SEASON IV [2013-2014]
"30 Days Without an Accident"
After renouncing leadership and taking in the remaining Woodbury citizens, Rick has resigned into farming and taking care of pigs, one of which appears sick. Rick also refuses to carry guns, in hopes of being a better example to his son, Carl. The prison has become an ideal and peaceful location for the survivors, who manage to keep walkers from entering. Michonne continues to search for The Governor and plans to search for him next in Macon. While out in the woods to clear snares, Rick finds a tattered woman named Clara and becomes suspicious. Rick converses with her about her life and her husband. At her camp, Clara attempts and fails to kill Rick to feed her zombified husband, and stabs herself to join him as a walker. Daryl leads a small group, including former army medic Bob Stookey and Beth's new boyfriend Zach, on a supply run to a retail store. When Bob causes an accident in the store, walkers pour in from the roof, and Zach is killed when he is bitten by walkers. When the group returns to the prison, Daryl informs Beth of Zach's demise; Beth does not display emotion, saying that she no longer cries and instead decides to be happy she got to know him. Patrick, Carl's friend who has become ill, collapses and dies in the shower rooms, and reanimates as a walker.
"Infected"
The reanimated Patrick proceeds to devour multiple people in his cell block, turning them into walkers as well. The walkers at the fences have proliferated after someone is revealed to have been feeding them rats. The walkers inside the prison also multiply as the inhabitants evacuate the primary cell block, although the walkers, including Patrick, are quickly killed by the rest of the survivors. Carol takes care of a man, Ryan Samuels, whose daughters are Lizzie and Mika, and he realizes he has been bitten in the arm and neck. Ryan, coming to terms with his imminent death, asks Carol to take care of his girls. Carol brings them to him to say goodbye, comforts the girls, and encourages them to stay strong. Rick and Daryl discover that Patrick has been killed by an aggressive flu strain that causes the infected person to hemorrhage and choke on his own blood. The survivors decide to quarantine those who might be infected to prevent the virus from spreading. The outer fence of the prison is about to give way to the walkers, and the group tries to hold off the undead, discovering in the process that someone has been feeding them rats. Rick lures the walkers away from the fence by reluctantly feeding them his pigs, which Hershel deemed to be possible hosts for the new virus. As Rick scraps his pig pen, Carl discloses to his father that Carol has been teaching the children how to use weapons. Rick gives Carl back his gun, disappointed that his attempt to live a quiet life has failed. Tyreese visits his girlfriend, Karen, who had been infected; later, he is horrified when he discovers two burnt bodies: his infected friend David, and Karen. The blood trails indicate the two had been killed before their bodies were burned.
"Isolation"
The unknown virus continues to spread, killing more people and infecting others, including Sasha, Glenn, and Lizzie. Tyreese, furious about Karen's death, attacks Daryl and Rick in frustration, inciting the latter to fight back. Hershel suggests that the group search a nearby veterinary college to find medication to help the infected. He also decides that the elderly and children, including Carl, must be separated from the other survivors, as they are more vulnerable to the disease. Hershel leaves the prison enclosure to search the woods for elderberries and runs into Carl, who insists upon escorting him. They encounter one slow-moving and another immobilized walker during their trip, and Carl prepares to shoot them, but Hershel discourages him, advising that it is unnecessary. Maggie cries about Glenn's illness, but Beth reminds her they all have jobs to do. Carol breaks down after offering condolences to Tyreese. Hershel decides to risk exposure by caring for the sick. He says they are always risking their lives, and the only thing they could do now is decide what they are risking it for. Daryl, Michonne, Bob, and Tyreese head to the veterinary college to retrieve medication, but on their way, they hear a voice on their radio inviting listeners to a "sanctuary". They suddenly encounter a massive herd of walkers, forcing them to abandon their vehicle, although a bitter Tyreese stays in the car. When he finally decides to get out, he is surrounded by the undead, forcing the remaining three to leave him and head into the woods. Tyreese miraculously survives the herd's attack and catches up with Daryl's group. After investigating Karen and David's murders, Rick confronts Carol, who admits she killed them.
