I see alot of people online complaining about these past two episodes for reasons like The Governor is basically at the same place as he was when last season ended.
I call bull****. I don't see how anyone who has actually watched the show can say that. Just because he's in a leadership role again and preparing to take out our guys doesn't mean he's the same guy he was before. He's got a different motivation. Before he merely wanted vengeance and blood. He didn't want the prison. He just wanted the people
in the prison dead. He had the comfort and safety of Woodbury for his people, but he didn't care about those people, not after he had lost his (already dead) daughter. When those people saw who he was and what he wanted, and wanted out, he gunned them all down without thought.
Now, he's a different man. He's aware of the dangers of forming connections, of caring about people. He just wanted to walk until he died after slaughtering his people, but then he met the family. He still had his walls up, and wanted to get away from them before he was baited into caring for others again, and being forced to protect those he cares about. He comes back into contact with Martinez, who now stands as both a reminder of his past (and thus a threat to his present) and weak leadership that could threaten Meghan/Lilly/Tara. Offering to share leadership, 50/50? You're not a fit leader, you're out. Pete, with his hesitance to take from others to protect his own? He's a weak leader, and now he's out. Now he's at the top of the heap, he's in charge. He's in a position he thrived on once before, but now could do without if there was someone worthy in place. But he needs to protect his new family, and he can't do that out in the open, mostly unprotected. He's not in Woodbury anymore. He needs sanctuary. That's where the prison comes in. A place that he once disregarded is now his only hope.
When he showed up at the prison the last time, he was more or less saying "I'm here to kill your people". This time he's saying "I'm here to save
mine." The villain is not that different from the hero. There's a different motivation there now. I think it's very well done on the part of the writers. But you know... I guess if none of the main characters are there, it's an epic fail or something.