Home (The Walking Dead)

Last updated
"Home"
The Walking Dead episode
Home The Walking Dead.jpg
Rick continues to suffer hallucinations of his deceased wife Lori.
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 10
Directed by Seith Mann
Written byNichole Beattie
Original air dateFebruary 17, 2013 (2013-02-17)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"The Suicide King"
Next 
"I Ain't a Judas"
The Walking Dead season 3
List of episodes

"Home" is the tenth episode of the third season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead . It was written by Nichole Beattie and directed by Seith Mann, and aired on AMC in the United States on February 17, 2013. In the episode, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) begins to see visions of his deceased wife and asks Hershel (Scott Wilson) for help. Meanwhile, The Governor (David Morrissey) plans an assault on the prison while Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker) fend for themselves out in the forest.

Contents

This episode marks the final appearance for Lew Temple (Axel)

Plot

Rick suffers further hallucinations of his deceased wife Lori at the prison fence, while Michonne tracks him from a distance. With Rick's lack of mental stability and Daryl having left the group with his brother Merle, Glenn makes an executive decision to fortify the prison against The Governor, despite Hershel's suggestion that they flee. When Carl finds more walkers in the prison's boiler room, Glenn says that he will take Maggie to find where the walkers have breached. Glenn and Maggie, having just been rescued from Woodbury, have an emotional discussion over whether Maggie had been raped by The Governor, but she says he didn't, and tells him to go away. Hershel, after trying to warn Glenn to not put himself at risk, tries to convince Rick to take up the leadership position again, believing Glenn is not cut out for that role.

In Woodbury, The Governor thanks Andrea for restoring confidence to the residents, and believes that she would be a better leader for the community. The Governor later talks to Milton alone, assuring his loyalty that he would die for him, and to keep tabs on Andrea. Some time later, Andrea tries to find where The Governor and his right-hand man Martinez have gone, but Milton only tells her they have left Woodbury and dodges her other questions.

As Daryl and Merle make their way through the forest, Daryl wants to return to the prison but Merle insists The Governor will slaughter everyone there. They come across a Hispanic family trapped in their car by walkers, and Daryl races to help while Merle only half-heartedly contributes. With the walkers dealt with, Merle attempts to steal from the family after calling them slurs, but Daryl stops him and lets the family drive away. The two get into an argument initially about Daryl's willingness to help others, but it soon turns into longstanding issues from their childhood, and Daryl reveals that their father had beat them both. Merle finally admits that he had left Daryl as he feared he would kill their father if he stayed. Merle also reminds Daryl that they were originally planning to rob the survivor's camp outside of Atlanta.

At the prison, Carol and Axel help set up barricades, during which Axel admits he has been put in prison for trying to commit armed robbery with a water pistol. Axel begins to tell a humorous story about his brother, but is suddenly shot and killed, and Carol sees The Governor standing outside the fence. The prison group quickly take up arms while The Governor's men fire upon them. The Governor orders a bread truck filled with walkers to crash through the gates, filling the entire outer prison yard and trapping Rick who is still outside the inner fence. The Governor and his men leave the prison to its fate. Rick is nearly overcome by walkers when Daryl and Merle arrive, and safely retreat to the inner yard. While there have been no other casualties, Rick's group stares out into the yard, trapped within the prison until they can clear out the walkers.

Reception

"Home" marked the last appearance of Axel (Lew Temple). Lew Temple 2014.jpg
"Home" marked the last appearance of Axel (Lew Temple).

Critical response

Phil Dyess-Nugent, writing for The A.V. Club , rated the episode B− on an A to F scale, commenting the episode "catches the series at an in-between point" and that the "last several minutes are basically a video game, and a pretty good one, but it’s frustrating that, after the high point of the Woodbury story arc, The Walking Dead is turning back into a show that has only two distinct modes: 3-D splatter attack and survivalist talk show. Especially when it does the splatter so much better than the talk." [1] Eric Goldman at IGN gave the episode 8.2 out of 10, saying he enjoyed Daryl and Merle together, but disliked how fast they came back to prison, and thought the death of Axel was a huge surprise. [2]

Ratings

The original broadcast, on February 17, 2013, was watched by an estimated 11.05 million viewers, a decrease in viewership from the previous series-high rated episode. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Walking Dead</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of The Walking Dead, an American post-apocalyptic horror television series on AMC, premiered on October 14, 2012, and concluded on March 31, 2013, consisting of 16 episodes. Developed for television by Frank Darabont, the series is based on the eponymous series of comic books by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. It was executive produced by Kirkman, Glen Mazzara, David Alpert, and Gale Anne Hurd, with Mazzara as showrunner for his second and final season. The third season was very well received by critics. It was nominated for multiple awards and won two, including Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series, at the 39th Saturn Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daryl Dixon</span> Character from the television series The Walking Dead

Daryl Dixon is a fictional character from AMC's horror drama series The Walking Dead, and the protagonist of its last three seasons, replacing Rick Grimes. The character was created for the television series by writers Frank Darabont, Charles H. Eglee and Jack LoGiudice specifically for Norman Reedus, and does not have a counterpart in the comics on which the series is based. The character was introduced in the first season as a southerner, expert tracker, living in the shadow of his older brother, Merle. Despite his bad temper and volatility, he is tolerated by the core group of survivors due to his skills in hunting animals and fearless efficiency in killing walkers.