"Indifference"
Daryl's group finds a new car, and while repairing the vehicle, Bob tells Daryl about his alcoholism and his culpability for Zach's earlier death; Daryl replies that is nonsense and reminds Bob that he is no longer alone. Michonne confronts Tyreese about his anger; he counters with inquiries about her quests to find and kill The Governor. The group eventually makes it to the college and retrieves the medicine they need, although Bob is almost killed in a tug-of-war with walkers who latched onto his bag, which is revealed to contain only a bottle of liquor he found at the college. Having lost trust in him, Daryl threatens Bob and condemns his actions. On their way back to the prison, Michonne tells Daryl The Governor's trail has "gone cold", and thus she will stop searching for him. Meanwhile, Rick and Carol go on a supply run in a residential area, where they find two survivors, a couple named Sam and Ana. When the couple expresses interest in returning with them to the prison despite the ongoing illness, Rick decides to let them come with him. Carol suggests that the couple assist them in searching the area for supplies, and they agree to help. Rick believes they are ill-equipped to handle that task, but reluctantly agrees with the group consensus. While scavenging the town, Rick and Carol debate Carol's actions. The two later discover that Ana has been killed by walkers and Sam is nowhere to be found. Rick later tells Carol that she will not return with him to the prison, since he believes Tyreese would kill her when he learned she had killed Karen and David, and Rick does not want her around his children. He helps Carol pack a car of her own with supplies, and then the two then go their separate ways.
"Internment"
Rick returns to the prison and tells Maggie and Hershel that Carol killed Karen and David, and thus he sent her off. Meanwhile, in the quarantined cell block, Hershel continues to care for the sick, with the ailing Sasha and Glenn assisting him. As the conditions of the infected worsen, many succumb to the flu and reanimate as walkers. Despite their dire situation, Hershel remains optimistic and comforts the other people in the quarantined area. The reanimated quickly proliferate and overrun the cell block, and Hershel, Glenn, Sasha, and Lizzie fend for their lives. Hearing the gunshots inside the prison, Maggie rushes to the quarantined zone. Meanwhile, the exterior fence gives way to the press of walkers, whom Rick and Carl kill using automatic rifles. Maggie manages to enter the cell block by shooting the window, eliminates the remaining undead, and rushes to her father's aid, while Hershel retrieves a breathing apparatus for Glenn, who is close to death. As Carl reassures his father, Daryl's group returns, and Bob administers medicine to the remaining infected survivors, including Glenn and Sasha. Hershel returns to his cell block and breaks down in tears. Later, outside, when Daryl approaches him about Carol, Hershel advises that he should speak to Rick. Michonne and Hershel leave the prison to dispose of the walker corpses. As Rick and Carl continue to tend to their crops, the prison is revealed to be observed by The Governor.
"Live Bait"
In an extended flashback, The Governor recalls his massacre of the entire Woodbury army, and his henchmen Martinez and Shumpert abandon him while he is asleep. The Governor smashes a military truck through the Woodbury gates, and when he sees that the town has been abandoned by the remaining survivors and overrun by walkers, he burns the town to the ground. Months later, after wandering the roads alone, the bearded, tattered, weakened Governor sees a young girl in a window, who reminds him of his daughter Penny. He enters the building and encounters the Chamblers — two adult sisters, Lilly and Tara, their wheelchair-bound father, David, and the girl, Lilly's daughter, Meghan. When asked his name, The Governor adopts a false identity, Brian (which he adopted randomly from a message spray-painted on the side of a barn). He tells them how Woodbury fell apart because of its leader — hiding from them the fact that he was the leader. The Chamblers remain holed up in their own apartment with sufficient food, waiting for the National Guard, and Tara threatens The Governor at gunpoint. However, they slowly warm up to him when he opens up and helps to care for their father. At David's request, The Governor retrieves a backgammon set from an upstairs apartment for Meghan. Later, Lilly asks him to retrieve oxygen tanks for David, who has stage-4 lung cancer. The Governor begins to bond with Meghan over chess, but is forced to kill David in front of the family when the latter dies and reanimates. After digging a grave, burying David, burning his own family photo, and comforting Meghan, The Governor tries to sneak away and leave, but the remaining Chamblers decide to go with him. During their journey, Lilly and The Governor begin a serious relationship. After the catering truck they are riding in breaks down, they proceed on foot and encounter a horde of walkers approaching. They quickly flee on foot. Meghan and The Governor fall into a pit containing a few walkers, whom The Governor kills with his own hands to protect Meghan. As he assures her that he will always protect her, The Governor looks up to see a shocked Martinez standing above the pit.
