Article first published as THE WALKING DEAD Review Season 3 Episode 11 I Ain't A Judas on Seat42F.
Grade: 97%
Grade: 97%
AMC’s THE WALKING DEAD is heavy on great
character moments and one-on-one scenes in the latest episode, “I Ain’t
a Judas.” The series works best when delving into the tough choices
these people have to make in their current hellscape of a world, and we
get plenty of that, as there are tough decisions to be made this week.
Tensions are high, and they will soon break, one way or the other.
Andrea (Laurie Holden) pushes the
Governor (David Morrissey) for more information about her friends
staying at the prison, mad at him for lying to her about going to talk
with them, and disturbed to learn that there has been a shootout between
the two groups. The Governor tries to deflect and push blame off, but
Andrea insists on talking to her comrades herself, assuming there has
been a simple misunderstanding, and that peace can be brokered.
There is no misunderstanding, as she
soon learns, told by the others the horrible things the Governor has
done. She isn’t sure if she can believe them, being under the Governor’s
spell, and treated hostilely by the people she considers friends, who
have good reason to be suspicious of her, especially since she waits
several days after learning about them to visit. But a day at the prison
seems to convince her, even if it’s not enough to get her to execute
the Governor in his sleep.
I feel bad for Andrea in “I Ain’t a
Judas,” caught in a tough place. She hasn’t witnessed the Governor’s
brutality first hand, and based on what he tells her, she’s getting two
conflicting stories. As much as she cares for those she left Atlanta
with, she has been absent from them for a long time, and the Governor
offers her a chance at a real life, in a community of others.
Andrea sure knows how to pick bad men in
THE WALKING DEAD, first Shane, then the Governor. As discussed on the
after show, Talking Dead, it takes a certain amount of crazy to be a
leader in this new way of life, as even Rick (Andrew Lincoln), the hero
of the show, demonstrates. Andrea is attracted to that power, and
somehow thinks that wisdom comes with it, blinding her to obvious flaws.
It does make me wonder if the series will go the way of the comics,
eventually landing Andrea in Rick’s bed, even if that almost makes her a
cliché or a floozy, which she is neither.
I’m not entirely sure our protagonists
have convinced Andrea that he’s evil, even if she seems to be in good
standing with her again, convinced she isn’t siding against them. She
pulls the knife on the Governor, but can’t bring herself to kill him.
Does she doubt the truth of what her friends say? Does she just not have
it in her to murder a (at the time) defenseless man? Is she wondering
how the Governor’s death might effect Woodbury, and her standing in it?
So many questions playing across her face that are not answered for us.
How about Carol (Melissa McBride) laying
out the plan to screw and then assassinate the Governor? We don’t
expect this from her, as hardened as she might be, and hopefully that
helps Andrea see how serious the situation is.
Michonne (Danai Gurira) is the most hurt
by Andrea’s behavior, and she has every reason to be. The two are alone
together even longer than Andrea is with the others, and for Andrea to
not believe Michonne, to turn her back on her companion, is rough. I do
think Michonne’s words about the Governor are the ones that finally make
Andrea see that something is up. But yet, she still hesitates. Doesn’t
Andrea realize that taking out the Governor would repair this fragile
relationship?
The one thing that is positive from this
is that the Governor seems to trust Andrea. For her to return to him
and sleep with him after talking to her friends convinces him that she
hasn’t been swayed away. This could make a betrayal by her unexpected
when she does finally muster up the gumption to act, as long as she can
keep her behavior and face in check.
Unfortunately, Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman)
and his gang end up in Woodbury at the end of “I Ain’t a Judas.” They
see a little bit of crazy Rick at the prison, through not enough for
Tyreese to want to fight him; too bad the same can’t be said for others
in his group. However, the Governor is gearing up for a fight, and they
need a way to earn their keep so that they can settle in a semi-safe
place. It doesn’t reflect poorly on them, given their limited view of
the situation, that they side with the Governor now. It’s just a shame. I
hope this ends with Tyreese, a good guy, providing the inside man
turning against the cruel dictator at a key moment.
I can’t decide if Milton (Dallas
Roberts) has a chance at surviving this season of THE WALKING DEAD or
not, or if I want him to. I really hoped that he’d go with Andrea to the
prison and stay there, desperate to get out from under the Governor’s
thumb. Milton is terrified of his boss, after all. But it seems that
fear is so powerful, and his faith that the Governor will prevail so
absolute, that he hesitates to switch sides. Maybe he can survive the
coming confrontation, and Andrea can vouch he’s not bad, even if he is a
coward?
Back at the prison, Hershel (Scott
Wilson) yells at Rick, and Carl (Chandler Riggs) asks him to step down
as leader. I think this one-two punch is enough to snap Rick out of his
crazy, as he glimpses what could be a Lori slightly after Hershel’s
words, but not again after Carl’s. For the rest of the episode, we see
him stepping up, being the leader he is supposed to be, doing what he
needs to for the group, including planning a scouting mission with
Michonne.
Hopefully, the faith that the others
have in Rick has not been shaken too badly. We know he’s a good man, and
so do they, or they wouldn’t have put their trust in him in the first
place. They see when he’s off the rails, and when he’s who he needs to
be, and hopefully they also see the difference. Hershel and Daryl
(Norman Reedus) seem to, content to take orders from Rick again in “I
Ain’t a Judas.”
I do think Rick will get at least a
brief chance to step away from being the leader, likely next season at
some point. But he’s born to be in charge, and has qualities that few
others possess. For the rest of the group, he must be strong.
It’s great that Rick sees Carl as a man.
The Governor is right that adolescence is a twentieth century
invention, and without the luxuries of the old way of life, there isn’t
time for a teenager to act like a kid. Carl is conducting himself like a
grown up, and Rick deciding to take him on the mission proves that his
father, as protective as he might want to be with his son, realizes that
Carl deserves to be included fully in the group.
I do wonder if Daryl really has a handle
on Merle (Michael Rooker). Merle is playing nice for now, knowing he
can’t go back to the Governor at this point, and this being the safest
place for him, as well as where his brother is. But if Merle sees a
chance to get back in the Governor’s good graces by doing harm to one of
the group, especially Rick, I think he’ll jump at the chance. As I’ve
said before, I just hope Daryl doesn’t have to be the one to personally
put Merle down. Because Carol, the woman Daryl trusts most, warns him
about Merle, I think Daryl is steeling himself for the possibility.
I am sure I missed some wonderful moment
in the episode between two characters, there being so many to touch on.
“I Ain’t a Judas” is a fine installment, giving us some words to
ponder, some decisions to question, some cliffhangers to speculate on,
and a few zombies bashed in the face to keep the action level up, even
in a very personal episode. Fantastic job this week.
THE WALKING DEAD airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.