Walking Dead S4E7
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
The results are in, and it appears the Governor has been re-elected to a second term.
Scott Gimple, how could you? You inherited the most popular drama in cable TV history. A popular drama that, mind you, has faced criticism and accusations of, well, ... just being boring. You turned the franchise around in the first five episodes, by introducing new characters and developing existing characters into real people, not cartoon characters. This fantastic fourth season was firing on all cylinders. So what did you do? You brought back Cotton-Eyed Joe, made him almost human, then turned him back into a cartoon character. Within a two hour span. Two hours that I could have spent watching a rerun of Roadhouse.
The Governor, played by the talented character actor David Morrissey, is a holdover from the source material (the comics). With his aquarium heads, zombie daughter-pet, and unchecked psychopathy, this one-dimensional character is probably perfectly suited for comic books, but not serial TV dramas. Last week, we were teased with the possible rehabilitation of the mass murderer. We did not forgive him for last season's crimes against humanity, but we invested in him as his past brought about reflection, redemption, and personal growth. And two hours later, we're given the same one-dimensional buffoon that single-handedly almost derailed Season Three. In a rigged election, the Governor was elected to a second term, and the Rick-Governor Showdown sequel is coming to a television set near us. Oh joy!
What was the point of investing in the catatonic shell of a man we saw last week? A man that, even though he had done unspeakable things (we know they were unspeakable things because he didn't speak for the first half-hour last week), all he needed was some Spaghetti-Os and some good back-of-the-truck loving to extinguish his inner sociopath. The man found a good woman, adopted a daughter, and accepted responsibility for a family. So he could drink a few hot beers, endure a few "eye" jokes, and snap back to the nutjob that folks grew tired of last season. Why not just re-introduce him back to the show as he watched the Prison-ers and skip the Redemption Tour? Why did we need to know that he felt bad about his mass murder, changed into a relatively good person, then resorted back to his old murderous ways when the idea of leadership was re-introduced and/or when Martinez would not let him hit a few golf balls with a 6-iron?
Lots of stuff happened in this episode, but it does not deserve discussing because ... the show did a 360 and ended up right back where we were at the beginning of the season. With a few new additions to the cast.
Next week is the mid-season finale, so we will likely be treated to the use of Chekhov's gun, in the form of a tank, being used to uproot the Prison-ers from their happy, grimy, chain-linked home. Which will likely prove to be good for the show in the long term. The prison is beginning to look much like The Farm 2.0.
When I started watching this show, I assumed it was a character-driven drama, with zombies in the background. Based on a comic book series. Not a cartoon. But after spending the last two hours with The Man With 20/0 Vision, I feel like I'm watching Wile E. Coyote. For the sake of the show, all I ask is that the Governor be killed off. And never spoken of again.
Random Thoughts:
- After the Gov killed Martinez, Pete stepped up to assume the leadership role and the group rejected him. Then they readily accepted One Eye Bri's leadership after two leaders end up dead mysteriously. Makes perfect sense to me.
- Lilly is a dead ringer (foreshadowing, anyone?) for Lauren Cohen. Did somebody in Casting eat too big a lunch and fall asleep during afternoon auditions? Not that the actress does a bad job or anything (her portrayal of Lilly works for me), but she looks EXACTLY like Team Farmer's Daughter.
- How did the new folks (Cyclops, his girlfriend, and her daughter) score a camper that quickly? Surely there was a waiting list. I would expect to get some rusty corrugated-tin shelter if I was new to the camp.
- The camp just didn't seem very secure. Was there a fence and I missed it? Other than digging a hole, it did not seem to have any fortifications.
- Didn't get the whole "zombies in the mud" thing.
- Kirk Acevedo has a guest starring role!
What did you think?
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