Mr Harvey & Mr Adair Watch The DEAD Bodies Fall…

Season 3 Episode 4 “Killer Within”

[photos: Gene Page/AMC]

Greetings Ladies and Gentlemen! Your Mr. Adair and Smith and I once again venture deep into the Zombie Apocalypse to bring you tales of the continuing adventures of Team Zombie, and… you seem antsy sir.

So…  predictions.

Well, yes. It is about that time.

Okay.

What, no arguments? No protests?

No, I’m resigned.

Wow. I didn’t think it would be so easy to break you.

Eh, who needs free will.

….

I’m kidding! Wow, I felt all Republicany there for a second.

Sigh. You’re going to get our recap cancelled. Kids, the Walking Dead review is a non-partisan analysis of prevailing trends in the Undead. It seems one benefit of the end of the world is a shortage of political parties.

Our reviews contain SPOILERS, language and behavior that is not safe for all audiences, just like the show we are discussing. This is your warning.

Now get on with it.

Onward!!

• Michonne will become even more suspicious of The Governor, up to the point where HE becomes suspicious of her.
• Rick and Team Zombie will find more and more spooky and weird things out about the prison. Yet, spend zero minute cleaning it up or repairing it.
• Andrea will wear a series of festive hats.
• Lori will worry about the baby, to the detriment of everything else. Meanwhile everyone else will be taking care of Hershel.
• Oh!! Wait!! Hershel will be totally fine this week. With no explanation. It will be a miraculous recovery.

Those… might actually be really accurate.

I have powers.  Oh, and I will claim both 4 and 5 if either happens.

Sure you will.

So, to recap!!

Curtis Smith ‏@Creepy_Curtis
Meanwhile, back at the halls of justice…@scifi4me #thewalkingdead

Previously, TG is a killa, but so is Rick, so it’s kind of a wash.  

Lori and Rick have issues.

A deer is dragged through the woods to the prison in the morning.

WALKERS!!

Someone throws rocks at them and feeds them the deer. Could this be the mystery person who was watching Carol a couple of weeks ago? I think it could.
They break a chain on a fence and leave a trail of bloody parts to lure the walkers into the prison. (PS. It’s totally Little Tiny. This counts as prediction #6.)

Yeah whatever, that’s a gimme. No points.

Hey look! A sign!!  Guess the walkers missed that one when they went through and took all the signs down.

It just goes to show you, even zombies have efficiency issues.

Rick and some of the folks are moving cars. Carol is wearing a very festive headscarf.  Rick asks where Glenn and Maggie are during all this manual labor and Daryl tells him that they are up in the guard tower.

Curtis Smith ‏@Creepy_Curtis
Where the hell is Carl? Again. @scifi4me #thewalkingdead

You don’t get to count the headscarf as one of Andrea’s hats, you know that right?

Hush you. Rick is like “Again?”  and everyone has a little snicker. Rick calls for them to come down and help with the work.
While Maggie and Glen are making with the sex in a guard tower, Glen has a pretty good body, you guys.
Medium Tiny and Hillbilly approach the group and Rick is a jerk to them.
Hillbilly and Medium Tiny are sad all about being all alone in the prison. They want to move in the with Team Zombie. Hillbilly is a little bit pathetic.
Rick tells then they can’t come over.
Then Medium Tiny monologues about how they are all humans or whatever. Cut to Rick locking them in their side of the prison, the hillbilly is all like “Aw man.”
Team Zombie has a discussion about whether or not to let the convicts join the Team. Theodore is the lone voice of reason; Carol, Glen, Maggie and even Daryl aren’t so sure about letting them in. There is a lot of discussion and stories but ultimately Rick decides that the convicts have to go.

Theodore has really stepped up this season… he’s a badass with the walker killing, and he seems to have become the conscience of the group. Nice bit about not wanting anyone’s blood on his hands.

Meanwhile back in Woodbury,  Michonne is walking around the place, checking out stuff, and she decides to investigate the old army vehicles of the soldiers. She finds bullet holes in the sides of the vehicles so she climbs up on top and examines the ammo in one of the big soldiery guns. She is SUPER SUSPICIOUS you guys.

Yeah, I don’t think the blood there should be that wet. Dramatic, but still.

TG arrives and tries to have a conversation. Michonne is not biting. TG offers her a place as a “soldier” but Michonne is not having it.

Michonne has whipped out her other awesome look: The Cold Stare. She fixes it on the Governor and doesn’t let off. I’m liking her muchly here.

She asks him why he thinks the soldiers didn’t run from the walkers and TG drops some patriotic BS about how they were heroes they never left a man behind and all that. They have a very interesting dance going on, here are two people who can totally see through each other and are pretending not to. Michonne knows that The Governor is not being honest, and The Governor KNOWS she knows. It’s really great.

