Things are tense following last week's events, but this episode redeems last week's slow start with some powerful character confrontations. In short, not much more happened this week; but at least I was reminded why the evolution of these characters has been worth following the past two seasons.
First off, a slight editorial note: Next week's review might be a bit shorter due to real life obligations. I know the five of you who consistently read this are very upset.
The first confrontation is the scene between Glenn and Maggie, which was a pretty phenomenal follow up to the events of last week. It was obvious why Glenn was treating Maggie the way he was in the last episode and his reaction when he found out what had really happened was both sad and powerfully realistic. I also loved Maggie retaliating at him in a very physical way, especially since Glenn was still wearing the riot armor at the time. Overall the scene was a nice balance of imagery and impact, and it's one of those small yet powerful moments that seem to remind you why the more character-heavy episodes of this series can be worth it.
The showdown on the overpass was a pretty impressive action sequence that showed off the abilities of the Brothers Dixon when they work together, however Merle doesn't seem to have changed enough to impress Daryl. I like that Daryl's not giving in on his principles now that he's been reunited with Merle, and I liked that he was brave enough to call Merle on all his shit. Season 2's "Chupacabra"- when Daryl hallucinated Merle after being injured in the woods- was one of my favorite episodes because it hinted at the back story of Daryl's youth and the confrontation between him and Merle was the perfect conclusion to that. Daryl comes to the realization in that moment that Merle will always look out for Merle, no matter what.
Meanwhile, Rick is on a spirit walkabout outside the prison looking for GHOST LORI! I can't even enumerate the ways in which this should have resulted in Rick being demoted as leader of the group. However, once again, in opposition to all forms of common sense no one is concerned about this. Not even Hereshel seems nearly as concerned as he should be after Rick reveals he's been wandering around the prison grounds looking for his dead wife.
The show continues to give Carol more screen time and depth which has been surprisingly nice, although sad that in this instance it had to come at the expense of Axel, who just seemed to be getting interesting. Things end on a pretty exciting note with the shootout with the Governor and the group being reunited (or newly united?) against a common enemy.
I give this one a 75 out of 100 - I may have been wooed by some of the great character moments that went down but that ending left me pretty freaking excited for next week's installment. And that's a lot more than could be said of how I felt last week.
Stuff... and quotes:
-Seeing Sarah Wayne Callies (Lori) all cleaned up, was weird. It feels like no one on this show has taken a shower since the end of season 1.
- Andrea:"Milton, I want you to give me a specific answer to a specific question: Where is the Governor?"
Milton:"On a run?"
-"You lost your hand because you're a simple-minded piece-a shit!"-Daryl
-"He's Korean!"-Daryl
-Carl has his own little kid-sized riot vest! Did I miss this at an earlier point?
-In case you somehow missed the ad AMC is now airing previous episodes of the series in black and white on Thursday nights at 8pm EST.