The Walking Dead Season 3 E3: Walk With Me (Part 2)

If you have not read the first part of this review, you may do so here: The Walking Dead Season 3 E3: Walk With Me (Part 1)

The Governor questions the pilot of the helicopter that crashed.  He was the only survivor.  Through analysis of the two walkers who were with Michonne, the Governor and his men figure out the walkers were used for camouflage and they do starve, but very slowly.  It’s interesting to see them studying the walkers, perhaps even looking for a cure?

Andrea and Michonne have breakfast with the Governor.  Conversation includes everyone’s roles in the town and daily operations.  In Woodbury, people have jobs, school, and most importantly, hope.  The people of this town are building a real life, not just living in constant fear every second of everyday.

Andrea and Michonne talk outside.  Michonne doesn’t trust the Governor.  Andrea wants a couple more days to check things out.  This town seems like too good of a deal to pass up so it’s worth a shot.  The safety and security of Woodbury is something the survivors aren’t going to find in too many other places.  Andrea tells Michonne she has been with her for months but knows next to nothing about her.

Elsewhere we see a group of military men out in an open space.  A car drives up to them and the Governor steps out, tells them he found their helicopter pilot.  He was just lowering their guard through conversation; it’s a trap!  The Governor has men surrounding them and they open fire, killing all of the soldiers.  This is how the Governor has so many supplies and weapons, he kills innocent people and takes them.

Back at Woodbury, the Governor gives a speech and lies to the people, saying walkers got to the soldiers first, but their sacrifice would keep them safe.  At least we know it’s not the entire town that’s bad, just the Governor and some of his men.  Andrea asks the Governor his real name but he says he never tells that.  Back in his room, drinking and looking at a picture of his family, he opens a secret area filled with the heads of zombies (at least some of them are still alive).  Okay, so at this point we know the Governor is completely nuts.

The Walking Dead Season 3 E3: Walk With Me (Part 1)

If you have not read my review of episode two, you may do so here: The Walking Dead Season 3 E2: Sick (Part 2)

This episode has an interesting beginning.  We see a military helicopter under attack (or simply damaged).  It goes down and crashes.  Andrea and Michonne witness the crash and go to check it out.  While at the crash site, some vehicles show up.  A group of men check out the wreckage and take out some walkers while they are at it.  The men hear the noise coming from Michonne’s walkers so she cuts their heads off.

As the men start to leave, someone walks up behind Andrea and Michonne.  It’s Merle!  He hasn’t been seen since the first season (except for in a hallucination), no one even knew if he was alive or not.  It looks like the reunion might be cut short as there is a walker coming up behind him.  The camera zooms out to reveal that he stabbed it in the head with his knife hand.  Looks like he found a way to make his arm useful after losing his hand.  Andrea passes out.

We catch a glimpse of Andrea in a vehicle, in and out of consciousness.  We also catch glimpses of Merle, a city, armed guards.  Wherever she is, they treat her with medicine and nurse her back to good health.  Merle tells her how the city people found him and in return Andrea explains what became of everyone in the group.  Merle is fishing for a “thank you” for the shelter and medicine.  When Andrea doesn’t catch on he start to get angry and aggressive.

Andrea thanks Merle, which calms him down.  Merle then goes and talks to the Governor about something but we can’t hear it.  Though everyone here seems to be helping these total strangers, something doesn’t feel right.  Plus they did take Merle in as a permanent member of the town, so their morals are probably questionable at best.  The Governor speaks with Andrea and Michonne, he says they are free to leave in the morning if they wish.  They aren’t prisoners, merely guests.  Somehow, I don’t believe that.

The Governor shows Andrea and Michonne around the town of Woodbury.  The city is gated, protected by armed men at all times.  We find out there are over 70 people in town.  This society works because the Governor has strict rules and everyone obeys them.  No one is allowed out after dark, noise has to be kept down.  In a world like this one would have to have strict rules in order to survive.  One person doing something stupid could get everyone killed.

It will be interesting to see how this town really functions from day to day when they aren’t trying to impress guests.  I would also like to know what happens if someone does disobey the Governor.