I think it’s another moment for us to point out how good the writing has been this season, and scenes like this are great examples. And really good performances.

Agreed. Back at the prison, Rick tells them to move the cars to create another barrier and to forget the prisoners. They decide to give them some food so they can go on their merry way.
Hillbilly tries to tell Daryl that he can fix his bike, Daryl is not having it. He rides away on his hog. Medium Tiny tells Hillbilly to stop being so pathetic. Heh.  

Poor Axel. You seem so eager to be accepted… you make me nervous.

Meanwhile Carl, Lori and Daughter Fodder are bringing crutches to Hershel, who is ready to get up on his feet… er… foot again.  Hershel actually doesn’t have any problem maneuvering and says he wants to go for a stroll.

Luckily everyone on this show heals incredibly fast. One would think that massive blood loss would require a bit more rest, and clearly limb loss is a mere inconvenience.

Andrea and Michonne lay on their bed and discuss their plans for the future. Michonne wants to go to the coast, where they will have the ocean to their backs, maybe find a little island where they can open up a quaint B&B and raise house cats together. Andrea on the other hand, would rather stay in Woodbury. Apparently she is a College Lesbian and now that there are men folk around with power (her favorite thing) she is ready to turn in her Birkenstocks.  

Sigh. What happened to the Andrea we were seeing develop last season? Why is she such a power junkie?

In Prison Land, Glen gives Hillbilly and Medium Tiny about a week’s worth of food and tells them they will be back in about a week… are they going on a trip? I’m a little confused.
Oh, they are lining the cars up against the fence, I get it now. Sort of. Are they kicking the convicts out or not?  

I think it’s a supply run? Yeah.

Hershel comes out in to the yard, everyone is happy to see him, Glen forgets himself for a second. And yells a complement to his father in law.
Everyone is happy Hershel is up and around. For a moment, the world is at peace.
Lori smiles at Rick and he smiles back at her. Are we seeing he beginnings of a thaw between the two of them?

It’s a nice moment, isn’t it? Why does that worry me?

Then ZOMBIES!!

Oh yeah, that’s why. And hey folks! It’s the return of the zombies with the Dramatic Moan feature… guaranteed to be completely silent until making noise will be most frightening! Order yours today!

IT’S A SHOOTOUT!! Lori, Daughter Fodder, Carl, Maggie, Theodore and Carol start shooting, as the male members of Team Zombie tries to get there to help them.
Lots of running the shooting, but everyone seems to be doing okay, but there are a lot of zombies coming. Daughter Fodder and Hershel make a break for it, sealing themselves in one of the entryways to the prison, they are safe.  
Even Carol is shooting! Oh God!!
Maggie leads Carl and Lori back into their cell block, but there are walkers in there, too!! They are forced to go further into the prison.
Out in the yard, OH HELL!! THEODORE IS BITTEN!!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
$%@&. Seriously.

Curtis Smith ‏@Creepy_Curtis
Nomnomnomnomnom. @scifi4me #thewalkingdead

I… ah hell. Dammit Theodore. Damn you, WD writers.

Here in my apartment, the room is completely silent.
Tim, please feel free to rant here.

… OK. Here’s the thing… We always knew the odds were bad for our little group, especially since we are down to such a little group, and if the series is anything like the comic in this regard, well, don’t get attached to favorite characters folks, OK? But still, here we are, finally getting to have some great Theodore moments and now this? Damn it.

We are all really annoyed by this development.
Back in Woodbury, Andrea and Merle meet in a garden and she gives him a map to the farm. Then he asks why they never banged. He’s a joy, you guys.
He asks why she is being so nice; she says that if the situation were reversed and it were her family, she would want the same.
Merle tries to turn her to the dark side, and of course, Andrea is totally susceptible. Andrea asks if he has ever thought about leaving. Merle mulls this over for a moment, but finally says that TG is a good man. Andrea’s hair is very fantastic.

Curtis Smith ‏@Creepy_Curtis
Oh how I’ve missed Merle. *swoon* @scifi4me #thewalkingdead

Again, I have to wonder what is up with Merle here. I mean he really is a LOT less awful, not pleasant at all, but in between making inappropriate sexual advances, he’s asking reasonable questions and seems to actually be grateful to the Governor for saving him… surely we’re not going to see him follow the path Daryl took, are we? Naaaaahhhh…

The men folk on Team Zombie make short work of the walkers in the yard, Rick is ready to throw the convicts to the walkers, as he thinks that they sabotaged the fences, but just as he was about to do so, the prison’s alarms go off, proving that there is someone else in the prison, messing with them (it’s Little Tiny.)  

Well, yeah.

It’s a lot happening, I am a little discombobulated.

Oh God, now Lori is going into labor!
WALKERS!!
We are in so much trouble.

Carl leads them to a room that is… behind a door that does not close, and Jesus. I’m a wreck.
Oh, sweet commercial breaks.

