The Walking Dead Season 3 Ep 15 - This Sorrowful Life - Review

merle daryl rick the governor

The Walking Dead Season 3 Ep 15 - This Sorrowful Life (249 )

What did you think of the show?

  1. Excellent (198 [79.52%])

    79.52%

  2. Good - Some Critiques (35 [14.06%])

    14.06%

  3. Fair - Not What I Expected (12 [4.82%])

    4.82%

  4. Poor (4 [1.61%])

    1.61%

#51
walkerbait13

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Oh. My. God.

So many good moments in this episode!!

• I knew that there was no way that Rick would turn Michonne over to the governor. It was a nice bit of drama with him ask the others and debating internally with himself.

• I understand the intention of the scene of Hershel reading the bible, but I thought it was rather ineffectual.

• Liked the scene between Merle and carol.

• I actually didn't mind the hallucination of Lori in this episode. Glad that she isn't in her dumb white dress anymore. I could tell that Rick is on his way to recovery now though. He knows that Lori isn't "there". She seems to be helping him (especially with the moral dilemma of Michonne) just like the phone calls in the comic.

• I absolutely loved loved loved the scenes between Merle and Michonne! There was some great dialogue there, both comical and emotional. Michonne had something there with Merle not being a killer until the governor made him one. Merle may have been a really bad person, but he wasn't a killer until he was forced to be.

• Loved that Glenn proposed to Maggie. Good crossover from the comics.

• I loved Merle's last moments alive. The whole jamming in the car with the whiskey was great. Merle knew what he had to do and he did it. He knew that there was a huge possibility that he wouldn't make it out alive, but he had a mission. He was ready. Kill as many fighters as he could, and try to take out the governor! He would have had stupid Ben not gotten in the way. He went down fighting like a bad ass yes, but he went down fighting for his baby brother. He was a bad person, yes, but he was not heartless. He truly loved Daryl and would and did do everything in his power to save him. Merle did indeed redeem himself in the end.

• I'm glad that Rick is finally finding himself again. He is getting his humanity back! I really liked the speech he gave about leadership.

• Wow. Just wow. Merle as a zombie? Holy shit. I expected him to die, but I never expected it to be like this. Daryl's reaction was so emotional! I cried just a little bit. It was like he didn't want to believe it at first, the way he just shoved Merle away. Merle was an ass most of the time, but Merle did truly love Daryl and Daryl did love Merle. I was actually sad to see merle go, and daryls reaction played a big part in that. Gotra give props to both actors for this episode.Truly a great, touching scene.

Great episode!!! Loved it!!
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#52
Boss

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So i guess now we have a Grimocracy?
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#53
walkerbait13

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Writing a bigger review in a bit but this is me now...



My heart is bleeds for Daryl his reaction killed me.


This is so me!! If my family wasn't in the room while I was watching this, I would've bawled like a baby.
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#54
senojsi

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I didnt say she just stared, I said why does it take her so long to talk, anytime shes asked a question, theres a long pause before she speaks
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#55
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I think Carol was right, Merle was gonna be a late bloomer. I was really starting to like him. Poor Darryl. I liked Rick's democracy speech

Glenn and Maggie "proposal" thing was pretty boring.

Why does it take so long for Michonne to talk? Darryl asked if she killed his brother and she just looked OMG she looks so silly.

Rooker and the Gov look very handsome on Talking Dead


I hadn't really noticed it before but I'd say that she is a thinker. She thinks before she talks and chooses her words wisely.
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#56
stickoffury412

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I hadn't really noticed it before but I'd say that she is a thinker. She thinks before she talks and chooses her words wisely.


I think this relates back to when she was with Ed. Imagine if you said the wrong thing to him :( poor Carol's probably spent all her married life worried about what to say . And making sure she used her words wisely
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#57
Judari

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I wonder if Daryl is going to hold a grudge against Rick now, since he was the one who asked Merle to do the "dirty deed" for him?


I doubt it. Rick never told Merle he was the one who had to do it by himself. Merle even knew that. However Merle also knew Rick couldn't go through with it though so that's why he took it upon himself alone. (Although I still don't see why he logically thought he could deliver Michonne and the Gov would just let him walk away).
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#58
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Guess who wrote this episode? Scott Gimple! The episodes that he has written makes me really excited for season 4. He adds balance to the show like we had in season 1. Drama yes. Zombie killing action yes. Emotion yes. Humor yes but not too much. Amazing hell yes!! Super pumped for next season hell f**king yeah!!!!!!!!!!
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#59
Valleyaggie

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This show never stops completely surprising me.
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"My mind is my weapon ... and a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." - Tyrion Lannister

#60
ElloraDixon

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I think this relates back to when she was with Ed. Imagine if you said the wrong thing to him :( poor Carol's probably spent all her married life worried about what to say . And making sure she used her words wisely


She meant Michonne.


And wow, very good episode! Poor Daryl, but I hope he will now leave the past behind and go back to his old ways with the group.
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#61
Deadpelican

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Great episode.

Personally, I don't think Merle was ever going to hand over Michonne.

I think he just fixed things so that, by the time the prison group found Michonne, the plan to hand her over to the governor wouldn't be possible anymore.
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#62
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I think this relates back to when she was with Ed. Imagine if you said the wrong thing to him :( poor Carol's probably spent all her married life worried about what to say . And making sure she used her words wisely


mmmm think they were actually referring to Michonne on this one ;) Carol is just cheeky anymore lol
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#63
stickoffury412

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I realize serenity was referring to Michonne now, whoops.

I stand by my carol comment regardless! :P
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#64
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I got really excited when Rick started talking to the group because I thought it would be his famous speech from the comics :(


haha i thought the same at the end of the episode with the meeting between rick and the Gov.
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#65
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Awesome episode imo! I didnt see Merle dying this episode! Crazy shit!!

I see people saying nobody will know what Merle did...but i think they will! Michonne will obviously say he let her go (she told Daryl) an Daryl saw all the Woodbury bodies an that Merle was shot in the chest! I mean it should be pretty obvious to Daryl that Merle had a change of heart, let Michonne go an said "fuck it, im goin to take out as many as these sobs's as I can to help my brother an the group!"

Cant wait for the finale!
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#66
stickoffury412

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I just realized if Merle would have lived he would only have a total of three fingers
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#67
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Great episode.

The only thing I had issues with was the car. The rims changed on it between shots. Also the chance of a car with giant chrome rims having a heavy metal CD in it are rather slim :smiley-confused002:

Also when Merle went to shoot TG and Ben got in the way that bullet would have gone straight through ben like a hot knife through butter and hit the gov. May not have killed him but a 5.56 round wont be stopped by someones head!
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#68
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I'm numb from the range of emotions this episode took me through. First: I was heartbroken when Rick was planning on taking Michonne to TG. I'm sooo glad he backed out and I'm so glad to see Daryl happy that Rick changed his mind. Second: The scenes with Maggie and Glenn were wonderful. For those of you wondering about the clean ring? He pulled it off the walker and WASHED IT. I'm just afraid that by getting engaged, they've signed their death warrants. Third: Carol. The interaction with Carol and Merle was great. The line about her being a late bloomer was inspired. However, I was thinking that perhaps she's not afraid anymore because she has nothing left to lose? Sophia's death was the worst thing that could ever happen to her. So she doesn't fear anything anymore. Just a thought. I also fear for her in the finale. Fourth: The interaction with Michonne and Merle. Merle was totally planning on taking her to TG. She made him change his mind. Awesome! I don't think Michonne is going to hold a grudge against Rick, either. Rick changed his mind. Michonne knew Rick wouldn't do it. Merle knew Rick wouldn't do it. Everybody (except me! lol) knew Rick wouldn't do it. Michonne killing the walkers while tied up? She's soooo epic! Fifth: I wish Merle had decided to be a late bloomer like Carol encouraged him to be. His tactics and strategy would have been such an amazing asset for Rick and Co. However, as I've said all along, Merle was a lost cause. Yes, he died doing something good but I firmly believe he intended to die doing it. I think he had giving up on the possibility of there being a place for him and he knew Daryl was lost to him. Michonne made him realize that TG had pushed him into being a far more evil man than he had ever been prior to the ZA. Michonne forced him to see himself as he really is. I believe Merle had a total self realization moment. He had intended on taking Michonne and changed his mind. He formed the plan worthy of Sun Tzu while drinking some whiskey. Shooting TG's men while they were shooting the walkers in order to hide the sounds of his gunshots? So epic! Michael Rooker is a truly fantastic actor. You can see what he's thinking as it goes through his mind; he doesn't have to say a word. Sixth: Norman Reedus nailed the scene with zombie Merle. The anguish was so real. Daryl was mourning the loss of what Merle was and the fact that it was too late to see what Merle could have been. Daryl also realized that Merle's death was his own doing: "The only thing that can kill Merle is Merle." The acting on this show is so good sometimes. I'm sorry this post all ran together; for some reason, the "return" key doesn't work in the posting box on this site on the home pc.
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#69
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This episode made me sad. :( I knew Merle was going to die. I was prepared for it. I know he is a bad guy and he actually got what he had coming. But I don't think people should get what they deserve when what they deserve is death. And this episode really showed the fracture's in Merle's tough guy facade. He would have turned out alright, eventually, just like Daryl did. He would just have a lot more baggage. It is always sad to see a character with that potential dangling like a carrot on a stick get written off. But what a great way to go out, and this will be good character development for Daryl.

Michonne really found her tongue this episode! Interesting to see how she can be vocally effective, persuasive and manipulative in her own way.

I found it really hard to watch Merle hang himself out to dry. I think he wanted to be punished for all he has done. And it was hard to see a strong, tough, capable guy like him getting wailed on and broken like he was with the Guv. Merle's tough and capable, but the Governor has that extra dose of psycho to make him truly formidable. I was happy that at least Merle didn't have to endure being chowed down on. At least he died by gun shot, and hopefully quickly.

The ending broke my heart. Daryl had a Carol moment! So sad how Daryl was obviously heartbroken, and yet there was rage and resent mixed in as well. I wonder what shape he'll be in next episode? Frick, I hope he isn't captured or something.

Speaking of Carol, I enjoyed the Merle/Carol scene as well. She handled him very well, it's easy to respect her.

I was disappointed that Rick really thought - even for a moment - that handing Michonne over would achieve anything for the prison group. It was an immoral decision, yes, but it was also a really poor strategic one. Anyway, I knew he would come to his senses, and I'm glad he did. I wish Merle could have cleared his conscience some non-suicidal way. But maybe like Michonne said...he maybe didn't want to live with himself anymore anyway. I don't think he really believed he was ever getting out of there.

Anyway, I rated the episode "excellent".
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#70
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Oh. My. God.

So many good moments in this episode!!

• I knew that there was no way that Rick would turn Michonne over to the governor. It was a nice bit of drama with him ask the others and debating internally with himself.

• I understand the intention of the scene of Hershel reading the bible, but I thought it was rather ineffectual.

• Liked the scene between Merle and carol.

• I actually didn't mind the hallucination of Lori in this episode. Glad that she isn't in her dumb white dress anymore. I could tell that Rick is on his way to recovery now though. He knows that Lori isn't "there". She seems to be helping him (especially with the moral dilemma of Michonne) just like the phone calls in the comic.

• I absolutely loved loved loved the scenes between Merle and Michonne! There was some great dialogue there, both comical and emotional. Michonne had something there with Merle not being a killer until the governor made him one. Merle may have been a really bad person, but he wasn't a killer until he was forced to be.

• Loved that Glenn proposed to Maggie. Good crossover from the comics.

• I loved Merle's last moments alive. The whole jamming in the car with the whiskey was great. Merle knew what he had to do and he did it. He knew that there was a huge possibility that he wouldn't make it out alive, but he had a mission. He was ready. Kill as many fighters as he could, and try to take out the governor! He would have had stupid Ben not gotten in the way. He went down fighting like a bad ass yes, but he went down fighting for his baby brother. He was a bad person, yes, but he was not heartless. He truly loved Daryl and would and did do everything in his power to save him. Merle did indeed redeem himself in the end.

• I'm glad that Rick is finally finding himself again. He is getting his humanity back! I really liked the speech he gave about leadership.

• Wow. Just wow. Merle as a zombie? Holy shit. I expected him to die, but I never expected it to be like this. Daryl's reaction was so emotional! I cried just a little bit. It was like he didn't want to believe it at first, the way he just shoved Merle away. Merle was an ass most of the time, but Merle did truly love Daryl and Daryl did love Merle. I was actually sad to see merle go, and daryls reaction played a big part in that. Gotra give props to both actors for this episode.Truly a great, touching scene.

Great episode!!! Loved it!!


Great assessment. The one thing I was afraid of is that they would have Merle go out in too heroic of a way. That would be too unrealistic since he was always all about #1. I think they got it right by showing that Merle wasn't completely evil but was still fighting his demons and trying to do the right thing for his brothers sake.
Daryl's reaction was truly heartbreaking. :(
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#71
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-Hershel spouting the bible is now getting cliche. Once or twice and its powerful for the scene but they are playing that card too much.


I'll have to rewatch to pay attention to what the scripture was about, but I felt like that scene was about Hershel reflecting on his faith and realizing that as much as he would give anything to protect his girls, he wouldn't hand Michonne over for them. Immediately after he finished, he got up and hobbled over to Rick to discuss the situation, and I assumed he was going to reject the Michonne idea.

So to me, it did make sense. Hershel was remembering the kind of man he was and is.
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#72
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The only thing I had issues with was the car. The rims changed on it between shots. Also the chance of a car with giant chrome rims having a heavy metal CD in it are rather slim :smiley-confused002:

I was just thinking how different the scene would have been if the previous owner had left a totally different cd in the car :D
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#73
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He was shot in the head. They showed it in the Memoriam on the TD.

Which makes sense or he would have been a walker. I have to watch it again but I think that is who Merle was eating.


Yes, Walker Merle was eating Dead Ben. On Talking Dead, they showed how the scene was made and the actor who plays Ben, Tyler Chase, gave a quick interview as he was lying on the ground covered in his own "intestines."
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#74
DeadCave

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Awesome episode imo! I didnt see Merle dying this episode! Crazy shit!!

I see people saying nobody will know what Merle did...but i think they will! Michonne will obviously say he let her go (she told Daryl) an Daryl saw all the Woodbury bodies an that Merle was shot in the chest! I mean it should be pretty obvious to Daryl that Merle had a change of heart, let Michonne go an said "fuck it, im goin to take out as many as these sobs's as I can to help my brother an the group!"

Cant wait for the finale!

Pretty much sums it up right there.

It was good that Norman gotten a chance to show another side to his acting ability. I liked the scene and thought it was nicely done. The close up of Merle's eyes that very tiny bit of recognition perhaps or at least Daryl trying to find something of his brother in there. His "overkill" on Merle's face/head was just plain anger, same as Carol bashing Ed's head repeatedly with the pickaxe ... the anger (different reasons).
Both Rooker and Reedus done very well in this show. RIP Merle.

Good kills by Michonne while being tied up, clever use of the wire.

It's possible that Glenn cleaned the ring (best as he could) before giving it to Maggie. At least he didn't get cliched and drop to one knee.

Basically Andrea (Laurie Holden) had a whole episode (kinda) to herself so understandable that she was given a break for this episode. Besides what else could they do... show her still tied to the chair and struggling futilely?

Rick's anti-dictatorship speech. Coming back to reality and realizing the weight is too much to bear alone. Denying Lori was there is a good positive step.

Good dialogue between Michonne and Merle. Yeah she pushed the right button by asking the right questions... remember she was a lawyer in previous life.

Good episode I thought. Hope the last one is going to be just as.
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#75
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I thought the episode was excellent. Michonne`s walker kill was awesome and that ending with Daryl and Merle was heartbreaking. :( I can`t wait to see what they have in store for the finale.
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