There's a great line in Stanley Kubrick'sFull Metal Jacket about how certain people need “someone to throw hand grenades” at them to function best. That quote kept popping in my head during The Walking Dead's episode “I Ain't a Judas”, which focuses more on dialogue than Walker decapitations. It's not a bad episode. These characters just work best when they're fighting wars, not planning them.
Its opening features Rick's leadership abilities questioned by his own son. Carl suggests giving the dictator shtick a break and let Daryl, Hershel or anyone who's not hallucinating their dead wife prancing about take over. This whole “let others take charge” point has been talked frequently, and feels kinda stale.
"Dad, have you considered not sucking so much?"
The Governor drafting an army proves more intriguing. Taking a page from Joseph Kony's playbook, kids age 13 and up are eligible for service. That doesn't sit well with Andrea's impeccable moral compass, who takes it upon herself to visit the prison as an amateur diplomat.
Woodbury's leader isn't a fan of that whole “peace” thing, and forbids her voyage. Undeterred, Andrea asks Milton to help her sneak out. Loyal as he is beautiful, Milton informs the Dear Leader of this development. Whether it's because of some secret plan or wartime rationing of cares, The Governor lets Milton help her.
The best moment of “I Ain't a Judas” follows: Milton dons duct tape sleeves. They're gorgeous.
The latest in high fashion.
Tyreese and company stumble across Milton and Andrea dismembering a zombie Michonne style, because it's a small world doncha know. They're directed to Woodbury, where The Governor warmly welcomes them. Rick's gun-waving psychotic break apparently didn't sit well with Tyreese, and within minutes everyone's enlisted in The Governor's military.
Things feel slightly off kilter when Andrea reunites with her old crew. Watching her catch up on T-Dog's passing (who's now been mentioned more post mortem than while alive), Judith's birth and Carl's transformation into the only killing machine who still needs a babysitter feels almost forced. When Michonne confronts Andrea about choosing Woodbury's comfort over friends, it's weird. All we've seen from Michonne is katana chops and icy glares. Her suddenly developing emotions feels like a reminder these characters are people, not just tools for advancing the action.
Rick shows Andrea their new way of saying "Hello."
After Rick refuses giving peace a chance, the clumsiest “welcome back” conversation comes courtesy of Carol. Out of nowhere she unceremoniously suggests Andrea have a sex or two with The Governor, then kill him in his sleep. It's not a bad plan, but feels almost arbitrary coming from one of the group's last remaining members with some morals. There's no set up for her idea. It would have been nice hearing exactly where this thought came from. Could Carol have considered this plan during her past abusive relationship? This preying mantis plan just gets introduced as “here's your plot device, enjoy!”
Returning to Woodbury, Andrea follows through on part one of Carol's plan like a pro. It almost seems like she'll actually assassinate The Governor, holding a knife to his throat. Instead, Andrea then continues her pattern of not killing The Governor seen previously.
Andrea finds new ways of spicing things up in the bedroom.
Don't get me wrong, I like “I Ain't a Judas”. It's one of The Walking Dead's better character-centric installments. However, these episodes always show how undeveloped some personalities are, while never really expanding their stories. It's still saved by The Governor's scheming, Andrea's lesson on executing curb stomps in the woods...
...and Milton's perfect duct tape sleeves.
