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The Walking Dead Review – Episode 406: Live Bait

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The Governor is back, although more human than anyone was expecting.

***WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS***

If you haven’t seen Live Bait yet, I suggest you scroll down to the end of this post first and watch the entire episode before reading the rest of the text.

twd406_01I’m absolutely sure that every fan of The Walking Dead (including myself) was waiting for a massacre this week, with the Governor and his “evil” army back. However, we were all surprised with an episode showing a very human person, abandoned by his henchmen, lost in his thoughts and wandering around as “live bait” for any walker crossing his path. Was that going to be the end of the Governor? Was he going to live the rest of his life and die in such a melancholic way? Well, as DevilDriver says in one of their best songs, “not all who wander are lost.”

The story went back to when the Governor slaughtered almost all his army after that failed attempt to take over the prison and ran away with the only two survivors, one being his right hand Martinez. We were all left thinking about what happened to them, and when they would come back for revenge, but instead we saw the governor being forsaken and starting a completely different journey in his life. He was about to give up (even with his pretty cool new “Snake Plissken” look), when the vision of a young girl made him reconsider his almost-suicidal thoughts.

Does anyone doubt the first thing that came to his mind was his daughter Penny? At least this time it wasn’t a ghost like when Rick was seeing Lori, but a real girl called Megan who had been hiding for a long time inside an apartment building with her mother Lilly, her aunt Tara and her grandpa Don. Again we were expecting him to go wild and kill everybody, but that didn’t happen. We saw a man asking for shelter and offering his help to the family, and I was really impressed with how open to a guy with an eye-patch, a huge beard and a gun those two women were. It was probably the Governor’s charm striking again! Or should I say “Brian Heriot”, the name he randomly picked from that spray-painted wall full of names? Why choosing a different name, and why talking about his time as the Governor of Woodbury in the 3rd person? Was that a sign he was ashamed of his past and willing to start a brand new life?

This was the beginning of a story that in my opinion will be great to show everybody that no one is born a villain; it’s our society that creates them. While Rick’s group is killing innocents, casting away people that were once considered an important part of the family, and teaching children how to use machine guns and knives, we saw a man looking at a child as before the apocalypse, in other words, just like a real child and not like a soldier. Don’t you think this makes him less evil and more human than most of the members of Rick’s team, especially than Rick himself? By the way, the Governor and Rick have so much in common: they seem to be strong, wise and focused leaders, when in fact they’re nothing but regular people doing something they don’t really want to do, and that due to all the stress and external pressure they can explode at any moment, just like what happened to the Governor twice during this episode when he killed an old man/walker with an oxygen tank and when he brutally assaulted three walkers with his bare hands to protect that little girl.

twd406_02Talking about the action, although it was a more emotional episode than the previous one, there were some awesome moments of violence and tension. The Governor risking his life going to that “zombie nursing home” to grab some oxygen tanks, and as I mentioned before, saving Tara from the zombie Don smashing his head with one of the tanks and saving Megan in the zombie pit was some good action, and the beginning of a strong relationship between him and his new friends. Moreover, he simply burned his old picture with his original family, which in my opinion means that inside his head those people were his family now. He said he will do whatever he needs to keep Megan safe and well, so we can stay assured our good old Governor is back in action for real, especially when we see Martinez out of the zombie pit to “confirm” that the old life the Governor had will never abandon him.

“Nobody ever mentioned just how boring the end of the world was going to be,” Lilly said. Well, not anymore. Now you have the Governor by your side (literally), you’re about to be on the road with a bunch of mercenaries killing zombies, and you’ll probably cross the path of sheriff Rick Grimes. Nothing can be more exciting than this.

Live Bait (FULL EPISODE)

The Walking Dead Review – Episode 405: Internment

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According to our “hero of the day” Hershel, a sad soul can kill quicker than a germ. However, not as quick as Rick and Carl together.

***WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS***

If you haven’t seen Internment yet, I suggest you scroll down to the end of this post first and watch the entire episode before reading the rest of the text.

twd405_01Holy shit, the intensity of this episode was insane! I don’t even know where to start (maybe by saying that there was no sign of Carol?). There was so much going on at the same time, so many characters giving outstanding performances, that it will be hard for the producers to surpass Internment in terms of action and adrenaline. And regarding our friend Hershel, he was a total badass dealing with walkers, kids and the virus, all at the same time, and finding time to even make some jokes. I think he deserves the “Spaghetti Tuesday” on Wednesdays now, if they can find some spaghetti anywhere.

