The Walking Dead, Episode 3.07: "When the Dead Come Knocking"

Since I'm still recouperating from the long Thanksgiving weekend, I'll keep my remarks brief tonight… and to be quite honest, I don't have much profound stuff to write about, because this was very much a setup episode for next week's Woodbury action extravaganza. When even the inevitable Rick-versus-Michonne face-off takes a backseat to the quest to find Glen and Maggie, you know we're in too deep to slow down.

With the very first scene of the episode - the "Merle interrogates/tortures Glen" setup - I was afraid that this whole thread tonight was going to be kind of rote… and I say that having watched 8 seasons of extravagant torture as a 24 fan. :-) But then, here comes Merle later on, tossing a walker into Glen's room with Glen duct-taped to a wooden chair… and I was enthralled. That's the beauty of a show like The Walking Dead: that its writers can take old tropes and infuse them with a unique zombie-laced mentality. As for the Governor's strip-based torture of Maggie, as disturbing a scene as it was, I probably should've been more creeped out than I was… but that's because I was too distracted by the blatant continuity error involving Maggie's bra straps. (Seriously, how that made it past post-production, I don't know…)

Back to Rick versus Michonne: This could've been an entire episode's worth of juicy story material, and I had almost expected it to be that way. But, with Maggie and Glen in danger, the show had to work to distill pretty much every "Can we trust her?" bit that the show's flung at us the past two-and-a-half seasons into as the first third of the episode. At least we got that initial scene of Michonne proving her skills to Rick… even though, just like the Governor, Rick had to deprive Michonne of her sweet, sweet sword. The Hyundai-sponsored trip to Woodbury felt a little bit like filler, especially the trip to Token Old Guy's Random House In The Woods. But I guess they had to pad it out, just so that they could tease us with the shots of Rick and Company hiding just outside the Woodbury patrol wall.

The science experiment sidebar, in which Milton (with Andrea's help) attempts to see if a person retains their human memories after turning into a walker, was intriguing (in that Lost-like mysterious way). But I loved how it quickly turned into a way to flesh out Milton, who, as we found out, hasn't really had that much exposure to walkers to begin with… and whom certainly got a taste of it when Andrea saved his butt. Even if it wasn't much of a revelation, it was still nice to burrow into the inner mechanisms of a walker, albeit briefly. (And it saved us from another episode full of Andrea/Governor lovey-dovey stuff… so that's a plus!)

And now, we wait for next week's big midseason finale, which I can only assume will be a big action-fest like Season 2's "the farm goes down" season-ending extravaganza. If nothing else, we've got a pretty clear plan of action, so hopefully AMC will break the piggybank to let us see Woodbury turn to toast. :-) See you then!

Random notes:

• Tonight's director: Longtime TV director Daniel Sackheim, who made his Walking Dead debut this week. His credits include early episodes of Law & Order and The X-Files. He has no film directing credits to his name, although he has a producer credit on the first X-Files movie.
• Tonight's kill count: 1 human, 15 walkers. Rick won tonight with 7 walkers to his name.
• Kill of the night: I'm going to have to give it to Andrea's takedown of Mr. Coleman. That was insanely swift… and a fun way to cap that plot.
• Tonight's movie ads: Django Unchained, The Expendables 2 on Blu-ray, Jack Reacher, and Zero Dark Thirty.
• So, umm, Freakshow, huh? Way to stay classy, AMC. And here I thought that they couldn't get any more bizarre than Small Town Security…
• I'd like to have Merle bake a cake for me… with pink frosting! That machete arm would come in pretty handy in the kitchen (pun not intended).
• As brief and rushed as it was, it was beneficial to get a good Rick/Carl scene before Rick took off to Woodbury… complete with the naming of our newest Grimes, Judith. The Rick/Carol reunion was a nice touch, too.
• Rick and Carl should've listened to Daryl: I personally think "Ass-Kicker Grimes" would've been a great baby name.
• I loved the wide shot of Rick's vehicle driving away as Carl, Hershel, and the others watch them depart. Yay for striking camera angles!
• Next week: Here's a casting spoiler for next week's midseason finale. And below, you'll find your AMC-sanctioned preview clip!

