Warning: This review will spoil the entire third season of The Walking Dead. If you haven’t seen it and don’t want to know what happens, please stop reading now….
For the most popular, scripted series on television, you’d think The Walking Dead would be a lot better than it is. Or maybe I should say you’d think the series could be more consistent. A solid stretch of episodes to start season three were ultimately let down by the back half of the season.
It’s hard to recall that in the fall, The Walking Dead did some solid work. Establishing the Ricktatorship and introducing Woodbury and the Governor all worked well. The show may have issues with characters (such as making them consistent) but it tried (and for the most part succeeded) in covering that up with unexpected deaths and an overriding sense of dread and tension as the two groups (the prison and Woodbury) headed toward their inevitable clash.
And then the second half of the season happened and things slowed down a bit. The big complaint lobbied at the show last year was that once we got to the Farm, things slowed down a lot. That complaint can also be leveled at the second half of season three that spend way too much time treading water as we waited for the inevitable clash between Rick and the Governor. A clash, I might add, that felt pretty anti-climatic once we got to it.
In the first half of the season, we got to see the Governor as a different side of what Rick could become. In the second half of the season, we got to see him go bats**t crazy over the death of his daughter and the loss of his eye. And yet somehow we’re supposed to believe that he’s enigmatic enough a leader that no one in Woodbury – not even Andrea or Milton, who are closest to him – see through what he’s doing or even challenge him on it? Yes, we got the scene where Andrea contemplates killing him in his sleep, but she fails to follow through with it. It didn’t make much sense then and it really didn’t make much sense after Sunday’s episode where Andrea reveals that she was trying to make sure that no one died in the war of wills between Woodbury and the prison.
The problem with that is that it forces the character to look deliberately obtuse and as if she’s burying her head in the sand or putting her fingers in her ears and singing, “La, la, la, I can’t hear you” for much of the season. Instead of being a consistent character, Andrea became little more than a plot device in the season (especially the second half) and it led to a lot of frustration with her. In fact, I will have to admit that once we got to the big reveal that zombie Milton had managed to bite Andrea and that she was no longer going to be on the show, I admit I was a bit relieved. At least we don’t have to see any more terrible character work from her. (I’ll admit I think Lori Holden did the best with what she was given… she just didn’t have a lot to work with).
It also didn’t help that the other arc of the season – the Ricktatorship – also stumbled down the stretch. The first half of the season with Rick becoming overwhelmed by events happening around him really worked and gave Andrew Lincoln a lot to do. But once we get past the initial raid on Woodbury, things were fumbled a bit. The big meeting between Rick and the Governor should have been better than it was. (It’s interesting that the most compelling scenes were not those of Lincoln and David Morrisey, but instead of the other supporting characters, each realizing that they beyond the ideological differences of their respective leaders, they really do have a lot of common ground). The second half of the season saw Rick attempting to give up the role of absolute leader but still making decisions and informing people of them. For example, telling them he was going to make this a democracy and then walking away before anyone could discuss it. Or the decision to bring the Woodbury people to the prison.
The season finale was so centered on the Milton turns into a zombie and the Governor finally loses his mind that it failed to give me the scenes I wanted or needed. For example, why did the group decide to live at the prison after it’s just had some of its defensive positions take out by the Governor? Woodbury has electricity and seemed fairly safe, so why not take it over. There also needed to be a scene of Rick and Tyreese that gives us a better understanding of why Tyreese would come back to the prison after Rick threw them all out earlier this year. (I’m guessing saying that you’re sorry you went crazy cause you were seeing visions of your dead wife wouldn’t build up much confidence).
And then there’s Carl. The poor kid has to kill his mother and have Rick going crazy all season as his father. Now it appears Carl has lost his way and his becoming a mini version of the Governor. Rick looks like he has a huge problem child on his hands. Of course, a lot of this would be more believable if a few weeks ago Carl wasn’t hesitating to kill someone and then in the season finale is killing a young man from Woodbury who is trying to surrender.
Again, the show seems more interesting in driving forward its latest plotline than it is in developing the characters in an interesting, meaningful way.
Does it mean I’ll stop watching The Walking Dead? No.
