Rick Grimes (TV Series)


 * For the comic book character, see Rick Grimes (Comic Series).

"This isn't a democracy anymore."

- Rick to the group.

Rick Grimes is a former King County sheriff's deputy who was shot and put in a coma only to wake up and find himself in the middle of an undead apocalypse. He traveled to Atlanta, Georgia looking for his family,, his wife and , his son who had traveled to Atlanta with his best friend, , in search of a safe-haven.

Overview
Rick worked as a King County Sheriff's Department deputy in King County, Georgia, along with his partner and long-time best friend,. Wounded in the line of duty, he was in a coma when the apocalypse occurred. When he awoke alone, he set off in search of his wife Lori and young son Carl, and along the way discovered what happened to the world.

Rick is an every-man—smart, calm, just, a good friend and father—but will often stubbornly cling to his personal strong moral code, which has numerous times resulted in bad calls and stress within the group. In contrast to Shane, he is also a natural leader—a fact that caused frequent tension between the two.

King County, Georgia
Rick and Shane were childhood friends, with Rick being the more subdued individual. He had few girlfriends during his years of high school, in contrast to Shane who was always the center of attraction to girls. He and Shane both went to college together for police administration and became sheriff deputies at the King County Sheriff's Department. He and Lori met at a young age and after dating for a short amount of time, married and had a son named Carl. They lived as a family in a typical suburban neighborhood.

As their son grew older, his and Lori's marriage became increasingly strained. He constantly distanced himself from her, hesitating to open up and absorbing himself in his work.

While on patrol one day, he and Shane are called to assist the Linden County Sheriff's Department, a neighboring county who are in pursuit of suspects. During a shootout with three men after a high speed pursuit, he's critically injured and admitted to a hospital. He goes in and out of a coma for days. Shane at one point delivers flowers, but he's not conscious enough to be aware of what's going on.

"Days Gone Bye"
Rick regains consciousness in an abandoned hospital. He investigates the building and encounters his first undead—a group of zombies barred into a locked room, which is the hospital's cafeteria—as well as rows of bodies in body bags,in which some are on flatbed trucks.Having seen this, Rick is horrified and flees the hospital. In a nearby park, he encounters a severely deteriorated zombie with nothing left of her lower body but trailing bones and organs. Shaken, he returns to his home to look for his family. Unable to find any sign of them, he sits outside and is suddenly hit in the head with a shovel by a young man—Duane Jones —who initially mistakes him for a zombie.

Rick later wakes up tied to a bed. The young man's father, Morgan, checks Rick for zombie bites or fever, either of which could indicate he is turning into a zombie himself. After deciding Rick is not a threat, Morgan frees him and shares what information he has regarding the zombie apocalypse. The following day, Rick tells Morgan that his family are missing and that they are most likely alive (based on family photos that had been taken from the house). Morgan and Duane tell Rick that they might have set off to Atlanta, Georgia where the CDC has set up a quarantine zone. Rick takes Morgan and his son to his former Sheriff's headquarters, where the trio use the emergency generator to power up the station. They take hot showers and clean out the armory. As they depart, with Rick heading off to Atlanta while Morgan and Dwayne stay behind, Rick gives Morgan a rifle and a walkie-talkie and says he will broadcast every morning. Before he leaves, he encounters fellow officer Leon Basset a zombie and dispatches him. He then returns to the park where he encountered the badly decayed zombie, apologizes to it, and shoots it in the head.

While on his way to Atlanta, Rick sends out a broadcast via his radio. The transmissions are received by a camp located just outside the city, but they are unable to send a response to warn him of the situation in the city. Among the survivors are Rick's partner Shane, his wife Lori, and Carl. Rick later runs out of gasoline; he approaches an abandoned gas station, where he encounters (and shoots) a preadolescent female zombie. Unable to find any gas, he abandons his car on the highway and heads out on foot. He approaches a farmhouse, where the occupants are dead in an apparent murder-suicide. Rick finds a horse nearby and rides it to Atlanta, carrying the sack of guns from the police armory.

Rick arrives in Atlanta and finds the city in an extreme state of devastation. He then searches the streets on horseback, finding an overrun military blockade. Rick hears a helicopter pass overhead and tries to follow it, but rides straight into a horde of walkers. The undead swarm Rick's horse, toppling Rick and making him drop the sack of guns. While many of the zombies swarm around the horse, tearing it apart and eating it, Rick scrambles underneath an abandoned tank. With zombies crawling after him on both sides, Rick shoots several of them, then places the gun to his temple. Looking up, he sees an open hatch underneath the tank and crawls inside. The walkers surround the tank as Rick seals himself inside. After firing his revolver into the head of an undead tank crewman; therefore deafening him due to the confines of the M1 tank and then sealing the top hatch, Rick is safe—but trapped—in the tank. A voice comes over the radio sarcastically calling him, "Dumbass".

