This Sorrowful Life

Well Towelites, it took 3 seasons for the writers to give Merle some heart, and the minute they do look what happens!  I could pretty much tell from the beginning that he wasn’t going to make it out of the episode alive, but what I couldn’t tell was that by the end of the episode I would actually end up liking him!  Such amazing writing on this one!

this sorrowful life rick and daryl

We start off with Rick wanting to give Michonne up to The Governor, and trying to get Hershel and Daryl on board with that.  Hershel is completely against it, as is Daryl, but Daryl won’t disagree with Rick.  Because Hershel is refusing to cooperate with this plan, Rick has no choice but to go to Merle with it.  Even Merle tries to talk him out of it, but ultimately he agrees to go along with the plan.  Really, he decides to just make his own plan up and take Michonne to The Governor himself.  While they’re walking something happens that just makes you think a bit differently about Merle.  You begin to understand who he is, and he actually becomes somewhat human.  Since the first season he was just this terrible guy, no conscience, no concerns for anyone but himself, but now it seems like maybe there’s a little more inside of him.  I don’t know what did it, my opinion is that it was mostly Daryl and seeing how loved he is by the group, how accepted he is and how he’s changed because of them. Daryl used to be a loner, someone who really only took care of himself, but seeing how he’s become part of this family and has friends and trust and love, maybe Merle could have that too, with time. After Merle successfully hotwires the car, and after their run in with the Walkers while he was trying to get it started, he decides to let Michonne go.  Another thing I didn’t think would happen.  I honestly thought that he would deliver her to The Governor, but nope, he lets her go and he goes to Woodbury on his own, but not without a drink and an army of Walkers with him. And just when you think he’s got The Governor in the cross hairs, they get him!  The fight between the two of them is crazy, The Governor bites two of his fingers off and shoots him!

governor bites merles fingers

Meanwhile, at the prison, Rick changes his mind about handing Michonne over to The Governor, realizing that she is an integral part of the group, and that he could never do that to her.  He and Daryl go to find Merle to call it off but realize too late that he has already taken her.  Daryl decides to go by himself to look for them while Rick stays behind to make sure everyone else is safe.

Glen has decided that he wants to marry Maggie before they go against Woodbury.  I think this is sweet and refreshing, to see that even in all this chaos and destruction there’s still love and compassion.  Though I honestly don’t know how I would feel with a zombie wedding ring, but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do in the apocalypse right?

While Daryl is out trying to track down Michonne and Merle, Rick is giving an amazing speech to everyone else.  Letting them know that HE is not in charge of them, THEY are.  Everyone is the leader, everyone is important and everyone has the right to stay or leave.  Once he’s done he sees Michonne coming back to the prison where she belongs.

Daryl is able to track down Merle, but he turned.  Now it’s up to Daryl to take him out, in what was possibly the most heart wrenching scene I’ve seen since Lori.  Through all of it though, it kind of seemed like Merle was still Merle.  I don’t know if it’s because he was a monster to begin with, or if there was still a spark of who he was still in him because he was so fresh, but he seemed more Merle than zombie to me.  After a struggle, both internally and physically, Daryl took out Merle.

walking-dead-merle-zombie-GIF

Next week it’s the big show down, we get to find out what is going on with Andrea and hopefully this whole fiasco with The Governor and Woodbury comes to a close, I will be so mad if they leave us with a cliff hanger!!!

Here’s a preview of Next Week’s epic conclusion!

Till next time towelites!

~CheriMonster