Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 315 ‘This Sorrowful Life’

Warning, spoilers ahead!

With only one episode to go until the finale, This Sorrowful Life was a pretty incredible episode.  What an ending!  What an ending. 😦

I can’t believe Merle is dead!  I’ve got to say, his death was one of the most dramatic so far in the series.  Merle was no angel, but how sad was it to see Daryl discover his brother as a walker?  That was so much worse than if he had just found his dead body.  It got me when Daryl kept shoving Merle away, delaying putting him down as long as he could while processing his death.  They had only been recently reunited and just as quickly, Merle has died.

I didn’t like how Merle went ahead and kidnapped Michonne, even though he knew full well that wouldn’t make the Governor back off.  But I think Merle was just so desperate to protect his brother at the prison he was willing to give it a shot.  Even Rick was considering it, though Merle knew he wouldn’t do it. 

I definitely enjoyed Merle’s turnaround.  He decided to release Michonne and go after the Governor himself, and in doing so, went out in a blaze of glory.  His plan of ambushing the Woodbury folk worked well, and he would have even killed the Governor if that bastard Ben hadn’t stepped in the way.  He took out a chunk of their soldiers though, which will help in the upcoming war, though his presence will definitely be missed in said battle.

With all the craziness unfolding with Woodbury, Michonne and the Dixons, I’d almost forget that there was a marriage proposal on the show.  Only in the world of the Walking Dead can you propose to your girlfriend with terrifying ghouls on the other side of the fence trying to break in and kill you, and have her say yes without batting an eye.  I did like how he found a diamond ring on a walker.

The season finale will be insane, I am sure.  Merle’s death in itself was big, and topping that for the finale will require something crazy.  I am expecting heavy losses on both sides in the war.  On Rick’s group, I’m thinking the death toll will include Beth, Hershel, Carol and Judith :(.  In Woodbury’s crew, including Milton, Martinez and the Governor himself, I think will all perish. 

I think Andrea will find some way to escape and make her way to the battle.  Maybe she will be the one to kill the Governor?  If Gov dies, the likely candidates to kill him in my opinion are Andrea or Daryl, or even a Woodbury defector like Milton, Tyreese or a random soldier (like Karen? That woman with the asthmatic son.)

I think Morgan may show up again, either to aid the group in battle, or to be executed by the Governor.  Woodbury knew about Rick’s gun run, so I wondered if he was followed somehow, resulting in Morgan’s capture.  Either way, if Morgan shows up, he’s probably a goner.  Honestly, I prefer his fate left back in King’s County rather than showing up again just to die real quick.

Tyreese I see as a wildcard; I’m sure his sister and Allen will die, but Ty has a chance of defecting and joining up with Rick’s group.  He is just as likely to get a bullet through the face, though.  And these are all just guesses.  I could be totally wrong, and I just honestly have no idea what exactly will happen, other than that the body count will be high.

Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 314 ‘Prey’

Warning: Spoilers!

This episode of the Walking Dead, Prey, served us a different kind of horror.  We have seen plenty of zombie drama and psychological horror, but this episode had a slasher film feel to it, which wasn’t what we are used to.  There was a certain amount of dread to be felt when the Governor slowly stalked Andrea in that dark warehouse, making the episode’s title rather appropriate.

I enjoyed the flashback at the beginning.  We still haven’t really learned anything about the person Michonne used to be, other than her appreciation for tacky cat sculptures.  We didn’t learn much, but it was cool to see the show provide a little more insight about her and her pet walkers.  Her refusal to talk about it with her only friend in the world at that point helped me understand why she’s been so quiet with everybody.  Whatever happened with her as well as her pets was evidently pretty horrible, and the only way she seems to be able to move on is by keeping quiet, forgetting the past and continuing to just move forward.

Michonne’s definitely not a bad person, which is why I was glad Milton told Andrea about the offer Rick had received in exchange for delivering the sword slinger on a silver platter.  Andrea was in a tough spot, and realized there was no time left to bullshit and she better get back to the prison.  She wanted to get out of there so badly, that she even brought a knife to a gun fight… and won!

