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(BEWARE SPOILERS)
The destruction of the prison did not have to happen.
All of the survivors could have shared the resources and fortified the prison, growing a stronger community.
But the Governor’s lust for power could not coexist with Rick and his group at the prison — or anywhere.
Rick threatened to expose the Governor’s horrific past at Woodbury, exacting some accountability or contrition from the Governor, neither of which could ever occur.
The bloody, violent confrontation between Rick’s and the Governor’s groups was inevitable in the eighth episode of season 4 in “The Walking Dead,” but how it played out was intense and shocking.
The mid-season finale titled “Too Far Gone” involved all characters from both groups, as they fought to keep or take the prison. We examine how some of the more compelling characters were affected.
Hershel
His death marks hopefully only a temporary loss of morality and spirituality in this apocalyptic world.
Since his introduction in season 2, Hershel’s wisdom was critical to the group’s survival. He counseled Rick on the moral and ethical choices surrounding the survival of the group and the very meaning of life.
Hershel’s paternal role also provided much-needed compassion and strength, a tricky compass in this new world. Carl, Rick’s son, has found himself trapped in this quagmire, driven by fear, searching for safety.
Hershel’s kindness and acceptance of everyone coalesced the group, particularly after the Woodbury members joined them at the prison. He locked himself in quarantine to tend to the sick and ensure the security of the larger group.
For all Hershel’s goodness, he found death at the end of a sword, when the Governor’s mercilessly decapitated him. His death appears to be an indictment of Hershel’s beliefs and virtues that stand in opposition to the Governor’s befouled plans.
The Governor, Michonne and Lilly
The Governor (David Morrisey) is ready to take his last stand at the prison in episode 8 of season 4 of “The Walking Dead.”
Gene Page/AMC
The Governor held Hershel and the entire prison community in contempt. So blinded was he by his own arrogance that his death was one of vengeance not that of a glorious leader. Michonne stabbed him from behind with her sword and then Lilly shot him in the head as she stared him in the eyes.
His murder was personal. Michonne wanted to slay him after the Governor nearly killed her when she killed his daughter and destroyed his room of macabre souvenirs. She also wanted him to pay for Andrea’s death, in which he tied her to chair and left her in a room with a walker to die.
Lilly saw the Governor’s insatiable hunger for power, as he manipulated the group into helping him take over the prison, even if that plan meant people would die. Her disillusionment grew, when he shot Meghan, her daughter, after she was bit by a walker and took Tara, her sister, on his fool’s errand in which she died in the gun battle at the prison.
The Governor’s lack of empathy made him incapable of perceiving the depth of Michonne’s and Lilly’s anguish and rage. They saw his weakness and just waited for the perfect opportunity to strike.
Rick, Carl and Judith
The Governor abolished the new council and renewed Rick’s status as leader before he and his group plowed through the fences and into the prison. Rick, a sheriff who ironically wants to stay in a prison, accepted this role reluctantly.
In his plea to advert the takeover, Rick echoed Hershel’s entreaty for the two groups to live together. This meeting between two rivals gave Daryl enough time to circulate weapons among Maggie, Beth, Sasha, Tyreese, Bob and Carl and activate the evacuation of weaker survivors into the bus.
His peacemaking efforts were doomed to fail when the Governor struck at Hershel’s neck. Rick led the battle to keep the prison, and Carl joined him. Father and son took to their weapons, shooting the dead and living during this bloody conflict.
They survived, but Judith’s fate appeared grim. Carl’s baby sister and Rick’s daughter was missing from her car seat, and blood was found in and around it. She must have been left there when the evacuation occurred. Her apparent death was agonizing for Carl and Rick.
Loose ends
As the battle died down, the survivors scattered. Some fled in the bus, while others ran into the woods seeking cover from the walkers.
But this episode picked up on some unresolved issues that could be explored with the season resumes in February:
Daryl is in disbelief, when Rick tells him about Carol and her murders. He knows Carol changed but cannot acknowledge such a moral deterioration. Will he try to find her? How will Tyreese react once he finds out?
The Governor’s group has some survivors, despite the vicious gunfight. Will Rick and the others welcome them in their group?
The children have seen bloodshed in the survivors’ battle for the prison. Can they move forward and learn to defend themselves as Carl has done?
Season 4 will resume in February, when we return for more sneak peeks and recaps of “The Walking Dead.”
Cast
Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohen), daughter of Hershel Greene (Scott Wilson) and fiance of Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun);
Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), father of Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs);
Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and his friend, Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride);
Michonne (Danai Gurira);
Beth Greene (Emily Kinney), daughter of Hershel;
Tyreese (Chad Coleman) and his younger sister, Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green);
Larry Gilliard Jr. (Bob Stookey);
David Morrisey, (The Governor);
Caesar Martinez, (Jose Pablo Cantillo), one of the Governor’s henchmen at Woodbury;
Meghan (Meyrick Murphy), and her mother, Lilly (Audrey Marie Anderson), and Lilly’s sister, Tara (Alana Masterson).
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