Walking Dead Season 3 Recap

BY BRANDON SLOANE

WARNING: May Contain spoilers

On Halloween night of 2010, AMC aired the pilot episode of the post-apocalyptic drama series The Walking Dead.  Since that fateful night, the show has captured hearts of millions of viewers and has become the most watched drama in basic cable history. With a stellar first two seasons, there were lofty expectations accompanying the release of the third. Fortunately, Robert Kirkman and the rest of The Walking Dead crew were able to exceed anything fans could have hoped for and produced the best season of The Walking Dead yet.

The main story arc of the season centers around our lovable gang of zombie slayers led by Sheriff Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his battle against Phillip Blake, or as he is known by his comrades, The Governor (David Morrissey). The Governor, who takes on the role as the antagonist, is the leader of a civilized and “walker”-free community called Woodbury, located in Georgia. We first come across The Governor and Woodbury when Andrea (Laurie Holden) and her new friend Michonne (Danai Gurira) are taken in to the community after Andrea falls ill. She is amazed that in a world full of chaos and bedlam that there is still a safe haven where traces of how the world used to be exists. Although his intentions seem wholesome to the naked eye, the season progresses, and we come to find that Woodbury and The Governor are laden with evil secrets.

There are a few very significant changes that help elevate season three to new heights. For starters, the implementation of more action-packed fight scenes helped to liven up the episodes. Whereas in the past, a lot of each episode would be centered on the characters conversing with each other and not particularly doing much, the new season is chock-full of adrenaline-filled battles between Rick’s prison gang and The Governor’s henchmen. The constant threat of war from The Governor keeps both the characters and the viewers on their toes throughout each episode.

Additionally, characters that had played minor roles in the past, experienced growth and became dynamic and important parts of the show. One example of this is how season three places a much larger role in the hands of Andrea. In the past she had been viewed by the others as somewhat of a nuisance who only complained and didn’t know her place in the group. In the new season, she serves as the gateway between Woodbury and Rick’s community and works to mediate their differences to avoid bloodshed. Serving also as The Governor’s love interest, she feels conflicted about whose side to take in the conflict. Having to balance her old and new lives successfully proves to be quite the challenge for her throughout the season.

Another character that really comes into his own is Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs), Rick’s faithful son. Having experienced a life filled with walkers for well over a year now, Carl becomes hardened by the dark world and no longer acts childish and scared. He has many moments in the season where he demonstrates both his bravery, and his ruthlessness. The most significant moment in Carl’s metamorphosis is when during a walker outbreak in the prison, Lorie goes into labor and has her child. Without the accommodation of modern medicine, Lorie needs to have a C-section and promptly dies upon the surgery. In order to prevent Lorie from turning into a zombie, Carl has to shoot her in the head. The traumatizing experience of shooting his own mother shatters Carl’s innocence. After this moment, we see Carl as a more pugnacious and violent character that seemingly relishes in his bloodshed involvement.

But by far the most intriguing aspect of the new season is the evolution of Rick and how he tries to keep the community together and alive. He was famously quoted at the end of season two as saying “This isn’t a democracy anymore.” This is the attitude he takes into season three, as he becomes a much more hard-nosed and brutal leader. And after experiencing several life-shattering events (sorry guys, no spoilers here!), he has to rediscover his sanity to save everyone from The Governor. It is a testament to Lincoln’s acting ability that he is able to cover the spectrum of emotions as Rick Grimes throughout the season.

Outstanding dialogue, a top-notch supporting cast, and a delectably evil new enemy are components of the brilliant concoction that is season three of The Walking Dead. Fans have already begun to count down the days until season four premiers this coming fall. Hopefully, the show is able to continue its streak of excellence and entertain viewers worldwide.