We’re really rolling now, right?! This show just keeps getting better and better. It’s almost as if last season didn’t exist. The pacing is fantastic. The writing is sharper, crisper, darker, and epically more interesting. The best compliment we can give the show at this point is we don’t want the episodes to end.
And last night was no exception.
When we open, we realize that we’re back in Stepford Mayberry Woodshed town and The Governor is carefully brushing a head of hair. Honestly when we first saw this, we thought he’d taken one of his fish tank zombies out and decided to “play Barbies.” But it was worse, so much worse. Lo it was Penny his daughter. His dead now turned zombie daughter to be exact. And since the hair he was brushing was attached to a decomposing body a huge chunk snapped off. Oh boy. Penny was none too pleased to have a hole in her head. She gnashed her teeth and writhed while The Governor tried to soothe her the way any father would soothe his undead daughter. Acknowledging that this was a bit of a problem because most dads don’t have to contend with a zombie virus running rampant through their children, he tied her strait-jacket straps tight and put a bag over her head to keep her from biting him. This is the typical code of conduct for subduing one’s zombified child. Dr. Spock says so.
And what do we have here? Michonne is outside The Governor’s window and maybe she saw Penny with a hole in her pigtails? Or maybe she didn’t. Either way, The Governor isn’t too happy to have Michonne skulking around looking to maybe make trouble.
We then zero in on a shell-shocked Rick. He’s just learned of his wife’s demise — by his son’s hands, and now there’s a baby to care for and he doesn’t even know if the child is his. Sheesh. Talk about having a bad day in prison. This is like As the World Turns for the demented. Daryl quickly assesses the situation and decides to rally the troops to find the baby some food and to start the process of survival yet again in the face of losing people. He takes charge. Meanwhile Rick cracks his crackers. Which means he totally snaps. Complete bye-bye to brain function. He finds the nearest sharp object and goes off toward the prison for a little RICK SMASH session. And we see in a great use of camera effect as Rick slashes, bludgeons, and destroys Walker after Walker. These slow-ambling shitheads had no idea what was coming. Rick was a terror unto himself. Where before Rick’s zombie killing was done out of necessity or survival, this rampage was about pure unadulterated anger. The world has run Rick afoul and in this small insignificant way he wants to even the score. Yet, we know that it just can’t be done. What is done can’t be undone, and in Lori’s case, sometimes dead or as it were double dead is better.
Conversely, back in Woodbury, The Governor is presiding over his town like an elected official at the start of a community-wide picnic. There is lemonade and good times, laughing and happiness, as the town basks in The Governor’s compliments. All except Michonne who has plans of her own. She’s snuck into The Governor’s house hell-bent on getting her katana back. While inside she also finds The Governor’s journal or his site plans for the Woodbury zombie mall, six of one. Inside she sees regular governing plans, but then later finds a list of names ending with “Penny” and some real nutterball scribbles that show that somewhere The Governor had a bit of a break with reality. While there Michonne overhears Merle, and the science guy, Milton, come in with The Governor. Apparently there are big plans for the evening’s activities and we don’t think they mean fireworks. Milton wants to do an experiment thusly putting off “the festivities” for another night. The Governor disagrees the festivities will go on as planned. Maybe it’s a zombie fashion show! Fashion Show! Fashion Show While Being Lunch!
Michonne, still not satisfied with getting her trusty friend back goes for a little walk to the bad side of town. Where things are not so blood free and sparkling. Yep, there is blood and oh, look, a whole cage full of Walkers. Not really questioning why there’s a cage full of Walkers (experiment? power source?) Michonne knows exactly what to do now — open up that sucker and get some katana practice. For the first time we see actual glee on her face as she slices and dices the few Walkers that come walking out. This is a far cry from when on Hershel’s farm, Shane opened those barn doors and a bunch of Walkers came out. There was still this fear that was desperate and palpable on the faces of Rick’s group as the Walkers walked menacingly out of that barn. Now, we can see just how accepting everyone has become of Walkers in their midst. They exist, but then again they don’t. This is probably the cross the slow-moving zombie has to bear. At some point they’re just not as fearsome if not coming toward the living in a horde. After Michonne has had her daily exercise she’s discovered by one of The Governor’s men, and that means a report must be filed with the Woodbury Walker Killing Committee. No, not really. She’s just in hot water with The Governor, who tries to intimidate her by playing “Good Cop” to her wayward shit-stirrer routine. Michonne doesn’t really care about all the yapping about being forced to leave and takes an opportunity to grab her sword and push it against The Governor’s neck as he off-handedly shows it to her during their conversation. Should she have proceeded with killing him? Probably.
