"Welcome to the Tombs" - Episode 16, Season 3

“Welcome to the Tombs” caps a Walking Dead season of untimely deaths, power grabs, and redemption to this saga-esque Season 3.  The episode opens just like the beginning of the season—the shot of an unblinking eye.  Only this time it’s not a walker, but The Governor, who’s completely transformed into a psychotic leader, brutally pummeling Milton, who’s revealed to have torched the baiter walkers.

The Governor tests Milton’s loyalty by ordering him to kill Andrea, still bound on a dentist’s chair inside the darkened tomb.  But Milton, having left a pair of pliers behind Andrea’s chair, lunges at The Governor instead, losing the fight after The Governor mortally knifes Milton in the chest, leaving him in an agonizingly slow death but not before saying:

“In this life now you kill or you die,” said The Governor.  “Or you die and you kill.”

That line certainly resonated with me, particularly since this externalizes The Governor’s evolved mantra of survivalism.  Or it could be he’s simply drunk with power, refusing to let anyone overpower him.  With Milton left to slowly die and eventually turn, The Governor heads off to try and kill the Grimes crew, who prepares an impending attack against them. 

Carl is now completely off-the-rails.  After seeing all the killing, the disappointments, the struggle Carl is at his wits end.  He stares at the picture of his family, a life that’s become a far memory to Carl.  Clearly, Carl has unraveled.  Like Glen earlier in the episode, Carl’s kid-like nature is now gone, and a hardened one has replaced him, one that’s ready to fight.  And while Carl’s unhinged nature begins to unravel, Rick’s disturbed episodes begin to subside, once again seeing Lori’s apparition. 

So the fight begins.  The Governor rallies his troops, though a skeptical Tyrese is unwilling to share in The Governor’s depravity in killing people.  Tyrese appears to be a man of honor, knowing there’s something off about The Governor. 

Back inside the tomb, Andrea works the pliers, all the while explaining to a wounded Milton why she never made a move in killing The Governor—“I didn’t want anyone to die.”  Her passion points to her law days, trying her best to mend fences, though her passion is misplaced in a zombie-apocalyptic world. 

But as Andrea works through her handcuffs, The Governor and his troops are launch an onslaught on the prison, firing at posts and walkers, ramming their cars into the gates, and infiltrating what looks like an empty prison.  The Governor’s attack on the prison, however is short-lived as his troopers are booby-trapped inside a dark portion of the prison, just like the first episode of the season when Rick’s group tried to clear out sections of the prison.  Turns out Rick’s group, namely Glen and Maggie, didn’t leave after all, instead launching a counter-attack on The Governor’s army, which eventually flee. 

In the outskirts, Hershel, Carl and Beth hide out.  One of The Governor’s troopers stumbles upon him and Carl’s cold dead hand.  The young man, afraid, is shot in cold blood by Carl much to Hershel’s shock.  Carl makes an excuse, claiming the young man shot first.  Hershel, consistently noble throughout the season, tells Rick who confronts Carl.  But Carl is not ready to hear it from dad anymore, insisting that this is a world where it’s killed or be killed.  He runs through a list of mistakes Rick’s made throughout season, indirectly blaming Rick for killing Lori. 

But The Governor commits his own form of cold blooded murder, more like genocide.  After escaping the prison he’s confronted by the townspeople turned troopers, who refuse to follow The Governor’s killing streak.  The Governor, enraged by his third betrayal of the season, wipes out his entire army, killing everyone in a nasty show of bloodlust.  But he doesn’t realize a woman has survived the shootout that’s stunned even The Governor’s most trusted allies.  They flee, though they don’t come back to Woodbury where Andrea is still working through her shackles.  But by this point Milton has fully converted into a walker, and lumbers towards Andrea, her fate uncertain. 

Rick, Michone and Daryl eventually head back to Woodbury to finish the job and stumble upon one of The Governor’s survivors, who leads them back to Woodbury.  They eventually find Tyrese who is now convinced of The Governor’s depravity.  The crew soon find Andrea who is now bitten.  Andrea’s once again reunited with Michonne, who started as friends in the beginning of the season, become distant and were once again whole again.  But Andrea’s been bitten by Milton, who realizes she’s not going to survive.  She decides to kill herself, with Michone being there to see her end. 

The season wraps up with Rick taking several of the Woodbury refugees back.  They join the Rick camp, much to crybaby Carl’s chagrin.  But The Governor’s out there, and he’s coming. 

