The Walking Dead - S3E15 - This Sorrowful Life

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Previously, on The Walking Dead: “Prey” 

This is going to be a brief recap because this episode was slow as old people fornicating.

Rick and Hershel fill Daryl in on the plan to turn over Michonne: They’ll tell her they need to talk to her away from the group. Daryl doesn’t like it, but he’ll go along with it. He’ll even talk to Merle since they need one more person in on it.  Rick says he’ll talk to Merle himself. Rick finds Merle in the prison, ripping into mattresses looking for dope. Merle is down with the plan, but not before pointing out that by going through with it, Rick is an asshole.

Agreed.

Maggie and Carl have started a band! I’m kidding. They’re banging on pots and pans to divert the zombies’ attention at the gate so Michonne and Daryl can set booby traps if the Governor comes calling. Merle watches from the window and says, “Ain’t no way.” Carol wants to know what he’s talking about, but he says nothing. We know he’s guessing that Rick will not go through with giving up Michonne. Carol wants to know if Merle is with the group. He replies that he’s there for Daryl. He points out that Carol is a late bloomer, becoming a badass after her husband died. She wonders if Merle might be a late bloomer, too - obviously to something else since Merle is already kind of a badass. Foreshadow much?

Daryl asks Glenn if Merle has apologized because deep down, Merle is sorry. Glenn says that he could maybe forgive Merle for what he did to him, but not for what happened to Maggie. Daryl finds Merle in the generator room. He says he was down there looking for some crystal meth. Merle gets Daryl to admit that Rick will not go through with turning over Michonne. When Daryl says he’ll go along with whatever Rick decides, Merle accuses Daryl of being a sheep, the type of person he would have looked down on pre-ZA. Daryl says you can’t be that way anymore. During the zombie apocalypse, people need people.

People also eat people, amirite?

Hershel prays with his daughters, Maggie and the other one. Rick has a change of heart after seeing pregnant ghost Lori. He tells Hershel he’s not going through with it. Meanwhile, Merle has lured Michonne into another part of the prison under the guise of needing her help to seal up a breach. When they’re attacked by walkers, he knocks her out and ties her up. He’s taking her to the governor all on his own.

What follows are several scenes of them traveling to the meeting site and Michonne trying to get Merle to change his mind. The best part of this whole sequence is Merle setting off a car’s alarm as he tries to hot wire the car. Michonne is tied to a post outside of a motel while this is going on. Of course, the noise attracts zombies. She’s able to take out two while Merle is obliviously trying to get the car started. I would like to point out that these are the slowest zombies we’ve ever encountered. Merle finally gets the car started, takes out a few zombies, and helps Michonne into the car.

Back at the prison: Rick and Daryl realize what Merle has done and Daryl says he’ll go after them because Rick “can’t track for shit.” Glenn asks Hershel’s permission to marry Maggie. Hershel says yes and Glenn promptly cuts off the wedding finger of a zombie in the yard.

Oh, Glenn. Why didn’t you just go to Jared’s?

He later proposes. Kinda. He puts the ring in her hand and she says yes even though he didn’t ask her anything.

Merle lets Michonne go and she immediately takes off. He finds a bar and sits in his car drinking whiskey and blaring music. He attracts zombies and he leads them, a few feet at a time, to the meeting site.

Michonne comes across Daryl and she tells him that Merle let her go. He goes off after his brother.

While the governor’s men are distracted by the zombies Merle has led there, Merle positions himself in a nearby building and starts taking a few of them out. Merle has a clear shot at the governor until Ben - the kid who arrived with Tyreese’s group - steps in front of him and takes a hit to the shoulder. They finally get on to Merle and drag him out of the building, beating and kicking him. The governor wants Merle all to himself. They fight and the governor ends up biting off two of Merle’s fingers. He has Merle beaten, but Merle says he won’t beg for his life. The governor knows this so he shoots Merle.

Rick tells the group what he was going to do, but that he changed his mind. He apologizes for not telling them and declares the Ricktatorship over. He’ll let them vote on whether or not they stay and fight or go. A bit later, he sees Michonne returning and smiles to himself.

Daryl arrives at the meeting site. He takes out a few zombies and then finds Merle, full-on zombie, and eating guts. (And it turns out he’s eating the guts of the boy he shot in the shoulder… why HE’S not a zombie, I don’t know.) Daryl breaks down in tears and I just want to take him in my arms and make it all better! Merle stumbles towards him and Daryl pushes him away twice before stabbing him and knocking him to the ground. He proceeds to stab his zombie brother in the face 7 times.