The Walking Dead - recaptastic

“Killer Within”

The episode opens on a dead dear being dragged through woods and then landing in the prison yard.  Turns out the deer is there to distract walkers so some unidentifiable person, in prison blue overalls, can get out.  Unidentifiable prison person leaves behind a heart and an open gate.  Odd.

Let’s deal with the goings on in Woodbury first since it’s less impactful:

Michonne is inspecting the vehicles brought back from National Guard camp (of death) and notices all the bullet holes and fresh blood.  The Governor pops up behind her, naturally, and proceeds to go on about how he’ll miss her and Andrea when they leave tomorrow.  Michonne is terribly skeptical of him and on the right track but he keeps steering her away from the truth.

Michonne has some maps out and tells Andrea they should head to the coast where she believes it is safer.  However Andrea seems kind of comfy in Woodbury.  I have to admit that I think I would too but then this isn’t about me.

Andrea gives Merle a map and directions to where Hershel’s farm is so he can start tracking Daryl from there.  Merle thanks her by asking why they never hooked up.  She supplies him with a laundry list of reasons and he kind of laughs it off.  He tries to get her to go with him to find the gang but it’s obvious that she’s still kind of bitter from being left behind.

The Governor is practicing his golf swing off the top of a bus (part of their barricade) and chips a shot right into a biter’s head.  Nice shot and a good swing.  Now I’m picturing the potential of walker mini-golf and giggling to myself.  Ahem.  Merle is there to pitch his plan for the Daryl search and rescue plan.  The Governor wants to keep Merle right where he is.  He even goes so far as to tell Merle what a vital part of the community he is.  I bet Merle’s never hear that before.  Ever.  Governor tells Merle that if he can get some solid leads on his brother’s location that he’ll even join him in the search.  That seems reasonable.

Andrea has joined the Governor at his place for a drink.  Actually he’s drinking and she refuses…at first.  They both understand where Merle is coming from because if there is a possibility that there is a live family member in the area anyone would want to try to find them.  They commiserate a bit, he tells her about losing his wife before the world went downhill, and there’s some definite sexual tension.  He is saying his goodbye to her, apparently he won’t be there to see her and Michonne off, and he actually tells her his first name…Phillip.  That’s normal enough.

Andrea wants to postpone leaving Woodbury by a couple of days and Michonne isn’t thrilled with this plan.  That’s the end of this group for this episode.

And now for our dear Prison Dwellers:

Rick’s got some folks moving cars and trucks around but Glenn and Maggie are too busy getting busy in the guard tower to help out.  The two surviving prisoners, Axel and Oscar, come out to plead their case one last time in hopes to join Rick’s group.  Rick is holding firm but allows everyone (outside; the folks inside don’t get a vote; actually no one gets a vote because Rick really is a Ricktator who likes to let people think they’re being heard - the mark of a good politician) chime in with their opinions.  T-Dog takes a stand and thinks they should be allowed in.  I’m glad T-Dog shared, he doesn’t get to say much on this show. 

Rick is giving Axel and Oscar a week’s worth of food and supplies and wants to send them on their way.  Hershel’s been given a pair of crutches and is out on the yard getting used to walking with them.  Rick and Lori share a sweet look from far away (he’s outside the gates to the yard).  It’s all too pleasant and I keep waiting for something to happen. Then it does.  A ton of walkers amble in from behind them and everyone scatters.  Rick, Glenn and Daryl try desperately to get back in but before they do, Hershel is actually able to take one out with one of his crutches.  Maybe he won’t be so bad to have around after all.  Maggie, Lori and Carl go inside but there are a ton coming at them from down a hallway.  That’s when we see Carol and T-Dog just before he gets bit.  Bummer.

Rick, Daryl and Glenn are cleaning up the yard and we see how sharp Glenn’s machete is.  Dude would be awesome at Fruit Ninja because he slices one walker head in half from ear to ear.  It’s nasty but effective.  Then the alarm goes off.  ‘Cause that’s all they were missing.  Oscar thinks the backup generator must be online (thanks to a mysterious person in the prison) and that’s how the gate was opened and why the alarm is going off.  Luckily he knows a little about it, or at least where it is.  They head off to find it and meanwhile, in a boiler room, Lori is in labor.  Of course.  Maggie, Carl and Lori are hiding out there for a while and I keep thinking of other options than the one that’s inevitably going to take place. 

Lori is ready to push and goes for it until Maggie lets her know there’s a problem.  We see a bloody hand and know this is going to be hell for them and for us at home too.  We join in on Carol and T-Dog, the latter of whom has sacrificed himself so that Carol can get away.  Yikes.  He really gets ripped to shreds too and it’s pretty gross.  That was an amazing thing he did for Carol. 

Rick gets the power off and the smallish black dude that Rick left for dead with the yard full of walkers, Andrew, is there.  They start fighting, a gun goes loose and is picked up by Oscar who is now aiming it at Rick.  Andrew encourages him to just shoot Rick but Oscar shoots Andrew instead.  Hmmm.  Meanwhile, things in the boiler room are absolutely worse  than they were before.  Lori is insisting that Maggie cut her open with Carl’s knife to get the baby out and I’m sitting here thinking of the oh-so-many other options they have.  Don't they? Anyone?  Maggie and Lori both know there’s no way for her to survive but Lori has some wacked idea that the baby needs to survive.  I disagree.  I disagree, like, a lot. This baby is potentially going to be the worst thing that has happened to them.

Lori is tearfully telling Carl he can beat this world, that he’s strong and brave and to do what is right.  It may be hard but it’s what has to be done.  This is terribly upsetting for them and for me.  Because I write throughout the episode I’m even a little detached from what happens but it’s still really throwing me for a loop.  It’s not that I need Lori around to instigate the Ricktatorship, but if it were possible to choose between her and a baby that’s sure to (indirectly) kill everyone, I gotta go with Lori.  She tells Maggie when it’s over she has to do it, not Rick.  Then Maggie cuts and Lori passes out or dies I guess.  The baby comes out and it takes a little while but it takes its first breath and cries.  Yeah, a crying baby.  That’ll be great.  Dumb zombie apocalypse babies.  Maggie gets up to leave but Carl knows there’s work to be done with Lori.  Maggie can’t bring herself to do it.  Carl knows better and flashes back to a conversation he had with Rick in Hershel’s barn.  The gist is that it’s time for Carl to set aside kid stuff and then Carl does it.  He shoots his own effing mother.  We don’t see it, thankfully, but we hear the gun shot and I’m afraid Maggie might drop the baby.  Back outside, Hershel and blonde (Beth, right?) daughter are still locked up in a cage from before.  Rick, Daryl and Glenn let them know that T-Dog and Carol didn’t make it but the part about Carol is just a guess because they found her do-rag next to T-Dog’s body.  Rick starts giving orders to go back in and find Maggie, Carl and Lori when he hears a baby cry.  He turns to see a very upset Maggie with the baby and Carl with a dead look on his face.  Rick totally loses his shit and ends up crying on the ground.  Carl just stands there looking teary but totally in control.

Emmy awards for BOTH THESE GUYS!!!

I hate this show.