The Walking Dead Retrospective Special Recap: The Journey So Far

One week ahead of the most anticipated episode of The Walking Dead to date - the Season 7 premiere - AMC aired a two-hour retrospective special recounting The Journey So Far for Rick Grimes and company. Several cast members, producers, and directors joined the program to share personall accounts of moments from production.

Starting the retrospective, AMC announces an eighth season of The Walking Dead coming in 2017.

Andrew Lincoln, Steven Yeun, Danai Gurira, Lauren Cohan, Melissa McBride and others narrate the big changes in their characters from the start until now before Robert Kirkman

"I want to see what happens to them next!"

"How do they continue to live in this horrible world we've placed them in."

"Rick Grimes is a Sheriff's deputy," Andrew Lincoln says. "He is a family man."

Lincoln goes on to narrate Rick getting shot and waking up from his coma in the apocalypse. Lincoln says the audience and Rick both awaken to a "terrifying, horrendous new world."

Denise Huth, co-exutive producer of the series, describes the moment of Rick seeing a zombie for the first time. Lincoln says Rick's first instinct is to get home. "Everything that has dragged him to this place is not there - his wife and his child," Lincoln says. "That's when he is broken." It was in that moment when Morgan came into the mix.

"He definied himself by being a father to his son Duane and a husband to his wife," Lennie James says. "Walkers is the term Morgan uses and the one he passes on to Rick."

Huth says the most important rule Rick leans from Morgan is that getting bit means dying. You have to penetrate the brain to kill the undead.

Scenes of Morgan wanting to kill his undead wife flash. Huth says Morgan's wife illustrates what this world is about.

The next step for Rick is getting his "badge and boots." He does so and rides into Atlanta where he is confronted with "hordes of the undead" according to Lincoln. It was his entrapment in the tank that leads him to another person - Glenn.

Yeun and Laurie Holden describe their characters who were first introduced as scavengers doing what they can to survive.

The scene of Rick and Glenn covering themselves in guts takes the screen. Lincoln recalls the scene fondly. The two characters are forced to run through the rain as the guts wash off of them and Yeun calls it his "Welcome to Hollywood moment."

Lincoln narrates the moment Rick gets to the camp, finding his wife, son, and best friend Shane. Riggs says the moment was mindblowing for Carl. Huth narrates the revelations of Lori and Shane's relationship.

Dale, T-Dog, and Amy are recalled by Huth. "Amy is the love of Andrea's life," Holden says.

"When we first meet Carol, she is mother of Sophia, wife of Ed. Sophia is the light of her life, Ed is an a-hole. She is an abused housewife," McBride says as early scenes flash.

"Daryl is a country boy who thinks they're all idiots because they don't know how to kill a zombie," Norman Reedus says to introduce his character. He says Daryl wanted to be a hothead idiot as Rick tells Daryl that Merle has been handcuffed to a rooftop. "It's a dangerous move," Reedus admits of going back for his character's brother. "Rick is still the good guy. He's the heart of our story."

The camp is raided with zombies shortly after, marking the end for Amy and Ed.

Greg Nicotero narrates the "sense of loss" when Andrea puts her sister down.

"The only hope is to see if we can get to the CDC. Find out anything about what's happening," Lincoln says of Rick late in Season 1 but, as Reedus puts it over scenes of Dr. Jenner, "The world is gone."

"At this point, there's no hope anymore," Holden says.

Huth describes the self-destructing system at the CDC as Jenner whispers a secret into Rick's ear. "It is a pretty bleak finale," Lincold said. "We're on the road to nowhere.

----

Season 2 is now the focus. Rick stands atop an Atlanta rooftop and tells Morgan his group is moving on over the radio. The group rides out of Atlanta.

"We see hundreds of cars, empty," Lincoln recalls.

"All of the sudden, this herd shows up," McBride said. The herd approaches as a rifle-armed Rick hides under a car. Sophia is cornered and runs into the woods. "That's when Sophia goes missing," McBride concludes.