Does it mean that the show has dropped from a watch first when new episodes show up on the DVR? Yes.
I’m curious to see if the new producer can do what no one else has done — give us a consistently great season of the show. Until then, the show will be a good one, not a great one.
mic7 says
I think most people were disappointed with the fact that there was no big showdown between the Rick and the Governor. The only reason I wanted to see it was that I was really tired of the Governor and that whole storyline…kinda wish they would get back to survival and the zombie threat. Then again I see why they didn’t go down the showdown route…it would have been totally predictable. The way they did it revealed that the second half of the season had more to do with Rick getting his sanity back than anything else. Maybe that’s not as in your face but at least it wasn’t something you could see from a mile away. And despite the fact I think that Andrea was totally wasted this season I still felt sad when she died if nothing else for Michonne’s sake.
tensaibaka says
I don’t feel the season 3 ending was a “copout” or “a way to save budget money”, I feel it gave a somewhat perfect ending for the governor, although I have a feeling he might be brought back in a later season. The governor was just an average man, that let power go to his head, and following the slow transition to batsh#t insane after his daughter was finally put to rest was the icing on the cake of showing how a normal person can dream of having ultimate power and control, but not everybody will be able to handle it in dire times.
I think the choice to go back to the prison was a safe one for Rick and the gang, as they know the ins and outs of that place better than Woodbury. If they wanted to they could just easily raid Woodbury for supplies and some infrastructure parts to help build back the prison.
I hope moving forward (haven’t read the comics) they begin to show other gatherings and somewhat of a hope for the future of mankind with structure returning.
Joe Klemmer says
Either the author of this “review” was completely stoned or they were watching a very different show. Nearly every point made was completely backwards to what was actually happening on screen. Now, I understand that everyone has the right to their own perspective, likes/dislikes, opinions and ideas. But, man, instead of complaining about how the season didn’t go as you would have written it, try paying attention to what was written. For example, while the final showdown did not go as I expected, the Governor’s solution to his mutinying troops had more impact than a full scale battle would have had.
There is so little quality F&SF on TV that we (the fans) shouldn’t be kicking the ones that are there.
Michael Hickerson says
As the author of the review, I stand by it.
The first half of the season was solid and entertaining. The second half merely content to tread water until the season finale.
The show works best when it moves the plot forward, not when it tries to do character work. The show really has no grasp on the characters from week to week…as I stated, the whole thing with Carl.
And there is quality F&SF on tv…it’s called Dr. Who. And if you check out my review of the Bells of St. John, you’ll see I didn’t love that either.
alSeen says
Reading a bunch of different stuff online, I think I’m one of the very few who thinks Carl did the right thing.
The Woodbury kid still had his shotgun pointed at Carl. It did not look like he was actually going to give up. Carl had himself and two other people to protect. One who only has 1 leg and the other his baby sister. You don’t take chances in a situation like that. Especially not with someone who has just attacked your home. Yes, we know most of the Woodbury crew was tricked into that, but Carl didn’t.
Joe Klemmer says
@alSeen – I don’t know, it looked to me like the kid had the gun pointing down. He still had his hand holding the trigger, though. I do agree with the Talking Dead analysis that, after Carl (more or less) told off Rick about people getting killed when you let others live, it made sense for the storyline.
Skiznot says
I don’t think Carl shooting that kid was any different than Rick and Carl leaving that back pack guy on his own when he was begging for help. Carl is just following the example his father set.
As I’ve said elsewhere, for me, there has never been a bad episode of this show; always compelling and never slow or padded. I’m glad it looks like Rick’s road to the darkside is done. I’m still mad at the horrible way he treated his wife but at least he was remorseful; I think his character is spent and the show doesn’t need him but maybe there’s hope. I would have traded him for the one who died. Still well written like every other episode from the pilot on.
Joe Klemmer says
@Skiznot – Speaking of that, they never did say what Lori did to get Rick and Carl so dead set against her. They kept hinting around about it but if they said something directly to that point I missed it. Lori obviously felt it was her fault and that Rick & Carl (while being a bit extreme) were justified in how they felt about her.