The Walking Dead Season 4: 11 Best Moments
With season 4 of The Walking Dead over with, we can safely say it’s been an interesting one with plenty of great moments. One half of the season has been devoted to the battle with The Governor, while the other has seen the show return to its roots. A greater zombie threat, character struggles and the ever ominous ‘Terminus’ at the end of the line, have culminated in what has been an exciting season.
The arrival of several new characters into the mix, as well as character development for some old favourites, has led to some of the strongest character driven storytelling we’ve seen on the show so far. Naturally there will be enormous spoilers for the season and the show itself, but here are 11 of the best moments in The Walking Dead’s season 4.
11. Daryl And Beth’s Relationship
After the group was forced to disband following The Governor’s attack on the prison, Daryl and Beth took off together. Perhaps an unlikely duo of the ass-kicking biker and the singing girl who has yet to do anything, their pairing brought out some interesting development for the two of them. Intriguing parallels between them and the disparities in their way of life before the apocalypse brought out inevitable conflict.
There were also some touching moments too. Daryl was able to leave his memories behind and that was excellently portrayed as they burnt down, what could be presumed to be, Daryl’s old house, or at least a house that very much resembled Daryl’s unsavoury past. The two characters made real headway during their time together.
Speaking of their time together, it was abruptly cut short by the arrival of a pack of walkers. Despite Daryl’s escape, Beth was suddenly kidnapped in a mysterious car that took off down the road before Daryl could catch up. Does the car belong to a resident of Terminus, or is it something completely different?
10. The Washington Gang Arrive
It took a while, but this season finally saw the arrival of Abraham, Eugene and Rosita. Followers of the comics would have known them instantly, as well as understanding just how major they are. For the TV show however, they’ve provided some much needed levity during these dark times. They are often funny, with amusing scenes playing out between themselves and those they meet.
More importantly though is their bigger purpose. They serve a larger point to the plot – Abraham wants to get Eugene to Washington to save the world. That in itself gives the show its next direction – Washington D.C.
9. The Governor Returns
One of the biggest cliffhangers of the season was the sudden return of the survivors’ nemesis, The Governor. Having fled the prison at the end of season 3, The Governor returned for a showdown with Rick and the others. However, before any of that, we were given a glimpse into the life of the villainous despot.
Abandoned by his lackeys, The Governor, taking on the name Brian, wandered aimlessly to the tune of ‘The Last Pale Light in the West’, in what is one of The Walking Dead’s best scenes. We get to see how he could have been before everything went downhill, when he finds love with Lilly and his new, surrogate daughter, Meghan.
Of course it all eventually turns to Hell again but then, it wouldn’t be The Walking Dead otherwise.
8. Hershel Comes Into His Own
Hershel Greene has been through a lot during his time on the show. After losing his farm and essentially having to accept his loved ones weren’t going to come back (in any nice way, anyway), he lost his leg in the prison. Even after all of that, he can’t catch a break. A deadly virus breaks out in the prison, forcing the vet into action.
During the episode ‘Internment’, Hershel really comes into his own and, if they didn’t like him before, the episode garnered him a lot of fans. Almost single-handedly saving not only the majority of the cellblock from the sudden walker attack, but Glenn’s life too, Hershel really proved his worth outside of being Rick’s voice of reason.
In fact, Hershel’s entire character has really received some serious spotlight in this season and the previous. He saw Rick through extremely troubling times, and mere moments before his death at the hands of The Governor, Hershel saw that Rick had pulled through. That smile just before he dies cements Hershel’s peace with what he was able to achieve, dying knowing the group has their leader back.
7. Michonne’s Character Development
Alright, so maybe this isn’t one specific moment. Michonne’s personal development is however a recurring theme throughout season 4 and has really helped to shed some light on the previously insular character.
Discovering her tragic past, in which she lost her son Andre because of the negligence of her boyfriend and his friend, explains why she felt they were both animal enough to chain up. The fact that the show uses her relationship with Carl as a means of expressing her sadness resonates with the audience and has cemented her as a fan favourite.
It has been built up slowly since the start of the season and finally came to a head in the finale. She has come out of her shell and developed into a likeable, well-written character to whom the Grimes family seem to have manufactured a powerful bond.
6. Glenn And Maggie Reunite
This moment, along with the majority of the episode, presented the audience with a strangely positive and hopeful episode of The Walking Dead. Despite Glenn’s momentary stupidity in trying to tackle an entire tunnel of walkers – almost getting Tara killed in the process – it paid off when he was reunited with Maggie at the end of the tunnel.
