The record shattering (nearly 11 million people watched) third season premiere of AMC’s The Walking Dead aired October 14th in the US, but we’ve already seen a lot of drama in just the first episode; Tensions flare in our survivors new home, marital tension between Rick and Lori Grimes, vast hordes of zombies and a brutal amputation.
ATTENTION!
The text below contains what some would consider SPOILERS.
You’ve been warned!
Tensions within the group will only increase as the season moves forward. Here’s a taste of what lies ahead in the coming weeks!
Our survivors may have found a gold mine with the prison but they are not alone. The prison may be over-run with walkers but another did survive the plague. Rick’s group found some people living hidden in prison but are they friend or foe? And how will this new group react to one of our character’s being bitten and having their leg amputated?
The prisoners are not the only newcomers to the series with a pulse. Fans faithful to the comics will have a strong reaction to another new character; Milton. Like Daryl and Merle Dixon, Milton was created for the series and doesn’t appear in the comicbooks. He’s the right hand man for the sadistic Governor of Woodbury, one of the most feared characters in comics.
The guys may have ruled the scenes in the first and second seasons but season three will focus more on Girl Power! The last two seasons showed the guys in action slaughtering walkers in every concievable scenario with occasional moments of female strength to keep things really interesting. As you’ll remember, Lori was the only female character to take on walkers on her own. This season the balance will change thanks to fan favorite Michonne, and (SHOCK!) Carol, who is rumored to be using walkers for a science project this season. Will this lead to Carol’s demise? Maybe she should leave having walkers as pets to Michonne?
We’ve also seen that Glen and Maggie Greene have become a very effective team when taking down walkers. Beth Greene, Hershel’s youngest daughter, has even come out of her shell.
And what about the grave site we see Daryl visiting in the prison’s courtyard? Fans have already been warned that there will be character deaths (multiple) this season but who will be the first to fall? No one is safe, especially now that our survivors have found inmates living in the prison.
In the first few minutes of the opening scene of season three, we’ve seen Carl has matured. We can expect more problems to arise between Rick and Lori with their son but this time it’s not a matter of Carl simply not staying in the house. Carl’s issues stem from growing up in an extremely hostile environement, while trying to find his purpose in the group and his role in the prison.
Anyone have a hug for their old pal Merle? You remember Merle, right. That charming man that Rick left handcuffed to the roof during the show’s first season? Well, he’s back and not just as Daryl’s hallucination. Piece together the snippets we’ve seen of AMC’s previews and you’ll see that it’s Merle who finds Andrea and Michonne hiding in the woods which leads to the ladies being taken to Woodbury. But why is Merle Dixon camping out with the Governor and what does this mean for Merle and Daryl’s reunion? Let’s just say it’s not pretty.
And what about Woodbury? From the outside, it appears that Woodbury is paradise. As Andrea sees it, they’re “sitting pretty at the end of the world.” Scratch the surface though and we’ll find out the town is rotten to the core.Honestly, can any place that welcomes Merle Dixon be that great? Everyone in Woodbury has secrets to hide. They’ve all done terrible things to survive as individuals and thrive as a community but the Governor is not a man to be messed with. He sees himself as this world’s new messiah and will stop at nothing to make sure that future generations know that it was because of him that the human race survived the zombie apocalypse. But even this most hardened man has a softer side in the zombie apocalypse.
And what about Woodbury’s cure for boredom? No T.V. No movie theater. The band can’t play in the gazebo anymore. Well, you’ll just have to wait and see but there’s a reason Merle Dixon has been wholely embraced by the town’s people and we learn that Merle has become an expert as toying with Walkers before putting them down. Is this a trait he learned after escaping Atlanta and surviving on his own before finding Woodbury?
What are your expectations for the thrid season? Any torture scene in particular that you’re anxious for? Would you like to see a certain pint-sized walker chained up in a house?
Sources: E! Online, Entertainment Weekly magazine, Men’s Health, AMCtv.com, The Walking Dead’s Brasil website, cast and crew twitter feeds, and Senoia, Georgia set location.
