Welcome to Walking Dead Weekly! As the title implies, each week (bearing a new episode of course), we’ll be taking a look at the latest episode of the AMC series. I’ll let you know how I felt about each weekly offering, and will also compare it to what Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard were doing with the comic at the same time.

Last week, the Scott Gimple penned This Sorrowful Life brought some much needed life back into the series after two very lackluster weeks. This Sorrowful Life saw Merle kidnap Michonne with the intention of bringing her to the Governor (after all, Governor did say that he’d leave everyone else alone if she was given up). Merle was quite clearly already a pariah among the group, and he proceeds to “do the dirty work”, not for recognition, and certainly not for acceptance, but simply to save his brother and the people he loves. Then, suddenly, with only a few miles to go, Merle has a change of heart, sets Michonne free, and drives off into the horizon. He heads to the barn (where Rick and the Governor “negotiated”), and has one final stand against the Governor and his men before he is overpowered and killed. The episode ends with a heartbreaking scene: Daryl discovering his undead brother.  Aside from the few happy moments in the episode (Glenn and Maggie getting engaged), This Sorrowful Life was somber, heartfelt, and certainly heartbreaking. An excellent penultimate episode to a mostly excellent season.

What’s next? The entirety of season 3 has been leading up to this: a final battle between the prison and the inhabitants of Woodbury… or so we thought. Who comes out on top, who do we lose along the way, and what happens next? Read on and find out! As always, there are plenty of spoilers below, so don’t read any further until you’ve watched the episode! You’ve been warned!

Episode Thoughts – ‘Welcome to the Tombs’

Well, that certainly wasn’t the finale that I was expecting.

Welcome to the Tombs opens with a fantastic POV sequence of the Governor brutally beating who we think must be Andrea… but turns out to actually be Milton. Governor knows that it was Milton who started the fire (and not Tyreese and crew as was originally thought), and Milton is getting quite the punishment. The two have quite a history, and it’s clear that Governor wants to teach Milton a lesson, but doesn’t want him dead. “You kill or you die” is a phrase that Governor uses early in the episode, and it’s certainly foreshadowing what’s to come.

Governor gives Milton an ultimatum: he can either kill Andrea and show Phillip that he’s learned something, or he can die. That’s it. It’s an easy choice for someone like the Governor, but Milton, who has repeatedly shown remorse and the simple fact that he has a heart, has a much harder time with it. He takes a few choice steps towards a chained Andrea (at which point I sincerely believed he would do it, an idea that was sending literal chills down my spine), before turning and lunging forward at the Governor… who quickly turns the knife back on Milton and stabs him repeatedly. Damn. Milton collapses to the floor, barely breathing, as the Governor explains that he’ll now die, turn, and make quick work of Andrea. Roll opening credits.

Back at the prison, it looks as though Rick and the gang are packing up. Could the group have chosen to leave instead of stay and fight? Carl’s pissed at Rick (what else is new), so it’s clear that we haven’t fully been filled in yet. Before entering his shiny Hyundai, Rick looks up and again sees a ghostly Lori staring down at him; could this be the last time? Is this goodbye? Carol and Daryl exchange some quick words about Merle, and the fact that what he did gave them all a chance, while Rick and Michonne talk of baby formula and old times.

We then head back to Woodbury, where Tyreese and his group are quick to tell the Governor that they won’t participate in this fight. They’re willing to help Woodbury defend against walkers, but will not attack a living being. You can almost see the Governor’s thought process here, and just as it looks as though he’s about to snap, he instead hands Tyreese a sniper rifle… and thanks him. Weird. He and all of the able-bodied members of Woodbury enter their vehicles, and head to the prison.

One quick cut, and we’re there… it’s clear that these two groups have a ton of fightin’ to do (right?), so it’s great that we’re getting to it this quickly. Grenade launchers and mounted machine guns tear apart the outer walls and the walkers inside them. The army then heads into the prison, which just as we expected, is empty. They then proceed into the prison basement, where they’re greeted with flashbangs and the undead. It becomes a race to get outside, where unsurprisingly, our heroes await. A moment of fire occurs between the two groups, and then… Woodbury flees?

Anticlimactic as fuck; As soon as the battle ended (if you can even call it that), it was hard not to laugh at it. The entire season has been alluding to this, over and over again. We even had a 42 minute long conversation about the coming war, which ended up being nothing but a few minutes of each party not killing each other. Yeah, battles are expensive to shoot, but The Walking Dead is one of the biggest, baddest, and most popular shows on television. Plus, with a source issue as insane as this episode had, it’s really, really hard not to be disappointed. I was expecting a war, and a war I did not receive. Silly, silly me.

Moving on, Carl is certainly becoming quite the little killer. After Woodbury flees, a young member of the conscripted army comes across Hershel, Beth, and Carl. The guy is clearly scared, and immediately offers them his gun… and then Carl shoots him. Hershel looked shocked, and I’m sure that I did too. He later states that he was just doing what he had to do, doing what Rick consistently failed to do, doing whatever it took to save his family. Dang.

Governor orders the convoy to stop, where he proceeds to yell at them to turn back for the prison. When the majority of the group refuses, Governor snaps, and opens fire on them. He brutally murders his entire team, his entire army of loyal followers (minus three: two extra-loyal soldiers, and one innocent who manages to hide) in seconds. His remaining lackeys then silently join Governor in one of the vehicles, and they drive off into the unknown. At least he goes out with a bang; this is the last we’ll see of the Governor in season three.

Back at Woodbury, Milton is dead, and Andrea is moving as fast as she possibly can to escape her cuffs before he turns. Things aren’t looking good however: seconds before we cut away from the scene, Milton’s hand begins to move once again. When we return to the two, Milton is clearly turned, and begins to approach Andrea, who has not yet managed to free herself from her handcuffs. We cut to outside the room and hear the struggle, which does not sound like it will end well for Andrea.

