems last week's slow start with some powerful character confrontations. In short, not much more happened this week; but at least I was reminded why the evolution of these characters has been worth following the past two seasons.

First off, a slight editorial note: Next week's review might be a bit shorter due to real life obligations.  I know the five of you who consistently read this are very upset.

The first confrontation is the scene between Glenn and Maggie, which was a pretty phenomenal follow up to the events of last week. It was obvious why Glenn was treating Maggie the way he was in the last episode and his reaction when he found out what had really happened was both sad and powerfully realistic. I also loved Maggie retaliating at him in a very physical way, especially since Glenn was still wearing the riot armor at the time. Overall the scene was a nice balance of imagery and impact, and it's one of those small yet powerful moments that seem to remind you why the more character-heavy episodes of this series can be worth it.

The showdown on the overpass was a pretty impressive action sequence that showed off the abilities of the Brothers Dixon when they work together, however Merle doesn't seem to have changed enough to impress Daryl. I like that Daryl's not giving in on his principles now that he's been reunited with Merle, and I liked that he was brave enough to call Merle on all his shit.  Season 2's "Chupacabra"- when Daryl hallucinated Merle after being injured in the woods- was one of my favorite episodes because it hinted at the back story of Daryl's youth and the confrontation between him and Merle was the perfect conclusion to that. Daryl comes to the realization in that moment that Merle will always look out for Merle, no matter what.

Meanwhile, Rick is on a spirit walkabout outside the prison looking for GHOST LORI! I can't even enumerate the ways in which this should have resulted in Rick being demoted as leader of the group. However, once again, in opposition to all forms of common sense no one is concerned about this. Not even Hereshel seems nearly as concerned as he should be after Rick reveals he's been wandering around the prison grounds looking for his dead wife.

The show continues to give Carol more screen time and depth which has been surprisingly nice, although sad that in this instance it had to come at the expense of Axel, who just seemed to be getting interesting. Things end on a pretty exciting note with the shootout with the Governor and the group being reunited (or newly united?) against a common enemy.

I give this one a 75 out of 100 - I may have been wooed by some of the great character moments that went down but that ending left me pretty freaking excited for next week's installment. And that's a lot more than could be said of how I felt last week.

Stuff... and quotes:

-Seeing Sarah Wayne Callies (Lori) all cleaned up, was weird. It feels like no one on this show has taken a shower since the end of season 1.

- Andrea:"Milton, I want you to give me a specific answer to a specific question: Where is the Governor?"
  Milton:"On a run?"

-"You lost your hand because you're a simple-minded piece-a shit!"-Daryl

-"He's Korean!"-Daryl

-Carl has his own little kid-sized riot vest! Did I miss this at an earlier point?

-In case you somehow missed the ad AMC is now airing previous episodes of the series in black and white on Thursday nights at 8pm EST.

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Review- Walking Dead 3.9: 'The Suicide King'

Walking Dead returns after winter hiatus, but not with as much bang as I was hoping. The Daryl/Merle showdown goes mostly as expected and the other survivors spend a lot of time doing nothing. More thoughts below, but as you can tell I wasn't really impressed with this episode.

Things pick up pretty much where we left off with the showdown in the arena between Daryl and Merle, and with the rescue squad waiting in the wings. Things play out as expected with Daryl and Merle staging a fake fight and then an escape, with the assistance of Rick, sharpshooter Maggie, and some smoke grenades. However, all is not well once they escape Woodbury and the group decides they don't want to take Merle back with them, and that they aren't too sure about Michonne either. My biggest problem with this episode was that it seemed to take a long time to get wherever it was going. Everything that happened up until this point wasn't anything I hadn't speculated on or thought about after the mid season finale, yet it felt like the show was giving me an inordinate amount of time to digest it. On top of this the group kept getting waylaid on their journey back to the prison to have what seemed like drawn out conversations about who should and shouldn't be in the group while standing out in the open on the highway. Notably there was a scene in which there were clearly walkers in the background in the forest, yet all three characters seemed unconcerned and or unaware that they might be attracting walkers. Other than Daryl making the ultimate, but not totally unexpected, decision to go with Merle; and Glen going nuts on the walker, the first half of the episode didn't really move things along too much.

