"Hounded" proved to be just the slump buster I was hoping for from Walking Dead after a string of mediocre episodes like "Say the Word". In fact, this episode was a fine example of just how good Walking Dead can be when at it's best. One area where the show has struggled throughout it's run is pacing. The show always seems to pump the brakes at the most inopportune moments, slowing things down for largely superfluous scenes mostly devoted to "character development" or "farming 101". Of course, the problem with that is that Walking Dead has always featured a disproportionate number of characters who are unlikeable to begin with, and most scenes involving them and what apparently passes for character development to the creators of the show has usually been awkward, forced, or just plain uninteresting.
"Hounded" by comparison is lean and well-paced. Most of the characters we don't care about (Andrea, Carl) stay out of the way, and the ones we do care about (Rick) are usually doing something interesting. The episode has that nice sense of forward movement and frenetic energy that the best episodes of Walking Dead all have. And, thankfully, the heretofore completely disparate Woodbury and prison storylines of the show have actually made some progress in coming together. Yes, six whole episodes into season three, Rick finally met Michonne (although they still have no dialogue; that will have to wait for episode seven)! And a member of the prison crew other than Andrea finds out that Merle is alive (something the audience rightfully assumed from the moment Rick and crew discovered that disembodied hand on the roof back in season one)!
Speaking of Merle, I would like to take a moment to praise the work of Michael Rooker, not just in Walking Dead, but in general. Rooker is one of the most consistently entertaining and under-praised character actors in movies today, and his work as Merle is typically great (although he is admittedly to some degree just playing himself, as he often does). "Hounded" featured plenty of Merle being Merle, and other characters had great moments as well: Darryl reunited with Carol. Michonne, who became immediately awesome upon escaping the vortex of suck that is Andrea, took out a slew of gun-toting henchman all by her lonesome. And T-Dog was still dead.
Unfortunately though, The Governor really had nothing to do in this episode other than sleep with Andrea (just the latest character on the show to enjoy Shane's sloppy seconds). To say that The Governor has been a hit or miss character this season would be an understatement, particularly given how eagerly awaited his appearance on the show was. It's like he, and the writers, can't really figure out the balance of sincerity, deception, charm, and menace that he should be displaying at any given time; the problem is so severe that he comes off like a completely different character in different episodes (and not in a good way, but rather in a schizophrenic one). The show (and perhaps actor David Morrissey) would be wise to take cues from Rooker, who does a masterful job of portraying Merle as a charming backwoods neighbor one moment, and sadistic, manipulative killer in the next.
It's usually a good sign for Walking Dead when Rick has a good episode, and this was a good Rick episode. The scenes with him on the phone were actually quite good and impressively acted, although the end result (the calls were a manifestation of his id, or guilt or whatever) was predictable. The scene where he finally embraces his newborn child, and the ending one with Michonne were also quite good. Ultimately, "Hounded" was a fine episode, and gives the show some much needed momentum heading into the likely cliffhanger that will end the first half of season three. Now that things are getting exciting again, I can only hope that The Walking Dead will maintain this energy going into future episodes, rather than squander it as they have in the past.
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