The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 14 Review

Much like “Clear”, Episode 14 of The Walking Dead focuses on a specific story arc.  The third season is heavily reliant on the conflict between Rick and the Governor, and since we know a great deal about Rick already, the writers are developing the Woodbury foe with terrific care.

Major spoilers follow

Of course, at the moment, any spotlight on the Governor involves his right-hand-man, Milton and his lover, Andrea. The latter has slowly been edging herself away from the eye-patched menace, seeing his Machiavellian ego for all its worth. So for a lot of “Prey”, Andrea is the centre-point.

We start off, rather bizarrely, with a flash-back to Andrea and Michonne during their time together. The question of who the two jawless, armless, chained-up zombies are is something we as an audience have wanted to know for a while. Still, in comparison to the rest of the episode, the flashback and its content barely matches the tone and theme of the episode. We are finally told that they were people Michonne once knew, and not people she liked it seems. The other quick scene before the credits start up is of the Governor preparing a torture chamber (and enjoying it a little bit too much).

Audience’s concerns about the Governor’s “sanity” have been there from early on. Now it’s Andrea, and even Milton, questioning his morals and his actions habitually. Showing Andrea the torture room from a space above, Milton implores Andrea to tell the prison group to leave before war and in time, the Governor will move on. Andrea is more adamant about killing him, however, and we witness another perfect set-up for just that. As the Governor works beneath them, Andrea aims her gun at him. We know that the chances of him being killed this unassumingly are slim so the tension is never quite there in this moment. But, the interaction with Milton does add something to the scene; he still protects “Philip” but also considers the ramifications of Andrea’s decision.

Andrea understands Milton’s apprehension and leaves on her own (before confronting the newbies who want no trouble and let her pass). Andrea out on her own is an interesting choice of direction for the episode as we haven’t had much chance to follow her singularly since her entering Woodbury.

The friction between Andrea and the Governor lurks under the surface of their face-to-face interaction but as this episode shows, it’s about to become truly unmistakable. After she leaves the Governor starts asking questions about where and why. Milton is one such person questioned – his answer of knowing she was leaving finally erodes their friendship, with the Governor aggressively pinning Milton up against a rail.

The hunt begins after Andrea departs – the Governor seeking her out himself and Caesar showing the new lot the ropes. Tyreese and co are a pretty dull bunch, in all honesty, and their spats and discussions bring hardly anything to the show. Tyreese is the strongest character out of them but only due to some discord with Andrew Lincoln 2 (Daniel Thomas May – a southern accent and deranged mind away from being Woodbury’s Rick). Fortunately, not so of the episode is devoted to their story and we cut back to Andrea, the Governor and Milton.

Andrea on the run contains one of the best moments of The Walking Dead, but not before a clichéd crack at some scares. Dodging the Governor’s car by running into the woods, Andrea leans back on a tree with no apparent danger in sight. Out pops a walker’s arm followed by two other walkers walking over. It’s not a terrible piece of action, but just too formulaic for the maturity of the show. However, it may have been an excuse for some weekly blood-lust which it provides once Andrea stabs the zombies and snaps the arm of the walker behind her.

Some may find the next scene slightly familiar (No Country for Old Men, anyone?) but it still creates quite an atmosphere of dread. The Governor hooting the horn as Andrea runs for her life is a strange action, calling her out like a madman. Nothing compares to the following chase – arguably one of the series’ finest moments.

Looking and sounding like a scene from Halloween (with Jonathan Ortega’s chilling composed music), the eight-minute hunt is superbly directed and acted. The Governor may still be out of harm’s way for the season’s climax (expectedly) but Andrea’s fate is not certain. That’s why her creeping around the factory, cautious of not making any noise and escaping biters along the way, makes your heart pound.

It’s almost too wonderful not to need analysis but if anything has to be said, Andrea’s escape is fantastic. Opening the door onto herself (and therefore protecting her from any walker’s contact) and letting a flood of walkers come in through an adjacent room into the Governor’s path is such a crowd-pleasing instant. He fires off rounds of ammo and thwacks the skulls on the oncoming hoard and is left to fend for himself.

Andrea finds the prison and is almost caught in the sight of Rick’s scope. That’s before the Governor grabs her and pulls her down (confusing poor old Rick, leading him to think it’s another hallucination).

The penultimate scene shows the walkers who have been trapped by Caesar and his crew being burned in a blazing fire. It could either be Tyreese (who expressed distaste to the idea of using them as weapons), but it’s most certainly Milton. This is his way of getting back at his old friend – and after questioning a naive Tyreese, the Governor knows it’s his spectacled companion. So for Milton, the end could be near.

Speaking of end, the last shot we see is Andrea tied up in the Governor’s formidable torture room, giving us another brilliant cliff-hanger.

By Piers McCarthy. Also posted on Flickering Myth

The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 12 Review

Often in assessing The Walking Dead I forget about the scale of the show; mostly I look at the writing and the direction, but rarely the design and set-pieces. Watching episode 12 was wonderfully eye-opening for immediately drawing my attention what I usually forget about it.

Major spoilers follow

“Clear” is a fantastic return to a singular narrative strand. It’s not often that the various stories are diluted down to a particular character or small group, so episode 12 feels nicely refreshing. What’s more, it also brings us back to Rick, Carl and the late Lori’s hometown.

Before we reach the long-left homeland of Rick and family, we are taken on the journey there. The car ride consists of a fretful Carl, worried about Michonne’s company, and a hysteric hiker yelling for them to stop the car and pick him up. I was excited to see a new, loner figure emerge in the chaos of The Walking Dead’s world as I always welcome a new story and character (the world of the graphic novel/TV series must be exceptionally rich for possible stories). Sadly, he’s ignored as Michonne speeds on by him. Afterwards, Carl, Rick and Michonne find themselves slowing and sticking in a road collision site, a muddied track keeping them momentarily static. There is then a sudden zombie attack but it’s quickly over. Two exciting elements are introduced – a new character and a hairy fight – but quickly deserted, leaving me entertained but also disappointed at lost story and action opportunities.

We then enter King County and your mind and eyes are rapidly attuned to detail. The detail of props and set-design is astounding – the place is littered with graffiti, signs, animal cages, and defences rigged up. The police artillery barracks has been raided and only a pile of burned bodies shows for walker-action. In a few minutes an overwhelming sense of history is created.

“It looks like somebody’s already made this theirs” says Michonne. It certainly appears that way and whoever is behind the odd DIY fortification has clearly spent some time securing their home. A zombie then shuffles in, showing some “life” to this silent town. As they go to kill the walker a bullet shatters its skull and our heroes are quickly alerted. The gunman demands they leave, sans weapons. Of course, Rick having come all this way to fortify himself for the Governor is not going to leave with fewer guns then he started with. A worrying bullet ballet happens but it’s eventually Carl who shoots the assailant, revealed to be none other than Season 1’s Morgan.

And so our interest is fired up to 11. They bring him back to his fortress – a home with more traps than Home Alone and Skyfall combined. Inside are the guns, a ton of them (“He’s been busy” is an understatement, Rick). Grabbing all they need – and more – Carl and Michonne set off to find a family photo of Carl’s. Left with the unconscious body of Morgan, we’re expecting a great reunion. Noting, however, the message-covered walls, Morgan’s mind may not be all it used to be (and with a son who has “turned”). Waking up he is crazed and confused. A brief tussle and Rick finally gets him to the point of reminding him of old times.

