Guys, I’m speechless. Only one character annoyed me last night on the midseason premiere of AMC’s The Walking Dead.
[Spoilers]
Last night’s episode, “The Suicide King,” began exactly where we left off in December. After storming Woodbury, Daryl is caught and made to face his long-lost brother Merle in the Governor’s gruesome arena as Andrea looks on. As I predicted, familial love wins out and Merle only pretends like he’s going to kill his brother in order for them to escape. Though I’m not sure how that would have happened had Rick and Co. not shown up and starting randomly shooting people.
As soon as the gang was clear, the arguing started over Merle and Michonne. Needless to say, no one but Daryl wanted to invite Merle back to their prison sanctuary, and with good reason, but really, what else were they going to do? Oh, right, he and Daryl can strike off on their own instead. Sad for the show and the group, though I doubt it’s permanent, but it makes sense for Daryl. I’m glad at least someone tried to use Carol as a reason for him to stay because they are supremely enjoyable to watch together. As for Michonne, Rick decides she’ll stay until she’s patched up.
Back at the prison, our new refugees are locked away but at least being visited by Hershel and the rest. He sees them as trustworthy people but tells them it isn’t up to him whether or not they’ll be allowed to stay. They’re told they can bury their friend with all the other casualties in the yard and while doing so, two of the group decide it’s a good idea to jump Carol and Carl, because they’re only a woman and a kid, and take over the prison before they’re forced to leave. To which Tyreese says, you must be joking and I say, you obviously don’t know Carol and Carl. They will shoot you in the head before you can even noticed they pulled a gun.
In Woodbury, the attack took a major toll. Not only were several of their people killed, a hole in their perimeter allowed walkers to gain access to the town. The Governor was not handling his loss of control well and the town freaked out without his influence. Many tried to storm the gate but Andrea took the leadership role and calmed them down. That is, until the walkers started eating people. Woops. After a chat with The Governor, Andrea finally learns Glenn and Maggie were in Woodbury but still doesn’t get as angry as I feel she should considering what’s gone down in the last day or two. But I have a feeling we’re going to see her make a turn around soon.
And now for the character who annoyed me – Rick. All I can say is, that dude needs a nap. They need people to defend themselves against an impending attack from The Governor and Hershel vouched for the Tyreese but he still said no to them joining the group. Which frankly, is really, really stupid. Hershel made a logical case and told Rick he needs to start trusting people but Rick is a stubborn idiot. Plus, he basically put Carl in charge then yelled at him when he found out it was his decision to let the new people in. And oh yeah, now he’s seeing his dead wife in a wedding dress hanging around the prison. Someone needs to knock him out like he knocked out Merle.
Overall, this was an enjoyable episode. My only real issue with it was the feeling it could have fit into the midseason finale. I guess I expect more when a show comes back from an extended break and this not only felt like a run of the mill episode, it felt like all that happened here could have been covered in a much shorter time. The Governor and Rick still haven’t come face to face and now it feels like we’ll be waiting until the end of the season to see that happen. Carol took the news that Daryl left better than expected but what is up with Beth now? She looked to be getting a bit too friendly with Rick with that kiss on the cheek.
Let us know what you thought of the new episode in the comments and we’ll see you back here next Monday for another recap!
Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?
