The Walking Dead S3 Is Now Over...

 

I have very mixed feelings about the Season 3 finale of The Walking Dead. On the one hand, I am glad that Andrea's storyline is done (not glad that she's dead, mind you!), because who she does and doesn't sleep with, and her need to be the leader of the gun brigade in every situation, has never really interested me. However, I did see her as integral to the safety of the main group, and an overall part of the glue that binds them all together. After all, she was there from the get-go. She lost her sister, Amy, in Season 1 and she fought through all that wanna-make-suicide crap in Season 2 (*wiping away a tiny tear with Dale's name on it*).

Only to be bitten (weirdly in the same place that Amy was bitten) and killed?! And have to commit suicide anyway!! Because she pulled the trigger on herself, remember? She said, "I want to do it." So, maybe it was like she finally got her wish. She was able to do the suicide thing, but this time she did it after she had accomplished some stuff. So, it's slightly less pitiful. But it still sucks!

I'm not saying she and Michonne were lesbians or anything, but I do believe that there was a deep love there between them. A serious bond that comes from survival, and from Michonne taking care of Andrea all through that winter when she had pneumonia, or whatever that was. When the two of them separated, when Andrea didn't listen to Michonne and stayed in Woodbury while Michonne marched out, it kind of broke my heart a little bit. So, at least they were together at the end...

So, now I have to ruminate over who else we lost this season...

Lessee... There was T-Dog, Laurie, Hershel's foot, Milton, Axel, Oscar, and I do count Penny among the dead, just because the Governor thought of her as living, and now uses her zombie death as an even greater impetus to do harm.

And, ohmygawd, Merle! I've been screaming since day one at whomever was near him on screen to, "Shoot him! Shoot him!!" But now I'll admit that part of me was really bummed to see him go, just because he such a ginormous asshole, he brings a great tension to the screen. And I kind of thought that, at some point, he would redeem himself (which I suppose he kind of did...) and integrate into the group the way Daryl did. Ya know? Plus, like every American woman who watches the show, I *love* Daryl, and I hate to see him all broken up about his bro. I'm just really glad Daryl didn't shut down and detach himself from the group like he did after the Sophia debacle. Poor guy.

And let's not forget about the gruesome death of young Carl's innocence! He has truly turned into the most badass killer in the group. His heartless and cold-blooded slaying of the little teenage turd who was trying to hand over his gun was pretty brutal. But, in a weird way, I understand why he did it. I'm not saying it was right. I'm just saying, "I understand."

Well, now that I don't have cable, I no longer have Game of Thrones to fill the void left behind by the absence of The Walking Dead. What am I going to dooooooooooo????????

And, hey, I've got to put a little word out to the writers about one last thing...

The Walking Dead S3E4: "Killer Within"

This was arguably the best episode of the entire season, if not the entire series. It was emotionally draining, but damn it was AMAZING!

First of all, the title led me to believe (as I'm sure it was meant to) that either Lori's baby was going to claw its way out of her and show itself to be a zombie, or that someone inside the prison was going to be the killer - the two unwittingly rogue prisoners, perhaps? I was a quarter right, I guess. It wasn't the two prisoners we've seen before - it was the one that got away, the one thought to have been eaten by walkers in episode 2! And what on earth did he think he was doing, calling all the zombies to the prison? I mean, it's not like he was really helping himself with this tactic. Wouldn't it have been easier to approach the two prisoner guys, Axel and Oscar, and suggest a prison take-back, then plan accordingly? Why did he think it was such a super great idea to get a zombie riot going, then just take his chances from there?? What a douche. Well, obviously he's not super-smart. He's in prison...

At least, now we know that the comically-stoic prisoner, Oscar, is on Team Grimes!

Now, let's talk about T-Dog. He's easily the most underdeveloped character in the group. He barely gets two lines per episode, and I've joked several times that I had "forgotten he was on this show." So, basically, what I'm sayin' is that T-Dog has been wearing a red shirt since Season 1. It was only a matter of time before his number came up. And it's cool that he sacrificed himself so nobly to protect Carol. What I was not expecting was for T-Dog and Lori to die in the same episode! And only the 4th episode into Season 3, at that. Very shocking. 