The Walking Dead Season 3 E2: Sick (Part 2)

If you have not read part 1, you may do so here: The Walking Dead Season 3 E2: Sick (Part 1)

The prisoners end up being idiots.  They completely ignore everything Rick had told them and just rush the walkers.  Not only do they waste tons of energy attacking them to the body and blindly rushing in, they also break formation, leaving them all vulnerable.  At least Rick may not have to kill these guys, they will get themselves killed at this rate.  Back in his cell, Hershel is still out.  Carl went off on his own and gathered much needed medical supplies, even though it just got him in trouble with his mom.

Rick and the gang are still out killing zombies.  He once again tells them you have to destroy the brain and they have to stay in a tight formation, no more prison riot crap.  Everyone does much better this time, except for “Tiny” who runs off by himself and gets bit by a walker.  They tell him there is nothing they can do, he will turn into a walker now.  While everyone is debating on how to deal with this situation, the leader of the prison gang murders Tiny.  There is no way they can be safe with this guy around, he just killed someone he lived with for 10 months without any concern.

While walking through the hallway, Rick and Daryl talk about having to kill the prisoner’s leader if he makes one wrong move.  They come to the next section of the prison and Rick tells their leader to open one of the doors so they can funnel the zombies through and take them out.  He opens both doors anyway, creating total chaos.  During the fight with the zombies, the prisoner’s leader not only takes a swing at Rick with his knife (while also swinging at a walker) but he pushes a walker on Rick as well.  Daryl kills the walker and helps Rick up, giving him a nod.

The prisoner’s leader makes an excuse, though it’s obvious he meant to do it.  Rick takes his machete and slams it down on his head, killing him instantly.  Rick doesn’t play around anymore.  The other prisoner who worked with the one who just died comes at Rick but he stops him with a sidekick.  He runs off but Rick chases him down.  The prisoner makes it outside but the area is filled with zombies.  Rick shuts the gate on him and tells him that he better run.  Rick walks away and all we hear are screams.

Rick goes back to where he left everyone else at and decides to kill the remaining two prisoners, but one of them begs for his life.  He says he isn’t like those other guys.  Rick has mercy and takes them to their own cell block, where they can live in safety.  Meanwhile, Lori saves Hershel’s life giving him CPR.  Rick and the rest come back and find Hershel waking up.  It looks like Hershel is going to make it.

The episode ends with Carol practicing a C section on a walker while Rick and Lori have talk.  Rick says he doesn’t think Lori is a bad Mother (but he didn’t say she was a good wife).  Lori makes a joke about hiring a lawyer and getting a divorce.  Rick is starting to get to a point to where he can forgive her it seems.  He puts his hand on her shoulder and says everyone is grateful for what she did (saving Hershel), then walks off without looking at her.  Lori puts her head on her own shoulder, touching where Rick had touched her.  It was a very small moment but apparently it’s the most he has given her in a long time.

The Walking Dead Season 3 E2: Sick (Part 1)

If you have not read my review for the last episode, you may do so here: The Walking Dead Season 3 E1: Seed (Part 2)

This episode begins exactly where the last one ended.  Hershel’s leg has just been chopped off and the prisoners have been spotted.  Rick and the gang really don’t even have time to deal with the prisoners because they are still trying to save Hershel’s life.  After a very brief standoff, they open the door and kill the walker on the other side, rolling Hershel out on a table.  It will be interesting to see how these prisoners come into play.  They are obviously criminals or they wouldn’t be there in the first place, but can they help the group or are they just another enemy?

As our survivors make their way through the dark prison hallways, they take out some walkers and then hear something coming up from behind them.  The prisoners have left their room and are following them.  Still trying to save Hershel, they get him back to C block while Daryl stays outside of the block to confront the prisoners.  Hershel is bleeding badly and they are doing everything they can to stop the bleeding.

Outside the cell block, things are not going well between Daryl and the prisoners.  T-Dog also shows up for backup.  The prisoners have no idea what is going on.  They don’t know the world as they knew it has ended.  Everything is explained to them but the leader of the prisoners wants the prison for himself.  After taking them outside to show them what they said about the walkers is true they come to an agreement.

Things are tense but in exchange for half of the food the prisoners have, Rick and his gang will help the prisoners clear out a cell block for themselves. With how standoffish this prisoner leader is, it doesn’t sound like this will go well at all.  The guy reaches for his gun every time voices are raised.  Rick isn’t playing around anymore though, he tells him straight out, if he sees him out in the courtyard, anywhere near his people, he will kill him.

