The Walking Dead: Recap of Episode 3.15 – This Sorrowful Life
Steve Barton
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Now that Andrea has been captured and both sides are gearing up for war, we can only guess who the casualties will be as no one is ever safe on this show, especially at the end of the season.
This penultimate episode, “This Sorrowful Life,” was written by Scott Gimple and directed by Greg Nicotero.
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read any further if you haven’t watched the episode yet. This is a recap with specific details from this episode. Continue only if you have already watched it.
Rick, Daryl and Hershel conferred outside on a plan to avoid fighting which Rick alone would implement. Inside, Rick confronted Merle about the plan to give up Michonne and Merle explained what the Governor would do to her, calling Rick cold-blooded. Even Merle, knowing his own sociopathic leanings, didn’t think Rick would go through with that plan.
The group laid some obstacles outside the prison compound to block potential attacks. Michonne pointed out that they only had to make Woodbury’s approach too much of a hassle.
Inside, Carol asked Merle if he was on their side but Merle was only there for his brother. Bemused, Merle was impressed by Carol’s newfound confidence.
Daryl tried to apologize to Glenn for Merle but Glenn would not accept. When Merle confronted Daryl about being a follower, Daryl turned it around about what Merle did to Maggie and Glenn and Merle did not deny his actions. Merle even brought up a good point about how the group was starting to act like the bad guy by giving up Michonne. When Daryl left, Merle packed a telephone in his weapons bag. Curiouser and curiouser.
As Hershel read a bible passage to Maggie and Beth, Rick started to Lori-cinate again outside. When Rick returned inside, he told Hershel that he had changed his mind.
Exploring some prison hallways together, Michonne and Merle dispatched of some oncoming walkers. While Michonne was distracted, Merle knocked her unconscious and bound her up.
Walking her to Woodbury, Merle explained to Michonne what Rick had planned. Merle was there to do the dirty work. Coming across a single walker, Merle happily used Michonne’s sword for a clean decapitation.
When Rick couldn’t find Merle nor Michonne, Daryl learned that they had left. Daryl went off alone to track them while Rick stayed to prepare for war.
All Merle wanted was to be with Daryl but he lamented that Daryl wanted to remain with the prison. Merle thought that this plan might keep the prison safe but Michonne was doubtful. Did Merle just crack a joke about his one hand?
Michonne also doubted that Merle was truly evil because he sounded remorseful. Michonne stated that truly evil people would not feel remorse, but Merle countered with his sixteen kills, though with a little regret.
Glenn confessed to Hershel that he finally understood the meaning of Hershel’s stopwatch gift. Glenn asked Hershel for his blessing to marry Maggie and promptly received it.
Coming across an abandoned motel (hopefully not occupied by the Bates family), Merle hotwired a car successfully but not before setting off a loud alarm, attracting a horde of walkers. While Merle still worked to turn off the alarm, a couple of walkers attacked a tied-up Michonne, but they did not stand a chance against her. One even dared to attack Merle, who quickly stabbed it with his knife hand-attachment. When Michonne got grabbed by a walker, Merle shot it down and cut off the cable tying her to the building and they drove off. As if the walkers ever had a chance at both Merle and Michonne!
On this road trip, Michonne accused Merle of being the trashman for both the Governor and Rick. Michonne discovered that Rick did not ask Merle to capture her. She even exclaimed that Daryl identified more with the prison group than with his own brother, Merle. Merle countered with Rick betraying her. They both seemed to have bonded over being outsiders.
Glenn found a lady walker and cut off her finger. No doubt for a ring. Definitely not a trip to Tiffany’s!
So Merle hadn’t killed anyone before the zombie apocalypse or even before he joined Woodbury. Michonne asked why Merle would kill for the Governor before suggesting they could just return to the prison. Merle insisted that he could not. He stopped the car and cut off Michonne’s bindings. Merle let Michonne out with her katana to return alone. Merle had to something he had to do.
Daryl came across Michonne in the middle of killing a walker and learned what happened. Daryl ran off looking for Merle on his own.
Merle was enjoying his booze with loud music in his car, attracting a horde of walkers. Moving the car slowly, they followed him. Merle rolled the car into the grain silo which was the site of the peace treaty meeting, while the horde approached it. He hid nearby while the loud noise attracted the attention of the Woodbury henchmen. Rushing towards the horde, the henchmen tried to take them out while being sniped out by Merle in hiding. When Merle had the Governor in his sight, he got distracted by a walker. Fighting his, Merle was discovered and attacked by the henchmen. The Governor took over the beating and even administered a gruesome finger bite. After subduing Merle, the Governor shot him.
Glenn found Maggie and proposed kinda unromantically but she didn’t care and accepted. It was a sweet, quiet moment we knew wouldn’t last long.
Rick confessed to the group that he had planned to give Michonne up to the Governor. While he had changed his mind, Merle had enacted the plan. He apologized to the group for keeping them in the dark. He also apologized for his Rick-tatorship and said that they should be a democracy together. Leaving the group after his speech, he spotted a very much alive Michonne making her way back and was relieved.
Daryl found the meeting place littered with dead bodies and feeding walkers. He found a turned Merle and broke down. When walker Merle came at him, all Daryl could do was to put him down. If you didn’t tear up during this scene, you’re as dead as those walkers.
Was this Merle’s redemption? Will Michonne forgive Rick for what he did? Will Andrea survive next week’s season finale? Stay tuned!
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