"Say the Word" and No One Follows in "The Walking Dead:" A Television Review

*there are some minor spoilers in this review.

Creators: Frank Darabont, and Glen Mazzara.

Director: Gregory Nicotero.

Writers: Frank Darabont, Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard and Angela Kang.

Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Laurie Holden, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Chandler Riggs, Danai Gurira, Michael Rooker, David Morrissey, Melissa McBride, Emily Kinney, and Scott Wilson.

"Say the Word" was another interesting episode for "The Walking Dead." Epis. 5 introduced a diverse set of storylines. Andrea (Laurie Holden) is still drinking the Kool-aid back at Woodbury, Daryl (Norman Reedus) admirably goes in search of formula for Lori's (Sarah Wayne Callies) baby and Rick (Andrew Lincoln) is regressing into some sort of animal back at the prison. All of these plotlines are competing and contrasting in this episode's short fourty-three minutes. As well, Michonne (Danai Gurira) continues to stagnate on the character front. "Say the Word" was another solid outing for "The Walking Dead" and this season continues to create compelling tension between characters.

Daryl and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) head out to a local nursery for supplies. Lil' Ass-Kicker needs his grub and Daryl feels indebted to take on a leadership role with Rick gone. Their adventure is short-lived and successful. A possum is the only threat. Unfortunately, no zombie babies showed up to bite at Daryl's ankles. This small storyline was less action packed because it was the least important compared to two others.

Rick is losing it near Cell Block D.

The Governor (David Morrissey) continues to act strangely back at Woodbury. Penny, his daughter, is stroked, brushed and then potato sacked much like Jason Voorhees from the original Friday the 13th. The Governor's affections for his daughter run both sides of the fence: love and hate. Meanwhile, Michonne is again glaring at the Governor. She knows something is afoot, but her friend, Andrea, is too bloated on the Governor's charm to fight against his spell. Andrea's reckoning is coming soon.

Rick's storyline continues to be the most intriguing. He is journeying into Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and there is not telling whether he is coming back. Rick has seen too much death and he seems split between a bloody reality and the even bloodier voices in his mind. Come back Rick, the show misses you.

The contrast between these three storylines is what matters. Woodbury continues to put on this false glow of civilization. Yet, there is something brewing beneath this cool and calm small town exterior. The prison is completely opposite to the concept of civilization. The prison is brutal and violent. Rick's animalistic rage shows the chaos blatantly. So, which setting is better? Is Woodbury better for hiding its brutality (although some of it emerged in a gladiator fight)? Or, is the prison more honest for showing death at every turn? These two very different settings represent society's dual nature, which is sometimes both brutal and political.

Michonne seems at ease with her own brutal nature. She breaks into the Governor's house to retrieve her sword. She then slices up several walkers for no apparent reason. Has Michonne never heard of research? Milton (Dallas Roberts) needs to clue her into this important aspect of the zombie apocalypse. In the end, Michonne really knows how to ruin her welcome. Merle (Michael Rooker) is happy to see her go, on the surface. However, Michonne's character needs to develop outside of its current confines. This individual is too tight-lipped and mistrusting. Her backstory needs to be revealed, or she will soon turn into parody.

"The Walking Dead" is an exceptional show. Seas. 3 is made so much better if one compares it to the previous season. This reviewer cannot emphasize this enough. Episodes like "Say the Word" create for an exciting zombie apocalypse that is full of backstabbing, good intentions gone wrong and character's succumbing to their dire situation. There is believable fiction here. And, this zombie television fan cannot wait to see Merle bring out Michonne's best fighting skills in the next episode, "Hounded."

Overall: 7.75 out of 10 (Michonne is stagnating - her angry appearance is not enough, this reviewer prefers one storyline per episode as fourty plus minutes is a small window in which to develop several characters at once).

*most reviews have stated that "Say the Word" is about Rick finally breaking his silence with his one word, "hello?" The title of this episode could also be about Andrea and Michonne's relationship. They used to be so tight that if Michonne was to "Say the Word," then Andrea would dutifully follow. These two women no longer see eye to eye thanks to this episode, however.

The AMC has more details on this episode (stills, videos):

The Walking Dead at the AMC ("Say the Word")

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