I have to say I did enjoy the season finale overall. I like that this show is really taking its time, even if it may seem lost at times. I think it has A LOT of story to tell and what's the rush? Seriously, what's the rush? I enjoy just being in its universe. And I like a show that takes its time. What if Breaking Bad rushed through its story and you didn't get to appreciate Walt's transformation? What if Mad Men rushed through its story and you didn't get to appreciate Draper's growth? I really think this is a situation where its producers are playing chess at a time when most shows are playing checkers. When I think of the CRAP you see on TV, the stupid cookie-cutter cop dramas or spy dramas or hospital dramas (blech!) where it's nothing but a series of "clever" quips, gruesome and pointless murders, and pretty people struggling to memorize their lines, and there's so much "action" that your mind just becomes numb... I still find Walking Dead to be a breath of much needed fresh air...
Having said that, I was hoping for a little more "action" in the season finale...I mean, the season 2 finale was HUGE and I was hoping for that again... it seemed like the right time. But that kind of stuff does start to get repetitive, and I think degrades the quality of the show overall. What makes this show so special is because it does not follow ANY sort of normal pattern. "You never know what you're going to get." And there aren't many shows on TV you can say that about. Most shows, you can watch the first two minutes and know exactly what's going to happen except for whatever modernized rejoinders the characters are going to spew out.
In fact, I remember getting almost bored in the first half of this latest season because there was SO MUCH zombie killing... it started getting kind of repetitive. I think the show is most enjoyable when there's the THREAT of danger, the idea of it... if they succumb to being just an "action" show I would probably stop watching. I prefer the existential waffling and lamenting...
Now, of course there is a happy medium, and I think they often found it this season, but sometimes did not. I really think if you go back and watch the whole season in 3-4 chunks, you'll see a (mostly) well thought-out story arc. Did it slip up at times? Absolutely. But I know I'm still thankful it's on the air...
And thank goodness I have Game of Thrones and Mad Men to keep me company in it stead... with Breaking Bad waiting in the wings!
And yes, I would be fearing the Governor, if I were they. This is a guy who SLAUGHTERED his own people. He will obviously stop at nothing to get his revenge, and they will ALWAYS have to wonder about him. Where is he? Is he watching them, tracking them? What's he planning? What's he up to? Building an army? He is going to be the show's bogeyman now. And if you thought he was obsessed before... what's he going to be like now? Not much more dangerous than a psychopathic man who's been humiliated... 'cept for a wounded mosquito!
Not trying to be a dick or anything! Would love to know what else you guys and gals think!
ps. Wish the crew had let walkers loose ALL OVER in the prison to get the Governor and Co. when they barged in... the ol' switcheroo! That's what I was thinking...
EDIT: I also like that the show ended with a little hope. Maybe the group is not "the walking dead" anymore?
But why the final shot of a crooked cross?