Season 3, episode 10
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- Daryl questions his true place out in the woods with Merle.
From the outside prison catwalk, Rick spots a woman in a long white wedding gown, standing by the graves. When he approaches, she disappears and then reappears outside the fence. He rushes through the gate, leaving it open, and recognizes her as Lori. She cradles his face. Michonne watches from the distance as Rick stands outside the fence, seeing that he is interacting with himself rather than an actual person. She closes the gate.
In Woodbury, The Governor compliments Andrea on her speech and asks her to take over leadership of Woodbury. He says he is no longer fit to lead the people, but she is. Meanwhile, Daryl and Merle bicker in the forest, near Park Mound. Daryl pines for life back at the prison, but Merle predicts The Governor will slaughter everyone there.
Glenn makes an executive decision to fortify the prison against The Governor, despite Hershel's suggestion that they flee. Glenn explains that having a newborn and Hershel's one leg makes them too vulnerable to go on the road. Glenn enlists Carl to help investigate the overlooked breach near the prison's administrative area, where Tyreese's group and walkers have found their way inside.
The Governor visits Milton in his lab. He asks if he can still count on Milton's allegiance, and if Milton would die for him. Milton reassures The Governor, who then asks him to keep tabs on Andrea. Later, Andrea asks Karen and Milton for Martinez and The Governor's whereabouts. They tell her the two left Woodbury but dodge further questions.
Back at the prison, Glenn and Carl inform the group that the boiler room is overrun with walkers again. Hershel again advises a retreat, but Glenn ignores him and says he and Maggie will go to the far side of the prison to look for the breach. Hershel questions Maggie's readiness for that task.
Glenn finds Maggie alone in her cell. He insists they talk about her encounter with The Governor and asks if she were raped. She snaps at him before explaining all that happened and answering that she was not raped. Glenn reaches out to Maggie, and she shoves him away, bitterly asking if he feels better now that he knows the full story.
On the outside catwalk, Carol and Axel establish a barricade in preparation for the impending showdown with The Governor. Axel tells Carol he was sent to prison for armed robbery, although he had held up a gas station with a water pistol, because the authorities' search of his home turned up his brother's gun. He flirts as Carol shows him how to use a real one.
Meanwhile, Merle and Daryl encounter a Mexican family of survivors under attack by walkers. Daryl immediately goes to their rescue, killing off walkers with his crossbow. Merle half-heartedly assists. When all the walkers are dead, Merle issues a racial slur and briefly aims his gun at the father in warning before searching through their vehicle for supplies, while the mother and a baby are in the car bawling. Daryl points his crossbow at Merle and instructs the family to drive away, then stalks off, leaving Merle alone. Merle follows Daryl into the forest and chastises him for risking his life to help strangers. He reminds Daryl they had planned to rob the encampment outside of Atlanta but did not, only because Merle was not there to help carry it through. They grapple and Daryl's shirt rips, revealing childhood scars from their father's beatings. Merle apologetically says he was unaware of the beatings. Daryl insists he did, because their father beat Merle as well and that that's why Merle left. Merle says that he had to leave; otherwise, he would have killed their father. Daryl stalks away, telling Merle he is going back where he belongs. Merle complains that the prison group would never accept him.
Outside the prison, Hershel tries to stop Glenn from going off on his own. He warns Glenn that his rage will get him killed. Glenn says with Rick's not being in his right mind and Daryl's departure from the group, he is now the default leader. He ignores Hershel's concern about his well-being and drives off. Hershel calls to a disoriented Rick from the prison fence. He tells Rick the group needs him as a leader now more than ever, and Glenn cannot fill his leadership role; he fears that Glenn is being reckless. Rick confesses that he is seeing Lori. He knows it is an hallucination, but feels there must be a reason he is seeing her. He walks back into the forest against Hershel's wishes.
In the courtyard, Carol and Axel talk about his past. Suddenly, a bullet hits Axel in the head, killing him instantly. The Governor, stationed at the treeline, lowers his rifle. Rick's group runs for cover as The Governor and his men attack. Gunfire erupts on both sides, with Maggie eventually killing a Woodbury soldier stationed in the prison yard's guard tower. A bread truck crashes through the prison's gates and stops in the yard, just before the rear door opens and walkers begin streaming out. The Governor gleefully sprays machine gun fire in the air and then drives off as the survivors struggle with the walkers.
