The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 5: Say the Word

Dads gone wild (with creepy zombie activity)

Two episodes back we learned that the Governor has a daughter.  He spoke of her in the present tense so we were left to assume that she is alive.  This week we got to meet her, sort of.  The show began with the Governor brushing his daughter's hair.  A nice little father/daughter bonding moment.  But all was not well.   We hear the all too familiar sound of hungry growls and then a chunk of the little girl's skull comes off as the brush moves down her scalp.  That's right ladies and gentlemen, the Governor's daughter is a zombie.  Looks like he took a page out of Hershel's book.  Nothing says crazy love like keeping around your undead relatives.  These men really need to learn to let go.  Zombie Penny starts to get bitey so the Governor ties up her straight jacket and puts a bag over her head (cooing softly to her all the time just like a crazy person would).  In she goes to a closet or Harry Potter's cupboard.

Back at the prison yard Rick is still reeling from the death of Lori.  He doesn't respond to anyone or anything.  We hear baby girl's cry but they sound muffled.  Daryl tries to talk to him but Rick doesn't respond.  Rick stumbles back into the prison, picks up an axe and goes on a zombie killing spree.  There's no better way to deal with your grief during a zombiepocalypse than killing some zombies.  And so Rick does so in a feral way.  From this moment on he is not the Rick Grimes of before.  He is a crazed zombie killer in a prison filled with zombies.


Daryl takes the reigns

Noticing that Rick is in no position to lead at the moment, second in command Daryl Dixon steps up.  Hershel tells the group that the baby needs food soon or she will die.  Daryl decides to go on a scavenging trip for baby formula. 

Glenn and Maggie volunteer to go with him.  He leaves instructions with Beth to take care of Carl since he lost his mother and his father is unavailable at the moment.  The three are getting ready to go when they realize they can't get through to the next town in the car.  Daryl can only take one person with him on his bike so Maggie goes.

Glenn stays behind and starts digging graves for Lori, T-Dog, and Carol.  As he is finishing up with one grave the two prisoners walk up and ask what they can do.  He tells them that he is digging graves for family not friends.  He leaves them to finish digging the graves.  He runs into Hershel on his way back to the yard and they have a little chat about T-Dog.  We learn that T-Dog went around offering rides to the elderly when all hell broke loose.  Aw T-Dog, a friend to the elderly.  Glenn then goes inside the prison in search of Rick.  He carefully walks through the halls stepping over the walkers that Rick has killed on his rampage.  He finds Rick with bloody axe in hand still in a daze.  Glenn walks up to him and tries to snap him out of it.  Rick still doesn't see him.  Glenn reaches a hand out to him and Rick attacks.  He doesn't see Glenn, just another threat.  Yet some part of Rick's brain recognizes Glenn because he doesn't kill him.  Glenn realizes he can't get through to Rick and leaves him.

Maggie and Daryl find a daycare/preschool and scavenge for supplies.  Daryl notices a wall with paper hand prints on the wall.  One of them said Sofie, a reminder of Sophia.  They hear a noise coming from one of the rooms.  The sound is coming from behind a set of doors in a kitchen.  I was bracing myself for a zombie baby or zombie toddler and hoping the show would not cross that line.  I was never so glad to see a possum in all of my life.  As soon as Daryl shot it I said dinner about two seconds before the character did.  Aw, Daryl and I think alike.

When Daryl and Maggie arrive and prepare a baby bottle.  Carl is holding the crying baby.  Daryl swoops in and grabs baby girl. She automatically calms down (what girl wouldn't) and he gives her the bottle.  Daryl, you big softy.  I think ovaries around the world just skipped a beat.  Daryl asks Carl what they should name the baby.  The kid rattles off all of the names of the deceased female characters.  It was sad and morbid.  And I just kept thinking those are the worst names ever.  No one should have the weight of all those dead people on them.  They should call her Hope since she is the hope for the future.  Later on we see Daryl leave a Cherokee Rose on Carol's grave.  The flower that was supposed to mean hope for the return of Sophia now adorns her mother's grave.