The Walking Dead, Episode 3.06: "Hounded"

Believe it or not, there are only two episodes of The Walking Dead left in 2012. That can only mean one thing: the show has to start heading toward a mid-season endgame to help wrap things up (and provide fuel for the second half of Season 3). Last year, you'll recall, the endgame ultimately centered around the Barn Full O' Walkers, which ended up circling around to Sophia's disappearance. For Season 3, the basic endgame is simple: the prison and Woodbury groups have to converge in some fashion, with the likelihood that the second half of the season will focus on having all our characters together, duking it out for power and so forth. In that sense, this week's episode of The Walking Dead, "Hounded", started laying the groundwork to unite the show's two halves, and that alone makes me very excited to see how the next two weeks play out. Granted, it took us the majority of the episode to get to that point (and until then, the episode's scattered nature was a bit reminiscent of last week)… but we can still be optimistic!

Let's begin with the evening's biggest slap-your-forehead moment: As soon as Maggie and Glen got out of the vehicle at Baby Formula Central and smooched, you probably screamed at the TV, "Well, they're screwed!" And as luck would have it, there's Merle right there, to provide some convenient conflict and to capture the couple. However, I'm afraid that if it wasn't Merle that showed up, I'd be even more upset… but again, this scene is important to dovetailing the two main threads. And it set up the even cooler payoff in the final scene, in which Michonne (formula in hand!) walks up to the prison fence and sees Rick. (It served as a great final payoff for Michonne being covered in guts, and her eventual discovery that they camouflaged her scent.)

Before I get too far into tonight's write-up, I have to give some appreciation for Michael Rooker's presence this season. As great as Michonne and the Governor have been to watch in this season thus far, there's something so gleefully enjoyable about Rooker's sleazy performance… and the fact that he has A BAYONET FOR A HAND only serve to catapult him into the "Iconic TV Character" stratosphere. And fortunately, since the Governor was too busy trying to bed Andrea last night, Merle got to take center stage… first in the hunt for Michonne, then with the "we ain't gonna let them turn" head stabs of the other deceased team members and the swift takedown of Cargulio (or, as Merle calls him, "the other guy"), and finally with the capturing of Glen and Maggie. (Speaking of the Governor… well, at least they got the hook-up part out of the way. The show's been telegraphing their inevitable couple-ness for several episodes now. Now, to wait until Andrea has to - again - decide between the comfort of Woodbury and the Guv'ner or the fun world of fightin' walkers!)

And then there's Rick's wacky vision quest, or however you want to call it… which, I'll admit, I wasn't too keen on. You'd think that suspension of disbelief wouldn't matter much on a series revolving around the zombie apocalypse… but when the "It's me, Lori!" reveal came, I couldn't help but feel like it was a misstep… which was a shame, because up until that point, I liked the sadness and desperation in Andrew Lincoln's acting work, especially during the first phone call and his "We're dying here" speech. At least everything was contained to voiceovers, and not Actual Magical Visions of Dead People. (And if we're going to bring back former cast members for audio cameos… why not Shane? Or was he being spited for sticking with Team Darabont?)

And in the midst of all of this, there was plenty of room for some minor moments: the scene where Hershel consoles Rick in the boiler room; the mesmerizing single-take scene between Daryl and Carl in the hallways (brought to you by Virginia Slims!); and the powerful reunion of Daryl and Carol. Let's give credit for not dragging our Carol's disappearance like they did Sophia's… that would've been a rote mid-season capper! But what wonders will next week bring us, what with all the wonderful new character combinations? I'm a bit afraid that we won't get much done, simply because we'll be having too much fun having Michonne and Rick face off, or Glen and Maggie versus the Governor. But again, we've only got two episodes before a 2-month break, so let's hope for an all-around exciting hour!

Random notes:

• Tonight's director: Dan Attias, who's served as a veteran TV director for over 25 years, and who's been a major director of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Big Love. This is Attias' first episode of The Walking Dead; however, he does have some horror experience: his only feature film to date is 1985's Stephen King's Silver Bullet.
• Tonight's kill count: 3 humans and 5 walkers. Michonne leads the chart, with 1 walker and 2 humans.
• Tonight's movie promos: Red Dawn 2K12, Killing Them Softly, Hitchcock, and This is 40.
• Norman Reedus' Zombie Apocalypse Playlist:
• Motorhead - "In the Year of the Wolf"
• Sonic Youth - "Dirty Boots"
• Minor Threat - "Filler"
• Neil Young - "Rockin' in the Free World"
• Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Simple Man"
• Iggy Pop - "The Passenger"
• Shall we prepare for a shocking rise in biter-grams nationwide after this week's show?
• I could sure use some flannel slippers… you know, for the end of the day! And relaxin'!
• Next week: Here's a clip that picks up right where we left off last night… Enjoy!

