Episode Title: “Too Far Gone”
Writer: Seth Hoffman
Director: Ernest Dickerson
Previously on “The Walking Dead”:
Well… that was fast.
I was expecting the creative team behind “The Walking Dead” to drag out the prison storyline until the end of the season. Instead, it’s over now. When the show comes back in February, it will almost be like having a brand new season. The status quo as we’ve known it is gone.
There are already complaints online about how “Too Far Gone” was excessively brutal and devoid of hope. But this was always the ending to this story, as laid out in the original “Walking Dead” comic book series. Some of the details are different, yet most of the major beats are there. The only real surprise is that we didn’t get this ending at the close of the third season.
With another week to reflect on the two Governor (David Morrissey) centric episodes, I feel that the attempt to cram in so much of the Governor’s emotional journey into that little time was just unsatisfying. It was like watching a half-season of the show on DVR in just under an hour. And that undercut the idea that the Governor could have been more than the 1.5 dimensional madman that he’s become.
When Rick (Andrew Lincoln) made the offer to allow the Governor and his people to live in the prison, it was clear that was never going to happen. However, it could have led to some very interesting stories. But we already had a version of that happy-ish ending at the close of season 3. And there are no long term happy endings on this show.
There are full spoilers ahead for “Too Far Gone,” so if you missed last night’s episode of “The Walking Dead” then you should probably skip this review or else someone will lose his head.
For the benefit of those who might someday read “The Walking Dead” comic, I won’t spoil too many of the differences between the way events played out on the show and how they were changed from the original. But I will say that Hershel (Scott Wilson) was not the one whom the Governor decapitated in that story.
And yet Hershel was absolutely the right choice to be in that position. Wilson has done such a magnificent job of making the audience care for Hershel that it had to be him. He was the father figure that all of the prison survivors loved. Hershel was the conscience of this show who practiced what he preached. He was even the first one to suggest that the Governor settle things with Rick peacefully. And before the final blow came, Hershel smiled at Rick’s speech because it meant that Rick had fully embraced the notion that they could all come back from the monsterous things that they’ve done to survive.
The tragic element of Rick’s speech is that it could have worked. Some of the Governor’s new followers seemed like they were genuinely considering his offer to become “one of us.” But let’s not kid ourselves. There were other locations the Governor could have chosen to protect his new flock. He picked the prison because it would allow him to get revenge on Rick and Michonne (Danai Gurira).
Even with the Governor’s silver tongued lies, I had trouble buying into the idea that this new group of people (whom the Governor had only recently met) were so willing to follow him into battle. Mitch (Kirk Acevedo) I can understand. He was a psycho. But Alisha (Juliana Harkavy) seemed reasonable. Even Lily (Audrey Marie Anderson) and Tara (Alanna Masterson) started to see through the Governor’s BS, but they still followed him down a self-destructive path.
Because we spent so little time with her, the demise of the Governor’s surrogate daughter, Megan (Meyrick Murphy) had no resonance. The Governor himself barely reacts to seeing Lily carrying Megan’s corpse before putting a bullet in her. It’s Hershel’s demise that gives this episode it’s emotional kick. The first half of the episode seemed to be taking it’s time, but the second half delivered a decisive battle that was everything that last season’s finale should have been.
Another big change from the comics is that Rick and the Governor had a final confrontation in the midst of the attack. That’s a very Hollywood touch that Robert Kirkman subverted in the original story. But rather than give Rick a decisive victory over his nemesis, the TV series depicts Rick on the receiving end of a pummeling from which only Michonne can save him.
Once Michonne runs the Governor through, Lily eventually makes her way over to finish the job. And that ladies and gentlemen, is how David Morrissey is free to star in the new AMC pilot, “Line of Sight.” I’m not sure that dragging the Governor’s story out for another eight episodes did anyone any favors. This is a major turning point in the series, but it would have been more powerful if the show had properly dealt with it last season.
Earlier in the episode, Rick finally got around to telling Daryl (Norman Reedus) that he banished Carol (Melissa McBride) for killing Karen and David. Daryl actually takes it fairly well, all things considered. That speaks highly of the bond between Rick and Daryl. They’re surrogate brothers at this point. Neither of them is particularly close to Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman); and they show some fear towards his reaction once he learns that Rick let Carol go.
Surprisingly, “The Walking Dead” resurrects the subplot of someone feeding rats to the walkers as Tyreese uncovers a vivisected rabbit that is probably tied into that. The audience knows that Tyreese’s theory is off, as Carol wasn’t the one mutilating animals. But it does mean that there’s a budding psycho in the group. Lizzie (Brighton Sharbino) and Mika (Kyla Kenedy) are at the top of my suspect list; which is why it was darkly hilarious that they saved Tyreese’s life and blew Alisha away. If Tyreese ends up taking care of them after the prison then their new dynamic may be even more screwed up.
By the end of the hour, Rick’s group appears to be hopelessly scattered. And to make things even worse, Rick and Carl (Chandler Riggs) find Judith’s empty car seat splattered with blood. It’s really disturbing to think of a baby being devoured by walkers, so I’m hoping that one of the other survivors made it out with her. Judith’s fate in the comic was pretty dark as well, but that might be too far. Also, I blame Lizzie and Mika for putting Judith down in the midst of an emergency. Worst. Babysitters. Ever.
Over at The Hollywood Reporter, “The Walking Dead” showrunner Scott Gimple is saying that the characters “are moving into very uncharted emotional waters.” But it’s actually very well charted territory since the show has now reconnected with the original conclusion to the prison storyline. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be any more surprises, but this is pretty close to how it played out the first time.
And let’s just say that there are more interesting times ahead.
