‘The Walking Dead:’ Prison Calls

During last week’s episode of “The Walking Dead,” Michonne leaves Andrea behind in Woodbury while Rick grieves Lori’s death by going on a walker slaying spree and answers a phone call in prison.

 

Bing: More on “The Walking Dead” | More on Michonne actress Danai Gurira

 

Merle and a group of men have been sent by the Governor to go after Michonne in the woods. They come across a “biter gram” she has left them, remains of a walker that spell out “go back.” Merle taunts her to reveal herself, and she does, killing a couple of his men but gets shot in the leg by Merle. Merle rallies the surviving member of his group, Neil, to pursue Michonne with him.

 

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In the prison, Rick is on the phone with a female’s voice. She claims that she’s in a safe place away from walkers but can’t tell Rick where - he asks if she can take in any refugees, tearfully begging that he has a son and a newborn. She tells him she would talk to her group and call back in two hours.

 

Rick walks into the cell block where everyone is eating and asks if they’re okay. Hershel turns and asks how he’s doing. Rick replies that he’s cleared out the boiler area. The group is making plans to go on another formula run for the baby and to look for more ammunition. Despite Glenn offer to help, Rick turns back around to clear out the boiler area of corpses.

 

On the safe streets of Woodbury, Andrea and the Governor are chatting. She criticizes his “sadistic” form of entertainment (a UFC-style combat with men and walkers), but since she chose to stay in Woodbury, asks if she can contribute to its society by defending the wall. The Governor is impressed and will have someone teach her how to use a bow and arrow.

 

In the boiler room, Rick receives another phone call, but this time a man’s voice is on the line. The man confirms that he’s in a safe place away from walkers, then asks Rick how many people he’s killed. As Rick recalls killing Shane, the man asks him how he lost his wife. Rick pauses painfully and says he doesn’t want to talk about it, then hears the phone click and a dial tone. Angry, he screams and hangs up the phone.

 

Andrea is sitting in a chair on the wall with another young woman and resident of Woodbury. The young woman will be teaching Lori how to shoot, and brags about the bow she’s wielding - it was her father’s and cost more than her car. She reveals that she had to kill her father, and Andrea is empathetic as she killed her own sister due to the infection.

 

A walker approaches and the young woman attempts to kill it. Andrea grabs a screwdriver and jumps off the wall, despite her new friend’s protests. She knocks the walker down and jabs the screwdriver in its head with relish. The young woman exclaims, “What the hell was that? What is wrong with you? This isn’t a game!”

 

In the prison, Hershel joins Rick in the boiler room. Hershel examines his amputated leg, and tells Rick he saved his life. He then tells Rick how sorry Lori was for the things she did. Rick shares with Hershel the phone calls he’s received, but doesn’t want him telling the rest of the group. Hershel offers to sit and wait with Rick for the next call but Rick declines.

 

Back in the woods, Merle and Neil are in hot pursuit of Michonne. She creeps up behind them, cutting Neil, then defends herself against Merle. All three are weakened when walkers approach and begin attacking. After Neil and Merle slay a couple of walkers, they turn around to find that Michonne has escaped again.

 

Daryl, Oscar and Carl are in the bowels of the prison, trying to secure another area against walkers. Daryl tells Carl how his mother died in a fire, and Carl responds by saying how he shot his mother but is sorry about Daryl’s mom. Daryl also says he’s sorry.

 

Andrea sees the Governor in his office, he tells her she’s no longer needed on the wall. Andrea confesses that she liked the fights, but didn’t like that she liked them. The Governor guesses that Andrea may like him, too.

 

Merle tells Neil it’s time to return to Woodbury, despite Neil’s desire to continue after Michonne. He asks what they should tell the Governor and Merle replies that they’ll tell him she’s dead, since she’s going right to the “red zone” and “she’s as good as dead.” Neil challenges him to go after Michonne, but Merle shoots him in the head instead.

 

Michonne retrieves her belongings in the woods and is approached by a group of walkers. She begins to draw her sword, but they pass her without stopping. She realizes that the walker guts that spilled over her earlier is camouflaging her scent from the walkers.

 

Rick receives another phone call - this time, the woman is back on the line. She advises him to tell them how his wife died, saying, “It would be good for you, Rick.” Rick pauses and asks her how she knows his name. The woman hangs up.

 

Still covered in walker blood, Michonne comes across the remains of a town just as Glenn and Maggie drive in. Glenn breaks into a building while Michonne watches.

 

In the Governor’s yard, he and Andrea talk about his past. He asks her ,“How long has it been?“ Then laughs and clarifies, “Since you had whiskey this good?” Andrea smiles and says, “So long, I can‘t remember.” The Governor confesses he’s happy to forget the past and to live in the present. He then tells Andrea that she’s amazing and to enjoy life. They then kiss.

 

After ransacking the building of supplies, Glenn and Maggie prepare to drive back to the prison, but are surprised to see Merle emerge. He and Glenn recognize each other, and Merle asks them to take him to see his brother, Daryl. Glenn refuses, and shots are fired. Merle has taken Maggie at gunpoint and forces Glenn to drive them away. All the while, Michonne is still watching.

 

Daryl, Carl and Oscar are still making their way through an unsafe part of the prison when Oscar delightfully comes across a pair of house slippers. As the three share a laugh, a walker has crept up behind them. They all turn and shoot it down, then Daryl realizes that its been stabbed by Carol’s knife.

 

The phone rings again in the boiler room and Rick answers. He asks the woman how she knew his name, and realizes he’s on the phone with his dead wife, Lori. Sobbing, he tells her he loved her and had made a promise to her that they would have a life, but he couldn’t put it back together. Lori replies that she loved him, and Rick hangs up as the connection goes dead.

 

Naked in bed, Lori and the Governor are interrupted by a knock at the door. The Governor answers it, Merle has returned with news that his men have died in combat, and lies about killing Michonne. The Governor says they will give her a hero’s funeral, then asks about her sword. Merle lies about that as well, then reveals how he’s captured Glenn and Maggie. He says he will find out where they’ve been staying.

 

Rick finally returns to the cell block and takes his baby daughter from Hershel. Tearfully, he holds her.

 

Back below, Daryl is angrily stabbing the floor with Carol’s knife. The dead walker’s corpse is blocking a door that something (or someone) is attempting to escape from. Frustrated, Daryl pulls open the door, ready to strike, but instead, he finds a weakened Carol sitting behind it. He carries her through the prison.

 

Rick emerges from the prison with his baby, Carl, Beth and Hershel. Something catches his eye, so he hands the baby to Carl and walks to perimeter of the prison. Amidst walkers, he finds Michonne (still covered in blood) approaching the fence carrying a basket of baby formula.

 

“The Walking Dead” airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.