The Walking Dead - S03E03 Walk With Me (2012)

Review

A National Guard helicopter crashes and Michonne and Andrea investigate, only to be disturbed by an arrival of an unknown group in SUVs. Michonne refuses to make themselves known to the group but the girls are surprised by Andrea's old friend Merle Dixon and they are soon on their way to a fortified community called Woodbury. They learn that the community numbers 72, soon to be 73 with a baby due, and is ruled by the Governor. Woodbury is barricaded and guarded 24/7 with no breaches in the town's defences in the past month.

Michonne doesn't trust the Governor and wants their weapons back, the Governor can inform them that they can have their weapons the next day if they leave, but should rest up over night as Andrea is still sick. We soon learn that the Governor is pretty ruthless and has a few Roos bounding around his top paddock. It could well be that Michonne and Andrea have jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

While last week's episode focused on Rick and his team securing more of the prison and finding it not as deserted as they thought it was this week's episode focuses on Michonne and Andrea finding at least a temporary port in the face of the zombie storm. The question the episode asks, and which readers of the graphic novel already know the answer to, is whether or not this particular port is as safe as it first appears. Interestingly Andrea seems willing to give it a go, seemingly oblivious to what is happening around her, while Michonne wants to get out of Dodge as fast as possible. Andrea sees a chance for a new beginning, Michonne senses a danger that at least rivals what is beyond Woodbury's fortifications.

Excellent introduction to the Governor, there's going to be a lot of blood kids

I've been waiting for a bit over half a season for the Governor to make an appearance, and I got to say I was not blown away by the character the show sent my way. No offense to David Morrissey, fine actor that he is, but this Governor bares no resemblance to the character from the graphic novels. For sure the Governor has a few Roos loose, but there's none of the intensely psychopathic nature to this Governor that Charlie Adlard brought to the novel panels.

That being said the Governor certainly nails a few ideas to the community notice board and should have put most viewers on notice that he isn't the full quid. Having got the location of the National Guard convoy from the sole survivor of the Helicopter crash, the Governor immediately lays on an ambush, massacring the Guardsmen, and purloining their gear. Clearly no other group is safe from this Dude and his happy band of marauders. I'm also getting the feeling that he is only keeping Michonne and Andrea around to discover the location of Rick's group, which is clearly going to be the centre of conflict in season three. And if we weren't totally convinced of the Governor's credentials as a complete nut job, he has his own personal Frankenstein in Milton Mamet making tea and sifting through the remains of Michonne's zombies. Yes I got the wink to Romero's Day of the Dead, thankfully not splashed across the screen in blinking neon signposts. The episode finishes with the Governor relaxing in his own private space, complete with fish tanks full of severed heads. Initially I thought they might be zombie heads but a close up reveals the head of the National Guardsman who survived the helicopter crash.

To ensure we know Rick is going to have his hands full dealing with the Governor's storm troopers our old friend Merle Dixon is aiding and abetting Woodbury's very own Fuehrer. I actually quite like the character of Merle, as in like to hate, one of the few new characters the television series has introduced to excellent results. Merle is interested in catching up with his brother Daryl, but also wants some quality time with Rick. For those with short memories, Merle was forced to remove his hand to escape the situation on the Atlantic rooftop after being handcuffed to a pipe by Rick. From memory T-Dog dropped the key that would have freed Merle, so even more payback I would imagine.

There has been some lively debate about whether or not the copter in this episode is the same one that overflew Atlantic in season two, which inadvertently lead the zombie herd to Hershel's farm. Some valid arguments are being put forward by both camps to support their differing viewpoints. If it is the same copter then what exactly have the soldiers been doing for the last six months or so? How many copters are going to be in the air post apocalypse? I'm neither here nor there on the argument to be honest, I'm just grooving to the story being told, but it would pay for the Producers to put this one to rest I think, at best it's distracting from discussing of the more meaningful aspects of the season.

I was actually caught up in a single moment in this episode where script writer Evan T. Reilly showed that the show Producers are keeping their time lines in synch. Michonne confronts the Governor with killing the soldiers at the helicopter crash site, he replies that they were already turned. Andrea then points out they weren't bitten when the girls arrived. A sudden ring of crystal, as Stephen King would say, Andrea and Michonne were unaware of the living carrying the virus at this stage. I applauded the editing team for leaving this scene in, it simply spoke volumes about the care being put into The Walking Dead's mythology.

One final thing, what is it with Michonne and her two mutilated walkers? Clearly she has worked out the undead smell would camouflage her from other zombies, and she finishes off her two pretty damn rapidly when the situation called for it, but she refuses to discuss who the zombies original were. There's clearly some sort of traumatic back story to be had, I'm really looking forward to getting to the heart of Michonne the character. Maybe later in the season, or perhaps next season if the current one is chock full of story, I'm betting it's going to be a ripper of a yarn when we get to it.

I'm writing this review guide as season four of The Walking Dead airs, I'm actually doing this off site and will publish all sixteen reviews of season three in one big upload early next year. Good news is season five has got the approval from AMC following record viewing figures for the franchise, which now rival the figures NFL gains each week in North America. So good news there, and hell yeah enjoyed this episode with the proviso that the Governor wasn't quite as good as the character created in the graphic novels. Happy viewing folks, season three is building into a very solid affair with the promise of some major confrontations to come. For those who have read the graphic novels, what's the feeling on how far the television show will go?