"Guts"
The voice on the radio advises him to make a run for it while they are distracted eating Rick’s horse. Rick takes a gun and a grenade off the dead soldier in the tank then opens the hatch. He jumps from the tank and runs down an alley, shooting walkers as he goes. Quickly, he meets up with the person who radioed instructions named Glenn. Rick follows him to a ladder, which they climb to safety, and then down a staircase to an alley, which is free of all but a few walkers thanks to a bus blockade. When the two reach street-level, two other people wearing riot gear emerge and beat down the walkers. The group rushes inside a Bradbury’s department store, where Rick meets other survivors: Andrea, Jacqui, T-Dog, and Morales. Outside, walkers press against the store’s front doors and the glass begins to crack

On the roof, Rick and the group find Merle Dixon—a middle-aged redneck—firing at walkers with a rifle. T-Dog chastises Merle for wasting bullets and attracting more walkers. Merle scoffs at him by saying taking orders from a “nigger” which sets off a fight between the two. Merle beats T-Dog then presses a handgun to his forehead, but Rick intervenes, hitting Merle with the butt of the rifle and handcuffing him to a pipe. “Things are different now,” Rick tells Merle. “There are no 'niggers' anymore, No dumb-as-shit white trash fools either; there's only white meat and dark meatl it's US and the dead; we survive this by pulling together, not apart.” Morales tells Rick there is no refugee center, which was “a pipe dream.” They are with a small group of survivors staying outside the city, but T-Dog cannot reach them on the radio. With the streets no longer safe, Rick suggests they try to escape underground. Jacqui, who formerly worked in the city zoning office, says that the building might have access to the sewers.

Glenn and Morales head to the basement while Rick and Andrea stand guard at the front of the store. Andrea spots a necklace with a mermaid pendant. Rick encourages her to take it. As Andrea pockets the necklace, walkers break through the exterior glass doors and begin pounding on the interior doors. Morales and Glenn arrive to report that the sewer is not an option because of a walker feasting on a rat and the tunnel is barricaded by bars they can't get past.

Back on the roof, Rick spots a cube van at a nearby construction site. The ignition keys should be nearby, Rick theorizes, but they need to get past the walkers undetected. The group explains that if they hear you, see you or smell you, they eat you. Rick latches on to the scent idea. Wearing rubber gloves and rain jackets, Rick and Morales drag a dead walker in from the alley. After acknowledging the man’s lost humanity, that he used to be just like the rest of them, Rick grabs an axe and hacks apart the body. He and Glenn then smear the corpse’s guts on their jackets. Before leaving, Rick tosses T-Dog the key to Merle’s handcuffs.

Outside, Rick and Glenn shuffle through crowds of walkers unnoticed. A rainstorm then passes over them, washing the guts off their jackets. Their human smell unmasked, walkers immediately attack the two. Fighting them off, Rick and Glenn run to the construction site, hopping a fence that is blocking access. Once Glenn tracks down the key, he and Rick speed away in the van. Rick orders Glenn to radio the group to get ready for pick-up. To lure the walkers away, Glenn drives off in a red sports car, which Rick has hot wired after setting off its alarm. With the walkers lured away by Glenn, The group heads down while T-Dog debates reluctantly decides to try to free Merle but slips due to the wet roof. With nothing else he can do and Merle angry due to T-Dog dropping the key, T-Dog again reluctantly puts a heavy chain lock on the doors so the walkers won't get at him. T-Dog runs downstairs just as the walkers break through the glass doors of the department store. Rick pulls the van up and the group piles in just as walkers make their way through.Having escaped the chaos at the store,T-Dog admits to the others he dropped the key, leaving Merle trapped on the roof.

"Tell It to the Frogs"
Morales advises Rick not to dwell on Merle’s abandonment. When the van arrives at the camp, the group embraces with their families while Rick hesitantly stays in the car for a few moments. he later emerges seeing Lori and Carl and the three of them share a tearful reunion.

Later, around a campfire, Rick describes the disorientation he felt waking up in the hospital. Lori explains she was told Rick would be transported to Atlanta, but it never happened. Rick thanks Shane for saving them. He volunteers to deliver the news to Daryl about his brother, as does T-Dog, who is wracked with guilt for dropping the key. Later on in their tent, Rick tucks Carl in and then crawls into bed with Lori. They reflect on past mistakes and the second chance they have been given. Lori returns Rick’s wedding ring, and the two make love.

The next morning, Rick tells Lori he plans to return to Atlanta for Merle. Lori is shocked, but they are interrupted by Carl’s screams. Finding Carl unscathed, Rick, Shane, Jim and Glenn run past him to a clearing where a walker is devouring a deer with crossbow bolts sticking out of it. The four men beat on the walker until Dale arrives and decapitates it. Daryl then emerges from the woods and laments that the walker ate his hunted dear. Finding the walker head still alive, Daryl fires his crossbow at it, then heads into camp looking for Merle. Shane tells Daryl that Merle did not make it back, Rick chimes in, confessing he left Merle handcuffed to the roof. Daryl pulls a knife, but Rick disarms him with the help of Shane who puts him in a sleeper-hold to restrain the violent hunter. With the door to the roof chained securely shut, Rick tells Daryl, Merle is likely alive, Lori then states that Rick is going back to Merle.

Back in his uniform, Rick prepares to leave with Daryl. Shane questions his decision to risk his life for Merle. Shane argues that they need everybody to protect the camp in case more walkers show up. What they really need, Rick contends, are more guns, which he would be able to retrieve from his dropped bag. Rick also needs to collect his walkie-talkie from the bag so he can warn Morgan away from the city. Shane gives Rick the last of his bullets for Rick’s revolver.

