After what was a somewhat lackluster and disappointing season 2 for many fans, AMC’s hit show “The Walking Dead” resurrected, so to speak, and came back for season 3 hungrier and with more excitement and horror than viewers had become accustomed to. In addition to bringing in some awesome new characters (the creepy pseudo-politician, The Governor, and samurai-sword-wielding badass Michonne), and two new locales (the seemingly idyllic community of Woodbury and the not-so-much prison), the third season of the show finally hit its stride by embracing the fact that, hey, it’s a zombie show. I’m not saying a philosophical discussion about life isn’t going to come up from time to time in “Dead”-land; but let’s not pretend the show is “Citizen Kane” and get back to killing some zombies. Which is exactly what the show did.

Now that season 3 is returning on Sunday after a (too long!) hiatus, EW has released some exclusive pictures of what we can expect. When we left off, the newly-minted Cyclops, a.k.a. Governor, had captured Daryl Dixon, a.k.a. the best character ever, and was about to have him and his brother, Merle, face off gladiator-style. Andrea was shocked last season to witness this exchange, and it seems this will continue as she appears to be struggling to intervene in one of the photos. Glad to see she’s finally getting out of her charmed romantic daze to help out a bit.

I’m also guessing that she probably succeeds since another photo shows Merle near a smashed to bits zombie head. Plus, everyone knows you can’t kill the Dixon brothers off that easily! In the third photo we get a shot of a very sweaty Rick, gun at-the-ready. The guy’s been through a lot this season, so I can’t give him any grief, but I hope he has a plan before taking on an entire town, by himself. He might be just crazy enough at this point to attempt it.

Will Rick be reunited with his partner in ass-kicking, Daryl, anytime soon? Or will he adopt Michonne or newcomer Tyrese as his new slaughter sidekick? Will Andrea finally see the sinister side of Captain One-Eye or will she continue to play house with the Governator? Will Carol or Beth, Hershel’s daughter, ever get a legitimate storyline? How dark will this show get by season’s end? Based on what we’ve seen so far this season, I’d say the sky’s the limit as far as darkness goes, so let’s see if any of the other burning questions start get answered when “The Walking Dead” returns this Sunday, February 10 on AMC.