The Walking Dead Recap: Hello? Is It Merle You’re Looking For?

42 Comments

1. 1
   Lurker
   Posted December 3, 2012 at 8:22 pm

   Awesome recap Pillania! I can’t believe this is the mid-season finale though. At least we don’t have to wait 3 or 4 months for it to come back.

2. 2
   cattyfan
   Posted December 3, 2012 at 9:38 pm

   “Zombie Appetizer Gal” Perfect!

   I cannot believe how fast the half of this season has gone…and how many people are dead already.

   Geez…Axel skeeves me out. (Herschel’s bland daughter is Beth.)

   We never saw Oscar’s body after he was dead. Is he being kept for the Walker Games?

   Why did Governor Phil put the bowl of meat there if he wasn’t going to feed it to Penny? And why didn’t the heads in the water-filled tanks bloat up like bodies (live or dead) do if left in water too long?

   “Wow, you sure miss a lot of key facts when you’re out whoring around.” Truer words have never been spoken.

   Great recap!

   Oh, and a reminder: New Year’s Eve and Day AMC is running the entire WD series as a marathon. And when the series returns February 10th, Talking Dead will immediately follow, and has been expanded to an hour. (no, AMC did not pay me for that announcement.)

3. 3
   Lurker
   Posted December 3, 2012 at 10:58 pm

   @cattyfan – my assumption (or guess) is that the govener was trying to test Penny. I feel that he had the intention to give the meat to her, but wanted her to respond to him first. I get the vibe that he was holding out hope that zombies might be able to retain information. I don’t know, maybe I am way off in thinking that. I am also glad that you mentioned the marathon because I totally forgot about it! I am also super excited that the talking dead will be an hour long. It felt too crammed at a half hour.

4. 4
   itchy
   Posted December 4, 2012 at 1:10 am

   Man, it sucks to be black on this show. Michonne better watch her back, since there’s a new black gal at the prison.

   Speaking of which, they showed Maggie putting a bullet through Oscar’s brain, so no, he won’t be coming back.

   You know, I like this show a lot. And this season has been pretty great so far. I just wish the writing staff were a little more… intelligent? careful? meticulous? This show is so full of plot holes you could go fishing with it.

   Like, how about THAT HUGE GAPING HOLE at the back of the prison? They might as well string up lights and a banner saying “Welcome All Zombies”. You mean to tell me they’ve been there several weeks and they’ve left a back door open? No. Just no.

   Or the Michonne/Andrea showdown: they’ve spent 8 months surviving together. Andrea can’t give Michonne the benefit of the doubt? They can’t talk it out? Michonne’s a mute under stress? And don’t Zombies stink? So Michonne couldn’t smell Penny?

   This kind of shit makes a potentially great show just average. Shame. Because the special effects are some of the best I’ve ever seen.

5. 5
   itchy
   Posted December 4, 2012 at 1:17 am

   Oh yeah, I’m a huge fan of post-apocalyptic fiction, so thanks for the tip! If you haven’t read Jose Saramago’s Blindness, then you should. Truly amazing. Children of Men by P.D. James is also excellent, as is the grand-daddy, On the Beach, by Nevil Shute.

   Also, I’ve just finished reading through a great young adult series, by John Marsden. Starts with Tomorrow When the War Began. It’s not really post-apocalyptic, but it’s in that vein, and it’s a lot of fun to read. The Ellie character is clearly the inspiration for Katniss Everdeen. But even more kickass.

6. 6
   Nikki
   Posted December 4, 2012 at 4:47 am

   I totally missed Rick shooting Shane the first time I watched this!! I didn’t even recognize him. Good thing when I rewatched this with my husband I kept my eyes peeled. Apparently Jon Berthram or however his name is spelled is doing a movie/TV show at the moment that required him to grow out his hair and beard and he couldn’t shave it. Thus why I didn’t even recognize him.

   Andrea is dense as bricks. And a ho. That is all.

   I like the authority of bit of it Carl took in this ep. Makes up for three seasons of him carrying a gun and whining/horribly acting about nothing.

   I don’t think we have to worry about Michonne getting killed off now that Tyreese’s crew is around. Both are fan favorites so I don’t think the writers would do that. But this is TWD so who knows. It hasn’t been kind to T and Oscar and that guy and his son from season one (remember them?!) with the walkie talkies.

   I plan on ringing in the new year with zombies all day/night! Yes!!! Cannot wait for February but at least it’s only a few months instead of closer to a year.