Of course, Tyreese and Sasha wouldn’t have shot Andrea.  They want to stay alive, even if it means helping the Governor, but they’ve kept enough humanity to decide against shooting a running woman in the back.  The Governor is keeping his dirtiest secrets private, but I was glad to see Tyreese does seem to be onto him now, reflecting on what Andrea had told him.

When a black-gloved figure torched the captured walkers, I knew it wasn’t Tyreese.  I had a feeling it was Milton, after being challenged by Andrea to stop looking the other way.  They didn’t come right out and say it, but the look on Milton’s face after mentioning the incident gave him away, and the Governor knows it, too.  I cannot help but wonder if the Governor is now plotting a retaliation for Milton’s treachery, or if he will make him engage in some sort of sick test to prove his loyalty.

It was so creepy when the Governor chased after Andrea from the field and into an abandoned warehouse.  The Governor is really reminding me of his comic book counterpart now, with his new black trenchcoat and wicked, methodic stalking.  I figured he had her as soon as she wandered into that building, but I still was pulling for her all the way through.  It’s too damn bad Rick didn’t see her in the end.  If only he could’ve put a well-placed sniper bullet through the Governor, he could stop the impending bloodshed that’s bound to occur.

Same could be said for Andrea, though, who at one point had a sleeping Governor before her as she held a knife.  Coulda, woulda, shoulda.  Now she’s going to be put through complete hell before all this is over.

Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 313 Arrow on the Doorpost

Arrow on the Doorpost, the thirteenth episode of the third season of the Walking Dead, maintained a slower pace in comparison to the shootout that happened a few episodes back, but it seems evident they are merely building towards an explosive season finale. By “slow,” I don’t mean that it was uninteresting, only that there was a lot of dialogue with little action. Personally, I just eat this stuff up. It gives us more time to develop these characters and care about them a little more. For example, Martinez finally showed another side to him that we haven’t really seen. It wasn’t much, but when he confided in Daryl about the Governor’s intent to kill off the prison group regardless of the outcome of the negotiations, it showed that he at least isn’t as heartless as his boss. He also revealed how he used to be a family man who had changed quite a bit since the onset of the apocalypse. Martinez is a man who would have been a decent guy under other circumstances, but now does whatever he can to survive, even if it means working under a menace. Plus, Martinez and Daryl’s walker-killing competition was pretty sweet, so I think I ended up caring a little more about Martinez by the end of the show, even if he’s living on borrowed time. When I noticed Rick and Daryl had both came along on the trip, I realized Merle had been left behind with Glenn and Michonne. I knew that was a recipe for disaster. Even if Merle’s idea of going after the Governor had some merit, there was no way the group was going to let him leave. Michonne and Glenn showed their loyalty to the group while Merle maintained his maverick ways, which of course resulted in a scuffle. Thank God Beth showed up with that handgun when she did, because it looked like Merle was about to slice up Glenn’s face! It does make me continue to question Merle’s presence in the group. Daryl can keep him at bay when he’s around, but as we saw, Merle can be quite a loose cannon when he is alone. Maybe Merle should be locked in a cellblock when his brother ain’t around, but of course we know he wouldn’t like that too much. Merle’s a strong fighter and definitely somebody the group needs on their side when the shit hits the fan, but damn, is he hard to trust. “Good for Glenn!” I thought when he and Maggie got it on like they used to back in season two. I didn’t like how they were at odds after their Woodbury trauma, but it’s quite apparent now that things are a-OK with the two of them. I still can’t believe Rick didn’t shoot the Governor the second he saw him in that barn. His henchmen weren’t even around yet, and here he was with this nightmare who intends to kill them all. I think it helped with Rick visiting Morgan and regaining some of his sense. If this meeting happened before that, ol’ crazy Rick may not have been as willing to talk. Speaking or Morgan, I can’t help being afraid for his safety. The Governor revealed to Rick how he knew about their gun run, so it’s possible they were somehow followed or tracked to King’s County. Could Morgan be captured for leverage against the group if the Michonne deal falls through? I really hope not. I would rather not see Morgan again, thinking of his fate and new role as the one who “clears” the world of walkers, than to have him show up just to get killed off real quick. I know Rick is considering the Michonne deal with the Gov, and I’m just a little disappointed about that. Rick even acknowledged that the Governor would kill them all anyway, even if they gave her to Woodbury, so I hate to see him think about such a cold offer. I guess I get it, since Rick has a son and daughter to care for, but he needs to wise up. Michonne is one of their best warriors, so willingly handing her over would be logically ill-advised aside from just being plain wrong. Michonne has earned her place within the group. In the end, though, I’m confident Rick will realize what’s going on and tell the Governor to go straight to Hell.

Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 311 ‘I Ain’t a Judas’

After the intense episode that was 310, it seemed natural to slow things down for a little while.  Episode 311 was definitely a recovery episode in the sense that it remained story-driven with little emphasis on action.  While we were catching our breaths after last episode’s assault, I Ain’t a Judas introduced us to the aftermath of the attack on both sides of the equation with poor Andrea caught in the middle.

Before I talk about the episode, let me take a second to address all of this Andrea hatred from many fans of the show.  It seemed that since Lori’s gone on to the big purple flannel factory in the sky, her haters were left without a lead woman to constantly bitch about.  Rather than attending therapy or at least taking their anger out on computer-generated enemies in violent video games, everybody simply decided to switch gears and start laying it on Andrea.

People, you’ve got to realize that the characters don’t always know what we, the viewers, know.  We can be disappointed with her falling for the Governor, since we knew what kind of despicable person he really was, but we can’t get pissed at her for not knowing that.  All she knew was that everything seemed safe in Woodbury compared to her eight months on the road and this handsome leader began putting the moves on her.  I’m willing to bet that any woman in that situation would’ve done the same thing.

Instead, Andrea’s “stupid,” even though she didn’t know about his murderous dark side (the walker heads and Penny was disturbing, but not that much weirder than her hanging out with Michonne’s pets for eight months, or Hershel’s zombie-filled barn).  And, Andrea’s a “slut,” even though she’s only been with two people since the start of the apocalypse, in a world where it’s extremely difficult to find any form of romantic comfort.

We can concede that Andrea doesn’t have the best picks with her men, but we’ve also got to remember that options are very limited, and out of those of us who have dated multiple people, who hasn’t made some mistakes?

In any case, after Michonne revealed to Andrea the Governor’s true colors, you could see everything clicking in Andrea’s eyes.  She knows what’s up now, but all the same, she doesn’t want anymore bloodshed.  A lot of people will give her shit for not offing the Governor when she had the chance, but I think they’re not fully understanding her position if that is the case.  While Maggie and others from Rick’s group have killed humans at this point, Andrea never has.  It’s quite a leap to go from that to slicing a man’s throat while he sleeps, even if he is an asshole.

It was very interesting seeing Andrea reunite with her long-lost friends in the prison.  I almost forgot she didn’t even know of the deaths of Shane, Lori and T-Dog, which had to be upsetting to hear.  Everybody has suffered so much loss, I can see why she wants to end the carnage as peacefully as possible.  Obviously, though, that’s not going to happen.

It seems Tyreese and friends have made their way to Woodbury.  The Governor no doubt would appreciate their services, but I’m hoping Tyreese thinks better of trying to help Woodbury attack the prison group.  Tyreese knows and respects all of the group members except Rick, and he knows there’s a baby there whom he’s already shown sympathy for.  I can’t see him willingly firing on the prison with that in mind.  I’m sure Sasha, his sister, will back him up should he choose not to go along with that, but those assholes Allen and Ben will definitely be a problem.

I wonder if the Governor will find out from Tyreese’s group that there’s a baby in the prison?  It will certainly make the Governor that much more despicable if he follows through with his attack, even with that information.