Meanwhile back at the prison Tyrese is trying his best to convince Hershel and the others that they can coexist peacefully in cellblock paradise without getting in the way of their group, but Hershel won't make a final decision until he consults with Rick. Also, Tyrese's companions aren't convinced that they should play nice with their new cellmates, but Tyrese manages to talk them out of a prison riot/mutiny plan. Not much goes on at the prison until everyone returns and there's more tedious discussion about how to deal with the new members. The only part of this chunk of the episode I enjoyed was strangely the scene with Beth and Carol, two characters the show doesn't usually seem to focus on. I thought their conversation nicely reflected some of the issues within the group and it gave those two second tier characters some good dialogue. After confronting Tyrese, Rick declares that the Ricktatorship is not currently open to new membership, against Hershel's will. However, Rick's also been having a minor psychological breakdown for the majority of this episode and this finally culminates in perhaps the episode's greatest moment: where Rick completely loses his shit, thinking he's seeing the ghost of his dead wife hanging around the rafters of the prison. He also does so while waving his gun around which makes everyone in the group a little nervous, and seemingly makes them reconsider Rick's leadership as of late.

 Overall I wasn't too impressed with this episode. Hopefully this second half of the season is just taking its time getting started, but this one felt a bit slow in the dialogue and the action. If I had to rate it I'd give it a 60 out of 100- not enough action and too much time spent debating who gets to be part of the group.

Odds and ends:

-I didn't mention it really but the only other part of the episode I enjoyed was the downfall of Woodbury. Everyone loves to watch the suburbs burn and I liked watching the denizens of Woodbury go nuts and rebel against their absent Governor.

- Andrea is staying in Woodbury, despite now knowing that her friends are alive and well. And in opposition to anything resembling common sense she's going to continue hanging around a mentally unstable man hell bent on revenge against her aforementioned friends. I also disliked her Hallmark movie-style inspirational speech: "WE PERSEVERED!"

- Daryl's crossbow stealing move might have been the highlight of this episode.

-GHOST LORI!!!!

- Things are rough in Maggie/Glen land, but good job Maggie for being the only one in my least favorite highway debate scene to suggest that maybe they should all get back to the prison before having long, unnecessary conversations about group dynamics.

-Carl remains a bad ass

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Review - The Walking Dead 3.08: "Made to Suffer"

In the midseason finale our group finally confronts the Woodbury folk and things get nasty! Also, Carl invites his new friends over to hang out! 

I think this episode succeeded in leaving the viewers with just enough to tide them over until February: the cliffhangers were manageable and we got satisfying endings to some of the key plots for the first half of the season. The confrontation with the Woodbury group was intense and climactic enough for the build up, and it made the rescue of Glenn and Maggie seem pretty heroic. Also, the fight between Michonne and the Governor was some good stuff, and the results clearly established a new direction for the Governor as a character. I wasn't thrilled with Andrea again, who didn't seem nearly as concerned as she should be with everything she discovered about her new boyfriend's creepy decorating habits. 

The appearance of Tyrese and crew is the major plot development and yet another piece of the puzzle to tide everyone over during the break. It was hard not to be impressed by Carl's initiative and smarts in this situation. The set up made things look like Carl was slipping some in the sympathy department, but he's learned a thing or two from his dad and he managed that situation well by locking up the new arrivals. The epic Merle/Daryl reveal at the end was spectacular and leaves us all with something to look forward too, while not being so taxing that you'll kill yourself over it before the next episode. I think the best thing that can be said is that this episode struck the right balance between exciting developments and gruesome fun action. I don't know that it's the most memorable episode, but it's still goes out on a strong note, and one that I think will bring everyone back in a month or so.

I give this one an 80 out of 100- some satisfying developments and good things to come.

- I know all the logical reasons, but it was nice to see this show finally have some fun with assault rifles!

- Maggie stabbing a man in the jugular with a bone shiv!- that is all.