7. 7
   featherhead
   Posted December 4, 2012 at 5:38 am

   Somebody wrote in to The Talking Dead and said if you mixed the Govenor/Merle and Hersel – you have a pirate!! I love this show and am sad I have to wait till Feb till the next episode!
   Brittle hair – get some leave-in conditioner, it works wonders!
   So mad that Andrea stopped Michonne from offing the governer. If she hasn’t put two and two together yet, she’s a moron!

8. 8
   sweetblondie
   Posted December 4, 2012 at 7:49 am

   Remember in 28 Days Later when the three of them are holed up in that convenience store at the beginning? Then the guys gets bit (not Cillian) and Naomi harris machete’s him in the head before he can scream “NOOO!”?? Remember that? Yeah, that’s what they should’ve done to App Girl…no hesitation once a person is bitten…

   Okay…back to the recap…

9. 9
   sweetblondie
   Posted December 4, 2012 at 8:46 am

   We were laughing when they introduced Tyrese…because we figured that meant Oscar (black prisoner?) was going to die…and sure enough…ugh, so racistly predictable…

   Question(s): So…does a human die from the bite? Because of….infection? But aren’t they all already infected and when they die, they re-animate? So….the zombie bite kills them…how?

10. 10
    itchy
    Posted December 4, 2012 at 9:19 am

    @ sweetblondie: That’s one of the HUGEST plot holes in the series. If they’re already infected, it shouldn’t matter if they’re bitten, as long as they don’t die from it, right? And why does Hershel conveniently get to live — they could have cut off the gal’s arm?

    Speaking of which, how awesome is the special FX on Hershel’s leg! Unless the actor really has no leg?

    Also, in 28 Days Later, the infection was different — people just started raging, they didn’t turn into zombies. And I’m pissed off there’ll be no 28 Months Later. Grrrr.

11. 11
    sweetblondie
    Posted December 4, 2012 at 10:48 am

    @Itchy: I’m okay with some plot holes…I mean, we’re discussing a show about a Zombie Apocoloypse, right?

    I liked how in 28 Days Later a person got infected from ANY bodily fluid transfer, not just a Zombie Bite…

    No 28 Months Later?!?!? Noooooooo!

12. 12
    Tasha
    Posted December 4, 2012 at 11:39 am

    Pillania – I agree, The Passage was an AMAZING book. The Twelve is the book that was released earlier this year and I just finished reading it a couple of weeks ago. Absolutely love that this is a trilogy!

13. 13
    yeknom
    Posted December 4, 2012 at 12:30 pm

    Everyone is infected, but I thought getting bit speeds up the the infection and kills you quicker, which is why Rick chopped off Hershel’s leg so quick. These people might’ve been more worried about finding shelter & hoping that they could still save her? Or maybe they didn’t know how quick she would turn? Speaking of the new people…what is up with the 2 asses talking about overtaking the group for their weapons?? I’d love to see them get the crap kicked out of them if they try.

    Axel (the other prisoner) was creeping me out. Loved how Carl looked at him….even better was the exchange between him & Carol. I keep saying it, but it’s true, I like her so much more now!

    Now Andrea? Each episode has me dislike her more….and I didnt think that was possible!

    Glenn is Bad. Ass. He just gets better and better.

    I cannot wait until February. All I know is that the Yeknoms will be watching the marathon New Years Eve & Day.

14. 14
    juddfan
    Posted December 4, 2012 at 12:37 pm

    All I can say is WHAAATTT!!!! There’s NO Santa Claus!!! I thought we weren’t supposed to post spoilers!!!

    It’s gonna kill me to wait for two months . . . .

    I think Mich was discusted with Andrea, and just walked away, feeling she misjudged her.

    Catty, I agree with Lurker, I think it was a reward for a human reaction.

    It is beyond ironic the switch-a-roo on the black cast members . . . I agree with Itchy, Michonne or the new one better watch their backs!

15. 15
    TallGirl
    Posted December 4, 2012 at 12:39 pm

    I would think that those heads floating in the aquariums in the Governor’s back room would have an incredible stench. I mean, judging from the bubbles, it looks like they may be in some sort of salt water, at best, vs. alcohol solution. So, that means that they’d have to continue to deteriorate over time and just rot and stink. Why aren’t those aquariums just full of human sludge at this point??

    And, I agree with Itchy about the smell of Penny, too. Although . . . maybe by this time, everyone’s sense of smell has “adjusted” to where the stench just isn’t noticed. Kind of how like people who are constantly around cows and horses just don’t seem to notice the smell anymore.

