The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 7: Dead Weight

A camp of some sort.  The Governor is washing clothes and Megan is thinking of her next chess move.  We flash back to Martinez looking down at the Guv and Megan in the pit.  Martinez hands his gun to someone and helps them out.  Lily asks him if he is okay and calls him Brian.  Martinez looks surprised. Martinez invites them to his camp.  One from his group says they already have too many mouths to feed.  Martinez tells him that they have a kid.  He turns to the Governor and tells him if they come with them they have to follow his rules.  Rule 1 Martinez is in charge and 2 no dead weight.  Contribute or be cast our, can he live with that?  The Guv tells Megan she can't think forever. Sometimes you have to make a move.  He won't let her win.  Just like his dad who used to beat him at everything.  She asks if his dad was mean, he says sometimes.  She asks if he was bad and he says sometimes.  Megan asks the Guv if she is bad because her dad was always mean to her.  Guv tells Megan they are all going to be okay because they are good.  She says it is his turn.  He says he is thinking. He looks around.  They are standing between a trailer and an army tank.

Water drips from the ceiling of their camper.  Lily asks him if he is going on a run today.  He says yes, with Martinez and two others.  She says she is going to set up a nursing station.  He apologizes for the state of the camp, he wanted something better for them.  She says the camp is fine, they will make it better.  He is out scavenging with the others.  When they walk by a lake he asks if there are fish and he is told there aren't any. They are walking through the woods looking for the site of some survivalist's house.  The Guv sees something.  It is the body of a man tied to a tree with no head and a sign that says liar.  They decide it is none of their business and move on.  Lily is mending the hand of some woman called Alisha.  Tara asks her is she was in the marines. Alisha was in the reserves.  They start talking guns and begin to flirt.  The Guv and the others find a house.  They find another headless body tied to a chair.  The sign says rapist.  They move closer to the house.  On the porch is another body, this one with a head and the sign says murderer.  It looks like suicide. The Guv finds a photograph of he man with his wife and daughter. They knock on the wall to attract any walkers inside.  They hear someone walking inside.  Martinez makes the Guv walk in first.  They make their way farther in the cabin, you can still hear someone inside making noise.   They get closer to the noise.  A door creaks open.  A female zombie attacks one of the men.  The Guv kills it.  Zombie heads moving on the floor.  Another female zombie attacks them and the Guv kills it.

Martinez says if the Guv had been alone in the pit he would have left him there.  He says the Guv seems different now, changed.  He asks if he is different.  The Guv says he is.  Mitch has found canned food and beer.  He tosses a beer to each one.  Mitch says the Guv knows how to regulate, you can't tell what he is thinking.  Mitch was an ice cream truck driver then a tank operator in the army.  When the world ended he took the tank with him.  Pete was a soldier in Fort Benning who stayed there for a while.  They ask the Guv what he did before and he says he survived when the world ended.

Back at the camp the girls are laughing that Martinez's dad was a priest.  Lily mentions this is the first time they have felt safe since the apocalypse started. Martinez says their old camp (referring to Woodbury) was really nice and safe.  Tara and Alisha head off.  Megan tells the Guv the roof is leaking again. Martinez tells him to fix it.  Martinez comes back and knocks on the door and tells the Guv he has a surprise. They are playing golf on the roof of the camper.  Martinez tells the Guv that Shumpert (the other Woodbury survivor) is dead.  He says that Shumpert was never the same after Woodbury fell.  He got reckless and a walker took a piece of him.  Martinez put him down himself.  Some things you just can't come back from.  Martinez mentions that the Guv's new family brought him back.  Martinez says he couldn't risk having a family again for the fear of losing them.  The Guv says he won't lose them.  Martinez says that now that the Guv is here maybe they could share the crown a little.  The Governor hits him on the back of the head with a golf club and then pushes him off the roof.  He drags Martinez over the pit where there are some zombies.  He keeps repeating the phrase "I don't want it."  He doesn't want power or doesn't want to share the power with Martinez?  The zombies drag Martinez into the pit.

Lily finds the Guv in their trailer later that night with Megan.  He is shaking.  He says he just had a bad dream.  She asks what it was and he says he can't remember.  The next morning Mitch announces they found Martinez in the pit.  He was shooting golf balls while drunk and fell in the pit. Pete says he is taking leadership of the camp.  Some old man pipes up and says they should vote on who becomes the new leader. Everyone agrees.  Pete tells everyone to calm down.  They need each other now more than ever.  They only way to survive is together.  He is only taking over temporarily until they can find a time to vote.  Pete tells the Guv to gear up they are going on a hunt. Pete asks the Guv for help leading the group (showing weakness in leadership).  Mitch waves them over.  They have spotted a camp of people.  Ten, maybe less.  They have a lot of supplies.  Pete suggests taking them in.  Mitch thinks that is crazy, he wants to rob them.  He knows that Pete doesn't want to hurt anyone.  Pete says no and they walk away.  Mitch is mad because all they have are a couple of squirrels and some condensed milk.  The Guv walks away.  He is back at the camp they saw earlier and we see that all of the people are dead.  Someone else came in killed them and took their supplies.  An old man reaches his hand up and Mitch stabs him in the head.

