In their initial interviews about what is set to come in the back half of season four, The Walking Dead showrunner Scott Gimple and author of the graphic novels upon which they are based, Robert Kirkman, were characteristically vague. However, in a separate post on TV Guide, Robert Kirkman did drop a few spoilers about what we can expect from the second half of season four.

There are spoilers, so if you don’t want to know anything about the back half, then read no further.

From TV Guide’s Natalie Abrams, who I’ll try and forgive for using words like “scoop” and “pumped”:

“I pumped Robert Kirkman for some scoop on the second half of the season and he offered up three interesting tidbits: 1) Carol will definitely return before the end of the season; 2) The Sanctuary, which was discussed in that radio message, will come into play; and 3) Via flashbacks, there will be glimpses into the lives of our favorite characters, likely including Michonne to get an answer about this.”

That “this” refers to Michonne’s extended backstory, which includes comics spoilers: “The divorced mother of two lost both of her daughters in the zombie apocalypse. Prior to the outbreak, she had been dating a man named Mike, who ends up being one of her infamous pets (aka those armless, jawless zombies on chains) after he is bitten.”

The Carol news doesn’t really come as much of a surprise, but the bit about The Sanctuary is fascinating. Again, comics spoilers: The Sanctuary is “the home of The Saviors, a ruthless antagonistic group that Rick Grimes and his group must interact with. The location is a large factory, surrounded by a chain-link fence, with a wall of walkers and stone barricades.”

Here’s a picture from the comic, and it’s pretty cool.

The important thing is, the series is actually moving ahead instead of rehashing the same stories from different angles.

(Source: TV Guide)