Season 4 (TV Series)

Season 4 of AMC's The Walking Dead consists of sixteen episodes; it premiered on October 13, 2013, and concluded on March 30, 2014. It was confirmed on December 21, 2012, that AMC had renewed The Walking Dead for Season 4. Production of the season started on May 6, 2013, with new showrunner Scott Gimple taking over from Glen Mazzara.

This season adapts material from issues #40-61 of the Comic Series.

"30 Days Without An Accident"
Some time has passed at the prison. Rick has stepped down from being the sole leader to do some farming, while a few of his friends form a council to run things. More people have joined the community and it thrives. New relationships have formed, such as Tyreese and Karen becoming lovers. However, the community is not without secrets. Carol has been teaching the children how to use weapons in the event of an attack, Michonne continues to look for The Governor, and the group notices dead animals by the perimeters of the fence. These carcasses are attracting Walkers.

Daryl and Sasha go on a run with Bob and Zach. Bob is tempted to take a bottle of alcohol, which leads to an accident which leaves him trapped. Zach is killed by Walkers while helping to free him.

Meanwhile, Rick is checking the traps when he encounters Clara. She asks if he is with a group, and begs him to take in her and her husband. Rick tells her that if they answer three questions to his satisfaction, he will. When they reach her camp, she tries to kill him, to feed her zombified husband. When she fails, she stabs herself. Ricks ask her his three questions as she dies.

"Infected"
After a walker attack in the prison, the group discovers that some of the members of the community have died and become Walkers, but were not bitten. It becomes clear that there is an illness spreading, originally coming from sick pigs that Rick had been attempting to save. Some of the casualties of the attack include Ryan Samuels, father to Lizzie and Mika, and Patrick, who had become good friends with Carl.

The group tries to prevent the flu from spreading, but Karen and another person, David, show symptoms. The group decides to kill the pigs, while also using them to lead the Walkers away from the fences. Rick also destroys the pigpen, and throws his shirt into a fire pit to kill off the germs.

Tyreese goes to Karen's isolated cell. She is gone, and he notices a trail of blood. It leads to a pair of burnt bodies outside the tombs. One of the corpses is Karen.

"Isolation"
Tyreese is in a rage over Karen's horrid demise. He demands that Rick find out who did it and bring the killer to him. Rick tries to calm him down, but it erupts into a brawl. Rick brutally beats Tyreese's face, and Daryl pulls him off the man before things get any worse.

Despite Karen and David's deaths, the flu still manages to infect more people, such as Sasha and Glenn. Hershel volunteers to be in the quarantined section of the prison, where he tends to the sick despite his daughter's objections.

Daryl, Michonne and Bob go on a supply run for medicine. They convince Tyreese to go along, to get his mind off the events of the morning. As they travel they hear a voice on the radio and can't quite make it out, which leads to them crashing. They have to fight off Walkers to escape.

As Rick searches for the murderer, he saves Carol from Walkers while she is fixing the water hose. As she walks away, Rick tells Carol that he's noticed how far she'd go to protect the group of survivors. He then asks her if she killed Karen and David. After a moment, she responds to him: "Yes."

"Indifference"
Rick and Carol go on a run, as they continue to discuss her actions at the prison. They then encounter two survivors named Sam and Ana. After being asked Rick's standard questions, the young couple offer their services to find food. After searching the neighborhood for supplies, Carol and Rick find the body of Ana. Sam is nowhere in sight.

As they prepare to leave town, Rick exiles Carol from the prison. He feels that he can't trust her, but also wants to protect her from the eventual wrath of Tyreese.

Daryl and his group search for medicine to help with the sickness at the prison. They find a veterinary college, where there are a good store of medications. While there, they discover that Bob has a liquor bottle. Bob nearly threatens to shoot Daryl for taking it, until Tyreese breaks it up. Daryl tells him not to take a sip until they get back to the prison.

"Internment"
Inside A Block, things begin to worsen. Hershel's assistant succumbs to the flu, and other people continue to get sick. Sasha and Glenn fight for their lives, as Hershel tries to maintain a positive outlook. Chaos ensues when a gunshot goes off, signaling that some more dead sick people have reanimated into Walkers. Hershel and Lizzie get rid of the Walkers, and Hershel manages to bring Glenn back to life after he stops breathing.

Daryl, Michonne, Tyreese, and Bob arrive with the meds. Herschel helps administer the drugs to the infected.

"Live Bait"
In a flashback, The Governor flees after his massacre of the Woodbury Army, alongside his two remaining henchmen: Martinez and Shumpert. The two men have lost confidence in him, though, and abandon Philip during the night. He responds by burning down Woodbury, after which he wanders off into the woods.

