Well, it’s official that rascally rabbit is back. At the end of last week’s episode, we caught sight of the Governor. What’s he up to? Don’t know yet, but Team Prison is vulnerable right now; so many have died already. It was the wrong time to send Carol away. I guess you know by now that I’m Team Carol. How will Daryl handle the news about her banishment? But, more importantly, where has The Governor (David Morrissey) been these past few months? Find out after the jump.
Home Sweet Home
Well, I have to give the Governor credit. He is a survivor; has luck up the wazoo. After he and his men go on a killing spree, he’s on his own which leaves the question; where’s Martinez (Jose Pablo Cantillo) and Shumpert (Travis Love)? Did he abandon them or vice versa? I was surprised to see such a shaggy version of The Governor. I expected Mr. Sociopath to be conceited enough to keep up his appearance, not look like a scruffy street urchin, who barely dodged a walker. He does take the time to burn down the town of Woodbury. Was this an act of revenge or closure?
Like I said, The Governor has luck up the wazoo and he soon finds a family of four that includes a father, his two adult daughters and a traumatized grandchild, holed up in an apartment building. This family, who is surviving on a truck load of food, allows The Governor to join them, but it is the child, Megan (Meyrick Murphy), who brings The Governor out of his stupor. Does this child remind The Governor of Penny? I think she does and this affects The Governor in ways that surprise even him.
A New Man
I kept waiting for ‘the bad Governor’ to show his face, but this show was full of surprises. The Governor could have killed the family and taken what he wanted, but he didn’t and I think it’s because he was empty of emotion and fight; a shell of his former self. But, Megan asked questions that only a child can ask. “What happened to your eye?” The Governor who is going by the name Brian Heriot, tells little Megan everything; well mostly everything.
Megan’s mom, Lilly (Audrey Marie Anderson), who is a nurse and her aunt Tara (Alanna Masterson), who was training to become a cop come to depend on The Governor, even going as far as asking him to risk his life to get a tank of oxygen from a nearby nursing home for their ailing father. He could have walked away, after all he is a bad man, but he gets the needed oxygen. That night he teaches little girl Megan how to play chess. Megan helps The Governor heal and he, her. Who is this man?
Road Trip
The father dies and attacks Tara, but The Governor crushes the man’s skull before he snacks on his daughter. This action re-traumatizes Megan and she withdraws. I didn’t expect the two women to go with The Governor. They just met him, and they had enough food and weapons to stay on their own, but wonders never cease and The Governor says yes. They take the truck and on the trip The Governor even gets lucky with Lilly. But this is “The Walking Dead” and nothing goes smoothly in this show. The truck breaks down, Tara sprains her ankle and a whole gaggle of walkers is hot on their trail.
Conclusion and Spoiler
Megan has a choice to make. Go with the man who bashed in Grandpa’s brains or become a zombie snack. The Governor promises to keep her safe; he does; with his bare hands. But, against Martinez… your guess is as good as mine.
This show was all about The Governor: his breakdown; his reawakening; his allowing himself to love again, but is this transformation permanent? He did burn the picture of his former family. And that wall with all the names was really a written eulogy for mankind and when The Governor took the man of one of the missing, Brian Heriot, he said goodbye to his inner monster. That’s how I see it. Do you agree? Let me know if you do. See you next week, my little zombie snacks.