The Walking Dead Season 3 Recap - Episode 5: Say The Word

Say The Word

Oh, looky, the Governor (David Morrissey) has a secret! Turns out he is keeping his undead daughter a secret from the rest of the compound. No wonder he has a research team and he wants Michonne (Danai Gurira) on it.

What a way to kick start Episode 5 of AMC's The Walking Dead!

Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) go on an expedition to find baby formula to feed the newest Grimes (which turns out to be a little girl). They find a daycare centre - and dinner! Thankfully there are no more undead children for this episode though.

Rick (Andrew Lincoln), meanwhile, is loosing his marbles: big time! He winds up skulking around in the bowels of the prison looking suspiciously like Gollum from The Lord of the Rings looking for his precious. Unfortunately he finds it (her) in the belly of a zombie. Once again, who knew zombies ate ALL their food and not just the brains?!

The Governor decides to throw a party. It's a shame Milton (Dallas Roberts) is more interested in his experiments and not merry-making, but once again, the Governor works his people skills (read: bullies) and Milton relents. This party also gives Michonne the ideal excuse to snoop. She manages to regain her sword and find a secret diary before she's interrupted  Luckily she has a window to escape via and that's when she comes across a  cage full of zombies. It takes barely three shakes of her sword to dispatch them. Of course  she gets busted and has the Governor to answer to.

Not only does she pull her sword on the Governor, she then tries to woo Andrea (Laurie Holden) away from Woodbury. Andrea is nearly swayed too, when Merle (Michael Rooker) makes it difficult for them to leave. Eventually he opens the gates and Andrea decides she prefers it on the (apparently safe) inside and Michonne leaves her behind.

Now, speaking of the Governor, I have been trying to work out who he reminds me of. Well, last night, I FINALLY worked it out! It turns out the good (?) Governor bears a remarkable resemblance to a character in my book Emeline and the Mutants called Milosh. A character who holds together the 'perfect' community of Daisy Hill. Milosh seems too good to be true - and there's a reason for that. Unfortunately, the main character, Emeline Hart only discovers this AFTER she has sex with him. And based on what happens in my book, I am REALLY starting to get scared for Andrea now :-/

Anyway, back to this grand party the Governor is holding. It turns out the good people of Woodbury love to let their hair down - even if this entails street fighting bouts while the 'athletes' are surrounded by chained zombies. Is this the doomsday equivalent of a dog or cock fight? It's sickening to watch, more so for the crowd reaction than for anything else. It's at this point that Andrea realises she should have followed Michonne.

Daryl (Norman Reedus) turns out to be the baby whisperer - then goes ahead and calls the Grimes baby 'arse kicker' instead of the names Carl (Chandler Riggs) suggests. (Yeah we all KNEW he wanted his little sister named after his mum!)

So, how's poor Rick/Gollum coping? Well, we end Episode 5 with this:

 
gif maker

What's your theory on who's on the other end of the line? Personally, I think it's Carol...

(Photo Credits: AMC)

The Walking Dead Season 3 Recap - Episode 4: Killer Within

Episode 4: Killer Within

Now, I know the image above contains the words 'No Profanity', but this ain't going to be the case for this recap. No, sir-ee! If your sensitive ears can't handle the F-bomb, please walk away now, otherwise Maggie really will have to shoot you.

So, we open this weeks episode with someone baiting zombies. Now it's interesting to note here that the zombies were quite happy to eat deer guts - WTF?! Aren't they only supposed to eat BRAINS?! But, anyway, some mysterious person is seriously messing with the Ricktatorship gang by doing this as we find out a little later on when masses of zombies appear everywhere - it seems the baiter is also opening up all the gates in the prison too!

The last two inmates are starting to get cabin fever and try damn hard to wheedle their way into the cool gang. Using 'chief' and 'bro' in every sentence apparently isn't the way to go about it - who would think that wouldn't work?

While last week was all about the Governor's (David Morrissey) group, this week is split between the two compounds and we find Andrea (Laurie Holden) having second thoughts about leaving his little 'uptopia'. Michonne (Danai Girira) is all pissy about this, but then again what else do you expect from Michohh-my-god-can't-that-woman-ever-smile?