After several months of surviving the elements, he encounters the Chambler family, which consists of Lily, her daughter Meghan, sister Tara, and grandfather David. They listen to his fabricated story and accept it. He continues to gain their trust by clearing Walkers from the apartment building they are hold up in, as well as getting oxygen tanks for the ailing David. As time passes, Philip, going by the name Brian Heirot, gets to know Meghan and form a bond with her. This is briefly halted when he is forced to brutally kill a zombified David in front of her. He decides to leave, Lily wants to go with him, as he knows how to survive.

The group travel the road using a recreational vehicle, until it breaks down. They are chased by Walkers and separated. Philip and Meghan fall into a dugout pit, and find several Walkers inside. Meghan cowers in a corner of the pit, as Philip kills the Walkers. Philip hugs Meghan, and swears on his life that he will keep her safe and never harm her. He then looks up and sees a bewildered Martinez standing above him.

"Dead Weight"
Philip's group arrives to a new camp with Martinez's group. As time passes, Philip begins to notice how unorganized the group is. Martinez shares his feelings of doubt as a leader, and offers to let Philip co-lead. Philip responds by killing him and dragging his corpse to a walker pit. As he does so, he muttering about how he doesn't want to lead anymore.

Pete Dolgen becomes the new leader, but his decisions are criticized by his brother Mitch, who believes they have to steal from other groups in order to live. Deep down, Philip believes that too, but he wants to leave with his new family to escape the mistakes of his past. Unfortunately, his R.V. is blocked by a swarm of walkers, and becomes stuck in the mud surrounding the clearing.

Left with no choice, Philip reverts to his old self. He kills Pete, entices Mitch to join him, and convinces the people that they need a more secure location in which to live. His point is well proved when he saves Meghan from a Walker that has entered the camp.

He takes a truck and travels to the prison. He looks in with envy as he sees the lives Rick's friends enjoy. He aims a gun at Herschel and Michonne, briefly considering attacking them then and there.

"Too Far Gone"
Philip rallies whatever forces he can from his new group, motivating them to follow him to the prison. The people are led to believe that Rick's group is evil and must be stopped. Having kidnapped Hershel and Michonne as bargaining chips, Philip intends to force Rick out without killing anyone. He ignores the suggestion that both groups could live together at the prison.

Arriving at the prison, Philip begins a standoff. Despite negotiations from the respective groups, Philip loses his patience and instigates a battle by killing Hershel. He has revealed his true colors to his group, many of whom are shocked by his actions. Lily then arrives with the corpse of her daughter Meghan, who bitten after being left unguarded while Philip took most of the populace to battle. Philip shoots the girl in the head, before moving toward the prison.

The battle rages on, with the fences falling before a tank that Philip got when he joined the new group. Many guard towers and prison walls are destroyed, as Rick's group fights back as best they can. Many survivors who are too young or weak to fight, including a recuperating Glenn, are rushed onto a bus in order to escape. Others get separated, and have to try to fight past an overflow of Walkers.

Rick and Philip get into a brutal hand-to-hand battle. Philip gets the upper hand, but before he can finish Rick he is stabbed by Michonne. As Rick and Michonne prepare to leave, a heartbroken Lily appears and shoots Philip in the head. She is then surrounded Walkers and devoured. Rick gets separated from Michonne but finds Carl, before leaving the ruins of the prison.

"After"
Michonne creates two new bodyguard Walkers, as she leaves the destruction of the prison behind. As she travels, she remembers her former life; how she wanted something better for her son and how in touch with people she used to be. After seeing a Walker that resembles her, she kills all the Walkers around, after realizing how far she could go in the life she's choosing. She decides to find Rick and Carl to live life again.

Rick and Carl walk on the road, and find a house to fortify while they recuperate. Rick eventually slips into unconsciousness. Carl continues to be angry over the loss of the prison and Judith being dead. He blames his dad for not killing The Governor when he had the chance. Carl eventually realizes he can't survive alone, as he can't bring himself to kill his dad when he thinks he's become a Walker. Rick fortunately turns out to be alive and well. The next day, Michonne finds them, much to Rick's delight.

"Inmates"
Daryl and Beth hide out in the woods and camp out while avoiding Walkers. Beth wants to find the others but Daryl believes it would be useless. They come across a bloodied site near train tracks, where they are attacked by a Walker. Beth spots Luke's shoe next to a pile of fresh human remains. She breaks down crying, realizing their group might be dead.

