The Walking Dead: Top 5 Heartbreaking Moments

Hershel on The Walking Dead (Photo: AMC)

2. The Governor lops off Hershel’s head with Michonne’s sword

We knew there’s no way the Governor wouldn’t be back after the prison defeats Woodbury at the end of Season 3. But I’m not sure everyone knew just how much devastation he would bring. Building a new army of loyal soldiers, the Governor leads an assault against the prison. Many people are killed the places turns into nothing but ruins.

But the worst moment of the whole ordeal happened at the start. Before the attack, the Governor nabs Michonne and Hershel, who had been outside the fences. He uses them as leverage to convince Rick to surrender the prison. However, Rick tries to negotiate with the Governor, hoping for some kind of peaceful resolution.

Unfortunately, there’s no reasoning with a madman. Something snaps in the Governor’s brain, and he’s no longer intent on letting the prison group walk free. He sees Rick’s offer for peace as nothing but a lie, and shifts gears into wanting to kill everyone at the prison— starting with Hershel.

Holding Michonne’s sword, the Governor swings as hard as he can. He slices Hershel’s throat, starting a gunfight between the factions. However, Hershel survives this initial blow and tries to crawl away. But the Governor finds him and finishes the job, not stopping until Hershel’s head is hacked clean off.

The worst part of this scene is Maggie and Beth watching in the distance through the fences, screaming in heartbreak.