Andrea is also very helpful to Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker) by giving him a map with the location of Hershel's (Scott Wilson) farm. Who thinks this will end badly? It seems the Governor is not happy about this and doesn't allow Merle to go looking for his brother, Daryl (Norman Reedus). Although, let me say, the Governor is a fine shot with a golf cub and a walker... He seems mighty happy with Andrea though - can any one say 'fifty shades of creepy relationship' here?

So the baited zombies appear (Who let the walkers in? Who? Who? - Go on, I know you're singing it...) and it all goes to hell in a hand basket pretty quickly after that. Pregnant Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) puts up a real good fight, but goes into labour in the process. With only her son Carl (Chandler Riggs) and Glenn's (Steven Yuen) girlfriend Maggie (Lauren Cohan) for support, the odds don't look good.

While Lori struggles with keeping quiet during her contractions, we have come across another shock - T-Dog (IronE Singleton) gets bitten by a zombie. It doesn't look good either, since it's a shoulder bite, but he soldiers on with Carol (Melissa McBride) in tow as they try to find a safe haven. Unfortunately for T-Dog there is no safe haven, but at least he saves Carol by being a human snack-o when they are overrun by zombies. While it appears Carol escapes, later on, when T-Dog's body is found, they also find Carol's head scarf.

During the zombie kerfuffle, sirens start going off. It's another WTF moment. Is it the same person who baited the zombies? Rick (Andrew Lincoln) heads out to find the generator room inside the prison and is confronted by another human. This guy attacks Rick and the others, but thanks to one of the inmates, he is killed and Rick now knows his crew will grow by at least one more.

Okay, now we come to the pure guts of this episode - Lori giving birth. Now, what pissed me off the most about this scene was not the fact that Lori dies (yeah, sorry, SPOILER ALERT) or the fact that her own son Carl has to shoot his mum IN THE HEAD after she dies. It's not even the fact that Maggie has to slice the poor woman open without pain killers to get the baby out. What messes with my head the most is when Lori pulls up her top so that Maggie can perform a C-Section AND REVEALS AN OLD C-SECTION SCAR! What the FUCKING fuck?! Right from the start Lori knew she should have gotten rid of that baby. But, no, selfishly she chooses to leave behind an husband and a son in a world that has already claimed so many.

And then we have to deal with this scene:

Who else cried hardcore at the end of this episode?

(Photo Credits: AMD)

The Walking Dead Season 3 Recap - Episode 3: Walk With Me

Walk With Me

Well, there you go, last week I whinged about the lack of Andrea (Laurie Holden) in Season 3 of AMC's The Walking Dead, and finally we got to catch up of what's been happening in her world. Which turns out to be a whole lot of sickness, swords, armless camouflage and jumping from the frying pan, into the fire and back again!

Since I haven't read any of the comics, I didn't know much about the Governor (David Morrissey), but I had heard a few people hinting at his arrival. It was nice to finally meet him and find out what all the fuss was about, that's for sure - although Michonne (Danai Gurira) would disagree (if she ever opened up her mouth and talked, that is)!

All the way through this episode there is an ongoing sense of dread. We just know Michonne is right in her suspicions about this new-found Utopia, yet, at first, we are lulled into a false sense of security. Everyone loves the Governor and praise his actions for protecting his motley crew of survivors.

Slowly, the episode unfolds and we start to see the chinks in this new idyllic world  and when we witness the brutal slaying of some military guys that are left overs from the episode's opening helicopter scene, we just know that poor Andrea is going to get a tad more whiny before this season is over. Michonne will probably pout and frown so much that she will look like some sort of marine life.

It's at this point that I began to miss the normal crew. I missed Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and her constant panic over her baby and her crumbling relationship with Rick Andrew Lincoln). I missed Glenn (Steven Yuen) and his girlfriend, Hershel (Scott Wilson) and his new role as the team pirate and most of all I missed Daryl (Norman Reedus) and his crossbow.

Which brings me to how it all links up. Remember Daryl's brother Merle(Michael Rooker)? Yeah, that obnoxious, racist redneck that lopped his own hand off to escape zombies. Well, he's found the Governor also - and they are perfect for each other. He remembers Andrea too. I can see this ending badly.

And then, just when you think it can't get any worse, the episode ends with this image....

Which world do you prefer to watch? Rick and his Ricktatorship or The Governor and his Goons?

