Thanks for the spoiler tags on the comic info, dickhead.

I thought it was a good episode. Almost entirely Merle focused as they attempted to redeem him before his death. Kind of disappointing, though, that that was how Merle's character arc ends (rather needlessly sacrificing himself for the group while not really accomplishing all that much as the Governor still lives on), but I suppose it's pretty fitting to his crazy, unstable character.

"I don't know why the hell I do what I do..."
-Merle

Ended up fitting perfectly.

One hoopty had rims, the other didn't. Crazy.

Thank You Michael Rooker and Norman Reedus
 

I read in this thread all the time how people think slow, seemingly wasted episodes or scenes are ruining this show, but they are wrong. Episodes that focus on the subtleties in character development are just as important as any other type of episode. This is a show about people, and if people don’t change, or grow, or regress, then it is not authentic. And if you don't love or hate characters like Lori or Andrea or Shane, what's the point?

Norman Reedus provided me with the best moment of the entire series. All the other characters in the group had lost something, or had been torn away from something, but Daryl had found something. He had found a group of people who loved and cared for him, respected him, gave him validation, and had filled in all the things that had been missing from his life before the end of the world. And he desperately wanted Merle to be a part of that. The look of anguish and loss on his face as he sees Walker Merle was heartbreaking. Daryl was devastated, and then he broke down to tears, and then transitioned from pushing Walker Merle away, to taking all his pent up frustration out on Walker Merle while in tears, brought me to tears.

And Michael Rooker gave a virtuoso performance. The writing was superb because it not only carried Merle through an internal debate, spurred on by his conversations with Rick and Daryl, but the dialogue between Merle and Michonne revealed insight into Michonne's character, and the audience didn't even realize it.

For me, this will always be one of the best episodes of the series.

I think they'll know. Michonne knows she flipped a switch in him. And the fact that he let her go should say to them he wasn't going to do the Govs bidding anymore. I was wondering if Daryl would blame Michonne, but after thinking about it, I'd hope he'd notice Merle's gunshot.

It was such a great scene. Daryl pushing him away, not wanting to fight him again, hoping Merle would recognize him and be the stubborn man that wouldn't let the disease control him.

Watching the talking dead, what I didn't like was when they talked about why Daryl stabbed him so many times. There's so many ways to explain it, but it seemed like they just said, "Well, we don't leave our fallen as zombies." Well sure, but that doesn't explain the violence in that scene. To me, Daryl was releasing all of his anger towards Merle. The anger from all the fights they had growing up, the frustration that Merle wouldn't listen to him and not go it alone. I also thought he couldn't stand seeing his brother's face zombified and wanted to destroy it.

Enjoyed the ep even though some dickhead spoiled it in the IL/MIA ESPN bball chatroom.

It's pretty obvious there was more to that scene that "we don't leave our fallen as zombies."

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/43445776" width="500" height="283" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/43445776">Minuto de Sabedoria com Lemmy - Lemmy is God - OVERDRIVERS.com.br</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/overdrivers">Overdrivers</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

thread says with comic spoilers jackass

OP says put 'em in spoiler tags, illiterate.

But the OP also asks to "spoiler" all comic talk that hasn't aired. The thread title should be changed IMO.

Waste of a Merle.

Serious spoiler. Called it.