The small amount of food the prisoners have ends up being a very large amount of food.  The prisoners try to change the deal and just give them a little bit of food but Rick isn’t having any of it.  Rick tells them again, the deal is for half the food.  Back at C block the women continue to work on Hershel.  Maggie doesn’t think he will make it but Glenn comforts her.  Rick and T-Dog brings some food back to C block and tells Glenn to take his handcuffs and cuff Hershel (he is stable, but if he dies he will become a walker).

Rick talks to Lori about the situation.  He says this deal with the prisoners may not work, and if it doesn’t he will have to kill them.  Lori agrees but Rick says this is what she did last time (referring to what happened with Shane).  Lori admits she is a bad wife and mother but tells Rick to do what he has to in order to keep the group safe.  Rick gives close combat weapons to the prisoners and explains that guns make too much loud noise, which attracts the walkers .  He also explains that you have to take out their brains if you want to kill them.

Maggie wants to talk to Hershel alone.  She tells him he doesn’t have to fight anymore, that they will be okay.  Hershel isn’t awake but she doesn’t know if she will ever be able to talk to him again, so this might be her only chance to thank him for all he has done.

The Walking Dead Season 3 E1: Seed (Part 1)

If you have not read my review of the season 2 finale, you may do so here: The Walking Dead Season 2 E13: Beside The Dying Fire

Here we go, season 3!  This season starts with a bang.  We find our survivors, looking older and more hardened.  They break into a house and take out several walkers.  Lori comes through the door looking very pregnant, so some major time has passed since season 2 ended.  They are raiding the house for supplies when Carl comes across some dog food.  Rick sees it and throws it.  He is upset at how they are living and what they have become.

T-Dog is keeping watch and spots several zombies outside heading towards the house.  The group heads out to their vehicles and make a clean getaway.  They are apparently trying to avoid situations like at the farm.  We find out they have been living like this for all of winter and have been mapping the movements of the herds to avoid them.  There is a chance some of the herds will run into each other making it difficult to travel to certain areas.

I like how this season is going so far.  Skipping some time is a cool idea, as is making them more battle hardened and using strategy to get things done.  Carl is even useful now, taking out several walkers all by himself without thinking twice about it.  This group has pulled together under Rick’s leadership and are better for it.  Their goal is to find a permanent place to stay and build a real life, not always running and being afraid.

As luck would have it, when Daryl and Rick go hunting, they discover a prison (seen at the end of season 2).  It has multiple layers of fencing, gates, walls, watchtowers, it’s perfect.  The only problem is it’s filled with walkers at every level.  They figure the prison must have fallen early, as the walkers all seem to be prisoners and police.  They have been trapped in there the whole time.

Rick decides to cut through the first fence (wiring it back shut).  He has to travel to the second area and lock the gate, giving them at least one safe section to stay in.  He runs his way through the walkers in the courtyard and closes the gate while the rest of the survivors shoot the walkers and help keep Rick safe.  They manage to clear the zombies out.  For the first time since the farm they now have a safe place to stay, they can even plant crops in this area so they have food.

The Walking Dead Season 2 E13: Beside The Dying Fire

If you have not read my review for episode 12, you may do so here: The Walking Dead Season 2 E12: Better Angels (Part 2)

We open on a group of zombies who start following a helicopter flying overhead.  The group grows larger and larger as time passes.  We come to find out that this group of zombies is the same group we saw at the end of the last episode, the ones on their way to attack the farm.  Daryl is talking to the group and tells them that Shane was with Randall, not tracking him as he had claimed.

Carl asks Rick what happened (with Shane), when Rick is about to answer they see the zombies heading their way!  Not having time to make it back to the house for shelter, they decide to lure the walkers into the barn…and set it on fire to take some of them out.  Everyone in the house arms up and gets into the vehicles.  With their firepower and speed they drive around taking out as many walkers as possible.  It’s good to see them taking the action to the walkers for once and not just being defensive.

