Could Rick be cheering up, or is it another hallucination? The Walking Dead S3E12 – Dork Review

I wonder if my mind works exactly one episode faster than TV shows. Much of the time, I finally get sick of something, and the next week, they do something about it. That’s happened again with The Walking Dead. (Either that or I’m exactly one episode too impatient.)

Last week, I finally lost patience with the ongoing prison/Governor tug-off, so this time, we get a standalone story that barely references it. Even better, it’s good too.

Rick No Longer Has Worst Life!

As promised last episode, Rick goes on a supply run with Carl and Michonne, and it’s just them for the whole running time. Well, until they bump into Morgan from way back in the pilot, but unfortunately he’s had a rougher time of it than Rick. Which is saying something, considering Rick’s shit life recently.

That parallel is one of our two real focuses here. Morgan has lost his family and clearly gone over the edge – scribbling, surviving and finally begging Rick to kill him. Considering our stubbly rugged hero has been hovering around bereavement-insanity, that must be a sobering mirror to peer into.

And, finally, at the end, he shows signs of admission and acceptance in conversation with Michonne, thank god. More interestingly, Morgan is left alive, rather than killed off like the incidental characters usually are in these one-offs. Maybe we’ll be seeing him again.

Grim Soldier Boys And Girls

Meanwhile, Carl and Michonne have a mini-adventure of their own, and experience some much-needed character insight. Well, Carl was doing alright, although it’s good to see him as something other than hardened boy soldier, but yeah, Michonne was in desperate need of this spotlight.

Her first chance to show an emotion beyond the desire to kill, and happily she nails it, seeming human without contradicting her portrayal in past episodes. Impressive work from both Danai Gurira and Chandler Riggs here – Gurira for playing a challenging stoic character and Riggs simply for being a non-annoying teen actor.

This episode was written by Scott Gimple, who takes over as showrunner next season, which is promising. In the meantime, we’re probably plunging back into the Governor storyline next week, but if they can fit in another detour before the finale, I’ll be a happy man. Good to enjoy this show again, even if it’s just for one day.

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Nick Bryan

Nick learned to read and write at an early age. This has developed into an unhealthy need to either write stories or consume them for later dissection. He reviews film and TV on Dork Adore and The Digital Fix, lives in London and enjoys a nice white beer.

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