Notes from this week's episode of the Walking Dead after the jump! Spoilers.
Another week setting up for what looks to be an epic mid-season finale next week. Michonne arrives at the prison and is difficult for some reason (TV drama - people don't share information when they should!), and then leads the heavy hitters from Team Rick on a rescue mission to Woodbury, leaving the prison short-staffed in terms of defenders. After evading a small-ish herd of walkers, the hit squad makes it to just outside the walls of Woodbury.
Meanwhile, Glenn and Maggie are interrogated/tortured - this, especially the scene with Maggie and the Governor - was tough to watch. Eventually, under threat of Glenn's death, Maggie cracks and spills the beans on their group - location, strength of numbers.
Finally, Andrea's relationship with the Governor continued on (and became all the more creepy after the scenes with Maggie). She assisted with an experiment by Woodbuy's resident Science Guy, which didn't go exactly according to plan. Science Guy would be better off working on Mythbuster-esque zombie killing contraptions, but that wouldn't be nearly as crazy.
The previews from next week show Team Rick launching their attack, Andrea joining in the defense of Woodbury (I foresee a showdown with Michonne), the Governor ordering the execution of Glenn and Maggie, Rick and Daryl debating about Merle, and a look at things going south with Carl at the prison. It will be big, and I would guess that we'll see a death or two on Team Rick...hopefully none of the favorites!
Anyone notice the glaring bad sound effect of the week? Pump action shotgun sound for the sleeping cabin dude's double barrel scatter gun!
Survival learnings for this week:
- Avoid putting couples into the same combat units, if possible. No one can be blamed for treating their significant other differently than another, or cracking under threat of their death or dismemberment.
- When people are taken prisoner, it's almost inevitable that they will break. Have strategies in place to mitigate the damage that compromised individuals can cause.
- When operating as a small force against a superior enemy (Rick vs. Woodbury, insurgents vs. invaders, group of families vs. armed gang), the ability to relocated quickly is important. If the superior force can pin point your location and launch an attack, you're going to have a difficult time surviving. It's unlikely that Team Rick will vacate the prison any time soon, which means a looming battle with Woodbury.