The Walking Dead: 6 Things That "Us" Did Right (And 3 It Didn't)

5. Joe

The Governor was not a bad villain. He could be terrifying, and the "bread and circuses" tactics that he employed first at Woodbury and then at Martinez's camp were unsettlingly effective. The problem was that all of the Governor's schemes depended upon his followers being pretty darn...well, stupid. The sole reason that any of his plots ever worked was that he always managed to stumble upon people oblivious enough to follow him. Not so for new foe Joe. Rather than amassing an army of sheep, he is discriminating enough to recruit only the Daryls and Merles of the post-apocalyptic world. The men of his group are capable enough to provide for themselves, smart enough to see the safety of numbers, and ruthless enough to embrace the brutal simplicity of Joe's rules. Had it been Rick or Glenn or Bob who had been found sitting in the middle of the road, the gang almost certainly would have killed them for their supplies. Daryl had the right look and the right attitude, and he earned himself a trial period. It was not an idle period for Joe. He seemed to take a peculiar interest in converting Daryl, and he spent much of the episode needling and wheedling Daryl into falling in line. Granted, Daryl isn't exactly a paragon of self-esteem at the best of times, but Joe is pretty masterful in his manipulation. "Ain't nothing sadder than an outdoor cat thinks he's an indoor cat," says Joe, landing on just about the worst thing that Daryl could have heard at that point. He ain't so far gone that he doesn't recognise a metaphor when he hears one. And it works. Whether Daryl has been legitimately converted or is merely continuing to bide his time, the organized chaos that keeps the group together does not bode well for Rick. Joe may succeed where the Governor failed. We will simply have to hope that they are stopped before they catch up with Rick...and before they reach Terminus. Also, Jeff Kober is amazing.