Lennie James as Morgan was a brilliant actor to start off the programme – another Brit who was making a grand and impressive entrance into mainstream American TV. Leaving him was a huge loss but having him back is a fantastic surprise. Having a lot to play with, in terms of character, James steals the show. The two men whose minds are not all there is a dangerous combination, but they balance out each other well. Rick, for the time being, has to return to “normal” in order to calm Morgan and we see Andrew Lincoln as the head-strong hero we love him for. It’s a stirring episode hearing about Morgan’s huge loss, loneliness and lunacy. Cries of anger and sadness are not uncommon in this programme but when paired with a cared-for character (like Rick when he found out Lori was dead) it makes for teary television.

Meanwhile, Carl’s desperate attempt to get his family photo from a zombie-infested restaurant gives us a bit of action and gore.  Using Morgan’s traps they distract the walkers, but only for a few minutes as one of the rat-traps open and the undead follow the scurrying vermin. Michonne uses her sword skills and we see bursts of blood and decent effects (enough to satisfy the action-adorers). As he and Michonne fail to quietly and safely enter, Michonne then goes back in and emerges with the sought-after photograph. Carl finally sees the good in her, and her place in the group has been cemented (as Carl reiterates at the end of the episode).

“Clear” finishes with Morgan choosing to stay in his kitted-out habitat. It’s a shame he couldn’t have joined Rick but two damaged minds would certainly jeopardise everyone. It also adds to the poignancy of the episode leaving Morgan with the ghosts of his past – a theme repeated with Michonne mentioning how she used to talk to her dead boyfriend, in a conversation about Rick’s ghoulish hallucinations. 

A really tremendous episode that has everything going for it – A-grade writing, acting, direction and design. Now with all the guns and ammo taken we can expect an epic war to be fought, though I hope the writers don’t forget smaller stories such as these as they are expert examples of engaging television.

By Piers McCarthy. Also posted on Flickering Myth

The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 9 Review

Much to some readers’ consternation, I felt the mid-season finale of The Walking Dead’s third season wasn’t all that wonderful. It was still energetic, visceral and enjoyable (bettering the majority of contemporary television) but was noticeably poorer than the 7 episodes that had preceded it. Returning after a two-month hiatus, The Walking Dead still stands as one of the best programmes currently airing, but episode 9 is nonetheless overshadowed by the several seminal episodes.

Major Spoilers Follow

Season 2 was flawed by a bitterly slow series of events – a problem dealt with perfectly during the start of the third season. Whilst “The Suicide King” never becomes too sluggish, there are some issues with the pacing, mostly a decision to rush through events. Given the relatively long break from episode 8 to 9 airing, the best thing to have done is to take things steady with the action. I found episode 8’s Woodbury infiltration and escape frantically shot and edited, ruining some of the tension. The same can be said for episode 9 which starts off with Daryl and Merle pitted against one another in a fight to the death. This was the cliff-hanger clincher for me last December – something I was eager to see the result of – but takes a mere few minutes to end at the start of the season’s second half. Just a few more shots on the brothers’ faces (showing their turmoil/anger/fear) would have sufficed and brought a bit more drama to the set-piece.

Despite this, the second infiltration by Rick and Maggie brilliantly builds on the new “Rick versus The Governor” story arc. The Governor coolly walking through the smoke grenade’s smog is now the new iconic image of The Walking Dead’s conflict. It shows the possible end to Woodbury – a point lingered on for the right amount of time. The best piece of damning evidence to Woodbury’s survival is a gap in the gate, with a classic-looking zombie drooling and moaning before it.

With The Governor knowing of Rick et al’s hide-out, the prison may also become a doomed locale. However, before that happens there is still some change happening there to keep you interested. For one, there is the new group currently housed in the cell next to Hershel, Carl, Beth and Judith. They all seem pleasant and humbly concerned about their future with or without the prison lot. But one member changes your perception when he mentions knocking off Carol and Carl in order to get their guns. The leader, Tyreese, is shocked by the idea, yet it can’t erase the idea in the audiences’ mind that they may not be as innocent as they appear.

