The Walking Dead Recap: Season 4, Episode 5 — ‘Internment’

Hershel battled an outbreak of walkers, sickness and poor spirits in Cell Block A, Rick and Carl took down a herd with machine guns, Maggie learned the truth about Carol and by the time “The Walking Dead” ended, one character made a quiet return.

Here’s our blow-by-blow account of “The Walking Dead” Season 4, Episode 405, “Internment”:

The Road: On his way back to the prison, Rick Grimes looks casually at the ladies wristwatch lying on the empty passenger seat — Carol’s watch, which she gave him as a sort of parting gift, after he told her she couldn’t return.

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Cell Block A: Henry, one of the patients with the sickness, is choking. It’s a struggle, but Hershel, Sasha and Glenn manage to get him incubated. One of them will have to keep the resuscitator pumping. “How long will it keep him alive?” Glenn asks. “As long as it takes,” Hershel tells him. Checking on the rest of the patients, Hershel and Glenn find a man has expired. Instinctively, Glenn reaches for his knife. “No,” Hershel warns. “Not here.” Trying to keep the spirits up of the sick folks, they find a gurney and wheel him over to an outer room. “You haven’t had to do this yet, have you?” Glenn asks Hershel. He hasn’t. It was Sasha who took care of the last one, keeping him from turning into a walker. This time, Glenn takes care of things.

Execution Room Window, Cell Block A: “Is he OK?” Maggie asks her dad as he meets her at the execution room window. Glenn is resting, Hershel tells her. The gang who went on the drug run — Daryl, Michonne, Bob and Tyreese — could be back anytime. “We’re gonna make it,” Hershel, the optimist, says. “Just hold it together a little longer.”

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Cell Block A: Glenn, who is hiding on the other side of the wall, thanks Hershel for lying to Maggie. “If she saw me, I couldn’t keep her out,” he says. Looking Glenn’s face over, Hershel tells him it’s time to go lie down.

Prison Fence: Pausing her work taking down a crowd of walkers at the fence, Maggie runs to the gate and lets Rick drive in. “Carl, Judith — are they OK?” Rick asks, almost desperately. “Yeah,” she says. “Where’s Carol?” Ignoring her, he asks about Glenn, Hershel and Sasha. They’re OK, she tells him, pressing him again about Carol. “It was her,” Rick blurts out, stomping up the gravel road. “She killed Karen and David.” A hint that he was unsure of the decision he made for himself and for the group, Rick asks Maggie for her thoughts. “You were right to send her away,” Maggie tells him. Promising to help take care of the fence later, Rick runs off to find his son.

Prison Offices: Carl is just fine, but afraid of getting his son infected, Rick tosses him a bag of fruit. “Dad, you can’t keep me from it,” Carl tells him. “Yeah, maybe,” Rick says. “But, I think it’s my job to try.”

Cell Block A: Refusing treatment from Hershel, Dr. S gives his friend a warning. “You need to focus on the ones that can make it,” Dr. S says. But Hershel isn’t ready to let go of anyone. Knowing he’s dying, Dr. S gives another, more stern warning. “Just make sure everyone’s doors are shut,” the doctor says. “Just make sure!”

As if hoping to get a head start before Hershel can act on the advice, a man stumbles into the center of the cell block and collapses, dead. “Everyone, get back in your cells,” Hershel shouts. Knowing no one is listening or moving, and despite being as sick as she is, Sasha grabs a gurney and helps Hershel get the man out of the room.

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Execution Room, Cell Block A: After telling Sasha to go back to her cell and get some rest, Hershel pulls out his knife. It takes a moment, but he can do it, and he does. As he pulls the knife out, the job now done, someone calls his name from the other side of the glass. It’s Rick.

“I need to talk to you about Carol,” Rick says after they exchange a few words.

Hershel stumbles into the main cellblock. The rest of their conversation hasn’t been shown, but it appears he knows. There’s no time to reflect — Sasha is lying passed out on the ground. “Just hold on,” he shouts at her, unwrapping an IV drip. The noise jars the body in the next cell — another patient is now a walker.

Prison Fence: Attempting to reinforce the wall, a walker grabs Rick’s leg, tripping him. Maggie slices off its arm.

