The Walking Dead – Season 3, Episode 4 – Killer Within

I don’t even know where to begin – a shocking episode, to say the least. No better way to shake up a story and keep people guessing than to kill off three main characters who have been in since the early days.

We’re a few weeks into the season without me having written a review yet; it’s not laziness, I promise. I wanted to give it a few episodes so I could formulate an opinion. And I definitely have a few.

One of the main underlying questions I have had since the beginning of the season is why Rick is suddenly so mad at Lori. If I’m not mistaken, season two ended with Lori not speaking to Rick because of Shane.

So season three comes along, and suddenly Lori’s the bad guy? Not sure what happened there – if I have missed something, please let me know! My partner watches with me every Sunday, and when I asked him last night if I had missed something there, he had no idea what had happened either.

Then all of a sudden, with minutes left to go, it didn’t even matter anymore. I was distracted during the Carl/Lori goodbye sesh, and thought she had simply lost consciousness when Maggie cut her open (wasn’t that a rather quick death though – she was only JUST cut open, not even any time to bleed out!), and it wasn’t until Maggie pulled the baby out and started to walk away when (plot-hole-noticer that I am) I commented on how they were going to sew her up that my partner explained she had died.

So one of my least favourite characters kicks it and I was not even paying attention.

I have to admit, I was starting to feel a little sympathy for Stupid Lori, because I couldn’t figure out why Rick was being such a jerk all the time. When he learns she is gone and falls to the ground, I can only imagine the guilt he is feeling. And since I was feeling the beginnings of some dislike for him, it’s good to see it might have been just all for show. One of the things I liked the most about Rick was his ability to maintain his compassion and sensitivity – an ability that pretty well vanished at the end of season two. I’m looking forward to seeing some of that come back now that he has a baby to raise not-technically-on his own.

What’s the deal with Good Times Andrea? Is it just me, or is she all Miss Positivity all of a sudden? If you read my posts you know I have no love for Andrea, never have. I can get on board with her being more likeable, sure – but make me believe it; this is too much, too soon. I understand that almost a year has passed since she was left behind at the farm, but she has way too little insight into her own psyche to have turned over a new positive and trusting leaf in so short a time. Also, once again, Andrea proves what a moron she is with her apparent interest in saviour-cum-creepy-dude the Governor.

I am a little miffed and more than a little sad that Carol is now gone too. She was a relatively ‘side-note’ character (even her death was a side-note, with Daryl picking up her headscarf beside a half-eaten body) with not much of a story since Sophia, so I’m alternately not sure why she was killed off and why her story went on for so long. I liked her, and I liked the direction she and our favourite redneck were heading in, so I am sad that we’re not going to get to see that play out.

I have to mention Hershel here – I am elated that he is alive. I think he’ll contribute to the return of Rick’s humanity, and bring back some charm to what is a total ghastly nightmare. He somehow seems to keep them all in check a bit, whether out of respect for his patriarchical position or his depth of medical knowledge we’ll never know. But he has a calming effect on the group, and I am looking forward to his being back in the land of the living.

And finally, T-Dog, whose name I can never say with straight face – I hate nicknames, and this one strikes me as especially blatantly stereotypical. Anyway, he’s gone too, after giving himself up to two walkers to save Carol – what a waste, right? But I guess the inmates now have Rick’s favour, since the one guy (sorry, the new guys’ names escape me) killed a fellow inmate to save him; so at least we don’t have to rely on Carl for back-up.

We lost three and gained two – an excellent way to keep viewers on their toes, even if you have read the graphic novels.

The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights at 9:00 on AMC.