I usually try to avoid the previews, but based on Rick’s speech where he declares an end to the ricktatorship and proclaims the new beginning of a dumbocracy(?), I was already guessing that…
(very mild and slightly obvious speculation and commentary based on an ambiguous scene in the preview which implies a possible major plot point: )
[spoiler]…they were going to vote to leave the prison, which the preview only sort of implies, I guess. And to that, I say AMEN!
When they secured the prison, I think I was the first person to comment on how totally non-threatening and lame the zombie menace had now become. And I knew that as long as they stayed there, the story would become less about zombies and more about (mostly tedious and contrived) intra/interpersonal relationships.
I don’t care how the story goes in the comic books, this show is best when they are out there on the road, exploring how the zombie apocalypse has affected everything. I realize that there are logistics and budget concerns that can make that challenging, but I see no reason why it can’t be done. If a much lamer - and presumably tighter-budgeted show - like Falling Skies manages to do it, TWD can do it, too.
They need to get out there and mix it up, instead of aimlessly hiding in farms and prisons. I want to learn more about how the larger world is dealing with the circumstances, not just a small part of Georgia. I want them to touch more on the backstory of how the zombie virus came to be, and on the possibilities of reversing it (in the unafflicted) through an antidote of some sort.
If I don’t see at least hints of some of this in the first few episodes of the next season, I think I may have to finally and regretfully abandon this show.
[/spoiler]