3.09: The Walking Dead - The Suicide King

[ctg]

After the Woodbury invasion Rick's gang return to prison to decide the fate of Tyreese's group, while Daryl and Merle forms their own battle with the Governor.

The series returns from mid-season break at States on February 10th and in UK at FX on February 15th.

 

[ctg]

I have been thinking how this second half of the season will span out when it finally starts, and it really helped to review the both first and the second seasons as I got them as a Christmas present from Mrs Ctg.

Thing is this series isn't a carbon copy of the original comic strip. It follows certain aspects like the locations and certain settings, but it's not absolutely faithful for them. Like for example Rick's illusions with the phone isn't as it was with the original theme. And neither are Andrea's adventures with the bad boys.

So I'm really interested to find out how Tyreese will develop over the latter part of the season. In the original series he was kind of father figure or even right hand man to Rick, but who knows what kind of monster he ends up being in small screen. Some people might even say that he needs to go.

But I really doubt he's the one who's going end up as worm food as it's more likely that couple of other characters like Beth and Axel will go to meet the maker. And that is the sad truth with this series or with any other series as it's easier to take out the side characters than main ones.

And there certainly is going to be some sort of gulling going around as the Governor has declared his war on Rick's gang. It is almost impossibility that Rick's side would suddenly develop uncanny way to take out the threat.

But where does that leave the walking dead kind?

I don't know. Maybe they will from now on in stay at the background, while the humankind battle each other. And I really doubt they would be able to overran the prison or Woodbury's defences. But interestingly if these groups would chose so, they could use the undead kind as a weapon.

Will that happen?

Maybe, we see as I for one believe that Governor is crazy enough to think such a plot.

 

[ctg]

 

[FireDragon-16]

Until I know people have actually watched the episode, the only thing I'm going to say is:

HOLY CRAP!!!!

 

[ctg]

** SPOILERS **







​

It felt like two hours. That's what I can say. The long wait produced an episode that felt extra-long and not all so happy. The world of yesterday is gone. There is no laughter, no play. It's all so serious.

And it doesn't help that in the kingdoms of tyranny the dictators are going absolutely bonkers. Some could even say they has thrown away the reins and let the people had the situation on their own, while they contemplate in the darkness of their minds on how to get rid of each other. And the last thing they would is any sort of diplomacy.

That old concept went out of the window when their minions started shooting each other. And it’s all about war from now on in. The one thing leads to another and those things accumulation on top of each makes viewers like me to squirm in their seats.

Where does it lead?

I don’t know as it doesn’t look good. Not when it’s so evident that the groups are splintering in ever increasing speed. And instead of embracing unity – strength in numbers – nobody isn’t really holding the people together. Well, maybe Andrea was trying to do that thing, but she isn’t the Governor, and Hershel doesn’t want to step into the sheriff’s boots.

He tried that back in the farm. And he was lucky that Dale was there as a voice of reason. And as long as he’s holding back on doing the talks, it’s almost look like the prison is going to fall against onslaught. Although some could say Daryl should take his place, it isn’t going to happen as long as Merle is whispering in his ear.

So as much as Rick wants to send Michonne and Tyreese on their way as much he needs them. He needs what they bring in the table. No doubts about that.

Do you agree?

 

[Lenny]

Totally! After Hershel's speech at the end, you could see that Rick was coming to realise that, despite his trust issues (can you really blame him for these, though?), he needs Daryl, he needs people like Tyreese and Michonne, and he even needs Merle.

I like how the parallels between Rick and the Governor are becoming more obvious. In some ways, they're starting to become each other - the Governor wants an end to barbeques and picnics, and a move towards militarisation and absolute control, realising that the world is different and people can't live that way any more (which is echoed by Andrea); Rick is starting to crack under the pressure of the world he now lives in, the fact that there is no time to grieve between deaths, and the weight of responsibility as his foundations crumble.

I agree, too, that the walkers may take even more of a back-seat role, serving to keep everyone on their toes when they start to think that a tight situation can't become worse. We do have to remember, though, that the walkers have never been more than a dramatic device, and as such have always been more in the background than the foreground.

*RAMPANT SPECULATION AHEAD*

As someone who's not read the source material, I'm having fun trying to work out where things will go from here. Of course there's going to be a showdown between Rick and the Governor, and the way the characters are set up it's obvious that Rick will come out on top (though he has to lose a lot to win). I'd like to think that the prison is still a stronghold come series four, but I expect the Governor and his army to destroy its fences and blow holes in important walls to remove the safety it provides, so we'll probably see the group moving through the wild again. As for the group itself, it needs to grow, but Rick won't allow that... so I foresee Rick becoming unfit to command, the group being assimilated by a larger group, and then a power struggle between its leader and Rick as he recovers.

---

Back to reality, I'm interested to see where Merle and Daryl end up. I reckon they'll find themselves in a hopeless situation, only to be rescued by the Governor's men.

 

[ctg]

Thing is Daryl doesn't want to go to the Governor's side and Merle doesn't really want to go being part of the Prison gang. Although I think he's harbouring some sort of plot of scouting out and then reporting back to the Governor, when the time is right. But is he?

At the end who is Merle loyal to? Does he feel the same as Daryl about the family?

 

[FireDragon-16]

Thing is Daryl doesn't want to go to the Governor's side and Merle doesn't really want to go being part of the Prison gang. Although I think he's harbouring some sort of plot of scouting out and then reporting back to the Governor, when the time is right. But is he?

At the end who is Merle loyal to? Does he feel the same as Daryl about the family?

*Comic spoilers*
For anyone who's read the comics, remember when Rick and the group originally escaped and they had that guy Adam (i can't quite remember his name) who came with them but really was reporting back to the Governor? What if that's what's going on with Merle? Whether the Governor planned the whole thing from the beginning or if Merle thinks that by leading the Governor to the prison he'll be able to get back into the Governor's good graces.

Then we've got the previews for next week and Daryl's telling someone who's pointing a gun to just let someone go. I think he may have been talking to Rick about Merle. Either way, Daryl needs to come back at some point, the group needs him.

 

[Southern Geologist]

I've seen a lot of complaints on Facebook about this episode. Personally I liked it, but then I could tell before it happened that they're opening up a lot of plot lines and that it would be one of those 'transitional' episodes that sets up a lot of stuff for the future.

 

[allmywires]

It felt like a harking back to the endless days of Hershel's farm from season 2...I was a little disappointed, to be honest, especially with so little of the Guv, Daryl disappearing so early and Bland Andrea getting 100 per cent more screen time than she deserves. I do hope they follow through with the hinted-at mental breakdown with regards to Rick, who's is becoming quite the antihero; so much that I'm not sure I like him at all any more. Deadly Wee Carl would probably make a better leader than him.

Nevertheless, I hope it's setting up for big things in the future, namely the Prison-Woodbury showdown. I can't help feeling Rick will regret the decision of including Tyrese and co, and letting Daryl/Merle and Michonne go (potentially). I'm spoiler free so don't judge my opinions!

 

[ctg]

It felt like a harking back to the endless days of Hershel's farm from season 2...I was a little disappointed, to be honest, especially with so little of the Guv, Daryl disappearing so early and Bland Andrea getting 100 per cent more screen time than she deserves.

Sounds like you were really, really disappointed. Not just a bit, but A LOT.

I don't know how to make extenuations with you as I for one want to see a bit more in the screen then zombie bashing. If I want that I'll watch old classics that has nothing else. But I can promise there's going to be a great deal more Governor and Daryl's adventures. Fear not, they haven't been killed off.

 

[FireDragon-16]

*Comic book spoilers*
For those of you who've read up through 18, remember when Glenn dies? In my family, we're kind of hoping that his smashing that one walker's head to a pulp is the creators way of having that happen. We don't want Glenn to die! Anyone else agree?

If you want to know what I said, highlight to read.

 

[ctg]

Oh dear Firedragon, that is one of the major spoilers and I have been trying my best to keep it hidden. So if you don't know, you don't want to know. Trust me.

 

[svalbard]

Thought this was a very good episode. Rick's meltdown is coming nicely to the boil. I applaud the actor playing him and the cast in general. The acting in this series is top notch and is one of the reasons that lifts TWD into the top tier of TV series over the last number of years.

 

[Lenny]

I couldn't help myself - I had to read the first line of the spoiler to see if it was something I'd regret reading.

I'm not hugely bothered by spoilers, though. Many a time I've found myself flicking through a cast list on Wikipedia, of a show I've started five years after it concluded, only to read a major spoiler. At first, I got annoyed, but after a while I learnt to enjoy them - when you know the end-point, it becomes a lot of fun trying to work out how things progress!

Of course, the fun is only there when you have one or two spoilers for the entire series. When you sit and read the plot for every story arc beforehand, you might as well not bother with watching the show.

With this spoiler in mind (and all in time), I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out (if indeed those events come to pass) - should this occur, how will it happen, how will it affect the cast, how will it shape the story? It might be harder to plot a trajectory for The Walking Dead, as the characters aren't predictable enough for me to say with certainty what their next moves will be, but that just adds an extra level of fun!

 

[thaddeus6th]

Just saw this episode yesterday. I was slightly disappointed. Daryl's choice seemed too straightforward (his brother had tortured Glen and been part of the group that had threatened to rape Maggie). That said, having the chap who could easily have taken over (in a positive way) when Rick went bananas at the end leave just as the choice had to be made about the quartet of newcomers was a nice juxtaposition.

But not much happened, really, after Daryl left. Given Merle was a dick when they were kids (as per the hallucination/wounded episode last season), and was involved in torture/rape threats of people with whom Daryl had been through a lot I was surprised the decision seemed so obvious to him.

 

[ctg]

Blood is thicker than water and there's no way he could had just left Merle behind. No way. The family matters and as far as it's up to him Merle can do whatever and he still loves him.

 

[quantumtheif]

The brother went through everything together, and I didn't see him giving that up even for his new family.
Though, I see them both going back to the group anyway with the way thing are unfolding.

 

[thaddeus6th]

I agree that Merle and Daryl could return, particularly if they end up saving RIck's group from the revenge of the one-eyed lunatic.

 

[quantumtheif]

The one eye guy is getting more insane by the episode, but so is rick. It will be an interesting showdown between them. Thankfully Merle and Daryl hate one-eye more.