There isn’t much development with the new crowd that warrants immediate attention; all concern goes towards Daryl leaving his borrowed family for his blood one. Daryl is an integral part of the show – Rick’s right-hand man and one of the most beloved characters. As he trudges off with his evil brother there is a definite drop in the show’s credit (how it will last without Daryl or how they’ll bring him back is now a haunting question).

What marks the series as a well-acclaimed one is its ability to deal well with certain themes. The overarching ones will always be loss, survival and humanity, though each episode usually contains a specific one. Episode 9 looks closer at Rick’s madness and also the clashes between counter-communities (Woodbury and the prison). For the latter, there is a sense of the community degenerating – whether it’s the take-over of Woodbury with zombies or its people wanting to leave, or Daryl leaving Rick and co for the prison lot – showing a slightly mirrored image of decay. Rick’s tortured mind is a theme seen only in snippets since Lori’s death. As the episode finishes he looks up a Shakespearian-type ghost of Lori, cloaked in shadow on the upper floor of the cell. As a programme continually promoting horror or scares, this is one of the most upsetting images to date. Not only does it reveal Rick as a broken, disillusioned man, it also draws on paranoia and phantoms – prime material for creeping you out.

By Piers McCarthy. Also posted on Flickering Myth

The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 5 Review

After last week’s grand spectacle of chaos and loss, I was fearful that episode 5 would slow down. I don’t expect The Walking Dead to continually be a show of amped up action and gore; though after Season 2 I wanted it to take a different direction. As of yet that’s exactly what the show’s writers and directors are doing; episode 5 has to show some mourning but it shows it in a more visceral way. What’s more, the programme is starting to look at deeper, darker themes that effectively catalyse a lot of the drama.

Major spoilers follow

Rick Grimes has had to suffer the loss of his wife twice – when he escaped from a coma and hospital he found a world of death around him (visiting his home he believed his wife and son to be lost in the ruin), and now after she fatally gave birth to his daughter. He has had to endure the stages of grief more than anyone would care for, though he has never had issues with the anger stage. For all the tension between him and Lori since her confession about Shane, and the ambiguity about his feelings for her, Lori’s death sparked something inside of Rick. Episode 5 picks up immediately after 4 and Rick is in a near catatonic state of rage, marching his way through the prison, hacking up all the walkers that he finds.

Andrew Lincoln has owned the show all the way through. Now, however, the push in his character’s situation enables him to explore the more morbid side of Rick and bring more to the character. As he slashes his way through the zombies (fantastically shot to begin with, as the camera acts partially as POV shot with blood splatters surging from the audience’s/zombies’ viewpoint) we are seeing the most animalistic and unrestrained version of this man. We have seen his instinctual side before (more recently with the murder of the Latino convict) though as Glenn later tries to pull Rick back from his sanguine storm, you can see no humanity in his eyes. Rick’s cry in the end of the last episode and his blood-stained avenger in episode 5 show him as a wounded and lost man (it will act as great evidence for Lincoln’s deserved Emmy and Golden Globe nominations).

The others allow Rick to deal with his unforeseen widower status and instead focus their attention on the newborn. That means for Maggie and Daryl to head out to find supplies (mainly baby formula) – something we haven’t seen for a while. Unfortunately this excursion from the prison is fleeting but adds some humour amongst the gloom of the episode (Daryl shooting a possum and calling it as dinner). Daryl additionally adds some light on the darkness later on by naming the new baby “Ass kicker” after Carl’s ideas of naming the baby after their dead companions.

In the alternate Walking Dead arc the “will they stay/will they go” aspect of Michonne and Andrea’s story is becoming tedious. Thankfully, Michonne’s attitude toward the town finally leads her to walk out the gates. It takes some aggressive interaction between her and the Governor before this happens as both are becoming too wary and hostile to one another.