I was a little surprised to see Merle freely walking around the prison and later even holding a machine gun.  It sure seems like he was forgiven a little quickly, doesn’t it?  I’d figure they’d keep him in a cell like he was in the beginning of the episode.  Even with Daryl vouching for him, his inclusion still makes me a little uneasy.  Great call from Rick not to take Daryl on the supply run, so he can keep an eye on Merle.  I’m sure Merle will stay in line with his brother around, but I know I wouldn’t want to be left alone with him.  Evidently and understandably, though, it seems Glenn and Michonne still have not quite buried the hatchet there.

I’m pretty excited for the next episode.  My favorite badasses from the comics, Rick and Michonne, are going on a roadtrip!  It almost sounds like a comedy spin-off, but I’m sure the ride will be mostly full of awkward silence until they encounter inevitable major problems.  Or maybe they’ll just find a White Castle.

Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 310 ‘Home’

This blog contains heavy spoilers. Lori is back! Well, sort of. I actually loved seeing Sarah Wayne Callies again. In Rick’s vision of Lori, she looked better than she ever had on the show, and it was a touching image. Everybody copes in their own ways, and now that Rick has acknowledged these hallucinations I believe he is making progress. Now that the group is under attack, though, he’s going to have to work extra hard to keep it together. I hate to see Maggie and Glenn lashing out at each other. They barely escaped Woodbury with their lives with an impending war, and now they’re at odds. I guess they’re coping with her sexual assault in different ways, but I’m sure they will work it out. This episode developed the Dixon brothers and their relationship incredibly well. The scene where Daryl and a reluctant Merle saving a passing family from walkers, and then Daryl saving said family’s belongings from Merle, told us a lot about both brothers. The reveal of how Merle and Daryl originally planned to pillage the group in season 1 served to show exactly how much Daryl has changed while Merle has remained the same. Obviously, I always liked Axel, and have been disappointed with his lack of screen time. This episode provided Axel with a lot more to do and say, including the humorous details behind his arrest. As with Carol, I’ve really begun to appreciate the twirly-mustached fellow, and I liked the optimism he brought to the show. He even managed to throw in another, “You follow me?” to Carol for good measure. With that said, I’m sure my cries could be heard miles away when our beloved Axel took a bullet through the brain. There will be no more following of Axel on the Walking Dead, and that fact brings a tear to my eye. At least his death was as graceful as could be. He died with a smile on his face, in the presence of a lady, content with where he was in life, with no pain, suffering or awareness of his death. We also know he won’t turn, and even in his passing, helped save Carol’s life. The angels will follow you up to that big prison in the sky, Axel. You’ll be missed! There wasn’t much time to grieve, though. The Governor had launched his assault and everyone was under fire. This really kept me on the edge of my seat, as with Axel gone, there was a very real possibility someone else would get hit. I was pulling for all of them, and thankfully they were all lucky enough to survive, even with a zombie version of the Trojan horse. It kicked ass to see the Dixons make it back to the prison, though I still can’t help but wonder how this will go down. Glenn and Michonne are not going to be thrilled, exactly. Merle has done some evil things, but does he have valuable information about the man attacking them? At a time when extra soldiers are badly needed, is it wise to turn him away? I really don’t know how this is going to go down, but I’m ecstatic to find out.

Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 309 ‘The Suicide King’

This blog contains heavy spoilers.

Finally, the Dixon brothers are reunited and once again out on their own.  I figured Merle wouldn’t actually want to kill his baby brother, but I also knew he would never be welcomed back into Rick’s group.  Daryl’s brother or not, Merle hunted Michonne, then kidnapped Maggie and Glenn, and even tried to have a walker kill Glenn.  I’d say Merle’s just lucky Rick stopped Michonne and Glenn from killing Merle on the spot.

It’s sad to see Daryl go, but he is between a rock and a hard place.  He was forced to make a choice, and how hard would it be to walk away from his big brother who he has known all his life and presumed long gone?  In any case, with or without Merle, I think Daryl will second guess this decision and return to help protect the prison.  After all, he’s grown a special bond with all of these people, including baby Judith, and they’ve become pretty tight-knit amongst themselves.