In Atlanta, Rick, Daryl, Glenn and T-Dog return to the department store. They cut through the chain on the stairwell door and emerge onto the roof. On the ground, a hacksaw sits beside a severed hand. Bloodied handcuffs hang from the pipe above.

"Vatos"
An enraged Daryl points his crossbow at T-Dog, but relents when Rick pulls his revolver. They then follow Merle’s trail of blood to a kitchen, where Sterno cans burn next to an iron steak weight crusted with skin—the result of Merle cauterizing his stump. Rick agrees to help Daryl search the streets for his brother. “Only if we get those guns first,” T-Dog says. Glenn outlines a plan to retrieve Rick’s bag: Daryl will watch his back from the store’s alley, while Rick and T-Dog cover a second alley two blocks away.

On the street, Glenn runs toward the tank. Back in the alley, a teenager named Miguel approaches Daryl. Daryl trains his crossbow on Miguel, who begins screaming. Glenn grabs the bag of guns—and Rick’s hat—then runs back toward Daryl. Rick and T-Dog, hearing Miguel’s screams, also head for the alley. Two men named Jorge and Felipe, who have also come for the guns, then jump Daryl. The men turn to Glenn and start beating him. Daryl then fires an arrow in Felipe’s butt. They throw Glenn in a car and drive off—leaving Miguel and the guns behind. Rick then takes Miguel and asks him about the men that he was with, Miguel refuses to speak to Rick. Daryl tries to tell Miguel that his brother's hand was a result of "the last guy who pissed him off" and throws the hand on Miguel as he starts to panic. Daryl then threatens to cut off his feet by telling he is "going to start with the feet this time". Rick fends Daryl off and asks Miguel that all he wants to do is work something out with his gang. Later on Miguel leads Rick, Daryl and T-Dog to an abandoned factory, where the leader of the group called “G” emerges. Rick proposes trading Miguel for Glenn. G demands the bag of guns, threatening to kill Glenn if they do not hand it over.

Rick then escorts Miguel into the warehouse carrying the guns on his back. Rick cuts Miguel loose and demands G hand over Glenn. Felipe and Miguel’s grandmother shuffles into the middle of the standoff, asking Felipe for help with “Mr. Gilbert.” She notices Rick’s uniform and begs him not to take Felipe away. Rick tells Felipe’s grandmother that Felipe is helping him find a missing person. Abuela leads Rick into a nursing home auditorium, where several elderly people—and Glenn—are grouped around an asthmatic man. Felipe helps the man with an inhaler.

After giving them a few rifles, Rick, Glenn, T-Dog and Daryl walk back to the cube van, but find it missing. Back at the RV, a walker tears into Amy’s neck. Rick, Glenn, Daryl and T-Dog arrive and quickly shoot the remaining walkers.

"Wildfire"
Rick stares at a sunrise over Atlanta as he tries to reach Morgan on the walkie-talkie, discussing what has happened to him ever since they departed from one another. Rick, Lori and Shane discuss how to handle Andrea as she continues to cradle Amy’s body. Rick tries to approach Andrea but she pulls a gun on him. Around the same time, Jim reveals his bite wound to the group. Rick thinks the CDC might be able to help Jim, and suggests relocating there. Shane however thinks the Army base in Fort Benning—125 miles in the opposite direction—is a safer bet. Daryl heads toward Jim with his pickaxe and tries to take a swing. Rick points his gun at Daryl’s head and prevents him from taking action. Rick and Shane later dig graves near the campsite. A deeply frustrated Shane reminds Rick that he and the others who accompanied him to Atlanta to find Merle should've stayed so they wouldn't have lost so many people. Rick counters that without the guns he brought back, the losses might have been worse.

The survivors stage a funeral. Privately, Rick asks Lori if she blames him for not being there when the camp was attacked, and to support his decision to head for the CDC. She does not blame him exactly—not like Shane does—but she does not know if she can follow him to the CDC on blind faith. In the RV, Rick tells a feverish Jim they are going to get him help, but Jim is delirious. Outside, Shane asks Lori to convince Rick the CDC is a bad decision, cautioning her about choosing her marriage over peoples’ safety. When Rick emerges, Lori announces that they should follow Rick’s plan.

Rick, Shane and Dale depart to sweep the forest for walkers. Alone, Shane tries to convince Rick to change his mind. He's outraged when Rick appears to show a lack of compassion and gratitude for all he's done over the past few days, and for a brief few moments, aims his gun at Rick who's wandered off into the woods. Glaring, he drops the gun, and then notices Dale watching him. “Jesus,” whispers Dale. Back at camp, Shane announces that he thinks they should trust Rick’s instincts and those that agree would be leaving for the CDC in the morning. At dawn, Rick tries to reach Morgan to advise him of their plan. En route to the CDC, the RV’s radiator hose bursts. While Shane and T-Dog drive ahead to find a replacement, Rick checks on Jim, who is in agony. They say their goodbyes and leave him to die next to a tree at his request.