The Governor (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) The Walking Dead character

The Governor is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists from The Walking Dead comic book and television series. On television, he was portrayed by David Morrissey. Created by Robert Kirkman and artists Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn, the character made his comics debut in The Walking Dead #27 in April 2006 and his television debut in season 3. In both series, the Governor is the ruthless, charismatic leader of the town of Woodbury, Georgia, who comes into conflict with protagonist Rick Grimes and is responsible for the deaths of several primary characters. The Governor's origins are explored in the novel The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor, written by Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn Rhee</span> Fictional character from The Walking Dead

Glenn is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead, in which he is known simply as Glenn. He was portrayed by Steven Yeun in the television series of the same name and voiced by Nick Herman in the video game of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maggie Greene</span> Fictional character

Maggie Rhee is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead, portrayed by Lauren Cohan in the television adaptation of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michonne</span> Fictional character from The Walking Dead

Michonne Grimes is a fictional character from The Walking Dead. The character also appears in media adaptations of the series, most notably the television series of the same name, in which she is portrayed by Danai Gurira. Armed with a katana and harboring a mysterious past, Michonne is introduced clothed under a hood and pulling the shackles of two reanimated corpses for protection and camouflage. The two walkers are subsequently revealed to be her zombified boyfriend and his best friend. In both the comic and TV series, she has a prominent role in the conflict between the town of Woodbury led by The Governor, and the Prison group.

Say the Word (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) 5th episode of the 3rd season of The Walking Dead

"Say the Word" is the fifth episode of the third season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. It was written by Angela Kang and directed by Greg Nicotero, and originally aired on AMC in the United States on November 11, 2012.

Hounded (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) 6th episode of the 3rd season of The Walking Dead

"Hounded" is the sixth episode of the third season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. It was directed by Dan Attias and written by Scott M. Gimple, and originally aired on AMC in the United States on November 18, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When the Dead Come Knocking</span> 7th episode of the 3rd season of The Walking Dead

"When the Dead Come Knocking" is the seventh episode of the third season of the postapocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. It was directed by Dan Sackheim and written by Frank Renzulli, and originally aired on AMC in the United States on November 25, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merle Dixon</span> Fictional character

Merle Dixon is a fictional character from the horror drama television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC in the United States. He was created by series developer Frank Darabont and was portrayed by Michael Rooker. The character was first introduced in the first season as a Southern redneck hunter who has a younger brother, Daryl. He is misogynistic and racist, which causes tensions between him and his group of survivors. Following an encounter with series protagonist Rick Grimes, Merle disappears and joins the community of Woodbury, Georgia, where he becomes the right-hand man of The Governor. He becomes caught in the conflict between the Governor and Rick, especially when nobody in Rick's group wants him in the group, except for Daryl.

Caesar Martinez (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) Fictional character

Martinez is a recurring fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead and was portrayed by Jose Pablo Cantillo in the third and fourth seasons of the television show of the same name. Martínez is introduced in the 27th issue of the comic book series in April 2006 as the loyal second-in-command to The Governor. He is responsible for bringing Rick Grimes and two of his fellow survivors, Michonne and Glenn into Woodbury to be questioned and later tortured. In the television series, he is introduced in the third season's third episode to Andrea and Michonne as one of The Governor's soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Made to Suffer</span> 8th episode of the 3rd season of The Walking Dead

"Made to Suffer" is the eighth episode and mid-season finale of the third season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. It was directed by Billy Gierhart and written by Robert Kirkman, and aired on AMC in the United States on December 2, 2012. In this episode, Rick, Daryl, Michonne, and Oscar enter Woodbury in search of Glenn and Maggie. Meanwhile, a new group of survivors discover the prison.

The Suicide King (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) 9th episode of the 3rd season of The Walking Dead

"The Suicide King" is the ninth episode and mid-season premiere of the third season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. It was directed by Lesli Linka Glatter and written by Evan Reilly, and aired on AMC in the United States on February 10, 2013. The episode's first airing was the most-watched episode of the series and beat several ratings records for a basic cable series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">This Sorrowful Life</span> 15th episode of the 3rd season of The Walking Dead

"This Sorrowful Life" is the fifteenth and penultimate episode of the third season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which first aired on AMC in the United States on March 24, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Ain't a Judas</span> 11th episode of the 3rd season of The Walking Dead

"I Ain't a Judas" is the eleventh episode of the third season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC in the United States on February 24, 2013. In this episode, Rick Grimes and his group debate their next course of action as they find themselves running out of food and ammunition, while The Governor prepares Woodbury for battle. Meanwhile, Andrea grows uneasy and decides to travel to the prison to negotiate with Rick's group, but is treated harshly by them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrow on the Doorpost</span> 13th episode of the 3rd season of The Walking Dead

"Arrow on the Doorpost" is the thirteenth episode of the third season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on March 10, 2013. In this episode, Rick Grimes and The Governor meet face-to-face, ostensibly to make a peaceful resolution to prevent further bloodshed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welcome to the Tombs</span> 16th episode of the 3rd season of The Walking Dead

"Welcome to the Tombs" is the sixteenth and final episode of the third season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on March 31, 2013. In the episode, The Governor and Rick Grimes prepare for the upcoming assault on the prison. Tyreese and Sasha decide to not participate in the assault and stay on guard duty before preparing to leave, as the citizens of Woodbury become increasingly alarmed at The Governor's erratic behaviour. Meanwhile, Andrea struggles to escape The Governor's torture chamber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">30 Days Without an Accident</span> 1st episode of the 4th season of The Walking Dead

"30 Days Without an Accident" is the fourth season premiere of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on October 13, 2013. The episode was written by Scott M. Gimple, the series' new showrunner, and directed by Greg Nicotero.

The Prisoners (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) Fictional character

The Prisoners are fictional characters from the comic book series The Walking Dead and the television series of the same name.

References

  1. Dyess-Nugent, Phil (February 17, 2013). "Home". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  2. Goldman, Eric (February 17, 2013). "The Walking Dead: "Home" Review". IGN. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  3. Bibel, Sara (February 20, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night, 'NBA All Star Game', 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'Ax Men', 'Shameless', 'Bar Rescue' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 23, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.