Walking Dead - recap

 “Suicide King”

(So who else had to choose between their favorite high-browsoap opera and their favorite zombie drama?)

Bless them for picking right up with Dixon vs. Dixon instead of making us wait and wonder.  Andrea tries to break up the impending fight but the Governor insists the brothers Dixon must end it themselves. Merle proceeds to kick Daryl around a bit but assures him he has a plan. I wonder if that plan changed when the walkers were sent into the ring.  Rick and Maggie start shooting up the place and the brothers Dixon escape with them.  The Governor is now surrounded by smoke and darkness but sees pretty well with his one remaining eye. 

While escaping Woodbury, Rick makes it known that he doesn’t want to bring Merle with them but there doesn’t seem to be another option.  Their departure leaves an opening in the gate, which is quickly discovered by a walker.  Glenn and Michonne have been waiting by the car and they aren’t too thrilled to see Merle made it out unscathed.  Merle takes this time to let them in on the nugget that Michonne knows Andrea and that she used to have some pet walkers in her care.  He’s yammering on and on and on so Rick knocks him out and I hear Chris Tucker’s line from Friday in my head.  Heh. 

At the prison, Hershel is tending to Tyrese’s group and we get a bit of their origin story.  Hersh reminds them that whether or not they stay is up to the group.  Speaking of the group, or what’s left of it really, Rick, Daryl, Glenn and Maggie are still debating what to do with both Merle and “Last Samurai” Michonne.  Daryl elects to take off with Merle for the greater good of the group.  Rick doesn’t want to see him go.  I don’t either.  But I get it, I guess.  Tyrese’s group is taking their lost member to be buried.  The other dude and his son thinks they should just take out everyone there because they’d be easy pickings.  Tyrese does not agree and instead wants to continue to be decent folk.  On the way back to the prison Glenn gets to take out some major aggression on a walker’s head.  He’s still feeling a lot of pain and anger regarding what the Governor did to Maggie.  Plus he thinks Rick could have done a better job at keeping Daryl.

In Woodbury, the Governor is M.I.A. and the townsfolk are trying to flee.  It gets ugly.  Andrea tries to keep the peace but walkers have invaded and even got to a guy.  The Governor shows up just in time to put the recently torn up guy out of his misery, says nothing to anyone, and then leaves.  What a guy.  The Governor and Andrea chat, well, technically she yells at him a bit.  He’s done protecting the town and is preparing himself for war against Rick.  Oh and he finally tells Andrea that it’s her old pals that have been shooting at them and causing all the problems.  He definitely has a way of spinning it that will make Andrea stop and think.

Carol and Carl are reminiscing about how loud the world used to be.  He’s still grappling with what he did to his mom and I think he will for quite a while.  Rick and company finally return and Carol notices there’s no Daryl in their spiffy Hyundai SUV.  She’s almost as upset as I am.  Blond Beth (I learned her name) greets Rick with a hug and a kiss on the cheek and she’s not wrong for trying.  Well her timing is way off but I can’t blame a girl, especially if Daryl went off with his dumb brother.  Rick tells Hershel all about the Governor.  They go inside and Rick blows right past Tyrese’s group.  The dad makes a requisite joke about Rick being chatty.  Then Rick spends about 30 weird seconds holding his daughter who cries as soon as he has her in his arms. 

Woodbury’s Milty the science guy is giving a shot at calming the townsfolk down but it’s Andrea who gets through to them with a little speechifying.  The Governor, creepy as always, watches this from his window above.

Ok, the cutest thing on the show yes, aside from Glenn’s love for Maggie, is the bed they made for baby Judith.  It’s a postal bin and says “Lil Asskicker” on the side.  LOVE IT!  Hershel is tending to Glenn and there’s still some major tension between Glenn and Maggie, which doesn’t escape Hersh’s notice.  (Side note: Hershel’s hair is so long now that he’s holding it back with a scrunchy yet Carol’s has barely grown an inch.)  Hershel goes to Maggie to get the full story of what went down in Woodbury but she’s being stoic.  He comforts her, patiently waiting for his little girl to come around.  I’m glad they didn’t kill him off.  I think he’s needed.

Rick is creepin’ around and wants to know when Michonne can be sent away.  They’re preparing for the Governor’s retaliation and Hershel thinks they need reinforcements (aka Michonne and Tyrese’s group).  This brings about introductions with Tyrese’s group, who quickly offers his hand for a shake but Rick doesn’t even flinch.  Geeze, Rick.  I learn that white guy and son are Allen and Ben but do I really need to know this?  I mean, aren’t they just going to get killed off soon?  Tyrese offers to do anything to contribute, even fight off any other groups (it’s like Hershel prepped him) but Rick says No.  Sasha, Tyrese’s daughter, pleads but Rick shoots them down.  Hershel wants to discuss this, obviously forgetting it’s a Ricktatorship.  Rick doesn’t want to be responsible and Hershel stands firm that Rick is making the wrong call about these folks.  That’s when Rick sees a shadowed Lori standing above them.  He predictably freaks out, no, he has a full-on mental breakdown waving his gun around and talking to Lori’s ghost.  Tyrese’s group leaves and so does Lori the ghost.  For now.

COME BACK, DARYL!!!

P.S. I try not to watch Talking Dead until after I've posted my recap but I caught some of it last night.  I want to thank Kevin Smith for giving us all a new nickname for Carl...Wyatt Twerp.  Love it.