TWD 3x12 "Clear" episode discussion...**SPOILERS WITHIN**

[Staredge]

Michonne made a funny!!!!!!!! lol Loved it. Great episode. Hate to see Morgan like that........can't remember him in the comic right offhand. sure hoped he would come around. Maybe later in the season???

[Moon Knight]

i kinda was holding out hope that he'd kept duane around like the governor did with penny.... Me too.

[AnxietyDilemma]

Yeah, the Hitchhiker being left behind was a slight jolt for me. Seems as if they have decided not to help anyone unless they know them. The guy did seem sincere though. That's what it has come to. Early in the series survivors banded together, but now with supplies and shelter being limited, they have to fight for what they have, and for the safety of their group, and outsiders are a threat. Last season they would've went out of their way to help him out. It was nice that we were able to get to the meat of the issue in this episode, and even dwell on it a bit rather than having it build up only to transition to Woodbury and the prison.

[aceofspades]

I think he was a sincere individual, as he was a bloody smear later on. I felt bad for the guy. as dark as my humor is on this one...I couldn't help to be reminded of the Creepshow scene...."thanks for the ride Lady!" - - - Updated - - - also....I'm sure we all saw this. Michonne basically teleported twice in this episode, lol

[rgc2005]

also....I'm sure we all saw this. Michonne basically teleported twice in this episode, lol There were some really bad edits which really broke the flow of the show for me. The most noticeable was when Carl and Michonne jumped 20-30 feet from the front of the restaurant after she stopped him going back inside. Otherwise this was the best dramatic episode in a very long time. Somethings folks might not have noticed yet: -Rick teaching Carl field craft and troubleshooting on the road. Seeing Morgan's tiger traps, color coded escape routes and overhead pulley systems had to have given them some great ideas for defending the prison. -Rick and the group now have an emergency fall back location that is fully stocked, surrounded by a life sized mousetrap board game and maintained by a very crazy but now familiar zombie-killing machine. That is why Rick did not take but a small portion of Morgan's arsenal. -The Hitch hiker's backpack, thinking bug out bag... -A new crossbow with real bolts for Darryl.

[Legion2213]

One of the best episodes yet IMHO, the foraging is what zombiegeddon is all about for me (thanks Dawn of the Dead!) Really felt bad for Morgan and the hitch-hiker, the world has become a very cold and grinding place for the survivors, and it actually makes the governors attitudes and actions look "reasonably normal" for the new world that the survivors inhabit. Some others have said Michone is becoming a bit more likeable, I agree, she's probably decided that Ricks group is one of the least disfunctional she's seen on her travels and has decided that she's looking to hang on in there after overhearing Rick and Carls little talk...which says a lot for the above comments about just how low humainty has sunk during this disaster. Once again, enjoyed the Hell out of tonights feast of zombie goodness!

[MinionZombie]