The Walking Dead, Episode 3.05: "Say the Word"

After last week's high-mark episode, I was a bit prepared for a bit of an emotional cool down. After all, in episodic television, series cannot and do not stay at a fever pitch… it's just not sensible. But, what baffled me about tonight's episode was that it was, surprisingly, not focused. Instead, it chose to meander through a number of separate and somewhat minor plot threads. But, when you toss out this week's major revelation in the cold open - that the Governor still harbors his undead daughter, Penny - and you end the hour with a bit of an anti-climactic reveal - that The Episode's Big Secret is essentially a zombie-tinged gladiator match starring Merle - you can't help but be a bit disappointed.

But if nothing else, we at least got some movement on the one plot element that started to drag - the "Shall we go?"/"Shall we stay?" tug-of-war between Andrea and Michonne. Now that Michonne has actually left - with her sword! - the Woodbury civility that's held her back can be shed, and we can actually see her more in her element…. which we got to see a bit of in the enjoyable "target practice" scene, in which Michonne slices and dices her way through the walkers for the night's wrestling festivities. (That scene must've eaten up a good chunk of the show's CGI budget… or maybe AMC's willing to loosen up the purse strings, now that The Walking Dead is getting better ratings than most network series.) Heck, let's watch that scene again!



Oh, and then there's the zombie gladiator stuff… which merits a little bit of fun, if only to see Michael Rooker kicking ass, which is pretty cool. (As was Merle's bayonet-hand-stab-to-the-head in the earlier scene when he and his crew went to collect some new recruits for the fight.) Still, it's a little nonsensical, as Andrea rightly calls the Guv'ner out on… despite the intimate relationship play that he's trying to pull.

Meanwhile, over at Le Prison, the order of the day is to get some formula for the baby. It's a relatively straightforward B-plot, as Maggie and Daryl - ahem, make that PONCHO DARYL!!! - raid an abandoned daycare and come across their biggest enemy to date… a possum! Okay, that's an exaggeration… but still, not much tension tonight. We also learned, via Carl, that his baby sister has no name as of yet, although the first name of every dead or missing female to date is up for consideration. Shall we start placing bets on which one will be selected?

And then, there's Rick and his post-shock quest to find Lori's body… or something. This is a hard plot thread to gauge, if only because there's no real focus to it, outside of the primal, scattered, and emotional state of Rick… which leads to some gone-bananas slaying in the prison corridors, a tense scene with Glen (who tries to reason with Rick), and a head-shot/stomach-stabbing of a gorging walker in the ill-fated boiler room. Ending it with an out-of-the-blue phone call that seemed straight out of the Lost playbook didn't help matters, either. Hopefully, next week will provide a good payoff for that… and maybe a more cohesive episode as well.

Random notes:

• This week's director: It's none other than Greg Nicotero, the key mastermind behind the show's makeup effects. This is his second episode at the helm… and in addition, he's directed both series of Walking Dead webisodes, Season 2's "Torn Apart" and Season 3's "Cold Storage".
• Tonight's kill count: No humans (whew!) and 12-plus walkers, 6 of which were taken out by Michonne.
• Tonight's kill of the night: Definitely Michonne's head stomping… further proving that she doesn't need her sword to kick some butt!
• Just a heads-up: Next week's write-up might be posted later in the evening than usual (or, worst-case scenario, Monday night), due to personal obligations. But something will be posted eventually! With that in mind, here's the preview clip for next week:

The Walking Dead, Episode 3.04: "Killer Within"

Last night, I was with my college-aged brother and a couple of his buddies, and The Walking Dead came up in conversation. One of said buddies asked, "Did you watch last week's episode?" "Yeah," I said. "I thought it was pretty cool." He responded, "It sucked! There were, like, only 5 zombies in the entire episode!" Now, granted, not every episode can have zombie fun… after all, this is as much a survival drama as it is a horror showcase. Nonetheless, here's an episode that works very, very hard to bring walkers back into play, by way of destroying the peace and security of our wonderful prison… not to mention the very structure of our group. But we'll get to that last part later.

First, let's quickly backtrack to Woodbury, where we keep the suspicion vibe about the Governor going right where we left off, as Michonne finds bullet holes and blood on the newly acquired Army trucks. This leads to the first of several sweet-talking sequences from the Guv'ner tonight, as he tries to have a soldier like her stay on board. The major thread in Woodbury tonight, though, deals with Andrea providing Merle with information on Hershel's farm, in an effort to help Merle reunite with Daryl. This leads to a stellar conversation between the Governor and Merle, set against a makeshift driving range placed right on the town border. Merle asks permission to leave Woodbury to find Daryl.. and the Governor tries to instill doubt with every sentence he utters. I loved this scene because it's a true battle between the two most powerful men in the town… and yet Merle has very little pull against the Governor. Granted, the Governor offers his assistance if Merle can get some solid intel… but it plays off more like a stalling action than anything. Still, the show has set up the elements needed to help dovetail the two disparate halves of our show back together.