Lily and Megan are organizing the nursing supplies.  The Guv walks in and tells them to pack.  He says it isn't safe anymore.  Lily says she is the only nurse and Tara now has Alisha.  He says things are about to go bad. It has happened to him before and he can't lose them again.  She asks about Pete.  He said that he was a good man, but the Governor no longer believes that to be true.  He asks if she trusts him.  She nods yes and he tells her to pack her things.  They are now all in the car with Alisha.  He stops the car. There are walkers stuck in the mud in the middle of the road.  He just stands in front of them staring as they stretch their arms out to him.  He looks back at the car.

Back at the camper the next morning Lily wakes up and asks what he is doing.  He says surviving. He knocks on the door of another trailer.  It's Pete's trailer.  He says they need to talk.  Pete thinks it is about Mitch.  As he turns his back on the Guv the Guv stabs him.  The Guv then chokes him.  The Guv bangs on Mitch's door.  When he opens it the Guv is pointing his gun at him.  They sit facing each other.  Mitch asks where Pete is and the Guv tells him Pete is dead.  Mitch asks if he is going to kill him for killing the old man at the camp.  The Guv offers him some cigarette.  Mitch asks what he did to his brother.  The Guv says he doesn't care about the old man.  Men like Pete will always do the right thing even at the cost of their own people.  The Guv talks about the first time he had a cigarette with his brother.  Their dad found them and his brother took the blame for it (trying to be a hero) but they both got beat up anyway.  The Guv says he is in charge now.  And if Mitch joins him he will never have to worry about whether or not he is doing the right thing or the wrong thing. Because they will do the only thing  he offers his lighter to Mitch and lights his cigarette.  Mitch asks what they are going to tell everyone about Pete.  The Guv says they are going to tell them he died on a supply run people believe what they want to believe.  Everyone loves a hero.  He throws Pete's body into the lake.  The Governor is officially back.

People are building a perimeter and pits. They now have an armory.  Supply runs are arrows only.  They need the bullets and not just for zombies.  If anyone comes upon strangers ignore them and report them to the Guv and Mitch.  Later that night he is circling something on a map (the prison)?  He tells Lily maybe they can find a better place if they are willing to fight for it.  She says they don't need a better place, this is home.   The next morning Megan and Tara play tag. The Guv washes his injured eye but covers it up as soon as Lily comes in. She stops him and takes a hold of his face.  She tells him he doesn't have to do this alone.  Megan thinks she has caught Tara in their game but it is a zombie.  Tara tries to pull the zombie away but his leg falls apart in her hands.  The Guv shoots it.  Was this an accident or did he set this up to get people to think they are not safe there so he can convince them to take over the prison?

The Guv looks down in the water where zombie Pete is trying to get to him but can't because he has a weight around his ankle.  Is the lake his new zombie aquarium?  The Guv is in a car driving through the woods.  He stops and gets out.  He slowly walks through the woods and stops and looks at Rick and Carl farming at the prison.  He pulls out his gun but doesn't shoot.  He walks around with his gun and sees Hershel and Michonne chatting by her car.  He points his gun at her, cocks it, and then the screen goes to black.

Final Thoughts
- This is what David Morissey had to say about why the Governor killed Martinez: " I think Martinez makes the mistake of admitting weakness. He says to the Governor, “I’m not sure I can keep this place safe.” Had he turned around to the Governor on that day where he was playing golf and said, “There is no way this camp is not going to be safe. I’m going to make it safe. I’m going to do everything I can to make it safe,” then the Governor is going to say, “Great, I’ll follow you.” But as soon as the man admits weakness, then the Governor is going to take control. And the Governor is killing him and screaming, “I don’t want it!” What he doesn’t want is the responsibility. He doesn’t want the responsibility he is forced to take because of this man’s weakness. That’s very important. He’s putting a crown on his head that he doesn’t want. But nobody else but him is worthy of wearing it."  (from EW interview http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/11/24/walking-dead-david-morrissey-dead-weight/#more-152501)
- The Governor hates heroes.  He puts his brother, Pete, and Rick in this category.  Caring about others is a weakness yet he cares about Lily and Megan.
- What will happen to the Governor if he loses Lily and Megan?
- Will the Governor be able to take over the prison?  This will be his third attempt.  The prison gang is weakened by the virus deaths but they are still better trained.
- Who will die in the mid-season finale?  Hershel? Michonne?