The Walking Dead Season 3 adapts a portion of the story that fans of the comic book series have been waiting to see ever since the TV series was first announced. Following the events at Hershel’s Farm, the story takes a very different direction and finds Rick’s group on the road and in search of a new home.
They stumble upon a nearby prison and realize that it could be the perfect place to survive in this post-apocalyptic world, if it wasn’t for the dozens of walkers that inhabit it. At the same time, we’re introduced to the Town of Woodbury that is run by a charismatic leader known as The Governor.
In many ways, The Walking Dead Season 3 is a very different beast than the past two seasons. No longer is the show taking a slow approach to story and character development. The pacing is extremely fast, dozens of new characters are introduced, and time is split between Rick’s group at the prison and The Governor’s group at Woodbury.
Adapting this material was no easy task, as this section of the comic book series contains some of the more adult and graphic material. Much like the past seasons, there are elements that are familiar to comic book series fans, while much of the major events have been changed completely or altered so that you don’t know what’s coming next.
In The Walking Dead Season 3, we’re treated to some of the best and what I believe will be some of the most memorable episodes of the series. The creative team managed to do a great job in a number of episodes with balancing small character moments, with intense action, and zombies. It’s no easy feat, and they had a bigger episode order this season, with a total of sixteen episodes.
With Shane out of the way, Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus both get more of the spotlight this season and deliver some of the best performances. There’s physicality to Lincoln’s performance this year that wasn’t as visible in the previous seasons, and he does a great job of bringing this complex character to life. It’s easy to see why Norman Reedus has become a fan favorite and don’t think that AMC isn’t fully aware of this. It’s fair to say that Daryl is starting to become as big of a character as Rick in the TV series and he gets plenty of screen time this season.
There are many new characters, but the two that get the most attention are The Governor and Michonne. Played by Danai Gurira, Michonne is like The Walking Dead’s version of a Jedi and she's at the center of a major conflict that breaks out this season. The Governor, played by David Morrissey, is a complex character with more than a little to hide. Unlike the comic book series, we’re shown a softer side to this character and you may find yourself siding with him in certain situations.
In the past two seasons, I’ve said that I felt like we’re getting a taste of what the show is capable of and I think it’s still the same case here. Whether it has to do with balancing the prison and Woodbury stories or changes in the writers’ room, I don’t think The Walking Dead has hit its stride yet. There are many great moments, characters, and episodes, but it doesn’t work all the time. However, as I said before, this season has some of the best episodes in the series, so there’s plenty to like here. Fans of the first two seasons should love The Walking Dead Season 3. It’s easily one of the best genre shows on television, and there’s plenty more of The Walking Dead to look forward to in the coming years.
When it comes to this Blu-ray release, The Walking Dead Season 3 is a winner all around. For those of you who really care about picture, the transfer is fantastic, as is the case with many modern TV releases. For me, it’s a little more important here, especially when I’m interested in checking out all of the fantastic zombie makeup effects. Both the audio and video are an improvement over what you get when you watch the series from your local cable or satellite provider.
Special features are extensive, with deleted scenes, commentary, and featurettes. For this season in particular, it seems like there were a number of scenes or storylines that were tested or altered, so it’s really interesting to hear and see how things turned out the way they did. I need to avoid spoilers in this review, but there’s a great deleted scene and commentary related to a couple of character deaths, so make sure to check out both of those. For those of you who want to spend a little extra money, you can get yourself the limited edition head tank. Designed by McFarlane Toys, you can fill up this head tank with water, drop the zombie heads in, and press a button to light it up and proudly display your new Season 3 Blu-ray.
If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead TV series, picking up Season 3 on Blu-ray or DVD is a no-brainer. It looks great, sounds great, and is loaded with bonus features. The limited edition package is also one of the best I’ve seen for any movie or TV release. I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with for The Walking Dead Season 4, because this will be hard to top.
Season Score: 4/5, Blu-ray Release Score: 5/5
After spending more than 10 years as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his interest in horror and sci-fi. Since then, it has grown into an online magazine with a staff of writers that provide daily news, reviews, interviews, and special features.
As the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Dead, Jonathan is responsible for bringing the latest horror news to millions of readers from around the world. He is also consulted with as an expert on zombies in entertainment and pop culture, providing analyses of the zombie sub-genre to newspapers, radio stations, and convention attendees.
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