I would first like to say that I love The Walking Dead. I have read the comics and watched the series so far. I love that they are different, but at the same time I get angry at some of the choices the television show makes. I just wanted this out there before the review.
This week was one of the better episodes in a long time. Everything about it worked. From the great short opening sequence to an old character returning to a nice pairing that I wouldn't have thought would work at first. Spoilers follow for those who want to continue. The opening sequence gave us insight into how much Rick has decided it is us against everyone else. Right from the get go, you could tell by how Michonne and Carl were being focused on in the car ride that this was going to be a big episode for them. Also the little bit of zombie tension was nice to see as well. This scene only made me wish there was more of a budget so we could see some more zombie deaths, but hopefully the budget will be wisely used later in the season.Rick, Carl, and Michonne got to their destination, which was the town that that Rick, Lori, and Carl were living in before the zombie apocalypse occurred. Their main purpose of being there was to get all of the weapons from the police station that Rick had left behind. They did a great job of making the town into a post apocalyptic waste land. From here the episode really took shape. Our group was yelled at and then shot at by a masked man. Carl, who has really grown up this season, was the one to take this masked man down, not killing him, but knocking him out. The reveal of Morgan, the man who saved Rick’s life in the pilot episode, was a great call back.
There were really two stories here this week. One was Carl and Michonne growing as characters, while the other was Rick and Morgan talking about what has been going on and trying to move forward from it. Let’s focus on Carl and Michonne first. Carl and Michonne teaming up is great. It gives Michonne a chance to be trusted in Rick’s eyes, and hopefully he’ll be able to accept her as a friend finally. Carl is not yet the badass he thinks he is and should listen to those who want to help him. Finally Michonne gets through to Carl and they go about helping one another through the café, where Carl is getting something to bring back home. She was really brought to life in this episode. Fans have been angry with just seeing her chopping zombie heads off and just being a general badass. They want to see the wise cracking Michonne. They want to see the relatable Michonne. I hope this is a turn for this character. Carl is also someone who has become a bit better after this episode. He finally accepted he can’t do everything on his own, but also, with a word from Morgan, sees that if he has to pull a trigger, he should just do it without feeling bad about it.
Morgan showing up at all was a great surprise. He has obviously been having a hard time since we saw him last. Michonne is a great voice of reason when we first meet Morgan, but Rick’s heart is just too big and stupid sometimes for his own good, which is shown as soon as Morgan wakes up and tries to kill Rick. We learn, through one of the best speeches given in this season that Morgan’s wife, whom he should have killed, since she was a zombie, ended up killing his son. Rick ends up offering Morgan a spot in the jail, but Morgan unfortunately declines. I wish Morgan would have become a regular on the show, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be. Rick gives one of his better speeches to Morgan to try and convince him to come. The scenes between these two are some of the best of the season so far.
Overall this season has been giving us better material then last season, but this episode is really a high point so far. There was some great character development and one good unfinished plot tied up nicely. The drive away from the town gave me some hope going forward that the characters will keep the new traits they have acquired this episode and finish up this season strong.
Bryan Lasky
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