- "You've got the short hair…You're not a lesbian?"- ummm perhaps the current scenario just lacks shampoo Axel?

- Did Andrea not notice that she looks eerily similar to the Governor's former wife? Or was she just waxing nostalgic about the way things were before?

- So long Penny!

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Review - The Walking Dead 3.07: "When The Dead Come Knocking"

I'll try and cut to the chase since I'm writing this review high on Thanksgiving leftovers. This episode took some time to get going but finished strong and set up what looks to be an exciting mid season finale. Aside from the very start, the beginning of this episode seemed a bit slow, including that oddly extended Carol reunion. I can understand the group's reluctance to let Michonne in fully, but that whole sequence took more time than necessary. I also couldn't figure out why Michonne wouldn't just speak up about having seen Maggie and Glenn get nabbed and the Governor's camp.

The highlight of this episode was undoubtedly the dual interrogations of Maggie and Glenn. Glenn taking on the walker while duct taped to the chair, and eventually using said broken chair as weapon was a walker fight for the history books, especially that primal scream at the end. And the Maggie looked as uncomfortable and disgusting as it was intended to be.

Other than a fondness for Dallas Robert leftover from "Rubicon" I wasn't overly interested in the Milton/Andrea scenes. The prison rescue group's encounter with the heard in the forest also felt dim in comparison to that solo Glenn fight. The conflict between Daryl/Merle is shaping up to be one of the more exciting elements with each having to decide between their blood relationship as brothers and the relationships they've made through shedding blood together with others. I give this one a 70 out of 100. A strong finish and it leaves me with a good feeling about things to come.

 Extra points:

 - "You do whatever you're gonna do; and go to hell."- Maggie

- "I telecommuted to work."- poor Milton!

 - My one weakness for Woodbury would be getting to have a turntable during the apocalypse.

 - Gunshot wounds barely even slow Michonne down!

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Review - The Walking Dead 3.06: "Hounded"

This weeks episode sets up a couple of key plots for the last part of the season, but before I talk about those, a few rants:

1. Maggie and Glenn, two of the only people in this group aside from Daryl who contribute anything, disappear for far longer that a simple supply run should take and not one person notices? Not even a: "Hey, haven't those two been gone pretty long?" from anyone? I understand based on past events it's somewhat reasonable to assume they were just taking their sweet ole' time and abusing the free supply of condoms at the local abandoned grocery store, but COME ON PEOPLE!?!? Not to mention said people includes Maggie's father and half sister!?!?

2. ANDREA! This is one of those situations where no matter how attracted you are to somebody every fibre of your being should be telling you: "Don't have sex with them! Don't get involved!". Warning signs Andrea! He's impeccably dressed during the zombie apocalypse; he hosts a monthly zombie fight club; he's BFFs with Merle; he offers you whisky at all hours of the day whenever you come to see him. I understand that Andrea has probably hit a wall like everyone else and maybe she's kind of sick of just surviving all the time, which is why she's sticking around Woodbury, but for god sakes woman- trust your instincts and use some common sense!

Plot wise this episode set up the two situations which will probably carry us through the end of the season. Rescuing the now captured Glenn and Maggie from Woodbury; and the eventual meeting/confrontation between our beloved prison dwellers and the Governor and his forces, plus the Dixon brothers reunion. Other than that the episode was just sort of filling in gaps. Michonne gets to show off her skills again; I like that even with a bullet wound in her leg Michonne can take out like three walkers AND evade Merle in the woods! I also enjoyed the Daryl and Carl scene, which not only gave us a glimpse into the Daryl backstory, but gave us some insight into how Carl's dealing with everything. Rick working out his issues by phoning the dead was ok, and at least he's finally acknowledged poor little Ass Kicker. 

I give this one a 65 out of 100- not much exciting happened but I'm understanding of the fact that they are setting things up for the final four.

Odds and ends:

- "She sent us a biter-gram y'all!"- LOLZ!

- Teenage wall guard girl= the Dana (Homeland) of WalkingDead. I hope you get zombie-chomped Katniss Everdeen wannabe!

