Back to his old ways

After last weeks Governor themed episode, we get another glimpse into The Governor to see if he truly has changed.

The Governor's former underling Martinez has started his own survival group and decides to take in The Governor and his new "family."

As the Chambler family stays behind at the new camp, The Governor goes with Martinez and two others on a supply run. Walking through the woods, they find tied up bodies with their heads missing and signs on them. One sign says "Liar" and another says "Rapist." Even with the ominous figures, they venture on into a walker invested cabin and The Governor has to save them.

It's interesting to note how The Governor tries to distance himself from his Woodbury days. remains changed. As the supply run group takes a moment to rest and search the cabin, The Governor plays coy with his past and takes every moment to shift the conversation from him to the others backgrounds. He does the same back at the camp.

Eventually, as Martinez and The Governor are driving golf balls atop an RV, The Governor gives us a glimpse that he might not have changed at all. He hits Martinez over the head with a golf club and then feeds him into the pit of walkers.

It's shocking and crazy at the same time sine this is the first true aggressive and psychopathic action The Governor has done since the fall of Woodbury. It's easy to think he did this to try and erase the last thing that could tie him back to Woodbury, but if he's trying to do that, killing Martinez isn't the answer. It was more of a selfish act, another first since leaving Woodbury, and could mean The Governor hasn't changed at all.

With the death of Martinez, the camp is not thrown into disarray as they have no leader. The Governor and the two men from the supply run decide to go on a hunt for food. They find a small group of survivors but decide to leave them alone. On their way back from the hunt, they find someone else raided the camp and took all the supplies.

This puts fear into The Governor and comes back to the camp to take Lilly and the other Chamblers away to find a new place to live. Unfortunately, the road is cut off by walkers and they decide to go back.

As morning comes, The Governor shows us he hasn't changed. He kills Pete, one of the supply runners, and then makes he way to Pete's brother but decides to make a proposition with him. As he explains a cover up for Pete's death, he begins to talk about how manipulation and coercion will keep the people happy and in control. In the end, The Governor assumes leadership of the camp.

This episode felt like a long character test for The Governor, and depending on who you ask, it's a pass or fail. As the episode comes to a close, we see that moment from two episodes ago as The Governor takes a watchful eye on the prison.

If you're the hopeful viewer, it's a fail because he really hasn't changed. The other side is a pass because he now is the enemy everyone wants.For me, I think it was a fail because I truly believed he had changed.

It's as if The Governor has come full-circle and the redemption tour was just to test his mental fortitude. To see if he would take his own life after defeat. However, the defeat seems to have made him even more dangerous. He's the enemy we've come to love and he's ready to make a new camp for his new group.

All in all, it was a decent episode but moved slow and wasn't as exciting to watch as last weeks. Aside from The Governor being his old self, there wasn't much this week.

This was really a set-up for next weeks show down at the prison. The next episode is the mid-season finale and it looks like war is going to happen again. It will be fun to watch if The Governor thinks he can take the prison.

Rating:

3/5