The Walking Dead (TV Series) The Suicide King (2013) User Reviews

Andrew Lincoln And Melissa McBride Are Both Awesome

[slightlymad22 · 8/10 · 31 October 2014]

After the mid season break the new episode picks up right where the last one left us.

Plot In A Paragraph: With Daryl and Merle forced to fight to the death at Woodbury. Rick tells Michonne she is not welcome to stay at the prison. While Hershel bonds with the new survivors Tyrese and Sasha, the other two consider taking over the prison.

With chaos in Woodbury and the main group once again broken, Glenn is upset Rick wanted to go back for Daryl, and two of the four new prisoners wanting to stage a mutiny before Rick and co get back it's a tension filled episode.

Andrew Lincoln is again superb and Melissa McBride is excellent as Carol, the heartbreak on her face when she finds out what happened to Daryl is superb, she also shared a lovely scene with Emily Kinney (Beth) where they talk about Daryl. Scott Wilson as Hershel takes on the Dale mantle of voice of reason when Rick wants to prevent the new survivors from joining the group.

Great Episode!

[g-bodyl · 9/10 · 29 September 2014]

This is the ninth episode of the third season of the Walking Dead and like every episode this season, it doesn't disappoint. Another action-packed episode and it even has its emotional moments. This episode also shows us how Rick is slow to recover from the death of Lori, as you will see in this episode.

In this episode, "The Suicide King," The Governor forces Merle and Daryl to fight each other, but they are rescued by Rick and Maggie. Once they escape, Rick makes it known he refuses to take Merle in so Daryl leaves the group to be with his brother. Meanwhile over at Woodbury, Andrea is shocked she was lied to by the Governor and as unrest grows, Andrea decides to act as a leader while the Governor does nothing. Back at the prison, Carol gets upset over the departure of Daryl and Rick meets Tyreese's group for the first time.

Overall, this is another great episode. The main highlight is how Rick is still affected by his wife and this episode also shows how dangerous the Governor is and that Rick many want to get his act together if he wants to survive this menace. I rate this episode 9/10.

The Magnificent Return of The Walking Dead

[claudio_carvalho · 9/10 · 12 February 2013]

The Governor forces Daryl and Merle to fight against each other; however Rick and Maggie help them to escape from Woodbury and Andrea realizes that The Governor had lied to her. When Rick, Maggie and Daryl meet Glenn and Michonne outside Woodbury, they do not accept that Merle joins their group, but Daryl decides to stay with his older brother.

Meanwhile in the prison, Hershel gives medical assistance to Tyreese's group but he warns that his group is larger and it is not up to him to decide whether they can stay or not with them in the prison. Back to Woodbury, people are panicking and some of them want to leave the town. However The Governor does not take any attitude towards the situation. Andrea assumes her leadership to calm down the dwellers. When Rick returns to the prison, he decides the fate of Tyreese's group against the will of Hershel but shows signs of insanity.

After all these months without The Walking Dead, the return of this series could not be better. "The Suicide King" is emotionally powerful, with Merle disturbing Rick and his group; the relationship of Glenn and Maggie affected; and Carol missing Daryl. I will also miss Daryl, who is one of my favorite characters. Rick seems to be insane and The Governor is apparently more dangerous than ever. I would like to thank Fox-HD (Brazil) that presented the episode without any commercial break. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "The Suicide King"

Note: On 11 April 2016, I saw this show again.

What this world creates!

[and_mikkelsen · 8/10 · 13 January 2024]

This was another solid episode that didn't have much action but instead had great moments of character and some exploration of what kinds of world this is and how we want it to be!

The battle at the beginning was intense and well made! It also shows how complex the relationship between Merle and Daryl is! It doesn't feel like your typical relationship but I becomes obvious how strong yheir Bond is!

The Guvernnor becomes more and more inhuman is he lets the inhumane and psychotic side of him take over! He is now a full blown villain and not just a guy with ideals!

The new characters are great and already adds some good dynamics!

The final scene shows how bad Ricks mental health still is and how ditatched he is from reality! Another solid performance from Andrew!

Daryl's Brother

[inefableataraxia · 9/10 · 21 December 2018]

Merle even if he is chatty and is normally an asshole he care about Daryl. After the fight Daryl decides to leave the group because they don't accept Merle, his brother. And as an honor man he is, He run off with him. Back in prison Beth recieves Rick with a kiss in the cheek and with a notice. Rick doesn't want to give an opportunity to Tyresse group and rightfully so, trusting other human in that world is not easy task. But Hershel say to start giving other people opportunities. And then he starts with his delusion of Lori. He is step by step closer to madness. Even after charging his baby he start losing it. He needs to recover from this quickly because a war is coming.