Tyreese, Lizzie, Mika, and Judith continue to trek the woods while also avoiding Walkers. Things are made difficult by Judith's crying. When Tyreese comes upon two men being attacked by Walkers, he tries to save them, while Lizzie and Mika are left on their own against several Walkers. They are saved by Carol, and they eventually find Tyreese. He is with one of the men he tried to save, who is now dying. He tells them of a possible sanctuary up the tracks.

Maggie, Bob, and Sasha are in the woods by a quarry. Maggie is determined to find Glenn, despite the reluctance of the others. They come across the bus from the prison where they discover everyone dead and reanimated. Glenn is not among the Walkers. Maggie sits and cries in relief.

Glenn awakens on a section of the destroyed prison walkway. He searches for Maggie, with no success. He then packs up what he can and prepares to leave the prison. On the way out he discovers Tara, who's locked herself within a small gated area. Glenn wants her to come with him, despite her being with The Governor's army. On the road, Tara continually shows remorse for her actions, as she did not know how psychotic "Brian" was. After a small group of Walkers attacks, Glenn collapses, leaving Tara to kill a Walker by herself. She looks up to see a military truck, and yells that she hoped they "enjoyed the show". Three people climb out: Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita.

"Claimed"
Tara and Glenn ride in the back of Abraham's truck with Eugene, who claims to have knowledge of how to stop the zombie apocalypse. He says he has to get to Washington D. C. to make his plan work. Glenn is more concerned with finding Maggie, however, and tries to leave. Meanwhile, Eugene sees approaching Walkers, and takes it upon himself to try and kill them. His bad aim (on account of firing from the hip) causes him to rupture the fuel tank.

Rick, Carl, and Michonne continue to live in a house in a small town. The latter two go on a supply-run, while Rick stays behind. Later, Rick hides when a group of hostile strangers arrives at the house. He evades the group at every turn, until he encounters one in the bathroom and is forced to kill him. He escapes the house, and sees Michonne and Carl approaching. He sprints towards them and directs them away from the house, as the other group finds their fellow member reanimated. The three also find a sign that leads to Terminus.

"Still"
Beth and Daryl are at odds with each other, as they have different mindsets on how to survive. Eventually Daryl gives Beth her first drink of moonshine, from a stash they find in an abandoned shack. While drunk, Daryl reveals that he feels at fault for letting the prison fall. They share personal stories with each other, and decide to burn the shack down. They have symbolically go of their pasts, and are moving forward to survive and live.

"Alone"
After escaping Walkers; Maggie, Sasha, and Bob decide they need to find a better place to set up camp. They come across signs for Terminus. The decide to go there, thinking their loved ones might be in the settlement. Maggie and Sasha are at odds over whether it's possible Glenn is still alive. This leads to Maggie going on her own. She leave messages for Glenn to go to Terminus. Sasha finds Maggie and, after fighting off Walkers, Sasha decides that they should go to Terminus.

Daryl is teaching Beth how to track and use his crossbow, as they bond some more. While searching through a funeral parlor, they are attacked by Walkers and get separated. When Daryl escapes, he notices a car driving off. He is sure Beth has been taken. He tries to follow the vehicle but fails. Soon, he is surrounded by six men, who are heavily armed with assault rifles and a bow. The leader admires Daryl's spirit, and offers him a spot in their group.

"The Grove"
Carol, Tyreese and the children find a grove with a farmhouse and a garden. They decide to stay there to rest. The two are concerned with Lizzie and Mika and their respective survival abilities. Mika appears to be too gentle, and Lizzie is confused about the true nature of Walkers. Things reach their tipping point when Lizzie kills Mika to show Carol that she hasn't changed. She then nearly does the same thing to Judith. Lizzie is also revealed to be the one who killed the animals at the prison.

The grown-ups decide that Lizzie is a danger. Carol reluctantly puts her down. That night, she confesses what to Tyreese what she did to Karen and David. Tyreese forgives her, despite his anger. The two leave the grove with Judith, and head to Terminus.

"Us"
Abraham, Glenn, Tara, Rosita and Eugene are walking down the railroad tracks, where Glenn finds Maggie's message. He and Tara separate from Abraham's group, hoping to find Maggie. They reach a tunnel where Tara becomes trapped. They are rescued by Maggie, Bob, and Sasha. They then meet up with Abraham and his crew, who were nearby because Eugene had convinced them to turn back wait for them. The merged group enters Terminus with ease, and observes the tranquility of the area. A woman named Mary welcomes them and offers them something to eat.

