| "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 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.
Rick is traumatized after the death of his wife Lori during childbirth, and abandons his responsibility as both a parent to his new daughter and to the other members of the group, instead releasing his anger on walkers. Daryl steps up as an interim leader, and offers to go with Maggie to locate infant formula and other supplies for the newborn. Glenn, Axel, and Oscar dig graves for their fallen, Lori, and T-Dog; Glenn remains resentful towards the prisoners Axel and Oscar due to losing his friends as a result of their fellow prisoner Andrew's sabotage. Glenn then goes to look for Rick in the prison tunnels, who is still mindlessly killing walkers. Glenn tries to convince Rick to return with him, but Rick throws him against the wall and Glenn, recognizing that Rick is in a dangerous head space, decides to leave Rick alone. Daryl and Maggie successfully recover supplies from an abandoned daycare center, and they see to tending to the newborn. Daryl asks Carl what to name his sister, and Carl considers the names of those that they have already lost. Daryl later visits Carol's makeshift grave, placing a Cherokee Rose to honor her memory.
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.
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.
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]
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]
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 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.
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.
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.
"Seed" is the third season premiere of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on October 14, 2012. The episode was written by showrunner Glen Mazzara and directed by Ernest Dickerson.
"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.
"Killer Within" is the fourth episode of the third season of the postapocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on November 4, 2012, and was written by Sang Kyu Kim and directed by Guy Ferland. The episode marked Sarah Wayne Callies and IronE Singleton's final appearances as Lori Grimes and Theodore "T-Dog" Douglas and as regular actors on the show. Most television critics positively reviewed the episode, applauding its bleak undertones and the performances, but some commentators criticized the narrative ploys and the direction taken in the program. "Killer Within" was viewed by 9.27 million viewers, including 4.9% of those in the 18 to 49 demographic upon its initial broadcast in the United States. The episode is often cited as one of the show’s best episodes.
"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.
"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.
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".
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.
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.
"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.
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" 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.
"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.
"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 begins to see visions of his deceased wife and asks Hershel for help. Meanwhile, The Governor plans an assault on the prison while Daryl and Merle Dixon fend for themselves out in the forest.
"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.
"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.
"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.
