Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 304 ‘Indifference’

This blog contains spoilers.

So the fourth episode of the fourth season of  The Walking Dead kind of felt a little slow for me.  The episode had some very interesting moments, but I did feel like a lot of the episode was filler, only barely pushing the story along.  The past few episodes, in fact, have sort of felt like they are building towards something, so I’m hoping for an excellent payoff when all is said and done.

I loved all of the Carol and Rick stuff and their scenes were clearly the best of the episode.  Throughout the episode, I really had no idea what Rick was to do about the Carol situation, and it was hard to think of the right answer.  Carol has been around since the beginning, so exiling her must have been extra hard for Rick.  However, the bottom line was that she killed two people who may have lived, and that doesn’t fit into Rick’s plan for his group to represent the “greater good.”

Carol had her chance to convince Rick to let her say, but she only buried herself deeper as the episode went on.  She was totally unapologetic about the murders she committed, even though the sickness still got to everybody else in the prison making those deaths pointless.  For Carol, it didn’t matter that Karen and David could have lived once the others returned with medicine; she was still convinced she made the right choice, even comparing the situation to Rick and Shane (which was totally different).

The detachment from humanity that Carol showed herself to have only made her seemingly more dangerous.  The title of the episode, ‘Indifference,’ was clearly about how Carol felt about anyone other than herself.  She couldn’t even speak Sophia’s name anymore, as if she was merely an acquaintance that died.  She also suggested the new survivors they found (Sam and Ana) go on a dangerous exploration through the other houses, only to be like, “Well, whatever,” when they turned up dead and missing.  With such little regard she showed for the lives of others, what’s to stop her from harming Carl or Judith if it means saving herself?  I can’t blame Rick for not trusting Carol.

However, I am positive she will be back, sooner or later.  If Daryl doesn’t find her, the Governor will.

I don’t like how Tyreese has become an emotional idiot as of late.  He is risking his and the others’ lives with his carelessness.  Here’s hoping he can snap out of it and become the badass he is in the books.

And I feel like Bob’s alcoholism is going to lead to some sort of cataclysmic event.  It’s a story that has been touched on since the premiere so I feel like it’s got to be leading us somewhere.  I have also noticed that nobody has been feeding the rats since Bob has been out of the prison.  Coincidence?

Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 308 ‘Made to Suffer’

Episode 308 of the Walking Dead proved to be a very gripping ride, even if it didn’t have the amount of main characters dying as I had originally predicted.  Of course, it’s simply a calm before a brutal storm as the war between Woodbury and the Ricktatorship commences.  And we didn’t escape completely unharmed, either, as our beloved Oscar perished in the wake of a massive gunfight.  I just still know the worst is yet to come.

Leaving on a nailbiting cliffhanger with Merle and Daryl pitted off against each other in the arena.  Not counting Daryl’s hallucination in the second season, this was actually the first time the brothers had seen each other in the entire series.  The wait is killing me as I metaphorically have been holding my breath since the episode’s conclusion.  I know Merle wants to prove his allegiance to the Governor, but as much of an asshole as Merle is, I am confident he will not want to kill Daryl.  If Andrea can’t interfere, I can see Merle trying to help Daryl escape, maybe even sacrificing himself in the process.

I am thrilled to see Tyreese make his debut on the show.  In the graphic novel series, Tyreese is one of the most badass characters, and he always looked intimidating as hell with his imposing figure and trademark hammer.  My initial impression of the TV version of the character is that he is not as physically scary as he is in the books, but has more of a friendly, approachable vibe.  That’s not to say I don’t like him, and it’s way too early to know how the character will be.  Friendly or scary, though, I love Tyreese, and I’m so glad he’s made his way to the show (complete with his signature claw hammer!).

Ever since reading the Rise of the Governor novel, which explores the backstory of the Governor and his daughter, I’ve developed a soft spot for Penny.  Such a likeable little girl in the book, her inevitable death was heart-wrenching.  It was great seeing her on the show, and I’m happy Michonne put her down.  I also applauded Michonne’s version of eye-removal surgery with a glass shard through the Governor’s socket, as the new eyepatch does paint him to look a lot more like the true villain he is.

It was also cool to see Shane again, even if he wasn’t as recognizable with Wolverine’s facial hair.  Axel calling Carol a lesbian was another high point of the show.  And how gnarly was that to see Maggie commit her first murder (of a human)?  Basically, it was an all-around kickass episode, but I’m on the edge of my seat waiting to see the next one!