Violence is sometimes necessary.
Now, its just the percussion, a nice regular backbeat that keeps the show moving along.
Pretty much everyone has praisedThe Walking Deadfor this new, ultraviolent direction.
Credit: Gene Page
This has madeThe Walking Deada much more fun show.
brinksmanship of every new zombie sequence.
The show makes violence look so bad, and therefore, so good.
This ought to trouble you at least a little bit.
Is it okay ifThe Walking Deadis just a violence-delivery mechanism?
Does the show just want to be the most grown-up cartoon on television?
And should we even worry about that?
(Im not pointing fingers here, by the way.
Im the guy who hands out a Zombie Kill of the Week Award.)
We saw him brushing his heretofore-unseen daughters hair, a doting father.
The daughter was making some familiar drooly-roar sounds.
She grasped at her fathers arms with sharp nails and bit at his hands with corroded teeth.
Daddy still loves you, you know that, right?
asked the Governor, lovingly covering his daughters head in a protective sack.
While Rick stood in a daze, his designated Riker took command.
He also played matchmaker and told Beth to take care of the newly-matricidal Carl.
He would not let this baby die.
He was just letting off some steam.
The Governor is not an openly violent man, like Rick.
While he was speechifying, Michonne snuck into his room to get her sword.
Inside, she found the Governors journal.
The message was clear: All work and no play make The Governor something something.
At that moment, the Governor came in with the bespectacled Milton and the be-stabhanded Merle.
She went poking around, and found six walkers caged next to what looked like an abandoned parking lot.
She let the zombies out, and smiled.
I think this might be the first time weve ever seen Michonne smile.
Could Michonne ever pass up a high like this?
The Governor sat her down for a meeting and chastised her.
He said that she was acting out so you can get kicked out of Woodbury.
She was poking the Governor specifically to make it get him to show his bad side.
He wouldnt take the bait.
Weve enjoyed havin you, he said, all genial.
He asked her to join the Research Team.
In response, she held her katana to his throat.
Shes all personality, that one, the Governor explained to Merle.
Something had to be done.
So the Governor called in his crush Andrea and explained the situation.
Andrea was a bit put off by the revelation that he had captive zombies.
But shes fundamentally happy here in Woodbury.
She found Michonne packing, and tried to talk sense into her.
Michonne stood firm: This place is not what they say it is.
But thats not really true.
The Governor welcomes new people, unless like the soldiers or Michonne they seem like they could overpower him.
Rick just doesnt welcome anybody.END OF ASIDE.)
leading to yet another opportunity to award him theAdorable Woodland Animal Kill of the Week.Watch your back, squirrels!
Michonne and Andrea marched right up to the walls of Woodbury.
Merle fretted that they couldnt leave; they would need an escort; it was almost escort.
Michonne took this as proof of her conspiracy theory: See?
Theresalwaysa reason why we cant leave yet.
The cards all went on the table now.
Michonne didnt even blink: Youd just slow me down, anyways.
But its not like Michonne is a pacifist fleeing a totalitarian state.
I guess you could argue that Michonne is a good person because she doesnt kill human beings.
(Further reading for your next plane flight:Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne.)
He asked Carl if the baby had a name yet.
Carl mentioned that he had been thinking of Sophia.
Inside the prison, Rick finally found his way to his wifes birthing chamber.
What we got was even worse.
And then Rick started stabbing into the walkers stomach, as if he could fish Lori out.
Dark times at the prison, but happy days are here again in Woodbury.
Everyone gathered together for an exciting show on a set of bleachers.
The lights came up on an arena, with a gang of chained zombies on all sides.
A referee whistled, and Merle started fighting the security guys.
The seemed to be following basic UFC rules, except with more zombies and more clothes.
Occasionally, they loosened the chains on the walkers, just to make things interesting.
The Governor looked genuinely surprised.
Its a way to blow off steam, he said.
Its barbaric, Andrea responded.
The Governor smiled and told her a secret: Its staged.
So forget the UFC; the real comparison here is the old-school WWF.
For all we know, he already is.
What if he isallof them?
NEXT: Are you not entertained?People need entertainment, said the Governor.
And in this moment, I would argue that this season ofThe Walking Deadreached the next level.
It almost seems like the Governor was responding to people who think the show is too violent.
Theyre just killing zombies!
Its all in good fun!
Intriguingly, the Governor took it one step further and argued that the fights had an actual social utility.
Youre teaching them that walkers arent dangerous, argued Andrea.
Were teaching themnot to be afraid, said the Governor.
(Andrea actually said, Its a slippery slope.)
Then again, you could also argue that Woodbury is a fairly typical society.
Again, Im not sure any of this means that Woodbury is a fundamentallybadplace.
Everyone there seems pretty happy.
This was probably the quietest episode of the season so far.
It amounted to a deep dive into various characters psychology albeit with plenty of zombie-killing along the way.
Appropriately, the episode ended with a couple of quiet little moments.
Meanwhile, Rick heard a phone ringing inside the birth chamber.
He picked it up: Hello?
Are the phone lines working?
Is someone from Woodbury checking in?
Is Destiny calling, and will Rick accept the charges?
All in all, a great and brainteasing episode.
Fellow viewers, what did you think of this weeks shenanigans?
Was Michonne right to leave Woodbury?
Where does zombie-decapitating fit into the stages of grief?
What would you name Baby Grimes?
Can Daryl Motherfing Dixon be our stepdad?
Ask me stuff aboutWalking Dead, or possums, or the psychological history of human violence!