- Oh and Carol's alive! In case you cared. Also, why was she just chilling in a closet in an abandoned part of the prison? Was she that injured she couldn't limp over to where everyone else was?

- On the Talking Dead after show they took a poll about what most people would do if Rick told them he was getting calls on the prison phone and 45% of people, the majority, answered "Order pizza". This was one of my suggestions last week and its nice to know I'm not the only person (at least out of those of us dorky enough to be watching a post-episode fan show) who really loves pizza that much. 

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Review - The Walking Dead 3.05: "Say The Word"

I almost made this review one sentence long and all caps, something like "MICHONNE SLAUGHTERING THE CAGED WALKERS IS FUCKING AWESOME!". Because otherwise this episode seemed like a whole lot of show and not much movement. Virtually the whole episode is dedicated to the menial task of getting baby formula, and the mysterious event taking place in Woodbury; only one of which has a halfway decent pay-off. But I'll run through a few things I enjoyed, and others I didn't.

I liked the opening with the suburban looking scene in Woodbury, for me it emphasizes Michonne's uneasiness with the whole idea of the town being a really nice looking cage (also somewhat analogized with the caged walkers). Rick and everyone else may be living in an actual prison, but they have a freedom that the Woodbury clan doesn't. Second, I'm glad the baby is fine but already this worries me. I'm not opposed to the show focusing on the more everyday aspects of survival like getting food, water etc.; but this episode really dragged out what seemed like a pretty simple supply run. Babies, as in real life, can drag shows down, hopefully this will not be the case for Little Ass Kicker. Rick going insane was sort of what I expected so we'll see where things go next week on that.

I'm continuing to enjoy the Governor's true nature being revealed piece-by-piece, first with his daughter at the beginning and then with the gladiator style death match at the end. David Morrisey does a good job of maintaing the calm exterior and making the crazy aspects seem totally normal, which in turn makes it creepier. The fun of the match made up for the boredom of watching Woodbury take a day off, at least more so than finally seeing Maggie find baby formula in a cabinet. I'm also glad Michonne gave Andrea that ultimatum and didn't stick around, I'm betting she's going to find the other group next week which should move things along. And based on her reaction to the zombie fight club and the previews it doesn't look like Andrea will be far behind her. 

I give this one a 70 out of 100- who was phoning Rick in the prison? Pizza delivery? Telemarketers? The aliens?

Quotes, fun facts, whatnot…

-The Governor: "She's all personality that one."

-Was anyone else expecting a horde of toddler zombies to be in that creepy daycare center? After expressing that thought out loud during the episode I realized that is probably the most terrifying type of zombie I could imagine: literal ankle biters! 

-Daryl is quickly climbing the list to the title of  "Perfect Man": rugged, heroic, quiets crying infants...

- Merle, king of zombie fight club!

-Apparently that thing Rick picked up off the ground was the bullet that Carl shot Lori with- "Bullet that Saved the World" eh Fringe peeps?

- For Sons of Anarchy fans: Merle's opponent was Hector Salazar aka the dude who kidnapped Tara at the end of S.3.

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Review - The Walking Dead 3.04: "Killer Within"

This weeks episode ends with a shocker, the prison group gets a mysterious new enemy, and the body count rises! We get to check in at both camps this week, but more of the action takes place at the prison. Andrea and Michonne are at odds over what do next: stay in Woodbury, or go back out on the road. This argument felt a little tired to me and seems to just be a rehash of the argument over whether or not to stay at Hershel's farm from last season. At least it seems like it won't drag on for as long as that previous debate. The more interesting part of this story was Merle and Andrea's conversation about how she was left behind, and her feelings about why no one in the group came back for her.

Meanwhile Rick and the others are trying to make their happy little federal penitentiary a bit more homey, but things get interrupted when an unseen intruder opens one of the gates and lets in a pack of walkers to wreak havoc on our survivors. It turns out it was the prisoner Rick banished last week. The set up for this scene was good and I liked how Rick, Glenn and the others were somewhat trapped on the other side of that fence and had to watch, briefly helpless, as Hershel and the others tried to get away. Also, T-Dog's final sacrificial act of helping Carol through the prison was a nice tribute to him as a character, even though he was one of the show's least used characters. By far the bigger piece of action was Lori going into labor while fleeing the walkers with Maggie and Carl. But Lori's final contribution might have been one of the show's best dramatic moments, her conversation with Carl and the final birth scene as a whole was spectacular.

