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I have to be honest to myself first and foremost, and then second I have to honest to my readership. I didn't initially want to review or talk about the episode before last, Prey.
To me it was the worst episode of this season, and not just because I don't like the handling of Andrea's character (which can only be explained as "fucking mishandled") but because it was such a filler episode. Prey had no character development and no change in the status quo for the characters involved. However I will have a brief synopsis and my favorite moments. Since it will be short I am including the next episode as well and include headers to tell the difference.
Prey
We start the episode in Woodbury with Milton sharing with Andrea The Governor's secret: he plans to slaughter the prison group if and when they show up to trade Michonne for their safety. Milton also shows Andrea the torture chamber Govvy has prepared for Michonne's return. Andrea decides to return to the prison to warn the group. At this point with all her dumbass decisions I'm not sure that after delivering the message that she wouldn't return to Woodbury again.
Andrea's story kind of stalls out as she hops the wall in front of Tyrese and his sister and goes on foot to see the group. Ultimately after some decidedly creepy cat and mouse hunting of her by The Governor, he recaptures her just outside the prison gates, and good old "sees-dead-people Rick" catches a potential sight of her for a brief second before she's tackled by The Governor and Rick dismisses it as lingering crazy.
The episode ends with Andrea tied to the torture chair. My wife turned to me and said at this moment "I feel like if this had been a character I gave a shit about this episode would've been super tense."
Exactly baby. Exactly.
There is a bit of a side story with Tyrese and his people and their reaction to Andrea running and Tyrese's group telling him to report her and to stop making waves and get in line with Woodbury's rules. Tyrese is taken along with his group to "prep" for the attack on the prison people. This preparation consists of stopping by a large hole in the ground that is being used as a pit to trap/hold zombies and Tyrese objects to use the zombies as a weapon toward the other survivors. This causes a fight with his people again and stirs shit with The Gov.
These zombies are eventually torched, burned alive (undead?) by Milton. A fact the governor has figured out, but hasn't acted on. . . Yet.
Favorite Kill: Gov chops up a Zombie head with a shovel. Disgusting, but great.
Character of the Episode: Tyrese. He don't take no shit.
Favorite Line: Wasn't words, Governors whistle while hunting Andrea, so haunting, great stuff.
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This Sorrowful Life AKA AMC makes you feel sorry for a one handed racist asshole
I gotta get this outta the way first: it feels like this episode moved backwards and not in a good way. In the episode: Arrow in the Doorpost, Rick tells Hershel he knows that the offer to give up Michonne is a blatant trap, but this episode opens with Rick telling Daryl that he has decided to give up Michonne.
Now I'm all about letting crazy people change their minds (I mean I did marry a woman, amirite fellas?!) but it feels like the show isn't developing plot lines, it just opens with no preamble and we just have to accept it as it comes. This happened a few weeks ago when we were told mid-episode that Andrea setup the meet between Rick and The Gov but we did not see that happen during her visit to the prison. I don't like a show assuming I'm stupid and that I won't notice the fleece over my eyes.
That out of the way, I loved this episode. Perfect blend of story and zombie/human killin' action.
So, after Rick tells Daryl his decision to give up Michonne he moves on Merle. Merle sizes up Rick (correctly as it seems) as not having the stones to give Michonne over to the megalomaniacal Governor. Regardless, Merle sets the scene for the Michonne abduction advising Rick of the best way to fuck her over - using wire rather than rope so she can't chew her way free. Rick goes on the hunt.
Rick announces to everyone - but Michonne - his intentions on giving her away to The Governor to mostly disapporving looks, especially from Carl. Later Daryl goes looking for Merle and finds him downstairs. Merle seems to be hiding something but starts ripping into Daryl's lack of interest in leadership eventually driving him away. After Daryl leaves we see that Merle has been a busy little rascist and he has made a little kidnap kit. At the same time we see Rick gathering supplies and - after hallucinating a disapproving Lori - changes his mind again (bitches be tripping', right Rick?) to not harm the incredibly useful Michonne.
Merle takes it upon himself (what with not getting talked to by the flip flopping Rick) to take the hostage situation upon himslf and creates a fake zombie problem after getting Michonne alone. He goes all caveman on her, clubbing her, and after dispatching a few of the zombies, drags her away.
Rick finds Daryl first and reports his new outlook immediately to America's favorite crossbow wielding survivor. Daryl accepts the change like water off a ducks ass, just as its reported that Michonne is missing . . . and so is Merle. Daryl heads out after Merle on his own after getting a jab in on Rick about his terrible tracking skills (everyone remembers Sophia died alone in a forest because of Rick right? That happened) and everyone gets a little happy because we haven't seen a crossbow kill in a couple episodes.
Merle, the honey badger he is, apparently doesn't care about getting tracked as he's walking Michonne down a dirt road letting her lead as he's got a wire line leading from her to him, and her katana. He takes her to a hotel and ties her to a post as he starts to hotwire a car. The car's alarm starts to go off as the one handed madman works on the car, signaling a mini herd to show up. Merle stays hot wiring and let's Michonne fend for herself for a bit, which she does quite well stomping the head of one and using her wire to garrote another. Eventually Merle does jump to the rescue using her sword to cut her free. They get in the stolen (is it stealing from zombie owners?) car and speed away.
Michonne pleads her case with Merle appealing to the man he was before the zombies. Merle somewhat proudly talks about how he's killed 16 men since the outbreak. Michonne asks how many before. None. How about after the zombie but before The Gov? None. Maybe Merle isn't so bad and The Governor changes people; makes them like him. Merle lets Michonne go and gives her back her sword and let's her know he's got a mission to do.
Merle gets to a bar and finally gets that whiskey he's been wanting. He cranks the radio and draw in some zombies and leads them to where the meet between Rick and The Governor was supposed to be. Bailing out of the car Merle hits the ground running, letting the zombies pass him by, they follow the car as he heads into a warehouse. The Governor's men respond to the radio blaring from the car and find about 20 zombies or so waiting; they open fire. As they fire upon the zombies, Merle fires upon them, hurting them enough to put them down and let the zombies finish them off.
Merle finally sees The Governor and takes aim. Aas he fires, one of Tyrese's group unknowingly steps in front of the bullet saving The Governor. Merle gets attacked by a zombie coming from his blind side and while killing it he falls through a door exposing his location. The Governor lays in and kicks the shit out of him. Merle gets a hit or two in and it looks ok for a second until The Governor bites off two of Merle's fingers on the remaining hand! Merle says he'll never forfeit, so The Gov shoots Merle in the chest.
Undisclosed time passes, Daryl has tracked Merle to the meeting location were he finds a zombified Merle munching on the member of Tyrese's group he previously shot.
Daryl's heartbreaking reaction to seeing his brother is the reason I love this show and continue to watch. The human drama of The Walking Dead is amazing. Daryl realizes that he can't leave without ending his brother's existence, a problem that zombie-Merle hastens by attacking the grief stricken Daryl. During their struggle the brothers end up on the ground and Daryl repeatedly stabs Zom-Merle in the face. Daryl is alive and well and we bid adieu to his racist asshole kin.
Favorite Kill: Definitely zombie-Merle with a close second to the kills that Live-Merle got in his rampage against The Governors men. Also close third to Michonne's bound hands kills. Man she's a bad ass.
Character of the Episode: Daryl. How can I not put him up here? He had to kill his older brother. Stone cold man.
See you here again shortly for the finale review.
Any comments question shit talking do so in the appropriate area below.
-ASM out.
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