The Governor (David Morrissey) in a scene from ‘The Walking Dead.’
Credit: Gene Page / AMC
Last week on “The Walking Dead,” a small sliver of sympathy was built up for the former murderer known to most as The Governor (David Morrissey). This week, that sympathy was thrown right out the window.
The Governor is back to his old ways, opening a familiar bag of tricks along with a sneaky appetite for blood. As the episode is entitled, everyone is mere “Dead Weight” to the lunatic.
Morrissey attempted to show us that not all was lost for his character when finding a family worth fighting for, and he was surprisingly convincing for someone so drawn to the dark side. This week we were reminded to never trust the one-eyed bandit, whose schemes seem to be one step ahead at all times, never knowing what his disarranged mind will churn up next.
The episode started out innocently enough, with Megan (Meyrick Murphy) playing a friendly game of chess with her new father figure. The Governor’s relationship with his new “family” is believable enough, though it is developing a bit too convenient by the show’s standards. There is an unnerving chance that something could happen to one of the girls, pushing the disgruntled father over the edge once again.
The Governor’s gang was accepted into Martinez’ (Jose Pablo Cantillo) group with little hesitation, even Martinez himself pointed out the Governor’s change of heart. But oh how Martinez was wrong.
A few stealthy attacks during a drunken haze later, and Mr. Governor is back on top of his throne. Morrissey did a great job at surprising the audience, snapping his personality back into a crazed fury in a matter of seconds. Killing seems to come naturally to the eye-patched menace.
Things have eerily come full circle for The Governor, even down to his personal collection of walkers (this time chained to the bottom of a lake rather than heads in tanks). He is going behind Lilly (Audrey Marie Anderson) and Megan’s backs, silently manipulating those around him to keep in power. Surely he should have learned his lesson with Andrea (Laurie Holden), whom ignited the start of his demise after learning his awful truths.
With the last two episodes being entirely focused on The Governor’s tale, I cannot wait to finally get back to Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the prison inhabitants. While it has been interesting to see what “Brian” has been up to, I still miss the cocky Daryl (Norman Reedus) attitude and witty Hershel (Scott Wilson) lines.
Next week is the mid-season finale when the two worlds of Rick and The Governor come colliding together once again. In one corner of the theoretical ring, we have The Governor, leader of a camp full of ex-military, including a supposedly working tank. In the other corner we have Rick, sporting a pretty cozy prison farm along with countless infected friends and group members. It is obvious who has the upper hand here.
The two have come a long way since their quarrels last season and, oddly enough, they aren’t that different from one another. In a weird way, they are two sides to the same coin. Both are family driven, powerful leaders and have been driven crazy by extreme loss. Finales are known to cause quite a stir, so fingers crossed for your favorite characters, whether they lie on the The Governator or Ricktatorship side of the zombie-toppling fence.