"Daryl takes it upon himself to go look," Reedus said.

Huth says that caring what's right and wrong becomes a major difference between Rick and Shane. "During the search, they see a deer and this beautiful moment is shattered by a gunshot," Lincoln says.

"The moment he got shot was a huge turning point," Riggs says of Carl, as the scene from Season 2 plays out on screen.

Rick rushes Carl to Hershel's farm from the direction of Otis, who accidentally shot Carl. Hershel needs a respirator which prompts Otis and Shane to volunteer to go get it.

"Shane makes a decision," Scott Gimple says.

"He shoots Otis in the leg to leave him as bait," Huth said. He did it to make sure the equipment to save Carl made it back.

"Hershel is an optimist. He does believe there can be a cure," Scott Wilson says.

Maggie and Beth are introduced. "They are very close," according to Lauren Cohan. "Maggie, she's at an age where she doesn't have to listen to everything her father says."

Maggie and Glenn's meeting is shown and Cohan says that his bravery is almost stupid. "Glenn treads carefully," Yeun says, pointing out that his character wants to be respectful.

The scene between Maggie and Glenn the pharmacy plays. "In that moment, she just wants to feel a connection with anyone," Yeun says.

"Hershel is not so happy about this group of people joining," Lincoln says over scenes of the characters expressing their differences. Rick mostly wanted to stay to ensure his son's recovery.

"At the same time, Glenn and Maggie are forming a nice little relationship," McBride said as Glenn marches to the barn, leaving an invitation for Maggie. Maggie tells Glenn, "You weren't supposed to see this," as he discovers the herded walkers.

"Shane takes it upon himself to open up the barn and kill everyone that's inside it," Cohan says.

"The last to come out is Sophia," McBride said. "Carol thinks from that distance and from the desire of her heart, she looks that she could be okay. The closer she gets she realized she's turned."

"To know that she was under their noses the entire time is heartbreaking," Kirkman says as Yeun adds that this world takes "anything and everything" that is can.

"Another huge turning point for Carol," McBride calls it.

Later, Rick finds Hershel in a bar. He is drinking, sad about lif and Sophia. Two men find them.

"All of the sudden, you get a sense that not everybody out there is trying to be your friend," Nicotero said. Rick had to dispatch the men in the episode which was titled, "Nebraska."

Wilson describes Randall's situation. He was impaled by the fence but Rick chose to save him despite his being an enemy moments prior. Shane was completely against the idea and according to Gimple, Shane wants to stress the fact that the "old rules don't apply."

The group debates Randall's fate and, later, Carl finds a gun. He goes out to kill a walker but coldn't bring himself to shoot. "The walker escapes. Dale ends up in the field and the walker shows up and kills him," Riggs recalls, as Dale's death plays out on screen. It left Carl with a feeling of "never wanting to mess up" like that again.

Rick and Shane debate the fate of Randall and will take him off-site for release.

"Shane now thinks that Rick is the threat," according to Holden. Kirkman compliments their ability to act like such enemies despite being such good friends.

"He realizes that to survive, he has to kill Shane," Lincoln says. "And he's able to do it."

Shane reanimates and Carl has to put him down. "That was a big turning point for Carl. It was his first zombie kill and one of his best friends at the time," Riggs said.

"The shots bring the horde to the farm," Yeun says.

The barn is lit on fire as walkers overrun it. The group flees, leaving Andrew behind.

"After everybody has left the farm, Rick tells the whole group the big secret that Jenner told him back at the CDC," McBride says as the scene of Rick telling the group that everyone is infected plays.

------

Season 3. The group busts into a house and according to Lincoln they are "an incredibly accomplished group of survivors now."

"The group comes across this prison after so much time on the road," Yeun said, with Huth adding, "For our characters it's sort of a haven."

"The fight for the prison was very specifically designed to be hand to hand combat because we wanted to see the level that our people were willing to go to take this place," Nicotero said.

Hershel is bit by a walker while they're clearing out the hallways and Rick springs into action. "You can make it from a walker bite if you catch it early enough," Gimple said.