Rick, Daryl, and Michonne decide to go after the Governor, and quickly come across his murder site. It’s here that they meet Karen, a resident of Woodbury who managed to survive the massacre. They head back to Woodbury, where Karen quickly explains things to Tyreese, who has been guarding the wall in the Governor’s absence. Tyreese and company quickly join Rick’s group, as clearly they were wrong (dead wrong) about Governor Phillip.

Tyreese leads the group to Andrea’s location. The door is opened, and it’s quickly revealed that Andrea has suffered a bite. She’s fading fast, and asks Rick to leave her his gun while she can still use it. He hands it to her, the group says their goodbyes, and leaves the room (except for Michonne, who stays until the bitter end). We then get a near-silent wide shot of the group standing outside the door. A heartbreaking amount of time passes here before we hear a gunshot, and the gun subsequently fall to the floor. Everyone has sure hated on Andrea this season (well, and since the show started), but this is some powerful stuff, and I could definitely feel the tears welling up as Andrea spoke her last words.

Somber, powerful music fills the rest of the episode as we see our survivors return to the prison, to their prison. The Governor is gone (at least for now), Woodbury has fallen, and the group is once again, safe. It’s the polar opposite ending from what I expected, but that’s it. Also, it looks as though Rick’s visions of Lori have stopped. The episode fades to black, and season three is over.

I’m pretty torn on Welcome to the Tombs. On one hand, comic comparison and promises of war notwithstanding, this season ended on a note that none of us were expecting. For the first time in a long time, these characters once again have hope. They spent the majority of the season worrying about the Governor and his threats, and now, at least for a time, it seems as though they’ll be able to just simply live. It may not have been the violently cascading, “kill ’em all” ending that many of us were expecting (and hoping for), but one that opened up a whole new world to Rick and company, as well as the survivors of Woodbury… or maybe it was terrible and I’m just trying to justify its existence.

That being said, as I mentioned above, we were essentially promised a war, and then we received the furthest thing from it. That shit was disappointing. I once thought that the scale of the battle would be so large that it would require more than one episode (just like the comic arc required more than one issue), but obviously that isn’t the way things turned out. The season three tagline was Fight the dead, fear the living, and in retrospect, our group spent almost the entire season fearing something that simply fizzled out in the end. Lame as HELL, if I do say so myself.

One of the more powerful moments of the episode was a conversation between Andrea and a dying Milton. Fans all over the world have been wondering about, hating, and laughing at Andrea all through the season for her seemingly stupid decisions. In the end, she just didn’t want anyone else to die. She thought she could fix things, that the two groups could either go their separate ways, or live to help one another, but when it comes down to it, she was just sick and tired of all the death. It was a sad ending for her character, accompanied by an explanation that redeemed her for me. People do dumb things when they feel strongly about something, and that’s all that happened to Andrea (or at least how the writer’s covered it up).

Overall, it was a largely disappointing ending to a mostly excellent season. Season three had its ups (most of the early episodes, Clear), and its downs (Arrow on the Doorpost, Prey, etc.), but it told a coherent, cohesive story about the politics of living in a post-apocalyptic world, and just how evil the living can be. Certainly the best season of the show so far (even with this lackluster finale), and I’m looking forward to next October, when a Scott Gimple-led season four should up the ante even further… I just hope that he writes every episode.

 

Comic Comparison

If the last few editions of Walking Dead Weekly are any indication, you have some idea of what I’m about to say here: things are very different.

The battle for the prison is a shocking, insane, multi-issue arc in Robert Kirkman’s comic. I don’t want to give too much away due to what conspires in the show, but the battle leads to nearly everyone brutally dying: Tyreese has his head cut off with Michonne’s sword, both Lori and a newborn Judith are obliterated by a shotgun blast, Axel gets a bullet to the head, and many other characters that we’ve yet to even meet in the series meet a bitter end during the battle. It ends up being one of the Governor’s own soldiers that turns on him, finally seeing the evil in his ways, and ending him before he can hurt anyone else. This is the battle I wanted, this is the battle I expected. We saw nothing of the sort… in fact, with all of the bullets flying around during AMC’s short, short conflict, I don’t think a single one hit its target.

Fans of the comic know full well, but Andrea’s character is one that’s nearly unrecognizable between the two versions. While AMC’s Andrea was constantly getting into trouble, making poor decisions, and sleeping with the enemy, the paper version was (and continues to be) an absolute badass, and one of the most helpful members of the group. In the comic, Rick and Andrea eventually fall in love, and make a kick-ass couple. It looks like they’ll never get the chance on AMC, which is good, because the television versions of the characters would make a terrible, terrible duo.

The Governor never made it past the prison in the comic arc, so it’ll certainly be interesting to see what AMC does with his character next year! The comic gave us brutal Governor moments that the show never dared to touch, so it’s possible that we still have no idea just how evil David Morrisey’s Governor can be.

Well, that’s it for this season of Walking Dead Weekly. Let us know what you thought of the episode (and the column) below! As always, thanks for reading!

Welcome to Walking Dead Weekly! As the title implies, each week (bearing a new episode of course), we’ll be taking a look at the latest episode of the AMC series. I’ll let you know how I felt about each weekly offering, and will also compare it to what Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard were doing with the comic at the same time.

Last week’s Arrow on the Doorpost post was arguably the most boring episode of The Walking Dead since the series premiered in 2010. Aside from the revelation of the Governor’s true intentions (he doesn’t want the prison, he just wants Michonne), the plot came to a standstill while Rick and Phillip talked about nothing of interest for the entire 42 minutes. Back at the prison it was nice to see Glenn and Maggie finally make up, but beyond that, there was absolutely nothing to see. Arrow on the Doorpost was a sub-par episode by any means, but following Clear from the week prior, you have to wonder what the production team was thinking; I’d rather have watched no episode at all than have had the series dragged down by that stinker.

Does this week fare any better? Read on and find out! As always, there are plenty of spoilers below, so don’t read any further until you’ve seen the episode!

