The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 16 Welcome to the Tombs Review

The Walking Dead Season 3 Finale 

Episode 16: Welcome to the Tombs

In Depth Synopsis and Episode Review

This is the moment we have been anticipating since the mid-season premier. This attack has been gradually and tensely building up to the climax we find ourselves today at. Andrea is still locked up in the Gov’s workshop, Daryl is getting over the loss of his brother and Rick awaiting an imminent attack.

For just the quick short review and overview click here

On last week’s installment we saw the sad departure of Merle, the infamous character that we saw briefly in season one and properly uncovered his true colors in the conclusion of last week’s episode. Michonne was never handed in and the Gov lost eight men including one of the two survivors that entered in with Tyreese and Sasha.

Click Here for last weeks overview and in-depth Episode 15 review

We begin looking at a bloodied Governor starring down the camera and beating a poor victim to near death. Is it Andrea? Has he caught Rick?

No its Milton. He has found out about Milton’s loyalty to Woodbury’s people by putting their concerns above those of Rick’s so called and made up threat to Woodbury.

The Gov is pinning the blame for the eight lives lost in last week’s solo attack from Merle on Milton’s actions. Milton asks what the Gov’s daughter would think but all he gets in a sinister tone, “she would be afraid.” The Gov throws him into the same room as Andrea and tells him to collect some tools behind her (one of which he knocks on the floor behind her). The Gov says that he isn’t leaving this room until he kills Andrea.

Milton’s loyalties have been tested over the past few weeks and he then in that split second chose to fight against the thing that has been repressing him for a long time. He turns around and attempts to stab the Gov but his weakness is Milton’s downfall and the Gov responds by stabbing him in the chest. He says I told you will kill her and now you are going to rip her apart once you turn. A brutal start to the episode sets the bar to what looks to be an action packed episode.

Rick and the others are preparing for an attack, moving their things into the cars to look like they are moving out (really they are just moving there things away and out of any of the fighting). And yes ghost Lauri makes another appearance in front of Rick. Rick still isn’t out of the woods with the whole crazy lark yet but he is on the road to recovery. He is helped by a confrontation with Michonne as she tells him that she basically forgives him for considering the Gov’s proposition.

It’s very hectic at Woodbury and the Gov gives another falsified speech about how Rick is a danger to Woodbury’s life style. He puts off the interests of Tyreese and Sasha as they opt to stay put and protect Woodbury, they have no intention of killing anyone. Then they head out to siege the prison.

The Woodbury army charge into the prison with clearly planned out tactics but yet like a bull in a china shop when it comes to stealth, blowing up both watch towers and firing exploding ammunition to alert anyone in the vicinity. They pull up and take out the Walkers in the area before using a car to knock down the gate. There isn’t any resistance and we are made to think that perhaps Rick and everyone has retreated.

They enter the prison still unchallenged and into the living quarters (cell blocks) that they have recently called home. The Gov finds only a highlighted section of the Bible reading: “And shall come forth; they that have done well, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation”. But as you can imagine and giving the Gov’s recent state of mind, arguably more crazy than Rick as of late, that this quote files straight past him with no impact whatsoever.

Meanwhile Andrea is still locked and strapped to the Gov’s chair. Milton is still alive but not for much longer. You can hear the pain he is in after every word he speaks to Andrea. He gives her an escape route with the tools he dropped behind her but tells her to hurry, he knows his fate is already decided and now a waiting game. His last question is to ask why Andrea stayed at Woodbury. Her reply is subtle and you really understand the tug of war Andrea has been experiencing. She wanted to save everyone including the Gov and she didn’t want anyone to die.

The Woodbury intruders wander around the dark unsafe side of the prison and spilt into groups. A flash bang gets thrown into the wanderers and panic breaks out. An alarm goes off and Walkers appear. You clearly see the manipulation of the Gov. These aren’t soldiers, they are everyday citizens in a dark new world. They flee and once outside undergo fire from Maggie and Glen from the catwalk above.

The retreat begins and one lone teenage boy runs into the concealed Hershall, Carl and Beth. The boy obviously scared begins to put his weapon down until the unexpected action of Carl opening fire takes place. Carl has definitely been hit hard since his mother’s death. He vulnerability died with his mother and since then has grown more into his dad’s footsteps. But he is still young and his actions are more to prove a point to his dad than anything else.

After the rest of the Govs men retreat out of sight the prison settlers regroup and Rick learns of his son’s actions, reluctant at first to believe them but he has learnt to listen Hershall’s judgement.

