'The Walking Dead' Season 3, Episode 16: 'Welcome to the Tombs' Recap

“The Walking Dead”, season 3, episode 16, “Welcome to the Tombs”

The Governor takes out his frustrations on Milton, since he burned his stock of Biters. He brings the bloodied and beaten Milton into the ‘workshop’ where he is holding the bloodied Andrea. He tells them both his plan, and that he needs them for what’s about to happen. He hands Milton a knife and tells him that he has to kill Andrea if he wants to leave the room.

Milton refuses and tries to kill the Governor, but he overpowers him and stabs him in the gut. Then he tells Milton that he’s going to kill Andrea anyway, because he’s going to turn into a Walker, and he’s going to try and eat her. He locks them together in the room and leaves.

In the prison, the survivors pack up all their belongings in preparation to move out. They load up the vehicles, and Rick and Glenn comment on how angry Carl seems. Rick says one final goodbye to the ghost Lori. Inside, Michonne tells Rick that she understands that he had to consider the deal with the Governor, and she thanks him for saving her and taking her in. She points out that he could have just taken the formula from her and sent her away, but he didn’t. Rick tells her that it was Carl’s decision to bring her in.

In Woodbury, the Governor rallies his troops, telling them how evil the people at the prison are. Tyreese and Sasha tell the Governor that they can’t help him fight people. They say they’ll stay behind and watch the kids. The Governor grabs a gun and hands it over to Tyreese and thanks him as the troops head out.

At the prison, the Governor’s men arrive. The gates are all open, and they drive in, making sure to shoot out the guard towers and clear out all the Walkers they see. Anyone hiding in the towers is surely dead. They storm the prison doors on foot and find no resistance and the main door leading inside left open.

The men enter inside on guard. The Governor follows them in, suspicious. He enters the main living quarters and finds it empty. He isn’t too happy. As he goes to leave, he finds a Bible in one of the cells with a passage highlighted. He tosses it away and goes to address his men. They hear a sound coming from the tombs (the bowels of the prison where they kept the Walkers) and asks for a light. They agree to split up and search them.

In Woodbury, Andrea tries talking to the dying Milton. He tells her he dropped some pliers by her foot, and she can get them and free herself. She promises to get them both out of there and to save him. He tells her that when she gets free, she will find something sharp and she will drive it through his skull.

In the prison, the Governor’s men continue their search of the tombs. They hear more noises and follow them.

Back at Woodbury, Tyreese updates Sasha about his watch. She asks him what will happen when the Governor returns. He says they might have to slip out, like Andrea. Then Sasha points out that if Andrea is in the prison, then it didn’t really do her any good.

Andrea struggles to reach the pair of pliers that Milton dropped when he goes silent. He gurgles a little and then asks Andrea why she stayed. She said that she wanted to save everyone, including the Governor. She tells him about how she could have killed the Governor in his sleep, but she wanted to stop all the fighting; she didn’t want anyone to die. Milton reassures her that he’s still alive… but that she really needs to hurry. She struggles to free herself.

In the tombs, the Governor’s men are ambushed by Walkers and smoke bombs. A siren blares, and Glenn and Maggie decked out in body armor shoot at the Governor’s men fleeing. The others hide outside of the prison gates in the woods. Maggie and Glenn see them drive off and celebrate.

In the woods, one of the Governor’s men runs up to Hershel and Carl in hiding. Carl draws his gun on him. The man surrenders his weapon, but Carl shoots him anyway.

Rick, Glenn, Maggie, and the others celebrate their small victory and debate whether or not to chase the Governor. They decide to regroup inside to make sure everyone’s alright. Carl defends his kill to his dad, but Hershel doesn’t see it the way Carl does. He tries to tell Rick that there’s something wrong with Carl, but Rick refuses to see it.

On the road back to Woodbury, the Governor forces his men to pull over. He addresses them, angry beyond belief. His soldiers say that going there was a slaughter and a mistake. Enraged, the Governor opens fire on his own soldiers, killing all the people who disagreed with him. The only ones left standing are Martinez and Shupert. One woman, Karen, tried to hide from him, but he gunned the survivors down in a field.

In Woodbury, Andrea finally gets hold of the pliers, but then drops them. She keeps a careful eye on Milton. She gets hold of them once again, and finally starts to work on freeing her hands from her handcuffs. Milton’s still, lifeless body begins to twitch.

Outside of the prison, Rick decides to talk to Carl and see what’s eating at him. Carl maintains that the boy he killed was attacking them. Rick sees through it, and Carl points out that he didn’t want to take the chance and let him go, like Rick did with the Governor.

Maggie, and Glenn decide to stay behind at the prison in case the Governor comes back, so Rick, Michonne, and Daryl set out in search of the Governor. They happen upon the trucks left behind by his crew, and see most of the people turned. They dispatch the Walkers. Karen, the lone survivor, was hiding in a truck when they find her.

In Woodbury, Andrea works harder to free herself as Milton turns and starts walking towards her. She frees her hands just in time, and she and Milton get into a struggle.

That night, Michonne, Rick, and Daryl make it to Woodbury with Karen in tow. Tyreese, guarding the wall, opens fire. Karen calls out to Tyreese and tells him that the Governor killed everyone and that they saved her, and to let them in.

Rick tells Tyreese that Andrea never made it to the prison, and that he thinks she’s still in Woodbury. He leads Tyreese to the place where they held Glenn and Maggie. They see a large pool of blood outside of a door and push open the door. They see Milton’s corpse on the floor, and Andrea curled into a ball next to the door. Andrea got bit by Milton, and she’s not doing well. She asks about the people at the prison, and Rick reassures her that everyone is safe.

She tells Michonne she’s glad that she found them. She says she didn’t want anyone to die, and that she need to take care of herself while she still can. She asks for Rick’s gun, and he gives it to her. Michonne stands by her side, refusing to leave her. She tells Rick and Daryl that she tried. They leave her and Michonne in peace. Michonne comforts her as Andrea takes her own life.

The gang returns to the prison with the handful of Woodbury. Carl asks Rick what they’re doing there, and he tells them that they’re joining them. Carl runs off, upset. Hershel welcomes everyone into the prison. Rick looks up to the walkway, and Lori’s ghost is no longer there.