The Walking Dead: Made To Suffer
2 Months!!! That is how long we have to wait for next new episode of The Walking Dead which will air on February 10, 2013. And the mid-season finale is going to make that 2 months seem so much longer.
Spoilers Follow
Finally, the secrets that the Governor has been keeping have come to light, Merle and Daryl are together and Tyrese (Chad Coleman) has made it to the prison.
Tyrese and his crew are introduced at the beginning of the episode, running through the woods, fighting off Walkers and getting swarmed because of the screaming woman that is with them. Really, it’s been over a year and she is screaming about the Walkers? They head to a broken wall at the back of the prison and look for sanctuary. In the prison, Axel is creeping on Beth, asking how old she is and flirting. Carl is not impressed and Carol takes him aside to call him out on it. He explains how long it has been since he was last with a woman and Beth is the only viable one as Carol is a lesbian (because of the hair). When she says she’s not, Axel is much friendlier. Later in the episode, Carl, Beth and Hershel hear a woman screaming inside the prison and Carl steps up and goes into the tombs to find out who it is. It’s Tyrese and that annoying woman screaming now because she has been bitten. Carl finds them and brings them back to the cell block. He offers to kill the woman who has died and is about to turn but Tyrese says he will do. Carl locks the newcomers out of the cell block and faces the wrath of Sasha but Tyrese calms her down and tells her to respect the man and his house. Judging by the preview of the next episode, two of these newcomers are going to be trouble and think of Carl and Carol as not a threat. I hope they prove those guys wrong.
And now to Woodbury where the real action is, finally! Glenn and Maggie are huddled together waiting for whatever the Governor is going to do next. Glenn goes to the dead Walker and rips off its arm and breaks it’s ulna and radius to create bone spears. It’s pretty gross but effective and Maggie does a good job at killing one of the guards but ultimately they fail and prepare to be executed. Or not. Rick, Daryl and Oscar (Michonne has disappeared) find them and are able to get them out and hole up in one of the buildings where Glenn tells Daryl that it was Merle who beat the shit out of him on orders from the Governor.
You can see the confusion and shock in Daryl’s reaction (Norman Reedus is awesome) and his conflict and frustration when he wants to go find Merle but Rick holds him back. The five of them shoot their way toward the wall but are pinned down by gun fire. They let off more smoke grenades and Daryl provides cover. Heading over the wall Oscar takes a shot to the chest and Maggie kills him as Rick is stopped by Shane (Jon Bernthal) coming through the smoke (as commented on by others, he looks like Wolverine) and Rick is stupefied but shakes it off and shoots him in the face. Ok, obviously not Shane but Rick still seems to be cracking up. Rick heads over the wall with Maggie and Glenn but Daryl is left behind.
Where the hell is Michonne through all of this? Ah, seeking revenge and on the hopeless pursuit that she can get Andrea and convince her that the Governor is no good. Michonne is sitting in the Governor’s apartment, sword drawn waiting for him. Meanwhile, he is doing all he can to keep Andrea from finding out about Glenn and Maggie and that their people have come to rescue them. Back to Michonne who is patiently waiting but becomes distracted when she hears a thumping sound from a locked door. She kicks in the door and first discovers the Governor’s room with the heady fish tanks and another locked door. The heads were surprising but when she opens the second locked door and finds the chained and bag headed girl, Michonne shows shock and horror at the spectacle which intensifies when she takes off the hood.
As she prepares to put the Walker child down, the G man shows up and begs Michonne not to do it. He shows real emotion and desperation to keep his dead daughter from harm but Michonne won’t spare the Walker whom she knows retains no humanity and shoves the sword through Penny’s mouth. A wicked fight between the two ensues and Michonne shoves a piece of glass through his eye but before she can finish the job, Andrea shows up and holds a gun on her. Andrea is clearly confused by what she sees has been hidden and by what has happened between the Governor and Michonne but she does not lower the gun and she goes to the Governor after Michonne leaves. This stupid woman. After the heads, Penny and the attack on Michonne, she still sticks by him, until the end where the silly woman sees his true nature and his wrath.
And his full wrath is taken out on Merle and Daryl. The Governor is pissed that Merle lied about killing Michonne and due to his failure, she has kicked his ass, taken his eye and killed his dead daughter and brought war to his peaceful town. Not to mention betraying his trust. The Governor parades Daryl out in front of the town and asks the town folk what to do with the terrorists (Daryl and Merle) as Andrea finally shows something other than stupid puppy eyes at the Governor’s actions. Kill them is the chant echoed by the good folks of Woodbury.
Final Thoughts: Such a good episode and the perfect way to lead viewers to frustration for 2 months while they are on mid-season break. The second half of the season looks like it will be even better than the first.
Dawning Creates 
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