Original Airdate: December 1, 2013
Have you picked your jaw up from the floor yet? The Walking Dead producers promised us drama for tonight’s mid-season finale…and drama there was.
Brian gathers the camp for a meeting. He tells them he’s not sure how to talk about what needs to happen given what he’s going to ask them to do. The Biters will come in herds and fill the pits. They need to survive, and staying there will be certain death. He blames the death of the campers on the Prison Gang. They have walls and fences and safety. They need to be at the prison to survive. While we hear him talk, we see what happened to Hershel and Michonne. Brian captured them while they were burning Walker bodies; first he hit Michonne from behind and then he aimed the gun at Hershel. The camp seems incredulous that he took people prisoner, but he claims that this will allow them to take the prison without bloodshed.
Somehow I just don’t believe that.
Not all of the people in the prison are bad, Brian tells his people. But most of them are thieves and murderers who are responsible for taking his eye, killing his daughter and burning his camp. They need the element of surprise on their side in order to win. Unequivocally, the campers agree to his plan. Brian is left with Lily, who tells him that Meghan is in the trailer reading. Brian pledges to keep her and Meghan alive. “I love you,” he says. She says she doesn’t know who he is, but he reiterates that this is how it will always be, but he will protect them.
Next we see Brian with his prisoners. He offers food to Hershel and Michonne, telling them it will be a long day and no one will hurt them. Hershel doesn’t believe him, but Brian tells him that he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. He tells Michonne that he now knows that Penny was dead, and now he has people he needs to keep alive. Hershel can tell that the Governor is a different man. “You’re a good man, Hershel, better than Rick,” Brian says. Brian knows that he and Rick and Michonne will never be able to live together. He wants to do this as peacefully as possible. Hershel reminds him that his daughters are in there, so he could be hurting them. Brian reminds him that they aren’t his daughters.
The campers prepare their camp next to the water, since Biters can’t go through water. He tells Lily that she must stay there with Meghan, and “she’s going to be alive” because they’re making this decision. Brian goes over to where Meghan is making mud sandwiches. He asks for a huge before he leaves, and she hesitates because of her muddy hands. She’s worried about messing up his coat, but he says she “made it all better.” He holds her tighter.
Maggie and a healthier Glen talk about their upcoming anniversary. She tells him about a place she went with her dad. She offers to get him some water because she can.
Daryl is reeling from the news about Carol. He can’t believe that Rick made the decision while they were gone. Rick points out that she wasn’t sorry for doing what she did. Daryl wants to know what they’re going to do about the girls. Rick hasn’t told Tyreese, but he’s not sure of his reaction. Daryl suggests they find out together.
Sasha finds Bob and thanks him for what he did to help Hershel. He’s reluctant to accept her gratitude for saving her life. She sways from being up for the first time, and she asks him for help.
Daryl and Rick find Tyreese down in the cells. They planned to tell him about Carol, but he shows them the flayed corpse of a rat pinned to a board. He thinks whoever killed Karen did this. Daryl starts to tell him that it wasn’t the same person when they hear an explosion outside.
Rick and Daryl and Tyreese rush outside, where Rick waves off Carl. Beyond the prison fences are Brian and a herd of cars. And a tank. Brian wants to talk to Rick, who says that they have a Council that makes the decisions. Brian asks if Hershel and Michonne are on the Council, and the both are brought out of the cars. “I don’t make the decisions anymore!” Rick yells. Brian still wants to talk, though.
Michonne and Hershel are on their knees with guns pointed at them. Daryl and Rick exchange nods, and Rick turns to give Carl a nod. Rick goes out to meet the group. By now the rest of the prison has come outside. Daryl says their numbers are too low to take them by surprise. They have an evacuation plan to go to the bus and leave, but Tyreese says that they might not make it.
Rick tells Brian to let his prisoners go so they can talk. Brian points out that they have a tank and they’re not going to blow a hole in their new home. He has the numbers and the people, so Rick needs to leave before sundown. “It’s not about the past. It’s about right now.” Rick pleads with Brian and tells him that there are children inside who are sick. Brian says he’s letting them walk away.
Back at the prison, Daryl and Bob continue to plan.
