The Walking Dead 3 Episode 5: The Call

Found on flickrcc.net

Have you recovered from the loss and chaos of episode 4? I didn't expect Lori to die from childbirth, even though, the odds are evident against her having a smooth delivery and under stressful and dangerous circumstances. It was so naive of me to unconsciously believe that the main heroine of the show don't die. I should have known better.

Let me begin my blog with the happenings at Woodbury.

The episode started with the Governor combing someone's hair. As he does this, the comb pulled out a patch of hair and the skin to which it was attached. It turned out that he was with a child zombie. I made a conclusion that this child zombie was her daughter as it resembles the little girl in the family picture shown in the same residence in the earlier episodes. So, the mystery of Woodbury starts to unravel. The Governor choose to keep her "zombified" daughter close for reasons still not clear. Perhaps he is hoping for a cure that would restore her daughter back to life. Or he just clings to the husk of his dead love one because of his longing and guilt from his daughter's fate. This is reminiscent to season 2 when Hershel, likewise kept his undead wife and other "zombified" kin locked up in the barn.

Anyway, the zombie girl began to grunt and struggle when part of her flesh got torn off. The scuffle reached the house window and then the Governor saw Michonne looking back at them.

Michonne, breaks into the Governor's house to get her samurai sword. She, then, overhears the Governor,  Merle and Milton discussing about having captive zombies for tonight's festivities. She discover the whereabouts of the said captive biters which she slays as an act of defiance to the suburban stronghold which she wanted to flee. This lead to a confrontation between Michonne and the Governor.

The animosity between these two are so deep.  It's really hard to figure out why are they against each other in the first place. Why they hate each other so much? Perhaps, it is really Michonne's nature to be defiant to authority and conformity. But, I have to admit, the Governor is one creepy character. I find these two central characters alike.  I am perplexed to why she couldn't understand the Governor's affinity with his zombie daughter when she was also keeping two pet zombies in tow earlier. She has also her own secrets. Yes, like the Governor and the town, I am suspicious of her origins.

The bad blood between them became so evident when Michonne grab her sword and points it to the Governor's throat. It would have been easy for her to end his life but she didn't. It is not her nature to kill people. But the Governor does have that nature and she suspects it. This is a clear sign of Michonne's distrust of the place and the people. We now know at this point that Michonne will leave this place.

In the middle of this conflict is Andrea. When words about the incident reached Andrea, she and Michonne had another argument and a debate on whether to go or stay. At the gates of Woodbury, the two were still in a stalemate. Andrea finally expresses that she cannot take a life outside Woodbury in fear of her life. This forces Michonne to give Andrea an ultimatum: she would leave this place with or without her. Andrea would have followed Michonne out the gate but Merle was there to intervene and locked the gates in front of a very doubtful Andrea.

Later on that night, Andrea and the Governor were together at the start of the night's festivities. Still sad about Michonne's leaving and now she finds herself witnessing the spectacle that was before her. Merle and another guy fighting in an arena surrounded by biters. Earlier, there was a scene where Merle and some other guys collecting trapped biters. Their purpose was now revealed. The Governor assured her that the fight was safe and staged considering the zombies were toothless. It was a show to boost morale and eradicate fear. Still, Andrea felt disturbed by what she saw and by how much the people enjoyed watching the horrendous show. At this point, we see how horrible and scared she felt for letting Michonne leave without her and now trapped in zombie fight town.

Back at prison, Rick clearly suffered a lot - mentally and emotionally; with the loss of Lori. Overcome with grief,  he went on a zombie killing rampage thus abandoning the group who cling to him for protection up to  this point. He lost all wits and became a man filled with rage and revenge. It makes me wonder how he feels about Lori's baby. Does he have ill feelings against the child? I think he does for two main reasons. One, Lori died giving birth to the baby. And, the baby is not his but of Shane.

Lori's baby is crying as if desperately pleading for his attention. So Daryl had no choice but to step up as leader and takes Maggie on an expedition to search for milk for the latest addition to their group. They were able to find infant formula, feeding bottles and other supplies (and a possum) in a nearby care center. These e vents makes you realize how adept Daryl is.He is resourceful and skilled. In the game of survivor, I feel he is the most likely to outlast everyone including Rick. He is also the only person in the group who isn't related to someone somehow. Yet, I see him care for the group. He took the initiative to care of Lori's baby who he lovingly named "Ass Kicker". He also offered a flower to  one of the graves Glenn, Axel and Oscar dug for their fallen comrades. I see him now, not as Rick's right hand, but the alternative leader for the group if Rick would not snap out of his grieving state or die because of it. I don't even trust Rick at this point. He is unstable and can snap at anyone who go against his warpath state. I even thought he would kill Glenn when the younger guy tried to talk sense into him.

Other uplifting moments were when Hershel and Glenn had a bonding moment digging the graves for Lori, T-Dogg and Carol. (Carol's whereabouts is still not determined at this point.) I also find Hershel to be a possible leader for the group, however,his lost of leg might put some doubts to the strength of his conviction. Glenn and Maggie's relationship also proves strong and might be the right persons to take care of little Ass Kicker. Carl seems to be still grieving but have responded more to his baby sister's cry for attention and an undeniable attraction towards Emily.

While all this was happening, Rick found himself inside the room from which Lori met her end. He didn't find Lori's body there but a trail of blood. There, he finds a bloated walker. It seems clear that this lucky scavenger ate all of Lori's remains. Rick sticks his gun inside the zombies mouth and fired. Still unfinished with his act of gore, he stabs the belly of the zombie repeatedly as if he wanted to kill what is inside of the pregnant-like corpse. Then, a RING!!!! The sounds snaps Rick from his exhausted state and he move to answer it. I was left with a thousand questions in my mind. while the credits started to roll. Why is there a phone there? Why does the phone seems so old? Who is calling? I thought communication and power lines are all out? Now I find myself suffering from a week of waiting. Bummer!

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