Full episode spoilers below!
After building up the war for so many episodes, I can't help but feel underwhelmed by this finale. Sure, "Welcome to the Tombs" has some good moments of tension and a few jaw droppers, but overall I found myself wanting so much more from this episode.
First and foremost, the war between Woodbury and the Prison has been brewing for quite a few weeks now and the end result was pretty lackluster. Seeing The Governor's men blast into the complex as good fun (those watch towers got Michael Bay'd), but from there it was drawn-out tension and a fairly abrupt conclusion -- I will confess the use of flash bangs was pretty cool. Yes, I understand a lot of these "soldiers" under the Governor are just regular people and, if I was in that situation, I'd absolutely bolt too (probably need a change of undies afterwards as well), but after so much build up, a little more of a firefight and intensity would have been hugely appreciated.
We all knew Milton was the dude who set the fire -- that's been obvious -- and his betrayal when handed the knife was equally obvious, but you gotta love the creativity put into this scene. From the opening shot to the Governor revealing his twisted plan to have Andrea die at Milton's hand (or in this case, mouth), it was definitely a solid way to open Season 3's last episode. From there, though, I couldn't help but grow a little frustrated with Andrea once again. I understand her concern over Milton's status, but those pauses from trying to escape as she gazed at him seemed a little too long for my taste. I obviously can't imagine how frightening it would be to be placed in her situation, but there reaches a point where as a viewer you can't help but yell at the TV because you feel like she's taking too long of a break from trying to save herself. As for her death, I thought it was handled well --the slow fade to black after we eventually heard the gunshot was appropriately somber. That said, it didn't evoke nearly the same amount of emotion from me as walker Merle's death last episode.
Wow, talk about being a product of your environment, Carl. From annoying and incompetent brat to coldblooded terminator, Carl and his relationship with his father has become quite interesting over this season. It's easy to label him as a jerk, but if we reflect on all he's been through over the year, it's more than understandable why he's become so cold. His abrupt slaying of Jody was absolutely shocking (love how we couldn't tell for sure if Jody would try anything) and, despite it being the "wrong" thing, I agree with his reaction in the end. He has a survival of the fittest mindset now, so adding all of those people (not to mention most are elderly) to the group technically won't benefit them... or at least we have yet to see how they can. I just wish Rick stepped up to the plate when Carl dropped a logic bomb on him. I know he has a lot going on, but to see the group's leader have no rebuttal to a 13 year-old's argument felt a little odd. Yes, Carl has a point, but Rick should have stated out how it's important to hold onto our humanity -- even if he lost sight of that a few times over the past few episodes (that poor hitchhiker..).
Overall, I'm pleased with how the Governor is being handled. The pressure mounted up and we finally saw him reveal who he truly is to everyone else. Having him mute out the arguments from his group as he let his overwhelming frustration take over was a nice way to address what's going on in his head and the rest... well, you saw the chaos and it once again solidified him as an awesome villain.
I can't help but wonder... why'd they go to the Prison instead of Woodbury? Yeah, the Prison is their base and they think it's easier to defend, but why not try to set up shop in the town which has much better conditions and seemingly has more resources? Either way they technically aren't safe from the Governor returning, especially since their vantage points in the Prison have been blown apart from the opening attack.
I have mixed feelings over the Governor escaping. He's an interesting villain and I'm curious to see where he'll go from here, but at the same rate, I think it's safe to saw we all really wanted to see him ended by Michonne, Rick or Daryl. I hope that day will come (it seriously has to, right?), but for now I felt cheated that we didn't get such a cheer-inducing moment in the finale... especially after all he's done. As for the conclusion, I honestly can't say it did anything to have me especially pumped for the upcoming season and truthfully, that's disappointing. The only real intriguing cliffhanger in my eyes is what'll happen with the Governor, and I think it's safe to say I'm not alone in hoping that would have been resolved in this episode. Overall, I thought this was just an okay episode, but what did you think? Were you pleased or did you feel letdown? Speak your mind below!
Gregg Katzman is a freelance writer for Comic Vine and IGN Entertainment. This is the part where he shamelessly plugs hisGoogle+ and Twitter page in hopes of getting a new follower or two.
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