Conflicted disarray

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 11 July 2018]

Had heard nothing but great things about 'The Walking Dead' from friends and IMDb reviewers. It took a while to get round to watching, both from being busy and also not being sure whether it would be my cup of tea. Finally getting round to it a few years ago and slowly working my way through it, having had a very long to watch and review list, 'The Walking Dead' turned out to be very much my cup of tea and as good as the hype made it out to be, have found it extremely addictive.

"The Suicide King" is another terrific episode to Season 3, after a hugely promising start to the season. Not as good as the brilliant first two episodes, the equally brilliant "Killer Within" or the previous two episodes, but there is a lot to love. It is yet again a strong reminder of how Seasons 1-5 of 'The Walking Dead' to me were absolutely brilliant and seeing the show in its full glory days (Season 6 was uneven, Season 7 was a huge disappointment and am still debating whether to watch Season 8). It is as emotional, complex and as tense as one would expect, at the same time it has adrenaline and guts.

It still shocks me at how an intelligent, well-made (so much so that it is easy to mistake it for a film) show about zombies could be made when so many films have tried and failed abysmally to do so.

My only complaint of "The Suicide King" is that at times it is a little too heavy on the talk.

Like all the episodes of the show, "The Suicide King" is incredibly well made in the production values, with gritty and audacious production design, photography of almost cinematic quality, effects that look good, have soul and are not overused or abused and pretty frightening make-up. The music is haunting and affecting, having presence but never being too intrusive.

The writing generally is intelligent and thought-provoking, with lots of tension and emotional resonance and shows signs of character complexity and multiple layer storytelling. The more eventful parts are thrilling and terrifying as well as uncompromising.

Appreciated the ever strong and still progressing story, where a lot happens and full of different strands without being confused or over-stuffed, and character building, which the episode has a bigger emphasis on, and that the pace is rarely dull or rushed, if not as taut or edge of your seat as most of the previous episodes. The character writing and the character interactions are what is particularly great here, most striking with Rick, while the Governor is wonderfully mysterious and already interesting character and Merle is always great value.

Everything is nicely paced without rushing through the more important parts. The world building is already stunningly immersive and effective. Direction is smart and atmospheric while the show throughout has been strongly acted. Andrew Lincoln is excellent as ever, while Michael Rooker, Scott Wilson and David Morrissey in support are just as great. Melissa MacBride is also a high point, very deeply felt performance from her.

Overall, great. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Solid episode that keeps the tension going

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 14 November 2021]

Rick faces a number of difficult leadership decisions.

This is a solid episode with a number of tense dramatic moments.

There is little about the plot I can say without spoilers, but I can say that 'The Walking Dead' once again effectively portrays humanity in a chaotic position where survival is paramount, leaders face extreme pressure, and trust is all but gone.

The best scenes for me are those involving Rick having to make a number of decisions relating to the fate of others. The pressure placed on him by the self-interests of other characters feels immense and is quite plausibly written into the story.

Some of the scenes in Woodbury I found less impactful. The general theme of leadership is just as good but I found it less plausible, particularly Andrea's speech and the subsequent reaction of the townspeople.

Performances from all are great as ever, particularly Andrew Lincoln who depicts a tortured soul on the verge of total breakdown.

Visually it is mostly great, with strong cinematography, lighting, and art design throughout. The only noticeable issue for me is the physical performances of some of the extras during the opening scene who are meant to be a baying crowd. Some of these crowd members are clearly going through motions with absolutely no energy or enthusiasm and it is quite distracting. They would have been better used as zombies.

It's a 7.5/10 for me but I round upwards.

Family, Break-Ups, and Dead Wives

[tbmforclasstsar · 13 February 2013]

"Merle…Merle's blood." "My blood, my family is standing right here…waiting for us back at the prison." "You're a part of that family." "You're like a son to me, Glen." I never questioned if this group of survivors could be considered a family, but the writers of The Walking Dead felt it necessary to remind us of this in the mid season premiere. The theme has been pretty consistent throughout the show, but in an episode that involved making decisions about people joining the group, the notion of family was delivered continuously.

But things have changed dramatically. From the deaths of Lori and T-Dog in the first half of season three to the newest member to leave the group, Daryl, this "family" is on the verge of being completely broken. And with adoption candidates galore literally inside the house of this family, there are options to fortify this group and make themselves stronger, but Rick may have to find a psychiatrist in this apocalyptic world first.

The episode started with the great escape of Daryl and Merle. Aided by the cover fire of Rick and Maggie, Daryl and Merle were able to escape the grasp of The Governor…rather easily. I was amazed by the Woodbury group that has stayed so strong and even knocked off military outfits in its past. Sure, everyone wants to watch two dudes fight each other to the death with zombies on neck poles trying to eat them at the same time, but is no one watching the fence? Or the outer circle of the ring? It just seemed a little too easy for this group to let Daryl and Merle escape, especially when they should be on heightened guard after a raid had just finished earlier that night.

So, Daryl and Merle escape, but this immediately poses a problem. Rick, Maggie, Glenn, and Michonne: Princess Warrior all have beef with Merle. And it makes sense. Dude is not trustworthy, unstable, and handcuffs can't hold him. He could definitely be the figurative cheating husband that breaks the family apart. But he is Daryl's brother, and our bow-wielding hero is not about to leave his brother behind again, even if he knows that he is a total ass.

Meanwhile, back at the prison, Hershel is playing friendly to the caged homeless dog that is Tyreese and his friends; a group that seems trustworthy, but could come back to bite the group and give them all rabies…so to speak. Hershel seems to trust Tyreese, but knows the decision of their fate is not up to him. And maybe for good reason, as we soon see that Pale Face and his son, Blah, want to try to jump Carol and Carl, instead of burying their dead family member, and take over the prison. Tyreese and his lady friend Sasha Fierce try to talk the pair out of it, and when that fails, they step in-between the men and Axel and Beth, who came out to give the group shovels for the burial. There is trouble in every family, big or small, and Tyreese's group is no different.

To read more (IMDb form too short) visit: http://custodianfilmcritic.com/the-walking-dead-3-9-the-suicide-king/

You still have me.

[xeropopular · 9/10 · 12 February 2013]

This was a good episode. Had some good gore and zombie kills. Daryl's decision to leave the group I think played well to his character. While I will miss Daryl's interaction with the group, I feel certain that we have not seen the last of him.

The way the governor is behaving now seems much more like the governor in the comic, which was a problem I was beginning to have with the character in the TV show thus far, but its starting to hash out nicely.

Andrea needs to hurry up and see what the governor is about and move on and away from him. She is too smart and important to Rick's group to stay on the governors side.

Rick is losing it, seeing visions of Lori and freaking out in front of possible new group members. Plus he should have shaken Tyreese's hand, that was rude not offering the handshake which is not in Rick's character.

Hershel was a little cold towards the new small group saying that they will see what happens when Rick shows up, only to act completely different when Rick is all NO and contradicts him in front of them. Confusing.

Carol has become a pleasure to watch on the show finally, something that she never did in the comic where she was quite annoying.

I am definitely looking forward to what the next episode will offer.

Just an okay episode.

[mm-39 · 6/10 · 5 March 2013]

Rick is losing his mind over the pressure of leading and the stress of other tragic events. Daryl and his brother escape Woodbury. The Daryl split in the group will not last to long. The group will eventual have to accept Daryl's brother, because of mutual interests (the governor). Rick is hardening after he kicks people out of the group who want help. The paranoid governor is planning something not good. A lot of story lines in the Suicide King episode. I found the Suicide King episode has too much information. Suicide King is sensory overload for the viewer with all the mentioned sub-plots. The one interesting question from watching Suicide King is Rick slowly becoming like the Governor who is a ruthless and heartless man? Maybe, the Governor started out like Rick as a reasonable, compassionate person who became ruthless to survive? A must watch episode for the season, but an overly entertaining episode. I give The Suicide King a six out of ten stars.

Simple but it shows some nature.

[XueHuaBingYu · 8/10 · 5 August 2019]

The walking dead TV show is superb. Every episode is amazing and it's interesting somehow even it turned into some kind of drama sometimes. That's why I love the show and I keep watching the episodes no matter how many seasons and episodes it gets.

There are a lot of things I want to point out. Firstly, Daryl. I can't believe that Daryl chose Merle and left the group he was with for a long time. I mean I get that Merle is his brother, but he's no good man. So, it's very hurt to see that he chose Merle.