  

"Prey" - Episode 15, Season 3

“Prey” certainly ups the ante on The Governor’s descent into madness and his intoxication with power.  With season three of The Walking Dead winding down, the summer months have turned into autumn, with The Governor now looking more like Snake from Escape from New York series given the addition of a trench coat, an eye patch and now a scruffier appearance.

The sociopathic Governor now has a thirst for blood, even going so far as emitting an eerie whistle as a way of amplifying his murderous revenge. 

But the episode focuses on his former lover, Andrea, who’s now decided to defect from Woodbury and head back to Rick and the prison.  It’s interesting to note that Andrea, who was a broken woman in season one, now regained a sense of righteousness and degree of survival instincts. 

It’s also worth noting the episode opens with a flashback between Michonne and Andrea, when the pair were out in the woods together, getting to know one another.  Andrea asks why she hauls the two armless, mouth-less walkers that have had a personal link to her.  Andrea, who was at a moment of weakness throughout her time in the woods, has done a complete 360.  She’s now back, and her sense of righteousness compels her to truly decide she must leave the prison.  Her confirmation is solidified after Milton reveals to her a torture chamber he’s prepped for Michone, who killed The Governor’s daughter.  Andrea clearly doesn’t like what she sees, and nearly kills The Governor until Milton quietly puts a stop to it. 

Before she escapes she’s forced to turn her gun to Martinez, leaving her with a tiny knife.  She stumbles onto the now immersed Tyreese and Shasha, who stand watch, and explains The Governor’s not who he appears to be.   And so the cat and mouse theme in “Prey” begins, as The Governor discovers she’s left thanks to Milton who can’t keep much of a secret to anyone.  He himself has shown he has some morals after getting to know the Grimes crew, who were essentially absent throughout the episode.  The cat and mouse theme is enhanced after The Governor’s chief henchman Martinez cages several walkers as a bait for the impending battle with Rick and crew. 

Martinez:  We got a use for everything. 

Tyreese: You’re bringin biters. 

Martinez: They’re rats.

“Prey” focuses on Andrea’s defection and instinct to know The Governor is simply a sociopath.  She even echoes Hershel’s declaration of The Governor, calling him a “sick man.”  The pursuit then begins with Andrea and The Governor’s cat and mouse chase culminating inside an industrial factory infested with walkers.  The scene lasts for several minutes, The Governor carefully strutting about the dark corridors where walkers pop out of nowhere. 

Andrea at this point knows The Governor’s out to kill her, despite his plea to her to come out of hiding so she can go “back home.”  His manipulation no longer works as Andrea leads The Governor to a portion of the facility holding hordes of walkers.  She lets them loose, leaving The Governor to fend for himself.  But The Governor appears to hold his own, killing as many walkers, but allowing Andrea to escape. 

Meanwhile, an unknown Woodbury resident (presumably Milton) decimates the walker farm as a show of opposition to The Governor.  Suspicion is re-directed to

Her daylong trek back to the prison, seeming happy at the moment, is cut short when it’s revealed The Governor survived his attack, grabbing Andrea after nearly being spotted by Rick, who’s kept watch.  But Rick’s history of hallucinations got the best of him after dismissing the reality Andrea was captured just yards away from him.

The Governor’s won this round, sneaking Andrea back while keeping it quiet.  The torture chamber, originally for Michonne will now be tested on Andrea, a la the “Is it Safe” scene from “Marathon Man.”  Plopped down on a chair, Andrea is now caught in The Governor’s torture lair.  Would be interesting to see how she gets out of this one.  

"Arrow on the Doorpost" - Episode 14, Season 3

“We have a lot to talk about,” said The Governor. 

“Arrow on the Doorpost” is a linchpin of an episode certainly setting up future storylines, particularly how Rick and The Governor can make peace in a complicated world.  The two finally have a sit down it what appeared to be a friendly chitchat, though both men kept their cards very close to the chest, formulating an attack plan of their own.  It’s interesting to note this episode kept the walkers in the background, as the real threat appears to become humans. 

I should also note that Rick appears to be back to normal, somewhat, after putting his life in perspective to Morgan in the last episode.  It’s clear he’s now in a position to lead once again, hammering out a deal that can keep his crew safe.   The two foils with completely different leadership styles, Rick the pragmatist and The Governor a pathological liar, are intent on getting what they want.  They long-awaited talk is so strong they leave mediator Andrea out of the picture. 