Outside the fence, Rick runs out of ammunition and gets pinned down by two walkers, one of which is about to bite him. As he realizes he's about to die, an arrow goes through the walker trying to bite him. Daryl reloads his crossbow as Merle runs out of the forest and kills the two walkers pinning Rick down. Meanwhile, Glenn drives back into the prison, having aborted his attempt to attack Woodbury, and sees The Governor's van driving past him. He tears into the prison yard as Michonne carves her way through walkers to get to Hershel, and together, the three of them drive off. Rick, Daryl and Merle take out the remaining walkers, and Rick acknowledges their help.
Momentarily safe, Rick stares darkly into the prison yard, now swarming with walkers. Inside the gate, Maggie and Glenn, their differences seemingly repaired, touch each other affectionately as they and the other survivors inside the gate gaze outward.
Tropes:
- Abusive Parents: It is revealed that Merle and Daryl's father beat them when they were both young (as evidenced by the vicious scars on Daryl's back) which led Merle to leave home as a result.
- All Your Base Are Belong to Us: The Governor when he attacks the prison.
- Bash Brothers: Daryl and Merle.
- Big Damn Heroes: Twice in quick succession - Daryl and Merle save Rick from being eaten by two walkers outside the prison, while Glenn and Michonne rescue Hershel in the prison yard. Earlier, Daryl and Merle rescue a Hispanic family from a herd.
- Boom, Headshot!: The Governor kills Axel this way.
- Bulletproof Human Shield: Carol uses Axel's body to shield her from the rifle file The Governor and his men are firing into the prison.
- Call-Back: During the argument Merle has with Daryl, the former tells the latter that he nearly "killed the Chinese kid". Daryl corrects him on Glenn being Korean, to which Merle replies "Whatever." Just like how Daryl called Glenn a "Chinaman" in "Vatos" and replied "Whatever." upon Glenn correcting him.
- The Cavalry:
- Daryl and Merle show up to rescue a family that's besieged by walkers on a bridge.
- Later, Daryl and Merle save Rick just as he's about to be overwhelmed by a pair of walkers.
- A Day in the Limelight: For the Dixon brothers.
- Determinator: Michonne manages to carve through numerous walkers on her way through the prison courtyard to rescue Hershel, who is besieged during the attack.
- Eye Scream: Subverted - the arrow Daryl shoots through the walker nearly goes into Rick's eye. Rick's shocked expression says it all.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Played straight and averted. Maggie manages to shoot and kill the Woodbury soldier firing from the guardtower while under sustained rifle fire. Meanwhile, Michonne can't hit the broad side of a barn with a rifle, and once The Governor and his men leave, she switches back to her sword.
- Internal Reveal: The idea that Daryl and Merle were going to loot the original Atlanta camp is made canon here.
- Just in Time: Daryl and Merle arrive back at the prison just as Rick is on the verge of being bit and the prison is in danger of falling, and manage to save the former and rout The Governor before the episode ends.
- Killed Mid-Sentence: Axel says, "One time, that son of a..." before he is interrupted via a bullet to the head.
- Oh, Crap!: Rick as he tries to hold off the two walkers attacking him.
- Pistol-Whipping: Rick uses the butt of his revolver to kill several walkers, mostly by swinging it like a knife.
- Refusal of the Call: Merle initially refuses to go back with Daryl due to not believing he has a place at the prison. It takes both men saving a family from walkers and confronting their past trauma for Merle to realize he's better off with Rick and the others.
- Revenge Before Reason: Glenn decides to try and assassinate The Governor, even though Hershel says it will put the group at greater risk. In the end, Glenn bails on his plan and comes back to help the survivors when The Governor attacks the prison.
- Sanity Slippage: Rick's hallucinations get worse, and nearly result in his death when he's outside the prison as it gets attacked by The Governor and his men.
- Self-Made Orphan: Defied Trope. Merle left his abusive father, saying that he would have killed the guy if he hadn't left.
- Sixth Ranger: Merle, though he was actually a member of the group from before.
- Surprisingly Sudden Death: Axel, just when he's finished giving his backstory to Carol.
- 10-Minute Retirement: The Governor's failure to address the Woodbury residents continues, although it's subverted in that The Governor tells Andrea to lead precisely because he, Shumpert and Martinez are going off to attack the prison.
- The Siege: Briefly, as The Governor and his men manage to breach the prison defenses, parallel with taking over one of the outer guardtowers and laying down suppressive fire, while several of the main characters are either pinned down, in imminent danger or outside the fence. It takes Daryl and Merle arriving to save Rick and provide fire from outside the gate before The Governor's forces retreat.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Axel barely gets to deliver a backstory for why he ended up at the prison before he's unceremoniously sniped in the head by The Governor.
- Your Head Asplode: When one bridge zombie learns that The Door Slams You.
