The Walking Dead 3 Episode 12: Clear Recap

The Walking Dead 3 Episode 12 "Clear"

Rick, Michonne and Carl travels back to their hometown of King Country, Georgia. Rick didn't want to leave Michonne at the prison because Merle was there. Somehow, he needs to know more of this woman who's been too silent all this time. 

Someone is screaming for help. A backpacker runs towards them. They ignore him and drive off. 

They drive into the deserted town and went to the police station.  They found no guns. This frustrated Rick. They have to find guns. They need guns. 

Outside, Rick saw something.  A barricade!  Lots of stuff oddly placed on the road.  A walker moves towards them then got trapped in the maze. Then someone shot it.

A gunman is on the roof.  They exchange fires. Carl shot the masked gunman. The gunman was out. He was wearing a bulletproof vest. Rick unmask him. He was a familiar face.

Rick, with Carl, found Morgan still alive!

The gunman saved Rick's life before. Rick recalls that he has a son. They watch out for booby-traps. There were lots of trip wires, spikes  and, inside where the gunman lived, they saw piles of ammo. There were also a lot of writings on the wall. Rick saw something.  He pick it up and it was a two-way radio receiver.

Rick said that they will wait for him to wake up. Michonne didn't want to. She wanted to take half of the guns and go.

Rick insist on waiting. Carl saw a drawing of the neighborhood on the walls. It says there that Rick's house was burned down. Then he saw KCC on the map. Carl wanted to walk around the town and look for a crib for Julie. It was their old neighborhood after all. Rick relented only if Michonne goes with him. 

A few walkers followed them. Michonne takes on one. Carl seize opportunity to the give her a slip. She saw him sneak off and caught him. They went pass the baby store. He said to Michonne that he needed to take care of something else alone. Michonne reluctantly relented, but still followed the boy.

Rick is watching out for his old friend. Morgan woke up and charged at Rick. Morgan is delirious.  He thought Rick was one of the walkers wearing a dead man's face. In the struggle, he stab Rick on the chest. Rick pointed a gun at him. Morgan pleaded Rick to kill him.

Rick recalled their past. Morgan began to remember. He expected Rick to contact him everyday with the radio but Rick did not. Rick said he's sorry that he wasn't able to do. He found Lorie and Carl; and he had to protect them constantly.

Rick tries to knock some sense into Morgan.

Morgan remembered his wife. She turned and he wasn't able to kill her. So, one day, his turned wife killed their son, Duane. He wasn't able to save his son from his walker wife. That drive him to insanity.

Morgan: "Your boy, is he dead?"
Rick: "No."
Morgan: "No? He will be. He is like you, the good people. They always die. And the bad people do too. But the weak people. People like me. We have inherited the Earth."

Carl wants to do something and Michonne wanted to help. They went inside King Country Cafe. There are many walker there. They tried to distract them with rats. But there were too many walkers and had to escape out. Michonne went back in and got the picture frame of Carl's family for Julie and a cat decor for herself.

Michonne hands Carl his family photo.

Rick wants Morgan to come with him to prison. Morgan didn't want to come. He knows Rick needs more gun but he don't want to witness anymore bloodshed. Morgan gave him the guns instead. Rick, once more, persuade him to come with them. Morgan stayed. He said he have to clear.

Carl and Michonne returned carrying a crib. Carl said sorry to Morgan for shooting him. Morgan said, "Don't ever be sorry".

They started to head back to prison, their home.

Michonne said she knows Rick see things.  Dead people. She seems to understand. She said she use to talk to her dead boyfriend. Rick let Michonne drive because he see things. As they drive away, they see lots of bloodied dead corpses, including the backpacker's corpse they saw alive earlier.  They picked up his backpack lying on the street. They continued driving towards home.

My after thoughts from the Episode:

I think Rick needed this trip. He reconnected with his son Carl and also with Michonne. He even got a big bonus. He reconnected with an old friend, Morgan. He realized he is not alone. In the zombie world, the past haunts everyone. Some see ghost of their loved ones. Rick realized this and had to deal with it somehow. Morgan is also haunted by his past. He is struggling to find a way to deal with his dead wife and son by being alone. It's his choice. He doesn't want to be saved.

Rick on the other hand needs to resolve his own demons because others depends on him, especially his son, Carl and baby Julie. It's good that he get to spend time with his son Carl. Carl has dealt with the lost if his mother more strongly than Rick. For God sake,  Carl shot his mother after she died so that she won't turn. What could be any braver than that? 

Carl has become a brave boy in a very scary place. He did many brave things and going inside a bar filled with walkers is one of it. Lucky for him, Michonne was there to help him do it. He wanted that family photo so he can see his mother's face again. And it was for Julie too, so that she can see her mother too.

Morgan wasn't able to do that with her own wife and that lead to the lost of his son. 

Rick has to move on with the lost of Lorie. Like any one else does. Like Hershel who has lost his daughter, Carol who lost Sophia. Michonne also mentioned that she saw his dead boyfriend from time to time. She had peace with it somehow.

Rick got a wake up call in this episode. Its time for him to make peace with the dead and start living for the living. After all things made clear, is Rick ready to face the Governor?

Here is  a sneak peek.

The Walking Dead 3x13 Promo

"Arrow on the Doorpost"

The Walking Dead 3x13 Sneak Peek

"Arrow on the Doorpost"