The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 15: This Sorrowful Life

Rick, Daryl, and Hershel discuss giving Michonne to the Governor.  Daryl and Hershel don't think it is honest to keep it from the others.  Rick says it is so the others won't die.  Rick wants to bring in someone else, Merle presumably, Daryl says he'll talk to him but Rick says he will.  Merle is looking for drugs in a mattress.   Rick says they need his help and Merle just laughs.  Rick asks Merle if he knows why he does the things he does.  The only ones that know about the plan are Hershel, Daryl, Merle, and Rick.  Merle says the Governor won't kill Michonne just do things to her like take out her eyes.  Merle says Rick is as cold as ice and calls him "Officer Friendly."  He'll need wire and not rope or she'll chew through them.  Merle says he doesn't know why he does the thing he does.  He is a mystery, but he knows Rick.  Rick doesn't have the spine for it. 

Carl and Maggie are making noise to distract the zombies while Glenn, Daryl, and Michonne bring a car up to the prison.  Michonne had the idea to set barbed wire by the fence so if the Governor attacks it will blow out the tires.  She says they don't have to win, just make sure the Governor thinks it is too much trouble.  Daryl gives Rick a look that says she is useful and this isn't right.  Merle and Carol are talking.  He wants to know if there is any liquor and she tells him to go to hell.  She wants to know if he is with them.  Not just living with them but on their side.  Merle says he is here for Daryl and Daryl is here for them.  Carol says it's time for Merle to pick a side.  Merle notices the difference in Carol.  She is not scared of anything anymore.  She's a late bloomer, maybe he is too. 

Daryl asks Glenn if he has seen Merle.  Daryl asks if Merle has apologized to Glenn.  Merle is sorry and Daryl will make Merle  make it alright.  Glenn tells Daryl what Merle did to him and Maggie.  He can forgive Merle for what he did to himself but not what happened to Maggie.  Glenn cares more about Maggie than himself.  Daryl goes looking for Merle in the prison.  He finds him in the engine room.  Merle says he is looking for crystal meth.  Merle says he is in with the plan to give Michonne.  But Merle says Rick won't go through with it.  He asks what Daryl thinks and Daryl says he will do whatever Rick says.  Merle says Daryl has lost his balls and used to make fun of people like that.  Merle says Daryl needs to grow up.   Things are different now.  He calls them out for doing to Michonne what he did to Glenn and Maggie.  Merle says you do what you gotta do to survive.  He says they need people like him.  A bad guy to do the dirty work.  Daryl says he just wants his brother back.  It seems to get too emotional for Merle and he tells Daryl to leave.  Merle grabs a phone and puts it in a bag with other things.  I assume wires to tie up Michonne.

Hershel is reading the Bible out loud to Maggie and Beth.  We see Rick gathering up wire.  He looks up and sees pregnant Lori.  He says to himself she's not there.  Hershel tells his girls he would do anything to keep them safe.  Rick tells Hershel he can't give Michonne to the Governor.  Merle is leading Michonne into the prison to "help clear out an area."  Zombies come down the hall and she stars killing them.  Merle then hits her on the back of the head.  He kills some zombies.  Then he takes her sword, drags her away, ties her up with wire and puts a pillowcase over her head.

Merle walks with Michonne down a street and then tells her the plan to give her to the Governor.  He says he did what Rick couldn't do.  Rick tells Daryl the whole thing is off.  He can't find Merle and Michonne.  Daryl goes back to the engine room with Rick.  Daryl figures out that Merle took Michonne and he goes after Merle.  He tells Rick to stay because he is family too.  Merle tells Michonne that he just wants to be with Daryl and that he is doing this to keep his place there and hopefully this will keep the prison safe.  She says he is not truly bad since he feels the weight of his actions.  A bad man would feel light as a feather.

Glenn and Hershel are talking about the Governor.  Hershel says there will be more men like him, there always have been.  Glenn holds the pocket watch and says he now knows what it means and what it takes.  He wants to marry Maggie before anything happens.  Hershel gives him his blessing.  Glenn walks up to the fence where the zombies are and cuts the fingers off a female zombie.  Wedding ring for Maggie? 