T-Dog has been bitten and sacrifices himself to save Carl later on. According to McBride, Carol still feels the effects of that sacrifice. Lori goes into labor soon after with Maggie and Carl nearby. Maggie cuts the baby out and Carl realizes his mom will die and turn into a walker. "It's a merciful act for him as a child to do it," Cohan said.

Rick sees the baby for the first time outside of the prison. "It was such a heavy day, that day," Reedus said with Nicotero calling the episode, "Rough."

They name the baby Judith.

"In spite of the terrible trauma that Rick's going through, there is new hope, new life," Lincoln said.

"While the rest of the group is at the prison, Andrea is saved by this mysterious woman with a samurai sword," Holden says of the introduction of Michonne.

"She is a woman who has learned to take care of herself," Gurira says of her character.

The two women are lead to the Governor at the helicopter crash site where they encounter Merle Dixon. Merle leads them to Woodbury. "Woodbury is a very strange place," Gimple says, with Holden describing it as, "It's almost as if the apocalypse never happened.

"He is the leader because he has provided that security to his populus," David Morrissey says of his Governor. "There's a way he presents himself to the world and we get a sense that there's something going on."

Michonne does a little investigating and feels like she has to leave. Andrea refuses to leave with her so after Michonne abandons the community, the Governor instructs Merle to bring back Michonne's head.

Merle goes on to kidnap Glenn and Maggie and bring them back to Woodbury.The Governor realizes he will get his questins answered if he breaks down Maggie.

"Michonne wins her way into the group by bringing baby formula," Riggs said. Shortly after, Michonne reveals Glenn and Maggie's capture, which prompts Rick to order what Lincoln calls a "counterstrike."

The group manages to strike Woodbury which is when Michonne finds the Governor's walker head trophy case and his zombified daughter. "The Governor's daughter is a walker," Morrissey admits. Michonne putts her down and a fight between the two ensues. The Governor loses an eye.

"She is about to eliminate the problem that is the Governor," Gurira says, just as Andrea shows up with a gun to stop her.

"At that point in his story, the Governor loses his humanity," according to Morrissey. "Andrea, who is in the crowd, is appauled by this."

Daryl and Merle are forced to fight each other in Woodbury but Rick's group arrives just in time to save them. Lincoln says that he realizes a war is coming.

Elsewhere, Rick runs into a now-crazy Morgan, which James calls a "massive transformation" following the loss of his son. Morgan refused to go back to the prison with Rick.

Rick and the Governor meet to negotiate. It will all go away if Rick hands over Michonne and Rick rules, "We're going to war."

Merle decides to kill the Governor but ends up dying himself. Daryl eventually finds zombified Merle and "relentlessly stabs him into the ground" as Reedus puts it. "You just can't win in this world."

Andrea realized that she made the wrong choice but the Governor captures her on her attempt to go to the prison.

The Governor attacks the prison with people who are not soldiers and following their retreat, he guns them down in the street.

When the group finds Andrea, they find her bitten by Milton in a location which can't be saved. Tyreese, Rick, and Daryl stand by and Michonne accompanies her at the moment of her death.

Rick's group takes in the Woodbury refugees.

"The Governor is still out there and there is still a threat looming," Kirkman said.

-----

Season 4.

Rick's group is "flourishing" as described by Gimple. He has begun farming and formed a council. Tyreese and Sasha become important characters.

"Sasha is a very pragmatic woman," Sonequa Martin-Green says. Tyreese on the other hand, never lost the "sanctity of life."

Then, there's Bob, who has a bit of trouble being a team player.

The kids of the prison hang around the fences, naming walkers. Carol is teaching them survival skills which McBride says stems from the guilt of losing Sophia.

"There is this strange, inexplicable virus going around," Martin-Green recalls. Some of the quarantined go sick and Tyreese finds that his girlfriend has been killed.

"Glenn and Sasha, unfortunately, are infected," Yeun says.

