Air Date: Sunday, November 11, 2012, 9/8c on AMC
Rating:
“Part of me wishes that we’d killed all the prisoners on sight.” – Glenn
And here I thought last week’s episode “Killer Within” was intense. “Say the Word” goes beyond intense into the extreme. The obstacles awaiting the survivors are mounting and there seems to be no end to their plight. I can’t help thinking how a baby is going to hinder the group’s survival. Will they be able to move onward from the prison? How will they maneuver quickly with a baby in tow? What changes will they have to make now that they have another life to be responsible for—a life that can’t take care of itself by toting a weapon? We go inside the prison to see life as it exists for our survivors; Woodbury’s secrets are exposed, and The Walking Dead does Gladiator zombie style.
Observations and thoughts:
Woodbury looks so normal and untouched by disaster, you’d never think flesh-eating zombies are right outside the town’s front door. It’s amazing how the writers expose the juxtaposition of life inside the town with life on the outside. Just look at the prison—the conditions are far from ideal and there are no parties going on in the cellblock.
How many secrets does the Governor have?
I now understand the Governor’s (David Morrissey) motivation. He’s not the shrewd dictator he appears to be. (Ok, he is, but you know what I mean.) He’s a loving father searching for a cure to end the suffering he’s enduring on a daily basis. Who would have guessed he was keeping his Walker daughter around? Not only does this revelation shock me, it thoroughly freaks me out. I get the willies just thinking about him lovingly brushing her hair. *shudder* Talk about creepy.
Why are the inmates still acting like inmates? They have the opportunity to claim their freedom, yet they remain in their cage. Not only that, they take whatever the gang gives them with no question. It’s almost as if they are so used to living life as convicts, they can’t revert back to life before the lockdown. It worries me that these men are treated with such contempt when they are merely victims of circumstance. But, time will tell and they will have to prove themselves trustworthy.
Michonne (Danai Gurira), with her sly detective skills, has discovered a little secret in the town of Woodbury. I didn’t understand the point of her snooping around, aside from her general curiosity, until she’s cornered and questioned about it. Make no mistake, Michonne doesn’t do anything without thinking it through. So now that she has what she wanted, what fate awaits her?
Merle is no Maximus, but he shows the crowd he can handle himself “Gladiator” style.
“This place is not what they say it is.” Why isn’t Andrea (Laurie Holden) listening to Michonne? Why does she have this need to remain in Woodbury where things are clearly too good to be true? Honestly, Michonne should have left without Andrea a long damn time ago. It’s obvious Andrea is no longer interested in life on the outside. “I’m tired. I’m tired; I don’t have another eight months in me. Not like that.” She wants to remain where she feels safe; where she doesn’t have to run anymore and can simply live. I can’t say I blame Andrea, but when your friend is telling you something’s not right, and her gut instinct is what’s kept you alive for months, you should probably listen to her.
While I was expecting Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) breakdown to consist of zombie rage killing, I didn’t expect him to lose his grip on reality. He’s floundering—wading in a sea of guilt over Lori’s (Sara Wayne Callies) death, although no one could have saved her from that. Rick puts so much on himself and there’s only so much one man can do. I don’t know how long it will take for him to step away from this precipice, but I hope he doesn’t sink farther into some dark place he can’t come back from. Lincoln is doing a fantastic job of depicting his character being lost in a downward spiral of grief and regret.
Slaying zombies, hunting dinner, feeding… babies? Is there nothing Daryl can do?
Did you see Daryl’s (Norman Reedus) face when he glimpsed the name “Sofie” on the wall in the daycare center? Though it doesn’t refer to Carol’s (Melissa McBride) daughter, Sophia (Madison Lintz), it’s a close enough reminder of yet another loss the gang has incurred. Daryl took Sophia’s death pretty hard and I wonder how that will change him from here on out, or if, he’ll be affected by having a little one in tow. And his grabbing a doll for the baby… totally there’s a huge heart in the man we’ve come to know as a bad ass, endearing him to me even more.
Memorable lines:
The Governor about Michonne: “She’s all personality, that one.”
**
The Governor to Andrea: “What works out there doesn’t work in here. I mean, we… we’re not barbarians.”
**
Michonne to Andrea: “No one who comes here leaves.”
**
A fairly solid episode, “Say the Word” sheds some light on what’s going on in Woodbury and why there’s no shame in getting the hell outta dodge when you can. Michonne is back to being on her own but it looks like she won’t stay that way for long. With the gang having doubts about allowing new members to encroach on their “family,” one can only imagine how events will play out when Michonne stumbles upon them. Do you think they’ll give her a chance to mention her association with Andrea? It’s about time they met the Governor, don’t you think?
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Photo credit: Russell Kaye/AMC © 2010-2012 American Movie Classics Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
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