The Walking Dead Season 3 Recap: Episodes 1 & 2

Who else was as excited as I was about the Season 3 premiere of AMC's The Walking Dead? Is it just wrong to love the undead this much? Well, my hubby seems to think so.....

In tribute of this fabulous show, I will be posting my weekly recap on each episode. And because we all can't get enough of the show, the very first recap is a two-for-one deal!

Episode 1: Seed

We start this episode with the discovery that our fave zombie-hunting crew are just a little bit older and quite a bit more wiser! They have established a 'taunt and kill' regime that is proving valuable for the livelihood of the group and (final-time) deadly to the undead. It's disturbing to see young Carl (Chandler Riggs) in the midst of all this killing, but I guess if you were in this situation, morals and general society standards fly out the window pretty quickly. I just hope the poor young actor who plays Carl is not scarred for life.

Speaking of children, a very noticeably pregnant Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) is now beginning to ponder the wisdom of bringing another child into the post-apocalyptic world they now live in. It's too late to go back, but as she voices her concerns with Hershel (Scott Wilson), the group's veterinarian medical consultant, we discover just how sickening it may get. What if that baby dies before being born? Considering everyone is infected with the zombie virus, will the little critter re-animate and attack it's own mother from the inside? Also, consider the fact that the baby may survive childbirth, but Lori may not. What happens then? Lori pleads for Hershel to give her the final death if this happens, before she attacks her own child. Of course, there was no mention of what would happen if Lori dies while she is pregnant and the baby still lives on. Only time will tell, I guess....

So what's happened to poor Andrea (Laurie Holden), I hear you ask? We find her (very briefly) with another woman called Michonne (Danai Gurira). This woman travels with two undead who are chained and have missing limbs and lower jaws. She does this in a bid to keep her living scent masked by that of the undead zombies - what an ingenious idea! Poor Andrea is sick though and Michonne must find aspirin for her.

The group have found a prison  It's a safe haven in a deadly world. They just have to get in and kill all the zombies first! It takes the whole episode to do this. Once they are inside the prison they discover they are not alone. After Hershel is attacked and bitten on the ankle by a zombie, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) takes only a split second to amputate his leg in an effort to save the man's life. I wonder if it will work? And we end this episode with the visuals of living humans peering out at the group from behind a wire window after they hear all the commotion of the amputation. 

Will these people be good or bad, considering the place they are trapped in?

Episode 2: Sick

So who are these new people? It's obvious they're inmates from the go-get. Some of them nastier than others. It's very clear, in this episode, that the writers are trying to show that age old problem that arises in post-apocalyptic worlds: who do you trust? It is portrayed in a very black and white scenario. There is no grey areas, no reason to feel empathy for these inmates who have been trapped in hell for a whole year without any idea of what the outside world is like.  There is simply Rick (Andrew Lincoln) who mistrusts them and Darryl (Norman Reedus) who wants to kill them. To make a long story short, Daryl wins in that battle of wits, but only because the inmate 'leader' Tomas (Nick Gomez) attempts to 'accidently' kill Rick when they are fighting zombies en masse. Rick retaliates by a machete chop to the head and then chases down another inmate who appears overly sympathetic to Tomas. The inmate is trapped in with some zombies and Rick locks him in there and walks away. My haven't times changed! The Ricktatorship is now in full swing!

As a result of this 'battle' for supremacy, only two inmates are left. Rick and Daryl let them have their very own cell block and help themselves to half of the remaining food. They also openly threaten to kill the inmates if they come anywhere near the rest of their group.

It is touch and go for poor Hershel (Scott Wilson) for a while there, but Carl (Chandler Riggs) finds some medical supplies and kills a couple of zombies in a bid to help him. This results in a very unhappy Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) - oh, so she'll let him kill them in a pack, but not alone? Hershel almost dies anyway, but after Lori gives him mouth-to-mouth, he manages to survive - this is lucky for Glenn (Steven Yuen) who was tasked with the possibility of having to kill the zombified remains of his girlfriend's dad!

Now, while they are all assuming that Hershel will become a zombie, Carol (Melissa McBride) prepares herself for becoming the main medical hack guru. This means that her and Glen catch and kill a zombie (hang on, why didn't they just use one of the finally dead ones lying around?) and she practises hacking it open, just in case Lori needs a C-section during delivery. This scene is creepy enough - and then it appears that someone else is watching Carol, while hidden away in the trees surrounding the prison.

