‘The Walking Dead’ Mid-Season Finale: Top 10 Facts You Need To Know

The Walking Dead enters its mid-season hiatus with a mid-season finale tonight (and when did shows start doing that, anyway?) with a show that’s marking a pivotal part in perhaps the bloodiest season of AMC’s monster zombie hit yet.

The war is about to start over the prison, and if you don’t want any spoilers, don’t read any further. Tonight’s episode shaped up to be a dandy.

1. The Governor Seems to Really Love His Zombie Daughter

The governor is shaping up to have probably the most complex character of the Walking Dead. He went from last week’s threatened rape of Maggie to this week’s almost-tender scene between himself and his caged, zombie daughter. This guy is so bad you have to love him.

2. Glenn and Maggie Have a Plan for Escape

The governor and Merle Dixon are talking about holding Glenn and Maggie, who are being held hostage. They know the longer they hold them, the more likely Andrea will see them. The governor tells his henchman, “Take them to the screamer pit.” But Glen has another idea — as he dismembers a zombie, takes out its arm bones and makes sharp weapons of them.

And Maggie, normally oh-so gentle, is a pit bull where her beloved Glen is concerned. And she almost takes Merle out, after stabbing a guard in the neck with her zombie arm bone weapon, when…

3. Deputy Rick and His Posse Make it into Woodbury

Rick, Daryl, and the others are going through the buildings of Woodbury, when they come across Merle’s execution squad, surprising them with a smoke bomb and rescuing Glen and Maggie. Thank heavens! And thanks to Michonne, who lead them back to the city to wage their battle.

4. Woodbury is Under Attack

Rick and his posse are attacking Woodbury. Andrea wants to fight, not knowing who the terrorists are. And Rick, still having issues over Lori’s death, is having mental issues of his own — including thinking he saw his nemesis, Shane, among the fighters.

5. Carl Investigates Screaming and Finds More Living

When the show opened, we saw a new band of the living breaking into the prison. Carl and the others who were left behind when Rick went to raid Woodbury hear screaming, and Carl brings the new group into the cells for safety.

6. Michonne Makes a Horrifying Discovery

She hears noises while she’s looking for the Governor and goes into a room where she finds a little girl in a cage. She’s softhearted, so she unchains her, takes off her hood…and finds the governor’s daughter, Penny. The governor steps in to stop Michonne from killing his little girl, but Michonne stabs the zombie tot, and none too soon. And then Andrea storms in and finds Michonne in the room along with the injured, distraught governor. And she sees his special “aquariums.”

And the governor’s injury is going to sting a bit in the morning, we’ll just say…

7. The Governor’s Inner Circle Sees His Injuries

Looks like the Governor is going to be wearing an eyepatch for a while — which, of course, will just make him look even more evil. And Andrea, who seems to be quite the magnet for bad guys (remember when she screwed Shane last season?) seems to be getting quite softhearted over the Governor. This girl needs an intervention.

8. Rick Doesn’t Trust Michonne

While Michonne was off fighting the governor, Daryl goes missing, and when she shows up again, Rick takes her sword and blames her. But she reminds him they need her to get back to the prison.

9. The Governor Calls a Town Meeting

He admits to the townspeople that there was an attack, and admits he failed them.

“I’m afraid of terrorists who want what we have, who want to destroy us. One of those terrorist is one of our own.”

And he turns on Merle, and accuses him of being a terrorist — and surprise upon surprise, he brings out Daryl.

10. See You in February

And if you want to see what happens next…we’ll see you in February. Meanwhile, AMC will likely show this episode again, and again, and again.