From the very beginning of the episode, I bet everybody was worried about losing Hershel (to the walkers) or Glenn (to the virus), although we knew somehow those two would survive. The thing we didn’t know was how they were going to make it through all that chaos, and both were great, especially Hershel. This was HIS episode and nobody else’s: he showed everyone he’s not only a wise man, but he also has the heart of a lion. The way he handled everything, from not killing people/walkers in front of the kids to risking his life to save Glenn, was amazing. It was interesting to see an episode so full of action and tension without Daryl or Michonne, who would usually be in the middle of the fights and action scenes. Hershel is now the official “badass one-legged grandpa” of the crew, his lonely tears at the end holding his Bible were touching, and from now on we know the group cannot survive a single day without him.

twd405_02And what about that “zombie massacre” provided by the dynamic duo of Rick and Carl? That was probably the start of a beautiful partnership between father and son, something that we have been all expecting from them since the TV show started. The look Rick gave to Carl when the kid was annihilating all those walkers with a machine gun was so cool! It was almost possible to see a very proud father pointing to his son and screaming to everybody else “You see him? You see how strong my son is? That’s my boy!” Let’s wait to see what happens next, but if the show follows the comics, this partnership will become stronger and stronger each day, guiding The Walking Dead to a “Rick and Carl” exclusive storyline, with no one else included except for the herds of zombies, of course. Based on what we saw last night, they’re more than ready for that.

One thing is certain: they have to leave the prison as soon as possible. It’s not a sustainable environment, everybody is dying, and the fences are not holding the walkers anymore. There was an important message last episode when that guy said he and his girlfriend do not wait until a place goes bad, they simply move on. I hope Rick gets the message really soon and they get out of the prison, which despite being an important “character” in the show, is turning into a hassle for everybody inside.

And last but not least, just like almost every episode of The Walking Dead, when we thought everything was fine and everybody was safe and ready to toast some marshmallows outside, there he was. The Governor is back (even if it was for less than 5 seconds), and as I said, it’s going to be brutal. I cannot wait for next week’s massacre episode.

Internment (FULL EPISODE)

The Walking Dead Review – Episode 404: Indifference

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“The Ministry of Rick and Daryl” warns: drinking and killing innocents will put you into a lot of trouble.

***WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS***

If you haven’t seen Indifference yet, I suggest you scroll down to the end of this post first and watch the entire episode before reading the rest of the text.

twd404_02If we thought the previous episode didn’t have a lot of action, Indifference was even worse. Despite a couple of walkers being killed by Daryl’s crew and only one by Rick, the rest of the episode was based on conversations, decisions and some character development. It wasn’t a bad episode, but it wasn’t a good one either (especially for Carol).

The episode was pretty much divided between Rick and Carol searching for supplies, although that was not what Rick really had in mind when he invited (surprise!) Carol to go with him; and the team composed by a crazy Tyreese, a sociable Michonne, an alcoholic Bob and a badass Daryl also looking for antibiotics and other medication for the people at the prison infected by the deadly virus. And that was it, there was no Carl, no Maggie, Beth, Glenn or any other known character.

In my opinion, the opening dialogue between Rick and Carol was among the best of the entire show: it was just as if they were the top mic workers from professional wrestling “studying” their competitors, focusing on Carol’s decision of killing the infected Karen BEFORE she actually died. When they had that dialogue and I saw Rick’s famous “I’m gonna kill you” face and some knives, I thought that was the end of Carol. Those two extra characters, the guy and girl that were hiding in a bathroom for two days because of one single zombie in pajamas, were used by Rick just to corroborate his original plan: casting Carol out of the group for not being “human” anymore. We all know that might not have been the best decision, because cold-hearted Carol will come back for sure and might be screaming for vengeance, maybe with the Governor by her side. The only thing that’s certain is that Rick doesn’t want Carol close to his son and daughter or close to anyone else at the prison, and he will kill her for sure if she tries to get back.

twd404_01Regarding the other group looking for medication, what we saw was an insane Tyreese trying to commit suicide by releasing some walkers over himself, and looking really desperate because his sister Sasha was going to be dead soon. Michonne tried to give him some advice on what to do and what not to do when you’re angry, about the horrible consequences of using anger as your only reason for anything, but she was caught by Tyreese when he asked her about her chase for the Governor. I might be wrong, but Michonne is probably just acting like a good girl until she finally puts her hands (and sword) on the Governor, and Tyreese kind of noticed that. He’s not going to be stupid to try stopping her, but the message he was trying to send to Michonne was “you got your business, I got mine.”