"Dead Weight"
Martinez rescues The Governor and Meghan from the pit and realizes The Governor has assumed a new identity. Lilly and Tara rejoin the two, and the foursome join a large group of survivors led by Martinez. After reassuring Meghan of her safety at the camp, The Governor joins Martinez and his right-hand men, brothers Mitch and Pete, on a supply run to a survivalist cabin, finding decapitated bodies along the way. At the cabin, Martinez says he rescued The Governor because he was with Meghan, and notes The Governor seems to have changed for the better. The next day, Martinez invites The Governor to hit golf balls from the top of a camper, where Martinez relates that Shumpert was bitten by walkers (and Martinez had to put him down before he could turn) in the preceding months and says there are some things they could not return from. When a drunk Martinez admits that he doubts that he can keep the camp safe by himself, an enraged Governor hits him in the head with a golf club and feeds him to a pit of walkers. Mitch holds a meeting where they disclose Martinez's death, and Pete claims temporary leadership. The Governor goes on another supply run with Mitch and Pete, and they discover a camp of survivors. The brothers debate whether they should take the people in or rob them. Mitch wants to rob them, but Pete insists they leave them alone. A short while later the survivors are discovered murdered and looted. The Governor, convinced Pete's group is not safe, tries to lead the Chamblers away from the group but turns back upon encountering a mud pit filled with walkers. The next day, The Governor kills Pete and forms an alliance with Mitch, who wanted to loot the aforementioned camp, and The Governor becomes the leader of Martinez's former group. The Governor keeps a zombified Pete chained in the bottom of a pond. Despite the camp's new defenses, Meghan and Tara are attacked by a walker that The Governor kills. The Governor concludes that the prison is a safer place for the family and proceeds to scout the prison. After observing Rick and Carl, he sees Hershel and Michonne in the woods burning walker corpses and aims his gun at them.
"Too Far Gone"
The Governor rallies his group for an assault on the prison, using the captured Hershel and Michonne as hostages to avoid any bloodshed. Hershel attempts to barter with The Governor, saying their groups can coexist in the prison peacefully, but The Governor is not interested. The Governor leaves Lilly and Meghan near a river to keep them safe. At the prison, Daryl is infuriated with Carol's banishment, but when the two decide to tell Tyreese about Carol, Tyreese finds a dissected rabbit, and believes there is still a killer in the prison. Before they can investigate, the Governor arrives and orders Rick's group to leave the prison, or his army will force their way in. He rejects Rick's proposal for them to coexist within the prison and decapitates Hershel with Michonne's katana, provoking a firefight between the two groups. Michonne escapes in the commotion. Lilly, who had witnessed Hershel's execution, arrives with Meghan, who has died from a walker bite, and The Governor shoots Meghan in the head. Having lost his new family's trust and Meghan's life, The Governor loses his purpose for the prison and orders his army to kill everybody in the prison. Mitch destroys the fences with the M60 Patton, rendering the prison vulnerable and prompting the remaining prison inhabitants to flee. Rick ambushes The Governor, and the two begin brawling. Tara flees the battle. The Woodbury group fires on The Governor's army, killing many as walkers begin to pour into the prison, and the survivors scatter as they escape. Daryl disables the tank by dropping a grenade down the barrel of the tank's cannon and then kills Mitch before leaving the prison with Beth. The Governor physically overpowers Rick and has nearly killed him when Michonne runs The Governor through with her katana. Rick finds Carl, and the two find Judith's bloody, empty baby carrier. Devastated, Rick and Carl retreat from the prison on their own. Meanwhile, Lilly finds the dying Governor lying on the ground outside the prison and kills him by shooting him in the head.
