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| Some people just want to watch the world burn. Even though they have one eye. |
Warning: The following review definitely contains spoilers. Read at your own risk.
Alright, let's get it out of the way. Tonight's episode of The Walking Dead was not at all what I expected. With the return of the Governor teased by last week's promo, I thought we would be seeing evil in its purest form, rearing its ugly head to attack Rick and his group of survivors at the prison. What we got was something emotional, heartfelt, and very similar to a Lifetime channel movie...except for the rare occurrence of some zombies.
Instead of progressing with the story, we are instead taken to the end of season 3. Here, we see the aftermath of the Governor slaughtering his crew, a very emotionally broken-down man who simply does not have the will to live anymore. Abandoned by his men, the governor returns to Woodbury and torches it (above) before coming across a little girl in a window. Then things take a turn.
Due in part to David Morrissey's amazing portrayal of a man who you actually begin to feel sorry for, this episode starts to get very depressing. The little girl, Megan, reminds him of his own daughter, and the remaining survivors of this small group start asking him for small favors. Eventually, there comes a point where the Governor has to venture out and acquire a few oxygen tanks for the father, who is dying of cancer. Inevitably...he dies, which is not a shocker. His passing delivers a very intense moment where the Governor bashes the newly-turned-zombie in the head with an oxygen tank, making the little girl begin to fear him.
Skipping over some of the non-crucial plot points, the ending proves to be powerful, when after falling into a pit with Megan, the Governor protects her by fighting off a few zombies, telling her he would "never" let anything happen to her. Aww, how cute.
In retrospect, I get what this episode was trying to do. It is establishing a side of the Governor nobody has seen since early on in season 3. We are meant to see that he, much like the other characters on the show, are capable of emotion; capable of being good. However, out of the episodes that heavily rely on one character for their entirety, I found this to be the weakest (I am referring to the pilot of the show, Merle's fantastic farewell, and the last episode, in which Hershel is given his time to shine).
I have come to realize this was a very long hour of television. While I commend Morrissey's performance (although he said but a few words the entire episode) and the differing viewpoint, this is the furthest from a Walking Dead episode you can possibly get with it still bearing the name of the show. Drama is appreciated in small doses to make us feel for the characters. However, with the exception of a few episodes this season, there seems to be a whole hell of a lot of it lately. While not necessarily a terrible episode, this show needs to do something drastic, and quick, before it begins to lose viewership.
The Walking Dead is on Sunday night at 9:00 EST on AMC.
Rating:
6/10
(6 out of 10)
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