What a fan-feckin-tastic episode!!! Best one of the back-eight so far, and definitely one of the very best of the season - indeed, one of the very best episode out of them all. Scott M. Gimple has had a real triumph with this episode - I'm not sure if anyone else felt this way, but it kind of felt a bit more 'Darabonty' if that makes sense? High drama, a few characters, concise storytelling in an enclosed location, total focus, and lots of heart. We've had that from the other episodes too, but in varying degrees - this episode felt the most like the very first episode in a long old time (that's not to say I've been let down by any of the other episodes though, just to be clear, but they all provide different tones). Micro Chips, Morrisons own brand horsemeat Madras, a glass of Irn Bru and TWD. Can Monday's be any better??? Not too many spoilers guys... I always have a sneaky peak on a Monday afternoon to gauge your opinion. Each individual discussion thread is a full-on spoiler fest for each individual episode (it's why we have one thread for each episode), so I'd recommend waiting to join in the discussion until after you've watched the episode. We tend to dive straight in. The spoilers don't cross-threads though, we like to keep them contained and separated. Micro chips? Not for me. @ "horsemeat Madras" ... but hell yes to Irn Bru & TWD combo. I like Michonne's contributions and acting much more than in the past I always had faith they were building up to this. Daryl was initially hated as a dumb redneck stereotype, and he very quickly became adored - it's taken a touch longer with Michonne, although the grievances of others around here were never really matched in my view of her, I was fine with the slow-build to her warming up to the character we all know and love. This episode was definitely a bit door kick moment for Michonne - this is who we know, this is who we want. A fantastic episode for Michonne and well done to Danai Gurira for her performance in this episode. A nice balance of seriousness, likeability, and arse kicking. Probably the strongest episode since the season break! Very happy with the isolation of the characters involved and lack of ping-ponging between different groups, it really helped punch up the mood and made you focus on the plight of the characters involved. Also, totally agree with Facestabber on Michonne getting some nice attention from the writers this episode. It was nice that we were able to get to the meat of the issue in this episode, and even dwell on it a bit rather than having it build up only to transition to Woodbury and the prison. Totally agreed. The limited cast of characters and the strong focus on them was exactly what the doctor ordered. Usually they're not too bad with skipping back and forth, but 3x04 was a bit irksome in that regard - we were getting some OMFG moments and then we were skipping back to Woodbury where everything was roses and kittens. It felt off in a couple of moments in 3x04 skipping away to Woodbury like that. Here though, yes, the focus on these four people was tip-top. Superb writing too. This episode was written by Scott Gimple, who is the showrunner for Season Four. Good sign?... A very good sign, I'd say. He's done a grand job with this episode. Yeah, it was a good episode. The surprise of it all had been spoiled long ago, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Hopefully Morgan returns again.... I hope so too. I imagine he's got to get his head straight a bit. Maybe he'll come and find the prison, or someone will bring him back, or yeah, maybe they fall back there ... we'll see, I guess. Yeah, the Hitchhiker being left behind was a slight jolt for me. Seems as if they have decided not to help anyone unless they know them. The guy did seem sincere though. A really stark reminder of how much humanity they've lost. They've got a mission to finish and they can't be distracted, but also their trust of outsiders is at an all-time-low ... on the other hand on the way back it showed them that they're losing that humanity. The regret was writ-large on Rick's face, but the practical scooping up of his back pack was a nice touch too - it would indeed be foolish to leave that behind - but it was interesting that Carl was less harsh in his view. He didn't say anything, I suppose he'd see the practicalities of the situation, but he recognised that this was a messed up thing to do regardless. I totally felt sorry for that guy ... but dude, don't scream out "don't leave!" from really far away. morgan's return was kinda neat, but i was really hoping he'd leave with rick and them...and i kinda was holding out hope that he'd kept duane around like the governor did with penny.... I suppose they didn't because it'd be too similar, unless Duane is lurking around in a back room somewhere. Comic Spoiler:   In 1x01 Morgan had trouble shooting his undead wife, but in the comic he had trouble shooting his undead son, so perhaps they just left it at Duane not being in it at all to not repeat themselves ... perhaps the actor had a massive growth spurt too, like Walt on Lost? A new crossbow with real bolts for Darryl. I definitely want to see Daryl sporting two crossbows. ... Finally, as per usual, memes for this episode (it was a bumper crop this week): http://forum.homepageofthedead.com/s...138#post295138

[MagicMoonMonkey]

That was fantastic! I had hoped Morgan would join the group. I really like this guy as an all round actor. He was excellent in Jericho also. Hopefully we will see him again in a more sustained role. The torn up body of the hitchhiker at the end was a touch of dark genius. Poor guy. I would say though that it was a bit contrived as he had survived on the road for such a long time and is ultimately done in a completely 'NOOB' manner. Still, it served its purpose and made me pause to see what kind of mess he was in. It looked a sore one. I can not believe there is only 4 episodes to go. Then we will be wishing our lives away until October!. Does anyone know if we will be treated to a 16 episode run in Season 4? I still pray to which ever god is prepared to listen to my pish that Rick and the group stumble right in to the original screenplay for Day of the Dead! Make it happen Kirkman, You know you want to.

