The midseason finale of AMC's "The Walking Dead" left fans completely shocked. In Episode 8, Rick and the others back at the prison were forced to defend the prison from the Governor and his army.
Brian aka the Governor rolled up to the fences in military tanks ready to declare war in an effort to take over the prison and provide safety for his people. The Governor captured Michonne and Hershel at the beginning of the episode and then made his way to the prison so he could "talk" to Rick.
Things took a horrible and nasty turn for the worse when the Governor viciously beheaded Hershel in front his daughters Maggie and Beth, and Rick. That started an all-out war between the two groups which ended in a lot of deaths, zombies taking over the prison and Rick's group getting separated from each other.
First off, the Governor was finally killed. Michonne saved Rick's life by stabbing the Governor but Lilly finished him off after her daughter, Megan, was bit by a zombie. Like we mentioned earlier Hershel was beheaded by the Governor. Mitch, one of the Governors helpers, was killed by Daryl and Alisha was also killed during the battle by Lizzie in order to protect Tyreese. Many other people also lost their lives.
As Rick and Carl walked through the remains of the prison they come across baby Judith's empty, blood-stained carrier. They both think she is dead.
There are thousands of unanswered questions from the Episode 8 and eager anticipation about what's in store for Episode 9. A short promo was released during "The Talking Dead" which showed Carl stepping up to the plate. A while ago, Andrew Lincoln (Rick) said the episode would be a big showcase for Carl (Chandler Riggs).
"[Carl] does something this season... Man," he told TV Line. "Episode 9 is his episode. It's so cool."
From past interviews we also know that the episode will closely follow what happens in the comic books. Robert Kirkman, who wrote the comic books and is the executive producer of the show, also wrote Episode 9 and told AMC that it "will probably be the episode that's closest to a direct adaption from the comic book aside from the premiere episode."
"It's been a lot of fun for me working on them because I'm basically just rewriting something I've already written, which means I get to go back in and go, 'Woah, what'd you do there? Let's fix that."
It was also revealed that Carol will "appear sooner or later" and that the fate of baby Judith will have to be left up to speculations until the season returns. We do have to point out that sadly Judith does die in the comics but that may not necessarily mean she was one of the causalities at the prison.
What kind of surprises do you think are in store for Episode 9? Where do you think the prison group goes?
The show returns Feb. 9 at 9 p.m. on AMC.
