Written By: Sang Kyu Kim
Directed By: Guy Ferland
The Story: The prison becomes overrun with Walkers, when an unknown person opens the gates, leading to tragedy for all concerned.
The Verdict: Oh my god, they killed Lori! And they killed T-Dog! What? But…but we’re only four episodes in? No!
Thus my reaction to this week’s heart-breaking, emotionally raw episode of THE WALKING DEAD, which, after last week’s rather low-key episode, proves that the show can and will still pull the rug from beneath viewer’s feet any chance it gets.
The sudden departure of both characters is handled brilliantly. T-Dog’s death is so sudden and heroic, and comes right out of nowhere, adding to that shock value! The fact that T-Dog hasn’t had much to do till this season just adds to the tragedy – we were only just starting to get to know him.
It’s Lori’s sacrifice that really hits home though, and not just because of the fact that we weren’t expecting her to die so early in the season. Up till now, Lori’s not been everyone’s favourite character, what with the cheating and bitching and lying to Rick, but her death here will no doubt have all her haters in floods of tears. The writing from newcomer Sang Kyu Kim is inspired, whilst the direction from TWD regular Guy Ferland is flawless.
Nitpicks? The Woodbury plots continue at the same snail’s pace as last week, but it’s understandable considering there’s already so much going on in the Prison storyline. Still, a bit more then just a few flirty scenes between the Governor and Andrea would be nice.
That aside, KILLER WITHIN is easily one of the most ambitious and best episodes of THE WALKING DEAD ever. Full of shocks & revelations, as well as posing plenty of questions for future instalments, it’s a tour de force of zombie action and human drama.
Best Bit: Lori’s demise, and the fact that it’s Carl who puts her down, is beautiful and horrifying, sold by both Chandler Riggs and Lauren Cohan’s excellent performances. Carl’s development this season, and how this harsh new world order is changing him, has easily become one of the best subplots of the season. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
LMAO: The Governor playing golf and smacking a Walker on the head had us here at THN in stitches. A great bit of slapstick that lightens the mood, albeit briefly, in this incredibly dark episode.
Speculation? Will the grief stricken Rick allow prisoners Oscar and Axel to join the group? Or will he turn against them, blaming them for what’s happened, despite the fact that Oscar saved his life? And what’s happened to Carol? I hate to think…
Great Gore: T-Dog’s death is nasty, as the Walkers begin to tear him apart as he holds them against the wall. Look at that Walker tearing the flesh from his neck as he screams, and tell me that doesn’t make you feel a little bit ill.
Join us next week for part five of THN’s Walking Dead series blog!