"After"
Michonne returns to the prison grounds, fashioning two new walker "pets" to accompany her for camouflage, and solemnly impales Hershel's zombified head before leaving without entering the prison. Meanwhile, a severely weakened Rick and a bitter Carl travel on their own and encounter a diner, where they scavenge supplies and kill a walker. The two then discover and reside in a house, where Carl acts rebelliously and angrily towards his father. Michonne spots Rick and Carl's footprints on the road, but initially turns away from their trail. She later has a nightmare about her life before the apocalypse, in which she lived with her young son, her lover Mike, and another close associate named Terry; the latter two eventually became her first walker "pets" after their deaths. After waking up in the house, Carl attempts to awaken his father, but to no avail. When two walkers bang at the front door in response to Carl's yelling, Carl lures them away, and after a scuffle with a third walker during which the first two pile on, he kills the three undead. Upon returning to his unconscious father, he chastises Rick for his inability to protect the people he loves and says he would be fine if Rick died. Carl then travels to another house to scavenge more supplies, but he narrowly escapes a walker and must subdue him after running out of ammunition. That night, Rick groans and reaches out to Carl, who fears his father has died and reanimated, but Carl cannot shoot him. Carl admits his weaknesses, only to realize that Rick is still alive. Rick acknowledges Carl's ability to survive and apologizes for the boy having had to become a man, but Carl replies that Rick need not apologize. Michonne regains her will to live after seeing a walker that resembles herself, kills the small herd of walkers she was traveling with - eliminating her "pets" in the process, and returns to the trail to pursue Rick and Carl. She discovers Rick and Carl's location, and knocks on the door. Rick looks through the peephole and smiles, telling Carl, "It's for you".
"Inmates"
At a campfire, Beth persuades a depressed Daryl to join her in searching for other survivors from the prison attack. The next day, the two discover that one of the children, Luke, has been killed by walkers. Lizzie and Mika have been traveling with Tyreese, who is revealed to have rescued Judith from the prison. That night, Lizzie appears to secretly kill a nest of baby rabbits. The group has to cope with the baby's constant crying. The next day, upon hearing several screams, Tyreese temporarily leaves the children, believing that they are able to fend for themselves. He finds a father and son fighting walkers on train tracks, but fails to save them from being bitten and killed. Walkers approach the sisters while Lizzie covers Judith's mouth to keep her from crying, nearly suffocating her. After killing all the undead, Tyreese finds the children have been rescued by Carol. The dying father tells the group to follow the tracks, since it leads to a safer place. The five discover a sign that promises sanctuary, with a map marking "Terminus". Meanwhile, Maggie, Sasha and Bob discover that the prison bus has crashed and all the people inside have either died or reanimated. After killing the walkers in the bus, Maggie cries in relief after realizing that Glenn is not in the bus. Glenn, who had never left the prison, grabs a riot armor and the remaining supplies in the prison before fighting the horde of walkers at the courtyard. He finds Tara, who had locked herself in a fenced area, and invites her to join him despite her part in the Governor's attack. After distracting the walkers with a Molotov cocktail made from Bob's liquor bottle, the two escape the prison. Tara tells him about the deaths of Hershel and her sister Lilly, who had been devoured by walkers. Glenn then persuades her to help him find Maggie. After they encounter and defeat another herd of walkers, Glenn faints. At that point an army truck arrives and Tara yells at it. Three people come out from the truck: Abraham Ford, Eugene Porter and Rosita Espinosa. Abraham then says, "You got a damn mouth on you, you know that? What else you got?"
"Claimed"
Michonne and Carl go for a supply run while Rick, who is unsure whether they should stay in their house or not, rests. Michonne tries and fails to cheer up Carl, and remarks that she can make toddlers laugh. When Carl asks her if she was around toddlers, she reveals that she had a son. As they scavenge a house, she reveals that her son's name was Andre Anthony who was three years old and died shortly after the apocalypse occurred. She later discovers a deceased family inside the house. Meanwhile, Glenn recovers in Abraham's truck, and is told by Tara that they passed by the prison bus, and all the inhabitants inside are dead. Glenn attempts to leave in order to search for Maggie, but he is stopped by Abraham, whose mission is to deliver Eugene to Washington, D.C.. Abraham asserts that Eugene knows exactly what caused the apocalypse and is to meet with government officials there. Abraham wants Glenn and Tara to stay with them, as they are stronger with more manpower. When Glenn still tries to leave, he and Abraham scuffle. While Tara and Rosita try to break them up, Eugene spots a large number of walkers approaching their direction and takes it upon himself to try to kill them. The five proceed to kill the walkers, but Eugene's poor aim causes him to shoot the truck, rupturing its fuel tank and effectively disabling it. The three are then left to accompany Glenn and Tara as they commence walking back the way they came. Rick awakens to the sounds of strangers who have infiltrated the house. He sneaks past the armed scavengers to escape, but he is forced to kill one of them when he is caught by surprise. The killed scavenger reanimates and attacks his fellow survivors while Rick manages to escape with Carl and Michonne. The three then come upon the train tracks and follow the direction pointed by a sign: "Sanctuary for all. Community for all. Those who arrive, Survive. Terminus."