The prison occupies most of tonight's episode, thanks primarily to the walkers' human-assisted overrun of the grounds. The brief cold open sets up the chaos effectively: an unidentified person cuts the prison gate's chains loose, and lures walker in with a freshly-killed deer. When the walkers come crashing through the prison courtyard - and ultimately, in our heroes' cell block - suspicion immediately turns to the two prisoners left over from Episode 2, Axel and Oscar. After all, they can't stand the living conditions in the cell block that Rick has kept them to - seeing their fellow former prisoners as corpses is too disturbing to bear. But, Rick won't hear it - there's very little room for trust outside the gang. But, as it turns out, it was neither of them: it was actually Andrew, the prisoner that Rick had locked out and said, "You'd better run." Rick, Daryl and Oscar find him by the generators when they attempt to shut them down to shut off the blaring horns… but Andrew shoots down Oscar, and then gives up his gun, in a bold attempt to secure trust from Rick.

But that's not the only casualties tonight… not by a long shot. For starters, let's talk about T-Dog's unfortunate bite that he incurred during the opening walker attack. As T-Dog and Carol scurry around the corridors of the prison, the two find themselves surrounded by walkers… but T-Dog makes a heroic sacrifice and lets himself get chewed up by zombies in order to let Carol escape. Farewell, T-Dog… we shall miss you.

Meanwhile, Lori, Maggie and Carl, who are also scurrying around the corridors, encounter a perfectly-timed complication: Lori's going into labor! It's certainly a chaotic time for this to happen; fortunately, our trio camps out in the boiler room to bring the new baby into the world, despite not having Hershel around… or even Carol, who practiced on a corpse for this last week. Lori attempts to push… but blood comes out… and that's when the episode makes its tragic turn. Lori says she's not losing this baby, and that's why she asks Maggie to cut her open and get the baby out, even if it means she'll die in the process. And thus begins the devastating final act of the episode, as Maggie copes to make the incision. But when Lori says her final words to Carl - "You are going to beat this world!" - it's some of the most gut-wrenching work this show's ever produced.

But it's not just the tear-jerking content that makes this scene. After the cut is made, there's the haunting 15 seconds or so where Maggie has the newborn baby in her hands and the baby hasn't cried… for those few moments, you fear the worst has happened. But the baby's alive, and Maggie says they have to go… but Carl is adamant about finishing the job, lest she turn. The sheer sadness of the situation - "She's my mom", Carl says - combined with the cold, silent way Carl exits the boiler room after the gunshot - makes for a moment of television that only this show could accomplish. (The juxtaposition of Rick's talk with Carl - "No more kid stuff" - brings it all home.)

The final scene provides an oddly effective bookend to the episode, as the baby's cry silences Rick's commanding in the courtyard. For a moment, the peaceful quiet that we heard just prior to the start of the walker riot has returned… but at an immense cost. And to see a show like The Walking Dead kill off its characters in an uncompromisingly brutal fashion is affirming to the storytelling intentions of the series. Yes, it whittles down the cast quite a bit… but this is a show where every day is a matter of life or death, and those risks need to be reinforced in the storytelling. And for that, "Killer Within" earns its place as the best episode of the season thus far.

Random notes:

• Tonight's top kill: I thought Daryl's stab to the skull was going to be the winner… until it was followed mere seconds later by Glen's slicing of a skull in half like a cantaloupe!
• Tonight's director: Oddly enough, it's Guy Ferland, the same director from last week's episode. Rare is it where a director helms back-to-back episodes of a series (24 excepted), but here we are.
• Tonight's kill count: 3 humans, 24 walkers. Top killer: Rick, with 6+ walkers.
• Tonight's movie promos: Only a couple were shown tonight: Skyfall (An exclusive look at Javier Bardem's villain! Oooooh!), and the impressive-looking Hitchcock.
• Glen and Maggie, sitting in a prison watchtower… K-I-S-S-I-N-G...
• It was a cheesy effect, but I liked the editing of the Governor's final golf club hit leading directly into Rick's zombie head shot in the cell block.
• Another effective filmmaking effect in this episode: the reveal of the walkers in the prison when the camera rotates around Carl.
• FYI, we are halfway through the first half of Season 3. New episodes will air until December 2nd, and then the show will take a break until the week after the Super Bowl (just like last season).
• Next week: Glen and the prisoners be digging some graves, in this preview clip: