[rumblepup]

 

 

As Rick deals with old wounds, members of the prison have to come to terms with their new environment and ask themselves if survival alone is enough.

 

 

 

[JesusMonroe]

If someone could make a gif of Carl running into the door and falling over, I will love you forever and shower you with upvotes

[Tay]

I was going to say that I hated how they're turning Carl into a douche but the ending made up for it.

[Lioness]

I liked most of the episode. I especially loved the last 2 minutes.

[JesusMonroe]

I’m going to break down each individual portion of the episode

 

The Overall Tone

Spoiler

This is probably what I liked the most about the episode. The Walking Dead has never really been a desperate story of survival (a la “The Road” or “The Last of Us” and it’s never really felt that way to me. I know every episode can’t be the group desperately trying to find a can of beans but at its worst, I always felt the show should be able to keep the feeling of danger in the air. It hasn’t. But in this episode, it did. There was an actual presence of danger and the feeling of survival (and the need to survive) was very strong. I don’t know if the rest of the season will have this, but it would be a nice change of pace.

 

The Acting of Chandler Riggs

Spoiler

I’ve criticized Chandler Riggs and his acting more than most on this forum. I think he’s very wooden and not…good. There were a lot of reviews saying how Chandler “kills it” in this episode. So, what did I think?

 

He was okay. He was pretty good when he wasn’t speaking. I’ve always said the Walking Dead is a much better show when nobody is speaking (actions speak louder than words) and this was definitely true for Chandler because I didn’t cringe once when he wasn’t speaking. He was actually a lot more expressive. He even convincingly portrayed fear when being attacked by the walker

 

When he was speaking? It was downhill since his first line of the episode. From “You keep watch!” to “Wake up!” Ugh…it was pretty awful if I’m being honest. To be fair, I don’t know if it’s the fault of the actor or the script (there were some awful lines this episode that I don’t think could sound good coming from anyone. The conversation with the walkers, especially)

 

The end where he was crying as he thought his Dad turned was probably his highlight scene of the episode (he even looked like a little boy again). It was a convincing performance…_{until he started saying, "I can't" and "I was wrong." Why did the writers feel like it was necessary for him to say that for us to understand what he was feeling?}

 

Best Part of the Episode?

Spoiler

The commercial with Liam Neeson trying to find a murderer on a plane. Nah, I kid. Probably the last line where Rick said, "It's for you." It was very sweet

 

Michonne

Spoiler

I missed the “TV-MA” logo at the beginning of the flashback/dream sequence with Michonne. Because of that, I thought I was watching a clever ad with Dania Guirra (advertising something for the Walking Dead). It was just so jarring to see things so normal on this show that I kind of didn’t register it was a flashback until she pulled out the sword.

 

Anyway, it was nice to get some hints of Michonne’s past. I’m looking forward to her character getting fleshed out more in the future. I also hope to see some more pre-apocalypse flashbacks. With this one, it created a nice contrast with who Michonne was to who she is now. The show even allowed us to induce that it had to have been something horrific that made her the way she is based on the contrast. I also liked that it implied Michonne was breaking at the seams because she had begun to rely on other people

 

Cinematography

Spoiler

I usually wouldn’t mention this. To be honest, the show always looks pretty bland to me. That wasn’t true for this episode. The second half had some beautiful shots and the entire episode was just well constructed in general

 

What was up with Carl’s “I win” comments, by the way?

[ZedHead]

Was that the house that Rock and Carol went to back in the earlier part of the season? The breakfast nook and the stairwell looked exactly the same.

Carl eating pudding was hilarious. (I thought it said dog food when I first saw it lol)

[M-88]

We know Carl is a bit messed up in the head - he has been through a bit.

 

Spoiler

Actress who plays Michonne is on Talking dead with short hair. I bet Carl kills her

[etphoto]

 loved it. Too many commercials though.

[Valleyaggie]

OMFG!!! This was my absolute favorite episode of the whole freaking series!!! I loved the character development of Carl and Michonne! Yes, Carl was being extremely annoying and I wanted to punch him in the face. However, his reaction to what happened at the prison and the death of Judith and all of their friends was totally believable. He's still a kid and he's going to react to traumatic situations the way a child would. The end, when he couldn't shoot Rick and realized how much he still loved his dad.... Amazing. Chandler Riggs has come a very, very long way as an actor in my opinion. Him sitting on the roof and eating the pudding? Such a great touch!!

 

Michonne! Finally! Wow. What an amazing story and set up for her! This episode had it all; character development, jump off your seat moments, and sheer emotion. Rick is all beat to shit. And Hershel's head! OMG!

 

So. Michonne didn't have Judith. But I cannot WAIT for next week!!!

[farswell7]

At the beginning of the episode I wanted to smack the shit out of Carl.

 

Then when he started screaming at unconscious Rick I felt for him and totally understood where he was coming from. "You knew the Governor knew where we were and you did nothing." Very true.. I had never even thought of that. Did they really think the Governor wouldn't come back?

 

Then Carl said he didn't need Rick and I was like 

 

I was back and forth with Carl the entire episode but it ended on a high note. I loved him writing on the door and then sitting on the roof eating pudding. He truly looked like a kid again, the face of innocence. Yet in the background there's the zombie trying to get to him to remind us the world will never be the same.

 

Loved Michonne and was rooting for her so hard to regroup with Rick and Carl. I had the biggest smile on my face at the end of the episode. 

[Panda32510]

We know Carl is a bit messed up in the head - he has been through a bit.

Spoiler

Actress who plays Michonne is on Talking dead with short hair. I bet Carl kills her

she has short hair because the actress who plays her wears a wig/extensions

[ZedHead]

Can someone explain to me the Michonne flashback? I believe it was when the apocalypse first started?

[farswell7]

We know Carl is a bit messed up in the head - he has been through a bit.

 

Spoiler

Actress who plays Michonne is on Talking dead with short hair. I bet Carl kills her

 

 

 

She wears a wig on the show...

[JesusMonroe]

OMFG!!! This was my absolute favorite episode of the whole freaking series!!! I loved the character development of Carl and Michonne! 

 

Did Michonne really have character development, though? The writers mostly just added some depth to her character by showing her past (which is a good thing)

[Valleyaggie]

Can someone explain to me the Michonne flashback? I believe it was when the apocalypse first started?

I think it was a mixed up version of her events. Her life before the ZA. Then at their camp when it started and then when her husband and friend (brother, whatever) were dead. It was a dream.

[Lioness]

I agree with Jesus Monroe that the dream sequence was confusing at first. I too thought it was a spoof commercial or something. Honestly, I really don't think it needed to be there. We know there is a child involved in her history. We know she had a personal relationship with the two walkers she had chained when we first met her. What we didn't know is why she thought they were monsters and we still don't know now. So, what was the point? I will say she looked beautiful in the scene. 

[Valleyaggie]

Did Michonne really have character development, though? The writers mostly just added some depth to her character by showing her past (which is a good thing)

You could see her emotion. She was finally actually grieving for her family instead of being all closed off. She retreated to her closed in self when she made her two new pets but then snapped out of it and retaliated. Her joining the group of walkers represented how she was pretty much a zombie herself, emotionally. Then she realizes what she is doing and reacts and kills them all. When she sees Rick and Carl through the window, she has a moment to decide if she wants to go in or just keep walking. She chooses to knock on the door. She chose not to be alone, not to be a living walker. I think that's some pretty darn good character development.

[ZedHead]

Hershall's head in the beginning

[General Ian Zane]

It was good. Her tie in was better than the original comic meetup.

[Panda32510]

I thought this episode was very good. it would've been nice to see little snippets of where everyone is now this episode, but I guess I'm just impatient lol. I thought they did a really good job with starting to flesh out Michonne's background more, even though it was really sad seeing her child who is no longer around but I'm glad they explained why Michonne had such an attachment to Judith. I didn't like Carl this episode, even though I understood why he was acting the way he was, it still broke my heart to hear him say he wouldn't care if Rick died, but I guess the ending made up for it. I loved the ending of the episode-so sweet.

[JesusMonroe]

You could see her emotion. She was finally actually grieving for her family instead of being all closed off. She retreated to her closed in self when she made her two new pets but then snapped out of it and retaliated. Her joining the group of walkers represented how she was pretty much a zombie herself, emotionally. Then she realizes what she is doing and reacts and kills them all. When she sees Rick and Carl through the window, she has a moment to decide if she wants to go in or just keep walking. She chooses to knock on the door. She chose not to be alone, not to be a living walker. I think that's some pretty darn good character development.

 

Touché

 

But still, it's not like it was the first time we saw Michonne accepting the company of people (Andrea being the most obvious answer) and opening up to others before. I kind of just saw it as a brief regression into her former self, she faced her traumas, and by the end she becomes the same Michonne we've known for the first half of the season

[Lioness]

You could see her emotion. She was finally actually grieving for her family instead of being all closed off. She retreated to her closed in self when she made her two new pets but then snapped out of it and retaliated. Her joining the group of walkers represented how she was pretty much a zombie herself, emotionally. Then she realizes what she is doing and reacts and kills them all. When she sees Rick and Carl through the window, she has a moment to decide if she wants to go in or just keep walking. She chooses to knock on the door. She chose not to be alone, not to be a living walker. I think that's some pretty darn good character development.

 

I loved the fact that she was walking next to a Michonne look alike with the dreadlocks. That really brought her situation home. 

 

And the knock on the door. Loved that. "It's for you."

[JesusMonroe]

Hershall's head in the beginning

 

Hershel's head on the Talking Dead : D

[Valleyaggie]

Touché

 

But still, it's not like it was the first time we saw Michonne accepting the company of people (Andrea being the most obvious answer) and opening up to others before. I kind of just saw it as a brief regression into her former self, she faced her traumas, and by the end she becomes the same Michonne we've known for the first half of the season

I disagree. She was still closed off with Andrea. They were close because of being together so long but Michonne still hadn't actually grieved for her family at that point. She did that in this episode when she was sitting in Joe & Joe's and talking to her dead husband. She actually moved past where she was with Andrea and is genuinely opening herself up to Rick and Carl when she knocks on the door.

[Gwalker]

Really amazing episode!! Loved all the character development and can't wait for the next episode, so we can learn what going with everyone else. My question is why was David Morrissey's name on the opening credits? Anybody else notice that?