Andrea is in a car and she is blindfolded. There is a small gap and she can barely see through it. Michonne is sitting in the vehicle right next to her. When we next see Andrea, she is getting medical treatment. Andrea asks to go but the person treating her suggests that they stay the night and points out that it's dark out now. Merle sends the doctor on her way and tells Andrea that he knows that they were probably hoping that he was dead. He says that when he was found, he was starving and thinking about committing suicide and meeting Darryl on the other side. Merle asks about his brother and Andrea tells him that Darryl did go back for him but he was already gone. Merle still blames Rick for locking him up in the first place and Andrea tries to explain by saying that they wanted to keep looking but a lot of people died. She tells him how Darryl stepped up and became a valued member of the group. Finally, Andrea asks what they want from them and Merle says that he plucked them out of the dirt and suggests a thank you. Michonne reminds Meryl that they had a gun pointed at them. When he starts to ramble, Andrea says thank you.
The Governor enters the room and asks them how they are doing? Michonne asks for their weapons back and he tells them they can get them back at the gate. Andrea is upset because she saw them put a gun into the skulls to two dead men and the Governor then informs her that whenever someone dies, they become a walker. He tells them that they are free to leave whenever they want to but Andrea needs a solid nights sleep. The Governor offers them medical care, food, and keys to a vehicle if they stay the night. The Governor then opens the door and says, "welcome to Woodbury." Michonne and Andrea walk out and see that the residents have erected a bridge to keep the walkers out. Andrea asks if they are military because they are carrying heavy artillery and the Governor says that these are weapons they have collected over time.
The Governor escorts Michonne and Andrea to a room and tells them that they even have food and running water for showers. He promises them that they are safe there. Andrea asks about the pilot and the Governor says that Dr. Stevens is doing all she can. He leaves and tells them that if they need anything, there men will be waiting outside the door.
The next morning, Michonne and Andrea are getting the tour and learn that there are 73 people living in Woodbury and that the walls have not been breached in over a month. Apparently, the Governor has a tight leash on the town and this includes a sunset curfew. The governor is interviewing the pilot from the helicopter and learns that ten in his group escaped. The governor promises to find the land group that he was with and bring them to Woodbury.
After leaving the survivor, the Governor enters a building and catches Merle bickering with a scientist. He asks about Andrea and if she is from the group in Atlanta who left him on the roof. The Governor asks Merle to talk to Andrea again to see what else he can find out. The scientist pulls the cover over Michonne's zombies and explains that what she has done to them brilliant. The Governor asks why she kept them and the scientist says they're camouflage. The scientist says that the zombies are starving, they're just doing it more slowly that we do. The scientist wants to question Michonne and Andrea but the Governor says that Merle is handling it. the Scientist tries again and says that letting Merle talking to the women is a mistake.
The Governor sets up a meal for Andrea, Michonne, the scientist and himself. The scientist asks if they believe the walkers remember the person that they were trapped inside like an echo. Andrea says that she thought about that one time before a walker tried to bite her. The scientist ask about Michonne's zombies and suggests that she knew them once but Michonne does not answer. Andrea asks if they expect what they have at Woodbury to hold but Michonne says that it will hold. The governor says that the real subject is what happens in the walls - "it's about getting back to who we were." Throughout the conversation, Michonne keeps looking at the governor with hate in her eyes. The governor says that they are going to take back what's theirs, only this time they won't be eating each other. For her part, Andrea looks intrigued and even raises her teacup to the Governor. The Governor gets up to go and Michonne stands and says that they want their weapons. The governor again reminds them that their weapons are waiting for them at the gate, but again suggests that they should wait awhile and check out the town.
Andrea and Michonne are walking through the town and Michonne says that she does not trust them. Andrea suggests that they should give it a day or two. Andrea says that in 7 months together, she still feels like she hardly knows her but Michonne says that she knows enough. There is a black man from Woodbury who seems to be watching them. I a really curious to know who this character is and cannot help but wonder if he is Tyrese?
A vehicle with a White flag approaches the military men that were with Wells. It's the Governor and he says that they found Wells and that Wells wants the Woodbury contingent to bring them there. The military men start to get excited but the Governor and his men start shooting and kill the entire troop for their weapons. He uses the butt of a gun to kill one soldier and tells his man to never waste a bullet. Clearly The Governor is only interested in collecting supplies for his people.
Back at Woodbury, the Governor and his men pull in. Michonne sits by herself giving the stink eye to everyone. The Governor stands up to say that they brought in three new people yesterday and tht Wells told them about his convoy on the highway. The governor says that he went to bring them back alive but they didn't have their walls and fences and that the biters got there first. The Governor says that they'll honor their sacrifice by not taking what they have for granted. Andrea is buying every single word he is saying. The governor approaches Andrea and she asks if there is anything that she can do. As he starts to walk away, Andrea asks his real name and the Governor says that he never tells. Andrea is clearly intrigued by him.
Back in his office, the governor is having a drink and a woman is passed out on his bed. He looks at a picture of his family and then uses a key to unlock a room. In front of him are aquariums filled with heads that he is just staring at. In one tank is the head of the helicopter pilot.
I think that this episode was meant to be a direct juxtaposition between The Governor and Rick. This is the first episode of The Walking Dead in which Rick has not appeared. Last week we saw Rick sacrifice a man to the walkers without even giving it a second thought. He justified it as looking after his people and clearly, The Governor feels exactly the same way about what he is doing. I am disgusted that the writers have turned Andrea into a naive love sick puppy. Are we ever going to see anything resembling the Andrea from the comic books? Though we know that Michonne is right about Woodbury the fact that they had her sitting there giving stink eye to everyone rather than being proactive gave her the appearance of the angry Black woman.
Woodbury is more ethnically diverse; however, it still does not approach population demographics. Interestingly enough, in the comics, Dr. Stevens is a White man but for the show they have chosen to cast a Black woman. Things do not end well for Dr. Stevens in the comics, so I am hoping that they didn't just introduce a character of colour only to kill her off. As I mentioned earlier, there is right now an unnamed Black man that we have seen and I am really hoping that he is going to be Tyrese, though they have given the ineffectual T Dog more to say and do thus far this season.
As an introduction to the Governor, this was interesting and I am curious to see where this goes. He seems just as much of a psychopath as in the comics, though he is missing his zombie niece Penny.
