The Walking Dead is a show that has seemed to really hit its stride lately (a fact that makes the departure of showrunner Glenn Mazzara all the more unfortunate). And, luckily, that trend continues in "The Suicide King". This show about zombies will likely never be considered the best acted, or best written, show on television. But it may settle for the most entertaining, which is certainly not a bad thing. Certainly, the record-breaking ratings of the show attest to its entertainment value. And considering that Walking Dead was left for dead (har har) by many fans during the dog days of season two, it's rebound has been an impressive feat.
The formula for getting better was simple: lots of boring, uninteresting characters were killed off, and replaced by more intriguing ones. And then the"boring" characters that remained were actually given stuff to do. And that speaks to a bigger truth about Walking Dead: the show has gotten bigger and dumber. And I mean that in a good way. I've read the (excellent) graphic novel that Walking Dead based on, and it's pretty heavy stuff. There is of course plenty of mayhem and zombie-slaying action, but for the most part it's very introspective. Walking Dead the TV show excelled at that approach for parts of season one under Frank Darabont, but, perhaps because of the change from Darabont, things became a bit of a slog last year.
Now, the show is at it's best when it embraces it's pulpy side. Walking Dead should be an action show, and a fun one at that. And recently it has become just that. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, the characters are simply doing stuff. Stuff other than sitting around having moral debates and philosophizing. They're growing and changing. All that is what has made the show so great lately. And continuing that trend, "The Suicide King" is a great start to the second half of the third season. There's a pretty good action sequence to start things off, and then nearly every character is (seemingly) set off on the path that will carry them throughout the remainder of season three.
Andrea begins to assume a leadership position in Woodbury while The Governor seems shaken on a personal level by the events of the last episode before the hiatus. The Dixon brothers are off to have an adventure together (which has a noticeable effect on Carol). The Governor's attack on Maggie has driven a wedge between her and Glenn (who seems desperate for revenge). And the numerous tragedies Rick has endured continue to damage his psyche. Along the way, Hershel (as played by the current acting heavyweight of the show, Scott Wilson), has a few excellent, emotional scenes. We get a little bit of exposition involving the group led by Tyreese. And even Beth has a few lines (and the first hint of a relationship between her and Rick?).
Overall, "The Suicide King" is not a monumental episode in the grand scheme things, but it manages to be pretty eventful despite that. It is obviously a transitional episode, concerned primarily with getting characters into place for the second half of season three. But it does so in a graceful, skilled manner. Those expecting things to kick off with a full-scale war between Woodbury and Rick's crew may be a little disappointed. But for, the show is more interested in the effect that the raid on Woodbury had on the characters from an emotional standpoint. That isn't a bad thing. And Walking Dead has been good enough recently to earn my trust in that regard. We should only have to wait an episode or two for things to get really cooking. And when they do, I know it will be pretty exciting.
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