Plot: What’s it about?
This is it. The third season. This is where a lot of shows either sink or swim. As we all know The Walking Dead came out of the gate with a bang and really hasn’t ever looked back. It’s critically and commercially acclaimed, has a great storyline, writing and acting. What else can you really ask for? And yes, it’s got zombies. What really gets me is that zombies can be so one dimensional (excluding the fact, of course, that zombies aren’t real). Let’s face it – what’s a zombie’s day like? Yep, going after human flesh and/or brains. That’s pretty much about it. But The Walking Dead tends not to focus too much on the zombie aspect of things (but they’re there…oh they’re always there!) and instead shifts the focus to the survivors. Anyone who’s reading this knows this, of course, as Sheriff Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his ever-changing entourage fight the zombies and one another to prolong their lives.
The third season sees our group move from the farm that they called “home” in the second season to a prison. Not a bad place, it’s secure and they see it as a way to keep themselves safe from the zombies that so populate the Earth. Of course, the zombies are only one aspect of survival as the living might pose more of a threat. It’s during this season that we meet perhaps one of the most notorious villains that television has to offer in “The Governor” (David Morrissey). I’ve read the graphic novel and The Governor played a significant part in it and let’s just say that Morrissey adequately fills the role. Of course The Governor is the magistrate of the prison and someone that Rick and his group of followers must deal with. Like most villains, he’s someone you love to hate and he proved he could be a loyal compatriot and an even worse enemy. But I don’t want to give away too much. Well I don’t want to give anything away, actually. If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead then season three shows no signs of the show slowing down. If anything it’s gotten better than the first two seasons and that’s saying something. Who says the undead aren’t any fun?
Video: How’s it look?
Like previous seasons, I watched this as it aired on AMC and viewed it in HD. The 1.78:1 AVC HD image essentially mirrors that of the broadcast, but looked a bit better on Blu-ray. The majority of this season takes place outdoors on a farm which gives way to a lot of natural tones and light. Detail takes front and center here and you can really tell how vivid the image is when seeing the zombies. The bones, the blood, teeth and everything about them is so clear that you feel like you could reach out and touch them (don’t though, you’ll risk being turned into a zombie yourself)! Black levels and contrast seem a bit cranked up, though I sight the filmmakers as opposed to any fault of the transfer. All in all, this is more of what the first season delivered and this is one fine-looking transfer.
Audio: How’s it sound?
As subdued as some of the episodes are, The Walking Dead excels on the audio front. Presented in a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mix, there are so many little nuances that eminate from the speakers you feel like you’re out in the field with them! Dialogue is at the heart of the soundtrack, of course, and it’s not compromised in the least. Vocals are rich and strong, surrounds are used often and with excellent results. There are a number of gunshots, fights and everything in between that make this a very engaging soundtrack and one that’ll probably be a little underrated at first. As good as the video looks, the audio is just as strong.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The first two seasons were littered with supplements (well the first installment of the first season wasn’t, but they rectified that with a special edition offering) and this third season is packed to the gills with supplements. We’ve got a LOT of bases to cover so let’s get started. Of note, the supplements are all found on the last disc save for the audio commentaries on select episodes. We do get five audio commentaries with varying cast and crew members for the specific episodes. “Killer Within” features Director Guy ferland and Iron E. Singleton; Greg Nicotero and Danai Gurira help out in “Say the Word”; David Alpert and Gale Anne Hurd as well as Gurira join in with “Made to Suffer”; Hurd and Gurira once again participate in “The Suicide King” and actor Michael Rooker joins Greg Nicotero for “This Sorrowful Life.” Moving on to the features we find “Rising Son” which looks at actor Chandler Riggs and his character throughout the season. “Evil Eye” looks at the character of “The Governor”, some ins and outs of what makes him tick and gives us some good insight into David Morrissey’s portrayal of him. “Gone, But Not Forgotten” shows us the death of a character, some of the makeup that went into the season and how this character’s death affected the season. “Heart of a Warrior” looks at Michonne (Danai Gurira) in depth. “Michonne vs. The Governor” looks at one scene in particular, but gives us a birds eye view of one of the central traits of the season. “Safety Behind Bars” takes a look at the locale of the prison, it’s focus in the show and how much time, effort and energy it took to bring this place to “life” (pardon the pun). “Making the Dead” shows us the process to make these poor souls into the undead. “Guts and Glory” looks at some of the other minor characters’ deaths. We also get about a dozen minutes of deleted scenes from selected episodes.