And finally, there’s that alcoholic idiot, Bob. He’s so sloppy and not focused that it’s hard to believe he has survived for so long. Daryl and Michonne know he’s trouble, we all saw he was the one responsible for the “zombie rain” on the 30 Days Without an Accident episode, he didn’t get any medication in his bag for the infected just to get a stupid bottle of whisky, so what else needs to happen for the group to get rid of that moron? He will do more shit, that’s for sure. Let’s just hope no one we like gets killed because of him, and also that next episode has more action and less talking.

Indifference (FULL EPISODE) 

The Walking Dead Review – Episode 403: Isolation

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Tyreese goes crazy and Carol finally does “something”. Oh, and there were over 7,500 walkers!

***WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS***

If you haven’t seen Isolation yet, I suggest you scroll down to the end of this post first and watch the entire episode before reading the rest of the text.

twd_s04e03_01Although Isolation might not have had as much action as the two previous episodes, there was a lot of improvement in terms of the storyline for some characters, especially for Tyreese and Carol. And that mega-herd of walkers was amazing! I’m hoping it will head to the prison before everybody leaves, and then we’ll see if those fences will be able to hold over 7,500 zombies eager for some human flesh! While that doesn’t happen (if that happens), let’s discuss about each relevant item of this episode and what to expect for the next one.

First of all, I’m happy to see that Tyreese is finally becoming more important for the whole story. In my opinion, he was a bit lost in the low-card before the end of the Infected episode, but now with the death of his beloved Karen and the likely death of his sister Sasha he’s moved to the mid-card and will probably play a crucial role in the next few episodes, just like everyone else in the show that either takes an unexpected decision or simply goes crazy (or both, which is his case). He’s at least more violent now: he punched Rick in the face, threatened Daryl, and killed dozens of zombies with just a small hammer (being crowned as the “zombie killer of the week”), things that no one was expecting from an easy-going guy like him before.

Then we have Hershel, the most clearheaded character of all, trying to help as many people as possible putting himself into a lot of danger by getting exposed to the deadly virus. I bet everyone got worried about Glenn being one of the infected, but the way Beth and Maggie reacted to Hershel’s decision made me think that we won’t probably see our wise elderly friend for too long. Hershel gave us a lot of “clues” about his ending, with those speeches about making choices and risking your life for this or that reason. Let’s just hope he’s “wrong” about it and we can see him until the end of this season, because when he’s gone it will be a huge mess for the rest of the group.

Carl not killing two zombies and Rick’s gratuitous violence were also great improvements to their characters, but the most shocking development last night was with no doubt what happened to Carol. I’m sure no one saw that coming! Everybody was thinking about Dr. S or that other black dude being responsible for killing and setting fire to those two bodies, but Carol? What happened to her? The Walking Dead’s “Jamie Lee Curtis” suddenly revealed herself as a cold-hearted person, or at least she has become that within the past few episodes. I honestly don’t know what Rick will do about Carol’s actions or what will happen to her, but at least we can celebrate she has finally done “something relevant” to the show after so many episodes being almost useless.

twd_s04e03_02And last but not least, there was that amazing mega-herd of zombies blocking the super-team’s way to the hospital! The sequence of the car accelerating over the heads of some walkers and the following fighting scenes were pretty cool, and as I said it was awesome to see a fierce zombie-killer Tyreese in action. However, did you notice why over 7,500 walkers and a lot of killing were added to that scene all of a sudden? Think about it: Daryl, Tyreese, Michonne and the other black dude were all paying attention to that weird radio transmission about a “sanctuary” a few seconds before the action started, but nobody could actually reason anymore about it when the massive herd of zombies appeared. Will they remember to tell about it to Rick when they get back to the prison? What the hell was that? Is it going to be their true salvation, or maybe it’s just part of a gruesome ambush being prepared by the Governor?