Michonne and Bob set out for medication while others deal with an infestation at the prison. Carl and Rick gun down walkers together.

"Bob came back just in the nick of time to save people," Wilson said.

Rick realizes that Carol killed Karen and David and decides to "exile her" for the safety of everyone at the prison.

The Governor returns in a "catatonic state."

"He has burned down his town in his madness," Morrissey says. He discovers a family living in an apartment and becomes very close with them. Tara is introduced here. The family trusts him but doesn't know much about him.

"The Governor convinced her that these are really, really evil people," Alanna Masterson said.

"Rick sees a glimmer of opportunity with the Governor," Lincoln says as Rick's speech to the Governor plays. Despite the negotiations, the Governor kills Hershel and "mayhem ensues." The Governor and Rick fight in the prison yard until Michonne cuts him down with her sword before Tara's sister finishes him off.

The group is sent in several directions. Judith is missing and Rick is convinced she is dead.

"We don't know how they're ever possibly going to see each other again," Scott Gimple said. Then they start seeing the signs for this place called Terminus."

Daryl and Beth went off together. "I think Daryl's feeling guilty," Reedus says." I could've prevented it but he probably couldn't have."

During a zombie fight at night, Beth runs but is captured. Daryl chased the car until morning but never caught it.

Maggie, Bob, and Sasha find a sign for Terminus and Maggie hopes that Glenn would have followed it. Glenn awakens at the prison and gears up to head out. He spots Tara on the way out and insists they team up.

On the road, "they run into another set of people. Abraham, Eguene, and Rosita," Yeun says.

"Everyone needs an Abraham Ford on their team," Cudlitz insists.

"Eugene know what causes the apocalypse," and also knows how to stop it according to Josh McDermitt.

Rosita and Abraham debate about their methods and efforts in getting to Washington. Abraham tells Glenn of the mission but Glenn wants to find his wife. They find each other in a tunnel "through fate" according to Yeun. Maggie burns Glenn's picture of her, insisting they never part ways again.

Tyreese, Lizzie, Mika, and Judith find Carol. She is not sure if he knows that she killed his girlfriend. Lizzie is going crazy and doesn't want to kill the zombies but wants to kill kids. She kills her sister to prove her point.

"Carol feels that the best thing to do is to take Lizzie out," McBride said.

"She had to do that for the security and safety of Judith. It's ethically very confusing," Lincoln said.

Carol goes on to confess to Tyreese what she did to Karen. Instead of revenge, he offers forgiveness.

Rick, Carl, and Michonne reunite and head to Terminus together. They are found by the Claimers who have been traveling with Daryl. "Daryl is in such a dark state of mind because he lost Beth and he found this group," Reedus says, "but he's looking for a way out."

Rick bites Joe's throat out when his back is against the wall.

Later, Rick calls Daryl his brother.

"That bond between Rick and Daryl is stronger than ever," Reedus says. "Rick becomes the brother that Merle couldn't have been."

Everyone arrives at Terminus and meet Gareth. "Rick very quickly realizes that all is not as it seems," Lincoln said. The group is forced into a train car.

"Gareth and his minions at Terminus literally herd the group," Andrew J. West recalls.

Season 5

"Turns out Terminus is a cannibal society and they're going to kill them and use them as food," Yeun said.

Rick's group is lined up at a trough about to die as Carol attacks the group out of nowhere.

"Carol's a bad-ass," West said.

Rick cuts himself free and fights for the fence with his people. Terminus goes up in smoke. "I think I killed 80 people in that episode," Nicotero said.

Reedus recalls Carol popping up in the woods and the group realizing it was she who saved them. "All is forgiven," McBride said.

The group runs into Father Gabriel in the woods and Rick wonders how he is still there. Seth Gilliam describes how Gabriel's hell is reliving the fact that he locked his flock out of the church and let them die.

Carol sneaks out, with Daryl following, and they see the car which took Beth. They follow it to Atlanta.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group go on a food run with Gabriel. Bob was bitten on the run but keeps it a secret. "He leaves, and then he gets caught by Gareth," Lawrence Gilliard Jr. actor recalls. Gareth eats Bob's leg but Bob tells him it is tainted meat.

