The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 6 Live Bait

Walking Dead Season 4 episode 6 “Live Bait” opens right where we last saw The Governor in Season 3.

As you recall, The Governor was on the streets gunning down his disciples from Woodbury. He then drove off with his two faithful henchmen.

When night fell, The Governor sat staring at the camp fire. Could he possibly be reflecting on his depraved behavior? He looked as if he was in a trance. He sits unresponsive to the imminent danger as a Walker approaches him.

Carlos takes matters into his own hands and shoots the Walker. Carlos’s expression is nothing less than frustration and disappointment in his great leader. To no surprise, The Governor awakes the next morning to find his men gone.

The Governor is truly lost and returns to his only home. He breaks through Woodbury’s barriers only to find the place is overrun by Walkers. He watches his beloved town burn.

Abandoned and lost, The Governor begins to wander the countryside. He staggers around looking like a “Living Walker.” He appears to be a broken man and cares about nothing. He just exists. He is nonchalant as he passes Walkers on the street.

He wanders for months. He is a mere shell of his former self, which is evident from his over grown beard and lifeless expression on his face. Until one day he spots a little girl staring at him from an apartment window.

The Governor explores the building and finds Tara, the tough-talking wannabe cop; single mom Lily, her adorable daughter, Megan, and the sisters’ dying father.

He explains that he came from a group that “the leader lost it, I barely got out alive.” Could The Governor actually realized somewhere along the way he lost he’s humanity?

Like other characters, The Governor’s storyline seems to also ring the theme of change in Season 4. The Governor is brought back to life while living with this little family.

He reinvents himself as Brian Harriet and becomes a protector of his new family. It is unclear how The Governor was as a man before the zombie apocalypse, but from his relaxed demeanor with Megan, it is clear that she brings out the best of him. Are we seeing glimpses of his former personality when his daughter was alive?

She obviously reminds him of his deceased daughter Penny. Do you remember how tenderly he interacted with her in Season 3, despite the fact she was a Walker in a straightjacket locked in a closet.

The Governor clearly has replaced Penny in his heart, which is symbolized by him burning the family photograph, in other words erasing his past. We can guess that losing his family was the traumatic event that brought about the rise of The Governor.

After the father passes away, Lily convinces The Governor to help them find a better location. A romance is developing between him and Lilly and it seems real. His protecting of his new found family starts immediately as they hit the road.

After parking the truck for the night, it won't start in the morning. The group is forced to walk the streets until they find another car. Of course, Walkers appear and they all run for cover. Brian - aka The Governor scoops up Megan and runs pass the struggling sisters hobbling along.

Brian and Megan fall in a walker trap and he must kill all of them to protect the child. Megan clings to him. He promises to always keep her safe. Ironically, at the end of the episode The Governor finds out the trap was made by his once loyal henchman, Caesar.

Can people change so drastically from evil to a genuinely good person? 

Do you believe The Governor has put his dark side in the past for good?