Article first published as THE WALKING DEAD Recap Season 3 Episode 16 Welcome To The Tombs on Seat42F.
Grade: 91%
THE WALKING DEAD will return in October on AMC.
Grade: 91%
AMC’s THE WALKING DEAD completes its
third season with “Welcome to the Tombs.” The Governor (David Morrissey)
takes most of his people out to slaughter the prison group. Upon
arriving, they find a seemingly empty prison, and then Rick (Andrew
Lincoln) and the others emerge from hiding and drive them off. The
Governor is furious at the retreat, and when his army refuses to go
back, he kills his own people.
This is the darkest we have ever seen
the Governor get. We know that he has no problem murdering and torturing
individuals, and he full intends to massacre Rick’s people now. Yet,
there is something extra chilling about the callous way he mows down an
entire squadron under his command, walking around and delivering extra
bullets into their heads, just to make sure they are dead. Then, he
jumps into his truck nonchalantly. It’s an all new level for character
that is already very dark.
The Governor doesn’t quite kill
everyone, though. He leaves Martinez (Jose Pablo Cantillo) and Shupert
(Travis Love) alive, and they get into the truck with him, although they
are both clearly very shaken by what they witness him do. Assumedly,
they get to live because the Governor still needs some assistance, and
they seem to be the most loyal of his followers. At this point, their
allegiance may stem more from fear than a commitment to the man, but
hey, loyalty is loyalty, right?
Unfortunately, we don’t see this trio
again for the rest of the hour. Many people expect “Welcome to the
Tombs” to be a huge battle between the Governor and Rick’s respective
camps, with high body counts on both sides. This is probably because
that is how THE WALKING DEAD comics ended the story, and season two’s
climax last spring was huge, from an action standpoint. Yet, the
Governor drives off, not to be seen again, for now.
Is this a misstep for the show? On one
hand, I completely respect that the series’ writers did the unexpected
and went down a surprising path, one that is quite a bit more
understated than most thought it would be. Martinez and Shupert don’t
seem in any shape to continue, and Rick’s people would still be ready
for them if they struck again right away. Three men against the prison
group wouldn’t likely do so well, even with their superior firepower.
On the other hand, there are sure to be
many unhappy fans after viewing the episode. The Governor seems so bent
on revenge, it doesn’t quite make sense to see his character give up,
even if only temporarily. He’s a smart man, though, so I guess he’s
right to bide his time. But by doing so, it means that the hour fails to
deliver the adrenaline-pumping finale viewers are looking for. I really
hope it doesn’t create a backlash that the show didn’t deliver, a la
The Killing.
The Governor’s initial attack on the
prison, blowing up the guard towers, and plunging into the dark depths
of the facility, is cool. This is what we are looking for. It just ends
far too early for some tastes.
Honestly, as someone who absolutely
loves this series, I’m still not sure if I’m satisfied or not with this
installment yet. But considering how seriously good THE WALKING DEAD has
been for so long, I’m willing to try to give them the benefit of the
doubt that a neat plan is in place, even if that means waiting six
months for the next part of it.
It has already been announced that
Morrissey will return full-time next season, so the Governor’s arc isn’t
over yet; there may still be a large-scale showdown. The Governor has
been such a deliciously layered character, a truly remarkable villain,
that it is gratifying to know he won’t just disappear into the night, or
be killed off too quickly. This isn’t really the ending, so in that
regard, it’s OK that it’s smaller.
When the Governor’s people retreat, Rick
and the group to decide to go after them. They’re ready to be done with
the conflict, and so they decide to attack the bad guys on the road or
in Woodbury. It’s a little weird that only Rick, Michonne (Danai
Gurari), and Daryl (Norman Reedus) go, as three people against the big
gang that just fled doesn’t seem like enough. Yet, if any three could
accomplish such a feat, it would be these.
Is it a mistake that Glenn (SteveN Yeun)
and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) decide to stay behind? Are they sending their
friends to certain death, since they won’t provide support? Or are they
too happy as a couple, having recently gotten engaged, to risk losing
one another? Their motivations aren’t discussed, and Rick accepts their
decision without argument. Yet, at the same time, it’s a bit of a
disappointment that these two don’t appear to be willing to play their
part anymore, and one could argue that their refusal constitutes
betrayal, even if it isn’t treated as such by Rick.
This is a great scene to parallel the
Governor’s plot. As the Governor gets ready to leave Woodbury for the
prison, Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman) and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) also
decide to stay behind. At that point, readying the troops, the Governor
can’t deny them in front of everyone. Instead, he says “thank you,” but
it’s the angriest thanks I’ve ever heard, in stark contrast to Rick’s
understanding tone. This illustrates the difference between the two
leadership styles, and who the men are, perfectly.