Maggie’s really come a long way from the innocent little farm girl that she used to be.  After shoving that walker bone in some poor sap’s neck, now she’s gone and murdered Haley with a well-placed sniper round.  I get it, though; Daryl’s safety was the priority, and Haley stood nearby with an assault rifle.  She probably would have gunned down Daryl without a second thought if Maggie didn’t put her down.

Glenn, however, seems to be taking the Woodbury kidnapping experience a lot worse.  It makes sense, as he was the one severely beaten and barely escaped with his life, only to see the love of his life sexually violated.  At the time, he was powerless to stop it, but now, I think he’s hellbent on cold, hard vengeance.  It’s interesting to see him toughen up quite so much, but let’s just hope he doesn’t do anything too stupid and get himself killed.

Tyreese has proven to be a smart, good-hearted and rational-thinking guy by this point, on top of being a physical powerhouse.  He would be an incredible asset to the group, especially in the wake of Daryl’s absence.  He has grown on me pretty quickly and I hope he is officially let into the group soon, along with his crew.

It was great to see Lori again… sort of.  I liked that they kept her face completely darkened, though.  It really made it a lot creepier.  Just when I start thinking Rick is pulling himself together, he completely unravels.  I realize there is so much going on at once, but the group is going to need him to put his mental issues on hold before the Governor makes his way to the prison. Rick’s pretty damn scary these days.

Blogging Dead – The Walking Dead, Episode 306 ‘Hounded’

This blog contains SPOILERS

Episode 306 was a very wild ride all the way through from the very start.  It turns out the Governor did, in fact, consider Michonne a liability and ordered her execution.  It made for great television, though; that bitergram was awesome!  And Michonne is totally a badass.  I didn’t expect her to swoop in like a ninja and hack up a couple of bad dudes like that, but I sure did think it kicked ass.

Weird Rick’s still hanging out in the boiler room, talking on his magic telephone.  I noticed that the bloated zombie who ate Lori was also chillin’ on the floor.  I can’t help but wonder what happened to the rest of Lori’s body.  I’m not sure if the implication is that the zombie ate Lori’s entire body, but that seems unbelievable.  How would he eat her skull, and other large bones?  And if he could, there wouldn’t be enough room in that stomach to fit an entire body; his belly would burst, spilling it’s contents everywhere.  My theory is that her remains could be around a corner we couldn’t see, perhaps, or maybe other walkers had came by and dragged it elsewhere.

You know, it’s weird how vastly different the Dixon brothers have become at this point in time.  Merle showed how evil he really is, not only by coldly killing his own comrade, but by kidnapping people he knows to be Daryl’s friends.  I’m pretty afraid for Maggie, thinking about some of the things the Governor does in the comics to interrogate people.

It’s a good thing Michonne saw the whole thing, knowing she finds the prison by the end of the episode.  There is some hope for a rescue, since Michonne knows where Woodbury is.  She knows Merle, too, and will be able to tell Daryl and Rick.  I am probably most anticipating Daryl’s reaction.  Merle is going to want him to take sides, but Daryl’s not an evil prick, so it’s going to come to a head.

It was sad to see Rick come to realize the phone calls were merely a false hope, a result of his own spiralling insanity.  It was good for him to cope with his loss though, however he could, and move on.  The group needed him back with them, especially now with the impending shitstorm about to go down.  It was heartwarming to see him finally cradle that little baby, a moment a lot of us had been waiting for.  I think now Rick has got ahold of his senses, and I could just see the love he has for her.

I knew Carol was alive, too.  I think we all did.  I’m surprised even the group thought she was for sure dead, even though they had only found her doo-rag.  I’d still consider her days numbered, but she’s at least got some more time now.  I think I’m actually one of the few who doesn’t want to see Carol and Daryl hook up.  I’m okay with them being close, but I just think that would be weird.

Oh, I also could have gone without seeing the Governor naked.  Just sayin’.

Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 305 ‘Say the Word’

This blog contains MAJOR SPOILERS.