    Now, the real question is: if Merle is “saved” from being killed, along with Darryl, can he reform enough to be with the group again?? Will Glen ever forgive him for the beating he got at Merle’s hands? Will Merle mouth off at Tyrese? Will he lech on Beth, too??

16. 16
    Kammie
    Posted December 4, 2012 at 4:00 pm

    I totally didn’t get that it was “Shane” at first. Actually, I didn’t get it until I read another recap of it the next day. I’m bummed I missed it! I wondered why Rick was looking at him for more than a second.

    I also didn’t get that they were at the prison in the beginning. I didn’t recognize the tower at all. And now that it’s been mentioned – leaving a huge hole in the gate is quite puzzling. Oh well….I’m still loving this season!

    What I’ve learned from all of this is I need to watch TWD on a bigger TV or wear my glasses because I missed so much!

17. 17
    annie
    Posted December 4, 2012 at 5:31 pm

    Itchy….your entire comment (#4) summed up everything I was thinking

18. 18
    MmmmKate
    Posted December 4, 2012 at 9:35 pm

    So…remeber the Zombie in the well on the farm? The one they uses Glen as bait or cuz it didn’t want the spiral ham? Cuz they figured out the Walkers heart fresh meat? Yeah, so why f@$% does Penny stare longingly at Not-so-fresh ground chicken? And why, for the love of all that is decent, wouldn’t you lock the generator door since it leads to \random prison wall destructed area\? And how are heads moving once severed from a body cuz wouldn’t most s the brain stem topple out and therefore = no basic motor control = unable to move jaw without spine (spinal nerve functions)?

    And truly how can anyone have a sex drive is right! It must smell very, vey badly in this zombie world: half rotted bodies, some that are mobile even, and all the living look Medival ripe.

19. 19
    itchy
    Posted December 5, 2012 at 5:24 am

    Also: Goddammit! Everytime I see that headline, I started singing that awful song! Damn you, Pilania, for turning me into an AM Radio zombie!

20. 20
    lindaw205
    Posted December 5, 2012 at 6:12 am

    I just now got around to watching the episode and I thought it was great. I really love this show and hate I have to wait so long.

    I don’t mind some of the plot holes since this is a ZA we’re talking about. And since they’re adapting things (like the heads in the tank) into the plot from the books I expect some things won’t translate as consistently.

    I read The Passage and was unaware they had released another book so thanks for the heads up. I’m all about post apocalyptic fiction and will try some of itchy’s suggestions as well. Not too sure about the YA books, though since that genre doesn’t appeal to me, with the exception of The Hunger Games.

    Back on topic, they better not hurt Daryl! Maybe Merle will have a redemption arc and sacrifice himself for the sake of little bro.

    Andrea needs to die. That is all.

21. 21
    plockness monster
    Posted December 5, 2012 at 6:50 am

    Holy crapola. Between this finale, Sons of Anarchy, and Boardwalk Empire, I thought I was going to have a fucking heart attack!!!

    Carl continues to be a little bad ass. Who would’ve thought that killing off his mom would have just a positive effect on him??

    UGH. The previews for Feb. gave away too much info!!!!

    The hole in the prison. WTF?? I am assuming that it has been there the entire time. Did Rick and Co. not notice? I thought they surveyed the prison when they got there. That giant hole is pretty hard to miss.

    Awesome recap, Pilania. Will you be back in February???

22. 22
    Mimo
    Posted December 5, 2012 at 6:53 am

    This was a great recap. Thank you. Couple of random points after reading the rest of the comments. I’ve always assumed that the virus in the living is dormant, while active in the dead. So if you get bit by an active virus, it works fast and you die.

    The first thing I said to the hubby was “you can’t tell me that they haven’t walked around the entire prison and found this gaping hole”. His response was pretty good. They’ve been busy cleaning up the cells, cleaning out the cell blocks and scavenging for food, medical supplies, burying their dead, taking care of Hershel, etc. They probably just haven’t gotten that far.

    I think that the only chance of Merle’s redemption would have to come at the expense of saving his brother. Merle really wasn’t/isn’t a nice guy and something monumental would have to happen to make him change. And I think that will be saving the only thing he’s even remotely cared about in his life.