Rick’s caravan approaches the CDC, where hundreds of bodies lay dead on the ground. The group quietly approaches the building, which is locked and shuttered. As night time approaches the group begins to panic and Lori says that they can't be that close to the city after dark as walkers begin to rise. Rick catches sight of the security camera's movement but Dale thinks he "imagined it" and slams on the shutters, screaming for help as Shane drags him away. The shutters open at the last minute and drown everyone in light.

"TS-19"
Rick and the other survivors file into the CDC lobby as Dr. Edwin Jenner meets them at the door. Jenner agrees to allow them in—provided they all submit to a blood test. Rick agrees, and they follow Jenner to the building's basement control center. Later, the group feasts in the CDC cafeteria, jovially drinking wine and liquor, jubilant about finding a safe place. Jenner shows the group around the building, directing the children toward the rec room and imploring everyone not to waste electricity. Rick stumbles drunkenly into the control room, where Jenner is working. Rick thanks Jenner again. He admits to Jenner that he never let on to the others what he really thought, but he knew they were running out of options. Rick stumbles into bed with Lori and sees that she is been crying. He assures her she doesn't need to be afraid.

The next morning, when Jenner arrives, he leads the group to the control center, where he displays brain scans from "Test Subject 19," who was infected and allowed the process to be recorded. Jenner admits he does not know what the disease is or how to treat it, and that he's lost contact with other facilities. Rick, Shane, T-Dog and Glenn head to inspect the generators while upstairs, the building's air cuts off. In his office, Jenner stares at a photograph of a woman, asking her to understand that he did the best he could and hopes she would be proud of him. The panicked survivors confront Jenner, who explains the building is shutting itself down.

When the building runs out of power it will self-destruct—a "decontamination" protocol to keep dangerous infectious diseases from escaping. Jenner tries to convince Rick to accept his fate. Rick demands to know why Jenner stayed if he did not think there was any hope. "I made a promise," Jenner says, to his wife—Test Subject 19—to keep going as long as he could. She was one of the finest scientists in the world, if anyone could have done something about this, it was her. Jenner eventually opens the door, but maintains that they still won't be able to get past the lockdown upstairs. He shakes Rick's hand, pulls him close, and whispers into Rick's ear.

In the CDC lobby, the group finds the doors locked and pounds helplessly on the windows. Carol pulls the hand grenade that Rick found in the tank from her bag. Rick detonates the grenade, blasting out one of the glass windows. The survivors run to the cars. From inside the RV, Lori sees Dale and Andrea emerge from the building. Jenner and Jacqui hold hands and watch the others evacuate on the security monitor. The CDC erupts in a fiery explosion. Dale and Andrea rush to the RV. Shaken, Rick starts the engine, and the caravan drives away from the smoldering rubble.

"What Lies Ahead"
Rick standing atop a roof in Atlanta, talking into his radio, addressing the static as if Morgan (Seen in Episode 1 "Days Gone Bye") is actually there, he tells Morgan how Atlanta isn't safe, and that the group is heading for Fort Benning, he then signs off. As the group continues South of Atlanta, they come across a large sum of parked cars, blocking their path, just as they begin navigating through, the radiator in the RV is blown, so the group dispersses across the cars and searches for basic everyday needs. Soon after Dale and Rick find a walker and then soon that one turns into a Herd. In danger Rick tells the group to hide under the cars they found. After the Walkers pass, Sophia is attacked by a walker and then runs, Rick in hurry tracks these walkers and Sophia and then tells her to hide in a tree, and then Rick moved the walkers away from Sophia and then ended up killing them. Rick soon after finds no Sophia under the tree. After the Rick and Daryl go track Sophia but can't find her. Soon after they head back to the camp, the next day they go tracking her again and can't find her. Rick and the group soon find themselves a church. Rick doubting his leadership and father-ship after going to the church. He decides to split the group, Daryl leading a group and then Rick and Carl and Shane in the other group. Soon after Rick and Carl and Shane is seen in a forest, and Rick finds a deer and tells Carl to go touch it, soon after they all hear a loud gun shot, and a bullet going through the deer and ending in Carl's chest.

"Bloodletting"
Rick runs with Shane and Otis, and carries a shot and unconscious Carl to a man named Hershel Greene, who lives on a farm and can help Carl. Rick decides he needs to get to Lori, to tell her what has happened, but Maggie volunteers instead. Rick also volunteers to find the necessary supplies to help with Carl's inevitable surgery to get the bullet fragments out, but is replaced by Shane, and also Otis, who is trying to redeem himself to Rick, Carl, and Lori.

"Save the Last One"
Rick and Lori meet with Glenn and T-Dog, who give their regards to Carl. Having a discussion with Lori about their situation, Lori wonders whether Carl should even live, while Rick becomes deeply upset and wants a future for his son. They are happy when Carl finally awakens but soon goes into a seizure and their fear returns. When Shane returns with the supplies, Rick is very grateful, unaware of Shane's lies about what truly happened to Otis. Rick comforts Patricia, Otis's wife with Hershel.