When this episode first started, I thought it was a flashback.  There were children playing with a dog at some sort of backyard party, and the woman handing out drinks looked like Lori (at first).  When I saw Milton come into frame and walk up to Andrea, I realized that we were merely back in Woodbury.

I think it goes to show how crazy this place really is.  You almost wouldn’t even know you were in a zombie apocalypse.  It helped me realize that I can’t really blame Andrea for wanting to stay.  The place is a paradise compared to everywhere else she’s been, and walking away from that would be a difficult choice.  On the other hand, I am still glad Michonne isn’t falling for the Governor’s lies and is moving on, as sad as it was to see the two of them break up.

It was good to see Penny, the Governor’s daughter, make her appearance on the show.  It was a very disturbing but memorable scene, watching him wrap her up in a makeshift straightjacket.  It did a great job conveying how disturbed the Governor really is on the inside, and how well he does concealing that part of himself.

Speaking of crazy, Rick Grimes is now officially off his rocker.  His mind has completely collapsed, and his scenes on this episode really added strong elements of psychological horror.  Rick may be the protagonist of the series, but damn is he scary now. 

He definitely wasn’t in the right frame of mind when he found that walker with a belly-full in the boiler room.  If he had any shred of sanity left, that would have been completely demolished once he saw what was left of his wife.  That phone call at the end, I predict, will give us further insight into Rick’s mind in the next episode.  In any case, he will have to cope however he can to move forward, although now I will see him as a lot more scary and dangerous from this point on.

It was heartbreaking to see that poor baby crying for her mother, leaving the group to try and figure something out.  I shouldn’t be surprised that Daryl was the first to jump at the opportunity.  Daryl’s got a heart of gold underneath that badass exterior, as we saw with his desperate search for Sophia last season.  I grew to really appreciate his character a whole lot more, and it was honestly heartwarming to see him feed that hungry baby in his arms.

Despite everything going on and how bleak the future appears, that moment made me feel like there was hope for this baby.  With the world the way it is, raising a child will of course be very challenging.  But between Daryl, Carl and Rick (once he comes to his senses), I think this baby’s really got a good shot at survival.

But, then again, this is the Walking Dead.

Blogging Dead – The Walking Dead, Episode 304 ‘Killer Within’

Warning:  This blog contains major SPOILERS!

The latest episode of Rick Grimes’ Series of Unfortunate Events was compelling and depressing, simultaneously. It seems like it doesn’t matter how hard Rick tries, things just always get worse for that man. The ending scene was heartbreaking, and I’ll get back to that in a minute, but first I want to talk about some other memorable moments from the episode.

First of all, on a much happier note for me personally, Axel finally said his catchphrase! “We can’t sleep in there another night, you follow me?” I screamed to myself with joy, geeking out bigtime over such a silly saying. It was weird to hear it spoken with that Southern twang, but I was incredibly happy. The key now is for Axel to utter it a few more times before the season’s end, and I’m going to giddily shriek each time.

I want to say that Rick’s group should trust Oscar and Axel, allowing them into the fold, but you can’t deny the danger. I trust Axel, obviously, but who knows about Oscar? Admittedly, he seems nice enough. He’s got a level head and seemed concerned about his family on the outside. That said, we don’t even know what Oscar’s in for, and the phrase, “It’s the quiet ones you need to watch,” comes to mind. I do like the character though, and I hope he’s okay, but I am definitely getting less trustworthy of people as this show goes on.

I love Michonne. She’s a badass and she’s great. I enjoyed seeing her shoot holes in the Governor’s phony story about the military convoy. It isn’t good, though, that ol’ Gov now knows that Michonne is onto him. He is just as aware of how deadly she can be, so that makes her a liability.  It’s going to get ugly.

Oh, and I KNEW it was Andrew who cut the fence in the beginning, letting the undead inside. They didn’t show his face, maybe to keep things ambiguous or to make us think it was perhaps Axel or Oscar, but the blue prison overalls were a dead giveaway. “That son a bitch!” I thought. At least his death brought about a way for Oscar to show his worth to the group, but it was unfortunately at heavy cost.