But The Governor sets his sights on samurai Michonne, who killed his daughter in a fit of rage.  The Governor is now seeking Michonne, who’s now become a bargaining chip for Rick.  But the talk doesn’t begin with demands, but more background on The Governor, revealing his last name to be Blake after explaining how miserable his life was.   His wife had been in an accident, furthering him away from his own humanity, allowing him to embrace his megalomania. 

“I would never see her again,” said The Governor.  “Gone.  Just an accident, no one’s fault.”

Meanwhile, Daryl and Hershel, accompanying Rick, get acquainted with The Governor’s aides, Martinez and Milton.  The tension is very apparent in the beginning, as Martinez and Daryl try to show off their macho bravado by seeing who can kill walkers best.  But soon, the two realize they’re products of their environment. 

 

“Hate what they did,” said Martinez.  “Life.  Kids.  Sucks.”

His insight certainly shows he never had a paramilitary background like the one he seems to display.  His survivalist behavior, a theme enhanced throughout this season, shows as he shares a cigarette with Daryl. 

Hersel and Milton appear to have an intellectual moment of their own, enough for Milton to see the Grimes crew friendlier than he initially thought.  This sets up conflict within Milton’s mind, who may consider defecting. 

Back in the prison, Glen tries to maintain order as Meryl tries to muscle his way out of the prison to kill The Governor.  But Glen, surviving his beat down from Meryl, stands up to Meryl by blocking him from leaving.   Glen has proven his assertiveness this season, symbolizing a coming-of-age moment for a guy who was simply a good foot soldier.  He ultimately wins his ego-waving contest against Meryl, eventually reuniting with Maggie.  The two make passionate love on the floor after several weeks of tension following their escape from Woodbury.  It seems interesting how Glen’s boldness won Maggie’s heart once again, reaffirming the ideal of a woman coming to rescue a maiden. 

But inside the cell, Meryl insists on taking out The Governor, even talking Michonne in joining him in the fight.  Meryl appears to have a bit more insight about The Governor, perhaps because Meryl a) knows how The Governor thinks and b) he and The Governor share the same sociopathic similarities. 

That goal doesn’t come to fruition as Rick comes back to the prison, declaring war against The Governor while withholding The Governor’s sole demand of trading the safety of others for Michonne.  He only tells the news except Hershel.

Hershel: If she hadn’t come here we wouldn’t have know they were taken.  She’s earned her place.

Rick: Yeah she has.  Are you willing to sacrifice your daughter’s lives for her? 

Hershel: Why you telling me? 

Rick:  I’m hoping you can talk me out of it.

Meanwhile The Governor has no plans of just taking Michonne.  He intends to kill the whole lot of Rick’s gang, revealing this to Milton who appears offended by The Governor’s code. 

“The minute you see Michonne open fire,” said The Govenor.  “Take care of the whole crew.  It’s the best way to avoid a slaughter.” 

A slaughter is indeed in the horizon as it’s Grimes vs. The Governor, though the latter appears to be losing support.  The most is from Andrea, who learns about Maggie’s near rape from The Governor through Hershel. 

“He’s a sick man,” said Hershel. 

That’s enough for Andrea to plan her own escape.  

"Clear" - Episode 13, Season 3

The episode “Clear” is a blast from the past, showing how far the zombie apocalyptic world has affected Rick, and more importantly an old friend.  The episode further enhances that theme by plot devices and thematic elements showing scrawls of writing shown throughout the episode indicating the current state of things. 

But the low-key episode also answers several questions, primarily the big one—the fate of Morgan, the man who saved Rick in the very first episode of the series.  

The episode opens with Rick, Carl and samurai Michonne driving out to a “run” as they call it—scavenging for guns in their upcoming battle with The Governor and his band of mercs.  It’s a quiet scene, with a trio so hardened by what they’ve seen they ignore a hitchhiker’s pleas to be picked up by the Grimes crew. 

While passing through a horrific car crash involving several dead bodies/walkers, the car gets stuck on a ditch.  The scene allows Carl to serve as a sort of consigliore to Rick, advising him to think twice about bringing Michonne into his crew.  But Michonne and Rick have “common interests,” mainly their aim to kill The Governor.  Michonne, still moving as a careful feline, certainly proves herself as a member of the Grimes crew, willing to play ball and follow Rick’s leadership. 

This all happens as they head back to Rick’s old town in the outskirts of Atlanta.  They come across a small section of the town completely booby trapped, a way to fend off the any approaching walkers.  But as the trio work their way through the maze of booby traps they’re ambushed by a masked man in a rooftop.  Turns out the man is Morgan, Rick’s savior, who’s shot by Carl.  Luckily, Morgan survives.