This episode touched on a lot themes the show has dealt with before: Rick's moral conflicts as a leader, the trustworthiness of other survivors and the ruthless nature of the walker world. But this episode had high enough stakes to make those themes seem fresh and worthwhile. But it does raise a question which often come up with this show: does it need to kill someone off every week to make the emotional stakes high enough? And can it do those themes justice in the weeks when it's not racking up such a high body count?

I give this episode a 90 out of 100- it started off a bit slow, but the ending was no doubt a memorable one.

Highlights, quotes:

- Is Carol really dead? It felt like we weren't supposed to believe she was.

- Michonne's plan- a nice tribute to Left4Dead and a few other members of the zombie genre

- Merle: "How come you and I never hooked up?"
  Andrea: "You called me a whore and a rug muncher" (Or maybe because you are creepy and racist Merle!)

-  The Governor: "We should visit Augusta; take only the women and let them play. It'll be historic!" - I would totally go on that outing even though my golf skills are minimal.

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Review - The Walking Dead 3.03: "Walk With Me"

Welcome to Woodbury! Andrea and Michonne get the spotlight this week as we meet a new group of survivors and…Merle's back! The highlight of this week's episode though was clearly the introduction of The Governor, the mild-mannered, yet cold-blooded leader of the Woodbury group. Morrissey's portrayal of the character seems good so far and his balance of both righteousness and viciousness makes for a refreshing new moral conflict. He's twisted yet not totally unsympathetic, which should make for more intriguing stories going forward. The Governor also furthers our understanding of the zombie virus by pointing out that "everyone turns". And I'm glad they chose not to leave out the wall of zombie heads that was such an awesome piece of the comics!

The show also did a nice job of recreating the picturesque setting of Woodbury. The "oasis" feel of it adds to the allure, but its very existence is dependent upon the type of leadership the Governor doles out without remorse. Clearly this will be an issue going forward, and it creates a different perspective on the issue of Rick's leadership abilities, which has gotten tiresome recently. The reappearance of Merle was another big piece of the Woodbury story, and his interrogation scene with Andrea was a nice reintroduction. However, I'm obviously looking forward to his reunion with brother Daryl more.

Michonne remains a mystery and we find out that Andrea doesn't know much about her either, despite their time together. Her execution of the "pets" also leads Andrea to believe she might have been placing too much trust in her new friend. Michonne is definitely my favorite part of the new season and I enjoyed the way she's playing the line between trusting Andrea, yet not wanting to let her guard down too much. She's a great addition to the group and it seems logical that her trust issues will factor into some of the Woodbury story as well. Overall, its great this season to have multiple settings and multiple character stories; a nice change from being stuck on the farm last season. Presumably the two groups will eventually collide one way or another and that will definitely make for some intense moments.

I give this one an 80 out of 100- the episode does a decent job of introducing some new characters and setting pieces in place for the rest of the season. Doesn't have quite the intensity of the last two, but things still seem to be moving forward well.

Quotes etc.

- "My shit never stopped being together."- Michonne

- That stock helicopter scene felt very "Apocalypse Now"

- If I'm not mistaken that was Dallas Roberts as the doctor- I was having "Rubicon" flashbacks

- No check in with Rick and Co. this week but most likely they've settled into the prison. Any thoughts on what episode Lori gives birth to the devil spawn in?

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Review - The Walking Dead 3.02: "Sick"

The undead good times continue this week with another solid episode! After last week's cliffhanger the group scrambled to save a now one-legged Hershel and deal with the new arrivals at the same time. Both stories worked surprisingly well and provided vastly different emotional moments which made for a good episode overall. The prisoners provided some humor (albeit pretty dark) and the Hershel story gave us some meaningful character moments. Rick also continued his strong run as  leader of the pack; not backing down in the face of the prisoners and continuing to treat Lori's crap with the appropriate level of disregard.

