The Walking Dead’s Biggest Moments: Numbers 15-11

We’re getting closer to my top ten favorite moments from the past 3 seasons of The Walking Dead, and this portion of the list brings even more intense moments. Without Further ado, here’s the next five moments from my Walking Dead Countdown:

15) Merle Returns: At the end of the second episode, we’re treated to one of the most intense points in the show with Daryl Dixon’s brother Merle handcuffed to a pipeline on a rooftop. After the survivors suffer an ambush inside the building they were using for a safe haven, they decide it’s time to cut tail and head off. T-Dog gets the handcuff keys to release Merle but in the heat of the moment, drops them and has to make the tough choice to leave Merle behind. Merle, being advanced on by a horde of hungry zombies appeared to be mincemeat, and by the time the survivors make it back up to him, all that’s left are the handcuffs and a bloody, severed hand. Fast forward to Rick leading the survivors away from Hershel’s farm and into an abandoned prison. Andrea gets separated from the group and winds up under the care of ultra badass, katana wielding Michonne who together comes across Woodbury, another survival camp full of survivors. It is here, that we first encounter The Governor, and most importantly his sadistic right hand man (pun intended) Merle Dixon.

14) Carl Shoots Governors Kid Soldier: It’s been a bit of a love/hate relationship between Walking Dead viewers and Carl Grimes. Many argue that he puts the survivors in more perilous situations than the walkers themselves do, and others think he’s just as important to the group as the other survivors are. Either way you look at it, on thing is for certain, there’s an undeniable tension growing between Carl and Rick, as Carl usually greatly disagrees with Rick’s leadership style. One would almost say that Carl is beginning to act more like a Shane and less like Rick as his character progresses. Don’t know where to find that comparison? Look no further than the episode where The Governor leads his troops into an ambush on the prison. After Rick and the survivors fend off the attack, Carl and Hershel are standing nearby in the woods when they happen across Jodi, a kid soldier from Woodbury. Hershel orders Jodi to drop his weapon, and Jodi complies, ready to surrender. Before Jodi could drop his weapon though, Carl puts him down with a head shot, without hesitation. There’s an awesome blank, emotionless look in Carl’s face while Hershel has an amazing look of shock and disbelief.

13) Dale Dies: During an especially tense time between the survivors on Hershel’s farm, Dale tries to be the voice of reason while the group tries to decide on if they should kill a straggler or not. Shane leads the argument that the kid needs to die because Rick nor any of the others can verify whether or not he is a legitimate threat to the farm or not. Meanwhile, young Carl is off in the woods dinking around when he comes across a walker who appears to be stuck in super thick mud. Carl toys with the walker at first, but then pulls his side arm to take aim and attempt to put the walker down. The walker has other plans however, and thanks to rotting flesh snaps his ankle and frees himself from the mud. Carl runs away in fear of his life and averts the crisis, for now at least. Dale, unable to stomach the fact that the group has decided to execute the young man ventures off on the farm where he comes across a slaughtered cow, and right when he turns around he gets attacked by the very same walker that Carl didn’t kill in the woods. Within a matter of seconds Dale is treated the same way as the cow, and this specific walker happened to be country strong, and guts Dale. Poor, poor Dale.

12) Hershel Loses A Leg: Upon gaining entrance to the inside of the prison, Rick and the gang discover that there are still several cell blocks that may still be inhabited by walkers. Rick leads a group through several blocks, cleaning out all walkers that they come across. After encountering a larger than usual group of walkers Glenn and Maggie get separated from the rest of the survivors, which leads Hershel to go looking for them. After stepping across a walker he apparently believed had been dispatched, the walker pops up and takes a chunk out of Hershel’s leg. The group quickly finds shelter from the walker threat, but Hershel could potentially die if the group didn’t act fast. Rick makes the decision to chop of Hershel’s leg in a desperate attempt to save his life, which lead to one of the more gruesome moments on the show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28_g0P1u_qQ

11) Clear: This entire episode is a moment. Literally from start to finish, and may be the best overall episode produced thus far. Clear heavily features Rick, Michonne, and Carl, and surprisingly treats us to the return of Rick’s first apocalypse buddy, Morgan. On the hunt for weapons and supplies, Rick, Michonne, and Carl venture back into Rick’s old town and comes across an impressive array of walker traps and baits. They are immediately headed off by an armored gunman who urges them to drop their weapons and surrender, which leads to an intense gun fight. Carl eventually gets a clean shot at the attacker and puts him down. After approaching the assailant, the group discovers he was wearing a bullet proof vest and Carl’s shot wasn’t lethal, and instead knocked him unconscious. Rick removes the attacker’s helmet and is shocked to discover it’s Morgan. After raiding Morgan’s ungodly awesome supply of guns and ammo, Morgan comes to and he and Rick get into a scuffle and Morgan ultimately ends up stabbing Rick in the shoulder. Rick regains the upper hand and after calming Morgan, is treated to the unbelievably powerful story of Morgan’s son Duane being bitten by his wife, who he’d until that moment had been unable to put down. The biggest moment from this episode, was Morgan telling Carl to “Never be sorry” after Carl apologized for shooting him, and Rick, Michonne, and Carl coming across the ravaged remains of a survivor they’d encountered at the beginning of the episode, stopping to take his back pack and peeling off back towards the prison.