The Walking Dead S03E12 Review: A Trip Down Memory Lane

The Walking Dead, Season 3, Episode 12: Clear

I feel that the huge twist of Morgan's appearance in this episode is absolutely spoiled by the abruptly random 'previously on AMC's the Walking Dead' goes all-out to show the meeting between Rick and Morgan in the show's premiere. Morgan hasn't even been mentioned at all since around halfway through season one, and really, there's no subtler way to ruin his surprise comeback than that. 

This episode is very different, mostly due to the episode, similar to episode three this season (focusing solely on the Governor, Merle, Andrea and Michonne), this episode focuses on a small group of characters -- Rick, Carl and Michonne, as well as guest star Morgan -- and never deviates from them. This focus is very much welcomed, not because I hate the other characters (well, other than Andrea) but because it allows the show to tell such a more effective story. 

This episode is also very well done due to the sheer amount of character work given to three of arguably the most problematic characters in the prison cast. Rick and Michonne I've bitched about for the last four or five episodes, and it's very welcome to see Rick finally come to his senses and have shades of the older, more confident pre-Lori leader, while Michonne finally gets some scenes that show that she's more than just an antisocial zombie killing machine. Carl also gets to grow out beyond the creepy broken shell of a boy who says wise things, as this time around he gets to show that, yes, above all things, he's still a young child. And if Rick's far more interested in wandering around chasing ghosts than caring for his daughter, Carl's going to have to do it. And yes, technically running into a tavern filled with zombies for something as impractical as a photograph is utterly stupid, but there's a nice bit of comparison between Morgan, who's so broken by loss that he has became a hermit of a maniac, hoarding guns and designing elaborate death traps, to Carl, who likewise has lost his family but still has enough hope and sense to get his shit together yet not forget the memories of those they lost. That's what makes him human.

The trio of Rick, Carl and Michonne make their way to Rick's old town, which is surprising considering the setting has been left behind all the way since the debut of the series. They needed more guns as the ones they had were all spent during the gun fights against the Governor. Michonne tags along with them, and Carl makes it clear what the audience -- or at least me -- is thinking. Michonne is unpredictable and mysterious (read: undeveloped) and untrustworthy. Rick's excuse that Michonne and Merle in the same location together is a recipe for disaster is dumb as shit, too. So yeah, the 'main' story of getting guns isn't that important, and it's just a goal that happens to be done. No, the main course of this particular episode is the emotional bit.

Morgan is a character we briefly meet at the very first episode of the series, and since then he hasn't fared well. Rick promised to call him on a walkie-talkie every day, but he hasn't done it, not even once -- I can't remember if he actually tried and he couldn't get a signal or something along those lines, or he's just too absorbed with staying alive that he forgot... but he forgot. Morgan's son's death also is a huge factor in him dying, because his son was killed by the walker that once had been his wife, and he blames himself for being too much of a coward to shoot the wife-zombie back when he had the chance. There is a brilliant bit of nihilism to Morgan even when he's calmed down, noting that all the good and bad people die, and that includes Rick. Only the weak will inherit the Earth. 

It tells a brilliant story that shows that all these side characters have their own story, and in between the first episode and this one Morgan has been through a lot. Maybe that hitchhiker they left behind had a story of his own, and the mysterious Erin -- of whom we only saw a spraypaint on the street in a way similar to how Rick's group tried to leave messages to Sofia, as well as her eventual fate when Michonne briefly notes how one of the zombies in the streets has a bangle with the name Erin on it. Morgan has been through shit, he's dealing with grief, and he's gone crazy. It's a bit of a wake-up call for Rick, who's forced to confront that, yeah, he, too, is going crazy from grief, and at the end of the episode he's willing to confide a little to Michonne -- who hilariously shrugs it off with a 'I used to talk to my dead boyfriend.'

Michonne gets some actual characterization as she tries to impress Rick and Carl with her being trustworthy, while Carl tries to do something personal on his own, which is getting a photograph of his mother to later show to Little Ass-Kicker when she's older. Michonne here isn't just a scowling, silent mystery samurai, but her snarking around with Rick and her protectiveness of Carl is well-displayed, making her a lot more likable. Not as well-defined as she could've been, but definitely an improvement that doesn't betray her earlier portrayals.

In addition to his motivations to get the picture for Judith, Carl really shows how much he's grown, isn't he? In addition to the very inventive usage of skateboards and mice to distract the zombies, the lack of hesitation as he gunned down Morgan (Carl didn't know Morgan was wearing that bulletproof vest) before Michonne or Rick could get to him is portrayed well. 

Also, can I just say how well-done the spray-paints are in telling a story? Walking Dead isn't the most subtle show, with lots of groan-worthy introdump dialogue being spoken out of the mouths of its characters, but the psychotic chalk writings that Morgan leaves all around his room and in town speaks volumes. It shows his descent into madness, it shows his desperation because everyone turned, and it shows the breaking point -- his son's turning into a zombie. The room looks delightfully like the mind a paranoid madman, with lists of weapons and a map showing how he has 'cleared' some areas, and the warning all around town warns people off from coming near him.

Morgan is dealing with loss, and has gone crazy, which is exactly my complaint with Rick for the past seven or eight episodes. Like Rick, Morgan is also pushing people away, albeit imaginary people, and has gone absolutely extreme in his rejection, building elaborate death traps like the spike wall things to trap walkers, the bomb under the carpet, and the absolutely hilarious axe tripwire trap behind a curtain. ('Not shitting you!' on the curtain, with the revelation later that the axe had 'Told you' spraypainted on it) There's also Morgan shooting at Rick and company with a rifle, and later attacking Rick with a knife and calling him someone who wears the faces of the dead. Morgan has gone mad from the isolation, and is an extreme picture of what Rick could've became.

I also liked how the show had a sense of humour. From the running joke of the trio absolutely ignoring the random hitch-hiker and the brick joke that the hitch-hiker died at the end of the episode... to the dark comedy of them reversing the car to loot his backpack (hey, pragmatism!), or Michonne showing that she stole a rainbow-coloured cat toy from the tavern because she likes it, to Michonne eating Morgan's food ("the mat said welcome!"), the episode helps to give some lightheartedness that is definitely to the story's benefit. 

No, it's not the most eventful episode of the Walking Dead, but the break from the Woodbury-Prison war to explore a more insightful look at how people have changed while trying to survive not just the zombie apocalypse but grief, is very much welcome, and the character development for Rick and Michonne? Definitely welcome.