Rating: 
As Robert Kirkman said in the letters section of “The Walking Dead” comic: The only thing keeping us from surviving the zombie apocalypse is us. “Arrow on the Doorpost” is filler, but pretty darn good filler, overall. It’s a shame, because watching the Woodbury guys and the prison group bond and discover they have something in common and something to offer really shows that if we weren’t so concerned with power, revenge, and trivial nonsense, we could be unstoppable and rebuild the race.
It’s also interesting how the Governor explains that concepts like adolescence is a trivial and extinct notion and yet he’s still so hell bent on hollow human pursuits like revenge, a concept that should be long dead once humanity breathed its last gasp.
Milton is a man working for the governor on fear and only fear. Milton is loyal to the governor because he’s frightened, and we see that when he opens up to Daryl and Herschel, proving he’s not just some toadie. As for Martinez, it’s really good to see a prominent Hispanic character on “The Walking Dead,” if even for a little while. Martinez is a vicious and brutal enforcer, and one I’d love to see a webisode mini-series about on the AMC website sometime, soon.
The chemistry between Daryl and Martinez is the best aspect of the episode, as they find out that they not only kind of respect one another, but respect the hell they’ve been through. They’re kind of like two inmates in a prison cell. They’ve been put there and now have a respect for what they’ve been put through. The hunting scene was fantastically staged as Daryl and Martinez seem to compete in zombie killing like Legolas and Gimli in “Lord of the Rings” and discover they’re brilliant warriors.
I haven’t seen anyone wield a bat like that since “The Warriors.”
The material in “Arrow on a Doorpost” is mostly entertaining, save for Andrea, who does nothing but failing to assert her authority and then whine about why she’s being ignored. “They kicked me out,” she pouts sitting outside the barn. You poor thing. I can see why you’d have a hard time deciding loyalties. Rick got you out of Atlanta and back to your sister, saved your life in the Atlanta camp, brought you to safety, took you to Herschel’s farm, and helped teach you how to survive, while the Governor diddled you until your head popped. I can understand why you’d be so conflicted.
The summit between Rick and the Governor is teeming with excellent dialogue and double entendres as the summit is meant mostly to feel one another out and decide where they stand. It became clear by the middle of the episode that no one was actually there to solve anything. They just wanted to compare guns and be on their merry.
“I have more guns,” says Rick.
“Maybe, but I have more soldiers,” The Governor brags.
“We have a Hulk,” Tony Stark declares.
I digress. In either case, The acting between David Morrissey and Andrew Lincoln is mesmerizing as both men embody their characters with sheer skill, and now that Rick is back on Planet Earth, he knows what he has to do and what he may have to do to ensure his own safety in the future. Andrea will do anything if you touch the right spots, the Governor has clearly revealed when he informs Rick that he’s well aware of the whole Shane and Lori debacle.
Andrea you gossiping tart. And how did the Governor discover Rick and his stash of guns?! In either case, there really seemed to be nothing to this summit except for one major stumbling block the Governor has yet to really conquer. He wants Michonne above all else, and now Rick has to decide if he wants to give up Michonne and keep his crew safe, or risk losing it all for the sake of his second best enforcer. Michonne has proven she can hold her own and then some. The dilemma is a terrible one, but I wouldn’t trust the governor no matter what he promised.
And what a shock. Andrea leaves with the Governor in spite of agreeing to leave with Hershel and their group. Oh, Andrea, I hope your death is swift.
We have three more episodes, and I fear this series is basically going to piss away Tyreese like they pissed away Dale, and Axel. I look forward to seeing how this all comes to an end.
We are currently seeking TV contributors on WhatCulture. To find out more about the perks of being a TV contributor, click here.
3 Comments
This episode is why I hate tv so much. It seems rick for whatever reason is not going to remember the awful things the governor has done. He should know by now that any deal with the governor should be made knowing he isn’t trust worthy. He hasn’t remember.
waste of 40 minutes. Nothing happens. They build tension and make you think the meeting is going to end up in a gunfight only for it to finish like a wet firecracker.
I think Felix “got it” about this episode and the two commenters above clearly did not. This episode was fascinating as it ratchets up the tension toward the ultimate conflict/war between Rick’s group and the Woodberry group. But by showing the characters bond with each other as they waited outside the summit, it builds on the underlying pathos of the whole situation because the conflict is CLEARLY so avoidable. As the Darryl and Martinez grow to respect each other, and as Milton and Herschel realize how much they can learn from each other; the inevitable war between the groups becomes all the more tragic. This is not “good guys” vs “bad guys” anymore and the humanizing of Martinez in this episode is critical to the development of the truly tragic events to come. This episode was subtle but outstanding theater. And it was absolutely vital for the tone of the upcoming episodes.
And just as you’re led to believe that Rick sees right through the Governor’s facade of amiableness and trustworthiness, rick talks to Herschel about giving up Michonne and you realize he’s actually considering the Governor’s offer. And his stature as an ethical and insightful leader of the so-called “good guys” further erodes. The graying of the lines in this epside was tremendous. I’m surprised so many fans didn’t appreciate the character development and ambiguity of this episode more.