This is my rant on the lackluster season finale of Walking Dead. Beware there are spoilers.
It's been a week since season 3 of Walking Dead had its finale. I've had time to let it all sink in and I even watched it again to see if maybe I overreacted but no, I'm going with my initial reaction: It sucked!
I came in late to this series but I caught up with season 1 and 2 thanks to back-to-back marathons. That's what got me hooked in the first place.
The storytelling was great, the characters were engaging, and who doesn't love a zombie apocalypse story??
Season 3 started off with a bang. They killed Lori and T-dog in one of the most dramatic episodes I'd seen yet. Then they took a hiatus and when they came back from it something had changed. I don't really follow what goes on behind the scenes but I heard they replaced the show runner and I wonder if that had anything to do with the garbage that started spewing out on screen after that.
Don't get me wrong, there were still great moments, but it had lost the initial appeal that originally drew me in. Rick was seeing ghosts, the walkers weren't all that terrifying anymore, and Woodbury was getting on my nerves. But it was all leading up to the big finale. Woodbury v. The Prison. The Governor v. Rick. A huge battle with everything culminating...but that didn't happen.
Instead, there was a lackluster attack on the prison that had more build up than substance. And then someone decided it would be a good idea if they killed off Andrea.
I understand that WD is known for shock value. Nobody is safe even if your name is listed early in the credits. But I have a real problem with the way they handled this particular death. Any other time one of the major characters has died it has been shocking or emotional or both. Andrea's death flat out sucked. If you are going to kill her off at least do it right. They say she went out as a hero...no, it was lackluster and it wasn't believable either. Are you going to tell me that Andrea can go through the woods with a pocket knife and defend herself against three or four walkers but she can't take out Milton? Rewatching the scene I saw that she got completely free of the chair, stood up, and still had the pliers in her hand. She couldn't have just stabbed him in the eye like her usual M.O.?
I suppose what's bothering me is that I liked Andrea. She was one of my favorite characters. I understand that there were alot of haters out there who can't differentiate characters and actors and Laurie Holden was taking alot of heat but is that a reason to kill off a strong female lead? And explain to me how killing off both your female leads in the same season is a good idea? I mean I grew invested in these characters and I want to see them fight on. Michonne and Maggie are good strong females, but I don't give a damn about Tyrese's sister.
I was waiting this entire time for Andrea to get out of Woodbury, rejoin her people, and redeem herself. Then go back to the ass-kicker she was in season 2. That was the Andrea that Robert Kirkman created in the graphic novel. That's the Andrea that I wanted to see, and from alot of her interviews it seems as though that is who Laurie Holden wanted to play. But as actors you do what you are told. I just can't believe Kirkman is ok with them killing Andrea off like that. She had so much more that she could've done. They never really explored her friendship with Michonne, and in the graphic she is Rick's girl, I was actually waiting to see that happen.
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| RIP Andrea, you were fun to watch! |
I know a movie or a season/series finale is bad when I have to rewrite it in my head. Here is what I would've done: I would've preferred to see a knock-down drag-out gun battle in the prison, something big like we were all expecting.
Back in Woodbury you have a scene where Tyrese tells his sister "I'll be right back"...I honestly thought he was going to stumbled upon Andrea and save her. That is what I would've done. He hears her screaming, saves her just as Milton is going to bite her, she tells him the Governor put her there, he says The Gov just went to raid the prison and the two of them go to stop him.
At this point maybe Woodbury is overpowering the prison. Maybe some of them get injured. It looks bleak and then suddenly Tyrese and Andrea show up. With her sharpshooting skills she wings The Gov and that's when Woodbury withdraws. Then you can have the Gov slaughter them in the field and disappear with his minions. You can still have Carl start acting aggressively. Most everything stays the same except I'm keeping Andrea alive and making Tyrese more active instead of having him sit around like a clueless sheep all the time.
But, if you must kill Andrea off for whatever reason then why not turn her? Why do the women never turn when they are killed? (other than Amy and Sophia)
I think it would've been far more dramatic to have them pull open the door and have turned Andrea standing there. Michonne can get extremely emotional, maybe do a quick flashback of the two of them together from before, and then Michonne takes Andrea's head off. Too graphic? I don't think so, not if you do it right. And I think Danai Gurira could've pulled it off with great emotion.
Hell Merle's death was more emotional than Andrea's and they just glossed over his as well. It's getting to the point where it is no longer shocking when a main character dies. It's more like "oh well, let's move on."
The way they had Andrea go out, explaining why she did what she did, seems like they were just trying to placate the haters. It reminds me of when Moonlighting introduced Mark Harmon's character "Sam" and everyone was up in arms. Then when they finally get rid of him he looks at the screen and says "Are you happy now?"
It just seems to me they killed Andrea because the fans were annoyed with her actions. A show should stand on the merit of good storytelling and strong characters. If you are always dictating to the audience you have a vast and varied opinion. How can you ever satisfy everyone? If you're true to the story you will.
A better fate for such a strong character would've been to let her redeem herself. Let her get back to the ass kicker like before. Let her rejoin the group. Honestly I feel duped, cheated, and robbed. I'm not happy with that ending and I really feel like she deserved better. And we all deserved a better season finale.
