WalkingDeadS03E10AMC, 17 February 2013

While brothers Daryl and Merle squabble, Glenn plans revenge on the Governor and Rick goes a little mad, the Governor takes everyone (except Hershel) by surprise with an assault on the prison.

At the prison, the group are rudderless it seems without Rick, who has gone walkabout with the ghost of his dead wife, Lori. Glenn’s gung-ho about attacking Woodbury, while Hershel wants to high-tail it outta Dodge before the Governor comes a-calling. And come a-calling he does, eventually, after Daryl and Merle bicker their way through the woods, until Daryl sees sense and heads off back to the prison.

This is all very well, and just a little bit too talky, when WHAM the Governor strikes, unleashing a horde of zombies within the perimeter fence and peppering the place with bullets. Axel—the prisoner with the weird facial hair—gets his brains blown out all-of-a-sudden, shocking viewers lulled by all the yakkity-yak into straight-backed attention mode. Only readers of the source material comic may have had an inkling that was gonna happen, but for most it was a jump-out-of-your-seat moment. Amid the melee Daryl and Merle turn up, just in time to save Rick who’s surrounded by chompy zombies—although in his current state you have to wonder if he’s worth saving. Where this’ll leave the untrustworthy Merle when it comes to fitting back in with the prison group, who knows—plus the feud with the Governor is clearly far from over.

Verdict: Cracking stuff, with just enough action and zombies to make up for the rather inert talky first half.

Episode 10 ‘Home’: 8/10

Brian J. Robb

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