A (The Walking Dead)

"A"
The Walking Dead episode
The Claimers confront Rick and Michonne.
Episode no.	Season 4 Episode 16
Directed by	Michelle MacLaren
Written by	Scott M. Gimple Angela Kang
Original air date	March 30, 2014 (2014-03-30)
Guest appearance(s)
Michael Cudlitz as Abraham Ford Josh McDermitt as Eugene Porter Christian Serratos as Rosita Espinosa Jeff Kober as Joe Alanna Masterson as Tara Chambler Denise Crosby as Mary Andrew J. West as Gareth Tate Ellington as Alex Vincent Martella as Patrick Keith Brooks as Dan J.D. Evermore as Harley Davi Jay as Tony Eric Mendenhall as Billy Irene Ziegler as Broadcasting Woman
Episode chronology
← Previous "Us" Next → "No Sanctuary"
The Walking Dead (season 4) List of The Walking Dead episodes

"A" is the sixteenth and final episode of the fourth season finale and 51st episode overall of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on March 30, 2014. The episode was written by Scott M. Gimple and Angela Kang, and directed by Michelle MacLaren.

Themes explored in the episode include preparedness and the extremities of living in a lawless world. The latter is explored through Rick Grimes' guilt and trauma after being forced to brutally murder several men to protect his son, Carl.

In flashbacks to the survivors' time at the prison, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) arrives back from a run and Carol and Tyreese have been killing walkers at the fence, along with numerous other prison residents. After telling Carl (Chandler Riggs) that he had a little trouble and showing the blood on his hands, Rick takes Carol's crowbar and joins others at the fence, killing walkers even though there are others doing the job.

In the present, Rick, Carl and Michonne (Danai Gurira) are following signs along train tracks to Terminus. They hear a man nearby cry for help, and find him surrounded by walkers. They move to help, but there are too many to take without using guns to reduce their numbers, and Rick warns that they need to conserve their ammunition, which is more precious than the stranger's life. They leave the man to be consumed by the walkers and flee back to the tracks. Rick has flashbacks of Hershel, encouraging Rick to spend some time without his guns, and to get up early in the morning to join Beth and Judith.

While camping that night, the three are ambushed by Joe (Jeff Kober) and his gang of scavengers; they had been tracking Rick's group since Rick had killed one of their own. Joe has a gun to Rick's head and is counting down before assassinating him when Daryl (Norman Reedus), who had previously been forced to join Joe's group, appears. Daryl proclaims that Rick is a good man, and that he will take any punishment that Joe wants to offer, but Joe refuses, declares Daryl a liar, and orders his other men to beat Daryl to death. Joe returns his attention to Rick and allows another man, Dan, to have his way with Michonne and Carl. Dan prepares to sexually assault Carl, angering Rick enough to headbutt Joe, startling him to fire his weapon which misses Rick but makes him temporarily deaf. Rick proceeds to fight Joe, but Joe eventually pins Rick's arms, claiming victory. Rick surprises everyone by biting and ripping out Joe's jugular vein. Daryl and Michonne use the moment to kill all of the other men. Dan begs for his life, but Rick slaughters him.