"The Walking Dead" Finishes Season 3 with a Puff of Smoke: A Television Review ("Welcome to the Tombs")

*there are spoilers here.

Director: Ernest R. Dickerson.

Writers: Frank Darabont, Robert Kirkman and Glen Mazzara.

Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Norman Reedus and Steven Yeun.

"The Walking Dead" ended Seas. 3 with a few surprises, in "Welcome to the Tombs." This showing was Epis. 16 of "The Walking Dead's" longest season to date. And, the ending to the season did not really climax as some might have hoped. Instead, certain scenarios were relived with another primary character finding a zombie bite and outro' from the show. Meanwhile, the protagonist and antagonist continue to deal with unstable mental states. And, this viewer was hoping for a few more bullet firings at the prison. In the end, Season 3 was the best season yet for "The Walking Dead," but "Welcome to the Tombs" might have left some feeling disappointment.

In this episode, the Governor (David Morrissey) was prominent and looking for blood. He killed Milton (Dallas Roberts), one of his henchmen. Milton had been rebellious in "This Sorrowful Life." He had destroyed several biters, who were to be used for an upcoming battle and the Governor stabbed him for his insubordination. The Governor's bloodlust continued, with Andrea (Laurie Holden) strapped to a torture chair. She would die by Milton's zombie bite several scenes later. Still in search of murder, the Governor sets off for the prison; he is looking to settle a score with Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his little band of survivors. He finds himself trapped in the bowels of the penitentiary, instead. His assault goes wrong and he takes his frustrations out on the citizens of Woodbury. He hoses most of them down with gunfire. Meanwhile, Rick is seeing ghostly visions and Carl (Chandler Riggs) is becoming just as bloodthirsty as the Governor.

Tyreese and Sasha are caught between two parties

The ending of this episode focused on Andrea's death. Some viewers might be saddened by her passing, but this watcher pumped a fist. In Andrea's defence, the writers had not provided many opportunities for this character to shine. She was suicidal in later episodes of Seas. 1. In Seas. 3, she seemed to sit on the fence between siding with the Governor or reuniting with her friends, back at the prison. Andrea was an obtuse character, whose decisions often seemed strange, inconsistent and erratic. This character rarely had a discerning purpose and her exit is more of a relief than a loss, in this reviewer's opinion.

The Governor and Rick are also erratic. The Governor's mental state has consistently devolved over the course of this season. Although, he was not really been a pillar of normalcy. Fans will remember his head collection from previous episodes. However, he has become more and more unhinged by the survivors at the prison. He has even become psychotic as seen in the massacre in this episode. The Governor is unlikely to hold it together for very long into Seas. 4. Rick is again seen hallucinating in "Welcome to the Tombs." He continues to see Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies), his deceased wife, until the conclusion. His strange behaviours have reduced, somewhat. He is no longer taking phone calls from the netherworld. And, the final scene in this episode, with Lori's cross, shows that Rick is on the road to recovery. These two characters are now polar opposites on both a moral and mental levels.

The most disappointing element of this episode involved the climax. It was anti-climactic. The battle at the prison and the confrontation between Rick and the Governor was predictable and short. The conflict lasted under two minutes and Rick was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) seemed to take on most of Woodbury. As well, the trap in the prison was hinted at by the episode's title. Zombies, smoke and alarms await the Governor and his soldiers, at the prison. Previews for this showing also alluded to the prison as a manipulation on the part of Rick. The Governor is soon hightailing it out of the prison and the confrontation between Rick and the Governor has been delayed until Seas. 4. This episode almost seemed like a diversion, rather than a satisfying conclusion.

"Welcome to the Tombs" offered some highlights and some disappointments. The focus on Andrea was a non-event and so was the confrontation at the prison. However, Seas. 4 promises more conflict between Rick and the Governor. With the Governor's deteriorating mental state, he is unlikely to last through many future episodes. Overall, Seas. 3 has been the strongest showing for "The Walking Dead," thanks to Glen Mazzara's ability to increase the show's pacing and sense of urgency. Writer Scott M. Gimple will head the show in Seas. 4 and it will be curious to see in which direction Gimple takes the zombie apocalypse and all of the characters, few of whom have survived through all three seasons.

Overall: 7 out of 10 (this episode was not really a finale, surprises involved both Milton and Andrea's departure and the Woodbury massacre, the trap inside the prison was predictable).

More details on this episode are available at the AMC:

Welcome to the Tombs at the AMC

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