"Cherokee Rose"
Rick sits by Carl, and Carl wakes up, only to ask of Sophia. Rick tells him she's okay, even though she still is missing. Hershel and Rick are talking later on, and Hershel says he expects the Atlanta Survivors will leave once Carl is in fit condition and they find Sophia. Later on, Rick and Hershel are seen once again, having a discussion as to whether Hershel will reconsider. Hershel also reassures Rick that Rick is a commendable father after Rick confesses to having lied to Carl. Rick is at Carl's side at the end of the day again as he awakens, and they share some conversation, which results in Carl being happy he and Rick have been shot. Rick gives him his hat and says for him to go to bed as Lori walks in. They hug as Rick puts away his police badges.

"Chupacabra"
Rick is seen continuing the search for Sophia, laying out a map of the terrain and setting the group up in parties to go and continue looking for her. Jimmy approaches Rick and tells him that he wants to help and claimed that Hershel said it was okay for him to do so... he also allows Daryl to borrow one of Hershel's horses to help cover more ground to look for Sophia. Later, he and Shane are seen continuing searching the woods for her while discussing their old high school days and girls they liked. Shane then changes the subject and says that they are wasting time trying to look for Sophia since it's been several days since she was first originally lost and as a police officer, after 72 hours, the case gets colder (less likely to find the missing person). Rick and Shane head back to the farm where Rick asks Lori if Shane is correct in stopping the search. Lori convinces Rick otherwise comparing Sophia to if it were Carl that was missing and Rick decides to keep on searching, however, he is approached by Beth say that Hershel wanted to talk to Rick. Rick talks to Hershel and finds out that Rick needs to control his people while Hershel controls his since Rick and his group won't be staying at the farm for very long anymore. Later, Andrea thought she spotted a walker approaching the farm and everyone is alerted and prepared to go kill it when in fact they discover it was Daryl; Andrea winds up grazing Daryl with the bullet. He helps Daryl back to the house and gets him the attention he needs. After he joins everyone for a well prepared meal and has a quiet dinner with both his group and Hershel's group of people.

"Secrets"
Rick and Shane both continue to plan for the search for Sophia as he allows the training of the Atlanta survivors and Hershel's people with the usage of guns and weapons. He and Lori decide that Carl should begin to learn how to shoot now and joins everyone with practice. Lori later confronts Rick about how Hershel still wants everyone to leave the farm soon and begs him to get Hershel to change his mind. Later, the two have another argument after Rick finds out that Lori is pregnant and how she tried to get it aborted. They argue and Rick tries to convince her that the baby is worth keeping and knows about her relationship with Shane since at the time she thought he was dead.

"Pretty Much Dead Already"
Rick and the group finds out from Glenn that there are walkers in the barn and are concerned about their safety. Rick still wants to talk to Hershel about the barn and the possibility about having his group stay at the farm. He then talks to Hershel and tries to convince him to let everyone stay and confronts him about the walkers in the barn. After, he talks to Shane and tries to tell him that they just need more time to make a decision but Shane is insistent on either they clear out the barn to stay or let it be and leave the farm. Later, Rick and Andrea plan yet another search for Sophia when they are interrupted by Hershel where he asks for Rick's help. Hershel says that if Rick and his group stay, they have to handle walkers in his special way which is to trap and escort them back to the barn at the farm. Rick agrees and helps escort the two walkers back to the farm. When Shane sees this, he explodes with anger and frustration and shoots the walkers and opens the barn to kill the rest. Rick tells Shane to calm down but Shane is insistent and kills all the walkers until the final walker comes out and turns out to be Sophia. Everyone is shocked and saddened until Rick realizes what has to be done; he gets his gun, points it at Sophia's head and pulls the trigger.

"Nebraska"
After the barn massacre, Shane starts yelling at Hershel about Sophia but Rick tries to stop him. Hershel tells the group to leave the farm. Rick then becomes angry at Shane, because Rick had been handling the situation well before Shane ruined it. The group decides to bury Sophia, Annette and Shawn and to burn the other walkers. Rick is disappointed since he got the group in danger looking for Sophia in vain. Later, after Beth goes into shock, the group discovers that Hershel is gone and finding his flask in his bedroom, Rick and Glenn head for the local bar to look for him. When they arrive, they find Hershel drinking. Rick tries to convince Hershel to go back to the farm but he refuses, having lost all hope after the barn massacre. As Rick is talking to him, two survivors, Dave and Tony, walk into the bar. They share a drink as Dave tells them of his journey across the country looking for a safe place, having found Fort Benning destroyed and mentions that Nebraska is a possible safe place. Dave tries to convince Rick and Hershel to let him and Tony move to the farm but they don't agree. Dave, after numerous failed attempts to convince Rick, draws his pistol. Rick quickly kills him with a shot to the head, and then turns and kills Tony.

