‘The Walking Dead’ season 4: Andrew Lincoln, a broken fence front and center in new poster

As you likely knew at this point, “The Walking Dead” season 4 is set to launch on AMC come Sunday, October 13, and early indications suggest that it could be one of the most violent (but also most interesting) handful of episodes that the network has put out yet.

If we are to believe the brand new poster / key art for the new season, it seems almost like one story worth being touched on is the possible end of the prison as a safe place to call home. At the start of the season, the irony is that this same setting is going to feel more like a home than ever before for some of the characters. There will be attempts to domesticate the grim setting, complete with crops, livestock, and all sorts of protective measures in the event that walkers suddenly start to breach the ground and cause problems.

But if something like the fence collapses, regardless of whether or not we’re supposed to take the poster literally, this could mean that there are some major reasons to be afraid for some of these characters’ long-term future. It’s already been well-documented already just how much death seems to be involved in almost everything that happens on this show, and without a wall, nobody is safe. We also wonder whether or not there is any symbolism to Andrew Lincoln’s Rick standing here alone, even though he has many allies and people interested in helping him out at almost every turn. Maybe this is supposed to be a parallel of his inner struggle?

If you want to see more evidence of what we just mentioned, a creepy new promo released by AMC certainly suggests that there is something going on with Rick’s head … and it could have major consequences this year.

Photo: AMC