The episode starts with the Governor combing a little girl’s hair, stroke by stroke until a clump of hair and a patch of skin are pulled out by the brush. As the scalp rips away the girl starts lashing around on the floor. She is a “biter” (as the Woodbury clan call them) and the Governor’s daughter. He has kept her with him in hope a cure would come (one can assume). This is one of the motifs that has ran through the series – the notion of keeping your loved ones close, even if they are undead. The hope that a cure will be found is something Hershel held on to, and clearly the Governor too. Michonne witnesses this from below the Governor’s window and later finds a cage full of walkers who she warms up with up after repossessing her sword. This scene loses some of its credibility due to some very poor CGI work but later model and practical effects fortunately help you forget it.

The Governor confronts Michonne after her little spot of “exercise”. They discuss the caged biters and then talk about secrets (mainly to do with a list Michonne finds). The Governor, on hearing about the list’s names, shows a tiny bit of fear and anger in his expression. Nevertheless, he goes back to his manipulative mode, appearing collected and caring. Michonne, still untrustworthy, grabs her sword and points it to the Governor’s throat. We know she wouldn’t kill him but it’s an affirming nod to Michonne’s hatred of the place and the people who run it; we now know that she will not and cannot stay.

Michonne going, Andrea decides to stay (further adding to the parallel themes of departure and continuation). Michonne desperately tries to tell Andrea of the uncanny nature of Woodbury but, as of yet, it is only Michonne and the audience who can perceive it. A scene with Merle and helpers wrangling together walkers, killing some and maintaining others (by maintaining I mean pulling out their teeth to leave them relatively harmless) adds to the audience’s suspicions about the place. We later discover the walkers to be set up as walls in a bizarre arena where a gladiatorial fight takes place between some of the townspeople. It is set out as entertainment and the crowd go wild as the two men wrestle in amongst a circle of clawing, biting walkers. Andrea watches with the Governor and soon sees some truth in Michonne’s warning. She is appalled at the display and even with the Governor explaining the fake aspect of it (the toothless zombies, for one) she cannot find any decent quality in it. The zombie arena is also a good pretext for keeping the zombies alive (yet, as we understand, the Governor still longs to find out a way to repair the virus’ effects).

The penultimate scene shows Daryl laying a flower on one of the graves Glenn, Axel and Oscar dug. Daryl is perhaps the most likeable in the show – this poignant moment emphasising that further. Amongst the depressing aspects of this and last week’s episode, there are many uplifting and touching moments. Last week’s was Hershel stepping out and this week’s “Say the Word” has Daryl at the grave and Hershel and Glenn momentarily bonding (Hershel obviously sees Glenn as the perfect partner for his daughter Maggie). The Walking Dead is built on humanism (and ironically on zombies) so it always includes a moment or moments like this.

Finishing on Rick’s exhausted charge through the prison, he stops in the boiler room. In there he finds a bloated walker, having devoured all of Lori (though the lack of bones leads me to believe that is not the case completely and maybe Carl did not shoot her). Rick sticks his gun barrel into the undead’s gullet and fires. Not finished there, he then stabs the stomach of the zombie repeatedly, as if to prevent any kind of digestion of Lori (if that is at all possible with them). He slumps back, tired from his day-long excursion and distress. As he stares into space an alien sound suddenly breaks the silence – a telephone in the room is ringing. Rick walks up to it and answers. The more I think about it the more intrigued I become; not only for the fact that there is no power in the prison, but also by the query of who could be calling and why specifically that room. It is a very decent cliff-hanger that highlights the entertaining quality of Rick’s story far more than Andrea’s (that has lost some momentum and personal interest).

By Piers McCarthy. Also posted on Flickering Myth

The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 4 Review

In many cases there will be one seminal season of a television show. For all the episodes that constitute the label “best ever season”, there is usually one in amongst them all that is pivotal. It may be too early to say but The Walking Dead’s “Killer Within” may be that episode in a season that is arguably the “best ever”.

