During a zombie apocalypse, people need to deal with walkers, but they must also deal with each other and with themselves.

The second episode of season four of The Walking Dead deals with the characters’ development as they settle in the now-safe prison. After being on the run for months, Rick and his friends have finally built a small community in which they can begin to rebuild their humanity.

‘Infected’ focuses on one of the main themes this season: can humans really rebuild after everything they have done?

Michonne begins a significant emotional arc that will later explain her past and show her develop her bonds with Carl, Daryl, and other members of the group. When she carries Judith, an infant, for the first time, she openly weeps, leading the viewers to believe that she may have been hiding the profound grief of a parent who has lost a child. It is also hinted that an explanation of her chained walkers, who “were never human,” will come later in the season.

A new disease that is infecting people inside the prison seems to be the main problem of season four. When people start dying, everyone realizes that danger is within and without the prison gates. They are survivors and they must face a new problem, but they also must continue to rebuild their humanity.

As Maggie says, they cannot just survive to simply exist; they must survive to be alive and free.

The new direction this season is taking is a positive change to the fight-only trope that was continued ad nauseum in seasons one through three. It gives the writers latitude to explore each character’s story and show the viewers how human-to-human interaction during the apocalypse can work.

The writers and showrunner Scott Gimple, who promised that each character would be given their due, will definitely show a good sense of balance between violence, drama, and horror.