Ok, everybody breathe.

Meanwhile, back in Woodbury, TG shoots golf balls at walkers from the top of one of the barricades. Merle arrives. TG and Merle talk about how racist and sexist he is. Merle asks permission to go to the farm and look for traces of Daryl. TG is not so sure. Merle thinks he can use his magical brother powers to find Daryl. TG poo-poos this. Merle even offers to go alone. TG puts the kibosh on the whole thing. Merle kind of begs; it’s pathetic.

Curtis Smith ‏@Creepy_Curtis
Wtf is with the golf cliche? @scifi4me #thewalkingdead

Again, Merle is oddly reasonable here. I am kinda sympathetic to him about wanting to look for Daryl, although only about that. Still, he’s Merle-lite.

At the prison, Rick arrives to find no one is around. They go look for Lori and the others.
Lori is having the baby and it’s freaking everyone out. Carl is about to have to watch the miracle of birth; welcome to being scarred for life, kid… well more scarred.

Lori and Maggie go about the baby having. I feel like they are skipping some important steps, but then again, I have no idea.

Curtis Smith ‏@Creepy_Curtis
I always felt Lori’s hips are far too narrow for breeding. there may be complications. Ya think? @scifi4me #thewalkingdead

Eeewww…

Yeah. So Lori seems to be bleeding, a lot, and since we already knew a regular birth was going to be unlikely, this… this is going to get ugly, real fast.

Meanwhile, Theodore and Carol come up against some walkers, Theodore attacked them and Carol makes a break for it as Theodore sacrifices himself to save her. His neck is bitten out. It’s pretty gross and a little cool. I am seriously very sad to see this, but at least he goes out like a hero.

As Curtis would say, RIP Theodore, Happy Birthday Zombie Theodore, RIP Zombie Theodore.  

Yeah, I’m really sorry to see Theodore go, too. Fine work sir, and way to die well.

Curtis Smith ‏@Creepy_Curtis
Every single death is awesome! Great spfx @scifi4me #thewalkingdead

Meanwhile, back in Woodbury, there is MICHONNE’S SWORD I’m a little surprised Michonne isn’t there to glare at it, instead it’s Andrea.

She just doesn’t glare as well. It’s too bad.

She and TG are having a drink and discussing her and Michonne leaving. TG is totally trying to sweet talk her. This is like the exact opposite of the earlier scene with TG and Michonne: TG can see right through Andrea but she is totally blind to him. Such a great scene.

Poor Andrea. Now that the writing for Lori and the late lamented Theodore finally got good, you get the Horrible Character disease. Again.

The Governor asks what she is looking for, and she Andrea says she doesn’t know. I bet it’s more shampoo. The two of them talk about survival, and what that means to them. TG tells her that the way they think hasn’t changed what survival is in eye of the beholder. Or something. 
TG tells her she is always welcome. Oh, then he tells her his name is Phillip. Then he opens the door for her and lets her leave.  
Yeah, it’s a little sexy.

This is going to end badly kids.

Meanwhile: ZOMBIES!! Rick, Medium Tiny and Daryl find the generators. Rick runs over to turn off the generators while Medium Tiny and Daryl hold the doors closed against the horde of walkers that followed them there.
Suddenly Little Tiny jumps out of the shadows with an axe!! He attacks Rick and they fight! For being so little and tiny, Little Tiny is kind of a bad ass.
Medium Tiny leaves Daryl to hold the door by himself and helps Rick with Little Tiny. They all fight and suddenly, Medium Tiny has Rick’s gun on Little Tiny and Rick there is a tense second before Medium Tiny shoots Little Tiny in the face, then hands the gun back to Rick. Welcome to Team Zombie, Medium Tiny, you’re lucky there was a vacancy.
Hey? Is anyone gonna turn off that alarm? Rick finally does.

“Medium Tiny” actually has a name, which I only know because I went looking for it… pretty sure he’s never actually said it. It’s Oscar. Welcome to the party sir. Be warned though, things didn’t work out too well for the last black main character. Oddly, I was expecting him to be named Tyrese.

In the boiler room, Lori is having the baby. Or losing the baby. Maggie has to perform the c-section with no antiseptic, or the proper tools, or anything. Basically she is going to have to cut Lori open and get the baby out, and of course, Lori will not survive. Maggie rightfully is freaking out.

Curtis Smith ‏@Creepy_Curtis
Like he wasn’t scarred enough, now he’s gotta see his mom’s vajayjay. @scifi4me #thewalkingdead #carlsinnocenceisgone

Well, we knew Lori wouldn’t survive the season, but this, this I wasn’t expecting. God this is a good scene.

Back in Woodbury, Andrea tries to convince Michonne to stay. Michonne is not happy about it, but she would rather stay that go back out on her own. 

