It's safe to say that The Walking Dead has inspired all the emotions over the years. The beloved AMC series ran for 11 seasons across 12 years and has spawned multiple spinoffs - both during that run and after it - ensuring that its legacy will live on forever. That includes the way that it made us feel.
It's true that both the show and the franchise has taken us all on an emotional rollercoaster over the years. From the original series to current spinoffs Daryl Dixon and Dead City, it doesn't shy away from making its audiences feel all the feels. And for fans of the TWD Universe, they feel it all on December 1, as that is one of the most important dates for The Walking Dead.
December 1 marks the 12th anniversary of The Walking Dead's most heartbreaking episode
If you were one of the millions and millions of Walking Dead fans who tuned into the show week after week during its prime, you were likely traumatized on December 1, 2013. The legendary series aired the infamous "Too Far Gone", the midseason finale of season 4, and quite literally broke its fans' hearts. To call it one of the most devastating episodes of the whole series would be an understatement. And the emotions are still there, years later in 2025 as the episode somehow turns 12.
So what happened in this episode? Well, the Governor only went and made his dramatic return (to the survivors at least, we as viewers learned that he was still alive a few episodes beforehand). He took Hershel and Michonne hostage and threatened them with the latter's own sword. What did he want in return? His enemy, Rick Grimes, to surrender the prison that he had reformed into a settlement for his loved ones. Although Rick refused, he offered his archenemy a place to stay alongside them, showing Hershel that he had learned from his vicious mistakes in the past. It was a moment that brought a smile to the old man's face.
Unfortunately, the Governor felt differently and showed us all that he was still as evil as he was in the third season, swinging Michonne's sword and almost decapitating Hershel in front of his loved ones (including his daughters Maggie and Beth). He then finished the job a few moments later despite Hershel's brave attempts to crawl away. And the moment started an all-out war as Rick and the Governor went head-to-head one more time, bringing down the Prison in the process.
The violent battle marked the end of multiple eras for The Walking Dead. Hershel was a fan-favorite character who was considered among the most beloved of them all. Seeing him unjustly killed off in such brutal fashion sparked outrage and heartbreak from the fanbase. He obviously deserved better than that, but the show knew that, using this moment to highlight how depraved the Governor truly was.
When the gunfire settled down and the tanks stopped firing, the prison was a smouldering shell of what it once was, and Rick defeated the Governor with the help of Michonne. Lilly Chambler, who the Governor had begun a relationship with, finished him off after the hell that his quest for revenge put her through. And that marked the end of the Governor's era, TWD's era with the prison, and in many ways, the original era of the show.
After this, with the group scattered, The Walking Dead began relying on the device of standalone episodes devoted to certain groups of characters - a device it would continue to rely on until its own conclusion in 2022.
"Too Far Gone" received critical acclaim and it has gone down in history as one of the show's most harrowing, heart-racing, devastating, and well-received episodes of all time. It was nothing short of a game-changer, taking so much of what made TWD the show that it was while also setting it up for its next chapter. And, if you were one of the many who watched it on that December 1 night, you probably remember how it made you feel every single emotion you could possibly feel in one installment.
As we celebrate the episode's 12th anniversary, it will always leave a bittersweet taste in our mouths. It's hard to believe that it was so long ago, but in many ways, it just feels like yesterday. And, as we wrap up on this retrospective, we will say that the performance - and legacy - of the late, great Scott Wilson as Hershel is nothing short of incredible.