With two episodes left in Season Three of The Walking Dead, only one thing is relatively certain: People are going to die. And last night’s episode primed the pump with a major character exiting the series. Though, if Lori has taught us anything, it’s that death isn’t always the end of a character’s annoying involvement.
If you missed the episode, here’s everything you need to know:
Rick Broke Character Long Enough to Do Something Terrible. Almost.
With the exception of Andrea, no one was stupid enough to think that anything would be resolved when Rick and The Governor sat down for their little parley. The Governor has been pretty forthcoming about his desire to poke Michonne with sharp things, and taking over the prison would just be another notch in his thoroughly notched headboard. So, when the Gov proposed a truce based on Rick delivering Michonne to Woodbury for what would be a pretty horrific torture sequence, we just assumed that Rick would toss one of his characteristically sweaty glares in The Governor’s direction and walk off.
But this didn’t happen.
In fact, Rick spent most of last night’s episode getting psychologically ready to turn Michonne over to The Governor because he thought it might ensure a relatively peaceful outcome for the rest of his crew. Does this seem weird to anyone else?
Throughout the first two seasons, Rick’s character was stubbornly committed to the safety of the individuals in the group. Ethical concerns always took a backseat to group safety, and even though infighting was common, once a character was a part of Team Grimes, Rick was like a mother bear.
So, the fact that Rick was actually considering the Gov’s offer seems a bit out of character. The Governor isn’t known for compromise, and he’s not a member of Rick’s fan club, so even if Michonne was delivered to Woodbury, Team Rick would probably still end up fighting off the Gov’s cronies in the relatively near future.
Rick knows this. But it takes an uncomfortably long stare from the ghost of his dead wife to make him think twice. Unfortunately, Merle knows Rick better than The Walking Dead’s writers. So, by the time Rick actually changes his mind, Michonne is in route to Woodbury’s torture chamber.
Glenn Steals a Zombie Engagement Ring
Glenn, inspired by his love for female nudity, cut the fingers off of a lady zombie so he could steal a wedding ring for Maggie. I’m not sure if he cleaned it first, but I’d like to think that he didn’t.
Before bending a knee, though, Glenn did have an emotional chat with Herschel, who tossed around words like “love” and “blessing.” But I wonder if Herschel’s blessing would have come so quickly if he’d known about all of the unprotected prison sex that Glenn and Maggie had been having while they were supposed to be protecting everyone from the Governor’s militia and a nearly constant stream of deadly zombies.
Merle Is Was the Pied Piper of Zombieland
The amount of time that Merle’ been a pain in the ass is roughly equal to the number of minutes that he’s been on screen. His character has never had any redeeming qualities, and we all got a little queasy when he sashayed out of the ether in Season 3.
However, last night Merle had a tinge of conscience on the road back to Woodbury. Instead of delivering Michonne, Merle released her, cranked up the stereo on his car, and led a crowd of music-loving zombies to Woodbury’s unsuspecting militia. Then, as if that weren’t already enough to atone for his past, he used the distraction to snipe several key members of The Gov’s little army.
Sadly, Merle’s character was redeemed just long enough to get captured, beaten, and killed by the Governor. Daryl ran across the newly minted zombie edition of Merle a few scenes later and stabbed his skull a few times. It was probably a bummer for Daryl, but I made a hilarious joke about Merle’s character being exactly the same, even as a zombie. So, it wasn’t a total loss.
As it stands, Team Grimes is gearing up for a war with Woodbury, Andrea is still locked in the Governor’s torture chamber, Merle is dead, and Daryl is probably pretty peeved at Woodbury’s preeminent citizen. I think it’s probably safe to assume that several cast members will end up on the business end of a zombie’s face next week.
Who do you think will survive?
 | By Josh Engen News Director Date: March 25, 2013 |