Episode Thoughts – ‘Prey’

In last week’s edition of Walking Dead Weekly, we noted (via an embed of a strongly worded tweet) just how fed up fans were getting with Andrea; twitter is consistently full of Walking Dead fans calling for the death of the character, or at least for her to smarten the hell up. I’m sure those same fans were excited when they tuned into AMC tonight, and learned that Andrea took center stage in this week’s Prey.

Prey opens with a snow covered flashback; Andrea and Michonne sit around a fire and chat (back while they were still friends of course). Andrea asks how Michonne came across her leashed, de-limbed walkers, and its revealed that she knew them before the apocalypse happened. Michonne wasn’t a fan however, as she states that they “weren’t human to begin with,” and that “they deserved what they got”.

After a rather clever transition, we’re in Woodbury, and it looks like the Governor has been busy. He stands in a makeshift torture chamber that we haven’t seen before, and the camera cuts across a multitude of gruesome tools and devices. Who is this room meant for? Why is Phillip checking things out? Luckily, we’ll get some answers before the episode closes.

At the end of last week’s episode, Milton learned that the Governor had no intention of following through with his deal with Rick; whether Michonne was surrendered or not, Phillip had plans to simply kill everybody. Milton quickly reveals the truth to Andrea, who (after she states that she has to kill the Governor… and then doesn’t) decides that it’s time to leave Woodbury for good.

After an entertaining sequence featuring Tyreese and his horrible shooting ability (he always preferred melee in the comic), Andrea warns him about the Governor, jumps the fence, and makes a run for it. Like the good Woodbury citizen that he is (for now), Tyreese quickly reveals her leaving to the Governor, who spins her escape into a story of loneliness and vulnerability.

Governor Phillip naturally decides to go after the nearly defenseless Andrea, and it becomes quite clear what this week’s title, Prey, is referring to. The remainder of the episode focusses on an awkward cat and mouse game between the two, with Andrea cleverly hiding for a period of time, making a noise and being seen, getting away again, and repeat. These scenes are (for the most part) good looking, well produced, and rather reminiscent of classic slasher movies, but on the other hand, they’re also completely unnecessary, and get very boring after the very first one. These scenes are likely included to convey to us just how fucked up the Governor is (which we all already know), and just how badly Andrea screwed up (again, which we already know).

For a brief moment, we catch up with Tyreese and his group. Martinez brings them to a pit full of walkers, and explains just what they’re going to do with them. Tyreese, being the stand-up guy that he is, has a problem with this; he’s seen the prison, and it’s full of kids and innocents that don’t deserve any of this. When the zombie pit is later torched, the blame is put on Tyreese and company, who in actuality had nothing to do with it. It isn’t officially revealed before the episode closes, but it’s quite clear that Milton was the firestarter.

Andrea finally gets away from Governor, and using her internal GPS, quickly makes it to the prison fence. She raises a hand, and opens her mouth to call out to Rick, when a hand suddenly silences her and pulls her to the ground. Thought dead just moments ago, the Governor catches up to Andrea in the nick of time. Rick raises his scope in their direction, but Governor is too strong, and Andrea is neither seen nor heard. Honestly, I gasped a little at this moment; Andrea escaped, she had this, she was about to call out, and that unexpected hand reaching around her mouth made me jump. I was expecting her to get to the prison (seeing as that was the main purpose of the episode existing), leading to a truly shocking moment when she is pulled away.

The episode closes with Martinez (and later Milton) asking a bloodied Governor if he found Andrea. As the Governor does, he lies to both of them, and states that he’ll continue looking in the morning. The camera cuts, and we’re led through a familiar, winding hallway; the door to the Governor’s “workshop” pushes open, and a bound, gagged, and terrified Andrea sits in the cold, hard chair. The credits begin to roll, and the only thing that’s on our minds is just what Andrea’s fate may be.

Now, Prey may not have been as bad as last week’s Arrow on the Doorpost, but it became pretty damn clear in the first few minutes that this hour was simply going to be another full of filler. Just like last week, we’re largely in the same place that we were when the episode started; Andrea is simply physically trapped now, instead of bound in the emotional trap that the Governor had her in before. We really learned nothing new this week about any of the characters or their intentions, and none of the events that transpired had anything to do with the coming war. If I ever have to watch Prey again, it will be too soon. Season three of The Walking Dead is without a doubt the series’ best season (so far), but I have to say that the way this is going, I’m now quite looking forward to the finale.

Next week we head back to the prison with another episode written by Scott Gimple. Gimple will takeover as showrunner on the next season of The Walking Dead, and also wrote the phenomenal Clear from just a few weeks ago. Watch the preview for This Sorrowful Life below, and let us know what you thought of this week’s episode!

http://youtu.be/4R1N0tATMDc

Comic Comparison

Unfortunately, this week’s uninspiring episode really had nothing to do with the comic. The AMC series had the Governor chasing Andrea down for its majority, which is something that never happened on paper. The only real comparison (or foreshadowing) here is the “workshop” that Phillip was preparing at the beginning of the episode, and that Andrea was trapped in at the end. It’s awfully reminiscent of the location where he repeated raped and tortured Michonne in the comic (especially the chains); as much as fans are hating on Andrea at this time, I’m sure they don’t want her to meet her end like that.

That’s all for tonight! As always, thanks for reading, and we’ll see you back next week!

Welcome to Walking Dead Weekly! As the title implies, each week (bearing a new episode of course), we’ll be taking a look at the latest episode of the AMC series. I’ll let you know how I felt about each weekly offering, and will also compare it to what Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard were doing with the comic at the same time.