Rick and Michonne lead an unconscious Morgan up the stairs of a school, where after working their way through more traps, stumble upon a batch of ammo retrieved from the local precinct.   Blackboards hugging the perimeter of the room reveal more scrawls of words, including the world “Clear.”

With Rick, Michonne and Carl in the school Carl decides on an sole run, though he doesn’t reveal to Rick what his run is about.  Rick agrees but not without Michonne using the moment to prove herself by volunteering to help.  Much to Carl’s chagrin, Michonne heads on out as a second set of eyes.   This gives Rick alone time with Morgan who reveals just how unhinged he’s been since the two went their separate ways in season one. 

It turns out Morgan has gone completely off the deep end, unwilling to trust anything since his son Duane was killed by his own walker mother.   He tells Rick that strong people like him will die, while weak people like Morgan shall inherit the world. 

Meantime, Carl intends to make several stops.  With the Grimes house revealed to have been torched, Carl heads out to a daycare center to find a crib for baby Judith and a bar to fetch a picture of him, Rick and Laurie before the world collapsed.  “It’s for Judith,” he tells Michonne, who exercises a sense of teamwork after coming through for Carl several times, even saving him froma surprise walker and another horde of walkers who block him from getting the picture. 

“No more bullshit,” said Michonne.  “You wait here.”

Back at the school, Morgan further emphasizes he’s done with the world so much that a damaged Rick, still working through his demons, pleads with him to come back to reality.  The scene is almost self-reflective, as Rick appears to almost talk to himself. 

“You’re not seeing things right but you can get back from this,” said Rick.  “You gotta be able to come back from this.” 

But as much speechifying Rick’s made, it’s no hope in reaching Morgan.  The two eventually agree to disagree.  Like in season one, the two go on their separate ways, both seemingly broken men who’ve seen their loved ones go. 

Carl, seeing Morgan stack several walkers, apologizes to Morgan for shooting him to which Morgan tells him “never to apologize.” 

“Hey son,” said Morgan.  “Don’t ever be sorry.”

The trio head back to the car, loading up enough firepower for a small Bolivian army.  But soon Rick has a hallucinating moment, only we don’t see the hallucination, but Rick paused.  Michonne, having received a stamp of approval by Carl, catches that and reveals even she has moments. 

“I know you see things…people,” said Michonne.  “I used to talk to my dead boyfriend.  It happens.”

The trio head back to the road, noticing the hitchhiker from earlier in the episode has died from unseen walkers.  Ever the utilitarian, Rick grabs the man’s backpack. 

"I Ain't a Judas" - Episode 11, Season 3

“I Ain’t A Judas” is a very interpretive title to episode 311 of the Walking Dead, evoking religious themes sprinkled throughout the episode that finds Andrea making first contact with the Grimes crew since getting separated in Season 2.

She finds a world completely upside down from Season 2, seeing old members like Lori, Shane and T-Dog gone while new members like Merle of all people now part of the gang.  She finally meets up with Michonne, who finally explains Andrea’s betrayal truly hurt her.  Andrea counters, saying Michonne really poisoned the group by spreading half-truths.  “I told them the truth,” said Michonne. 

Andrea’s visit is a peacemaking mission slyly endorsed by the pathological liar The Governor, who finds out about her “escape” from Woodbury after the creepy Milton runs off to tattletale.  But The Governor tells Milton to assist her, though it’s not explained why.  Could he have wanted to use Milton to gather intel on the prison? 

That desire was realized when the ousted Tyrese and his crew stumble upon Milton and Andrea mutilating a walker to be used for cover.  The Tyrese gang is invited to Woodbury, where they unwittingly agree to divulge the layout of the prison after being kicked out by an “unhinged” Rick. 

Rick is still in a fog of craziness in the opening of the prison.  He can’t seem to make a decision on whether to leave the prison, despite everyone turning to him for answers.  He soon stalks off, with Hershel screaming at him to make a decision. 

“You once said this isn’t a democracy anymore,” said Hershel.  “Now own up to it.” 

Carl soon follows Rick out only to tell him he needs to step down as leader of the group.   Carl, the youngest of the group, has replaced Lori as Rick’s closest confidant.  His maturity in a zombie-filled world has been achieved enough for Rick to say “he’s ready” for battle. 

Speaking of family relationships, Daryl is back with the Grimes clan.  But he’s brought back some family baggage, namely Merle, who’s reluctantly ingrained in the crew.  He’s now become a bargaining chip for Daryl’s loyalty to the group, though Merle is showing some signs of playing by the rules.  He reveals an understanding of the Bible, sharing a moment with Hershel of his biblical know-how.  But at this point the audience can’t forget it was Merle who set the wheels in motion in having the Grimes crew go to war with The Governor. 