I am still upset about T-Dog getting bitten. I was honestly shocked when that walker took a chunk out of T’s shoulder. I mean, I know that deaths can happen at any time, but that bite was so sudden. It was nice that he got to go out as a hero and save Carol’s life (who, yes, I am sure is still alive). Still, I thought they were always keeping him around, saving him for a confrontation with Merle. I didn’t forget that it was T-Dog who dropped the handcuff key on the roof in Atlanta, so I’m sure Merle didn’t either.  Of course, without T-Dog to worry about, this means that Merle can focus all of his anger on Rick Grimes.

I knew Lori’s days were numbers, but seeing her go got me a little sad. It seemed Rick and Lori were starting to progress with mending their relationship with one another. It struck a chord when Rick looked at Carl and completely fell apart at the end, but what was most heartbreaking for me was thinking about their new child. That poor baby can’t even nurse, and she was just born! How can they even take care of her now? It really adds a strong sense of urgency to figure out this new major problem without leaving us really any time to even grieve for Lori and T-Dog.

Let’s see what happens in the next episode. I am sure they are going to keep up the pace as so much crazy stuff has happened so far already, and we are only four episodes in.

Blogging Dead – The Walking Dead, Episode 303 ‘Walk With Me’

I loved the third episode of the third season of The Walking Dead.  Walk With Me offered an intriguing change of pace from the previous two episodes, taking place almost entirely in Woodbury.  By taking a break from the chaos at the prison with Rick Grimes and his pals, the show was able to get back to the drama with compelling storylines.

Andrea and Michonne finally find a way off the empty streets and out of the woods by way of kidnapping at the hand(s) of Merle.  Merle, by the way, lived up to all expectations by being as big of a hot-headed dick as ever, but still seemed to show a small sense of compassion towards Andrea, kidnapping aside.  It turns out they now have something in common; both were abandoned by Rick and Daryl’s group.

There were some questions as to how evil the show’s adaptation of the Governor was going to be.  Fans of the comics will know his character as the most vile, reprehensible human being there ever was.  I am sure it will be argued that he does the awful things he does merely as a means to survive, but the Michonne from the graphic novel will tell you that the man has definitely gone way beyond that.  I am curious to see the lengths in which the governor will continue to go in forthcoming episodes.

The Governor has a wannabe-scientist lackey named Milton, who is attempting to learn about the zombies by studying them.  I have heard a lot of praise of this character, but he did not seem very special to me.  I saw him as a cliche character who is in nearly every zombie movie.  I am not saying he shouldn’t be there; I think that there should and would always be someone out there trying to learn more about these things.  I just didn’t know why everyone was all like, “Yeah, that Milton!”. He’s just some geek.

The viewing audience gets to see the true colors of the Governor start to show when he and his men, including Merle, launch an assault on an unsuspecting military convoy.  Without warning, all of the men are massacred, starting with a shot fired by the Governor himself.  When he sees the man he shot still breathing after the gunfire has died down, the Governor bludgeons the poor guy with his own rifle.  If all that wasn’t cold enough, it almost seemed like ol’ Gov really enjoyed himself afterward, showing signs of intense pleasure bordering on orgasm.

I didn’t know if it would get weirder than that, but it did very quickly when the Governor retreated to his quarters for the night.  We could see he was staring at something as he sipped on a drink and relaxing.  I thought the camera was going to pan over and reveal his daughter, Penny, zombified and shackled, but instead we see the Governor’s collection of dead heads.  Both images are in the books, but I think I expected Penny because of that glimpse of the Governor’s family photo outside of the doorway.

Obviously I am very excited for the next episode.  While I liked the change of pace, I miss Rick and Lori and Daryl, and I am dying to hear Axel say, “You follow me?”  Let’s check back in at the prison and see what is happening.  We know that these two worlds are going to collide eventually and it is going to be intense.  No matter what terrible events may occur in the meantime, it is still just all going to be the calm before the storm.