The Walking Dead Spoilers: Rick Will Grieve...Differently This Time

Fans of The Walking Dead comic books should feel right at home with the second half of AMC's fourth season, which will kick off in February. That's according to TV Guide, who spoke with the new showrunner about the direction the series is headed. Obviously, there's the element of mourning for the loss of Judith, who appeared to have been killed at the end of the midseason finale. Rick, meanwhile, took a heck of a beating from The Governor, something that will apparently be lingering into next season. "It's going to hit [Rick] in a way that we haven't seen before," executive producer Scott Gimple told TV Guide. "If it's just the two of them, [Carl is] going to have to step up quite a bit because circumstances are wildly different and a lot will depend on him in terms of them just surviving. They don't have an awesome, dual-layer fence and brick buildings to hide behind. They're out in the world." In the comics, of course, Rick was still reeling from the loss of his hand--something Kirkman elected not to do in the TV series after having said for years that he regretted having done it in the comics. That led to an infection that created serious medical problems during his time on the road with Carl after the fall of the prison. It seems from the preview trailer for the midseason premiere that much of that story will be recycled on the small screen, with Rick's wounds from the fight with The Governor apparently serving to provide the same basic effect.