"Still"
Beth grows tired of living in undesirable camps in the woods and on the run from walkers. She decides Daryl and she need a way to relax and wants to have her first drink of alcohol and wanders off alone. Daryl joins her to make sure she does not get attacked by walkers. They find a golf course country club and explore it. They encounter a group of walkers inside. Beth eventually finds a bottle of peach schnapps but can not find a clean glass. Daryl gets fed up and smashes the bottle and takes Beth to a house with a still with moonshine he discovered before the prison was overrun. The two drink moonshine and share personal information about each other (shedding light on Daryl's background) while playing "Never Have I Ever" inside the house. Daryl loses his temper after one of Beth's questions presumes he had been in jail before and he starts yelling and decides to take it upon himself to teach Beth how to shoot a crossbow on a walker outside. An upset Beth kills the walker with her knife after Daryl takes pleasure in tormenting the walker. Daryl breaks down and reflects on what transpired at the prison. That night they decide to burn down the house they were sheltering in as it reminded Daryl of who he was before the apocalypse.
"Alone"
Bob's time alone and introduction to the group is explored in a flashback. Maggie, Bob, and Sasha comes across a map to Terminus. Maggie believes Glenn would go looking for her there, but Sasha is against the idea, not wanting to face the possibility that Tyreese could be dead. Maggie abandons Bob and Sasha in the middle of the night and heads for Terminus alone. Bob and Sasha try to follow until Sasha decides she wants to give up and settle in an abandoned town. Bob kisses her hoping to change her mind, but it doesn't work and he moves on. While settling in an abandoned building, Sasha stumbles upon Maggie and accidentally awakens a large group of walkers. After killing them off, Maggie tells Sasha she was waiting for Sasha and Bob because she realizes she can't make the trip to Terminus alone and needs them. Daryl and Beth grow emotionally closer and relax in a recently inhabited mortuary. Daryl finds food and walkers dressed with funerary makeup while Beth plays music. The funeral home is invaded by walkers, and Daryl tells Beth to run while he covers her retreat. After barely escaping, Daryl is distraught to find Beth's bag lying on the ground and sees a car leaving. Daryl pursues the car on foot until exhausted and sits down in the middle of the road until he is surrounded and confronted by the same armed men Rick previously eluded. After a tense standoff with the group's leader, they all lower their weapons. Maggie and Sasha finally catch up to Bob and proceed to Terminus together. Elsewhere, Glenn discovers the signs leading to Terminus.
"The Grove"
Tyreese, Carol, Lizzie, Mika and Judith continue in the railroad tracks on their way to Terminus. Carol tells Tyreese about Lizzie's sympathy for walkers and Mika's lack of toughness, like her own deceased daughter Sophia. While Carol and Mika get supplies, Tyreese and Lizzie encounter a walker who gets trapped within the tracks; Lizzie pleads with Tyreese not to kill it, as it is not a threat to them. Carol tells Mika that she has to eventually learn how to fight instead of run, while Mika tells her she can kill walkers, who she views as a threat, unlike her sister. The two then stumble upon a house in a grove, where the group decides to take shelter. The next day, Lizzie plays tag with a walker, which Carol then kills; greatly upsetting Lizzie. Carol and Mika hunt for animals after witnessing a forest fire in the distance, but Mika is unable to kill a deer. Mika later finds Lizzie feeding the trapped walker in the railroad tracks and contemplating letting it bite her so she can join them, but the sisters later flee after a herd of charred walkers emerges from the woods near them. While Carol begins to warm up to the idea of staying at the grove, Tyreese admits he has nightmares about Karen and is not ready to be around other people. When the two return to the house, they discover that Lizzie has stabbed Mika to death, as Judith lay vulnerably nearby, because she wants her sister to return as a walker. After Tyreese, Lizzie and Judith enter the house, Carol secretly and tearfully prevents Mika's reanimation. Tyreese and Carol debate what should be done with Lizzie, in which Tyreese tells Carol that Lizzie admitted that she had been feeding the walkers at the prison, leading him to believe she killed Karen, but he realizes Lizzie would not have the strength to move the bodies, and Carol points out Lizzie would have let Karen reanimate. Nevertheless, the two conclude that Lizzie cannot be around others. The next day, Carol executes Lizzie and admits to Tyreese that she murdered Karen and David. Tyreese forgives her but tells her he will not forget it. After burying the girls, Tyreese, Carol, and Judith then proceed to Terminus on the railroad tracks.