The new prisoners were a reminder of how much the world has changed, with Rick and Co. informing them about the new realities of the outside world, but also a fun refresher course in Zombie Killing for Dummies! The mele scene with both the prisoners and our heroes trying to take out a pack of Walkers was by far one of the highlights of this episode, both for the action and the dramatic consequences. The idea of not being able to trust any outsiders also seems like a good setup for things to come, and it gave Rick a chance to show he means business by leaving the extra inmate for dead. S.3 Rick is definitely taking his leadership duties more seriously and it fits with the stronger direction the show has taken.

On the opposite side the Hershel story provided some of the key character moments that help keep things grounded. Lauren Cohan got to do some great work this episode and the battle of emotions was evident in almost every scene Maggie appeared in. The amazing moment alone she had with Hershel and the combinations of vulnerability, strength, and family loyalty were all great highlights, and they've solidified my appreciation of Maggie as a character. Beth continued to get scenes which seem to be developing her as more than just background filler, which is also a nice change from most of last season. The scene with the whole crew watching Hershel wake up was also a great "we're all in this together" moment.

The other great piece of this episode had to be Lori. I don't often praise her as a character but the combination of magic truth serum and useful skills made her seem like less of a burden this week. I usually dread Lori scenes but the bluntness this week in admitting her shortcomings as a mother and wife made her seem like less of a whiny bitch, and Rick's disregard for her trivial emotional discussions was another strong point.

Overall I'd give this episode an 85 out of 100. The episode had its high points and it made a respectable effort to keep pace with last week's strong opening.

Odds and ends:

-  I forgot to mention last week that T-Dog seems to have had more to do (and more lines!) in the last two episodes than he's had in two seasons so far- #TeamTDog?

- Carol's new skill sets might be approaching absurdity if they weren't so useful to the plot. She's becoming the show's Swiss Army Knife.

- Carl back-talking Lori and Beth reprimanding Carl- I don't know which was better!

- The show has clearly been waiting to use that "shit happens" line since day one.

- Apparently divorce law won't be a helpful skill during the zombie apocalypse.

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The Walking Dead - 3.01: "Seed"

This review will be fairly short since I want to give the show some time to breathe this season before I heap too much praise on it. Overall last night's episode was a very good start though. I thought the best part might have been the virtually silent opening, which really established the more dire circumstances our group of survivors is living in now that they've left the safety of the farm. When there is a time jump a lot of shows waste time catching you up on the way things are now as compared to where they were, but this opening was a good way to do that in a dramatic fashion without wasting any time.

Giving the group a larger goal like securing and setting up shop in the prison seems to have focused the story more and done away with some of the clunkier dialogue, yet without losing the emotional connections to the characters. This episode felt like it moved pretty quickly and efficiently toward getting the group inside the prison; which was a nice change from last season, where it feels like they might have spent a week or more in that field debating the best course of action. I'm a little disappointed that Michonne and Andrea seem to get the short shrift in this episode (especially since Michonne is a pretty well loved character from the comics). We don't learn much about what they've be doing during the gap in the story, but hopefully next week we'll get some more pieces of the puzzle.

This episode also found a fairly good way to improve upon the zombie slaughtering action with the Walker riot police, and with dark interior halls of the prison toward the end which made things a bit creepier. And ending with two jarring events like Rick cutting off Hershel's leg and the appearance of the other prison survivors was a nice way to get the audience excited for the next few episodes

Overall I'd give this episode a 95 out of a 100- very good action, a clear goal, and our team of survivors working together like a zombie death squad makes for a good star to Season 3!

Quotes and such:

- "I ain't sleeping in no cage…"- Oh Daryl, I missed you!

- Does Beth get the Most Improved Survivor Award since she seems to have fully given up her suicidal tendencies and is now wielding an axe like a pro? Or should it go to sharpshooter Carol?

- I was prepared to fully hate pregnant Lori, but about halfway through this episode I was really hoping that story would be over within a week or two. Also is wrong that I actually like pissed off Rick more since he seems to put up with less of Lori's crap?

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