Lily is staring at the river. Suddenly she sees a Biter emerge from the trees. He goes into the water and she braces to shoot him, but he sinks into the water and floats away. Meghan calls her mother to help her dig. She’s found a flash flood warning sign, which was covering the buried body of a Biter. The Biter grabs the girl and she screams, but he bites her before Lily can reach her. Lily shoots him.
Hershel and Michonne remain on their knees while Brian explains that they can shoot them all very easily, but the choice is his. Walkers approach the standoff and Brian shoots them, reminding Rick that the noise will only draw them out.
Daryl and Carl stand at the fence with guns pointed at the scene. Carl wants to shoot the Governor but Daryl tells him to trust his dad.
The prison kids head to the bus with baby Judith, aka Little Ass Kicker. Lizzie stops them and tells them that Carol told them to be strong and fight. They adults have guns, and so should they.
Brian suggests that Rick “starts packing.” It will be harder to leave if they wait. Rick says that they can all live together. The prison is big enough. Brian says his family wouldn’t feel comfortable to live with Rick nearby. They could all have different cell blocks. Hershel looks back at Brian and says it could work, but Brian says it’s not possible after Woodbury and Andrea. Rick tries to reason with him, saying that the sound of the guns would bring out more noise. Brian loses his patience and pulls out Michonne’s sword and holds it to Hershel’s neck. Beth and Maggie look on in horror. Rick pleads with the other campers, telling them that he fought the Governor before and now his people live with them in the prison. Mitch, who is driving the tank, says they just want the prison. Rick says that if they walk through the gates, they become members of the prison. They’re all alive right now, and they’re not “too far gone” at this point. They can all change, he says. Hershel smiles while Brian whispers “liar.” With a swing, Brian hacks at Hershel’s head.
All hell breaks loose. Gunshots ring out and Rick gets shot in the crossfire.
Brian continues to hack at Hershel until he’s dead. Tara and Alisha find each other and Tara says that they shouldn’t be there. Brian just “cut off a guy’s head with a sword.” Lily shows up with Meghan’s body. Brian grabs her and shoots her in the head. Then he tells everyone to get ready to move in. They are taking the prison.
The tank crushes the fence and the cars move in. Daryl manages to take out a few campers. The tank fires at the buildings, making huge holes. Maggie tells Beth to get the people on the bus and get them out of harm’s way. “We all have jobs to do,” Maggie says. Rick and Brian find each other and battle it out. Maggie helps people get out of the cells as they’re being torn apart by the tank. The prison team is losing ground as the campers come closer. When Maggie and Glen reach the bus, Beth has gone in search of Judith. Daryl uses a Walker as cover to throw a grenade at the tank crew. Bob gets shot when Maggie comes to see if Sasha has seen Beth. The bus drives away. Tyreese is about to get shot when a shell-shocked Alisha emerges from behind the tank. That’s when Lizzie steps out and shoots her in the head. Tyreese looks at her in shock. He tells the girls they have to leave but the sisters run right into the action.
Brian is about to choke Rick to death when a blade plunges through his chest. Rick goes off in search of Carl. The Governor is left choking on blood in the field.
Daryl blows up the tank and kills Mitch, and then he runs into Beth. He tells her that they have to go. Rick staggers back to the courtyard and finds Carl, who shoots the Walker who is about to attack Rick. Rick grabs his son and holds him, but then they both realize that Judith is MIA. They find her carrier sitting out in the open. It’s empty and full of blood. Carl unloads his gun on the approaching Walker, and when he runs out of bullets Carl breaks down in tears. Father and son make their way out of the prison as it fills with Walkers. “Don’t look back,” Rick says.
The Governor is still in the field. Lily approaches him, raises her gun, and fires.
So ends the mid-season finale. Hershel is dead. Is Judith still alive? Where did the girls go? Do they all have an agreed upon meeting place? The Governor is dead. Meghan is dead. Mitch is dead. Alisha is dead. Bob has been shot. The Grimes Gang is homeless. And in some ways, they are more vulnerable than ever before.
What did you think about tonight’s episode? What do you think is coming next?
That’s all for now, fellow Walkers. See you in February!
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