SPOILER ALERT!

Each week I review the latest episode of AMC’s television series, The Walking Dead and pick three scenes or characters and breakdown the differences or similarities the show might’ve had with the comic book series. For those that are privy to the comic book and the show, this is for you.  Unfortunately, if you have not seen the episode or read the comic, this will spoil everything!  You’ve been warned!

Season 3 – Episode 6 – “Hounded”

For this week’s episode of The Walking Dead, admittedly there aren’t too many juicy, obvious parallels to the comic book series.  With the mid-season hiatus right around the corner, the show has primarily taken some time to develop the situations that are unique to the television show. Some of the most notable are Andrea and The Governor’s flirtatious relationship, Merle’s pursuit of Michonne, and Daryl finding Carol alive.

The episode was fittingly titled “Hounded” as many of the characters had been searching or hunting for something.  Merle thought that he and his band of goons were hunting Michonne, while Michonne was in fact hunting them. Daryl was searching for Carol and proof of her death.  Rick was searching for some sort of closure and purpose for the death of his wife and the birth of his baby. Andrea is hunting for an overall purpose in life.

There is already rumors and discussion of a character favorite from the comic book series making an eventful debut for the mid-season finale.  My best guess is that it will be Tyreese, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they introduced some of the other comic book favorites as well.

Anyway, let’s dig in!

The Talking Dead?

So last week, we were left on the cliff-hanger of Rick answering the phone in the prison.  I predicted that voice on the other end would be Lori, as it was in the comic books.  Well, that was only partially right as we discovered that Rick was not only speaking with Lori, but other members of the group that had died.

In the comic books, Rick’s “ghost telephone” is used as a form of coping mechanism for his loneliness and his apology to his dead wife. No one is on the other line and it’s all in Rick’s head.  I think the TV show definitely hit all the similar notes when compared to the comic book. The main difference is that Rick and Carl had left the prison already by the time Rick gets these phone calls in the comic books.

While there are some of those elements sprinkled here for Rick’s character in the TV show, I can’t shake the feeling that the show is using the “ghost telephone” more as a bad omen of things to come.  Rick is essentially pleading with himself that they aren’t safe in the prison and that they need to leave.

But why does Rick not think the prison is safe anymore?  Why did he feel the need to leave? Was it just immense grief?  We shall see.

Michonne: The Ninja!

So I haven’t had a chance to express my gratitude for the TV show maintaining Michonne’s badass-ness.  I’d even say they had taken it up a bit further, with some of the cool ninja-like, zombie-slashing she does.

They even have her jumping out of trees and leaving semi-cryptic messages with zombie appendages, which Merle appropriately deemed a “biter-gram.”  While those scenes never happened in the comic books, it still successfully perpetuates the bad ass characteristics of this fan favorite character.

Best of all, this episode ends with Michonne finally meeting Rick!  Fans of the comic book series know that Michonne and Rick become a dynamic, walker-killing, duo and have a great amount of trust and respect with each other.  I’m very interested in seeing where the TV show will take them.

A Rose by Any Other Name…

Lastly, I wanted to point out the striking resemblance with a new character in this week’s television episode and a character from the comic books. When Andrea volunteers to do watch duty up on the wall in Woodbury, she meets a spunky, young girl with a bow.

The character I thought she resembled is Rosita.  Fans of the comics know her as part of a trio that encountered Rick and the gang back near Herschel’s Farm.  Rosita was a pretty shallow character early in the comics, who sort of used her sexuality to have other men protect her. Her most notable companion was another comic book favorite, Abraham.

Aside from the ethnic differences between these two girls, the resemblance between these two characters seems way too deliberate to me.  The fact that she’s a young girl and has a trucker hat just seems to stick out a sore thumb to me and we’ve already known that the show likes to further explore characters that might not have gotten their fair shake in the comic books.  Once again, we shall see.

Make sure to swing by next week when we check out Merle’s one-armed, interrogation tactics and the soap opera brewing in Woodbury!

Don’t forget to comment below or follow me on twitter @roderickruth

Save 10-50% on Iron Man Comics, Apparel, and More!
Roderick Ruth

Roderick Ruth

Reviewer/Columnist
Roderick’s comic book addiction started at the pre-teen level, where his father helped him nurture a steady, visual diet of Spider-Man, Batman, and any “X-Title” comic that was available. As he entered his teenage years, he spent hard-earned allowances on almost every comic at the supermarket stands (remember those days?). After reading and attempting to draw every Lee/Liefeld/McFarlene/Larsen book of the “90′s glory days”, Roderick eventually lost his way with comics. As he got older, he continued to watch super-hero TV shows/movies and collected graphic novels from bookstores every now and then. After going to San Diego Comic-Con in 2011, his passion was reinvigorated. With the help of his local comic shop and his tablet, the passion has yet to slow down. He is an aspiring screenwriter and dabbles in different mediums including drawing, comic writing, and playwrighting.
Roderick Ruth

@roderickruth

Roderick Ruth

Latest posts by Roderick Ruth (see all)