We finally get to see Jimmy, the guy who is always just in the background and never really says or does anything.  We soon find out why.  He brings the RV by to pick up Rick and Carl, only to have the door pushed in and get eaten by walkers.  It’s a good thing they never brought this guy along on the missions, he can’t even stay alive for two minutes when he has to do something!  Hershel on the other hand manages to kill about a million zombies all by himself, this is a man you do want with you!

Most of the important characters escape the farm but in the process are separated from each other.  Each group makes the decision to try and meet up with everyone else.  They all decide the highway is the place to go to find everyone else.  Rick and Hershel are there first and make the decision that the highway just isn’t safe anymore.  Just as they are about to leave, everyone else shows up.  After figuring out who is missing or dead, they leave to find a safe place to stay.

Andrea is running in the woods, still trying to escape from the walkers.  She manages to kill a few of them before being about ready to give up.  Just then, a mysterious figure with a sword saves her.  Looks like we have a new character for season 3 (that comic book fans will recognize).  Back on the road, Rick’s vehicle runs out of gas, they are going to have to find a permanent safe place.  They are tired of running and always being afraid.

After they have stopped a found a place for the night, Daryl mentions Randall to the group.  He says that Shane killed him and he has no idea how he could have turned into a walker.  Rick tells them that they are all infected!  Jenner had told him at the season 1 finale.  The group is angry and feeling hopeless, because Rick didn’t tell them, and what it means.  Jenner was crazy, there was no way Rick could have known if what he was saying was true or not, so Rick probably did the right thing.

Rick and Lori have a private talk, he tells her that he killed Shane.  She backs off away from him and is angry.  Lori makes no sense at all.  One minute she is trying to talk Rick into killing Shane, then when he does in self-defense, she is angry.  I wish she would hurry up and become walker food.  Rick gets tired of everyone’s crap and takes charge.  He declares it is his group and if they stay, they will do things his way.  He says he killed his best friend for these people.  Looks like Rick won’t be taking anymore crap in season 3!

The Walking Dead Season 2 E12: Better Angels (Part 2)

If you have not read my review of episode 12 (Part 1) from this season, you may do so here: The Walking Dead Season 2 E12: Better Angels (Part 1)

Picking up where we left off, everyone is trying to figure out what happened.  Shane comes out of the woods and lies to everyone about what happened.  Shane, Rick, Daryl and Glenn form a search party to hunt down Randall.  Daryl questions Shane’s story, things just aren’t adding up.  To make things quicker they divide up into groups of two: Shane with Rick and Daryl with Glenn.

Daryl finds some tracks and continues to discover just how off Shane’s story was.  There was obviously a struggle between Shane and Randall.  They hear and see a walker out in the woods and it attacks them.  Glenn manages to kill him only to discover this walker used to be Randall.  The odd things is, there aren’t any bites on his body, his broken neck is the only injury he has.  They don’t understand how he turned.

Meanwhile, Shane leads Rick through the woods.  Rick seems suspicious of Shane and after a while lets him know that he knows what he is planning.  They talk about this murder, about Lori and Carl.  Shane says that Rick’s family is broke, and he has no idea how to fix it.  Rick moves closer and closer to Shane, slowly pulling out his gun, handle first, to give it to Shane.  Rick attempts to talk Shane out of this but the look on Shane’s face says it all.  While Shane is distracted grabbing Ricks gun, Rick stabs him with a knife he had been pulling out with his free hand.  Yelling at Shane about making him do this, his friend’s life pours out and Shane dies in front of him.

Rick killing Shane is one of the best scenes in the entire series.  If you remember back to the first scene ever on the show, of Rick and Shane talking, you remember just how close these guys used to be.  Shane even risked his own life to save Rick once and now it has come to this.  With two seasons worth of build up, it’s a tense moment that probably took most people by surprise (as it did Shane).

We see a flash of zombies (Shane’s perspective).  Rick thinks about what just happened as Shane’s body starts to reanimate without him knowing it.  Carl shows up and draws his gun on Rick.  Rick thinks Carl wants to kill him for murdering Shane.  Actually zombie Shane was walking towards Rick and Carl kills him.  This scene was a reference to the comics where Carl kills Shane.  Rick checks Shane’s body while the camera pans out to show a herd of walkers heading their way.   The walkers had been out in the woods and heard the gun shots.