- Air Date: 11/4/2012
- Directed By: Guy Ferland
- Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Wayne Callies, Norman Reedus, Laurie Holden, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Melissa McBride, IronE Singleton, Scott Wilson, Emily Kinney, David Morrissey, Michael Rooker
- Guest Stars: Lew Temple, Vincent Ward
You certainly can’t say THE WALKING DEAD ever rests on its laurels. Only four episodes in and AMC/Glen Mazzara have already kicked us in the gut repeatedly, with none harder than last night’s episode. We get death, treachery, and a whole lot more zombies.
At Woodbury, Michonne knows something isn’t right about the Governor (David Morrissey), who at the very least seems like a slimy politician. Michonne investigates an army vehicle that the Governor returned with last week (by murdering all the survivors, though his citizens don’t know that), and the two new castmates go toe-to-toe in a fantastic, tension-filled scene. Danai Gurira is gonna slay this role; her intense eyes, stolid voice, and even her gait seem like Robert Kirkman’s comicbook come to life. Michael Rooker’s Merle, who doesn’t like taking orders but is definitely under the Governor’s heel, is just wonderful to watch, as he tries to find out more information about Daryl’s whereabouts from Andrea (Laurie Holden). Andrea may be a little smitten by the idyllic setting and their almost charming host. Michonne and Andrea have survived together for the past eight months, and while Michonne wants to keep moving, to the coast perhaps, Andrea clearly wants to sit back and relax for awhile. It may be their undoing.
There’s no relaxing at the prison. Rick and T-Dog clash over the treatment of the(ir) prisoners, Axel (Lew Temple) and Oscar (Vincent Ward), who are the only two that remained after Rick and Tomas’ feud ended in bloodshed. Axel tries to brown nose his way into the crew, while Oscar ain’t one to beg for anything. Rick wants to keep them locked up or thrown out, while T-Dog thinks they should give them a chance to join their group. The resulting scene where Daryl, Carol, Glenn, and Maggie join the conversation is great stuff, showing how each of the characters think. It’s nice to see Rick not being the only militant hard ass sometimes.
Herschel, meanwhile, is ready for a stroll. Having found crutches, he wants to get out of his bed and check out their new digs. He gets a rude introduction to the prison when there is a gruesomely awesome zombie outbreak within the gates. Someone has let them in, someone is screwing with the group, and the result is pure, unadulterated tragedy. I’m loathe to say anything more than that, but even being a veteran of the comic book and TV show (and should’ve known better) I almost couldn’t believe my eyes at times. I thought for sure that Mazzara and company would back pedal, or retreat, but those words are not in their vocabulary, and bless them for it, even if it’s depressing as hell. You think you know what’s going to happen, or how it’s going to happen, or when it’s going to happen, but this episode proves once again that you don’t. Death is always near.
