Throwback Thursday: The Walking Dead Season 3

The 2012-2013 season of The Walking Dead, the show's third, was when the group really discovered what it would take to survive in their apocalyptic world. Yes, season two showed that friendships can be torn, safety is constantly in questions, and resources are extremely valuable but season three was where Rick realized that he must prioritize himself and his group's safety at any expense.

With the prison being introduced early in the season, Rick, Daryl, Carol and others cleared it of walkers and found a small group of surviving inmates. Without hesitation, Rick dispatched one prisoner who posed a threat to his group and sent a message to the others regarding their fate should they act similarly.

The prison was a great sanctuary for Rick's group... until the Governor came into play. A missing Andrea was found in the season two finale by the current series regular Michonne. The two of them found Woodbury and while the tyrant leader was able to manipulate Andrea, Michonne wasn't having it. She eventually found Rick and lead him to Woodbury which Merle Dixon was also calling home for a time.

The Governor could never come to terms with the fact that Rick Grimes had such an impressive sanctuary so a war ensued between their two groups which spilled out of season three into season four.

Season three did see several major farewells.

Merle Dixon was killed by the Governor and later discovered by his brother Daryl in one of the more emotional deaths in The Walking Dead's entire run to date. Daryl had to put his walker form down which spawned an all new hatred for the Governor. The Governor's advisor, Oscar, was also killed but, more importantly, his death ended up costing Andrea her life as well. The Governor locked a reanimating Oscar in a room with a defenseless Andrea which lead to her eventual suicide after being bitten.

The most shocking deaths of season three came when T-Dog and Lori both fell in the same episode. T-Dog sacrificed himself to save Carol (which meant he later saved the entire group from Terminus, in a way) and Lori died during childbirth in the same episode. The most heartbreaking aspect of it all was the fact that Carl had to shoot his mother to prevent her from becoming a walker. His father would collapse in front of the group as Carl's innocence became the saddest casualty of the season.

The Walking Dead will return for its seventh season in October. For now, take a trip down memory lane with photos from season three in the gallery below.