The Walking Dead, Ep. 303, Walk with Me

The Walking Dead Season 3, Episode 3: Walk with Me

If you need a horror fix this Halloween, what could be better than The Walking Dead?

TV rating

TV-14

ZPAA rating

Teens and up

Gore level

7.5 out of 10--Some zombie kills and decapitations; some discrete kills of recently dead humans (who will turn into zombies); an arm stump (not bloody); one guy who was cut in half by a helicopter blade (we don't see it happen but his top half comes back as a zombie); some zombie heads still moving; some close ups of zombie wounds, including face wounds.

Other offensive content

Minimal bad language; broken promises; one-sided gun battle of humans killing humans; shameless ripoff of The Evil Dead II/Army of Darkness.

How much zombie mythology/content

The new group in this episode has figured that the dead will come back whether bitten or not. They are trying to figure out some solutions and are interested in what Michonne has done. They have a secret lab where one person is doing research on the zombies.

How much fun

Not as tense as last week's episode nor as humorous, this was an exciting episode for what it brings from the comics.

Synopsis & Review

For this episode, the action switches from the prison to Michonne and Andrea's story. They see smoke from a helicopter crash and go to investigate. When they get there, some others drive up to check out the situation. The others pull the still-living pilot and inflict brain damage on the other dead soldiers. Michonne and Andrea are shocked since they don't know that everyone will come back as a zombie whether they are bitten or not. They decide not to reveal themselves. That doesn't work out since one of the group has circled around and come up on them from behind. That sneak is none other than Daryl's brother, Merle! He has a stump for one of his hands to which he has attached a bayonet, a la Bruce Campbell in the Evil Dead movies. They are taken off with the pilot by the others.

They are brought to the town of Woodbury, where 70 or so people are trying to reestablish some civilization under the leadership of a man known as "The Governor." Anyone who has read the comics immediately recognizes him and also probably shudders at the thought of what is to come. The ladies are given medical care and are invited to look around town to see if they want to stay. If not, the Governor promises to let them take their weapons and go, and will even give them food and water and a vehicle if they like. Andrea wants to stay to recover from her illness a bit but Michonne is much more cautious (and much less talkative). The town has some substantial walls and is guarded by men with heavy weaponry and post-zombie training. The town has a strict curfew and keeps a low-profile at night. The few townsfolk we see seem to be content with the way things are.

The Governor talks to the pilot and finds out about his National Guard unit that was stranded on the highway. He promises to go get them and bring them back to safety the next day. But things are not as rosy as they might seem by the end of the episode.