Last Week’s episode of The Walking Dead in a Nutshell- Episode 14 ‘Prey’
Sorry for missing my recap last week folks! I had to prepare for a trip and found myself pressed for time in getting it finished. That being said, here is a short summary of last weeks episode of The Walking Dead.
Andrea ends up leaving the town without The Governor’s knowledge. After finding out from Milton what she was up to, The Governor sets out to stop her from reaching the prison. The entire episode is a game of cat & mouse between The Governor and Andrea. The Governor ends up stopping Andrea and capturing her. The final shot shows Andrea restrained with tape over her mouth in what appears to be a torture dungeon designed by The Governor.
This Week’s Breakdown- ‘The Sorrowful Life’
This week’s episode of The Walking Dead opens up with Rick, Hershel, and Daryl talking outside of the prison, discussing a plan to avoid any confrontation with The Governor. As the conversation proceeds, the details of the exchange slowly unravel. The plan is to deliver Michonne to The Governor. Knowing the extreme nature of their mission, Rick approaches Merle for assistance in the delivery of Michonne. Merle agrees to assist but tells Rick he doesn’t have the stomach for it. Merle also indicates what The Governor would most likely do to Michonne if he had her. A discomforting expression washes across Rick’s face.
Soon after, the Dixon brothers talk in another area of the prison. The differences between them begin to surface through their bickering. Merle tells Daryl that it’s a different world and that he needs to grow up. Meanwhile, Rick prepares things for detaining Michonne. As he is doing so, Rick’s conscience begins to get to him. He then tells Hershel that he won’t give up Michonne. However, Merle as other plans
Merle is able to get Michonne alone in a different part of the prison. He makes it appear as if he needs the assistance in clearing out some zombies. While killing walkers, Merle is able to subdue Michonne by knocking her unconscious.
We then see Michonne and Merle walking alone down an endless road. The two briefly exchange words about her situation. Merle explains he took her because he knew Rick would not go through with the job. Shortly after, Merle delivers zombie carnage to some walkers with Michonne’s sword. While all this is happening, Daryl leaves the prison to find his brother and stop him from delivering Michonne.
After hot wiring a car, Michonne and Merle continue driving to the exchange. The two talk about the leadership of Rick. Michonne elaborates about how much Rick respects his brother Daryl, and how much he is needed. You can tell it bothers him somewhat that he is losing his brother to Rick. Michonne then tries to persuade Merle into just turning around and going back to the prison. Merle abruptly stops the car to let her out. He cuts he restraints and tells her to head back and prepare for the worst. Michonne appears hesitant but she proceeds with doing what he says. Merle drives away and leaves Michonne to walk back to the prison. Daryl catches up and finds Michonne traveling alone down the path. He ask where his brother is, Michonne explains he let her go. Daryl quickly realizes what Merle is about to do.
We then see Merle in the car playing music extremely loud. He’s sipping on alcohol and amusing himself with the walkers he’s attracting to the car. Merle is driving the car slowly to bring all walkers running to the sound. It then becomes clear what is about to take place. Merle is dragging zombies with him to ambush The Governor and his men at the meet.
Merle arrives at the location with all the zombies he has brought with him. He turns the music even louder and jumps out the car. As The Governor’s men attack the zombies, Merle begins attacking the enemy. As he is firing on the men, a zombie surprises Merle and gives away his position. The Governor attacks Merle, and the two men viciously fight. Merle is overcome by The Governor and finds himself defeated. The last shot shows The Governor pull out a gun and fire upon Merle.
Daryl arrives to see the aftermath of the ambush. He searches everywhere to see if his brother survived the battle. He spots a walker feeding on a corpse. The walker gazes up at Daryl and it’s Merle who has now became a zombie. In the final heartbreaking moments, Daryl puts his own brother down and then breaks down crying.
The Analysis
The one takeaway from this episode of The Walking Dead is the dynamic turnaround from Merle. When the show began, Merle was racist, selfish, and incredibly dangerous. For the first time, Merle did something that wasn’t for himself. Also, given the confrontation between him and T-Dawg, it shows how much he has grown by letting Michonne return to the prison. A lot of things did happen, but this episode of The Walking Dead belongs to the Dixon brothers. I’m going to miss the presence of Michael Rooker. Rest in Peace Merle Dixon!