The Walking Dead Recap 3.10: “Home”

by Fashion and Entertainment Editor Joseph Lamour

Image from AMC.com.

This week’s episode gave us a few shocking moments (one in particular for me involving a hatchback door… shiver), and a few interesting things to discuss come the roundtable. One of those things was Glenn and Maggie’s talk this episode, as well as Herschel and Glenn’s conversation afterward. Then there’s the last ten minutes of the episode…

The breakdown: Each week, a Walking Dead roundtabler or I will provide a recap the day after the newest episode airs. The next Friday morning a roundtable discussion of the episode is posted hosted by me, Joe, and a variety of guest commenters.

Spoilers for The Walking Dead 3.10: “Home” are below the cut!

Ghost Lori makes her second appearance. Rick follows her to right outside the fence, which Michonne sees. He clearly isn’t thinking about his safety during these “haunting” episodes, is he?

Back in Woodbury, The Governor, stirred by Andrea’s speech last week, asks her to take the lead while he “takes some time to get himself together” after the death of his daughter, who was already pretty dead, which Andrea doesn’t point out, unfortunately. He obviously is not planning on taking a bubble bath, drinking chamomile tea, or reading a book in this time off. By the look on Andrea’s face, she doesn’t think so either.

In two following scenes, Merle and Daryl, and separately, the survivors at the prison, discuss what may happen next. Will Woodbury retaliate against the prison? The writers let Michonne speak a full sentence (gasp): “He had fish tanks full of heads. Walkers and humans. Trophies… he’s comin’.”

The jailbirds conclude that The Governor will definitely try to add them all to his trophy case. Glenn interjects, stating he wants to eliminate The Governor before an inevitable attack (this idea comes too late, we see later in the hour.) Herschel tries to dissuade Glenn from thinking about an attack, but Glenn’s brain is still calibrated to “frenzy”- there’s no convincing him otherwise.

“You’ve been invaluable.” The Governor starts, back in Woodbury, which made me think he was going to shoot Milton. Instead, he recruits him to keep an eye on Andrea, as he doesn’t trust her. Ah, the inevitable denouement of this star crossed love affair. Later, Andrea, searching for The Governor, asks Milton where he is. Milton shows that he’s a pretty awful liar by repeating that The Governor is “On a run.”  Andrea realizes is at once completely unhelpful and obviously a lie.

Back in the prison, Glenn and Maggie explore the wedge between them that started after her assault. An intense conversation follows. “Did he…” Glenn begins to ask, but doesn’t finish.  “Rape me?” Maggie says. I guess these two never discussed what actually happened. “No. Do you feel better?”  Maggie is clearly over the way Glenn is acting towards her. I am too. She goes on to detail what she went through with The Governor so that Glenn wouldn’t get mutilated in captivity, and then Maggie throws him out of her cell/room. I grimly anticipate this couple’s breakup.

Image from AMC.com.

After a cute (slightly flirty) scene between Carol and Axel, Merle and Daryl bicker as they move through the woods, but stop when they hear screaming in the distance. Merle thinks its two raccoons going at it (SMH), but it’s really a Latin family is surrounded by zombies on a bridge. Daryl rushes to help, and Merle reluctantly assists. The family doesn’t speak English, so maneuvering is a little tricky, but, everyone (including a baby) manages to survive the ordeal. Good Samaritans still exist in this world. That is, until Merle begins to loot their car while saying all sorts of bigoted things in their direction. Daryl once again proves he’s fantastic: he defends the family further by threatening to kill his own brother with his crossbow. Merle is clearly taken aback by Daryl’s new and improved cajones. After the family drives away, the brothers argue some more- and not just about the family, or looting. This time fight ends with Daryl deciding to go abandon Merle by back to the prison. Daryl makes it clear that he knows what this all means and he walks awaym leaving Merle a little dumbfounded. I guess Daryl stood up to Merle earlier than I thought he would. Good on him.

Herschel stops Glenn (as he prepares to… what? Fight The Governor alone? Oh, Glenn…) to have a little talk about rage. At least someone is trying to reason with him. Everyone else seems to be avoiding him. This whole scene makes me a little uncomfortable… to me, they’re discussing Maggie’s assault, without her there, a bit like it’s 1950. Was that just me? Especially since Maggie is simultaneously sharing a domestic moment inside with Beth as they feed bay Judith.

Herschel finally asks Rick WTF is going on with him. Herschel looks rather worried (as well as pretty much anyone at home who watched this scene, I wager) as Rick gives uncharacteristically short, distracted, and distant answers. As we move to another part of the prison yard, Carol and Axel continue their conversation… I thought they may take happy couple role on… after all, they were starting to flirt some, but, then… Axel gets shot in the face. Fantastic. The Governor is attacking. After some gunfire exchange with Woodbury henchmen, The Governor sends a truck into the prison yard. After some “What might this be?” suspense, we see it’s filled with walkers. Then, the Woodbury attackers leave Michonne, Rick, and company to fend for themselves. It becomes clear that the attack was just an opening act. Hoo boy.

Image from AMC.com.

I’m really loving the pacing of the plot this week. How did everyone else like the episode? Were you as incensed at the cliched racism Merle was spouting at that family as I was? What do you think of The Governor’s special “Hello” at the end of the episode, and what do you think of Axel’s surprise exit? Do you think the way it happened was pointless, or poignant?