 

Last week was an excellent return to greatness after a somewhat lacking return from Winter break. The Scott Gimple written ‘Clear’ was simply one of the finest episodes that the show has seen in recent memory, if not ever. It was an episode that took us far (far) away from both Woodbury and the prison, and instead brought us back to what matters most: people, zombies, and survival. The episode had Rick, Carl, and Michonne headed back to the Grimes’ hometown of King County in search of supplies. Along with the supplies, our group found Morgan, the very same man that saved Rick’s life all the way back in the pilot. Things have turned sour for him however, he lost his son after not ending his undead wife, and now spends every waking moment ‘clear’-ing the area of zombies in an attempt to clear his conscience as well. Unfortunately, Morgan was too far gone, and any attempt Rick made to help him was met with resistance. Our group gathered supplies and went home, while Morgan continued his work. Sad stuff.

 

This week, we’re back to the grind; Governor and Rick are set to talk things out, and possibly stop this war from ever happening! What happens? Read on and find out!

 

As always, you’ll see plenty of spoilers below, so don’t read until you’ve watched!

 

Episode Thoughts – ‘Arrow on the Doorpost’

 

Arrow on the Doorpost was front and centre, a filler episode. Almost nothing of note happens for the entire 42 minutes, and the only real revelation presented is the true nature of why the Governor is doing what he’s doing.

 

Arrow on the Doorpost opens with Rick, Daryl, and Hershel en route to a neutral location to meet and bargain with Governor Phillip. Rick, Governor, and Andrea begin speaking in private, while the rest of our trio and the Governor’s men hold the fort outside. Rick quickly presents some terms (Woodbury gets everything East of the river, the prison gets everything to the West), which the Governor quickly rejects. He makes it immediately clear that he’s come for only one thing, the surrender of Rick and his group.

 

 

Outside, the two groups quickly move from hostility into bonding; Milton and Hershel talk records and amputations, while Caesar and Daryl take out some walkers and share a cigarette. It was almost perplexing to watch this; two groups getting along and passing time, all while ready to shoot one another the moment the word is given. Nothing personal I guess.

 

Back at the prison, things are shaken up when Merle decides he wants to go after Daryl and the others. Once he’s told no, he decides to go anyways, but is quickly taken down by Glenn, Maggie, and Michonne. He may be strong and unpredictable, but apparently not strong enough to overpower three average-sized people (or maybe he just didn’t want to hurt anyone).

 

 

We cut back to the prison, and the two leaders are still not getting anywhere. Rick seems a little too calm during the whole ordeal, which seems out of character for him this season as he’s been quite the hothead. The two end up sharing whiskey while Governor talks of his family and how he lost his wife. Rick, being the family man that he is, looks genuinely sorry and broken hearted for what the Governor’s been through. Rick, you have no idea what he’s capable of.

 

Back outside, Hershel and Andrea speak just like in the old days. Andrea states that she can’t go back to Woodbury (right before she does…), and Hershel tells her that she’s family and belongs with everyone in the prison. If Andrea ever makes a right decision, I swear that the apocalypse would end. Her bad choices are becoming a staple of her character, and fans are definitely noticing. A quick twitter search reveals countless messages identical to the one below. Maybe we’ll all get our wish before the season ends? Someone has to die in the big battle.

 

Andrea from walking dead needs to fucking die already…

— Munib Hosny (@munibhosny) March 11, 2013

 

Back at the prison, Glenn and Maggie finally make up. Glenn realizes how selfish he was being, and Maggie (again) reveals that all she wanted in her time of need… was him. The two start gettin’ freaky, and move into a storage unit before doing the deed, as it was simply too weird with the zombies watching. This was by far the longest sex-scene in the show thus far; does it hold some extra significance? Could someone end up pregnant?

 

 

The conversation between Governor and Rick has to end sometime, and it ends on quite an interesting note; the Governor doesn’t care about Rick, the prison, supplies, or anything of the sort. All he wants is Michonne. She (re)killed his daughter and took out his eye, so revenge does make sense, it’s just interesting to see him willing to let everything else go for the sacrifice of one person… or so it would seem.

 

Everyone heads back to their respective bases, and we see each leader reveal a lie; Rick tells the group that Governor wants the prison (which he clearly stated that he didn’t), while the Governor reveals to Milton that during he and Rick’s next meeting, he’s just going to kill everyone. Classic Governor, right? The episode closes with Rick telling Hershel the truth about the meeting, and Hershel agreeing that Rick did the right thing; Michonne has earned her place, Michonne is part of the family, and family is worth fighting for.

 

Again, besides the revelation of Phillip’s true intentions, and Glenn and Maggie finally making up, this episode was largely filler, and boring filler at that! It was a sub-par offering by any means, and especially following last week’s phenomenal episode.

 

Hopefully things get better with next week’s Prey. From the promo embedded below however, we can clearly see we’re not getting the war we were promised just yet, but with only three episodes left in season three, it has to be coming soon! Watch the preview below, and let us know what you thought of this week’s episode!

 

 

Comic Comparison

 

This week’s offering was largely original (and again, filler, which you don’t have a lot of time for in 22 pages), meaning that there isn’t really a lot to compare.

 

The biggest direct comparison would be the Governor’s intentions. Why is he ready and willing to take down Rick and everyone else? In the comic, the Governor makes it clear quite early that he wants the prison and will do whatever it takes to get it. He eventually attacks from all sides and kills or injures nearly every inhabitant, including Lori and her newborn daughter. One of his soldiers finally sees the evil of Phillip’s ways, and blows him to bits before he has an opportunity to hurt anyone else (or occupy the now abandoned penitentiary).

 

 

Based on the episode you just watched, his intention is clearly different in the AMC series. He could care less about the prison, even stating that he would prefer Rick stay there so tabs can be kept. All that he wants is Michonne after what she did to his daughter and his eye. Governor even offered to pull back and let everyone else go if they just gave Michonne up, but as she’s an important (and skilled) part of the family, that’s not happening. War is coming, and its coming sometime in the next three weeks.

 

Andrea is also not terrible in the comic… that’s quite a big change too! She’s skilled, useful, and very smart in Robert Kirkman’s world, where on AMC, it seems like she couldn’t make more terrible decisions. Maybe this will change soon… or maybe she’ll die! Only time will tell!

 

 

That’s it for tonight! As always, thanks for reading, and we’ll see you next week, with hopefully a better episode!

