The Walking Dead Season 3 Review: New Season Offers Higher Stakes For All Characters

Culture

Geology is the study of pressure and time.

Pressure comes from the usual stuff: zombies, an impending baby, lack of food, fuel and shelter. Time: Six months after the end of season two. Give or take.

The Walking Dead is officially back on track after some corpses in the road in season two. If you were tired of the mundane location and the prolonged fights between the same few characters, season three offers something different. 

I’d be the first to admit that the chances for conflict are lowered without Dale and Shane around. There’s a little more “getting along,” but the show still managed to hold my attention because I continue to get to see Rick struggle to make choices he doesn't want to make. He can’t sit still in relative safety. He knows he has to take the risk and push on further in their adventure.

I don’t even get the luxury of knowing which choice I want Rick to make, which makes it fun to watch. He’s not entirely comfortable with his decision and neither am I. 

The talk all summer was about the new Michonne character. I avoided the talk. I really just wanted to see her on screen in something other than a hooded cloak. Sadly, Comic Con and other thrones in the kingdom of fan boys didn’t get enough of her to make up their minds. I’m sure we’ll see plenty more. The good news is it looks like we’ll get some parallel stories for awhile this season until Andrea finds the rest of the group. 

I’d still argue the characters are not always making the smartest choices. (In the real zombie apocalypse if I see a corpse with a head still on it -I’m not taking any chances.)

The best part of season three is the heightened stakes of the situation. The prison offers potential shelter and supplies,which is better than anything they could have dreamed. Plus at increased risk there are dark corridors filled with armored zombies, which is a pretty fantastic twist on what we’ve gotten used to. 

The tension in season three seems like it will come primarily from the undead and the environment they create. It’s not about the intimately fragile relationships of the characters trying to survive. It seems that will be where it should be for a zombie apocalypse show: the back seat. 

We have new pressures and clocks ticking away, whicht makes for a much more tense episode. 

Is this new prison their Shawshank or Zihuatanejo? I don’t see any sandy beaches so I’m guessing they won’t end season three there, b ut I’ll keep watching to find out.

Grade: 8/10