3.12 – “Clear”

Clear was one of the best episodes of The Walking Dead I have seen in a long time. Can we say character development? This entire episode focused solely on Rick, Carl and Michonne. The unlikely trio head back to where the Grimes family used to live; where Rick was a sheriff and Carl was a child. The idea behind risking their lives was to gather guns, ammo and supplies from places that Rick remembers.

Almost immediately, they all realized that someone else had made a home out of the place, this is where we run into Morgan. Morgan, in case you don’t remember, was in season one and saved Rick’s life. Rick hid out with Morgan and his son and nursed to health before meeting up with the rest of the group. Morgan has gone a little bit crazy since then, which of course pulls at Rick’s heart strings, considering his own recent hallucinations. We learn that because Morgan could not kill his walker wife, she eventually attacked his son. Rick explains that Morgan has to come back from this… this horror of what he’s seen, what has changed, and what he has been through. He may be too far gone, though, there’s really no way of telling.

Carl and Michonne went to get a crib for little Judith, and made a stop in a tavern that contained a photo of his mom, dad, and himself back in the world. In this episode, we saw Michonne’s human side. Unlike her usual robotic demeanor, Michonne is buddy-buddy with Carl, and even saves his life. Carl says to his dad that she might be one of them, which indicates that she has gained his trust.

Clear was an episode that looked like it was right out of season 1. Not only was it very focused, but it showed how small the world really is. Morgan was still around, and was the only human they ran into. It wasn’t shown so that we could see the group take guns from Rick’s old stomping grounds; it was made to show the humanity left in humans.

3.13 – “Arrow on the Doorpost”

It’s finally time for the face off! Rick and the Governor sit across from one another at a table to discuss what to do about their precarious situation. Philip seemed, once again, quite charming and relatable. He divulged information about his wife’s tragic death; the car accident after she’d called him at work, and he explained to Rick that he’s always wondered what she called for. It was a very thought-provoking story, because you always consider what the characters have been through since the apocalypse, but rarely think about who they were before hand. Philip was a broken man before zombies started taking over his land.

While Rick and the Governor were swapping stories and sipping whiskey, the rest of the group keeping watch decided to pair up. Oh, except for Andrea, who I could not possibly want to strangle any more than I already do. Daryl and Martinez kill through a line of walkers together, which was very impressive to watch. Daryl with his circus-like knife throwing skills, and Martinez with his baseball bat baton twirling act, was the coolest killing streak this episode. Hershel and Milton discuss the amputation of Hershel’s leg when he was bitten. When Milton asked to see his stump, Hershel replied by saying he should at least buy him a drink first. Laughter… something we hear very little of in this show. It was refreshing.

Over at the prison,  sure the Governor would kill them all. Merle tried to go help defend his brother and the rest, but it was Glenn and Maggie that put their foot (feet?) down and stopped him, followed by a gunshot from sweet little Beth to break up the fight.

Glenn and Maggie have a sweet discussion where they make up from the tension surrounding their visit from Woodbury. This is followed directly by one of the sexiest… no…. THE sexiest scene in the history of The Walking Dead. Maggie and Glenn got their freak on… and it was HOT. Glenn has been one of my favorite characters this season. Much of what takes up our daily lives, being it love, sex, lust, like, and romanticism, are lost in the post-apocalyptic world. It is so sweet to see a couple actually making it in such harsh conditions. In fact, it is a regular American love story.

In the end, the Governor gives Rick an ultimatum; Rick can hand over Michonne and he will agree to leave their whole group and the prison alone. Rick is given two days to come up with an answer. The way both groups reacted to the meeting in the end was an amazing way to finish off the episode. The Governor explains to Milton that they are still going to kill Rick’s group, which Milton explains will be a slaughter – but Rick is no fool. He tells the group that the Governor wants them all dead and wants to take over the prison and that they are going to war. Rick and Hershel have a heart to heart during which Hershel explains that Michonne has earned her keep and saved some of their lives by this point because Rick seems to be considering giving up Michonne.

This episode was absolutely brilliant! The face off had to happen sooner or later, and I am overjoyed that it happened this way. I love the double-sided betrayal. I honestly cannot say much more than I am way too excited to see what the final three episodes of the season bring.

I would rate these two episodes as one, because the first of the two was a focused episode involving only three members of the group. 5/5 is something I am encouraged to rarely, if ever, give. However, in light of Arrow on the Doorpost being the best episode of the show this season, 5/5 it is.