Walking Dead Discussion Thread: S3 E9, “The Suicide King”
Spoiler Alert: Do not read this post or the comment section if you have not seen the show. Also, for those who have read the comics, please do not discuss plot elements not revealed on the show.
After a long lay-off we returned tonight with a solid episode. There are a lot of plot elements that are moving forward. The arrival of Tyreese’s group, the resolution of the attack on Woodbury, Merle and Darryl. I like to think episodes like this are crammed with new plot elements because each thread will be picked up in more detail in later shows. Each one is a little teaser of things to come.
I’m glad to see that they have continued with the Rick-is-Crazy plot line. I’ve always thought of The Walking Dead as a study in human behavior (it’s the anthropologist in me coming through) and quite frankly he should have snapped ages ago.
We hope the Dixon brothers (or at least Darryl) will make their way back into the fold but I admit I am kind of interested in seeing what they will do as a two-man wrecking crew out on the road. Keep in mind that we haven’t actually seen them together since the series began so this is new territory.
The scene with Rick, Carol and Carl walking arm in arm back towards the prison…forshadowing? At some point it would be good to see Rick move on with his love life, although that may be a long way off.
And that’s episode 9. Looking forward to hearing people’s impressions.
P.S. During the layoff I’ve been a tiny bit obsessed with the eternal search for the best melee weapon. For a while there I was sure it was a baseball bat because a bladed weapon might stick in the skull. I asked my 18 year-old tonight what she would use and she still said her trusty field hockey stick would be her go-to item. But I’ve also been thinking that a bat might require multiple blows and I’m back to the drawing board. Thoughts?
Yeah having ol’ Rick melt down in front of the potential new members as well as all the established members of the group should hopefully put an end to the Ricktatorship. “Dude, you’ve done well but you can’t be in charge alone any more; you’re going off the deep end.”
Likewise Glenn and Maggie are definitely wallowing in some serious post traumatic stress stuff. We see the classic two versions; incoherent fury from Glenn and withdrawn apathy from Maggie.
I feel for Carol, she’s been growing on me considerably over the last two seasons. It’s definitly sad about Darryl but at the same time it was truly a no win scenario. Mearl simply could not be brought back to the prison. That said Rick is going to have to get over his paranoia; he needs more manpower. Also his who retort about the black prisoner was assanine; where is the man now? He died trying to help you Rick ya damn fool.
As to weapons maybe a crow bar? Ya know the standard curved at one end pointed at the other end kind? It’s heay enough to bash, easy to hold, has a pointy end for stabbing and additionally can be used to open doors. Doesn’t have the same need for a windup like a baseball bat does.Report
Yes – the Oscar comment struck me as bizarre too. I liked that Herschel stated the obvious i.e. ‘we need more manpower’. And Tyreese was quick to say ‘your enemies would be our enemies’. Then Rick went bonkers.
I liked that Rick didn’t hesitate in banning Merle from the prison. In the past he would have given him a second chance.
The problem with the crow bar is that if you bash something with it your hand will hurt something fierce. A lot of people are suggesting these:
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-On-AN18-Annihilator-Wrecking/dp/B001SEQH1I
It gives you the pry capability for doors, the poking capability (T-Dog’s last weapon of choice) and the hamering ability (Tyreese). Maybe the best of all worlds.Report
The fallout from that bonkers episode could be pretty nasty. Tyreese was nicely on path to integrating all four of them into the Rick group but now of course the two men who were contemplating sacking the prison are going to be like “you wanna work for him? He’s crazy!”
As to the tool. I take your point on the hand numbing but one could likely customize a crowbar with a roll of ducktape for an insulating grip. The Annihilator looks like it has potential but I’d be uneasy about the costomer reviews that say it breaks easy and there’s an awful lot of *not metal* in the center part of this puppy.Report
Bad reviews?! The search continues….Report
crowbar’s no good, it’s balanced. And goddamn heavy; a 3′ crowbar weighs a ton.
You want something at least partially imbalanced so that you get the advantage of the weight at the end of the movement arm.Report
A truncheon maybe?Report
Tonfas would be great if you know how to use them.Report
I have to say, I’m not a big fan of the split season if it’s going to be treated as just one storyline with a long break in the middle. The resolution to the Merle vs. Darryl in the arena cliffhanger felt awfully anti-climatic after such a long wait.
