Bait and Switch… Review: The Walking Dead - “Arrow on the Doorpost”

Season 3, Episode 13

Air Date: Sunday, March 10, 2013, at 9/8c on AMC

Rating: ★★★★★

“What am I gonna do now? I can’t go back there.” – Andrea

I’m curious to know how much time has passed from last week’s phenomenal episode, “Clear,” to this week’s mediocre “Arrow on the Doorpost.” I noticed a few things that couldn’t have transpired in the course of a day, but then I realized we don’t always get a glimpse of every single thing that happens in The Walking Dead universe either. My main issue lies with how this so-called ‘peace meeting’ came about. You know there’s no way for peace to reside when one man wants resolution while another wants vengeance. But we’ll go along with this little two-step for now.

Observations and thoughts:

Oh, snap! I just realized Hershel (Scott Greene) should get himself a peg leg. I mean, why should Merle (Michael Rooker) be the only person with an enhanced appendage? Watching Hershel strap a six-shooter to his leg made me see the man in a new light. He shows us how he can hold his own and I think having a prosthetic would give the doctor a foot up (har, har). At least Hershel wouldn’t be deemed helpless. And speaking of Merle, I want to feel for him as he plays the big-brother-fearing-for-his-little-brother, yet I can’t get over his past betrayal. Merle still has a ways to go before he can be trusted again.

He’s such a sneaky little devil, isn’t he?

So we all know the Governor (David Morrissey) is not an honorable human being, right? There’s never a reason to doubt that. He is charming and knows just how to play people. His phony move to show good faith is met with reticence—you know he’s got something up his sleeve. Like the gun strapped to the table he thinks Rick (Andrew Lincoln) doesn’t know about. But there are moments when the Governor shows his human side. It’s almost as if the writers know when to pull us back from hating the man too much. Morrissey delivers his story, by pulling at your compassion, yet you know he can flip a switch and cut you down without remorse. What a dynamic to the character. The only thing I don’t think the Governor realizes (or maybe he does because he’s just that evil) is he shows his cards while trying to get the upper hand. I understand he may want to put some fear into Rick, but he doesn’t know Rick like we do. He has no idea what Rick has been through and how his life has been changed to the point he doesn’t think the way he used to. The Gov might want to watch himself.

I have mixed emotions about Andrea (Laurie Holden). She seems to have her head on straight with wanting to solve pending issues, yet she reveals things to the Gov (“Andrea told me about your baby; that it might be your partner’s”) that have nothing to do with her. Why the hell did she go and tell him that? I wanted to smack a bitch once the Gov revealed that. Her decision to reveal Rick’s business makes me think Andrea is wavering in her resolve. She wants to be with her original people, yet Woodbury is now her home. How does she choose where to be when she doesn’t feel at home at the prison or like she’d even be welcome? They haven’t exactly laid out the red carpet for her, not that I can blame them. Can she even be trusted?

I don’t think Martinez is as bad as we think.

I enjoy the tense moments between Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Martinez (Jose Pablo Cantillo) as the two men try to get along. They don’t want to hate one another but they also don’t know how to just be. In a different time, they probably could’ve been friends. It’s interesting to see how easily the two groups could come together and survive as one. There doesn’t need to be this unrelenting game of tug-of-war.

Knowing who is at the center of the conflict between the prison and Woodbury makes my stomach turn. Hershel’s words about the Governor ring true more than I realized they would. “He’s a sick man,” Hershel tells Andrea, and now I know it to be more than true. How does Rick face the situation knowing how things have changed between him and Michonne (Danai Gurira)? He no longer looks at her as an enemy but as an ally: “She’s earned her place.”

The juxtaposition of the prison survivors and Woodbury inhabitants is clearly expressed when the respective groups return home. It puts things into perspective for the viewers. The two leaders are different men but they are also the same. They hand out orders expecting them to be done with no questions. Their people look to them for guidance with loyalty and patience. It would be nice if the two groups could combine and form a zombie-killing crew. Maybe this can happen when the show decides to go back to its main focus: the zombies.

Rick has a big decision ahead of him.

Hershel and Milton (Dallas Roberts) are the two confidantes in the bunch. I didn’t realize Hershel’s part in Rick’s life until now. He’s no longer just the doctor but an advisor. Then there’s Daryl and Martinez as the “henchmen,” or seconds in command, if you like. Everyone has jobs to do and they are clearly defined. I didn’t realize “Arrow on the Doorpost” would show both sides of the coin with respect to the counterparts. Can you call anyone purely evil or good in this day and age? People do what they have to in a time of crisis. Would you think Martinez was a bastard if he did the same things for Rick as he does for the Governor? Probably not, right?

Memorable/Funny lines:

Andrea: “Too many people have died for no reason. Let’s end this; save the bullets for the real threat.”

Daryl: “Who the hell are you?”

Milton: “Milton Mamet.”

Daryl: “Great, he brought his butler.”

Rick: “I thought you’d take responsibility.”

The Governor: “And I thought you were a cop, not a lawyer.”

Rick: “Either way I don’t pretend to be a governor.”

Hershel: “We’re family. You belong with us. But if you join us, it’s settled.”

Andrea: “I know.”

The Governor: “They still think I’m the man that can keep them safe; they still think I know what I’m doing.”

Rick to Hershel: “They need… to be scared.”

I almost got sucked in by the Governor’s sad tale of his dead wife. Almost. I know better and I’m happy to say Rick does, too. So there’s no peace to be had and it was to be expected. But what I didn’t expect was the Gov to be such a hard ass about having Michonne back in his clutches. I don’t think Rick will turn her over, but who knows. He seems to be back from la-la land so I can only guess he’ll do the right thing. Conflict is reaching a fever pitch and the shit is about to hit the fan. I hope you all have your umbrellas ready.

Tune in to The Walking Dead, Sundays at 9/8c only on AMC. For more on the show, visit the official site.

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Writer, mother, realist, cloud lover, daydreamer, dessert enthusiast, sweet tea addict, perfectionist, and lover of life and Christ, but not in that order. http://www.fanfiction.net/~vikingloverelle