The last few weeks, I have been complaining about the logistics of The Walking Dead and the turn the show has taken to a much slower pace that really is driving no where. My biggest argument was that it felt like the show was trying to just fill episode quotas based on a story that was too short to fit a 16 episode order. Andrea's reunion was a pointless time waster, Rick seeing his dead wife took up far more time than it needed to, and Merle and Darryl leaving the group for one episode was not necessary at all.
And the biggest problem with these side stories and slow paced episodes: character development was nonexistent. We know Rick is crazy. We know Andrea is torn between the two groups. We know Merle is bad news. We know Glen is a cry baby. These episodes gave us plenty of time to explore these characters and find out more about each of them, but instead we continued on the same trends with the same characters. That is why I started comparing the second half of season three to season two. The show had become stagnant.
That is, until last night. Last night's episode, titled "Clear" for the work being done by one of our favorite characters that we haven't seen since episode one, was an exceptional episode and a look at what this show could be if executed properly week in and week out. Let's face it: the zombie portion of this show is a back seat factor; no longer the main threat, but the constant danger in the world these characters live in. While Rick's group and the Woodbury family have found ways to protect themselves from the walkers, the clash comes from the two groups fearing the other. Meanwhile, there is Morgan, a man we haven't seen since episode one. A man who took Rick in and saved him from the geeks wandering the streets. A man who had to shoot his zombie wife, had his son taken away from him, and has spent his days clearing areas in his neighborhood and fortifying himself in a building in his small downtown.
Finally, for once, we get to see how someone else is living in this situation. Someone who will only resort to killing other people if they threaten him, but won't take anyone in and bring anyone close to him. Someone who is only working on protecting himself from the evil wandering the earth. Someone who is not interested in fights with other people and only wishes to live quietly in his new home that he has booby-trapped for his protection. Morgan is the character I have been waiting so long to meet; a man who is terrified of the situation he is in, but doesn't group up with a bunch of strangers and try to make a new life. He protects himself, and that's it.
Morgan has been through a lot since we last saw him. Duane, his son, was bitten by his zombie mother and turned into a walker. Morgan finally was able to gun down his wife, but his hesitation cost his son his life. He has spent the time since Duane turned going through the surrounding neighborhoods from where he lives, killing the walker inhabitants and burning the buildings down so zombies can't conceal themselves. The man is smart and resourceful. He has collected a large number of guns and knives and has been able to survive by simply using traps and barricades and burning the strung up walkers. And while he seems insane on the outside, he is very observant and understanding of the situation. As Rick demands that Morgan join up with his group in a prison that they have taken over, Morgan asks "Did your wife die there?" He goes on to mention that he saw the amount of guns that Rick is taking; that there must be a reason he needs that large amount of weapons. And suddenly, it is Rick who is getting the talking to, not Morgan. Is the prison really that safe? Is the life Rick's group has chosen the right one? Morgan has made a quiet home for himself that is almost never under the threat of other humans killing him or walkers finding their way in. Meanwhile, the prison is the biggest target anyone could live in.
To read the rest (IMDb form too short) visit: http://custodianfilmcritic.com/the-walking-dead-3-12-clear/
And the biggest problem with these side stories and slow paced episodes: character development was nonexistent. We know Rick is crazy. We know Andrea is torn between the two groups. We know Merle is bad news. We know Glen is a cry baby. These episodes gave us plenty of time to explore these characters and find out more about each of them, but instead we continued on the same trends with the same characters. That is why I started comparing the second half of season three to season two. The show had become stagnant.
That is, until last night. Last night's episode, titled "Clear" for the work being done by one of our favorite characters that we haven't seen since episode one, was an exceptional episode and a look at what this show could be if executed properly week in and week out. Let's face it: the zombie portion of this show is a back seat factor; no longer the main threat, but the constant danger in the world these characters live in. While Rick's group and the Woodbury family have found ways to protect themselves from the walkers, the clash comes from the two groups fearing the other. Meanwhile, there is Morgan, a man we haven't seen since episode one. A man who took Rick in and saved him from the geeks wandering the streets. A man who had to shoot his zombie wife, had his son taken away from him, and has spent his days clearing areas in his neighborhood and fortifying himself in a building in his small downtown.
Finally, for once, we get to see how someone else is living in this situation. Someone who will only resort to killing other people if they threaten him, but won't take anyone in and bring anyone close to him. Someone who is only working on protecting himself from the evil wandering the earth. Someone who is not interested in fights with other people and only wishes to live quietly in his new home that he has booby-trapped for his protection. Morgan is the character I have been waiting so long to meet; a man who is terrified of the situation he is in, but doesn't group up with a bunch of strangers and try to make a new life. He protects himself, and that's it.
Morgan has been through a lot since we last saw him. Duane, his son, was bitten by his zombie mother and turned into a walker. Morgan finally was able to gun down his wife, but his hesitation cost his son his life. He has spent the time since Duane turned going through the surrounding neighborhoods from where he lives, killing the walker inhabitants and burning the buildings down so zombies can't conceal themselves. The man is smart and resourceful. He has collected a large number of guns and knives and has been able to survive by simply using traps and barricades and burning the strung up walkers. And while he seems insane on the outside, he is very observant and understanding of the situation. As Rick demands that Morgan join up with his group in a prison that they have taken over, Morgan asks "Did your wife die there?" He goes on to mention that he saw the amount of guns that Rick is taking; that there must be a reason he needs that large amount of weapons. And suddenly, it is Rick who is getting the talking to, not Morgan. Is the prison really that safe? Is the life Rick's group has chosen the right one? Morgan has made a quiet home for himself that is almost never under the threat of other humans killing him or walkers finding their way in. Meanwhile, the prison is the biggest target anyone could live in.
To read the rest (IMDb form too short) visit: http://custodianfilmcritic.com/the-walking-dead-3-12-clear/