Then there's my personal favorite character, Maggie. Beautiful, tough, but soft-hearted Maggie. She had the wretched job of delivering Lori's baby via c-section, with a funky hunting knife, right in front of Lori's boy, Carl. Now, there's a job I hope I never get! And, of course, I suspect that the care of this baby is going to fall to Maggie and her sister. I think Carol is still too messed up from Sophia's death to be able to do it properly, and Rick has a whole lot of survival stuff on his mind. Carl is going crazy. Hershel is healing from losing a leg. That doesn't really leave anybody else, unless Prisoner Axel turns out to be a baby-whisperer. Hell, on this show you never know!

I'm mildly suspicious that Carl didn't actually shoot his mom. I know he's gotten tougher since last season, but they didn't show us the actual shot. Could he have faked it? Is Walker Lori hanging out in the generator room? What if she's not dead at all??? Maybe she just passed out from the pain, and she's in the generator room feeling extremely thirsty right now. If she is really dead, how awful is it that the baby's half-brother killed both it's mother and it's father. Because, yeah, the daddy's Shane! You know it and I know it too. 

Extra Tidbits:

• The look on Daryl's face when he found Carol's head-wrap... I think he loooooooooves her. 
• At the beginning of this episode, T-Dog was proving to be the new voice of reason, replacing Dale as the group's conscience. And then wham-o. Done. Now who's going to be the Moral Police? My money's on Carol. Maybe Hershel.
• Glen and Maggie in the guard tower. Hilarious. But I hope Glen is going to be cool with the fact that, after delivering Lori's baby, Maggie is probably never going to want to have sex with him again. At least not without a lead condom.
• We know Oscar is cool, but I think Axel is a little nuts. Remains to be seen.
• Michonne kind of wimped in this episode. If she wants to leave, wouldn't she just leave without Andrea? I know she cares about Andrea in her own dry way, but she seems like the kind of gal who would just say, "I'm out - you can do whatever you want." 
• Was Andrea seriously flirting with Merle??? Seriously?!

Funniest Tweets Following Lori Grimes' Death

Lori left The Walking Dead the same way she came in. With her pants off.
-- Antonio Martinez

This baby is gonna have to prove itself. Rick doesn't trust newcomers.
-- Sean Clancy ‏

When Maggie says "Lori, let's get your pants off" I wish Carl would have said "That's what Shane said!"
-- Jordan Robertson ‏

 I killed your Dad and your Mom. Happy Birthday and welcome to the Zombie Apocalypse!
-Carl Grimes
-- Drae Dinger

Somebody better start lactating. I'm looking at you Hershel.
-- Ethan Robertson

That episode of walking dead was sadder then when Ash left Butterfree.
-- Jonathan Pummell

Well Rick, there's good news and there's good news.
-- The Mocking Dead

Who gives a damn about Lori? T-Dog just earned the black man of the year award from the horror movie genre.
-- Kenny King

Lori wants to die giving birth to a zombie baby. I wonder how Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan feel about that.
-- Steve Garcia

You know that baby is all spread eagle inside Lori & like "Oh hell to the N & O! I ain't going out there!"
-- Kathi Seymour

Do you think it is maybe time to have "that talk" with Carl about the birds and zom-bees?
-- My Vogon Poetry

Wouldn't it be hilarious if it was only a fart?
-- Juan Merino

Shane in you...oops I mean...shame on you.
-- Haha One Liners 

Lori's baby will be immune to zombie virus because she sacrificed herself for the baby. Learnt that magic from Harry Potter.
-- Mandi Snow

Walking Dead S3E3: "Walk With Me"

Well... we all knew it was just a matter of time before ol' Merle Dixon showed his face (and his stump) again. I am convinced that, in real life, the actor who plays Merle, Michael Rooker, is a saint of epic proportions. I doubt I can even count on two hands all of the old ladies he has ushered across a busy street to safety, but his portrayal of the racist, redneck, aggressively vile Merle is so convincing, I would probably be scared of him if I ran into him at the grocery store. And I am a Southern woman! Racist rednecks are no strangers to me. I grew up around them (not with them, mind you, just around them). But Merle still scares the living crap out of me.