 

Welcome to Walking Dead Weekly! As the title implies, each week (bearing a new episode of course), we’ll be taking a look at the latest episode of the AMC series. I’ll let you know how I felt about each weekly offering, and will also compare it to what Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard were doing with the comic at the same time.

 

Last week, Rick and friends argued over whether or not to leave the prison for good (guess which choice won), while the Governor amassed an army out of any able-bodied Woodbury residents (regardless of age). Andrea decided to head to the prison in order to talk some sense into her old group, where she instead finally (finally) learned that underneath all his charm, the Governor is actually a pretty evil dude. She returned to Woodbury with the intent of killing Governor Phillip, but when opportunity knocked, she decided not to answer. What the hell Andrea. Everyone at the prison probably thinks he’s dead by now, so they’re going to be pretty disappointed to find out that he isn’t.

 

What’s next? Read on and find out! As always, there are plenty of spoilers below; you’ve been warned!

 

Episode Thoughts – ‘Clear’

 

Clear was definitely the most engrossing episode since The Walking Dead returned last month. It’s also the only episode in quite some time where we haven’t visited Woodbury OR the prison; are things getting old? Is it time for a change up?

 

Clear opens with Rick, Michonne, and Carl on a run for weapons (and baby supplies) in preparation for Woodbury’s inevitable attack. The trio (in their shiny new Hyundai) are headed for Rick’s hometown of King County, as the Sheriff’s department should still be pretty stocked with firepower. The three bypass a helpless hitchhiker before having to deal with a zombie horde; then they leave him behind AGAIN. I guess the car was full?

 

 

When they arrive at the sheriff’s office, Rick is perplexed to see that the place has been wiped clean. Only a single bullet remains, a far cry from the arsenal that Rick left just over a year ago (in Walking Dead years of course… it’s been almost 3 for us).

 

 

They decide to push further into the town; there are other places that may have guns, and they still need to locate supplies for Judith. It’s here that they start to notice that King County has gone a little weird; a pyre of burnt up walkers in the town’s courtyard, strange graffiti warning signs all over the place, and once they proceed further, walker traps at every corner. It doesn’t take long for the group to be fired upon, by the very same man who set up the traps.

 

 

Just when the battle is about to turn sour, Carl steps in to save the day (he sure has taken on the badass role since his mom passed). Rick works quickly; he confirms that the assailant is still breathing before removing his mask. Who’s underneath? Who else but Morgan; the man who all the way back in the pilot saved Rick’s life and told him all about the world he woke up in.

 

It’s at this point that Clear gets (and stays) both wonderful, and terribly, terribly sad. Rick carries Morgan into his current residence, and discovers that the man has lost it. Seemingly all to himself, the house contains a stockpile of weapons twice a large as the sheriff’s department ever had. The walls of the room are also covered with phrases, drawings, and the like that simply make no sense; the word “clear” is repeated over and over throughout the writing, almost as if Morgan has been keeping track of something.

 

But where’s Duane, you wonder? The camera pans ever so perfectly to the largest piece of writing in the room, ‘DUANE TURNED’. It’s at this moment you realize why Morgan is acting the way he is, and just why he’s gone crazy. You don’t know the half of it yet.

 

At this point, Michonne and Carl head off to do their own thing. Carl says that he wants to check the baby store for supplies for Judith, but he has ulterior motives and heads to a restaurant instead. Inside is a lot of walkers, and the only remaining picture of his mom. They use some of Morgan’s clever distractions to get through the building, and only run into trouble on the way out. Carl drops the picture, and Michonne goes back inside to get it (in a ridiculously short amount of time… without being noticed by any of the angry, hungry zombies). The two seem to make a pretty good team, and Carl seems genuinely thankful of Michonne’s help (even though it took him forever to accept it).

 

Back at Morgan’s, the guy finally wakes up, and for the first time in a long time Rick isn’t the crazy one. First he doesn’t recognize Rick, stabs him (which Rick barely seemed to react to… is stabbing not that big of a deal?), and tries to kill him before he is finally calmed down. It’s not until Rick shows Morgan his old radio before Morgan comes to; he first chastises Rick for not being on the other end of the radio calls, and then goes into one of (if not the) most emotional, well acted, heartbreaking monologues we’ve heard in the entire series. Morgan explains just what happened to his son, how he couldn’t (re)kill his wife, and just why he’s doing what he’s doing. Morgan has lost everything, and he’ll never accept anyone or anything again because of what he’s done. This is some insanely depressing shit; is Morgan simply trying to ‘clear’ the town of walkers so he can live easier, or is he doing it to ‘clear’ his conscience for not being able to kill his wife (thus causing the death of his son)?

 

 

Rick realizes that his old friend is gone, and for maybe the first time in his life, gives up. Strangely, he doesn’t give him a goodbye, thank him for the guns, or anything of the sort, he simply gets up and leaves. Carl is the only one to give Morgan a parting word, apologizing for shooting him, to which Morgan tells him to never be sorry.

 

Rick and Michonne seem to be getting along better, especially after sharing the fact that they both see/speak to dead people; our trio then fills their car with guns and supplies and heads on back to prison. They again pass the unfortunate hitchhiker, who hasn’t had the same luck that they have; his remains are strewn about the highway, blood covering a huge surface area. The car passes, reverses, and takes his supplies too before carrying on down the road. The credits roll, and that’s it for another week.

 

 

Again, Clear was the best episode since The Walking Dead‘s return from Winter break (it was also written by Scott Gimple; it’s clear he’s very capable of taking the reins as showrunner). It’s been some time since we’ve seen an episode so emotional, and it’s been even longer since we’ve had an episode simply dealing with the reality of the apocalypse instead of Woodbury vs. the Prison. We also spent the entirety of the episode bouncing between four characters instead of 20, making each action taken much more memorable and important.