"Triggerfinger"
After the killing Dave and Tony, Rick, Hershel and Glenn are about to leave but instead get pinned down in the saloon by Dave and Tony's group. Rick tells them that Dave and Tony pulled their guns out on them first but the group begin to shoot. Rick tells Glenn to check the back exit. Rick asks Hershel what happened to Glenn, he says he thinks Glenn was hit. Rick finds Glenn is just frozen behind a dumpster and approaches him. After this Randall jumps down from the roof. When he does this he accidentally falls and impales his leg on a fence spike. Nate apologizes him and leaves him to die but Rick, Hershel, and Glenn argue about saving him and how to do so. Hershel suggests to put him down from misery. The walkers slowly begin to close in on them so they decide to try to amputate his leg, but do not have enough time. Before the walkers can devour Randall, Rick lifts Randall's leg off of the spike, tearing his calf muscle. Rick, Hershel and Glenn returns to the farm with Randall blind folded in the backseat as a hostage. The group argues on what to do with Randall, Rick says they will fix him up and than drop him off to defend himself but Shane thinks that he will tell his group where the farm is and this will start a war. Hershel reminds Shane that it is his farm and while he is there he needs to keep his mouth shut. While Lori and Rick are in a tent Lori tells Rick that she thinks Shane killed Otis, that he is dangerous and if Rick doesn't do something about it they may all be in danger.

"18 Miles Out"
At an abandoned public works station, Rick and Shane flee from attacking walkers. Shane barricades himself in a school bus as walkers bang against the door. Nearby, a bound Randall crawls toward a knife on the ground. Earlier, Rick and Shane drive down a country road. Rick stops the car short of their destination — 18 miles away from the farm — to confront Shane: Rick knows what happened with Otis, and he knows about Shane's affair with Lori. Rick asks Shane if he believes Rick is unable to keep his family safe. "You can't just be the good guy and expect to live," Shane replies, "That is my wife, that is my son, that is my unborn child," Rick says. He would do anything for them. Rick opens the SUV to check on Randall, who's bound, gagged and blindfolded in the trunk. Back on the road, Rick makes plans for the coming winter, explaining that they have to conserve ammunition and stockpile food. Shane listens passively, staring out the window at a lone walker ambling through a field. Rick drives past the 18-mile mark, looking to leave Randall somewhere he'll have a chance. He pulls up to a public works station surrounded by a fence. A walker in police uniform approaches. Shane draws his gun but Rick stops him. Rick cuts his finger and wipes blood on the fence. When the walker presses his face against it, Rick stabs it in the head. "Gun's quick, easy," Rick says, "but there are other ways to do this." A second walker in uniform approaches, and Shane follows suit. Later, Rick siphons gas as Shane examines the policeman's bodies, noting they haven't been bitten. Rick points to scratches that likely caused their transformation. Rick and Shane drag Randall to the pavement. Rick drops a knife on the ground as he and Shane walk away Randall begs them not to abandon him, trying to explain he's a normal guy. "I went to school with Maggie for God's sake!" he screams. Rick and Shane freeze. "He knows where the farm is," Shane speculates, drawing his gun. Rick tackles Shane as he pulls the trigger, forcing Shane to miss Randall. Rick argues he needs time to think about what to do. Shane counters that Randall could lead his people to the farm and accuses Rick of putting Lori and Carl in danger by sparing him. "I don't think you can keep them safe," Shane concludes. The two begin brawling. Shane topples a motorcycle onto Rick, briefly trapping him. He goes to Randall and aims his gun, but Rick tackles Shane before he can fire. Frustrated, Shane grabs a wrench and hurls it at Rick. Rick dodges the wrench but it goes through a building window which causes dozens of walkers to begin pouring out through the broken window. Shane flees the onslaught. A walker approaches Randall, who cuts himself free just in time to kill it. Rick empties his gun as walkers pile on top of him. At the public works station, Shane barricades himself in a school bus against the walkers. Rick finds Randall and drags him to the SUV. From the school bus, Shane watches as his partner abandons him. Rick takes the weapons off the two dead policemen. In the bus, Shane is losing ground to the walkers when the SUV bursts through a nearby gate. As Randall drives, Rick leans out the window shooting walkers. Shane runs to the back of the bus and dives into the SUV. Back on the road, Rick and Shane restrain Randall and toss him in the trunk. Alone, Rick admits he'll likely kill Randall — but he's still going to think it over. "That is my wife, that is my son, that is my child," Rick repeats. "You wanna be with us, you gotta follow my lead." Rick returns Shane's gun to him. "It's time for you to come back," Rick says.

"Judge, Jury, Executioner"
After Daryl reports back to the rest of the group. Rick declares Randall a threat, and that he must be killed, "You can't just decide on your own to take someone's life," Dale objects, begging Rick to give him time to talk to the group and find another way. Rick agrees to give Dale the rest of the day. Lori finds Rick tying a noose in the barn. He asks if she supports his decision. "If you think it's best," she says, asking what happened on the road with Shane. "He won't be a problem any more," Rick answers. Rick chastises Carl for talking back to Carol about how people who believe in heaven are idiots, Rick then says "Don't talk, think.". As the sun sets, Rick again asks Lori if she thinks he's doing the right thing. Lori nods. The group gathers in the house. Rick asks if anyone thinks Randall should be spared. Rick, Shane and Daryl bring Randall to the barn and put him on his knees. Rick asks if he has any final words. Randall cries, begging for his life. As Rick raises his gun, Carl enters the barn. "Do it Dad," he says. Shocked, Rick lowers his gun and orders Randall taken away and Shane storms out of the barn. Rick brings Carl back to the camp and tells Lori what happened. "He wanted to watch," Rick says. "I couldn't." Meanwhile, Dale walking through the field. He hears the moans of a dying cow and goes to investigate; the cow had been gutted. He turns and is attacked by the walker that Carl found in the creek bed. Back at camp, the others hear Dale's screams. Daryl runs to the scene, where the walker is on top of Dale, tearing into his stomach. Daryl stabs the walker in the head, then shouts for help. Dale's intestines are spilling out of his body; he goes into shock. When Hershel arrives, he reports that Dale can't be saved. As Dale writhes on the ground, Carl sees the body of the walker lying nearby. Horrified, he buries his head in Lori's shoulder, sobbing his eyes out. Andrea begs Rick to help Dale and Rick unholsters his gun, but can't shoot. Daryl takes the weapon and aims it at Dale's head. "Sorry brother," Daryl says and fires, killing Dale.

