It’s hard to believe, but we’ve only known The Walking Dead’s Governor for 12 episodes, less than a full season. It feels like he’s been around forever, terrorizing the prison camp and unleashing his madness. There was a lot of build up toward who was expected to be the central villain in the AMC drama, and honestly, we’ve not been let down. Phillip Blake is a terrible human being.
This weekend, The Walking Dead will end its third season in what we expect to be the final showdown between The Governor and Woodbury and Rick and the prison camp. Most of us expect that The Governor will not make it out of the episode alive (because he’s been such a compelling villain, many of us are also hoping that he does survive). Ahead of the season finale, and because it may be the last time we get to write about The Governor, I thought I’d take a look back at the last 12 episodes and remind you of what a terrible, terrible human being The Governor is.
1. We were introduced to The Governor in “Walk With Me,” where he killed a crew of unsuspecting survivors — military men — and took their weapons.
2. In the same episode, we learned that The Governor keeps trophies of his victims, both survivors and walkers, in a fish tank that he likes to gaze upon in his idle hours.
3. In “Say the Word,” we discover that The Governor has a very unhealthy relationship with his daughter, who is a walker, and who The Governor keeps locked up in a closet with a bag over her head. He brings her out to brush her hair and for cuddle time on occasion.
4. Also in “Say the Word,” The Governor arranges gladiator fights in the midst of walkers, which he does to provide entertainment to the citizens of Woodbury.
5. In “Hounded,” when The Governor politely allows Michonne to leave, The Governor sends Merle out to kill her. Not only does he keep this from Andrea, he turns around and sleeps with Andrea.
6. In “When the Dead Come Knocking,” The Governor nearly rapes Maggie during an interrogation, and directs Merle to unleash a walker on Glen.
7. In “Made to Suffer,” The Governor pits brothers Merle and Daryl against each other in what was meant to be a fight to death.
8. In “Home,” just as we were starting to like Axel, The Governor put a bullet in his head, then unleashed a Trojan Horse of walkers into the prison.
9. In “Prey,” The Governor reveals that he has a torture room set up for Michonne, who he has attempted to negotiate away from Rick in a truce that he doesn’t plan to maintain (he has every intention of ambushing the prison). Andrea escapes, but the Governor tracks her ass down, brings her back, and installs her in his torture chamber.
10. In “This Sorrowful Life,” not only did The Governor kill Merle, HE BIT HIS FINGERS OFF FIRST.
