If there is anything that will rid us of this winter lethargy that we find ourselves buried in, it’s the return of my favorite series. I’m still reeling from the events of episode 8. Didn’t expect the outcome, but in reality, I should have seen it coming. We lost another loved member of Team Prison… maybe two. Is baby Judith alive? Rick and the team are on the run again. The Governor is dead… but what new dangers will Rick and the team face? Find out after the jump.
Gimme Shelter
The prison is once again overrun with walkers and Michonne must find her way to safety. When you’re a warrior, you find a way and Michonne (Danai Gurira) is a warrior. Meet her new pets. You really get a feel of the dark place Michonne has found herself in when she has to give her friend Hershel, or rather his head, the final coup de grace; this is what a friend would do, but at what price for Michonne who has lost so much already. Her giving Hershel a last touch reveals the friendship that they had.
We finally see a bit more about her former life where she was a lover and mother. She had a son… damn! This explains her reluctance to hold baby Judith. How do you deal with the memories of this happy past when looking into the face of death? Michonne will have to deal with her grief and what she lost to move on.
Michonne and her zombie pets are joined by a herd of walkers, but even a warrior has to give into emotions once in a while. Michonne is overwhelmed by the futility of her situation and goes bat shit crazy, killing the entire horde including her pets and a walker that looked like her; bizarre Michonne. Is this the fate that awaits Michonne if she ever gives up the fight to live? No one ever promised that the apocalypse would be a walk in the park. Will she ever find her friends… wait, isn’t that a can of pudding on the ground?
Carl
Rick (Andrew Lincoln) is in bad shape, and I’m going with a medical guess here that he has a broken rib and maybe a punctured lung. But, it’s Carl (Chandler Riggs) that holds us spellbound with his anger. He is angry about the past events at the prison, the loss of Judith, his father’s inability to protect team prison. Fathers and son have enough issues to work through without the terror of the apocalypse to deal with.
Carl argues with Rick and even brings up Shane. Carl turns on Rick saying that he would be fine if Rick were dead. This is one angry boy and all that anger is aimed at good ol’ dad. I know from first-hand experience as a mom that your children will never forget your mistakes; never! My daughter will still bring up situations that she feels I’ve handled badly in her eyes… and… her children do the same to her.
So, while Rick is comatose on the sofa Carl is strutting around town like he’s “the man” handling the welcoming committee at the door and almost getting killed doing it. He does find a house and food, but forgetting his father’s warnings, has a tussle with a walker intent on making Carl his lunch. Carl realizes how much he needs his father when he thinks Rick is dead.
Conclusion and Spoiler Alert
Raw emotions took center stage tonight. It was a night of insights and growth and it was hard to watch. Michonne has lost people she cares for and she is all alone. She could have called it quits; surrendered to the horde. When does the human spirit say enough is enough? How does a mother survive the loss of a son; a father his daughter; the brother his sister and still find the strength to keep living in a world of death? Michonne hit rock bottom and climbed back up to survive another day and luckily find two of her friends. Carl learned an age old truth; parents are human and they make lots of mistakes, but the truth goes down much smoother with a large can of chocolate pudding.
On “Talking Dead,” Greg Nicotero and Danai Gurira were the guests. Greg brought along the robotic Hershel head, and Chris Hardwick tried to feed it pudding; weird. Plus, we learned what to pack into a zombie survival bag. Who do you think would survive the apocalypse the best, Rick, Carl or Michonne? I say Michonne. Who did you pick?
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