 

It was great to see Morgan again, but it was heartbreaking to see him in his current state. Ever since that first episode, every Walking Dead fan has been waiting for the day that Duane and Morgan would show up again, whether it be to join our group or save their assess. The more melancholy reunion may not have been completely unexpected, but it’s certainly not what we wanted for such a memorable character.

 

Next week we’re back to fighting for the prison, and if the preview is any indication, Rick and the Governor are set to “talk” things out. Check out the promo for Season 3, Episode 13 – Arrow on the Doorpost below, and let us know what you thought of tonight’s episode!

 

Comic Comparison

 

There’s really only one event in this episode, and that is the return of Morgan Jones. As expected, things go a lot differently here than they did in the comic book.

 

 

Both reunions, of course, begin with Morgan making the first move; the AMC series has him shooting at Rick, Michonne, and Carl, while Kirkman’s book has him hit Rick with a shovel to surprise him. Unfortunately, Duane is also dead in both media, and that’s pretty much where the similarities end!

 

You just watched the episode, so you know what Morgan was like there; batshit crazy. He couldn’t kill his zombie wife, who later got to his son; he ended up having to put both of them down on what must have been the worst day of his life. The comic has him pulling a ‘Guvner; after Duane falls victim to some walkers, he ties him up in the house, hoping that a cure makes its rounds and lets him have his son back. He also begins to kill animals and people in order to keep his zombie son fed… the things a parent will do for their children, right?

 

 

While seemingly impossible in the series, Morgan’s not too hard to turn around in the comics. Rick quickly convinces him to finally let Duane rest, and Morgan then joins the group. He’s a good man, and quickly takes a liking to Carl as he reminds him of his own son.

 

I won’t say any more about Morgan here, there’s always a chance that he’ll make another appearance in the series, and then I won’t have anything to compare it too! The only other event from the episode was Carl and Michonne’s hunt for the Grimes family photo and supplies for Judith; baby supplies weren’t really necessary at this point in the comic, as Judith died at the same time that Lori did. Pretty sad stuff.

 

 

Four more episodes to go until the season ends! If you watched the preview for next week’s offering above, you know that negotiations are not going to go well, does that mean we’ll see a three episode battle for the prison (probably not… that seems a little long)? Will it be as bloody as it was in the comic book? Will Judith survive? Only time will tell!

 

As always, thanks for reading, and we’ll see you next week! You’ll probably want to check out the Walking Dead spoof from last night’s SNL while you wait for next week’s episode; it’s pretty damn hilarious! Watch it below!

 

Welcome to Walking Dead Weekly! As the title implies, each week (bearing a new episode of course), we’ll be taking a look at the latest episode of the AMC series. I’ll let you know how I felt about each weekly offering, and will also compare it to what Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard were doing with the comic at the same time.

 

Last week started with crazy ol’ Rick Grimes following an apparition of Lori around the prison (and its surrounding area). The Governor gave Andrea the (seemingly unwanted) task of ‘acting mayor’ before taking off to who knows where (well… we do). After leaving our group in the previous episode, Merle and Daryl came across more survivors in need of help, who Merle then attempted to rob. Daryl put a stop to it, and an intense argument between the brothers ensued. In the last quarter of the episode, the peaceful prison became a war zone as the Governor launched an attack on the block; Axel was the group’s only casualty, and a terrified Carol had to use his bullet-ridden body for cover. The episode closed with our survivors again on the outside of the prison, as the the Governor’s attack also filled the yard with walkers.

 

It was an exciting end for sure, but what happened next? Read on and find out! As always, there are plenty of spoilers below!

 

Episode Thoughts – ‘I Ain’t A Judas’

 

If Andrea died back on the farm, I feel as though things would be going a lot smoother for our group. Anyone else feel the same way?

 

I guess the walkers in the yard weren’t too much of a challenge for Rick and the gang; after last week’s Home closed with our group on the outside of the prison, tonight’s I Ain’t A Judas opens with them back inside the cell block. We enter the episode mid-argument; The Governor knows exactly where they are and he’s already attacked, do they stay and wait for another raid, or get the hell out while they still have a chance? Rick says that the group stays, and before walking out (assumingly making his word final), Hershel pipes up with “you once said that this isn’t a democracy. Now you have to own up to that.”  This really seems to resonate with our leader, who typically (especially lately) seems to live in a world of his own. Rick heads outside, and before the opening credits roll, Carl shares his thoughts; Rick’s own son thinks that he should resign from leading the group.

 

 

Back in Woodbury, Governor Phillip has seen just what he’s up against, and want to build an offensive army to take Rick out for good. Milton has gathered a list of able-bodied folks present in the town (meaning practically anyone who can hold a gun). Even the kids don’t get a break; Governor tells an uncomfortable Milton that “adolescents are a 20th century invention”, and that both men and women over the age of 13 are also expected to fight. This puts the town’s offence at 35 mostly untrained conscripts… and we thought the Governor’s current soldiers were terrible shots!

 

Andrea shows up right on queue, and Governor convinces her that he only went to the prison to negotiate. It was those “bloodthirsty” hostiles that fired on them first. Governor does what he does best, and spins a tale of how training the town to fight is just necessary measure for defending themselves. Andrea expresses interest in going to the prison, believing that she can turn things around, but Phillip isn’t open to the idea, stating “if you go to that prison, stay there.”

 

The heat is back on between Carol and Daryll; it’s a fairly quick exchange, but you could cut the tension with a knife. I hypothesized a few weeks back that Daryl’s leaving may throw Carol over the edge (furthered again by Axel’s murder), but I’m starting to second guess myself. There just seems to be too much chemistry between these two for her to go and end herself. Daryl doesn’t seem too optimistic about the prison at this time, calling it a “tomb”; I’m guessing that he’s more right than he could ever know. If the rest of our time in the prison plays out anything like The Walking Dead‘s source material, we’ll be seeing a lot more blood shed at this penitentiary.

