The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 12 “Clear” Review
In Season 3, Episode 12 titled “Clear”, Rick encounters an old friend while on a road trip to get more weapons in the war against the Governor.
Let’s dissect the episode! Continue reading for my gut reaction and spoiler filled thoughts.
Drive
The episode begins with Michonne driving past a lone survivor on the road begging for help. I love that they don’t bother discussing whether to pick up the hitchhiker or not.
So why do you think they drove on by? There are a number of valid reasons. Mainly because its risky to take a chance on a stranger and the responsibility that comes with it.
My kill of the week goes to the death of the lone survivor. After all the trauma Rick’s group has gone through their decision is understandable. They are not going to stick their necks out for someone not part of their group. Although they don’t stop for the hitchhiker, they return for the backpack. The stranger’s death is not on their conscience.
Without any scenes of Woodbury or the Prison, the survivors isolation in a post apocalyptic world is more strongly conveyed.
The Mat Said Welcome
Very surprised to see Morgan’s face when his helmet was removed. I’ve always wondered what happened to Morgan and after 3 seasons we finally find out. Actor Lennie Bruce’s performance is fantastic as a man out of his mind.
Had the sniper been a complete stranger Rick would have taken the guns and left right away. Because Morgan once saved Rick’s life it reminds him of the time he once had faith in people. Rick morally does right thing and waits until Morgan regains consciousness even if it is tactically the wrong decision.
Crazy Meets Crazy
Rick sees in Morgan how out of touch with reality he will become if doesn’t stay grounded. When Rick says “you can still come back from this” to Morgan, he’s also trying to convince himself he can make it out of crazy town.
Due to his “selfishness and weakness” as Morgan describes himself, it led to his son Duane’s death. To clear his guilty conscience and make things right in the world, Morgan has become obsessed with killing walkers to make up for not killing his walker wife when he had the chance in the pilot episode Days Gone Bye.
Although Morgan has given up, there’s hope within Rick that will be his saving grace. Rick has his friends to keep his sanity if only he starts trusting in people again. If Rick had continued with the radio messages, would it have kept Morgan from feeling alone and going crazy?
One Of Us
Carl’s walker kills have been piling up, but this is first time he has shot a living person. I can only imagine the killing machine he will grow up to be.
As emotionally numb Carl is becoming, there’s still a sentimental side to him when he feels compelled to get a family photo so Judith knows how her Mom looks.
Carl points out that Michonne is a practically a stranger without an obligation to help him. In fact, he wonders why Michonne was even asked to join the expedition.
His opinions change after Michonne is proven to be helpful in retrieving the photo and keeping him alive. She didn’t have to help but did it out of the goodness of her heart. Plus, getting on Rick’s and Carl’s good side is crucial if she wants to become a member of the group.
There’s an understated moment when Michonne tells Rick she’s seen things too. She’s no longer the lone wolf and as a part of the pack she’s ensuring her survival unlike the hitchhiker or Morgan.
Watch Inside Walking Dead Episode 312 for the cast and producer’s thoughts on the dichotomy between Rick and Morgan and why the expedition is a test for Michonne.
What did you like or didn’t like about this Morgan-centric episode?
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Posted on March 3, 2013, in Television, The Walking Dead and tagged AMC, lennie bruce, The Walking Dead, the walking dead 312 review, the walking dead 3x12 review, the walking dead clear review, the walking dead season 3 episode 12 review, Walking Dead. Bookmark the permalink. 12 Comments.
Sidekick Reviews 
Very nice review and I mirror your thoughts completely.
Thanks Jamie, always enjoy your review too! Still going to do video reviews of Walking dead?
Reminds me I forgot to link it into the article, yeah I did a video review 😛
Lennie Bruce’s performance was beyond brilliant. I’ve been one of those fans that have been constantly harping about when we’d see Morgan again and I couldn’t of been happier.
Loved:
1. The look on Carl’s face when Michonne gets the vehicle stuck.
2. Michonne’s ninja skills to sneak in and get the picture (along with the cat) was great. Michonne finally opened up this episode making a character that was already great even better.
3. Morgan’s story about him turning on the walkie and Rick never being there was heartbreaking along with how his son died.
4. The backpacker bit complete with going back to get the backpack. Main question: who thought of it first? Carl or Rick?
5. Loved trying to read all of Morgan’s scribblings on the wall.
6. Morgan’s warnings and then the “Told You So” on the bloodied axe.
If they ever need to leave the Prison, Morgan’s fortified complex is the place to go. Only thing that bothered me…why didn’t they load up on more guns?
I was hoping Morgan would return with Rick to the prison. Will we see him again this season?
As crazy as Morgan is, he still smart enough to realize Rick needs the guns for an upcoming battle and doesn’t want to be a part of it.
At first I thought the rats in a cage were traps for his meals but it was actually a clever booby trap for walkers. I also thought they should have been seen carrying more guns when leaving.
As for the backpack, I’m guessing it was an unspoken understanding. No sense in letting perfectly good supplies go to waste 🙂
“Will we see him again this season?”
Sadly, I don’t think so. They mentioned before how busy the actor was. In fact, he was supposed to pop up in Season 2 but scheduling conflicts prevented that from occurring. Maybe S4?
I took a peek on imdb and interestingly the actor is credited in an upcoming S3 episode. Not sure how accurate it is though. 🙂
And we thought Rick was crazy, Morgan shows crazy on a whole new level!
Good episode though, finally know what happened to Morgan 😀
A great episode that had the benefit of following a weaker episode! Hope to see Morgan again sooner than later.
I loved how they drove past the “hitchhiker” but how they casually grabbed his bag when they drove past his body. Was pretty funny. And fairly enlightening as well as you really begin to realize how jaded they’ve become. Normally people dying are friends (so they are upset) or enemies (so they’re too driven by anger to be upset) or they’re zombies (so theres no reason to be upset about the death of the already dead). But here’s a good look at an innocent third party dying and their not being phased by it at all.
Was cool to see Morgan as well. Me and a friend were even just talking about if he’d show back up a couple weeks ago. So that was cool.
In the end, though, I wasnt overly happy with the episode. Nothing eventful really happened and what could have been addressed in half an episode or less was drug out for an entire episodr, not really getting us anywhere.
I thought it was funny too how they drove past the “hitchhiker”. I liked that it was so impersonal when the car backed up and the door opened up without a close up of someone picking up the backpack.
The episode didn’t push the main story line of the season forward but I enjoyed how it focused on characterizations especially Morgan, Michonne and possibly a turning point for Rick’s craziness. The next episode will return to the battle against the Governor, hope you like it better. Thanks for checking out the blog and commenting.
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