"This Sorrowful Life" is the fifteenth and penultimate episode of the third season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which first aired on AMC in the United States on March 24, 2013.

Merle later confides in Daryl that he considers Rick's decision hypocritical, since the group had become angry when he had turned Maggie and Glenn over to the Governor.

While Rick searches for wire to tie up Michonne, he has another vision of his dead wife Lori, which causes him to reconsider his decision.

The Governor's men, including Martinez, have been waiting to ambush Rick's arrival, and are distracted by the empty car and the walkers.

Merle sneaks behind them and kills many of the Woodbury soldiers including Allen's son, Ben; but is caught and brutalized by the Governor himself.

The episode was directed by Greg Nicotero and written by Scott M. Gimple[2] and shares its name with the sixth volume of the comics.

[5] Eric Goldman at IGN gave the episode 9 out of 10, specifically praising the performances of actors Danai Gurira, Michael Rooker, Steven Yeun, and Norman Reedus.

[6] The original broadcast, on March 24, 2013, was watched by an estimated 10.99 million viewers, an increase in viewership from the previous episode.