Andrea, on the other hand, is a victim of happenstance but tries to clean up Merle’s mess.  She has a key talk with Carole, who tells her she must put the conflict to bed, literally, by showing the Governor “the greatest night of his life.”  Her conflict comes to a head when after she backs down from stabbing the Governor after sleeping with him.  In keeping with the central theme of religion, could the episode title refer to Andrea?  Whether she’s loyal to the Governor or his greatest betrayal can clearly make her a Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus by giving him up to the Romans. 

She’s now in a tough position given she’s the last to defect back to the Grimes.  Will her disloyalty break The Governor?  Another burning question is how did Andrea know about the prison?

Be that as it may, a war is now brewing between The Governor and Rick, who is now gearing up for battle mode.  He heads out for a run, with Michone and Carl in tow.   The episode was more even-keeled than the previous bloody episode.  This one shows a war is now brewing, and though The Governor drew first blood, Rick will likely win the war. 

The religious theme certainly fits with some of the conflicted characters.  From Daryl and his loyalty/disloyalty to Merle, Andrea’s loyalty/disloyalty to The Governor, Merle and his loyalty/disloyalty to the Grimes crew, and Rick and his loyalty/disloyalty to his own group.  Given the grammatical style of the title, and his knowledge of the Bible, the title could be coming out of Merle’s mouth.  

"Home" - Episode 10, Season 3

Synopsis

Just one thing to say about the episode “Home.”  BEST EPISODE EVER.

The action-packed episode featured plenty of surprises to an otherwise quiet opening showing Rick still in his delirious state chasing a ghost of Lori.  Rick, now a widow, stays in the background for most of the episode as he tries to cope with losing his wife.  This left Glen as the ad hoc leader of the group as he tells Hershel:

“With Daryl gone and Rick wandering into Crazy Town I’m the next in charge,” said Glen, who yearned to seek revenge against the Governor for nearly raping Maggie.  Glen is certainly a leader, but his leadership comes at a time when he’s so rage-filled.  Still, he is able to be talked out of raiding the prison with Michonne.

It seems watching this episode Glen is very much torn over what he thinks about Maggie nearly getting raped the Governor.  His behavior towards her made me think whether he’s ashamed of what happened to Maggie when clearly she was overpowered by the Governor, now reeling over the breach of Woodbury.   He certainly is looking out for blood, though he lies to Andrea that he has no intention to seek revenge.  Like before, the Governor’s sociopathic lies forces him to tell Andrea she’s fit to lead Woodbury.  We’ll see. 

Meanwhile, the best scene in the series history illustrating the difference between nature versus nurture involves the Dixon brothers, still on the road, scavenging for food.  A pragmatic Daryl wants to rejoin his group, the place where he says he belongs, even defending Glen’s ethnicity (“he’s Korean!”) to Merle, who admits he doesn’t belong in the group.   After a scene where Daryl takes out an entire herd of zombies, saving a Spanish-speaking family, the next scene reveals another layer of the brother’s relationship, drawing parallels from the biblical story of Cain and Abel. 

It turns out the brothers were originally planning to rob the Grimes clan in season one, until Merle was handcuffed.  But destiny had plans for Daryl, who became a team player and second-in-command.  Daryl revealed Merle had it coming when he was arrested on the rooftop.  The group did try to go back but Merle had left, like he had done in the past, running away from their abusive dad and ultimately from Daryl, who was left to be badly whipped by the Dixon’s abusive dad.  Merle is taken aback by Daryl’s fresh wounds, nearly cracking his voice.  The emotional scene, three seasons in the making, ends with Daryl heading back to the prison, ditching Merle but not before telling him:

“I may be the one walking away, but you’re the one that’s leaving…again.”

Daryl heads off, leaving Merle torn between staying or following his baby brother. 

Back at the prison Glen looks to patch up any breaches around the facility by taking a run around the perimeter, much against the level-headed Hershel.  He sees Rick still sifting through his madness outside the prison, offering help in his softest voice possible.  After reluctantly admitting he sees an image of Lori, he tries to give Hershel his own interpretation, but can’t. 

Soon the others around the camp see Rick’s stress unfold, including Carol and her flirty prison pal Axel.  Not a moment too soon, Axel’s head is blown off by an unknown assailant.  It soon turns out to be the Governor, launching an all-out assault on the prison with the help of his henchmen and enough firepower for a small army. 

Shots ring from all over the place, lifting Rick out of his mental state.  Maggie, Carl, and Carol join in the shootout, taking out one assassin from a watchtower.  Suddenly an unmanned truck crashes through the prison gates, unleashing a horde of walkers who corner Rick.  Without ammo, Rick is nearly zombie food, until an arrow comes bursting through one of the walkers.  It’s Daryl’s…who returns with Merle in tow!  The Dixon brothers do right by Rick, taking out a trio of walkers.  

Meanwhile, Glen comes back to the prison to see it in disarray.  With Rick, Daryl and Glen reunited, a smiling Governor runs off, convinced he’s showed he’s not one to mess with.  This sets up what could be shootout in the spirit of the OK-Corral.  Stay tuned. 

Why the Episode is Called “Home”

This episode tests how important the prison is to the Grimes clan, and whether it’s worth staying.  The Dixon brothers allude to their home life, which turned them into the men they are.  Home is also a reference to Woodbury and how much it’s changed since the breach.  

Rick's State of Mind

I've been a "Walking Dead" fan since Rick Grimes was popped by a candidate for "World's Wildest Police Videos" and I've been stalling on this blog for years.  So now, to feed my passion for this gruesome, human and creative show I've crafted a "Walking Dead" blog dubbed "Walker Blogger."  I can't take all the credit on the name...it was my girlfriend's idea.  I have roughly an hour before part two of Season Three is underway so I will be prepping in the bullpen.  Here goes nothing!

Can you recall the Rick Grimes from season one?  Dignified, lawful, almost as he symbolized the law that appeared to slip away in the post-zombie apocalypse.  Remember his nicely-trimmed hair?  Remember his trimmed beard?  Remember him on his horse, galloping about dead bodies gracefully?  In season one he was law and order, maintaining civility often through simple negotiations and clearheaded thinking.  He was the pragmatic cowboy. 

Now fast forward to Season 3 and ask yourself, what in God’s name happen to Grimes?  He’s done a virtual-360 from the days of espousing the benefits to having a moral code in a time of survival.  Before he used to weigh the pros and cons of killing uninfected humans.  These days he kills without much debate.  Granted, the killings were justified.   But the old Rick would at least think about killing someone before pulling the trigger. 

Then there is the slight stone-cold twitch in Rick’s eyes, a departure from the easygoing persona he once exemplified. Grimes clansmen used to go to him to resolve problems.  These days they rather fix it themselves. 

Here’s what happened: the living dead got to him.  And fittingly, the pair who did him dirty the most, wife Laurie and best frenemy Shane, are dead.  His rage is now in a loop, deprived of the release fueled by his feelings of betrayal caused by those who started it. 

So now Rick is on a path of self-destruction, with visions of Shane and Laurie egging him on, taunting Rick to break his own code.  His hallucinations started with fake phone calls from those who’ve passed away.  Now they’ve become full blown. 

The problem is there was never any closure for Rick, unable to properly say goodbye to anyone who died.  It’s interesting to note that it was Carl, not Rick, who killed Shane and Laurie respectively, depriving Rick of any revenge he may have inflicted. 

But Rick’s mental state has always been tested.  Because he was the leader of the group he was often challenged, prompting him to refine his leadership style but compromising his own mental balance.  I first noticed his mind nearly compromise when he and his group came close to death in “TS-19,” the penultimate Season One episode.  Rick is screaming at the CDC facility intercom, pleading ferociously for Dr. Edwin Jenner to open the doors. 

His propensity to come through has also weighed him down, sometimes resulting in Rick going against his own ethical grain.  It certainly was tested in “Pretty Much Dead Already,” the mid-season 2 finale where Rick shot a walker Sophia Peletier dead, much to Carol’s disgust. 

Then came his anticlimactic showdown with Shane in a moonlit ravine.  Having no mercy for Shane, Rick takes a shot of him, killing him mercilessly.  A new Rick emerged at that point and so did a new mantra: “This isn’t a democracy anymore!” he shouted in the Season 2 finale. 

So what’s in store for Rick in the second act of season 3?  I would imagine the show cannot go on without him, so I would imagine his hallucinations will carry on with some consequences thrown into the mix.  Could he just ditch the group like Daryl did?  Could he kill a member of his group?  Could he exercise his demons? 

I think a variation of that is in the works, with the writers trying to determine how they can slightly deviate from the comic book while appeasing old and new fans.  Time will tell I suppose…