The Walking Dead Season 3, Episode 6 Review: “Hounded”

But he does seem to enjoy Andrea, though!  The sexual tension with the pair has been there since day one, so seeing them finally bone each other was appropriate.  And we got to see some perfectly acceptable TV-14 nudity, what with the Governor’s chest and Andrea’s naked and (GASP!) uncovered hip.  Don’t forget viewers; you can have a character disembowel a zombie and have his entrails spread all on top of her, but nudity?  That’s freaking nuts.

But returning to the Michonne plot for a second, I also really enjoyed the parking lot scene with her silently encountering Glenn and Maggie on another formula run.  That baby is just a whole bunch of trouble, isn’t she?  Whatever the case, the pair encountering Merle was actually unexpected for me, since I just kind of assumed that Merle would walk his way back to Woodbury, or use one of the vehicles that led them to Michonne in the first place.  But I guess the idea of stealing a car from Glenn and Maggie helped support his lie of the group getting attacked though.  All that said, I wonder if Merle would have reacted differently if Glenn responded to him being alive with more open arms.  Did he really want to see his brother, or was it just a ploy to gain their favor?  I guess we’ll find out when Merle tortures him next week.  Thank god torture can always answer our burning questions. 

The final plot element of the evening was surprisingly great as well, especially considering how much I disliked Rick’s little adventure last week.  I called from the start that the phone call was a figment of his imagination, but I still appreciated how the show took it’s time with the reveal.  And unlike last week’s episode, I didn’t really question Rick’s emotions at all.  Right now he’s coming out of a place of fear following the death of so many members of his group.  He feels like he’s failed them in some way, and that the perfect haven that he once thought was the prison is actually no better a “home” than any of them had ever had before.  And well technically that’s true, I still enjoyed Rick confronting his fears head on and finally realizing that he needed to man up a bit.  As another famous zombie property once said, “It’s time to nut up or shut up” for Rick.  And now that it seems like all the pieces have been put in place for a battle between the people of Woodbury and Rick’s people, I can’t wait see Rick test that new mentality out.

Loose Ends:

• Speaking of Zombieland, is it just me or does Merle act a lot like a meaner, more racist Tallahassee?  Maybe it’s just the country factor, I don’t know.
• “We having fun yet?”  If this was a Party Down reference, I want to give this show all the rewards.  Sadly though, it probably isn’t.
• The kids in the background at Woodbury were playing “Eeny Meeny Miny Biter.”  …Morbid
• Rick doesn’t know how to play hard to get, does he?  Just starring at the phone like he was waiting for a hot girl to call him back after a “meh” date.
• Darryl’s speech about the death of his mom was great, and you gotta love Carl’s stone faced response to it.  You’re life isn’t nearly as traumatic as you thought, was it Darryl?
• I’m going to go watch Zombieland again.  Man, I love that movie!

-Matthew