Meanwhile, Daryl struggles to assimilate himself into the Claimers as one of the group. He fight with a man named Len over a freshly-killed rabbit. The leader Joe explains that they only have one rule: if someone wants something, he claims it. He then cuts the rabbit in half for Daryl and Len, since the former was not aware of the rule. Later, Len tries to convince the group that Daryl stole his half of the rabbit. Joe then reveals that he witnessed Len put the rabbit in Daryl's bag. He and the group begin viciously beating Len.

Joe informs Daryl that they are tracking a man who had killed one of their group. That man is possibly headed to Terminus.

"A"
Rick, Carl, and Michonne are camping out in the woods, when Joe and his crew find them and prepare to exact their revenge. Daryl tried to stop them, but only succeeds in getting beaten up. As one of the members attempts to rape Carl, Rick snaps and attacks Joe. He eventually bite through his jugular, killing him. After this shocking turn, the other members of the Claimers are killed by Rick's group.

Eventually, Rick and his friends make it to Terminus. They slowly discover that all is not as it seems, as they see supplies and keepsakes that belonged to their friends. After causing a shootout, the group attempts to flee, but is herded into a cattle car. There they find Glenn, Maggie, and the others. Despite their predicament, Rick is sure they'll get out of it, because Terminus is "screwing with the wrong people."

Cast
Season 4 (TV Series)/Starring|Starring Season 4 (TV Series)/Also Starring|Also Starring Season 4 (TV Series)/Co-Stars|Co-Stars Season 4 (TV Series)/Uncredited|Uncredited

Deaths

 * Zach
 * Eddie (Alive, Confirmed Fate)
 * Clara (Alive)
 * Violet
 * Greg (Alive and Zombified)
 * Mr. Richards (Alive and Zombified)
 * Chloe
 * Patrick (Alive and Zombified)
 * Owen (Alive and Zombified)
 * Eryn (Off-Screen)
 * Charlie (Alive, Confirmed Fate; Zombified)
 * Ryan Samuels
 * Nick (Alive, Confirmed Fate; Zombified, Off-Screen)
 * Piglets
 * David
 * Karen
 * Tony (Alive, Confirmed Fate; Zombified)
 * Ana
 * Mr. Jacobson (Alive and Zombified)
 * Caleb Subramanian (Alive and Zombified)
 * Noris' Son (Alive and Zombified)
 * Crying Mom (Alive and Zombified)
 * Noris (Alive and Zombified)
 * Henry (Alive and Zombified)
 * Welles (Zombified, Off-Screen)
 * Mike (Zombified, Off-Screen)
 * Terry (Zombified, Off-Screen)
 * Megan Cook (Confirmed Fate)
 * Chad Krear (Confirmed Fate)
 * Bill Jenkins (Alive, Confirmed Fate; Zombified, Flashback)
 * David Chambler (Alive and Zombified, Flashback)
 * Shumpert (Confirmed Fate)
 * Caesar Martinez (Flashback)
 * Pete Dolgen (Alive, Flashback)
 * Meghan Chambler
 * Julio
 * Alisha
 * Mitch Dolgen
 * Philip Blake
 * Hershel Greene (Alive and Zombified)
 * Flame (Confirmed Fate)
 * Joe Sr. (Alive, Confirmed Fate; Zombified)
 * Luke (Confirmed Fate)
 * Molly (Confirmed Fate)
 * Christopher
 * Christopher's Father (Alive and Zombified)
 * Lilly Chambler (Confirmed Fate)
 * Mrs. Richards (Off-Screen)
 * Jeanette (Off-Screen)
 * Coughing Man (Off-Screen)
 * Achey Woman (Alive and Zombified)
 * Sick Teenager (Alive and Zombified)
 * Lou (Alive and Zombified)
 * Mika Samuels
 * Lizzie Samuels
 * Len
 * Joe
 * Tony
 * Harley
 * Billy
 * Dan
 * Alex
 * At least 10 unnamed survivors at a forest camp (Flashback)
 * At least 20 unnamed survivors from Martinez's camp
 * Many unnamed prison survivors (Alive and Zombified)
 * 1 unnamed man

Production
A fourth season of the show, consisting of 16 episodes, was confirmed in December 2012.

Production began in Senoia, Georgia on May 6, 2013.

In July 2013, it was reported that David S. Goyer would be directing the penultimate episode of the season, however Goyer did not direct the episode due to scheduling conflicts.

Greg Nicotero, who replaced Goyer, directed three episodes for the season, while Tricia Brock and Ernest Dickerson each directed two episodes. Michelle MacLaren returned this season to direct the season finale, after previously directing episodes in seasons one and two. Comic book co-creator Robert Kirkman wrote two episodes of the season.

