War is coming on AMC's The Walking Dead, but not everyone can agree to how to prepare for the impending battle between Rick and the prison community and the Governor's well-armed Woodbury.
"That's going to be one of the surprises in the season -- the Governor's methods to getting his revenge," co-star David Morrissey (the Governor) tells The Hollywood Reporter.
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After Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and company attacked Woodbury in a bid to rescue Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) that included Michonne (Danai Gurira) brutally stabbing the Governor in the eye (and killing his zombie daughter, Penny), the dark leader of Woodbury's diplomatic streak may have come to an end. (Further proof came in Sunday's midseason premiere when he killed a member of his own community after he was bitten by a walker.)
"There are people in his group -- Andrea and Milton -- who are the voice of reason, who pacify his people and don't want this fight and want peace," Morrissey says. "Maybe there's an element to the Governor that might want that if he can get what he wants. He might not have to go through this all-out war if he can get what he wants, and diplomacy is part of that as well. Deals are done between hostile communities all the time, so there are exchanges that happen. All I can say is it doesn't play out the way that a lot of people think it's going to."
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In the meantime, the impending conflict is the last thing on Rick's mind as the prison's fearless leader continues to grapple with grief and his visions of Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and Shane (Jon Bernthal).
"At the time when they need him the most and the greatest threat has been posed to their survival, they've lost their best soldier and their leader," Lincoln tells THR. "Other characters come to the fore -- Hershel and Glenn play a big part. There are two episodes where the group loses its way. They realize that with Rick's absence, the group dynamic isn't as strong and they're very fragile. Their king is dead, and a land without a king is very vulnerable. It doesn't bode well for them. I don't think it's going to end happily."
Who do you think will strike first? Hit the comments with your thoughts. The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC. Check out a promo below.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit
