"The Walking Dead: Arrow on the Doorpost" EP Recap

Outside of an abandoned factory facility, Hershel and Rick pull up in a vehicle while Daryl follows on his bike. Hershel stays in the car with a rifle while Daryl and Rick survey the area, weapons in tow. Hershel is double checking weapons he has strapped on his amputated leg. Daryl and Rick come across a freshly killed walker and continue on. Rick enters an abandoned building while Daryl patrols outdoors. Rick sees a table and two chairs. From the shadows of the building, the Governor comes out and faces Rick with his hands up: “we have a lot to talk about….” Rick doesn’t hesitate to pull his Colt out and remind the Governor that he attacked the prison first. The Governor mentioned that he didn’t kill the crew. The Governor says he will remove his weapon and in show of good faith, Rick should too. The Governor takes off his gun belt. Rick finally re-holsters his weapon. The Governor sits down at the table, a gun strapped underneath it…”suit yourself,” The Governor tells Rick.

Daryl lets Hershel know that Rick and the Governor are meeting. Hershel says he doesn’t see any cars. “It don’t feel right, keep it running,” Daryl said. A vehicle immediately pulls up to them and Daryl points the crossbow at him. Martinez, Milton and Andrea get out of the vehicle. “What’s the deal, your boy is already in there!” Daryl mentions. “He’s here?” Andrea asks. Martinez nods. Andrea then storms in the warehouse where Governor and Rick are. Andrea demands to know what’s going on. “Just small talk!” The Governor replies. “I wanted you to talk…too many people have died for no reason. Let’s end this and save the bullets for the real threat,” Andrea said. “That’s why I asked you to come here.” Rick says he knows everything about the Governor from the raids, to the heads in the aquarium, to Maggie….the Governor interrupts Rick and said that was Merle. “You know what I’m talking about,” Rick seethes. The Governor says he wants to move forward.

Outside, Daryl and Hershel are facing Milton and Martinez. “Maybe I should go inside,” Hershel suggests. Milton says the Governor says it’s best if it’s just Rick and himself. “Who the hell are you?” Daryl asks. “Milton Memet,” he responds. “Great, he brought his butler,” Daryl remarked. Milton says he doesn’t need to explain himself to Daryl. “Better watch your mouth, sunshine!” Daryl replies. “If you’re going to point that gun at me all day, do me a favor, shut your mouth!” Martinez says. Daryl gets in Martinez’s face but Hershel tells him to stop and that they need to focus on Rick and Governor and not let it all go south.

Back in the prison, Glenn and the rest (along with Merle) are stocking up their weapons and equipment. Glenn tells them all what to do but Merle cuts in: “What we should be doing is loading up this firepower…and paying a visit to the Governor!” Merle suggests they go in and kill him. Michonne remarks that they all told Rick, Daryl and Hershel that they would stay put in the prison. Merle said he changes his mind and doesn’t like his brother out there on the sidelines. Glenn thinks it’s a huge mistake. Merle warns that things will go terribly wrong. “My dad can take care of himself!” Carl strikes back. “Sorry son but your father’s head might be on a pike soon,” Merle remarks. Maggie tells Merle to not talk to Carl like that. “It’s not the right move…not now,” Glenn concludes.

Back at the post-apocalyptic UN peace treaty facility, Andrea mentions how she both knew the men after “the world went to shit” and how they both started out as leaders with good intentions. The Governor cuts her off. Rick mentions that Woodbury takes west of the river and the prison takes east. Andrea and Rick suggest  that the river serves as a barrier to separate the two areas. The Governor disagrees. “You said he would talk!” Rick yells at Andrea. “And I am” The Governor replies; “truth is Rick, she is no position to make that call anyway. I’m here for one thing; surrender.” The Governor tells Andrea to step outside. Andrea leaves. Rick is refusing to surrender. Andrea sits down outside the building where the rest are keeping guard. Rick sits down ready to say his piece….Rick begins to talk: “you’re beholden to your people…you have a responsibility to them….wasn’t Merle you’re lieutenant? You were involved when he snatched up Glenn and Maggie?” The Governor denies his involvement and blames Rick on his attack. The Governor admits that Merle gets the “dirty jobs” done. Rick asks the Governor if he took responsibility. “I thought you were a cop, not a lawyer?” The Governor remarked. “At least I don’t pretend to be a Governor!” Rick remarks back. The Governor talks about how Andrea told the Governor about baby Judith and how it might have been Shane’s baby. The Governor mentions that Rick hasn’t seen the devil inside. Rick said he’s facing him. The Governor then says he’s brought whiskey.

Outside, the rest are sitting as Daryl is pacing. Milton suggests that they use the free time to clear the air about the differences both crews have. “Why don’t I suggest you shut up?” Martinez replies. Milton explains that Rick and Governor are sitting down and that’s a sign of progress and also mentioned how he has been keeping records. Daryl asks for what reasons. Milton says that someone has to preserve history of what has happened to the world. Hershel likes the idea. But the group hears walkers. Martinez grabs a bat and Daryl has his crossbow, with Andrea following them. The two men stop: “After you!” Daryl suggests. “No, you!” Martinez respond. Andrea takes lead and stabs the walker. “Pussy!” Martinez remarks to Daryl before bashing walkers in. Daryl shoots at a couple. Martinez prepares to bash in another walker when Daryl shoots through it’s head and onto the neck of another walker. Martinez is ready to take a swing when Daryl throws a knife straight into his head. Daryl finds cigarettes in a jacket pocket and offers a smoke to Martinez. Daryl and Martinez make small talk; Daryl asks Martinez if he was in the military. Martinez said he just hates walkers and what they did to his wife and kids. “This is a joke, right?” Daryl asks Martinez about the Governor and the “talks”. Both know that it’s just a front and nothing will change. Meanwhile, Milton asks Hershel how he lost his leg. Hershel tells him that his leg was cut off immediately not by doctors but by his good people. Milton said he wants to see his leg. “It’s important data,” Milton says. “I just met you, I’m not showing you my leg…at least buy me a drink first!” Hershel joked.

The Governor and Rick are still talking. The Governor puts the blame on Rick for what happened at Main Street on Woodbury. Rick said it was his choice. The Governor said it all boiled down to choice and that he also had the choice to kill everyone in the prison. The Governor then tells Rick about the time he found out that his wife had been killed in an accident. “Gone, just like that,” The Governor explains; “just an accident, no one’s fault…I sat there clenching that phone thinking ‘what did she want?’ Just to check in…what did she want?” Rick remains silent and sips his whiskey.

Back at the prison, Glenn is watching Merle pack up some equipment. Glenn tells Merle he’s not going. “I don’t need your permission,” Merle remarked. Glenn says he can’t let Merle go. Maggie says that if Merle is going to stay, he has to abide by the rules and points out Michonne has. “Because it’s my brother!” Merle responds angrily. “What’s the matter with y’all? This guy cops a feel on your woman and you pussy out like this? Get out of my way!” Merle attacks Glenn and the two wrestle. Maggie chokeholds Merle as Beth shoots a round to get everyone’s attention

Outside the peace treaty, Hershel excuses himself from Milton and sits with Andrea. Hershel asks Andrea how its’ going. Andrea says she got kicked out and doesn’t know what she’s doing. Hershel tells her she’s trying to help. “What happened with Maggie…” Andrea began saying. “He’s a sick man.” Hershel responds. Andrea says she can’t go back to Woodbury. Hershel says that she’s still family and that she can join them. Inside, the Governor confesses he didn’t want to be leader but that he stepped up to do so. He puts his belt back on. He tells Rick he knows he has guns. “My people aren’t combat tested like yours but I have more people…this fight will go on until the last man, so let’s end it today…let’s not do this and let’s walk away,” The Governor warns. “You have something that I want…” Rick asks what it is and says he won’t give up the prison. “I don’t want your prison, it doesn’t sound safe,” The Governor says as he takes off his patch; “I want Michonne. Turn her over and this all goes away. Is she worth it? One woman worth all those lives in your prison?”

Back in the prison, Michonne walks past Merle when Merle remarks “you know I’m right. Folks here are strong and good fighters but they ain’t killers.” Michonne said  Rick and Maggie are and that Carl had to even take out his own mother. “Mercy killings, but that doesn’t make them assassins,” Merle says. “And you are?” Michonne asks. “When I have to be,” Merle answers. Michonne asks him why he let Michonne go back at the forest. “I was probably seduced by your charming personality,” Merle responds. He asks Michonne if she would join him. Michonne said he’s on his own and if he gets people killed, it’s on him.

Glenn is on guard on the catwalk as Maggie joins him. Maggie asks to keep him company. Glenn compliments on Maggie’s chokehold. He then tells her how when they got back from Woodbury, he made it all about him and how he didn’t respect Maggie’s space. Maggie said it wasn’t Glenn but that she didn’t want him to see her. “I’m always with you though,” Maggie said. They both apologize and embrace before lip-locking. They decide that getting it on while flesh thirsty walkers observe is not the best aphrodisiac so they go inside, pull down a door and take care of business in there.

Back at the treaty, Rick says he doesn’t get the Governor and his thinking. He asks him why go out on a vendetta instead of rising above and restoring civilization. “Killing Michonne is sort of beneath you, don’t you think?” he asks. “You can save your son and daughter, everyone you know,” The Governor replies: “it’s your choice.” Rick asks him how does he know if the Governor will keep his word if he hands over Michonne. The Governor tells him he can have anything he wants. He advises Rick to take two days to think about and that “I’ll be back here at noon.” The Governor opens up the door and takes off with his crew in his vehicle; Rick takes off with his crew in the car and Daryl on the bike…Andrea decides to go with the Governor. The two crews go their own separate ways.

Both crews return back to their territory safe and sound. Rick tells his crew to go inside the prison. The Governor tells Martinez to set up sentries to take out anyone except Michonne and to keep her alive. He also makes note to Milton that he can take Rick and the rest in. “This will prevent a slaughter,” he says. “That IS a slaughter” Milton remarks. The Governor tells him that they will have to eliminate Rick sooner or later. The Governor tells Andrea that they will set terms and will meet in two days. Andrea says she hopes it works out. At the prison, Rick tells the group that he meets the Governor and sat with him. “He wants the prison and wants us gone,” he says. “He wants us dead to what we did to Woodbury. We’re going to war!”  The group remains silent.

Rick goes out to the catwalk by himself as Hershel joins him to talk about his decision; “The group is taking it as well as can be expected. Michonne and Merle think we should head in first. Carol and I think we should take our chances now and hit the road. We’re in this together so if we stay and fight, so be it.” Rick then tells Hershel that the Governor gave him a way out at the cost of Michonne’s life. Even Hershel knows the Governor will kill her.  Rick is debating on his decision and choice. Hershel asks Rick why he didn’t tell the group. Rick tells him the groups needs to be scared to accept the reality of war happening. Hershel acknowledges Rick saving everyone’s lives and that Michonne life is too valuable to compromise, as she helped bring the gang back together. Rick then asks if Hershel will sacrifice his own daughters for her. “Please talk me out of it,” Rick responds. 

Jane's Notes: This wasn't the most exciting episode as it lacked serious walker warfare but I have to admit, I give lots of kudos to David Morrisey for his acting and for REALLY blending the charismatic yet sinister characteristics together that make the Governor. I'm also glad to see Rick step up as a leader and also realizing his weakness by asking Hershel to "talk him out of it". What stuck out to me though was the "settling of differences" OUTSIDE the treaty talk. I thought at first that Daryl should've stuck a bow in Martinez's leg but once they put aside their "alpha" personalities, there was a slight bond there. Both are loyal to their leaders and are the fighting force behind them. But will they put their bond aside when they come face-to-face with one another and weapons drawn? 

Then there's Hershel and Milton, both of them being the "advisers" to their leaders. While Hershel serves as the moral compass of the group, Milton serves as the records keeper and has a more "here are the facts" approach. But Milton does possess a moral compass to him, seeing as he was the only one save Andrea that didn't look thrilled with the walker fights. While Milton does experiment with walkers, he's not fighting material against the walkers, partly because he really never lost anything post apocalypse while the rest lost so much. While Milton might be passive and seen as "weak" to some, he's a solid character to have in any group and I hope he won't contribute to the Governor's "war" against RIck. Milton couldn't bond with a better representative of Rick's group than Hershel. 

Let's go to the prison. Glenn once again takes the leader role but in a different approach. Merle, while always having been the obnoxious, rebellious one, has some sort of change in him, I think. Yeah, he's erratic and still hostile but there's just a different feel to his character than back in Season 1. In Season 1, he wanted to be made leader but this time, he just wants to follow his own path regardless if anyone joins him or not. I also wonder why he seems so "soft" with Michonne now even after he almost hunted her down. And yet, he can't make it on his own since he went back to Daryl to rescue Rick during the prison raid. He seems to have changed a different tune towards the Governor but what's his intention? Is it because of Daryl or something else? 

Last but not least, Andrea...ho boy. If you looked up "cock-whipped" in the dictionary, Andrea's picture would be in it. 

Anyways, here are my predictions for the coming "war"; 

• Rick and Hershel will devise a plan to make the Governor think that they are turning in Michonne when it'll turn out to just be a distraction to weaken the Governor and his defenses. 
• Milton's loyalty to the Governor will be questioned and men will probably be trailing Milton 
• Merle will go anywhere that Daryl goes and vice versa. Merle can provide the group with great intel. 
• Michonne and Andrea might possibly have another small face-to-face encounter. 
• As far as deaths go, if Andrea gets killed off, it will be by the Governor's hands. 
• Beth and Carol will step up to the plate and serve as good backup. Beth comes off as a lot like Hershel and while she may be scared, she will keep her cool. 

Three more episodes left...excited to see what will go down!! 

Picture Credit: AMC 

Follow me on Twitter @janespringfield