Back in the prison, in the boiler room, on the floor, Lori tell Carl that is a good boy and not to let the world change him. She says that he has the power to beat this world if he doesn’t lose his morals. It’s an awesome speech. Finally she tells Maggie that’s it’s time. Carl has to hand Maggie the knife that will be used to cut his mother open.
Lori tells Maggie that she has to shoot her after she dies so Rick won’t have to. Everyone cries.  

“This is what I want. This is right. Now, you take care of your daddy for me, all right? And your little brother or sister. You’re gonna be fine. You are gonna beat this world, I know you will. You are smart and you are strong and you are so brave. And I love you. You gotta do what’s right. You promise me you’ll always do what’s right. It’s so easy to do the wrong thing in this world. So if it feels wrong, don’t do it, all right? If it feels easy, don’t do it. Don’t let the world swallow you. You’re so good, my sweet boy. You’re the best thing I ever did. I love you.”

Damnit Walking Dead. Now you make Lori awesome.

Here we go…
It’s brutal.
Lori is cut open and Carl has to reach in and help fish the baby out of his mother as she dies in front of him. God this is seriously insane.

Folks, this may be one of the best scenes of the show. It is brutal. It is tragic. And it’s written and shot so damn well.

Maggie pulls out the baby and tries to get it to cry… for a moment, it looks like the baby didn’t make it, but them it does. Carl wraps it in his shirt.  

Maggie takes the baby and starts to leave the room. Carl stops her and reminds her that they have to put Lori down before she turns. Maggie reaches for her gun and Carl says “No, she’s my mom.” He takes the gun, kisses Lori’s cheek one last time, and puts a bullet in her brain.

I will tell you this: I did not honestly think they were going to kill Lori until Maggie put the knife in her belly. I honestly thought Rick was going to show up just in time.  

In the dark halls of the prison, Rick, Daryl Medium Tiny, Glenn and the Hillbilly, come across Theodore’s remains and Carol’s hat. Instead of looking for her, they head back to the yard.

Wait, Carol was wearing her scarf/hat thing when she went out the door. You know, the door right there? The one no one is going through to look for her? What the hell?

Good lord, are we going to get the Sophia thing all over again?

Back in the yard, Rick and the surviving member s of Team Zombie prepare to go look for Lori, Carl and Maggie.
Then Maggie and Carl walk out with the baby, the gun he used to shoot his mother still in Carl’s hand.  Rick is appropriately shocked and saddened. Maggie blubbers. Rick blubbers. Come on Rick. You basically hated her. Stop being such a girl. Everyone cries. Rick falls down.

Yeah, gonna argue this one. Seriously, we had the moment between them earlier in this episode and they may have fallen apart, but they still loved each other… pretty sure that and seeing his son standing there so obviously being the one who made sure she didn’t come back just broke the man. Can’t say I’m really surprised, I mean Rick’s been through serious hell these last three seasons. It’s a little much to take.

Where is Carol?

That’s an excellent question sir! And like I said, why is her scarf lying next to Theodore’s body when she was wearing it when she got away? And why, oh why, did no one, no one, go out the door she went out of. Right there. It was right. There.

Sigh.

Anyway. Wow. Excellent episode, quibbles and questions aside. Frankly, Dustin and I and our studio audience are spent. Good job Team Zombie Writers… this season has been going a long way to redeeming you for some of last seasons worst sins.

Not all the way, but a long way.

So. Let’s look at those predictions.

Oh wow. Completely forgot about those. What did I say again?

Seriously, I’m not surprised. Errrr…. 1. Michonne suspicious. I’m going to say you got that one, but didn’t go far enough. Michonne is more than suspicious, she knows he’s a liar. The road to the comic’s version of the Governor’s fate seems a little more likely I’m thinking.

We’ll see, but yeah. 2 was the prison.

Gonna give you that one too, even though we saw them doing some “housekeeping”. I think the events of this episode pretty much meet the spooky criteria.

I’m still a little out of breath. About number 3…

Yeah, no. No hats for Andrea.

Yeah, but her hair looked fabulous. Ok, wrong on 4. Just going to admit that, didn’t see this coming, not going to argue.

Fair enough. 5 though, well, yeah. Hershel is a little sprightly for someone who just lost a leg and a crapload of blood. Hard to tell with the way this show mucks about with time, but they haven’t really given ANY sense that time of any real amount has passed since Rick took up the axe. So overall, pretty good sir, pretty good.

I’d say thanks, but again, kinda worn out by all that happened tonight. Powers, I have them, whatever. Now, what lesson do you have for us?

Hmmm. The lesson of tonight’s episode? Don’t get comfortable kids… the writers are out to get you. 

And we’re only 4 episodes into this season…

Curtis Smith ‏@Creepy_Curtis
Best show on tv. No question. @scifi4me #thewalkingdead

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