Of course, therein lies the genius of this show. Half the time, the characters are way more frightening than the walkers - or "the biters" as they are so called by the Governor. If the only threat was the walkers, the show would be simply two-dimensional. But the inside threats, the human error and sway, is really what makes the story so great.

Speaking of the Governor, can I just say that his speech was so "political" as to be fantastically satirical of the modern politician? Take a heinous crime, lie like crazy and spin it to your advantage, then stick to that lie no matter how far-fetched it becomes. Yes? I'm sure that was the point.
But what exactly was the point of killing the soldiers?? Wouldn't you want trained soldiers manning your fortress? My husband and I debated about this a bit, and we came to the conclusion that the Governor is probably a former Xerox repairman or something (kinda like the bad guy in "The Postman"), and this is his bid to power in the apocalypse.In the former world, he was squat. But now's his chance to be a badass. I suppose he fears that if real soldiers come in, they might usurp him and take over. That's my guess.

I have not, and do not intend to, read the graphic novels until after the show is long dead. I enjoy playing the guessing game. I love debating the characters' intentions, then finding out if I'm right or wrong. It's actually way more fun when I'm wrong.

Now let's discuss Andrea. First of all, I wanted to know what ailment she had. My guess was pneumonia, but we were never told. The lady-doctor in Woodbury just gave her some magic medicine and suddenly she's good to go. Huh?? In the premier episode of the season, when we saw that glimpse of Michonne and Andrea together, Andrea seemed as if she had been sick for months, mentioning that she was slowing Michonne down or getting in the way or something like that. But one dose of the special elixir from Woodbury and she's fine? All I can say is... I have a really bad cold right now. Can I please have some of this fabulous stuff?!

Like many fans, I am very intrigued by one Miss Michonne. Would she kick my ass for referring to her as "Miss Michonne?" Possibly...
I initially thought she was just pure badass of the highest form, and I still do! But after this episode, I'm starting to see some kinks in her armor. And I'm very curious about her life before the outbreak. What did she do? I don't think she was behind the counter at CVS. Maybe she was a self-defense or survival instructor. She adapted quite beautifully to the new world, is even "thriving" in it, one might say. So, who is she? And, of course, the latest question is... who were her walker pets? Someone she knew?? And she obviously doesn't know everything about the outbreak, as exhibited by her shock when the Governor explained that "we all come back" even when unbitten. But she somehow knew to use her pets as repellants to other zombies. I raise my eyebrows at Michonne in curiosity, and bow my head to her in reverence. Because, yeah, she's a total badass. And I can't wait to find out more about her.

Okay, who would win in a fight? Michonne against Merle.  My money is on Michonne. A three-foot-long katana sword seems way more effective than a stump-knife, but I dunno. Merle has sheer violence as well as redneck stupidity on his side, and let's not forget that he's racist so he already hates Michonne. That might drive his bloodlust even further. Please feel free to weigh in on this.

And, lastly, I just want to interject a little lady-girl squeeeeee to the fact that I love Glenn and Maggie together. LOVE them! I want them to get married and have a bunch of little "breather babies" together. Babies that are way cuter than Lori and Shane's butthole lovechild.

Now it's time for some LINK LOVE:
We vegans are in the midst of Vegan MoFo right now. Vegan MoFo is the "Vegan Month of Food," which happens every October and is crazy-fun. I'd like to call your attention to one blogger today, who is doing a themed MoFo month. Her theme is...

Every recipe she has posted in the month of October has been Walking Dead themed. Genius!
Check out these breaded ears (presumably from Daryl's walker ear necklace). I suggested a "leg of Hershel" sandwich, but have yet to see it. Maybe it's too difficult to veganize??

Pay her blog a visit at That Pain in the Ass Vegan.