The Hunters show up at the church. "Rick is not willing to let him go," Lincoln says of the capture of Gareth.

"I had nightmares about that [red handled machete]," West admits.

Bob is now dying with Sasha at his side. Tyreese offers to put down Bob to prevent reanimation. "As a big brother, he's willing to take that on."

The group is now back on the road for Washington but they come across a giant herd of walkers, prompting Eugene to admit his lies about a cure. "He just pulled the rug out from under us," Christian Serratos said.

All the while, Beth has been trapped a hospital in Atlanta. She meets Noah there. Noah escapes and runs into Daryl and Carol but Carol is hit by a car and taken to the hospital. Daryl, Rick and others now have to go rescue their people. In an attempted trade, Beth for Noah, Beth stabs Dawn with a pair of scissors which causes Dawn to shoot Beth and then Dawyl to shoot Dawn. He brings her out of the hospital and Maggie collapses.

"It's one of the most devastating moments to me of the entire show," Cohan said.

The group takes Noah to Virginia to see his home. His community has been ravaged. In Noah's house, Tyreese is bit and recalls all of the people who have died around him before dying himself. Beth, the Governor, Bob, and others appear in his hallucinations.

Everyone is being pushed to the limits without food. Then, Aaron shows up and identifies himself as a friend.

"In the middle of Season 5, Rick and the group are at their absolute rock bottom," Nicotero said. It prompts Rick's distrust in Aaron.

"Aaron is a recruiter from the Alexandria Safe-Zone which is a community that has been cut off," Ross Marquand says.

The group marches to the Safe-Zone and meets Deanna, the leader. They were living like animals just days prior. Rick meets Jessie, a mother of two boys and victim of domestic abuse. Rick and Pete, Jessie's husband, don't see eye to eye. He is an alcoholic.

At this point, Carol is posing as a "happy homemaker" when people are around. Sam catches Carol being Carol, though, and sees her taking guns so she tells him a horrifying story.

"From the perspective of my character, I wanted to punch her in the face," Alexandra Breckenridge said.

Sam wants a gun from Carol to protect his mother. Carol realizes that Rick is going to have to kill Pete. Rick pleads with Jessie to fight and Pete walks in on it. The two fight into the streets and Rick ends up wielding a gun at the community and yelling at everyone until Michonne knocks him out.

Glenn, Tara, Noah, and Eugene go out on a supply run with Nicholas and Aiden of Alexandria. McDermitt says they are "inexperienced."

"It all goes wrong," Yeun said. The group rushes out of a turnstyle door but Noah gets traps inside because of Nicholas' cowardice. Glenn beats Nicholas outside.

Deanna has called a town meeting to decide whether or not they want to exile Rick. During the meeting, Rick is taking on walkers inside of the walls. Someone left the gate open. He brings a zombie corpse to the meeting and insists that everyone has to be ready.

Pete shows up to the meeting and kills Reg, although Rick was his target. Deanna orders Rick to execute Pete just as Morgan shows up.

"Morgan's second reuniting with Rick happens in our finale," James said. "Wherever Morgan's head is, this is not where he expected to meet Rick. Things have changed at the end of Season 5."

Season 6.

"At the top of Season 6, Alexandria has turned out to be the sanctuary they've been looking for," Kirkman said.

Season 6 introduces doctor Denise, Heath, and a few other characters. "Morgan and Rick discover a quarry with about 30,000 walkers in it. Eventually, the walkers are gonna get out and it's gonna spell disaster for Alexandria," Nicotero said.

"The plan is for us to lead all of these walkers somewhere else," Cudlitz said.

As the group is leading the herd in a direction away from their community, a horn sounds from Alexandria. Half of the herd heads to Alexandria. Glenn and Michonne lead a group of Alexandrians back to the community down another path. Nicholas and Glenn are trapped on top of a dumpster.

