'The Walking Dead' Spoilers: Rick Aims To Be A Better Father; The Survivors Are Under Attack

The Walking Dead returns on Oct. 13 for the zombie show’s fourth season, and fans will get to see Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) evolve after the death of members of their families. “Daryl has the opportunity to become the man he was never going to be,” Reedus told EW.

As for Rick, he went off the deep end after losing his wife, Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) in what might be one of the most shocking TV deaths ever, and he let his fatherly duties go by the wayside. This season, he tries to get back on track as a father. “You find him [Rick] in a completely different place. And I do think that the struggle within him is still there, which is whether or not he should be a leader at the expense of being a father figure,” Lincoln explained.

Lincoln further elaborated on Rick’s relationship with his son, Carl (Chandler Riggs) at The Walking Dead Comic Con panel. “I think the relationship with Carl is integral to the beginning of this season, certainly for Rick. [Carl] turning into a sociopath at the end of the season definitely woke him up to his parenting duties. He’s renounced responsibilities and leadership for the sake of his children,” Lincoln told the crowd.

Of course, Rick may be forced into a position of leadership whether he likes to or not. Based on the newly released trailer for season 4 (see below), the humans ‘safe’ house (the prison) isn’t so safe, and they are being attacked by humans and swarms of zombies alike.

“The new threat is something you can’t just stab in the face. You can’t talk sense to it. You can’t make a truce with it. It’s beyond all that. It would be a threat in any world, but in this world it is much more terrifying,” showrunner Scott M. Gimple teased in an interview with EW.

In happier news, the trailer also features happy couple, Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Glenn (Steven Yeun), who are still going strong in their engagement, despite the less than ideal living circumstances.

“They’re in a good groove, living as close to what normal life should be,” Yeun told EW.

In the sneak peek, the fans also get to see the first official footage of the new characters joining The Walking Dead this season, including Bob Stookey (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.). Stookey, a character from the original comic, strays from the comic version, but promises to be very dark and mysterious.

“You can see there’s something deeper and darker that’s going on with this character, just from the first episode. We don’t really know what it is. We just know he’s got some issues that he’s dealing with,” Gilliard said in an interview with EW.

The Walking Dead season 4 premiere ’30 Days Without an Accident’ will air October 13 on AMC.

– Olivia Truffaut-Wong

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