The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 12 review: Clear

!!!!!!WARNING SEASON 1 AND 3 SPOILERS!!!!!!

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After the somewhat disappointing Andrea focused episode last week, it’s a pleasant surprise that episode 12 is more of a return to form for the season. Putting aside the conflict between Woodbury and the prison for the entirety of the episode, Clear focuses on Rick, Carl and Michonne as they return to Rick’s hometown in order to search for more firearms to aid them in the upcoming war against The Governor. The choice to make Clear a self contained episode might not drive the overarching story forward much, but it does spend plenty of time developing Michonne, something that should have happened a long time ago.

Still, better late than never, and this extended screentime certainly adds some desperately needed layers to everyone's katana wielding badass. It’s a good choice for actress Danai Gurira as well, allowing her to flex her acting muscles using a character who’s only expression for the last 11 episodes was to look pissed off all the time. Clear also gives Carl a little more screentime and his development from whiny brat in season 1 to capable zombie killer is one of this seasons greatest accomplishments. By pairing him and Michonne together to go on a run, the writers effectively kill 2 birds with one stone, and we as an audience get some interesting character development.

The second arc of this episode is based around Rick and his encounter with a masked gunman who open fires on his group. The antagonist is revealed to be Morgan from the first season, holed up in an apartment with an abundance of supplies and traps to ensnare the local walker population. He is ever so slightly unhinged, his son has died and he lives a solitary existence. His interaction with Rick makes up the core of the episode, an enthralling conversation that answers the lingering questions from previous seasons.

While not much actually happens in Clear, the episode does an excellent job of refreshing its audience by taking a step back from the seasons primary conflict and seeing the bigger picture. No Woodbury, no prison, no more than 4 characters, Clear is a self contained episode that works excellently.

8