"Better Angels"
The group hold a funeral for Dale and Rick announces that they are going to prove him wrong by showing the group can still work together. Rick and Daryl plan to take Randall to the nearby town and leave him there. Rick declares to Shane that his main concern is disposing of Randall, but talks to Carl and encourages him to keep hold of the gun, as they no longer can live without taking action. When Rick and Daryl prepare to leave, T-Dog is sent to get Randall but discovers that the barn empty and Randall is missing. Rick assembles a group of four which included Glenn, Daryl, Shane and rick to go out in search for Randall. Rick picks apart Shane's story and comes to the conclusion this was a ruse to lure him out into the field, where Shane would kill him. Shane tells Rick he is a better father than he is and that him returning only messed things up. Rick makes it seem as though he's handing Shane his weapon, as he refused to be armed. Once his gun is in Shane's hand, Rick pulls out his knife and stabs Shane in his chest, saying he brought this on himself. Shane then dies. As Rick tries to cope with what happened, Carl appears, shocked to see Shane dead. He aims his gun at what at first we assume to be Rick, but is actually a now zombified Shane. Carl pulls the trigger, killing Shane. This alerts a mass crowd of walkers, who converge on Rick and Carl as they bend over the corpse of Shane while not noticing the wave of zombies swarming at them.

"Beside the Dying Fire"
After killing Shane, Carl asks Rick what exactly happened. Before he can answer, Rick notices a herd of walkers approaching and tells Carl to run to the barn. They lure the walkers there and set fire to the barn, killing many. After running back to the farm, Rick tries getting Hershel to join them in fleeing the farm; Hershel initially wanted to stay, but eventually leaves with them. Reaching the highway, they notice no one else has returned. Carl fiercely demands that they go back to find Lori, but Hershel says that keeping Carl alive is more important. As Rick weighs each option, Lori, Glenn and the other survivors arrive. When Daryl suggests going back to find Andrea, Rick immediately shoots it down immediately claiming that 'we're not splitting up again.' Rick's vehicle runs out of gas, prompting him to suggest to the group that they spend the night in some ruins nearby. He later reveals the secret Jenner told him back at the CDC: everyone is infected. Many of the group are angry with Rick, notably Glenn and Carol, for keeping this hidden from them. The revelation of Jenner's secret leaves many of the group having a distrust with Rick (except for Hershel and Daryl, who still trust Rick's judgment). He later tells Lori exactly what happened to Shane, horrifying her. With the group talking about going their separate ways, Rick offers anyone who doesn't want to go with him are free to leave, even saying "I killed my best friend for you people!" He waits, and when no one gets up to leave, Rick snarls "You stay, get one thing straight. This isn't a democracy anymore." Rick then leaves where The Prison is spotted just beside the forest.

"Seed"
Since the second season, Rick has seemingly been forgiven by the group after the events that transpired, and once again, earns their trust. Rick and the group stumble upon an abandoned house, killing all of the walkers inside and deciding to stay there for a while. This is short lived when another group of Walkers begins to approach the house, causing the group to flee. While going hunting with Daryl, they stumble upon the prison. Rick realizes it's the perfect place (because there would plenty of food, guns, and medicine). Rick shuts the main gate of the prison, while the rest of the group distracts and kills the walkers. Lori pleads with Rick to let them stay at the prison for a few days, Rick agrees but then soon rebuffs Lori, revealing that Lori has forgiven her husband whereas Rick is bitter towards her. The next day, Rick and the rest of the group clear out the remaining walkers blocking the entrance to the prison and find a secure cell block inside. Once again, Rick rebuffs Lori when she tries to thank him. The group finds riot gear, flash grenades, and other useful equipment. Rick, Maggie, Glenn, Hershel, and Daryl look for the cafeteria and infirmary, only to be ambushed by a group of walkers. Glenn and Maggie are split from the group, but Hershel insists on going back for his daughter. Hershel finds Maggie, but is bitten in the lower right calf by a stray walker in the hallway. The group takes Hershel to the cafeteria area and Rick (acting quickly), amputates the lower portion of his right leg to keep the infection from spreading.