 

 

Back in Woodbury, Andrea asks Milton’s help in escaping to the prison… to which he refuses, tattles to the Governor who tells him to help her anyways, and then listens. In the meantime, the Governor removes his bandage (letting us see just what’s underneath) and puts on his trademark eyepatch, a much improved look if you ask me (though he’s still no JTRO), but you can decide for yourself:

 

 

 

During the escape we get a look at the disturbing (yet oddly satisfying) process of making one of Michonne’s patented walkers; no arms to grab you, no teeth to bite you. I can definitely see people cringing during this scene… mostly because I cringed during this scene. The episode has been alright so far, but here’s where things get really interesting; unexpectedly, Tyreese and his group show up, exchange words with Andrea and Milton, the latter then decides to bring them to Woodbury. Once inside they tell the Governor that they’ll do whatever it takes for the opportunity to stay there, including assisting with the attack on the prison; this could be very bad for Rick and the gang, and was certainly not something that I saw coming from Tyreese.

 

 

Andrea arrives at the prison and does not see a very warm welcome. It seems that only Carol is generally happy to see her, as everyone else wonders just why she’s been bunking with the Governor. After a long exchange with the group, it’s made rather clear that Andrea isn’t welcome. She tries to reason with her old gang, but they’re already looking for blood. Before Andrea’s departure, Carol gives a pretty fresh idea: bring the Governor’s guard down, and then kill him, effectively ending this war before it begins. Andrea takes an old prison cruiser (instead of a shiny Hyundai), and takes a long, quiet drive back to Woodbury.

 

Then, at the episode’s closing, she infuriates all of us… again. Andrea proceeds to carry out the “sleep with him, then slit his throat” plan, but doesn’t make it to the second half of the scheme. She stands above a sleeping Governor, knife in hand, and then she walks away. SHE WALKS AWAY! The credits roll, and millions of viewers yell at their televisions all at once. If the Governor kills again, is it not indirectly Andrea’s fault?

 

 

The episode had some very tense and intriguing moments, but I’m starting to feel as though things are starting to drag on a little. After last week’s unexpected and impressive finale, I thought the momentum would be kept at least through this episode; instead, as I Ain’t A Judas opened to our survivors arguing in the prison (which it seems like they do every episode), that momentum was lost almost immediately.

 

If the preview for next week’s episode is any indication, things may be about to change. Clear has Michonne, Rick, and Carl on the hunt for supplies, and it looks like they may just come across something else instead. Check out the preview for Season 3, Episode 12 – Clear below, and let us know what you thought of tonight’s offering!

 

Comic Comparison

 

Tyreese’s departure was the real shocker here. As I’ve mentioned before, the comic book introduced Tyreese in Issue 7, where he and his assembly were quickly welcomed into Rick’s group. Tyreese would go on to be an important and loyal part of the group until his eventual (shocking) death in Issue 46.

 

 

Things are going a lot differently for him in the AMC series. Sure, he still has his trademark hammer (I’m guessing that, just like in the comic, he’s a terrible shot), but after Rick’s unorthodox breakdown in The Suicide King, where Rick’s anger and confusion was mistakenly thought to be directed at him and his group, Tyreese seems to have no allegiance to the prison folk in this episode. It appears as though the Governor will take him under his wing, and I’m guessing that Tyreese will lead Phillip right to the prison’s back entrance. Dang.

 

 

Andrea has also found herself on the opposite side of Woodbury’s fence in the AMC version. Robert Kirkman’s comic had her integral in fighting off The Governor’s attack, but in this version (at least for now), seeing as she didn’t stab him (possibly at the cost of her friend’s lives), she seems to slightly favour Woodbury and Phillip. Weird… that guy’s a dick.

 

Woodbury’s army seems to be shaping up quite differently as well in the television series. While the comic had Woodbury’s assault come from folks who seemed to know how to handle themselves, I found it quite interesting that the series is taking combatants from all walks of life; it doesn’t matter if you’re a child, a senior, deaf, or arthritic, you’re expected to pick up a gun and fight. Won’t this make the battle much easier for Rick and friends?

 

 

With just five more episodes to go this season, what do you think will happen next? Can the series end the prison arc with the same emotional impact that the comic did? Maybe Rick and friends will continue to stay through season four? Will Tyreese really end up on Governor’s side?

 

As always, thanks for reading, and we’ll see you next week!

Welcome to Walking Dead Weekly! As the title implies, each week (bearing a new episode of course), we’ll be taking a look at the latest episode of the AMC series. I’ll let you know how I felt about each weekly offering, and will also compare it to what Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard were doing with the comic at the same time.

 

Last week was a decent (mostly) return to the series after a long (long) Winter break. The episode began with an anticlimactic, seconds-long duel between the brother’s Dixon before Rick and Maggie’s rescue party arrived. Merle and Daryl then decided to go off on their own (as nobody wanted Merle around of course), and Michonne’s welcome in the group seems to have also expired. Things are getting antsy in Woodbury after the multitude of deaths the night before, and it seems like Governor Phillip is having some trouble dealing with it. The episode ended shortly after Rick and friends returned to the prison; Just as it seemed Rick was about to welcome Tyreese into the group, he saw a dead, sillouetted Lori and went absolutely nuts!

 

What exactly went down afterwards? Read on and find out! As always, there are plenty of spoilers below! You’ve been warned!

 

Episode Thoughts – ‘Home’

 

I have to say that I’m pretty torn on this episode. On one hand, the final scene was an intense action piece that rivals the best that we’ve seen from the series. On the other, Home seemed to feature an abundance of unnecessary scenes and moments that made the entire episode seem to drag on (and on)!

 

Home opens with a still crazy Rick on the hunt for his (long) dead wife. It appears as though he’s been on this wild goose chase for some time; he looks tired (more so than normal), and doesn’t look overly surprised as beautifully dressed Lori disappears from one location, only to lead him to another. As Rick finally reaches her once more, he expels a touching sigh of relief as she lays her hand on his cheek… We then get the same shot from Michonne’s perspective, in which Rick simply looks batshit crazy (he’s pretty much Tom Hanks in Cast Away at this point). Roll opening credits.