We then witness the definition of brutality and how evil the Gov has become. He catches up with his fleeing Woodbury crew and halts their retreat. He orders them to go back and he gets an unresponsive reply from his people. They say Rick can have the prison and to just leave them but the Gov drowns out all excuses and you see anger and the crazy click wash over his face. He opens fire on everyone in front of him. He turns around to find Allen nervously point his weapon at him. The Gov without hesitating shoots him in the head and makes use of his nerves as his weakness. He departs the slaughter vicinity with the only survivors to his knowledge, Martinez and Bowman. There is though one other survivor.

Rick is about to go after the Gov to finally end this chapter, with Michonne and Daryl. He confronts Carl and I think his reasoning to why he killed that boy shocks even Rick. Rick is sort of blamed by Carl for the death of him mom and some others due to his lack of being able to react to decisions in the correct manor in Carl’s eyes. Carl says he couldn’t take the chance and reacted correctly. This could be the wakeup call Rick has needed in order for him to begin his correct parenting again and to look after his young boy.

Rick and Michonne, accompanied by Daryl and his signature motorcycle, pull up to the slaughter and neutralise the remaining Walkers that have turned in the after math of the slaughter. They find one survivor and thus are informed of the brutal turn in the Gov’s mood.

But there is trouble elsewhere as Andrea is still trapped and Milton is now deceased, about to turn any second. I was sad to see Milton depart and I think he could have been a valuable member to Rick’s group. But his attributes are too similar to Hershall in my opinion apart from his medical attributes. Andre is clawing at the pliers with her feet and is just able to get them up to her hands Milton turns and begins to walk towards her. She releases one strap and before she can release the second we go blind and are out casted behind the big metal door to play with our imaginations as a result of the brutal sounds we hear. Is Andrea okay? Did she escape in time?

Rick soon arrives at Woodbury with the survivor form the onslaught on the road and gains access to Woodbury after a brief firefight and discussion with Tyreese and Sasha. The survivor’s confession is their ticket inside. Rick says that he heard about Andrea heading to the prison and that she never made it. He believes she is where the Gov locked up Maggie and Glen.

They approach the door silently and tension builds up as you can see a flow of blood underneath the door. They open the door and find the deceased Milton and a burning up Andrea lay out on the floor. Andrea escaped but just a little too late. Her fate is sealed, as was Milton’s, when a bite mark is made clear on her neck. For the first time we see Michonne open up her emotions and cry. Her friend says she wants to kill herself why she still can. Michonne replies that she isn’t going anywhere. Her final words were “I tried”, referring to the fact she didn’t want anyone to die. The emotional end to the second episode in a row wasn’t as effective as the first but still very sad to lose another character with use from the beginning. You here the echo of the gunshot rattle through the corridor to tie up another departure of one of the original cast members from season one.

In the final scene we see Rick pull up to the prison with the remaining Woodbury settlers including Tyreese and Sasha. He announces to his son that they are going to live here now as he storms off in a huff. He takes one final look up at the catwalk, where he has been haunted by his dead wife for a very long time now, and sees nothing. Hopefully this means the end to crazy Rick.

Overall it was a great episode but no it didn’t live up to the expectation as a result of the tension building up over the weeks. The events make up a great episode but not in my opinion of a season finale. It felt very anti-climactic, especially for the attack on the Prison which has been the center of the plot for almost eight episodes now.  The loss of Andrea was unexpected and I was convinced we would lose Beth due to her absence from the majority of episode. I was also surprised we didn’t lose one of Rick’s friends at the prison during the attack.

You could argue that this was going to happen and as soon as these amateur solders, (as the Gov sees them), witness gunfire that they would retreat. I think though this should have been explored earlier leaving the final war, we was almost was promised from the build-up, to unfold in front of us.

I was hoping for a new challenge next season as well, this isn’t yet clear but we could have another battle with the Gov when we return. I would like to see Rick and his group thrown out of the safety of the prison as well when we return and back to traveling around again. I would love to see a season set in the city, I know this isn’t very convenient due to the higher expense this will create but I would love to sacrifice the number of episodes for a different setting. A motive I can’t yet think of would obviously be needed in order to enter the heavily infested city’s though. We could perhaps see a break from the Gov, which I think will be best. By his absence from a season we can witness a new challenge and also give time for the Gov to regroup and rearm with a proper army of troops and not just a group of everyday citizens. 8.5/10