The Walking Dead Volume 6: This Sorrowful Life: 06 (Walking Dead (6 Stories))

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Appreciated the ever strong and still progressing story and character building. Michonne gets more interesting every time and the episode is a masterclass of character development when it comes to Merle. The human drama is balanced well with the more action-heavy scenes. Also that the pace is never dull or rushed, deliberate but tight. There is a lot of tension and the ending is memorably heart-breaking. Also revealed in the DVD commentary was an alternate version of Merle's death after the fight between him and the Governor. In the first draft of the script, the Governor initially wanted to capture Merle instead and only kill him after he would watch Daryl's death. The Governor would have told the beaten Merle "I'm gonna kill Daryl and you're going to see him get torn apart." The Governor would then begin to walk away before suddenly changing his mind and shooting Merle dead. Glenn cut off two fingers from a walker to obtain a wedding ring. Coincidentally, the Governor bites off two of Merle's fingers during their fight. This is actually because the same prosthetic fingers were used for both of the scenes.

I like Glenn decided to propose Maggie. I really do. But when I saw Glenn cut off the walker's finger to get her engagement ring, it was so disgusting. He should have gone to Jewellery store and get a brand new ring for her best girlfriend, not to get a ring from the zombie. Eww! Personally, I am a little split. While I was tired of Merle walking around like a badass that didn't get along with anyone, he did try to redeem himself in the end and tried to save his baby brother. You have to respect any dude that goes out in a blaze of glory, bullets and fists flying, all to protect his family and kill a man that betrayed him. But in the end, I didn't feel the full impact of the moment. Merle's demise felt a bit rushed and the change towards redemption felt all too sudden. Goldberg, Lesley (April 1, 2013). " 'Walking Dead' Dissection: Robert Kirkman on the Major Fatalities and Comic Book Detour". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved December 10, 2013. This Sorrowful Life" is the fifteenth and penultimate episode of the third season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which first aired on AMC in the United States on March 24, 2013. Actually really liked Season 2, where the weakest episode ("Cherokee Rose") was very good still, but do share others' feelings about many episodes being on the talky side and moments of slowness. The previous Season 3 episodes to me were very good to brilliant, of which this episode "This Sorrowful Life" is one of the best. And a strong reminder of how Seasons 1-5 of 'The Walking Dead' to me were absolutely brilliant and seeing the show in its full glory days (Season 6 was uneven, Season 7 was a huge disappointment and am still debating whether to watch Season 8). It is as emotional, complex and as tense as one would expect , at the same time it has adrenaline and guts.Glenn and Maggie officially become a married couple in this episode, with Maggie unspokenly changing her surname to Rhee. Kirkman, Robert (May 2, 2007). "This Sorrowful Life". The Walking Dead. Vol.6. Image Comics. ISBN 978-1582406848. Meanwhile, Merle tells Michonne that this is his chance to save Daryl and the others. Michonne notes that Merle has a conscience, but Merle disagrees, saying he’s killed 16 people since the apocalypse began. Lauren Henneberg, Coleman Youmans, Jacque Tenpenny, James Barker, Ashe Johnson, and Jeremiah Scott as Walkers

The episode was watched by 10.69 million viewers, down slightly from the previous episode; [1] and critics reacted positively to the episode. At the perimeter of the prison, Glenn scans a group of walkers at the fence. He finds a female and cuts off two of her fingers. At the prison, Glenn finds Maggie alone and places an engagement ring in her hand that he had managed to take from the walker outside the prison fences. She smiles, accepts the token of affection, and they kiss, now a married couple. The portrayal of Merle, Daryl, and Michonne is the best aspect of it and the scenes involving these characters are great. Especially Merle, who is the main focus of the episode. I cannot say much without spoiling, but Michael Rooker gives another excellent performance and everything the character does is very memorable. His scenes with Danai Gurira and Norman Reedus are the highlights of the episode. I will say that it’s really difficult to reconcile the Merle here with the one we met in Season 1. Hell, he didn’t say a single racist thing while traveling with Michonne! It even seems a bit questionable to learn he hadn’t killed anyone until he met The Governor, given he was a drug abusing, gun-blasting maniac when we met him, who was already knee deep in the zombie apocalypse. But given how over the top Merle 1.0 was, I’ll take this much more nuanced portrayal – especially when it was in the midst of such a strong episode.

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At the meeting spot, Daryl arrives and clears out a few remaining walkers before coming across a reanimated Merle. Daryl cries at his loss, and as the walker approaches him, Daryl slams it to the ground and stabs Merle in the face several times. This is the third episode to share the same title of a Comic Series volume, after " Days Gone Bye" and " Made to Suffer". So what is a repentant Merle to do? Redeem himself? No. Change who he is? No. He does the one thing that comes naturally: He looks out for his little brother’s interests. And that is the beauty of the episode. Merle does not metamorphose into a saint or a kind hearted butterfly. He leads walkers to where the Governor is hiding and kills as many of his former friends as possible, all to help his brother. Honestly, if the shoe had been on the other foot and he had to kill the prison group to secure Daryl’s safety at Woodbury, he would have done it. Hell, he shot that poor asthmatic teenager without a second thought. THE-WALKING-DEAD It's really hard to start discussing an episode that is parts solid and awful. "This Sorrowful Life" had its highs, its very low lows, and plenty of "ugh" moments that make it hard for me to say whether I'd ever be willing to watch this episode ever again. I suppose that is the way almost every episode in the second half of season three has been, but this is probably the best example, as the highs hit almost redeemed the episode…but not quite. The episode was directed by Greg Nicotero and written by Scott M. Gimple [2] and shares its name with the sixth volume of the comics. [3]

Merle going on a rogue mission on his own to kill the Governor is adapted from a similar scene in Issue 46, where Tyreese and Michonne go on their rogue mission instead. I mostly enjoyed this episode for the performances, character development, and general themes, but I slightly struggled with some elements of the story.

This is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the Walking Dead and it's clear that as we get near the end, crazy things are going to happen. I like this episode for a number of reasons, but I really like how this episode centers on Merle as he reflects on the things he have done. The ending is really sad, but you can't say Merle had it coming from the day we met him. At least he went out in a glorious way.