The Walking Dead’ season 3 brings to life its seventh episode of the season, as Rick learns from his mysterious visitor Michonne of Glenn and Maggie's capture, mounting a rescue mission as the pair endure tortures over at Woodbury, and Milton enlists Andrea's help in his latest experiment.

Last week’s ‘The Walking Dead’ episode “Hounded” saw Rick hearing an unexpected presence on the other end of his mysterious phone call, while Michonne fled Merle and his Woodbury soldiers, ultimately landing at the prison after Glenn and Maggie's capture, so what will the latest episode bring?

Read on for your in-depth recap of everything you need to know about ‘The Walking Dead’ season 3 episode 7, “When the Dead Come Knocking!”

Merle interrogates his new captive Glenn, claiming to have been the reasonable one in their confrontation, while Glenn headbutts the man when he gets close.  Incensed, Merle begins mercilessly beating Glenn, while a captive Maggie listens in terror in the next room.

Over at the prison, the ambient walkers quickly notice Michonne, and Rick watches in curiosity as the samurai sword-wielding warrior dispatches a number of them before passing out.  Rick and the others retrieve the basket of formula and take Michonne inside, relieving her of her sword but assuring that they won’t hurt her.  Daryl interrupts to show Rick that Carol survived, and all share a teary reunion (and realization of Lori’s death), while Michonne observes the gathering from behind the doors.

Meanwhile in Woodbury, Milton announces to the Governor that his experiment is ready, and the leader invites a post-coital Andrea to assist him.  Downstairs, Merle continues taunting Glenn, who promises that Rick and the others will come looking for him, but Merle partially sees through his bluffs when the captive mentions that Andrea is among their numbers.

Back at the prison, Michonne explains to Rick and the others that she retrieved the supplies from an Asian boy and his female companion, who have since been taken captive by the town of Woodbury and its Governor.  Guarded though it might be, Michonne posits that she could help them slip in to retrieve Glenn and Maggie, and the group agrees to undertake the mission.

With Michonne stitched up, the away team readies to leave the prison, and Rick and Carl share a brief exchange about what he had to do for his mother.  Carl assures that he’ll keep the others safe, including his sister, who to this point still hasn’t been named.  Carl puts forth the name of this third grade teacher, Judith, and Rick agrees, before the group departs.

The Governor introduces Andrea to Milton’s experiment, that of comforting a dying resident named Mr. Coleman.  By conditioning him with a singing bowl, an ambient record, and showing him pictures of his family, Milton hopes that upon the man’s death and reanimation, his unconscious mind will hold some trace of his living memories, activated with the same conditions.  Andrea expresses her doubts, noting that Milton had never seen reanimation before, as they observe Mr. Coleman to have peacefully died.  Elsewhere, Merle looses a walker into Glenn’s interrogation room, forcing him to break out of his restraints and take the zombie down with nothing but the chair debris.

Having gathered that Glenn and Maggie’s group may come for them, the Governor opts to interrogate Maggie himself.  The Governor plays the good cop at first, but upon realizing that Maggie won’t talk either, creepily demands that she strip topless.  The Governor throws her down on the table, and prepares to complete his heinous act, but relents when he sees that Maggie still won’t break.

Out on the road, Rick, Daryl, Oscar and Michonne descend into the woods on foot, but quickly find themselves surrounded by walkers.  They retreat into a nearby cabin, finding themselves at gunpoint from a crazed survivor, but the man’s frenzied cries leave no other option but for Michonne to put a sword through him.  The group throws the fresh corpse to the walkers, and slip out the back entrance into the woods as they feed.

Back at Woodbury, Mr. Coleman awakes in his reanimated state, and Milton begins recreating the conditions of his peaceful remembrance before death.  The living corpse offers little recognition of pictures of its family, and Milton looses his arm desperate for a response.  Instead, the creature only lunges at him, forcing Andrea to put Mr. Coleman down for good.

Elsewhere, The Governor brings a still-topless Maggie into Glenn’s cell, threatening to kill either one of them if they don’t give up their camp.  Maggie cracks, revealing themselves to be holed up in a prison with no more than 10 survivors, astonishing the Governor.  Upstairs, the Governor and the others marvel that Rick’s group managed to clear out the previously-unsalvageable prison, demanding Martinez and Merle scope it out.

Meanwhile, Rick, Daryl, Michonne and Oscar reach the gates of Woodbury, not knowing Andrea to be on the other side.  Andre visits the Governor, driven to drink over what happened with Mr. Coleman, and throws herself into the Governor’s arms.

Talk about kicking things up a notch!  While we worried that the number of episodes keeping Woodbury and the prison separate could slow the season's pace, "When the Dead Come Knocking" kicks into high gear toward the inevitable confrontation.  Not much actually happens over the course of the hour, especially considering the failure of Milton's experiment, but the episode does a hell of a job priming us for the mid-season finale next week.

Did you get your fill of thrilling zombie killing?  What did you think about the episode? Check out all our other ‘Walking Dead’ season 3 coverage, and join us next week for an all-new episode recap of ‘The Walking Dead’ season 3 episode 8, mid-season finale “Made to Suffer” on AMC!

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