So the season 3 finale came and went, apparently making as little splash here as it did on screen. Because really, what happened? The midseason finale was much more exciting, as for that matter was the entire first half of the season. Things finally escalating to a battle was good, Andrea and Milton getting their storylines concluded was good, but most of everything else was so...mediocre. The Governor went psychotic on his own people, effectively ruining his chances of taking out the prison group, and vanished. He'll no doubt be back, but why should we want that, or even care? He hasn't been particularly effective. In fact, the only reason we treat him as a major villain is because he was one in the comics. But there he was actually effective, dangerous, and downright scary. Here, he's just pathetic.
It's not that I disliked the episode or anything. It was actually good, and enjoyable to watch. It just wasn't season finale material, not when we went into it expecting something big and explosive. Instead we got a spark and a fizzle. But oh well, moving on, since it's Carl that I really want to talk about.
Carl killed the kid from Woodbury. This is apparently a big deal, and yet I didn't see it that way. You see, Carl didn't simply shoot the kid in the head, he shot him after he told him to drop his weapon, and the kid started doing the weird maneuver where he was reaching to give his shotgun to Carl. How often do you recall seeing a criminal do that when the police tell him to freeze and drop his weapon? Or anyone else, in any situation, for that matter? Handing a thing over requires close proximity, and when a potential enemy is that close to you, things can go badly. That's in normal adult versus adult scenarios. Carl is a child, and his enemy is a teenager, considerably bigger and stronger than he is. What was to stop him from suddenly swinging his shotgun and striking Carl on the head, then making a desperate attempt to shoot Hershel? He's up against a child and an old man, after all, maybe he'll think he can get away with it. Maybe he thinks its better to take his chances than to be captured by the fiendish murderers the Governor described to him. The point is, Carl had no idea how the kid would act, but did see that his behavior was suspicious. And then he made the decision to be prudent rather than hope for the best.
Rick and Hershel might be worried about Carl's humanity, or lack thereof, and I have absolutely no doubt there will be plenty of painful bickering and worrying about the matter in season 4. But as far as I'm concerned, Carl has adjusted to post-apocalyptic life better than anyone. He saw someone suspicious and took action to put him down, protecting his group. He saw someone noble and worthy (Michonne), and spoke up for her, defending her. It is that ability to distinguish between friend and foe that tells me that Carl hasn't lost his humanity or become hardened to the extent Rick was for most of season 3. Instead, he's found a balance of some sort, and it's a better one than most.
What do you think? Is Carl turning evil? Will the Governor be a major thorn in Rick's side next season, or will he be merely a minor nuisance/gone for good? And most importantly, will the next season be able to maintain the momentum of this one, given the greatly increased prison population?