Second, Harshel. I think he's wrong again. Among those four guys, two are showing greedy about that place. Who says they won't try to get it? I really want to know what would happen next.

I'm glad to see that one of the zombies went to Woodbury. As much as I feel sad for those poor people, but I hate governor guy. So, it's great to see one got into it.

As the show goes on, I'm becoming to hate Andrea more and more. She's totally got into governor's web. She thinks everything that governor guy told her is true like Rick and the rest of them killed those people for no reason. I kind of hate that. 😡 So, I'm so eager to see what's gonna happen to her. 😁

About Maggie and Glenn, I get that why they don't want Merle in their group and they are right. Merle played a part in what made Glenn suffered all bad things. And I get that why Glenn is so angry and said. But as they say, time would heal every wound. So, I'd like to see they would turn into normal state.

What I don't understand is that woman that Rick saw. Because her face is black and it's not clear, I hardly can guess who she is. Is it Lori? Rick seems to be having delusion because no one could see her except him. So, I'm also looking forward to see some explanation for that part.

This episode is kind of simple but it shows the nature. The nature of two sides. Everything has two perspectives. For example, from Rick's perspective, Merle is a bad guy and he deserved whatever bad things happen to him. He shouldn't be with the group. As for Daryl's, Merle is the only relative he's got. So, he surely can't leave his own brother. It's understandable. Right or wrong, it only depends on which perspective you look from.

Summarising this review, although this episode is just a normal episode, but it has described some nature and it's good to see that Daryl is free, so, I'd say it's a fine one. The walking dead TV show is always amazed me and I'm totally love it.

The episode, rich in character development and thematic complexity, sets a precedent for the trials the group will face as they navigate in the waters of survival and morality

[fernandoschiavi · 7/10 · 6 March 2024]

"The Suicide King" unravels the tension-filled aftermath of the Governor's assault, bringing the characters' dilemmas to the forefront. The group's fragmentation is palpable, especially with Daryl and Merle's predicament. Rick's leadership is increasingly questioned, adding layers of conflict within the prison walls. The episode is significant for its exploration of family and loyalty, particularly through the Dixon brothers' storyline. Their dynamic, rife with past grievances and newfound bonds, is a highlight, showcasing the complexity of human relationships in a world torn apart by the undead.

The emotional toll of leadership on Rick is further emphasized as he grapples with visions of Lori, suggesting his slipping grip on reality. This internal struggle mirrors the external chaos, symbolizing the collapse of societal norms and the personal cost of survival. The group's reactions to Rick's hallucinations are telling, revealing fractures and brewing distrust amongst the survivors. The episode cleverly uses these visions to delve into themes of grief and the haunting nature of past decisions, adding depth to Rick's character arc.

The introduction of Tyreese's group adds a new dimension to the storyline, offering a glimpse of hope and the possibility of new alliances. However, Rick's response to their arrival underlines the theme of paranoia and the erosion of trust in a post-apocalyptic world. This encounter sets the stage for future tensions and raises questions about leadership, community, and the human capacity for change amidst despair. The episode, rich in character development and thematic complexity, sets a precedent for the trials the group will face as they navigate the murky waters of survival and morality.

Last Scene

[djinxs · 8/10 · 12 February 2013]

I personally feel Rick should not have scared the people away in the last scene, and the scene where Rick sees his dead wife didn't look real at all.Daryl's choice to be with his brother was not good since he tried to kill him in the start of the episode.

Also,the governor looked distressed and in dilemma & i now feel he should let go off Andrea back in Rick's team. I had a lot of excitement before watching this episode but it gradually lowered after the first 15 minutes.

Overall it was a good episode perfectly blended to my comfort level, but somehow lacked that spark that it should have got since it was the comeback episode for 2013. To conclude Rick's acting was the best I hope to see at least 6 or 7 seasons consisting of shows better and bigger than this one.

9/10

[CillianMurphyEnthusiast · 9/10 · 18 August 2023]

"And it's only making the living, less like the living" -Tyreese Williams. Amazing opening scene of the group saving Daryl and Merle, well, to save Daryl and Merle was just there. Merle seeing Rick again for the first time again was awesome. I don't think Rick can knock him out with the gun to the back of his head that easily. I didn't expect Daryl to leave the group for Merle. The governor walking out of the building and killing the bitten man and then leaving was so badass. Then later, he mention Bob Adams's to Andrea. Rick hallucinating Lori at the end was such a great scene. 17:31 foreshadowing watermelon.