Hounded

"Hounded" is the sixth episode of Season 3 of The Walking Dead (TV Series). It originally aired at 9/8c on AMC.

Plot Synopsis
Rick talks to the person on the phone. The other line says she will think about allowing Rick to merge each other's groups. She then hangs up, prompting Rick to check on Carl and the rest. Merle, Tim, Crowley and Gargulio search the woods for Michonne. Michonne ambushes them, decapitating Crowley and impaling Tim. Walkers then ambush them, and she makes her escape. Gargulio and Merle give chase after preventing their allies reanimation.

Andrea and the Governor get to talking and Andrea tells him that she belongs on the wall as a lookout. He allows it, and Andrea is seen talking to Haley. They see a walker and Haley attempts to shoot it with a bow, missing twice. Andrea hops the wall, killing it with a knife. Haley becomes irritated with Andrea, stating that people don't go over the wall. Andrea realizes that she enjoyed the arena fights from the previous night.

Rick gets a call from a man from the woman's group. He begins to ask Rick questions, including the means of Lori's death. Rick refuses to talk about it, and the man hangs up, causing Rick to break down. Rick then informs Hershel of the other group, and Hershel picks the phone up, hearing only static. Hershel asks if Rick wants to talk, but Rick declines.

Merle and Gargulio are ambushed once again by Michonne. She nearly kills Gargulio, who is saved by Merle. Merle and Michonne then get into a fight, but they are once again ambushed by walkers. Gargulio saves Merle by stabbing a walker that had cornered him, while Michonne scrambles away from a walker, in the process cutting its stomach open, spilling its guts onto her. In the confusion, she escapes again, but this time with a gun wound in the thigh from Merle. When Michonne is again accosted by Walkers, they walk right by her as if she is not even there, which leads us to deduce that Walker guts are a good immunity against other Walkers. After losing sight of Michonne, Merle suggests they go back to Woodbury and tell the Governor that they killed her, but Gargulio fears lying to the Governor and advises that they continue the search. Merle then shoots him in the head, going back himself.

Glenn and Maggie have made their way to town. Michonne sees them from behind a car and watches as they gather supplies, including a toy for the baby. Merle then sneaks up, and Glenn and Maggie raise their guns toward him. Merle recognizes Glenn and they have a conversation about each other's survival. Merle asks about Daryl and Glenn reveals that he's alive, which causes Merle to want to return to their camp. Glenn refuses, so Merle grabs Maggie in the confusion and orders Glenn to drive the three of them to Woodbury.

Daryl, Carl, and Oscar are searching the lower levels of the prison. Daryl talks about his mother and how she had died in a house fire. Carl admits he shot Lori in the head so she wouldn't turn. The two share condolences with each other. Eventually, the three come upon a walker. Daryl kills it, and notices Carol's knife in its throat. Angered, he begins to stab the knife into the ground. He sees a door budge and opens it, revealing a weakened, but alive, Carol inside. He carries her back to the others.

Andrea and Phillip talk about Andrea's behavior on the wall. Phillip tells her that she's no longer available for the wall. She admits that she enjoyed the fights and was angered that she enjoyed them. Phillip then alludes to her that she likes him as well. Later on, they enjoy a drink outside and the two end up sleeping together. Soon after this, Merle returns with Glenn and Maggie and he informs Phillip that Michonne is dead, although he has no proof that he killed her.

Rick talks again on the phone and the woman on the other end tells him she is Lori. She says he was talking to the people (Amy, Jim, Jacqui) that had died in the group previously. Rick breaks down again, showing how sorry he was for not telling her how he felt about her and allowing her to die. The connection breaks up and Rick hangs up as he can no longer understand her. He walks out of the prison with the baby and the group and hands the baby to Carl. Curious, he spots a figure carrying a basket and a bag along a group of walkers, he approaches the fence and realizes that the figure it's actually a survivor: Michonne, carrying her bag and the supplies that Glenn and Maggie left behind.

Co-Stars

 * Andrew Rothenberg as Jim (voice)
 * Emma Bell as Amy (voice)
 * Jeryl Prescott as Jacqui (voice)
 * Vincent Ward as Oscar
 * Lawrence Kao as Tim
 * Arthur Bridgers as Crowley
 * Dave Davis as Gargulio

Deaths

 * Crowley
 * Tim
 * Gargulio

Trivia

 * Axel is the only member of Rick's group that doesn't appear in this episode.
 * The title of this episode, "Hounded", comes from Merle, Tim, Gargulio, and Crowley pursuing Michonne relentlessly through the woods when she escapes Woodbury.
 * In response to the question "Why did the Governor send out Merle and his gang to hunt down Michonne?", Robert Kirkman explained, "The Governor has been a leader in Woodbury for such a long time. He’s maintained the status quo and I think the way he’s done that is by not really letting any loose ends dangle out there. Getting rid of the National Guard platoon — that was a situation where there was a group of people that could question his leadership or show an alternative to the people of Woodbury. And the idea that Michonne would be out there knowing about Woodbury and would be able to tell someone about it and possibly bring other people there is something that he just couldn’t allow happen."
 * A.V. Club quipped, "[Just before Merle attacked] Maggie said it was a good day, the Walking Dead equivalent of saying “Bloody Mary” three times at a mirror."