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. This is the third episode to share the same title of a Comic Series volume, after " Days Gone Bye" and " Made to Suffer". But now to Merle, who was the focus of the episode. Merle takes matters into his own hands and decides to bring Michonne to The Governor himself. In his conversations with both Daryl and Michonne in the episode we see that Merle doesn't want to be the evil guy. This all leads up to his final decision to let Michonne go, while he goes off on his own to confront The Governor. Merle manages to kill 8 of The Governor's men, including the unbelievably annoying Ben, before being forced into a fight with The Governor himself. In a particularly brutal fight, The Governor gains the upper hand and kills Merle. We then see Daryl find Merle as a walker and kill him, with great emotion.

Before this episode, Merle is nothing. I don't really care whatever happens to him. But in this episode, I do. Merle is kind of different. He could do everything for his brother. He can be a bad guy for his brother. That's what touched me and changed my view of him. Sadly, he didn't end up very good. 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. 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 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!

Had heard nothing but great things about 'The Walking Dead' from friends and IMDb reviewers. It took a while to get round to watching, both from being busy and also not being sure whether it would be my cup of tea. Finally getting round to it a few years ago and slowly working my way through it, having had a very long to watch and review list, 'The Walking Dead' turned out to be very much my cup of tea and as good as the hype made it out to be, have found it extremely addictive. Sorry for the lateness this week, but AMC chose not to provide screeners. I’m assuming this will be true for the finale as well, so… look out for that. This Sorrowful Life" is basically Merle's episode. His big goodbye. So, you can look at it two ways: you hated Merle all along and you were yelling "Good Riddance!" as Darryl kabobed his brothers head or you were starting to like Merle and felt like there was a redemption to be had, which we sort of see in this episode. I believe this factor will impact how you feel about this episode. Daryl, inconsolable and confused, simply did not know what to do. In killing his big brother, Daryl had closed the last remaining door to the past, to the world that once was but is no more, and he had opened a door to the future. For three seasons, Merle has been the subject of Daryl's mind. Finding his brother and then protecting his brother. Now, with Merle gone, exactly what will Daryl's purpose be?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. Fast and Loose" - Motörhead: This song was used at the time Merle listens to music while drinking Whiskey inside his car. Everything is tautly paced without rushing through the more important parts and emotionally complex. The world building is stunningly immersive and effective. Direction is smart and atmospheric while the show throughout has been strongly acted. Michael Rooker especially is outstanding in this episode.

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. 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.

Michael Rooker proved in this episode how brilliant of an actor he is once again. In the scenes he had with Michonne and Daryl, Rooker brilliantly conveyed Merle's desire to redeem himself. Norman Reedus also delivered an incredible performance, brilliantly portraying the emotional devastation finding Merle had on Daryl. Andrew Lincoln, David Morrissey and Steven Yeun also delivered great performances in this episode. It has been enjoyable to watch Yeun get more and more impressive as the series goes on. Goldman, Eric (March 24, 2013). "The Walking Dead: "This Sorrowful Life" Review". IGN . Retrieved March 24, 2013. Like all the episodes of the show, "This Sorrowful Life" is incredibly well made in the production values, with gritty and audacious production design, photography of almost cinematic quality, effects that look good, have soul and are not overused or abused and pretty frightening make-up. The music is haunting and affecting, having presence but never being too intrusive.

The episode was watched by 10.69 million viewers, down slightly from the previous episode; [1] and critics reacted positively to the episode. 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] While I can’t say I was sad about Merle’s death, it certainly played out as the strong, “going out on his own terms” scenario it was meant to and certainly a great send off for a character whose presence I once loathed. And man, Norman Reedus then actually had me legitimately emotional. Reedus was excellent conveying Daryl’s absolute despair at seeing Merle now a zombie, as he broke down in tears and initially couldn’t bring himself to do anything more than shove Merle away. The juxtaposition between this and how he then absolutely destroyed Merle was an excellent way of showing the extremes going through Daryl in that moment. 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. 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.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. The sequence where Merle accidentally set off the car alarm was very well done, as we all realized what that alarm was going to bring forward. And Michonne curb stomping that one zombie to death, followed by decapitating the other, all while her hands were bound and she was tied to a post, was seriously bad ass -- I almost wished it was a more humorous scene where she killed all the zombies without Merle realizing they were ever there -- though that would be a bit off tonally for this show, I realize. 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. 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.