    But if he were to survive this, I think that if he were to want to rejoin the group, they would have to let him. If he can forgive all of them for leaving him as zombie breakfast, Glenn would surely have to forgive Merle beating the crap out of him. Remember T was the only one that knew that he had barricaded the roof against the zombies. I don’t think he would be the least bit interested in Beth – it would be Carol all the way. Because she is Daryl’s. I said he wasn’t a very nice guy.

23. 23
    yeknom
    Posted December 5, 2012 at 7:58 am

    @MmmmKate Yeah they all do look pretty ripe, but that wouldn’t stop me from doing the dirty w/Daryl.

    @Mimo Mr. Yeknon said the same thing. That they were so busy securing a safe area for them, that they may not have surveyed the entire prison. Remember the prisoners had to show them where the generator was to turn off the sirens?

    @plockness….I agre with it all. The previews gave a lot away so some of the suspense is gone, but I’m still anxiously awaitnig the new episodes. All this new badassery (Glenn, Carl) makes the show all that more better.

    Is it wrong of me that I think Merle has a better chance at redeeming himself (at least to me) than Andrea? Merle has always been Merle, and once he was given a bit of power he ran with it. Plus it seems like he never really liked the group, just ended up with them. He’s never really changed much but his loyalty to his brother is strong.

    Andrea is really out for herself. She acts like she cares about others, but only as long as it benefits her. She was w/Michonne for months but as soon as she found something that suited her better, she had no need for Michonne. When she thought her cushy place w/the Governor was threatened she turned on Michonne, the person that had helped her for months. Just like w/Shane, once she thought he was going to take over, she was all on him and ready to turn on those that had been helping her.

24. 24
    plockness monster
    Posted December 5, 2012 at 8:25 am

    I really hope Merle gets killed. I think he is genuinely an asshole. Good riddance!

    I am super excited we are getting some new characters, i.e. the people in the prison.2 more black people?! That means another has to die.

    This episode refueled my Andrea hate. I wonder what she thought when she saw Daryl.

    The Gov. is getting a patch! YAY!

25. 25
    Mimo
    Posted December 5, 2012 at 9:46 am

    I think the Guv is going to make the brothers fight to the death. Each other or zombies, I’m not sure. I think Andrea is going to jump into the fray and “save the day” for her and Daryl to escape and thus will be her redemption.

26. 26
    plockness monster
    Posted December 5, 2012 at 10:19 am

    Mimo, I think you are right about Andrea, she will save the day for those two.

27. 27
    itchy
    Posted December 5, 2012 at 10:41 am

    Yeah, those stupid previews: Why?

    And the Merle character HAS to die. No way they can redeem him, he’s way too much of an asshole. If he doesn’t die, then he at least has to leave the group and Darryl behind.

    Mimo: all the show needs to do is suggest the active/passive idea as a theory, and I’ll be satisfied.

    Anyone think Melvin the brainiac guy will end up joining the Rickettes?

28. 28
    plockness monster
    Posted December 5, 2012 at 12:01 pm

    I don’t know if Melvin would abandon the Gov. I don’t think the Gov would let him leave Woodbury.

    I wonder if Melvin knows about the fish tank-o-heads. Or that Gov was keeping his zombie daughter in a cage. It mirrored the experiment Melvin was doing w/ that old dude…

29. 29
    sweetblondie
    Posted December 5, 2012 at 1:21 pm

    @Itchy: not sure about Braniac Melvin yet…he’s either a “good guy” like the Rickettes…or he’s the nerdy serial killer type…like Topher Grace’s character in the most recent Predators..

    Also, not sure he’s a Braniac..

30. 30
    juddfan
    Posted December 5, 2012 at 3:22 pm

    @plockness, I think Melvin is doing stuff to the heads to animate them. wasn’t he working on the pets of Michonne. I also think he’s trying the other experiments to “save”the daughter. The Gov should be relieved he no longer has to chain his daughter in a dark cage . . .

    So glad I didn’t see the previews, and thanks all for not spoiling!!!! I’ll be sure to avoid them!

31. 31
    krispitina
    Posted December 5, 2012 at 7:12 pm

    I normally just lurk but I had to chime in as well about the gaping plot hole and actual hole at the back of the prison. I find it incredibly hard to believe that with all the gassed up vehicles at their disposal not one person from the group thought it might be a good idea to take ten minutes to drive around the perimeter of the prison. At the same time, these characters often times lack very basic common sense, so maybe not so unbelievable after all.

