The mid-season of the "Walking Dead" continues with the Dixons' brotherly reunion that didn't go as well as either of them had hoped. The Governor pits the brothers against each other and orders them to fight each other to the death, much to the delight of the rabid Woodbury townspeople.

Merle first turns on his brother as he punched and kicked Daryl, but he soon tells his brother to play along to the show he's putting on. As Philip's henchmen let walkers loose upon the Dixons, Rick and Maggie came to the rescue firing shots at the Woodbury people and allowing Daryl and Merle to escape.

The group led by Merle flees Woodbury, unknowingly making the town vulnerable to more walkers. They soon meet up with Glenn and Michonne, who both moved to attack Merle before being restrained by Rick, Maggie and Daryl. Merle mocks the group, including Daryl, and reveals Andrea is alive-by Philip's side. As the tension rises, Rick knocks out Merle.

At the prison, Hershel attends to Allen's wounds. However, he soon tells them that the rest of the group might not welcome more outsiders. Tyreese tries to convince him to let them stay, but the doctor shrugs and says it's not his decision.

In the meantime, Rick, Daryl, Glenn and Maggie find themselves in a heated discussion over what to do with Merle and Michonne. As it dawns on Daryl that they would never trust his brother enough to let him into the group, he decides to leave with Merle. The rest of the group brings Michonne back to the prison although Rick makes it clear it's only until they patch her up.

As Tyreese's group prepare for Donna's burial, Allen and Ben propose to ambush Carl and Carol who are standing guard. Allen points out they can easily overpower the two and take the prison and weapons from the group. Daryl and Sasha refuse to cooperate, taking the shovels.

On the way back to the prison, Glenn blows up at Rick over not killing Philip. Rick points out that saving Daryl was the priority, but the younger boy won't listen. Maggie calms them down, saying they can talk back at the prison, but the infuriated Glenn says he's done talking.

At Woodbury, Andrea and Milton come across townspeople trying to leave Woodbury, the guards resorting to violence as they simultaneously try to keep the walkers from going in and the crowd from going out. Screams alert them to the presence of a walker and they run to the scene finding three walkers gorging on a man. Andrea and Martinez kill the walkers, but the man is too far gone and Philip shoots the man before reanimation.

Carl and Carol see the car approaching the prison, and Rick gets out of the vehicle to meet them. He breaks the news of Daryl's departure to Carol, who appears visibly shaken.

Andrea reproaches Philip for killing the Woodbury resident in front of all the scared people, but Philip tells her off saying, "We're at war." After she asked him why Daryl was in town, Philip reveals it was because Merle was holding Glenn and Maggie. As he tells her she's just a visitor in Woodbury, Milton comes in saying the whole town is in the streets and the situation could escalate.

Andrea and Milton attempt to talk some sense into the townspeople who are all threatening of leaving. They ask for the Governor (Philip), but Milton makes excuses. Andrea pacifies the crowd in an inspired speech, as Philip watch from his apartment window.

Back at the prison, Carol observes Beth's knack for taking care of Judith. The conversation ultimately turns to Daryl and Beth admits she's mad at him for leaving.

As Hershel dresses Glenn's wounds, the doctor observes things are not well between him and Maggie. In a similar talk with the girl, Hershel advises the couple talk to mend their relationship.

Later, Hershel says Michonne won't be able to travel for a few days. The group talks about the governor's impending retaliation, and they realize they are outnumbered. Hershel suggests they bring reinforcements into the group, indicating Tyreese's group.

As Tyreese pleads his case before Rick, trying to convince him to take their group of four in, Rick seems to be deliberating when the vision of Lori appears. The hallucinations cause Rick to scream and shout angrily, driving out Tyreese, Sasha, Allen and Ben as they believed his aggression was directed at them.

The mid-season premiere proved to be worth the wait as it scores the show's highest ratings yet, with a staggering 12.3 million viewers according to E!