Prey (The Walking Dead)

Last updated
"Prey"
The Walking Dead episode
The Walking Dead - Prey.png
Andrea hides from The Governor in an abandoned factory.
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 14
Directed by Stefan Schwartz
Written by Glen Mazzara
Evan Reilly
Featured music"You Are the Wilderness" by Voxhaul Broadcast
Original air dateMarch 17, 2013 (2013-03-17)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Arrow on the Doorpost"		Next →
"This Sorrowful Life"
The Walking Dead season 3
List of episodes

"Prey" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead , which originally aired on AMC in the United States on March 17, 2013. In this episode, The Governor (David Morrissey) hunts down Andrea (Laurie Holden) when she flees Woodbury, and tensions arise within Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman)'s group. Meanwhile, a traitor attempts to sabotage the upcoming meeting between Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and The Governor.

Contents

The episode was met with generally positive reviews, and was watched by 10.84 million viewers upon its original airing.

Plot

The episode cold opens with a flashback to Andrea and Michonne on their own. Andrea asks if she knew Michonne's chained walkers before they turned, but she states they weren't human in the first place.

In the present The Governor is preparing a cell for Michonne at Woodbury, complete with a dental chair and a number of tools to inflict torture. Milton warns Andrea that the Governor has reneged on the deal with Rick's group at the prison, and plans to kill them all and capture Michonne. Andrea considers assassinating the Governor, but Milton knows that his second-in-command, Martinez, will follow through on the Governor's plans. Instead, Milton urges Andrea to escape and warn Rick and the others. Andrea agrees but cannot convince Milton to come, and challenges him to stop looking the other way from the Governor's immoral actions.

The Governor, Martinez, and others prepare to set off for the prison under pretense of following on the deal. Andrea wishes to come along, but Martinez confiscates all but her knife. The Governor insists that this is to keep her safe and separate from their operation until they meet with Rick. Andrea does not buy this, and sneaks out over the Woodbury wall guarded by Tyreese and Sasha. Tyreese tries to stop her, but Andrea warns him off with the knife and cautions him the Governor is planning terrible things. Tyreese and Sasha report Andrea has forced her way out (but not her specific reasons) [1] to the Governor, who claims this was from Andrea being alone prior to coming to Woodbury and becoming paranoid. After lambasting Milton for encouraging Andrea to leave, the Governor sets out on his own to find her.

Andrea keeps ahead of the Woodbury search team while avoiding walkers. She soon finds that the Governor is close behind her, and she ducks inside an abandoned factory to hide. The Governor tracks her down, but she manages to set several walkers on him as she escapes. She finally nears the prison, seeing Rick outside, and is about to wave to him, when the Governor, having escaped the factory, grabs her from behind and silences her. Rick, who has been suffering hallucinations of dead companions, believes this was yet another such incident.

While the Governor tracks Andrea, Martinez takes Tyreese, Sasha, and Allen to the Biter Pits to collect captive walkers they will use in the attack. Tyreese refuses to help, and Allen criticizes him for not accepting the Governor's ways. Tyreese grabs Allen and holds him over a Biter Pit, reminding him that Allen's late wife Donna had looked to Tyreese for protection over Allen. Sasha talks Tyreese into letting Allen go safely.

The next day, Martinez finds that the Biter Pits have been set ablaze, incinerating the walkers, and he presumes Tyreese committed the act. The Governor returns to Woodbury and, with his usual charm, addresses Tyreese and Sasha's concerns (about feeding people to walkers and killing women and children) by telling them he's using the biters as a scare tactic, a bluff to try to save lives. Tyreese's surprised reaction, when The Governor asks how he got gasoline to burn the biters, suggests his innocence. Milton's mentioning the burning of the walkers to The Governor and the latter's reaction imply The Governor now suspects Milton. When Milton asks The Governor if Andrea is dead, he states, "I hope not." In the final scene she is shown, bound and gagged, in the dental chair in The Governor's workshop.

Production

"Prey" was directed by Stefan Schwartz and written by showrunner Glen Mazzara and by Evan Reilly. The episode was originally titled "Killer Within: Part II". [2]

The song at the end was by the band Voxhaul Broadcast called "You Are the Wilderness". [3]

Reception

Critical response

Zack Handlen, writing for The A.V. Club , rated the episode B+ on an A to F scale, commenting it "isn’t an amazing hour of television, but it’s fundamentally sound in a way this show often struggles with" and stating it has "a definite sense of purpose, and a main storyline with a beginning, a middle, and an unsettling end." [4] Eric Goldman at IGN gave the episode 8.4 out of 10, calling it an "effective" episode, and wrote he enjoyed the scenes in which The Governor hunts Andrea, that play out "like a horror/thriller story". He also enjoyed the fact that several supporting characters were fleshed out more, such as Tyreese, Sasha and Milton, but he felt the flashback at the beginning of the episode was oddly placed. [5]

Ratings

The original broadcast, on March 17, 2013, was watched by an estimated 10.84 million viewers, a decrease in viewership from the previous episode. [6]

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.

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.

Walk with Me (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) 3rd episode of the 3rd season of The Walking Dead

"Walk with Me" is the third episode of the third season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC in the United States on October 28, 2012. The episode primarily focuses on Andrea ; having been separated from the rest of the group at the end of the previous season, she and fellow katana-wielding survivor, Michonne find themselves in the company of Merle Dixon as they are captured and brought to The Governor in a small town called Woodbury. Merle Dixon, who was previously seen physically in season 1 and as an hallucination in season 2, returns in this episode as a series regular.

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">Tyreese</span> The Walking Dead character

Tyreese is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead and was portrayed by Chad Coleman in the American television series of the same name. He is a prominent character in both mediums, acting as group leader Rick Grimes' right hand man in the comic book series, up until the end of "Made to Suffer".

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton Mamet</span> Fictional character from the television series The Walking Dead

Milton Mamet is a fictional character from the American television series The Walking Dead and was portrayed by Dallas Roberts. He is an original character and has no comic counterpart in The Walking Dead comic book series.

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.

Sasha Williams (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) The Walking Dead character

Sasha Williams is a fictional character from The Walking Dead, an AMC television horror drama series. The character was created by Robert Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead comic book series which the show is based on and in which Sasha has no counterpart.

Infected (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) 2nd episode of the 4th season of The Walking Dead

"Infected" is the second episode of the fourth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on October 20, 2013. The episode was written by Angela Kang and directed by Guy Ferland.

Isolation (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) 3rd episode of the 4th season of The Walking Dead

"Isolation" is the third episode of the fourth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on October 27, 2013. The episode was written by Robert Kirkman and directed by Dan Sackheim.

Live Bait (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) 6th episode of the 4th season of The Walking Dead

"Live Bait" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on November 17, 2013. The episode was written by Nichole Beattie and directed by Michael Uppendahl.

References

  1. ↑ Burlingham, Russ (March 17, 2013). "The Walking Dead - Prey Episode Recap". Comicbook.com. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  2. ↑ Carbone, Gina (January 14, 2013). "The Walking Dead Season 3 Spoilers: Second Half Episode Titles Revealed". Wetpaint. Archived from the original on March 21, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Episode 314 Musical Performance: "You Are the Wilderness" by Voxhaul Broadcast". AMC. Archived from the original on March 20, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  4. ↑ Handlen, Zack (March 17, 2013). "Prey". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  5. ↑ Goldman, Eric (March 17, 2013). "The Walking Dead: "Prey" Review". IGN. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  6. ↑ Bibel, Sara (March 19, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night, 'The Bible', 'Vikings', 'The Client List', 'Shameless', 'Army Wives' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.