Cell Block A: Hershel is treating a revived Sasha, but upstairs, Glenn tries, but can do no more for Henry. “Hersh—” Glenn tries to scream. The blood in his lungs causes him to cough, and then collapse. Finding him on the ground, Lizzie screams for Hershel, but the noise attracts more newly turned walkers. One attacks Hershel. A man in a cell fires his gun.

Prison Fence: Hearing the gunshot, Rick sends Maggie inside. He’ll deal with the walkers at the fence.

Cell Block A: It’s a full blown walker attack inside. Lizzie uses herself as a lure, leading the walker away from Glenn. “Come on, Henry,” she says, coaxing the walker down the hall. “Just a little more.” Stepping backward, she trips, but Hershel rushes in, just in time to save her. “He didn’t scratch Glenn,” she tells him. “I thought maybe he listened.” It’s time for Lizzie to listen as Hershel tells her to stay in a cell. Turning back to the task at hand, he tells Glenn to hold on and takes down another walker — Dr. S.

Prison Fence: It’s the Grimes boys against the walker crowd, as they lay logs to reinforce the metal fence. It’s not enough. It gives way. “Run,” Rick shouts as they scamper up the road, walkers on their trail.

Inside, Hershel finds Dr. S’s gun. Outside, Rick arms himself and his son with automatic weapons. “You shoot, or you run,” Rick tells Carl after a quick lesson, one put to good use immediately as the second fence gives away and walkers head in their direction.

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Execution Room Window, Cell Block A: There’s a loud crash as Maggie breaks the execution room window to get into Cell block A. Glenn is choking. “Hold on Glenn. We have something,” Hershel yells, looking over where the walker (Henry) is lying with the resuscitator still attached. Her dad struggling with the walker, Maggie calmly takes aim. “You can’t hit the bag,” Hershel shouts. She doesn’t. She’s a perfect shot. Running to Glenn, they work quickly to incubate him. Blockage cleared, Glenn is breathing again. “You’re gonna be OK,” she says, kissing him, his blood leaving an imprint on her face. “I didn’t want you in here,” Hershel tells his daughter. “I know. I had to,” she replies. “Just like you.” He wipes the blood off her face and they both hope it’s all over.

Inside The Prison Fence: Carl and Rick have won. There’s walker carcasses everywhere. A minivan pulls up — it’s Daryl, Michonne, Tyreese and Bob with the medicine. “Dad, everything’s gonna be OK,” Carl says, running to the gate. Tyreese jumps out of the car asking about the well being of his sister. “Get in there,” Daryl urges him.

Cell Block A: Tyreese cradles Sasha in his arms. Upstairs, Bob is administering medication to Glenn. “Dad, they’re back now. Go rest,” Maggie tells her Hershel. He tries, but he can’t. Instead, he walks to Dr. S’s old cell, pulls out his Bible and tries to read. He can’t do that either. Instead, he sits there and sobs.

Prison Grounds: While clearing walker corpses in the courtyard, Michonne pauses and looks up to see Rick. “Need some help with that,” he asks her. “No, do your thing,” she says, smiling back at him. Carl runs up to his dad, asking why he didn’t wake him to help. He wanted Carl to sleep in, and… he has to talk to Daryl. “Right now?” Carl asks. “No,” Rick replies. “Soon.”

With Sasha being looked after, Tyreese asks about how Glenn is doing. “He’s a tough son of a bitch,” Hershel says. “You’re a tough son of a bitch,” Daryl, who is nearby, chimes in. And then, Daryl brings up the one face he hasn’t seen. “What about Carol? Is she up in the cellblock with Lizzie,” Daryl asks Hershel. “No,” Hershel replies. “Talk to Rick about her. She’s OK. Just talk to him.”

Prison Farm: Having postponed his chat with Daryl, Rick breaks open a freshly grown stalk of peas on the vine, sharing them with his son. Someone, though, is watching them.

The camera pans back outside the fence catching a man as he turns sideways, revealing a black eye patch. It’s The Governor.

“The Walking Dead” airs Sunday nights at 9/8c on AMC.

— Jolie Lash