“Wait, please help me,” says a creepy-looking young woman walking in the woods to Rick (Andrew Lincoln), who was trying to slip away unnoticed after mistaking her for a walker, in the season four premiere of the AMC horror series The Walking Dead.
 
It’s been six or seven months since Rick brought the survivors of Woodbury back with him to join his friends living at the prison, and everyone seems to be doing much better. The group has a small committee that governs how things will be handled in the prison and everyone has a job to do to contribute, whether it be killing fence walkers, gardening, cooking, or going on scouting runs for supplies or survivors. Rick has taken himself a bit back from the group, focusing on raising his son Carl (Chandler Riggs) and doing local patrols for food. Daryl (Norman Reedus) has now stepped up and become one of the new leaders of the group, heading up the scouting runs for supplies and survivors. And while on one such scouting trip in an abandoned story with Michonne (Danai Gurira), Glenn (Steven Yeun), and a small handful of others, a group of walkers roaming aimlessly on the weak roof of the store begin crashing through it and present a very real danger to Daryl and the others.
 
Meanwhile back in the woods, Rick is following the strange woman named Carla back to where she says her husband is waiting for food. Rick’s becoming increasingly uneasy about her and he must decide if she is to be feared and killed or trusted and brought back to the prison.

The Walking Dead season four premiere titled “30 Days Without An Accident” brings the horror/soap opera series back with impressive new zombies and sets up what looks to be an intense season. Rick and Carl seem to have improved their father & son relationship, and both appear to have managed to get in touch with their humanity again. Glenn’s first concern is the safety and health of his love, Maggie (Lauren Cohan), and he’s stressed about the future of their relationship and the security of their home.
 
The production of the series is still first-rate with excellent make-up for the zombie actors and set design for the prison, which is a sanctuary for Rick and the others. But the question lingers: how much longer will it last as more and more flesheaters are testing and surrounding the fences.
 
A stand-out, particularly thrilling scene from the season four premiere was the attack of the rooftop walkers in the store involving Daryl, Glenn, Michonne, and a few others.
 
With more and more zombies arriving outside the prison and a possible unknown weakness inside, this season of The Walking Dead looks to be one of the most action-packed and terrifying seasons yet.
 
GRADE: B
 

– By Kevin Finnerty

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