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The Walking Dead: Season 3, Episode 10: "Home" TV Episode Review
Written by Steve Pattee and TGM
Directed by Seith Mann
Written by Nichole Beattie
2013, Rated TV-14
Episode premiered on February 17th, 2013
Starring:
Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon
Lauren Cohan as Maggie Greene
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes
Laurie Holden as Andrea
Michael Rooker as Merle Dixon
Steven Yeun as Glenn Rhee
Emily Kinney as Beth Greene
David Morrissey as The Governor
Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes
Scott Wilson as Hershel Greene
Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier
Danai Gurira as Michonne
Dallas Roberts as Milton Mamet
Lew Temple as Axel
Review:
Warning, this discussion is spoiler heavy.
Steve: What started out Sunday night as an average (but good) episode of The Walking Dead quickly turned into one hell of show with its explosive finale. We learned a bit about Daryl and Merle’s upbringing (which probably surprised nobody), saw that Andrea still has no clue on how real life works, found out that The Governor is truly batshit crazy (as if his collection of heads wasn’t a dead giveaway), got stuck watching Rick and his stupid hallucinations (HELLO, WE ARE ALL TIRED OF LORI. ENOUGH ALREADY), and watched as Glenn attempted to step into the leadership role. None of this, though, prepared me for the last few minutes of the show. But before we get into that, I want to take a moment for Axel. His demise was both shocking and sad. Another character (like T-Dog) that is wiped off the map just as I was starting to like him.
TGM: Yeah, Axel should have put on a red Starfleet uniform the moment he started opening up his yap-trap to Carol. Damn shame too. Once he finally had something interesting to say, he’s gone off to play catch-the-bullet-with-my-head with The Governor. Which leads me to my hypothesis that The Walking Dead is actually in reference to Carol’s vagina. You dare get near it, and you’re most certainly a dead man.
SP: I want to know the rest of his story about his brother! It’s like that joke in The Breakfast Club that Bender was telling as he was climbing through the drop ceiling, but then falls through it before he gets to the punchline. What is the punchline?!? I have a story for you, I once met Lew Temple (the actor who plays played Axel) at a horror convention. I was on the fourth floor of the hotel it was in and was getting on the elevator to head down to the celebrity room. I heard a “Hold that!” right before the door closed, to which I did, and low and behold Temple steps on the elevator. At the time, while he’s been in a lot of things, I only knew him from The Devil’s Rejects. “Hey,” I said, “Weren’t you in The Devil’s Rejects?”
“Yes, I was.”
“Yeah, you were damn good in that. I liked your performance.”
“Thank you.”
Then the door closed. I had nothing after that. Awkward ride to the first floor on a slow elevator, let me tell you that. Nice guy, though.
TGM: Worst. Penthouse. Forum. Letter. Ever.
SP: Obviously. They never bought it even though I sent it for submission twice. Speaking of Penthouse, Lori was looking pretty hot in her silky dress getup. But I’d rather she’d just go away. This storyline with Rick seeing and hearing her is just stupid and time wasting. What makes it worse is he knows he’s hallucinating because he told Herschel as much. But hey! Let’s leave all the doors open as we run to our dead wife who we know isn’t really there. Once again, it shows what a selfish douche Rick is (and always has been, sorry Team Rick fans...no, I'm not sorry). Fortunately, Michonne was there to lock up after Rick’s dumbass as he tore out of the prison gates to go say hi to his dead wife. And speaking of Michonne, while I know I complained about her pouting last week, that scene at the end when she went into battle mode with her sword and started lopping off heads? My love for her quickly returned. Yeah, she doesn’t have to leave just yet. But Rick does if he doesn’t get his shit together.
TGM: Believe you me, there will be nobody happier than I once Sarah Wayne Callies’ name is taken off the opening credits. As we discussed last week, I am a fan of Rick’s, but he’s got to snap out of this craziness soon. Every moment they make him walk off like David Carradine in Kung Fu out amongst the woods to go play house with his ghost wife, it stretches all credibility and tarnishes his ability to ever lead this group again. And if he’s not leading, we most certainly learned that Glenn cannot. What are your thoughts on Tyrese and Co.? Is that the last we’ve seen of them? Seems like an awfully big buildup for such an anticlimactic resolution.