It seems they forgot about poor Andrea in this episode.....

So, what did you think of the return of The Walking Dead?

And while you're waiting for episode 3 to hit the screens, why not check out Emeline and the Mutants or Zombie Apocalypse Now!?

(Photo Credits: AMC Inc.)

Issue 2 of New Horror Magazine Sanitarium Hits the Shelves 20th October!

Okay, so you want to know what happens next in Zombie Apocalypse Now!? Well, the next exciting instalment is about to hit the cyber-shelves! Make sure you head on over to HP's MagCloud on the 20th of October for the newest edition of Sanitarium magazine - it's only $2.99. It's certainly a (trick or) treat at that price, so spoil yourself this Halloween while scaring yourself silly at the same time ;-D

Purchase Sanitarium magazine here.

"Emeline & the Mutants": only 99 Cents on Amazon!

In celebration of Emeline and the Mutants exciting new makeover, I am offering it at the heavily discounted price of 99 cents until next Monday 24th of September! Available only on Amazon.com

The new content included in the book comes in the form of journals by the characters you love the most, news articles from before the Haum vaccine mutated and turned everyone into zombies, vampires, werewolves and trolls, and propaganda leaflets.

Make sure you get in quick before the sale ends. If you have the old version, you are still able to purchase this new version in addition to the previous one. Why not compare the two and let me know which bits you like the most?

Quick, you can purchase Emeline and the Mutants on Amazon.com here for only 99 cents - but hurry, before time runs out!

As a teaser, here's one of Emeline's journals.....

________________________________________________________________

Emeline Hart’s Journal.

(Found in the roof cavity of the abandoned Hart residence)

January 8

Things I never want the world to forget about Angus:

• He’s smart, but studies for fun
• I met him at Uni. We were both studying ancient cultures
•  His father expected him to follow in his footsteps and become a media tycoon
•  He’s stinking rich, but he’s not pretentious about it, not one little bit
•  When he eats ice cream he always ‘accidently’ gets some on his face - just to shit me
•  His favourite pet was a dog named Minnie
• His hair is brown and curls up over his ears when he needs a hair cut
•  I love him

January 9

I met Angus after work today. I needed a beer something fierce! Right from the moment he walked into the bar, I knew something was up. He looked like crap, that’s for sure and if I didn’t know any better, I would think he’d already started drinking without me. I quizzed him, but other than saying he had a headache, he insisted he was okay.

January 10

I’m hiding in the roof cavity of my house.

I should have known better last night. Angus was sick, not drunk. But not good sick - Haum sick.

This is my first encounter with zombies. Sure I’ve met a whole bunch of vamps and weres - most of them being my family - and I even know a bit about merpeople (well, actually ‘people’ is no longer correct since all the mermales seem to have been eaten by their spouses), but zombies are new to me.

I am peering down through a small hole I punched in the ceiling with my biro. Angus can smell me, but he can’t work out where I am. I wish I didn’t have to do what has to be done. I wish Angus was like me - immune.

I don’t want to shoot him.

I still love him.

_______________________________________________________________

Zombie Apocalypse Now!

You'd better run. If you can't, you need to trip the person next to you in order to save yourself from the zombie apocalypse!

Starting from this week, you will be able to view my new weekly serial entitled 'ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE NOW!' on Wattpad. It is entirely free to read and the whole Wattpad universe is completely addictive! There are so many fabulous stories on there.

You have the chance to meet Rosalyn in my first episode. She seems to have lost someone dear to her during the zombie apocalypse and now she is making the terrifying decision to flee her house in search of food. But will she make it past the zombie at her door?

This series will revolve around four women: Rosalyn, Berta, Pip and Tatiana.

Be warned, one of them will be a crazy cat lady. Another will be pregnant.....

Make sure you add ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE NOW! to your reading list on Wattpad and vote on my first part so you can keep up to date on the lives of these four women.

And if one week is too long to wait, you can check out excerpts from THE RING OF LOST SOULS and EMELINE AND THE MUTANTS. I will also be adding a snippet or two from my upcoming trilogy that I will be writing for National Novel Writing Month in November.