Oh, I almost forgot about a VERY important part of the whole thing: right after last night’s episode, there was the nice show Talking Dead, but unfortunately this time with Marilyn Manson as one of the guests. It was a torture for anyone with at least two neurons working listening to what that stupid motherfucker was mumbling all the time. That freak is an annoying joke! The person responsible for inviting him to the show should be fired! I’d rather be eaten by a zombie than watching one more minute of Marilyn Manson talking again, and thumbs up to the host Chris Hardwick for being able to handle that fuckin’ idiot so well in the end.

Isolation (FULL EPISODE)

The Walking Dead Webisodes Review – The Oath

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The Oath endorses what the TV series is currently trying to warn us: living humans are the biggest threat to everyone, not the poor rotting zombies.

***WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS***

If you haven’t seen The Oath yet, I suggest you scroll down to the end of this post first and watch the 3 parts before reading the rest of the text.

walking-deadDon’t you just love The Walking Dead when even something that should be only a bonus to the fans becomes an important part of the whole story? Although it would be really cool to see some webisodes in different parts of the world such as Norway, Chile or South Africa, so that we could take a look at how people are reacting to the zombie outbreak outside the USA (or is it just happening there?), I like the idea of keeping the story in the same location. And now, the new webisodes are even closer to Rick and the rest of his crew than we could have imagined.

walking_dead_oathThe two new characters, Paul and Karina (who in my opinion overacts a lot here), find themselves in the exact same situation as many other groups of people we’ve already seen in the show: a group of 20+ people organized in a camping zone, suddenly overrun by a herd of zombies, or walkers, or bitters, and now decays. How many other names are they going to give to the zombies? Why not just call them zombies, if that’s what they really are? Can it be considered bullying giving so many bad names to those poor corpses? Anyway, this simply proves to us that nobody is safe, it doesn’t matter how many people you are and how many guns you have. Any camping zone, including the “hostile” ones Paul shows Karina on a map (would Woodbury be one of those?), is just a “free buffet” waiting to be found by our beloved flesh-eating friends.

Another great point in The Oath webisodes is that they give almost no explanation of who those people are, why they got together, where they’re going next, or if they will meet Rick’s group one day. Until the end of part 3, we don’t even know when the story is happening, if it’s before, after or at the same time as Rick’s group is at the barn, at the prison, fighting the Governor or anywhere else. This is great, as it keeps me interested in what’s happening next, paying attention to all the details and consequences of people’s actions and reactions.

maxresdefaultBut the best part without any doubt is how the new webisodes are focusing on the living humans as the biggest threat to anyone, just as the regular TV show is doing, instead of just turning it into a B-movie full of half-naked cheerleaders running away from hungry rotting zombies. That’s what makes The Walking Dead so interesting, and now the new webisodes. The previous ones were somehow like that too, but not so focused on humans as now. That creepy doctor, who seems to be their hope at first glance, turns out to be another nightmare in their desperate escape from the zombies. I just don’t understand how that crazy woman was able to survive by herself at that hospital, and why she enjoyed so much “creating” new zombies. But that’s not an issue, because as I said I don’t care about getting all the minimal details of every part of the story. The more suspense and mystery we have, the better.

The-Walking-Dead-The-Oath-WebseriesThe only thing I think they should add to the webisodes is more famous people as “guest” zombies, just like they did in the first ones with Scott Ian, from Anthrax. Although he appeared for only a few seconds, it was enough to make that webisode even better. Why not calling other famous TWD fans to become zombies for a day such as WWE’s CM Punk? He would be an amazing walker! Or maybe some other musicians that sing about zombies, like Chris Barnes (from Six Feet Under) or George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher (from Cannibal Corpse).

In summary, a pretty good job by TWD crew that pumped me up for the Season 4 premiere this Sunday, and that for me just confirms Michonne was a lot happier or at least had 100% less trouble when she was by herself surrounded by walkers, and not by stupid people. If we’ll see Paul and Karina again I have no idea, but at least now we know who painted that famous DON’T OPEN DEAD INSIDE sign we all love so much.

Here are the 3 parts of The Walking Dead Webisodes: The Oath