Article first published as THE WALKING DEAD Recap Season 3 Episode 10 Home at Seat42F.
Grade: 96%
Grade: 96%
Things are tense at the prison in this
week’s episode of AMC’s THE WALKING DEAD, “Home.” Rick (Andrew Lincoln)
is out beyond the prison walls, chasing the ghost of his dead wife, Lori
(Sarah Wayne Callies). Glenn (Steven Yeun) tries to keep it together,
seeing himself as the substitute leader, but with Maggie’s (Lauren
Cohan) moping unresolved, he isn’t doing much good.
I like the idea of Glenn as a leader
because it gives the character something important to do. Yet, he is not
cut out to make the tough decisions, at least not yet. He does OK, with
a heaping portion of advice from Hershel (Scott Wilson). But he lacks
the quality that leaders must have. I’m very glad that his promotion is
temporary, as I don’t want to see him become something he’s not.
Hershel seems to be doing plenty of
mentoring in “Home.” He helps Glenn, and he hobbles down to talk to
Rick. While before he is an antagonist, whom Rick has to find an
understanding with to even get them to stay together, now he has become
the wizened advisor, more than proving his worth to the group, even
without a leg.
I am not so crazy about Axel (Lew
Temple) cozying up to Carol (Melissa McBride). She is spoken for. I know
Daryl (Norman Reedus) has left the group, but that will be corrected.
He’s too much a part of the rest, cares too much about the others, to
stay away for long, even for a brother. For most of the hour, I’m
expecting a little conflict between Daryl and Axel when Daryl returns.
I also begin to suspect that Axel may
not be as good as he claims to be. The way his story keeps changing as
he talks to Carol, adding new bits to his story as he goes that don’t
quite match up with what he says previously, makes him seem shifty. I
know that the group must trust outsiders periodically to make up for
those that are lost, but I’m wondering if they’ve made a bad choice with
Axel. Which is why I’m not too upset when he dies, though we’ll get to
that scene in a minute.
Wandering the woods, Daryl quickly grows
tired of Merle (Michael Rooker). They are clearly kin who did not fully
grow up together, and while it’s hard to tell how long they may have
been reunited before becoming separated in season one, it seems like it
wasn’t for very long. They are two drastically different people.
When the series starts, Merle is a bad
influence on Daryl. Now, Daryl has gotten enough good influences to take
away the temptation of the evil whisper. Daryl knows another way now,
how things can be better with people who look out for each other. It’s
why he goes to the rescue of a family being attacked by zombies without
expecting anything in return. When Merle tries to take advantage of the
situation, it seems like it’s the last straw for Daryl, who isn’t
willing to bend to Merle’s will anymore.
I am a little disappointed that Merle
follows Daryl back to the prison, but not too much so. I worry about
where Merle’s allegiance might lay in a big battle with The Governor
(David Morrissey) if he senses that The Governor is going to win. But he
also brings a level of conflict to the group, which is always
interesting, and I’m curious to see how it all plays out, though I do
not expect Merle to live past this season. I just hope Daryl doesn’t
have to be the one to kill him.
In Woodbury, Andrea (Laurie Holden) is
calmed by The Governor’s contrition. He vows no retribution against the
prison group, and, for awhile, it seems like Andrea might be a good
influence on him. It also makes it look like the war between The
Governor and the prison won’t come until the end of the season, as
expected, building up slowly to a large assault.
However, then The Governor goes and
talks to Milton Mamet (Dallas Roberts), and mentions asking others about their
loyalty. This is a sign that he’s just playing Andrea, the same way he
so often plays a part in front of his people. I still don’t see the
attack coming, though, until it happens.
For most of “Home,” the pacing is slow,
and not a lot is happening. It’s a good episode, but not overly
exciting. However, this seems to be THE WALKING DEAD’s new pattern, as
it did just before Lori’s death, lulling us into a false sense of peace,
especially those who’ve read the comics and think they know what’s
coming, and then striking in an unexpected and sudden way.
The attack that The Governor launches on
the prison is fantastic television. From Carol using Axel’s body as a
shield, to the van releasing zombies into the prison yard, to Hershel’s
last minute rescue, and the way that everyone bands together, proving
their strength, it’s full of amazing moments. Yes, they are unprepared
and scattered this time. But as The Governor rides away, there is little
doubt that they’ll be ready when he returns, and once they are, they
might just stand a chance.
Why doesn’t The Governor just finish
them off now, when he has a prime opportunity to do so? Is it because he
needs people to lord over, and scaring, not killing, the group gives
him a sense of power? Does he think that Andrea might forgive him for an
attack, but not for a slaughter? It’s unclear exactly what his plan is,
but this is definitely only the first stage of the showdown.
I do think this will snap Rick out of
his delirium. He seems to be doing better after his talk with Hershel,
but the urgency of protecting his people against The Governor should be
enough to fully right his path again. He needs to fortify their defenses
and prepare to take on their greatest foe.
It’s sad that Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman)
and his people don’t make an appearance in “Home.” Rick and the group
desperately need the help. Will Tyreese come back? He’s important in the
comics, but the reasons for his importance don’t seem very present in
the series. After being threatened by crazy Rick, he has good reason to
want to get as far away as he can, and why should he risk his neck
fighting The Governor? Or maybe his absence for the fight in “Home” will
keep him in the dark about the true threat Rick’s people face, meaning
he can join back up without knowing the danger, which makes more sense
for the story.
I admit, I felt a little disappointed
for the first almost-two hours of this mid-season, when not a lot of
adrenaline-pumping stuff happened. The end of “Home” more than makes up
for it, and is a message to fans that they won’t have to wait until the
end of the season for more action.
THE WALKING DEAD airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.
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