Lori, T-Dog, Axel, and last week, Merle … it's been a tough third season for Rick Grimes and his prison-dwelling pals on "The Walking Dead," and this Sunday's season finale, "Welcome to the Tombs," promises to tick up that body count at least a few more notches. And that may even include another fan favorite or two among the victims.

In Part 2 of our recent chat with Rick himself -- played by British actor Andrew Lincoln -- the star tells Yahoo! TV his beleaguered widowed dad character is -- well, almost -- back to his old self after making the decision in last week's episode to keep Michonne out of the Governor's psychotic clutches.

[Related: Check Out Part 1 of Our Interview With 'Walking Dead's' Andrew Lincoln]

He also talks about the difficulty of having to say farewell to those castmembers who become victims of the bitter apocalypse, how much he and his castmates and the show's crew love filming in Atlanta, his strategy for staying in character, and how he's itching to return to the South for Season 4 … assuming Sheriff Rick isn't among those rumored 27 who die in the finale, of course.

Is Rick back, the closest version of the Rick we first met, anyway, after deciding he could not hand Michonne over to the Governor?

It's cold and it's brutal, but that's where Rick's been, and he's been isolated. That was him going from the jungle through the wilderness and back. I really wanted it to feel like the man, he's been out. He's been … there were some images, coming out of the Vietnam jungle … you see these boys with these faces that have seen something that no one ever should see. I wanted [Rick] to have gone there. In a similar way, there are echoes with where the Governor has been, where everybody's been. No one's untarnished by this place, by what's happened.

So rest assured that [in the finale], a lot of things are resolved, and a lot of things are called into question. I don't want to give too much away, but in my heart, there's a part of me that always wants the sheriff to return. I want the sheriff to come home, but whether or not we'll ever fully get that is, well, I'm not sure that's how the show will end. (Laughing)

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But I do think that there … are distress signals about where [Carl] is at the moment, how lost the boy is since the death of Lori. And also, if ever he needs a father figure or some male role model, responsible role model, it's now. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that Rick's quite been there this season. There are lots of interesting beats that happen in the finale.

Watch a preview of Sunday's finale:

Rick and his crew have lost a lot of people this season … no one's spilling specifics, obviously, but several of your cast members have said fans should expect a lot more deaths in the season finale…

Well, you know, they killed my wife this year, so I don't think anybody's safe in this show. I was shocked when we lost Jon Bernthal (Shane), when we lost Jeff DeMunn (Dale). I'm continually shocked.

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It is the one downside to the show. You make these extraordinary friendships. These amazing actors that you get to work with create these phenomenal roles and these characters, and then you lose them. It's the only downside, really, in this beautiful show.

Do you have to kind of just accept that that is the trade-off for working on this great show that's really not like anything else on TV?

Yeah. I've never worked on anything quite like this. It keeps surprising me in regards to the story and the scripts. Also, I've never had the luxury of spending three years with a character that's been so brilliantly drawn, and also that's changed so much in three years. Which has been a real privilege, really. I love it. I love playing Rick. "Please don't bite me yet." (Laughing) You know what I mean? That's what I keep saying to [the producers and writers], pleading with them. "Let me live long! Please."

[Related: Lennie James Talks to Yahoo! TV About 'The Walking Dead']

What do you think has made the show a favorite of people who don't usually like zombie dramas?

You're always asked the question, "Why has it caught people's imaginations so much?" The truthful answer is I don't know. I really don't know. But I know that it is the first script I read [where I said], "I've never read anything quite like it." That's always, for me, quite a good indicator. Something happens with this show that people seem to engage in a way I've never experienced before.