Filming was completed on November 23, 2013.

Trivia

 * This season is mainly based on "Volume 7: The Calm Before", "Volume 8: Made To Suffer", "Volume 9: Here We Remain", "Volume 10: What We Become" and parts of "Volume 11: Fear The Hunters" from the Comic Series.
 * Below are the changes made to the main cast in this season:
 * Following their characters' deaths in the previous season, Sarah Wayne Callies (Lori Grimes), Michael Rooker (Merle Dixon) and Laurie Holden (Andrea) have been removed from the opening credits.
 * Melissa McBride (Carol Peletier) and Scott Wilson (Hershel Greene) have been added to the opening credits after being listed under "Also Starring" in previous seasons.
 * Emily Kinney (Beth Greene), Chad L. Coleman (Tyreese Williams) and Sonequa Martin-Green (Sasha Williams) have been upgraded to series regulars after recurring appearances.
 * Despite their status as series regulars, they are all listed under "Also Starring".
 * David Morrissey (The Governor) is reinstated to the opening sequence in "Live Bait".
 * He is listed under "Also Starring" in the previous episode to not give away his appearance.
 * Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (Bob Stookey) has been cast as a series regular for his first appearance this season.
 * Starting with "30 Days Without An Accident", he is listed under "Also Starring".
 * Following their characters' deaths in "Too Far Gone", Scott Wilson and David Morrissey have been removed from the opening credits.
 * This is the first time a regular was removed from the opening sequence in the middle of a season.
 * Scott Wilson appeared in the season finale, "A", and was added to the opening sequence in that episode.
 * Season 4 is the first season where there is no episode where all regulars for the season appear.
 * Melissa McBride and David Morrissey are the only two series regulars in Season 4 to not appear in an episode together. Carol appeared in episodes 4.01 through 4.04, whereas The Governor appeared in episodes 4.05 through 4.09. Carol reappeared in episode 4.10.
 * The death toll for Season 4 stands at 100. Season 4 has had the third most deaths, the second being Season 6 with 134 deaths and the first being Season 8 with 690 deaths, as of "Wrath".
 * Season 4 has had the most children deaths out of any other season. Including Owen, Eryn, Meghan, Luke, Molly, Mika and Lizzie.
 * This is the first season where no Atlanta Survivor Camp members are killed.
 * This season ties with Season 2, Season 6 and Season 8 as the season with the least number of main character deaths, with only two main characters - Hershel and The Governor.
 * Coincidentally, all 4 seasons are seasons with even numbers (2, 4, 6, and 8), whereas the seasons with odd numbers (excluding Season 1, which featured no main character deaths) featured more than two main character deaths. (Season 3 had 3 main character deaths, and Season 5, Season 7, and Season 9 all had 4 main character deaths each).
 * In December 2012, Mike Riley, of Stalwart Films, stated about the city of Senoia, the stage set for Woodbury, that “It hasn't been announced yet, but we'll be back here next year for season four.”
 * The writing of the fourth season started in February 2013, as stated by Glen Mazzara in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
 * Much like Season 3, the premiere of this season is only 60 minutes long, as opposed to the 90 minute premieres in Seasons 1 and 2.
 * Greg Nicotero stated that Season 4 would focus more on character development and less on "the run and gun": "The walkers and the gore and the action and stuff, that’s fun, that’s the popcorn part of it. But if you don’t have characters that people are invested in, you lose your audience."
 * The song "Serpents" by Sharon Van Etten was used in the trailer and also the fourth episode of the season, "Indifference".
 * Serpents is the second song used in a trailer and an episode of The Walking Dead.
 * In an interview with showrunner Scott Gimple, he shares: "The ultimate inspiration for The Walking Dead is the comic book. Sometimes, we can go far away from the comic book story, but often we ultimately serve the comic book story. And even when we go far away from it, we're inspired by it - and the novels as well. And then beyond that, all of the great stuff that we have consumed along the way, from zombie movies to Star Wars to other comics to really highbrow movies like The Grand Illusion to Jaws. And also really, world history. The plague storyline was inspired by both Camus' The Plague and other stories about the plague I heard in Edinburgh. But really, it starts with the comic book."
 * In the official Comic-Con Trailer for this season. The tag line for the season is: "Prepare to Defend, Fight, or Run."
 * This is the first season to have an episode be censored. It would also be the first to have a scene uncensored in home releases.
 * This is the first season in which Scott Gimple is the showrunner for The Walking Dead.