The Walking Dead, Season 3, Episode 12: Clear, Review/Summary
The Walking Dead: Spoilers after the jump...Don’t read this if you haven’t seen the episode yet!! I mean it!!
He’s back! Morgan Jones, that is. And, what an impact he had on tonight’s incredible episode. Tonight’s addition to the series brought us back to the action and reminded us just how cruel a zombie apocalypse can be.
“Clear” brought viewers the long-awaited reunion of Rick and Morgan, the man who saved Rick’s life back in season one of The Walking Dead and the reunion was well worth the wait. It was an emotional and exciting episode, mostly due to the performance that Lennie James (Morgan Jones) put on.
In the episode, Morgan gets shot by Carl (I’ll get to that later). When Morgan wakes up from his brief coma, he and Rick have a very heated argument, as Rick tries to convince the, now crazed, Morgan that they know each other from a year ago. Morgan has clearly broken down and, brilliant booby traps around his hideout aside, has lost his damn mind. But, Morgan does go into a heart-wrenching rant about what happened to him, his son and his wife and how Rick said he would be there on the radio and he wasn’t. I won’t ruin the moment for you, but you’ll definitely reappreciate the writers of The Walking Dead, as well as Lennie James’ acting ability.
So, back to Carl shooting Morgan. Carl shot Morgan in self defense. Obviously, Carl didn’t know that his father knew the man he had just shot. But, this is another moment of The Walking Dead that shows us just how badass Carl has become. With zero hesitation, Carl pulled the gun out and shot Morgan right in the abdomen. The moment was pure badassery for the young man.
Rick got a glimpse of just what happens when you push everyone away and because of this, he’s apparently snapped out of the funk he was in. He’s back to normal; back to the leader he once was. And I have a feeling Rick’s moment of clarity couldn’t have come at a better time, as there are just four episodes left in Season 3. We all know the best action happens at the end of each season.
It was good to see Michonne and Carl bond, but it was great to see Michonne and Rick BEGIN to bond, as their relationship is very strong in the comic books. For some reason, I found myself wondering, do we have any backstory on Michonne in the show? What did Michonne do before the zombie apocalypse? Kindergarten teacher? Office assistant? Or was she always just a katana-toting badass?
Tonight’s episode brought The Walking Dead back to its roots with more, tense zombie moments, great character revivals and excellent storytelling. We were reminded of the loneliness that a zombie apocalypse causes and the dire situations it can create. People will do anything to survive when the world is ending, as illustrated by Morgan’s story of having to kill his wife after she bit his son. I couldn’t imagine having to choose: shooting my undead wife or letting my son be bitten. Sorry honey, the child would live!
I should also take a moment to point out that there seems to be some new rules for survival for Rick. He’s no longer as concerned with saving everyone else, as he is with keeping Carl safe. At the beginning of the episode, there is a hitchhiker Rick decides not to pick up and drives past, not once, but twice! Rick has two chances to potentially save this desperate man’s life, but in both instances he left the man on the side of the road (c’mon man, there’s no hitchhiking during the zombie apocalypse!). At the end of the episode, we see the man on the side of the road, torn apart by zombies. But, what really made this moment stand out in was the fact that Rick wanted to go back for the man’s large backpack, an action that showed the hitchhiker’s death didn’t happen without reason.
What’s in the backpack? Will that come into play in the next few episodes?
This is undoubtedly not the last we will see of Morgan. Actually, I know for a fact it isn’t (I’ve got insider details). Do you want to know when we will see Morgan again? Do ya? Well, Morgan will be back for Episode 16 (the Season 3 finale), which makes me wonder if he will be the next character to die in the unforgiving world that is The Walking Dead or will he come back to save Rick’s life yet again in the epic battle to come between Woodbury and the Atlanta survivors!
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Bobby is our former head geek who can definitely geek out. He thoroughly enjoys all things video gaming related, Zombie slaying and preparing for apocalyptic survival. …