After Matt took a week to share what other Multiversity staff members were thinking of when it comes to The Walking Dead’s television show, I’m back to give you a bit more of the bright side of things. As I’ve shared before, I don’t hate this show. It’s intermittently frustrating, but often, it’s very entertaining while still being a bit flawed. This week’s episode was just that, and you can find out my five thoughts about this week’s episode, called “This Sorrowful Life,” below.
Note: spoilers for last night’s episode will be discussed.
1. Michael Rooker, you will be missed.
Merle Dixon as a character was easy to hate. He was designed to be that way. When we first met him, he was a horrible person. When next we met, he somehow got worse (we found out the depths of how much worse in this episode). But no matter what, his brother, MVP Daryl, steadfastly believed in him.
He repaid his brother’s trust in kind in this episode.
Sure, he knocked Michonne out and tried to give her away to The Governor, but when it came down to it he finally did something that was good for someone besides just himself. Everything about the way he went out – the boozy zombomb, the evening of the odds as he mowed down Woodbury troops, his last words to The Governor – were perfect, and Michael Rooker nailed every moment he was given. It’s interesting sometimes how in this show, some of the more unheralded characters really nail their moments with a bigger regularity than the main case. Rooker perpetually did his job, and then some.
Strangely, Merle will be missed, and his death was one of the most emotional moments of the series so far. Who would have seen that coming?
2. Sad Daryl is sad
Norman Reedus as an actor has never reached the level of success his acting ability and charisma seemed to indicate it would. For every Boondock Saints, he had an array of completely forgettable acting jobs. But with his role as Daryl Dixon, he’s created what amounts to the heart and soul of The Walking Dead’s cast. Throughout this episode, he nailed every scene he was in (especially the first one with Rooker), and by the very end when he met with his brother in zombie form – freshly turned and hungry – the sorrow in Daryl was palpable. He’s always been there for everyone, and all he wanted was a little forgiveness for his murderer brother. In death, Merle likely earned it, but it will be interesting to see how his brother’s death impacts Daryl. A beautifully handled character moment, albeit one that perhaps could have used a little less face stabbing.
3. Supporting characters stepping up
This episode had some excellent acting from a bevy of supporting actors. Obviously Rooker was stellar, but I have to give a lot of love to Danai Gurira, Scott Wilson and Melissa McBride.
Gurira had a tough start on this show, as Michonne frankly wasn’t given a lot to work with early on. Yet recently she’s gotten more and more to do, and in this episode, she handled the physicality and conviction of Michonne as a character deftly. It was a bit of a showcase for her in parts, and she handled it quite well.
Wilson has come a long way as Hershel, as season two didn’t give him much to do besides fix people, be sad and complain about the people on his farm. This season, he’s become one of Rick’s lieutenants, and in the process he’s become almost the voice of reason on the show. As infuriating as this show tends to get, Wilson convincingly talks it down from the ledge on the regular. In multiple scenes, he did just that.
Finally, if I started a betting pool on character people most wanted to die after season one, it was inarguably going to be loaded with bets on Carol. Yet McBride has given a lot of strength and heart to her in season three, with the writers giving her far better depth and material. Perhaps her best scene yet was the one she shared with Merle, in which the cracks in his armor finally started to show. Exceptionally well acted by McBride and Rooker, and an enjoyable moment of drama.
Continued below4. Rick’s Speech
Say what you will about Rick and speeches…ah crap, that one at the end was pretty rough. Honestly, the biggest disappointment about it was it had a lot of potential to be very impactful given the moment and the subject. Instead, it fell flat thanks to really uneven delivery by Andrew Lincoln. It finally tied everything back to Rick’s speech at the end of season two, and it was pretty damn well written from a situational standpoint. But Lincoln hammed it up and the scene completely lost me. Then one of my biggest pet peeves involving the character of Rick – the fact he always immediately walks after speeches – came back to rear its ugly head, which was especially bad given that he was just saying he needed everyone else. He wasn’t making decisions by himself.
So he walked away.
Weird.
5. Very entertaining, while still being flawed
As I said in the open, this episode was very entertaining in parts. Everything with Michael Rooker was excellent – the opening scene with Rick? Intense, and incredibly handled by all involved – and there was a lot of interesting forward movement. We’re on our way to the final fight, and it’s going to be an exciting finale, undoubtedly. Yet, I can’t help but feel certain parts were a bit of a struggle – Rick’s speech was pretty rough, as I said, and I didn’t really enjoy the way Maggie and Glenn’s engagement was handled either – from script to execution.
Yet what was given to us was more good than bad. It was a very good episode, and a solid “B+” for the show. My frustrations with the show involving a complete lack of movement in episodes (all filler, no killer) were temporarily allayed, and I’m back onboard for being excited for the season’s end. But the show needs to find a way to trim the fat. Many shows have the problem that too much happens in a season to fit in one season. The Walking Dead? Arguably could be better if they simply did eight episodes instead of sixteen for season three. But that’s another story for another time.
See you next week.