Michonne looks at the man behind the curtain

Woodbury is getting ready for a celebration.  They seem to be celebrating the establishment of Woodbury.  The Governor gives a speech where he mentions that this all began with a few people in an apartment.  This is very similar to Rick and the gang.  They were just a small group of people coming together to survive this terrible ordeal.  The Governor has succeeded in building a community (something that Rick keeps trying to do but has not quite been able to achieve).  While everyone else is drinking and playing, Michonne is investigating.  She sneaks into the Governor's house and grabs her sword.  Then she tries to find out what is really going on in creepyville.  She finds what looks like a journal.  In it are plans for creating a society.  One of the last pages has a list of names ending with Penny.  The rest of the journal is just a bunch of slash marks.  This is yet more proof of the craziness in the Governor's head.  He must have snapped shortly after his daughter became a zombie.   She hears a sound behind a door and tries to pry open the lock.  She is interrupted by the Governor, Milton, and Merle.  They have come in to grab some more drinks.  Michonne overhears Milton complaining that the celebration is using up all the power from the generators that he needs for his experiment.  We aren't told what the experiment is, only that it will take him ten days.  I'm a little worried about this experiment.  We know Milton likes to mess with the walkers.  The last thing they need is for the walkers to become sentient.

Michonne continues her investigation outside.  She stumbles upon a gated area that is holding back a few zombies.  She unlocks the door and lets them out.  Then she uses her katana to slice through those zombies.  She smiles the entire time.  It appears that the only time that Michonne is happy is when she is killing zombies. 

This is kind of creepy but I can see that she might have turned her fear of death by walker into a sort of game.  It's still disturbing but I think everyone living through a zombiepocalypse would be disturbed.  The Governor finds out about the slaughter and sits Michonne down for a little chat.  He puts on his best politician smile and tries to convince her to stay.  He even asks her to join the research team.  Michonne grabs her sword and holds its tip against his throat.  The answer is no.  The Governor then tries to get Andrea's help.  She's disturbed by the fact that they were keeping walkers in town but she really wants to stay in Woodbury so she agrees to talk to Michonne.  Michonne has had enough and is packing up when Andrea finds her.  Andrea tries to convince her to stay but Michonne is having none of it.  She sees Woodbury for what it is and wants to leave with Andrea.  Andrea wants to stay.  She likes having food, and showers, and a bed.  She likes how safe she feels in Woodbury.  In the next scene we see Michonne and Andrea packed and ready to go walking towards the gate out of Woodbury.  Merle stops them and starts making excuses for them to stay.  They need an escort and it's too close to curfew.  Michonne uses this as evidence that all is not right in Woodbury.  Andrea starts to think Michonne has gone a little conspiracy crazy when all of a sudden Merle opens the door.  Andrea gives Michonne an "I told you so" look and tries to convince Michonne to stay.  Michonne tells her, "You'd just slow me down, anyways." and walks out the door back into zombie land all alone.


Zombie Gladiators!

Andrea joins the Governor for the night's final festivities.  Some bleachers are set up and Andrea and the Governor join the rest of Woodbury that is waiting in anticipation while loud music plays.  Andrea is concerned about the blaring music and how it will attract walkers.  Then Merle and another member of the posse step into the arena.  They are surrounded by walkers on chains.  It's Woodbury's version of UFC but with zombies. 

The two men begin to fight as the zombies snarl and grab at them from the outskirts.  As the fight progresses the chains are loosened and the zombies get closer.  Andrea is horrified by all of this.  The Governor thinks this is great.  He tells her it is just a way for everyone to blow off some steam.  The whole thing is rigged.  The zombies have their teeth pulled out.  It is just a game.  Andrea thinks it's barbaric.  It teaches people that zombies aren't dangerous.  The Governor tells her it teaches them not to be afraid.  But they should be afraid.  Andrea is finally starting to see through the facade but it is too late.  Michonne is gone and she is now a permanent resident in crazy town.


Hello?

We now rejoin Rick in the basement of doom.  He finds the spot where Lori died but no Lori.  There is a puddle of her blood and chunks of human flesh.  He bends down and finds the bullet that Carl put in dead Lori's brain.  He follows a trail of blood around the corner and finds a zombie sitting against the wall with a bloated belly.  It has long, brown hair coming out of his mouth.  I yelled out, "He ate Lori!".  (My suspicions were confirmed when Greg Nicotero mentioned the same thing when he was on Talking Dead) Rick walks up to the zombie, sticks his gun in its mouth, and pulls the trigger while releasing an anguished cry.  He then proceeds to stab the zombie's belly repeatedly.  Brrrring.  A phone starts ringing.  There's a phone in there?  Apparently prison boiler rooms have early 20th century phones in them.  Rick walks over to the phone, picks it up, and says hello.  Who is on the other end?  Is it coming from another part of the building?  Is some government entity calling?  Give your suggestions in the the comments section.