The Inter-Human Pissing Match Will Never End… The Walking Dead S3E11 – Dork Review

If you were paying attention, you might’ve detected me growing weary with The Walking Dead during last week’s episode. It’s a shame, I said complimentary things about the opening half of this season and was looking forward to it resuming, but the last three episodes have tested my patience brutally.

This week, then: the prison/Woodbury pissing match continues. There still isn’t a literal pissing match, which is a shame.

Stop Arming Those Bastards!

During my recent reviews of mid-run Utopia episodes, I moaned at length about shows which focus entire years on a single plot point, thus sagging horrendously in the middle, as everyone runs around fruitlessly waiting for the big fight. We’re definitely there in The Walking Dead, as people run backwards and forwards between Woodbury and the prison.

There are a few small progressions– Andrea may doubt the Governor; Rick might be emerging from his reality-break; Tyreese and chums are aligning with Woodbury, for now at least. So three small movements, two of which are uncertain.

Meanwhile, we’re letting Merle run around with a gun, despite his allegiances changing with every passing breeze. Considering Rick’s screaming mistrust of all newcomers, including Tyreese who, last I checked, wasn’t an obvious bastard, this seems weirdly slack.

More War Before Snore!

As ever, the show wrings a few good character interactions out of events – Andrea’s shock at what the group has become works well, and Carol seems to be a reliable source of human moments nowadays.

But honestly: I’m not saying the prison/Woodbury conflict isn’t a valid whole-season arc, but couldn’t the writers do stories in the midway episodes, instead of just trying to psyche us up for the finale. At the moment, it seems our best hope is that the inevitable war comes sooner rather than later, so we can move on.

Then again, the mention of Rick, Michonne and Carl going on a solo run could mean a promising one-off adventure next week, and honestly, if our hero has finally tightened his grip on sanity, that would be something. You never know, things might change soon, but these first three episodes back have been flabby – this material should’ve been covered in two at the most. Never mind.

More The Walking Dead on Dork Adore | The Walking Dead: The Suicide King – Dork Adore Review

Nick Bryan

Nick learned to read and write at an early age. This has developed into an unhealthy need to either write stories or consume them for later dissection. He reviews film and TV on Dork Adore and The Digital Fix, lives in London and enjoys a nice white beer.

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