The last episode moved away from Rick and co’s story and drew attention on Michonne and Andrea and a new community they are invited into. Episode four switches back and forth between these arcs though the expected linkage between has yet to be seen.

“Killer Within” begins with the set-up of a zombie mousetrap where, instead of cheese, a deer carcass is strung up to attract and distract two walkers whilst an unknown figure breaks through the fence of the prison. As one gate is opened, the bloody heart of the deer is placed on the ground – bait for more walkers.

The prison is now officially home for Rick and his family and friends and so a clean-up is underway. This occupies most of Glenn, Daryl, T-Dog and Carol’s time though some attention is given to the two convicts left to live in a cell full of the “ghosts” of old prison-mates. The older, Southern man begs to be let in the group whilst his younger, black companion sees no point trying to bargain with the stern lot of newcomers. T-Dog is a little more open to inviting the pair in, thinking that “those two might actually have less blood on their hands than we do”. Nevertheless, Rick’s rules stand and the convicts are locked up. You often forget that Rick was a police officer and so his perception of criminals is largely distrustful; he tells the story of an boy he once arrested who once acquitted went on to shoot more people, giving credence to his opinion of consideration before care. The Southerner keeps trying to win over Daryl but to no avail, hoping Daryl would allow him to touch up his motorbike in one instance.

Back to Woodbury and Michonne is checking out the area by herself. She still feels perturbed about being under the rule of the mysterious Governor and is analysing the trucks and Humvees supposedly salvaged from the apparent zombie attack on the group of soldiers. As she sees bullets holes embedded in the side doors the Governor appears – she takes her opportunity to question the scenario. He manipulates the moment by praising Michonne and saying how the situation may have been different with her help and knowledge. Despite his efforts Michonne still has her reservations and shrugs off his tall tales and commendations. Back in her room with Andrea she tells her friend of her plan to get to the coast, find a boat and travel to an island. Andrea likes the romantic and possibly safe notion of this plan and decides to join Michonne.

Hershel’s health, meanwhile, has strengthened and he takes to using crutches to move around. Finding his new legs is a slow process but as he walks out into the prison yard he is looked on by all the others. It is a moment of cheerfulness that feels odd and alien to the show (forgetting the camp-fire scene in “Seed”). Some may not experience this uneasiness but for those that do, the shots of smiling faces brings on an anxious sweat. The slight fear you may feel is quite legitimate as soon dozens of walkers begin to flood the prison ground. Hershel is barely back on his feet and Lori is heavily pregnant – these two issues are made worse by the fact that help from Rick, Daryl and Glenn has to wait as they are on the other side of the prison yard. They sprint to their aid but are still too far away to get there in time and Lori, Carl, Maggie, Carol and T-Dog have to take shelter inside. Tension has surmounted in a few sequences so far but this is easily the most nerve-wracking; the jeopardy that so many core characters find themselves is shocking. As if matters couldn’t get worse T-Dog is bit and the prison alarm is raised, bringing walkers in from all surrounding areas. 

Andrea says her goodbyes to Merle, though asks him whether he had ever thought about leaving. Andrea is offering to help Merle find his brother and with that and her query he starts to question his time in Woodbury. He goes to the Governor and talks about his wish to find his brother. The Governor continues to be manipulative and carefully shoots holes in Merle’s optimism, trying to advertise the settlement. Merle continues to give ideas of how he’ll find Daryl and the Governor finally states that if he gets more concrete evidence that he will go with him –hopeful that no extra information will come or that Merle changes his mind. Andrea later says her goodbyes to the Governor but decides to stick around for a day or two longer, much to Michonne’s annoyance.

Back with the main story and the alarm is sounding loudly throughout the prison. Glenn finds the lock cut with an axe and Rick and Daryl immediately think it’s the two convicts. The prisoners both vehemently deny it and the younger one offers guidance on how to shut off the alarm and where to find the generator – this earns the both of them a kind of reprieve. Inside the lower depths of the prison Lori, Carl and Maggie take sanctuary in the boiler room where Lori has gone into labour. Maggie tries to help but after finding blood during one of the pushes, realises more help is needed.

