Contributor: Bronzethumb
Written by Frank Renzulli
Directed by Dan Sackheim
Where last episode fell short by failing to imbue the plot movements with character beats and tension, “When the Dead Come Knocking” succeeds with aplomb. This is a big episode in terms of what’s actually happening, but it also does a great job of sucking the viewer into the world of “The Walking Dead” through their emotional attachment to these characters, all reinforced by great writing, great performances and a strong visual style from this episode’s director.
Michonne arrives at the prison with news that Glen and Maggie have been captured by the Governor’s forces, so the chain gang set out to rescue their people, unaware of their connection to some of Woodbury’s residents. Meanwhile, Merle interrogates his captives to learn where the rest of the group is camped, but when he meets resistance, the Governor steps in with his own sadistic methods of questioning. And Andrea helps Milton with a strange experiment on a dying man.
The similarities between Rick and the Governor have been illuminated, but “When the Dead Come Knocking” uses Michonne as a viewpoint character to explore the differences and why one is more sympathetic than the other. For all the brutality and borderline psychosis, Rick is at least honest about what he’s doing and why, starting with how he flat-out tells Michonne that she cannot leave the prison; compare that to the Governor’s underhanded excuses and hit squads. Add to that the moments of compassion and grief, and Michonne — along with the audience — can appreciate that for all his faults, Rick is a better man than the Governor.
The interrogations were a masterclass of menace and tension. The verbal sparring between Glen and Merle was as gripping as the violent and brilliantly-directed walker battle, and the whole plotline really pushed Glen into new levels of badassery. Yet it pales in comparison to the Governor’s climactic scene with Maggie, a scene that’s difficult and uncomfortable to watch, a scene that’s terrifying in its calm quietness and all the worse for those who’ve read the comics. The TV incarnation of the Governor isn’t as slimy as his comic counterpart, but that makes his actions darker and all the more disturbing.
Andrea’s storyline was slower-paced compared to the rest of the episode, giving the audience a little room to breathe amidst everything else. It also had some of the most surreal and visually interesting moments in the show to date, even if the conflict between Andrea and Milton was a little too simple and one-sided. The only real weakness of the episode is the brief action sideplot in the final act, which seemed like a poor excuse to include some zombie-killing and served no purpose except to remind viewers that Michonne is no wallflower.
The previous episode was no failure by any means, but “When the Dead Come Knocking” managed to do what the previous episode was trying to do and then improve on it, loading things down with character beats, emotional hooks and scenes of tension and a genuine, palpable horror. The showdown that’s brewing between the two camps is all set to reach fever pitch in the mid-season finale and after this instalment, we couldn’t be more ready for it.
Score: 9/10
