Say the Word (The Walking Dead)
| "Say the Word" | |
|---|---|
| The Walking Dead episode | |
 | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 5 |
| Directed by | Greg Nicotero |
| Written by | Angela Kang |
| Featured music | "Saturday Night Special" by Lynyrd Skynyrd |
| Original air date | November 11, 2012 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Say the Word" is the fifth episode of the
Plot
Prison
Rick has found the boiler room where Lori died, finding a bloated walker inside with no trace of Lori's body. Believing the walker had eaten her corpse, Rick proceeds to execute it, and considers opening it up to look for Lori's corpse but forgoes that. As he sits in the boiler room, thinking to himself, the phone in the room suddenly rings. He goes to answer it.
Woodbury
The town prepares for a celebration as directed by The Governor. Michonne, still suspicious of The Governor, attempts to retrieve her katana from his quarters. After getting her katana, she is forced to hide as The Governor returns and overhears Milton warn The Governor that his celebration will delay his experiments. She opts to exit out a back window to avoid being caught and discovers a courtyard with several cages filled with walkers. She proceeds to open the cages and methodically kill them. However, she is caught and taken to The Governor, who orders her to become part of the "research team". This team, including Milton and Merle, is tasked to bring still-animated walkers that are trapped in pits back to Woodbury.
The Governor speaks to Andrea regarding Michonne, warning her that she is creating tension in Woodbury. Michonne again tries to convince Andrea to leave with her; Andrea believes that The Governor will not let them go willingly, but is surprised that Merle allows them to freely leave the town. Andrea wavers, and opts not to leave, unwilling to spend another eight months surviving for her life. Michonne decides to leave on her own. That evening, The Governor has Andrea join them to watch Merle spar against Martinez while surrounded by chained walkers. Andrea considers the event barbaric, but The Governor insists it teaches the townspeople to not be afraid.
Reception
Critical response
The episode was generally well received. Zack Handlen, writing for The A.V. Club, gave the episode a 'B' on a scale from 'A' to 'F'. He highlighted the "feverish intensity" of Rick's speechless rampage, but he reserved some criticism for uninteresting characters and the "pretty anticlimactic" reveal of Woodbury's festivities.[1] Eric Goldman at IGN gave the episode an 8.5 out of 10, praising the development of Woodbury, The Governor, Rick, Daryl, and Michonne in this episode.[2] Both Handlen and Goldman singled out Glenn's dialogue with Hershel as a weak point, saying that Glenn's dialogue was too straightforward[1] and his description of T-Dog's unseen heroism was "near self-parody".[2]
Ratings
Upon its initial broadcast on November 11, 2012, "Say the Word" was watched by an estimated 10.37 million viewers,[3] increasing in roughly a million viewers from the previous episode.[4]
References
- ^ a b Handlen, Zack (November 11, 2012). "Say the Word". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- ^ a b Goldman, Eric (November 11, 2012). "'Say the Word' Review". IGN. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (November 13, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Walking Dead' Wins Night, 'Breaking Amish', 'Dexter', 'Homeland', 'Boardwalk Empire', 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (November 6, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Walking Dead' Easily Wins Night, + 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'Breaking Amish', 'Talking Dead', 'Long Island Medium' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
External links
- "Say the Word" at AMC
- "Say the Word" at IMDb