[krisvds]

Not surprised at all that the one episode that steers away from the core prison/woodbury storyline turns out to be the best of the season so far, and possibly one of the best ever ... That in itself is rather sad given how awesome that storyline was in the comics. In AMC's version it's just a cluttered, often badly written, and at times very sadly staged mess. But not this episode! The humanity the characters, their emotions, the acting, directing,... for once all top notch. Or at least as good as televised drama gets. In keeping it simple and focussing on a few well fleshed out characters lies the true strength of this series. One can only hope next week will be just as good when we get Andrea and Philip (sigh) back.

[AcesandEights]

One can only hope next week will be just as good when we get Andrea and Philip (sigh) back. For some reason reading this put me in mind of the two of them together on a cheesy romance novel cover.

[MinionZombie]

Gimple did a top job writing this episode, but we should also give cred to Tricia Brock (the director) who's new to the series. According to the making of featurette online she has a history of theatre work, so putting her on this episode makes a lot of sense - confined spaces, few characters - it lets her get into the juice of the characters. I'm surprised nobody here has gone off on some over-cooked tirade against Carl going to find the last picture of his family ... or maybe everyone liked that as much as I did. There was a lot of interesting background stuff for Carl in this one - he's got a new baby sister and he wants her to know what her mother looked like, but he also sees that their family home has been burned out so there's no going back there (clearly part of him wanting to come was to see if he could see his old home again). I think Carl was recognising at various times in this episode just how much humanity they've lost/are losing, and he's yearning for the old days here - days from not even a year ago yet - and I think it was beautifully played by Riggs in 3x12. I know I'd want to return home when the chance presents itself. I also dug Michonne taking that weird papier mache type cat thing - a glimpse into a softer side to this katana-wielding survivor (it's almost weird to think that she had a boyfriend at one point). Big props to Lennie James (Morgan) too - he rocked 1x01 with a powerful performance, and again here he was bringing it full-on. A very emotional performance that managed to be far enough out there without going into silly wide-eyed OTT territory - like in 1x01, the performance felt natural and honest and true. Top stuff. Regarding the preview for next week's episode (tagged for Neil's benefit as that loon doesn't watch the end of episode teasers ):   I'm really looking forward to seeing this pow-wow between Rick and The Governor on seemingly neutral ground. I have a feeling it's going to be a tense-as-hell episode! This must play into the subplot of Andrea wanting to broker peace rather than allow war - although not for the benefit of Phillip, as Laurie Holden was stating quite clearly that Andrea isn't under any illusions regarding him anymore - as seen on the Paleyfest 2013 panel.

[bassman]

Someone just brought this up on another forum.... Did anybody catch a Night reference during Morgan's story of Duane's death? He told Duane(Jones) to stay upstairs while he went down to the basement. Then Duane died because he was upstairs? A very minor reference, if at all, but I got a smirk out of it.

[MinionZombie]

Someone just brought this up on another forum.... Did anybody catch a Night reference during Morgan's story of Duane's death? He told Duane(Jones) to stay upstairs while he went down to the basement. Then Duane died because he was upstairs? A very minor reference, if at all, but I got a smirk out of it. Good catch! I didn't notice it myself (was too consumed by the tragic irony of the father/son/zombie-mother upstairs/downstairs stuff).

[shootemindehead]

Best Episode of Season 3. Pity Morgan didn't head to the prison, but there's still time. On Morgan, he's a well acted character and would add an extra "nice guy" dynamic to Team Prison (Sorry for nicking that Min). He's a genuine guy and amid the samurai swords and crossbow heroes, would help to make the group a bit more likeable.

[Neil]

I really liked that episode! But I did see the twist at the end coming... But not them waste-not-want-notting his bag!