When she meets up with Andrea she tries again to tell her that something smells rotten in the town of Woodbury and that they should be on their way. Andrea isn’t easily convinced. She truly wants to believe that Woodbury is salvation. Somehow Michonne convinces her to “attempt” leaving and as they do, run into Merle. Merle puts on a little show about not letting them leave right away to which Michonne is sure is another stall tactic. But no, Merle says they’re free to go. Andrea bucks, calling Michonne’s bluff. She’s looking at what she has in Woodbury; food, clothing, water, safety. And what’s on the other side of the gate. Running for their lives, dodging Walkers, living in a meat locker…and decides Woodbury, even if not perfect, is better.
And to illustrate that point, earlier we saw Merle, Milton, and Yeoman Johnson Woodbury out “fishing” for Walkers in a deep hole. And here Merle was in his element. He may be more tamed when it comes to interacting with the human folk, but with the Walkers? Well, let’s just say he’s able to let his personality shine through. We don’t know what they want these fished Walkers for, but the ones that get “thrown back” or shall we say stomped all to hell don’t fare as well as the others we’ll assume. Back at the gate, Michonne leaves without Andrea with the most bitter of parting shots, “You’ll just slow me down anyway.” And we see her march off with Andrea looking on forlornly.
Back at the prison, Glenn is digging graves. We assume for Lori and T-Dogg, who gets a short eulogy from Glenn as he talks about T-Dogg’s heroics. Something we never, ever, heard about while he was alive on the show. [Fingies Note: WHY NOT WALKING DEAD?!] Oscar and Axel, the two convicts who are slowly finding their way into the group offer to help, and Glenn tells them they’ll need three graves in total. Hmmm. Yes, three graves. Have we found Carol? We don’t know.
Daryl and Maggie however are out looking for baby supplies and happen upon a daycare center, and it’s one of the more eerie moments in the show. We see the remnants of kids’ drawings and artwork, and what’s left of a place where there were children, and instantly we start thinking dark thoughts. What happened to the kids? Did they all make it out okay? All the parents came and got the kids when things went to hell, right? RIGHT?! Uh-oh. Something is scratching in the kitchen area. We were so primed for another zombie kid, which would’ve been awful, but yet risky and awesomely badass for the show to pull off two damned zombie kids in one episode. No such luck. Just a possum, which Daryl kills for dinner. Thanks, Daryl. And you’re looking mighty Clint Eastwood-esque in that serape, or poncho, or whatever. A year ago that would’ve been a compliment. Now Clint Eastwood talks to chairs and wanders around the empty Mitt Romney campaign headquarters. Take from that what you will.
When they get back to the prison, Daryl takes charge of feeding the baby and asks Carl about a name. Carl goes on to name most every woman the group has lost, his voice fading under the weight of all those names, Daryl not feeding into the sorrow lightens the mood and names her temporarily “Little Asskicker.” Aww, heartwarming.
Rick we learn is still having a bit of rage-out within the depths of the prison. He even fought Glenn when he tried to rein him in and convince him to come back to the group. This was probably a job for Daryl. Rick however was not ready. Eventually he finds his way to the area where Lori gave birth and died, twice. He sees the blood on the floor, but no Lori. We were a little stunned too. He does find the bullet Carl fired, so we know we’re in the right place. Then off in the distance we hear the groaning of a Walker, and then we see a big distended belly. HOLY SHIT! IT’S LORI! ZOMBIE LORI! As we get closer we realize that it isn’t Lori but a fully sated Walker who has just dined on Lori’s entire body. YEEESSSSHHHH! Rick loses his shit once again and viscerally sticks his gun in the thing’s mouth and blows its brains out, and then looking at its stomach, stabs it repeatedly as if hoping to find remnants of his wife. Hoo-boy was that disturbing, and not like anything you’ll find anywhere else on television. Just as that task is done a landline prison phone rings and Rick answers ominously. Do zombies not have cell phones? Who answers a landline? Maybe it’s a wrong number and the caller really wanted Domino’s pizza? Do zombies eat pizza?
Back in Woodbury, The Governor has the perfect solution to Andrea’s melancholy now that Michonne has left. Let’s go to some sort of jamboree! Andrea’s game since the entire town is going. Oh, goody! Maybe it’s a hay ride complete with a corn field maze and a puppet show! No, it’s Merle fighting another guy surrounded on all sides by chained Walkers in what has to be the worst UFC cage fighting match ever. WAIT, WHAT?! Yep, like something out of Mad Max, The Governor’s brand of entertainment consists of zombie avoidance games. Andrea is horrified. She thinks it’s barbaric. The Governor sees it as sport and entertainment. This from the guy who watches zombie heads and has a stashed zombie daughter. We think The Governor is a sick, sick dude. Andrea looks a little ill, but is it enough for the warning bells to finally go off?
Maybe. Maybe not.
What did you think? Will Andrea finally get that The Governor isn’t who he seems? And just who do you think is calling a prison supposedly full of Walkers? [Theories are welcome. Spoilers are not! You guys know the rules.]