The other characters needing help are Carol and T-Dog, especially as the latter has been bit and is ready to turn. Unlike Carl, Lori and Maggie, they have been unable to find a place to hide safely. The walkers trudge through every corridor, making the labyrinth all the more deathly. T-Dog finds an exit and holds back the two walkers covering it in order for Carol to escape. Like I said in the review for episode one, there is something more repulsive about a living person getting ripped apart in the show than a walker. T-Dog’s horrible death includes his neck being bitten into – with the flesh ripped away and a gush of blood following that makes even the more desensitised viewer feel faint. His death may mean something to some fans but in general T-Dog is a weak, undeveloped character that only provides muscle and occasional opinion. The demise of T-Dog would not give the episode the full thwack of drama and so one more character must perish.

If T-Dog could die amid the scratches and snares of the zombies, so could anyone in the prison. Rick, Daryl and the black convict are equally vulnerable when routing their way to generators. As they reach the room they’re looking for the door can’t close with the walkers pounding up against it and as Rick asks for assistance on shutting the power off, only Daryl can hold the door. The walkers could break through is not the major worry though – the swing of an axe only just misses Rick and the one behind all the games is the one Rick left on the prison roofs. Realistically pissed off by the desertion he has tried to kill Rick and his group – successful in part. A close fight ends when the helpful convict shoots his past cell-mate in the head. As the gun still lies square at Rick’s head, Daryl creeps up ready to stab away. Fortunately, the black convict still wants to lend a hand and gives Rick back his gun. Maybe now he and the Southerner will be accepted.

The Caesarean that Lori thought she may need becomes a necessity. Lori is decisive that her baby is given its life whilst she loses hers. The relationship between Carl and his parents has lost most of its relevance and so Lori dying in Carl’s arms arguably doesn’t affect you as much you would have thought. As the baby is pulled out by Maggie it looks to be stillborn, adding to the tragedy that Lori died in vain. However, the baby soon lets out a cry and Maggie walks out of the boiler room with it. Carl is left to destroy his mother’s brain, lest she return as a walker. The shot that we hear as Maggie looks to go back for him is more saddening than her goodbye – it is a dilemma for Carl and a horrible choice he has to make. Before we hear the shot we see a flashback to an earlier episode where Rick tells his son how he’ll “never be ready” for the deaths and destruction the new world will bring. It reminds you more of Carl and Rick’s relationship, making the final scene heartbreaking.

As Rick, Daryl and Glenn find T-Dog’s chewed remains they see the exit that Carol escaped through (though they believe her to be dead also after finding only her head-cloth). Led back into the prison yard Rick asks for Lori, Carl and Maggie’s whereabouts. As Hershel and Beth tell them there’s no sign of them the faint cry of the baby immediately gets their attention. Maggie shakily walks out with the baby in her arms, Carl following solemnly behind. As Rick sees Maggie’s teary eyed face and finds no Lori walking behind he realises the worst has happened. This is one of the most devastating sequences in The Walking Dead and Andrew Lincoln and Lauren Cohan’s acting lifts the drama and desolation to new heights. Carl stands silently with watery eyes and Rick looks at him, bubbling “No, no no”. From the description it may not sound too upsetting but watching it does have you welling up – Rick is such a strong character so to see him broken down is harrowing.

It ends on the bleakest note in the series so far. I worry that the next few episodes will revert back to the slow, dreary pace of the second season when that dealt with death. My optimism in the third season does outweigh my pessimism but it’s too hard to tell how the season will now progress. Still, only on the fourth episode we are given a lot to deal with and hopefully the remaining episodes with dole out more interesting, entertaining and evocative material.

By Piers McCarthy. Also posted on Flickering Myth