Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 309 "The Suicide King"

My husband perfectly summed up the episode. It finished and he turned to me and said "Their situation is not improving."
   We all waited for so long for our favorite show to come back on and I was SOOOO excited, but now that the first episode of the second half of the season has aired I'm just frustrated. It was a good episode - it's just that things are not happening the way I want them to happen. Granted what I WANT to happen is for all the Zombies to rot away, the Governor to get a massive gangrene brain infection and die, Rick to shake himself off, stop hallucinating and be normal again, the prison group to absorb the mis-led population of Woodbury, migrate down to Orlando, re-open Disney World and hug it out. And I get that would make for a pretty lame show but still, can NOTHING good happen?
    I was really hoping the episode would pick right up with Merle and Daryl and it did so we were gripped right from the start. They started battling it out and I don't know WHAT Merle thought he had up his sleeve (certainly not a hand...) but it was not looking good for the Dixon boys until Rick and the gang showed up and saved the day. The best part of the whole thing was the way Daryl re-claimed his cross-bow with a mighty double-handed snatch. Like "Thanks for showing up and saving me but get your hands off my woman boy!" We had to re-wind and watch that twice... classic.
   They get out with all team members including Daryl and Merle and only then are the lives of the Dixon boys TRULY in danger because they bring them back to Glenn and Michonne and for a second there it seems like Glenn is ready to polish Merle off himself. They start screamin it out in the middle of the woods and I'm thinking that 1.) In the Z.A. everyone should use their library voice when they're out in the woods and 2.)it's a wonder Daryl ever learned to talk because Merle never shuts up EVER, when Rick cold-cocks the guy and we finally get a little peace.
    There's no way the group is admitting Merle and there's no way Daryl is leaving his brother for a second time so off goes Daryl into the sunset with Merle. They head back to the prison but Glenn is so upset that he almost cashes it in because he's so worked up that he yanks open a truck door and a zombie practically falls into his lap. Opening ANY door without peeking behind it to see what lurks is standard operating procedure for the Z.A. ladies and gents. I don't care if it's the door to a bird cage, you CHECK first. One more reason for everyone to stay calm and serene when they can which is totally incompatible with co-habitating with Merle. Yikes.
   They get back to the prison and Carol takes Daryl's exit pretty hard. Now you and I both know that he's not gone for good. He's too awesome, he has too big of a fan base (have you checked out the Pinterest boards DEDICATED to Daryl Dixon people?? I'm not making this up...) and he just makes for excellent TV. The question is how long are we gonna have to sweat it out without him? One week? The rest of the season? Will he come back just in time to save the day when Woodbury attacks? Will Merle still be with him? Start speculating people, I want to know what you think.
    Back at the prison the group gets patched up and spends lots of time admiring the baby who has already lived much longer that she did in the comic. This may or may not be a spoiler. Has ANY TV show in the history of TV ever killed off a newborn? I think not. So she may be with us for a while. Taking out an infant is a pretty big offense, the writers may have to work up their courage. Michonne gets a nap, and Rick should have taken her lead on this one because the next thing you know he's meeting the newcomers fresh off a rescue mission and stressed to the max and the hallucinations begin. You know, when your leader is coo-coo for cocoa puffs, it's time for new leadership. Hershel can be the brains and the heart, and Glenn can be his arm. It could work! But instead they have Rick who has clearly gone off the deep end and I'm not sure a nap is gonna fix it people. He may need chocolate and peanut butter mixed together AND a night of feel-good movie classics to be right again, and let's be honest... where is gonna find all THAT In the middle of the Z.A.? Geesh, at this point they may be better off with Carl leading the group. So I don't know what's going to happen next but you'd think that SOMETHING positive has to be around the corner soon. That's all I got. Did you notice that I didn't discuss Andreea and the Gov? I can't even go there right now...