"Sick"
The episode picks up where the last one ended, with Rick, Daryl, and T-Dog putting Hershel onto a gurney and taking him back to Cell Block C, ignoring Axel, Tomas, Big Tiny, Oscar, and Andrew. However, the prisoners follow them to the cell block and a stand off occurs between the prisoners, T-Dog, and Daryl with Rick intervening. Rick tells them about how the world has been completely overrun by walkers (as the prisoners had no knowledge of the outside world). Outside, a stand off occurs between Tomas and Rick because Tomas wants to claim the prison for his own. Rick cuts a deal with him to help them secure a separate cell block in exchange for half of their food. In the raid, Big Tiny is scratched and killed by Tomas while the group is discussing what to do. Tomas gives Rick an icy stare. Once they reach the room before the cell block, Tomas ignores Rick's warning and opens up both doors, causing a herd of walkers to rush in. During the fight, Tomas tries twice to kill Rick by swinging his weapon too close to Rick and pushing a walker on top of him. After the walkers are cleared, Rick retaliates by chopping Tomas in the head with the machete. Andrew runs away, but Rick catches him and locks him on the outside where Walkers are roaming. Rick decides to let Axel and Oscar (the last of the prison survivors) live, and goes back to Cell Block C. Rick holds Hershel's hand as he awakens and thanks Lori for saving Hershel's life. He meets up with Lori outside, and for the first time in months, he touches Lori. He then claims that the groups is greatful for saving Hershel, and walks away without making eye contact.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Rick has killed:
 * Summer (Zombified)
 * Leon Basset (Zombified)
 * Hannah (Zombified)
 * Sophia Peletier (Zombified)
 * Dave
 * Tony
 * Shane Walsh
 * Tomas
 * Andrew (Caused)
 * Numerous counts of zombies and possibly unnamed people.

Lori Grimes
Rick and Lori have a good relationship usually, and are married. When Rick reached the Atlanta camp and saw Lori and Carl, they all ran to each other hugging. Later Lori shouted at Shane saying, "You told me he was dead!" She also told him their relationship was over and she still loved her husband. They were hugging in their tent and Lori gave Rick his wedding ring back (she was looking after it). The next day when Rick told Lori he was leaving to get the bag of guns and save Merle, she became angry that he was risking his life for a man like Merle and some guns. When Rick came back and saw the camp overrun, he quickly ran to Lori killing all the walkers with help from Daryl, T-Dog, and Glenn. The next day Rick and Lori were seen hugging at the funerals of their fallen friends. At the farm, Rick and Lori had an argument when Rick found "morning after pills" or as Maggie referred to them as, "Abortion pills". They talked about why she did what she did and she told him she threw the pills up. They kept talking and both agreed they wanted to try and keep the baby. Rick asked if there was anything else she wanted to tell him and she told him about her affair with Shane. Lori told Shane about the baby and said she doesn't care if it is Shane's baby or not, it would be Rick's. After Rick killed Shane and told Lori, she was disgusted and did not let Rick touch her and stormed away angrily. In the Season 3 premiere, "Seed", Rick and Lori's relationship has become strained (while never stated in the episode, it is possibly due to Rick blaming Lori for causing the rivalry between Rick and Shane which resulted in Rick having to kill Shane), even rebuffing her when she thanks him for agreeing to let them stay in the prison for a few days. Despite the strained relationship, it's apparent Rick still has feelings for Lori as he watches her for a bit when Hershel, Daryl, Glenn, Maggie, and Rick prepare to look for the cafeteria.

Shane Walsh
Rick was best friends with Shane throughout their childhood. Rick and Shane always stayed loyal to each other until the outbreak. Believing Rick was dead, Shane had an affair with Rick's wife, Lori. Shane became very jealous of Rick because Lori still loved Rick, and not him. Despite finding out that Shane had sex with Lori and was beginning to behave more psychotically, Rick still has Shane assist in making some decisions. The episode, "18 Miles Out", shows the point where their relationship really began to spiral out of control when Rick and Shane physically fight each other, with Shane triggering a swarm of walkers that attacked them. In the end Shane decides that it would be best to get rid of Rick because, in his mind, Rick was weaker and unable to make tough decisions and therefore unfit to lead the survivors.

Appearances
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Trivia

 * Rick is the first character in the television series to directly kill a living person (namely Dave) after the apocalypse. Shane was the first character overall who caused the death of a living character (Otis), albeit indirectly.
 * His signature weapon is a Colt Python, which has been seen in most of the television episodes.
 * Rick and Lori are the only characters to appear in every episode.
 * In "18 Miles Out," Rick mentions he has a male cousin who got stuck in the snow while driving on Highway 85 during the winter.
 * During banter with Shane, Rick confesses he had few (if any) lovers in high school.
 * Although his love for Carl is unquestionable, several scenes in various episodes portray Rick being slightly detached and disconnected as a father. Instead, Shane often steps in to monitor Carl's behavior.
 * Rick's story (waking from a coma to the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse) is very similar to that of Jim from Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later.
 * In an interview, Andrew Lincoln says he stayed tight-lipped about Jenner's secret - even to his own parents and wife.
 * Rick has stated that his blood type is A+.
 * Rick was indirectly mentioned in the second season webisode, Cold Storage, and pictures of him and his family are seen.
 * The family picture seen in the first episode, Days Gone Bye when Rick is in his police cruiser looking for his family, is also seen at the storage facility by Chase. Another picture of Rick, Shane, Don and, another officer was also present.

Рик Граймс