"Us"
Glenn, Tara, Abraham, Eugene and Rosita are on the tracks when Glenn spots one of Maggie's signs and begins pursuing Maggie. Rick, Carl and Michonne are ahead, with Carl and Michonne competing on who can walk on the rails the longest. Meanwhile, Daryl and Len, one of the marauders, are hunting when they each put an arrow into a rabbit. Len then "claims" the rabbit and argues with Daryl before the marauders' leader, Joe, interrupts them. Joe explains to Daryl that the group has one rule: if they want something, they claim it. He then cuts the rabbit in half for Daryl and Len, since the former was not aware of the rule. While walking on the tracks, Joe encourages Daryl to stay with them, although he informs him that whoever lies or steals from the group will take a severe beating. After the group spends the night in a railroad platform, Daryl awakens to Len accusing him of stealing his half of the rabbit. Daryl's bag contains the other half. While Daryl pleads that he was set up, Joe then reveals that he witnessed Len put the rabbit in Daryl's bag, and begins beating up Len with the group. Upon leaving camp with the group, Daryl sees Len's beaten body with an arrow in its head. Joe informs Daryl that they are tracking a man (Rick), who had killed one of their own and may be headed to Terminus. When Glenn's group approaches a tunnel, with a sign by Maggie to proceed, Abraham decides it is too big of a risk to Dr. Porter and leaves Glenn and Tara with supplies to proceed, and tells Glenn and Tara to return to the last road they passed if they have trouble getting through. Inside the tunnel, Glenn and Tara are overwhelmed by walkers, but they are rescued by Maggie, Sasha and Bob, alongside Abraham's group. Eugene convinces Abraham to go to Terminus with the others, as the place can be a "home base" for them before continuing to Washington, D.C. The merged group enters Terminus with ease and observes the tranquility of the compound. A woman named Mary welcomes them and offers them something to eat.
"A"
A flashback shows Rick, Hershel and company at the prison after Rick returns from a bloody run. In present time, Rick sits by a car covered in blood. A day before, Rick, Carl, and Michonne are continuing making their way to Terminus. In the forest, a man is attacked by a swarm of walkers, which then follows the trio. They escape the walkers and come upon an abandoned car. They stay the night there. During the night, Joe and the Claimers ambush Rick and Michonne. Carl, in the car, is attacked by Dan, a claimer. Daryl walks up, oblivious to the fact that Joe wants to kill Rick. The other Claimers beat Daryl. Rick hits Joe and then bites his neck, killing him. Michonne gets the upper hand of Tony and shoots him, and Daryl kills the two others. Rick then brutally stabs Dan to death, while Michonne holds Carl close. Rick then sits by the car where he was in the first scene and talks to Daryl about what has happened before then. The four continue toward Terminus through the woods. Before entering Terminus, Rick hides his bag including his revolver and supplies. Carl talks to Michonne about his thoughts on murdering people. Michonne tells him of her son's death. They embrace while Michonne tells Carl that she'll keep him safe and so will Rick. They enter Terminus and meet Gareth and Alex. Alex shows them around. While Rick looks around he sees Glenn and Maggie's gear. Then he sees and takes Glenn's watch from Alex and holds a gun to his head. Everyone raises their weapons. Gareth distracts Rick while Mary readies to shoot Rick. Rick spins around and Mary shoots Alex in the head. The four run while in the firefight. They come to a dead end and are forced to drop their weapons. Gareth threatens to kill Carl unless they all go into a boxcar. They go into the boxcar and are locked in. There they find Glenn, Maggie, Sasha, Bob, Tara, Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita, all being held as prisoners. With the group giving up, Rick remarks that "they're screwing with the wrong people".