SP: Agree on Glenn. He’s way out of his league. I really like the character, but he’s not a leader as he’s too emotional (obviously). And why the hell is Maggie mad at Glenn for being mad at The Governor. Her attitude is out of line. I’m not going to make light of what she went through, but she was angry at him last season for not standing up for himself and she’s angry at him now when he does. What does she want from him?
I am confident we will see Tyrese and his pals again, sooner than later at that. Tyrese played a big role in the comics, and fans have been waiting for him to show up on the series. (And I am super curious if that guy and his son from the first episode will ever make a return.)
TGM: Maggie is a woman. There’s your answer, I guess. OK, enough of this small talk. Let’s get to the heart of the matter here. Daryl Fucking Dixon and his huge set of brass balls. It didn’t take too long for Daryl to get sick of his older brother’s bullshit, now did it?
SP: Hands down, aside from that ending (which we will get to), the Daryl and Merle scenes were my favorites of the episode. From Merle ripping off Daryl’s shirt exposing the scars that were given as a gift by their dad to the look on Merle’s face when Daryl corrected him on Glenn’s ethnicity (Korean, not Chinese). It really showed how far Daryl has come, too. At one point, the two had planned on robbing the group, now the younger brother considers them closer to himself than his own brother. I surely hope Merle sticks around for the long haul. He is such a racist and will provide the uncomfortable yang to Hershel’s good guy yin.
TGM: It’s one of the better undercurrents in The Walking Dead universe as to how such catastrophic events can lead some men into dark and twisted places, ie: Shane, The Governor, while the prospect of insurmountable odds also brings out the best in formerly derelict individuals like Daryl. All I know is that at the end of this show’s run, Daryl better be left alive and well, standing with a margarita in one hand, and his trusty crossbow in the other. Speaking of being left alive, how about that final showdown at the prison? Aside from the awful marksmanship by everyone involved, I stood riveted. I was truly readying myself for the potential demise of any one of the primary beloved characters. Kudos to the production staff for cultivating the fact that anyone can die at any time.
SP: I know, right! So I’m watching this episode and I’m thinking that, while enjoyable, it wasn’t a standout one. That is until Axel gets an unexpecting bullet to his temple and all hell breaks loose. Axel’s death was crappy enough, but as the bullets were flying, I was attempting to prepare myself for a huge death; like Herschel or Carol. It’s like you said, it has been established that nobody is safe on this show, and man I love that (and hate it all at once). But it certainly adds to the tension. The whole scene was incredibly well done. What I liked about that entire attack the most, though, is how trained this ragtag group of survivors are. Think about it. BOOM! Axel gets shot, drops, and bullets are everywhere. What does Carol do? She doesn’t cry, there’s not time for that right now, so she hides behind Axel’s body! It was second nature. And what did Maggie (who was inside the prison) do when she no doubt heard the guns blazing outside? She brought out more weapons for the group. Holy hell, that...that right there...is why I love this show. These people have been through so much, and it’s those somewhat subtle things that make me realize that even if these cats piss me off with their antics sometimes, they are still growing as characters in a very realistic fashion. Do you think Carol from season one would have used a body for cover? I don’t.
TGM: Well, now, more than any other time in this show’s history, I am heavily invested in most of these characters and would hate to see anyone, save for Andrea, meet their untimely demise. I’d still like Michonne to open up more because she’s a tough character to like when she’s not slicing heads with a katana, and I’m hoping Tyrese circles back to kick some zombie ass alongside Rick and Daryl. If I recall correctly, the creators of the show have teased “three major character deaths” before the end of the season. Surely Axel doesn’t count towards one of them. I have my suspicions as to who the three are, and boy do I hope I’m wrong!
SP: If that’s the case, I’m calling Carol, Beth and Andrea now. I don’t consider Beth a major character, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they built her up only to kill her off. Yet, I agree with you, I’m pretty invested in these characters too, and even with Rick getting on my nerves, there’s a good chance he’ll come back around to my good graces. Here’s looking forward to next week.
What do you think? Do you have any opinion on what three characters may end up on the chopping block this season?
Video, Audio and Special Features:
Video, audio and special features will not be graded as this was a TV episode.
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