32. 32
    maryedith
    Posted December 5, 2012 at 9:06 pm

    I wonder if the people hoping for a Merle redemption are forgetting about Darryl’s flashbacks/hallucinations when he was getting out of that damn creek? The whole point of that episode was to show that Darryl had been raised by a psychopath. If Merle does get “redeemed” I will not be buying it.

33. 33
    Lurker
    Posted December 5, 2012 at 10:18 pm

    Here is my theory about Merle. I think he understands that the govenor is pissed because he claimed to have killed Michonne and really didn’t. So I think that a deal has been made between the two of them … go undercover or Daryl dies. I think that Merle will go to the prision to scope things out and then report back to the govenor. Maybe my thinking is too far fetched. I can also see the govenor just wanting to place all of the blame on Merle so he (the govenor) doesn’t look so stupid toward the members of the community. I don’t see any redeeming qualities about Merle, so I don’t see the prision group letting him back in!

34. 34
    itchy
    Posted December 6, 2012 at 1:04 am

    The guv’nor’s just using classing populist propaganda, inventing new enemies to deflect people’s attention from the real problem, i.e., their leader is completely off his nut. He’s been weakened and it has just been proved that he can’t actually protect the community.

    I wonder how much in cahoots Melvin and the guv’nor are. Melvin probably didn’t know about the heads/Penny in the closet, because then he’d know the governor is insane (and lying and putting the community at risk by harboring zombies). But the guv’nor clearly had a big interest in Melvin’s experiments. So far Melvin’s kind of wishy-washy. Maybe he’ll turn into a hardass like Glen and start tapping Andrea?

35. 35
    Bluedog
    Posted December 6, 2012 at 2:31 am

    Itchy …….. there is a movie version of Tomorrow When the War began. It came out here in Aus last year (I think).

36. 36
    itchy
    Posted December 6, 2012 at 3:54 am

    Yes, I’ve seen the movie — it’s almost as good as the book (since it actually follows the book pretty closely). The actress is hot! Changed the way I saw the character for the rest of the series. And yes, it’s young adult, but it still works pretty well at the adult level, probably even more so than Hunger Games.

37. 37
    plockness monster
    Posted December 6, 2012 at 7:53 am

    Lurker – OOOOOO, I forgot Merle told Gov he killed Michonne! At first I thought the Gov was pissed and looking for someone to blame about his eye/zombie daughter, but maybe he really thinks Darryl/Merle were working together.

38. 38
    Liz
    Posted December 6, 2012 at 12:03 pm

    @Plockeness – “Who would’ve thought that killing off his mom would have just a positive effect on him??” << THIS ftw.

    I never hated Lori quite as much as everyone else, but holy cannoli do I hate Andrea. Please kill her off already.

39. 39
    Kitkat
    Posted December 7, 2012 at 4:25 am

    I know the Governor is really bad and only going to get worse, but I think his character is one of the best of the show so far; you can see how he was a normal family man before the zombie apocalypse and the slight shades of a rational person there, and the subtle layer of something bad lingering, too. The actor who plays him is really amazing, and kind of hot, too.

40. 40
    April
    Posted December 11, 2012 at 8:16 pm

    Yeah I totally see the two brothers Redneck having to battle each other and some zombies to the death. Merle is going down.

    When Glenn was in that chair and the zombie was after him I kept screaming at the tv, use the brick wall the brick wall to break the chair!!!! He finally listened.

    I think the hole in the prison is not so much a safety concern because of the bars and the way it is locked up, their area is safe but other areas can and will have other zombies. They still have not cleared the whole thing yet. I do think it is stupid that they would not survey the whole place though and know that was there.

    The new characters are from the comics. I was wondering if we would ever see them in the show and I guess we finally have. If someone gets bit, the protocol is if a limb might be able to be amputated to save them, do it. If not an option, immediate death quick and painless to the head. Unless you are in a safe situation and have time to say goodbyes first, then death.

    I don’t see how keeping his daughter makes him loving. I have children and the loving thing to do is put them out of their misery quickly as possible. I don’t want to see my children that way. I don’t want them to be that way. If I fail at keeping them zombie safe, than I at least owe them a quick and painless real death. That’s love.

41. 41
    itchy
    Posted December 12, 2012 at 2:22 pm

    “If I fail at keeping them zombie safe, than I at least owe them a quick and painless real death. That’s love.” — Hallmark new line of cards?

42. 42
    lindaw205
    Posted December 22, 2012 at 12:07 am

    Anyone else heard the news that Mazarra is out for season 4? I fear for the future of my favorite show.