Perhaps the show’s most well known couple (living at least), their coming together was a symbol of hope for the survivors. Glenn had been following Maggie’s signs for some time and for it all to work out is a strange oddity in the show. Not only this though, it brings together two of the stranded groups, further solidifying their efforts.
5. The Virus
What better way to instil terror and the fear of death in our survivors without any walkers or a current recurring villain than to have them all get sick and die? In the claustrophobic prison, the idea of a deadly virus that may have infected the water or the livestock was intriguing and genuinely frightening.
It spread like wildfire, killing off a lot of tertiary characters and reducing Glenn to an immobile wreck. The virus was a clever piece of storytelling that allowed the writers to buy some time while still making things interesting for the viewer. It caused the survivors to rethink their plans – Rick’s new life as a farmer was destroyed – and it even led to some of the season’s biggest plot points, such as Carol’s murder of the infected Karen.
4. Rick Kills Joe
During this latter half of season 4, the show introduced us to a new villain by the name of Joe, the leader of a gang of thugs who have been named The Marauders or ‘The Claimers’ by fans. Played expertly by Jeff Kober, Joe was a dangerous, if fair, man who took Daryl under his wing for a brief period.
However, Joe had a dark motive – to find and kill Rick, who had earlier killed one of his own. Their confrontation was perhaps the most intense and exciting scene in the season 4 finale, with Joe getting the drop on Rick. When everything seems lost for Rick, Michonne and Carl, Joe asks, “what the hell are you gonna do now, sport?”
Ricks bites out his throat. Perhaps fans of the comic book had seen it coming, but it was a dark and exhilarating moment to see Rick become a savage killer to save the lives of Carl and Michonne. It’s a shame to see Joe exit the show so early, but it was a great scene to leave in.
3. Terminus Is Dangerous
“Those who arrive, survive.”
For a while, the survivors have been headed towards the mysterious and definitely sinister Terminus, a place that promised sanctuary for all and community for all. And for a while, fans of the show have been heavily suspecting that Terminus would be the home to a group of cannibals, designed to lure survivors in to turn them into food.
While not all of our questions have been answered, storing people in containers and the ominous sight of human remains stripped clean of flesh should be enough confirmation even for the sceptical. While in a show like this is may have been a bigger twist for Terminus to not be dodgy, it’s certainly good that it is. The sense of foreboding has been built up very well – now, when season 5 arrives, we just need to see if it pays off.
2. “Look At The Flowers”
Another storyline that season 4 has done a great job of building up has been that of Carol’s. The character has received immense amounts of development over the course of the season and her story has been expertly entwined with that of Tyreese’s and Lizzie’s. Here, in ‘The Grove’, they all come to a brutal and shocking head.
We find out who had been feeding the walkers. We find out who dissected the rat. Now, after Lizzie murders her own sister, it’s time to do something about it. Carol is forced to do the unthinkable and kill Lizzie, telling her to “look at the flowers” before she dies. It’s a heart wrenching scene that was performed fantastically by all actors. The weight of the scene is likely to be felt when Carol and Tyreese return to the story.
That’s not all – after this, Carol drops the bombshell on Tyreese that she killed Karen. Despite the fact that he rather predictably forgives Carol, the show threw revelation after revelation at us and left the audience reeling. Now the question is, will Carol and Tyreese arrive in time to save the others at Terminus? We’ll have to wait to find out.
1. The War For The Prison And The Governor’s Death
Season 3′s finale was met with a rather lukewarm reception, as The Governor’s supposed all-out war on the prison was met with barely any resistance. This gave the villain a chance to escape and escape he did. Naturally, he returned and a bloodbath was to follow.
The midseason-finale of season 4 is considered one of the greatest episodes of The Walking Dead of all time. ‘Too Far Gone’ was both a culmination of Rick’s story and The Governor’s and it ended exactly how it should have done – with that promised war. Hershel’s brutal death brought about the fighting, with both sides going for each others’ throat.
It only ended thanks to the combined efforts of Rick and Michonne, who, after a serious beating, were finally able to bring down the tyrant once and for all. It shaped the rest of season 4 and a lot of the characters who took part in the battle. After a season and a half, their long struggle with The Governor was finally over. And it was awesome.
That’s the list. Don’t see one of your favourite moments? Leave a comment below!
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