I do like the change in the Governor. With his daughter now “dead” dead, the props of his public persona are gone and his inner nihilism is coming out. I also think what they’re doing with Andrea is pretty interesting. She’s bonding herself to the Woodbury group in a way that might make Andrea vs. Rick a bigger deal than Rick vs. The Governor.
MikeReport
Good points. I also definitely felt like the Merle / Daryl fight was pretty lame. I didn’t understand the point of bringing in the Walkers at all.
What I could see is Andrea vs. The Governor as he tries to turn Woodbury into a Revenge Army and she tries to maintain the dream of it be a normal town. She seems to have really bought into the idea of rebuilding a society there. Rick could be seen by her as an ancillary problem by the Governor.
I’m guilty of over-analyzing the previews way too much but we know Andrea goes to visit Rick & Co at some point but the previews still seem to be all about Rick vs. Governor. I can’t imagine she hears the whole story and chooses the Governor.Report
Yeah but don’t forget that no one is able to communicate on this show. I can see Andrea visiting Rick but instead of explaining their side of their interactions with Woodbury it devolves into emotional name calling with Rick taking time occasionally out to scream obscenities at Lori’s ghost as she dangles from the ceiling and Michonne sitting on the sidelines futilely trying to transmit all the important facts into Andreas brain by the sheer force of her glower.Report
“trying to transmit all the important facts into Andreas brain by the sheer force of her glower.”
Ha!
It’s as if Professor X communicated psychically by blasting people with Cyclops’ eye-ray.Report
Rick, Carol and Carl walking arm in arm back towards the prison…forshadowing?
Actually, I thought Herschel’s Other Daughter (that IS her name, right?) seemed to linger a bit long over that kiss on Rick’s cheek, and she always wanted a baby of her own, and is handling Rick’s so much that people just assume it’s hers…
I thought the *shot” of Ghost Lori was surprising and actually really cool, cinematically (framing/lighting, it was creepy/beautiful). They made sure not to show her face, but I could FEEL her being annoying from the Other Side. But, not sure how I feel about Rick cracking in front of everyone; I think I’d rather him not have gone Full Dorner in front of everyone just yet – as people here note, how can anyone follow him, after that display?
Andrea to Governor: “You were secretly keeping my friends captive while we were shtupping?! How COULD you?!?!”
Andrea to Governor, two seconds later: “Don’t shut me out, I love you!”
Andrea to Townspeople: “They will say we persevered!”
Townspeople to Andrea: “Uh, who are you? Aren’t you that new chick the Governor has been shtupping for the last two weeks?”
Viewers to Andrea: SHUT UP ANDREA
In conclusion, Andrea continues to be terrible.
I thought it was a nice touch that Carol had some insight into what kind of hold a Merle can have over a Darryl. That scene was the one redeeming one in an otherwise pretty bad episode.Report
God, that speech was awful. Andrea remains on top of my “I hope these people get eaten by a zombie” list.Report
Even had the speech been not awful, there is no reason the townspeople would listen to someone they don’t really know.
That speech was not not awful.Report
I don’t want her to die. I want her to become an actual person.
Right now, she’s… she doesn’t make any sense.Report
Agreed, she’s very confusing.Report
In fairness to the actress, Andrea is probably the character most shortchanged when they did the whole “let’s just skip over the winter” leap forward. She was hooked up with a brand new character, given an illness to limit their initial interaction and then almost immediately thrust into Woodbury without ever giving her or the audience a chance to absorb her disconnection from Rick and company.
MikeReport
Oh yeah, if it wasn’t clear, I am criticizing the writing, not the actress. For all I know if, she was given something to play that made any sense, she might knock it out of the park. But in a show full of thinly-drawn, inconsistent characters, she’s the current-worst on both fronts. Maybe there’s a reason for all her inexplicable decisions, but we don’t know what they are.Report
I’m struck by the archetypes that TWD and Downton Abbey have in common. The patriarch (Rick, Robert) on the verge of being marginalized. The committed next-gen couple (Glenn and Maggie, Matthew and Mary) ready to take the reins. The baby whose mother died (essentially) giving birth and whose care has become a matter or concern. The forgotten daughter (Beth, Edith) beginning to take a game-changing role. The outsider (Darryl, Tom) with the even less-welcome brother. The avuncular voice of tradition (Herschel, Carson).
Or maybe I’m just going mad.Report