Merle ties Michonne to the post of what looks like a motel while he breaks into a car.  He hot wires the car but the alarm starts to go off.  The alarm is now attracting a boat load of zombies.  Michonne calls out to Merle so he will untie her and kill the zombies. He can't hear her over the alarm.  She kills two zombies on her own (awesomely of course).  Then Merle gets attacked and starts killing zombies.  He cuts her free and they get into the car and drive away. She asks if his job is to clean up the trash.  She says things are different for Daryl.  Rick needs him and respects him.  She tells him this could have been a new beginning for Merle but he chose to stay on the outside.  No one is going to mourn him, not even Daryl because he has a new family.  He tells her she is just as much on the outside as he is.  She agrees but at least when the Governor is through with her she won't have to live with herself.  She asks Merle if he had killed anyone before Woodbury.  Why would he kill for the Governor who is a liar?  She tells them they can just go back.  He says he can't go back.  She asks why.  He stops the car and cuts her hands free.  He tells her to go back to Rick and get ready for what's next he has something he has to deal with on his own.  He gives her back her sword and drives away.  Even Merle has a heart.  Those Dixon brothers.  Just a bunch of softies.

Daryl finds Michonne and asks if she killed Merle.  She tells him that he let her go.  Daryl says don't anyone go after him.  Merle sits in the car blasting music and drinking booze while zombies surround it.  He drives just slow enough so the zombies can keep up with him.  He jumps out of the car and lets it go.  It is the meeting place for the Michonne exchange.  The Woodbury people hear the music.  Martinez sends a few men to deal with it.  They start shooting at the zombies.  Merle take the opportunity to shoot a few of the Woodbury men.  They are eaten by the zombies.  Sneaky, sneaky, Merle.  Martinez sees Merle.  Merle tries to shoot the Governor but Ben (douche bag Allen's son) steps in the way.  Then a zombie attacks Merle and Martinez and his men find him.  The Governor starts to beat him up and bites off two of Merle's fingers.  Gross.  Merle isn't going to beg.  The Governor says no and shoots Merle. 

Glen approaches Maggie, he takes her by the hand and puts a ring in it.  She says yes.  Rick has everyone gathered together.  He tells them about the deal to leave them alone if they gave the Governor Michonne.  He admits he was going to do it to keep them safe.  But he changed his mind but Merle went through with it and Daryl went to stop him.   He was wrong not to tell them and he apologizes.  He mentions the Ricktatorship speech he gave them.  He says he was wrong and it can't be.  He can't sacrifice one life for the greater good.  All of them together are the greater good.  He is not their governor.  We choose to go or stay.  We stick together.  They vote it is their choice.  He walks off and goes to the watchtower.  He spies Michonne through the scope.

Daryl finds the meeting place.  He sees dead zombies and dead Woodbury posse being eaten by zombies.  He finds zombie Merle eating Ben and he starts to cry.  Poor Daryl.  Zombie Merle approaches him and he backs away crying.  He pushes Merle away a few times then stabs Merle over and over again with tears streaming down his face.  Somebody give Norman Reedus an Emmy and a Golden Globe now.  

Some thoughts
- This was such a great episode.  The conversation that Merle and Michonne had in the car reminded me of the one that Rick had with Morgan a few episodes back.  It seemed to be the push that Merle needed to officially decide he was on Rick's side and sever all ties with the Governor.
- It seems that whenever we get to know a minor character well or a main character makes a stand they die.  See Axel a few episodes back and Dale in season two.
- I wish we had learned a little more about Merle's childhood.  We know there was abuse and that he joined the army to get away from it but we don't know why he did drugs or why he ever went back.
- The Governor is very vengeful because not only did he bite off Merle's fingers and shoot him but he left him to become a zombie so he could live on in a form of punishment Merle would have hated. 
- If they could get ghost Lori's wedding dress they would be all set for a prison wedding.
- Someone needs to give Daryl a hug.  Here's hoping it's Carol.

RIP Merle Dixon