"Nicholas' fear takes over," Huth said, as Nicholas is seen shooting himself.

"In that same breath, he takes Glenn with him," Yeun said.

"The audience reacted in a huge way. Angry, frustrated, and sad but engaged," Kirkman said.

"Daryl is taken prisoner by these people he meets in the woods," Nicotero said, as Dwight's introduction is shown.

All the while, the Wolves have been attacking Alexandria. "They have no morals," McDermitt says.

Carol puts on the Wolf mask and attacks the invaders. Morgan insists that Carol doesn't have to kill people and he sends Wolves out without killing them. Alexandria is still surrounded.

The church tower falls and takes down an Alexandria wall. Walkers spill in and Deanna saves Rick but ends up getting bit. They are trapped in Deanna's house.

"They realize that they have to reignite the walker guts plan," Lincoln says of the group's entrapment.

The group runs, covered in zombie guts, but Sam gets scared and attracts walkers. He gets eaten. Then Jessie does, too. Ron blames Rick, so he points his gun at him but Michonne stabs him. The gun goes off and strikes Carl's face.

Rick rushes Carl to the infirmary before going out to take on the walkers.

Glenn shows up. "Glenn was actually alive. He looked super dead but it turns out it was Nicholas' body that shielded him," Yeun said. "He finds Maggie trapped on top of the guard tower." Just as Glenn is being swarmed, Abraham and Sasha show up to kill all of the walkers around him.

"Rick's berserker mode" is what ignites the Alexandrians to fight according to Marquand. Daryl uses gas and a rocket launcher to ignite the community's pond and attract walkers to burn themselves down. Everyone in Alexandria dispatches walkers.

"We are now, for the first time, a true community," Martin-Green said.

LAter, "Alexandria has recovered," Huth says.

"Rick's confident," Nicotero said. "It's the first time since he's been at Alexandria that he looks at them as one complete group."

Rick and Daryl go out on a run and meet Tom Payne's Jesus. In the same episode, Rick and Michonne hook up for the first time. "That was the first time her heart got in the driver's seat," Gurira says. Jesus gets in their just as they've finished up.

Jesus leads Alexandria to the Hilltop, where Gregory tells the group about Negan and the Saviors who have been taking half of their resources. Rick's group offers to take them out in exchange for supplies and trade. Rick's group strikes Negan's compound.

"This is the first time we have hunted humans," Cudlitz said. Glenn kills somebody for the first time.

Cudlitz says that the group thinks they have killed the threat. All of the killing, however, has prompted Carol to leave Alexandria. "She's forced to kill again and then she gets hurt," James points out. His Morgan follows Carol and steps outside of his principles and kills a threatening Savior to rescue her.

Denise is killed on a run with Dwight and Rosita using Dwight's crossbow. A firefight ensues. Glenn and Michonne have been captured, leading to Daryl and Rosita's capture.

Maggie is having pregnancy complications. Rick and the group elect to escort her to the Hilltop to see their doctor. The Saviors cut them off.

"This is too many people," Cudlitz said.

"This is a much more brutal, terrifying outlet than he could have ever imagined," Lincoln says of Rick.

Eugene volunteers to take the RV to mislead the Saviors. They're not fooled. Eugene is captured, as are Rick and the others who have been carriny Maggie. Eugene is beaten and bloodied. Daryl has been shot.

"We know our group has screwed with the wrong guy," Huth says.

"He comes out and just plays with us like a cat with a little mouse," Reedus said.

"Negan's weapon of choice is Lucille, which is a baseball babe lovingly wrapped with barbed wire," Kirkman said.

"He is going to beat one of us to death," Martin-Green said.

"I think this is the first time Rick is truly powerless," Lincoln said.

"All of their control is taken away," Gimple said.

"They're gonna have to learn to live by Negan's rules from here on out," Marquand said.

"This is the start of something much bigger, much scarier, and there will be much more loss than anything they've ever encountered before," Huth said.

"I think that the audience needs to not watch the returning episode alone," Lincoln said.