The Walking Dead: Walk With Me Review

How's about a big hug for your ol' pal the Walking Dead

Spoilers for the episode follow.

In episode one, we only get a few passing glances at Andrea and Michonne. Ep. 2 saw none at all, but this week the roles are reversed; we can assume that Rick and Co. are busy getting acquainted with their new surroundings, Hershel learning to use crutches, Carl hitting on Beth, etc., while Andrea and Michonne take center stage.

So we start off with the helicopter. Is it THE helicopter, i.e., the one from the pilot and the season 2 finale? No idea, they neither confirm nor deny it. If it is, then that explains that much, but if it isn't, what the  hell is up with that chopper?! Moving on. The helicopter crashes, and Andrea and Michonne find it. And then the Governor shows up. The Gov. and Co. deal with the situation as you'd expect, and Michonne offs her two pet Walkers to stay hidden. I was not expecting that, mostly because I figured they were some sort of integral part of her character. I haven't read the comics, so I wouldn't know, but either way that bit surprised me. And then Merle finds the ladies and brings them back to Woodbury, the Governor's little settlement.

Ah, Merle. You know, the racist ass, brother to the much cooler Daryl, who wanted to kill T-Dog for the heck of it, prompting Rick to chain him to a building. Yeah that Merle. When I first saw the trailer for this season, the bit at the end with Merle gave me this hilariously evil grin (I'm still predicting Daryl's gonna kill him). Not that I liked Merle, quite the opposite, I just knew it was gonna result in some serious death. Which it does a little bit, though he seems to have rehab'd a bit. He doesn't immediately go redneck on Michonne, and even acts sad when he hears Amy's dead. Can't help but feel it's a bit contrived, but there's every chance they'll explain his new found reduction in douchyness.

The show paints Woodbury as a quaint, picturesque little town under armed guard by the charismatic and very evil Governor (it might just be a nickname, but he sure seems to like it). Think the City of Ember; everything looks fine on the surface, but poke it with a stick just enough and it'll all come crashing down. And when I say the Governor's evil, I mean it; he might seem like a nice, well-meaning, kindly leader of a fledgling  community, but the troop of soldiers he mows down and the wall made of heads in jars he has in his apartment (and I do mean heads, not inverted, mutated cow fetuses) tell otherwise. Morrissey's got more then enough charisma and acting talent/range to pull off all facets of the character the writers are providing, and he's just good in this role. He's kind of like Ben Linus in LOST season 3, except without the daddy-issues and back cancer (then again, it's only episode 3, he could easily have both of those), and less creepy and more outright terrifying. You want creepy, check out his #2 Milton.

I was pretty impressed with Michonne as well, or at least what little we were given. She's still tight-lipped, so we don't know much other than that she's a badass and she's secretive. Danai Gurrera does a solid job with her portrayal, and I'm really looking forward to seeing her kill more zombies in the future. Heck, I'm just looking forward to seeing where this story goes, because it's bordering on addicting. Next Sunday can't get here soon enough.

Final Rating: 89%