It also allows Tyreese and Sasha to be
the only ones at Woodbury, besides the very young or old, who can’t
fight, when Rick, Michonne, and Daryl arrive. After a nice showdown at
the gate, the remaining Woodbury residents decide to return to the
prison and join Rick’s group.
Tyreese seems to have a good read of
people, and while he is originally scared off by Rick, he is willing to
forgive now, especially given the options. After all, Rick approaches
with no aggression at all, weapon down. It helps that there is one
survivor of the Governor’s killing spree, Karen (Melissa Ponzio, Teen
Wolf), who can vouch for the Governor’s instability. Given the choice of
staying in Woodbury, waiting for a crazy man to come back, or going to
the relative safety of the prison, where there will be armed protection,
Tyreese and the remaining Woodbury innocents make the right choice.
I do wonder if this doesn’t hurt the
prison group, though. Many of their exterior defenses are destroyed, and
although they have added a lot of people to protect and a lot of mouths
to feed, they aren’t likely to find much help among the Woodbury
denizens for defending or providing for the group, other than Tyreese,
Sasha, and Karen. Everyone else isn’t fit enough to carry a gun, or the
Governor would have forced them into servitude for his purposes. This
may end up leaving the prison in a dire circumstance, and the Governor
will likely be pleased by the burden Rick has agreed to, as it weakens
Rick’s people.
At least Rick’s group doesn’t have any
non-fighters left in it before the newbies come, which will help. Glenn
and Maggie may not want to go to Woodbury, but they handle themselves
well in conflict, Glenn no longer being the nervous nerd he is
introduced as. Carl (Chandler Riggs) is practically an adult in the clan
now, and even Beth (Emily Kinney) finally gets a Walker kill in this
episode! They are as prepared as they can be.
While in Woodbury, Rick and the others
find Andrea (Laurie Holden). At the beginning of “Welcome to the Tombs,”
the Governor tortures Milton (Dallas Roberts), then leaves him dying in
the room with Andrea when Milton refuses to kill her, Milton finally
growing the backbone we’ve been waiting for. This effectively means he
turns into a Walker and will attack her anyway, a very cruel move for
the Governor to make, though certainly in keeping with his past
behavior.
By the time Rick, et al arrive, Andrea
has killed Walker Milton, but has been bitten, and will soon be turning
herself. Michonne stays with her, and they Rick gives Andrea a gun so
that she can end her life on her own terms. This is an incredibly moving
scene, not only showing the affection between the characters, but even
issuing a callback to a line of dialogue between Andrea and Rick early
in the series’ run. It’s one of the better deaths in THE WALKING DEAD,
since Andrea gets time to say goodbye.
It’s a little disappointing that Andrea
dies so soon. She has been a wonderful character, one who survives much
longer in the books, and it’s sad to see her go. However, “Welcome to
the Tombs” effectively ends her current arc, where she does her best to
save everyone and keeping blood from being shed. Some have found her
recent plot to be annoying, but it’s hard to argue that it doesn’t end
appropriately. Her heart is in the right place, and she goes out with
dignity. Plus, she gets to explain some of her actions to Milton before
he passes, which should ally some fan complaints.
Lastly, Carl shoots point blank a young
member of the Woodbury offensive who tries to surrender. This, like
Andrea’s recent story, is an action worth arguing over. Hershel (Scott
Wilson) is disturbed to see Carl’s callousness, and reports it to Rick,
who also disagrees with what Carl did. However, Carl points out that
Rick has left other people alive, and it is has often come back to bite
him in the butt. Carl, by killing the guy, is making sure he can’t hurt
them later.
This is an interesting dilemma. Carl is
justified in his opinion, and killing the boy is something Shane would
have done, or even maybe Rick, a few episodes ago. Yet, the hard lesson
Rick has been learning this season is to hang onto his humanity, and
killing those they don’t have to is not in line with good judgment. Rick
seems to have figured out that he still has to be a good person and try
to help others, evidenced when he sees smiling Lori (Sarah Wayne
Callies) in the prison this week, smiling as if approving of what Rick
is doing. Sometimes, hard choices must be made, but sometimes that means
taking a risk to do right by others, even if it costs you something
later.
This is a debate that has gone on for
some time on the show, with different characters taking up the two
positions. How far should one go to survive and protect one’s friends
and family? At this point, it looks like Rick is going to have to try to
back Carl down from the stance he’s taken, making Carl remember the
values Carl’s mother taught him. But will Rick come to regret that if
softening Carl puts his son in danger? This will be interesting to see
play out next year.
Season three has been a fantastic year
for THE WALKING DEAD. The storytelling has shifted even more towards
exploring character development and moral issues, while still keeping
enough action and surprises to stay engaging. Even without the huge,
expected war, this finale is a great episode by any measure. And, after
the shock of not getting exactly what we were looking forward so much to
wears off, I think most fans will appreciate it more.
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