 

Back in Woodbury, Governor commends Andrea for her uplifting speech in the previous episode. He also ensures her that he won’t retaliate agains Rick and the gang’s previous ‘attack’, because, “what would that get us?” Of course at this point the audience knows how untrustworthy The Governor is, so when he states that he will not retaliate… you know it’s going to happen pretty much immediately. Governor, being the smooth talker that he is, convinces Andrea of just how much Woodbury needs her; he kindly requests that she steps in as leader while he takes some much needed time off. Yeah right.

 

We then get to catch up with the brothers Dixon; hungry, tired, and argumentative, the pair seem to be getting along just as well as ever. It isn’t long before the two come across a family in dire need of rescuing, and while Daryl runs to their aid without giving it a second thought, Merle instead shouts “I ain’t waisting my bullets on a couple’a strangers who ain’t never cook me a meal.” Classic Merle.

 

 

Once the family is safe (with Merle only stepping in when a walker gets too close to himself or Daryl), Merle attempts to rob the family of supplies; it isn’t until Daryl turns his crossbow on his own brother that the older Dixon lays off. The family escapes, and an argument ensues between the brothers. We actually get a moment of legitimate emotion from Merle here; as he rips Daryl’s shirt in anger, he realizes that after he left home all those years ago, the abuse he suffered was passed on to his younger brother.

 

 

Back at the prison, Glenn is on a (as Hershel deems it) warpath. He barely says a word to Maggie for the entire episode, and when he finally does, it isn’t at all what she’s looking to hear. The only thing that’s on his mind is revenge, while all that Maggie wants is her lover’s support. Unfortunately, Glen can’t see it, and sets off for vengeance before the two can get to any sort of common ground.

 

In Woodbury, Governor scares Milton half to death before asking him to keep tabs on Andrea. Andrea gets suspicious when she realizes that one of his men, Martinez has disappeared, and The Governor is nowhere to be found as well. Hmm… I wonder where they’re off to.

 

The sweet, loveable, misunderstood Axel gets more development in Home than in any prior episode. We learn about what he did to get into prison, his life before the dead started coming back, and some of his hopes and dreams. He seems to be making a real connection with Carol this episode, and for the first time in quite awhile, we get to see her genuinely laugh and smile. Of course, development of new characters has typically been a bad omen so far this season, so I couldn’t help but wonder if we’d see Axel taken out before Home came to a close.

 

 

Just seconds after I began to wonder about his fate, a single bullet ripped through his skull; he fell to the ground at the same rate thatmy jaw fell to the floor, and seconds later absolute chaos began. Of course, Axel’s death happened right in front of Carol; another heartbreaking moment for the poor soul, not to mention that she must then use his corpse as a shield for the remainder of the attack.

 

 

The Governor and a choice few of his men have arrived at the prison. An extremely intense shootout takes place between the two teams. Both groups share similar qualities: seemingly unlimited rounds, and terrible, terrible aim. After nearly five minutes of fire, bullets found their way only to Axel and one of Governor’s men.

 

 

The Governor had one more trick up his sleeve however; a delivery van full of walkers. The vehicle easily burst through the prison gates before spilling its contents, causing absolute hell for everyone around. I wasn’t quite sure how our survivors were going to get out of this one, but just a moment later The Governor gathered his men and left the area. Glenn arrived seconds later (I guess he didn’t make it to Woodbury) to pull Hershel and Maggie to safety, while Daryl and Merle showed up to save the day for Rick. The episode closed as our group shut and locked the gate… from the outside. Where do they go from here!?

 

 

The episode certainly went out with a bang, but I felt as though it dragged on at other times; the start of the episode may have been one of the weakest in recent memory (in my opinion of course). I certainly hope that we see Lori’s ghost again soon, because at this point she’s been a strange anomaly in the last two episodes, and nothing overly useful or entertaining has occurred because of her. I also found it rather strange that Glenn set off for Woodbury but then showed up just in time to rescue those in need. Why did he turn around? Wouldn’t he have passed The Governor’s men on the way? How did he have such perfect timing?

 

As with most of the season however, the good definitely outweighed the bad, and if the conclusion of this episode is any indication, next week should be an absolute blast. Check out the preview for Season 3, Episode 11 – ‘I Ain’t A Judas’, and let us know what you think!

 

 

Comic Comparison

 

I think that Rick may be just a little crazier in the AMC series. Sure he goes a little bit insane and tries to talk to his dead wife on the phone in both versions, but just a few days later in the series he then sees her and spends a respectable period of time following her around (after having a gigantic tantrum in front of everyone). Weird.

 

 

Home saw The Governor launch a small attack on the prison folk, but it played out a lot differently than it did in the comic. Kirkman’s version had The Governor offering a choice via megaphone; give up the prison or die. The AMC version had Governor’s men simply ambush the group and take out whoever they could (like poor Axel). The comic saw Axel shot in the arm during the first invasion (Issue 44), while in the series he took a bullet through the head.

 

 

It wasn’t until the comic’s second invasion that Axel would fall victim to The Governor (Issue 47).

 

 

We also haven’t seen any tanks for quite some time in the series, which left me wondering how The Governor would be breaking down the prison fences in the show. Turns out a delivery truck will do just fine, and it also gets walkers in the yard much more quickly than the tank method would have.

 

 

Andrea is also in a very different spot in the series than she was in the book at this time. AMC has her as the stand-in leader of Woodbury, while Kirkman had her on the cover of issue 44, a warrior of the prison, and on the opposite side of the Woodbury battle.

 

 

Six episodes to go, and The Governor has finally launched an assault on the prison! Who will be left standing as the season closes? Will Beth suffer the same fate on TV that she did in the comics? Will Merle and Michonne be rejoining the group? Just six more weeks until we have all the answers (or at least some of them)!

 

As always, thanks for reading, and we’ll see you next week! Happy belated Valentine’s day!