Rick Grimes/Season 1

After spending several weeks in a coma, Rick woke up alone in the hospital and was very confused when he realized all the strange events happening around him since the place had been completely abandoned and that there were also hundreds of corpses scattered everywhere. Still recovering, Rick made his way through the desolated streets of the town to go search for his family, when he had his first encounter with one of the undead, although he did not understand at all what was happening. That night, after having being found by a pair of survivors, Morgan Jones and his young son Duane, Rick was warned about the dangers that now haunted the apocalyptic world and was formally introduced to the outbreak that had devastated civilization.

The next day, when Rick learned that there was a new chance of finding his family alive in Atlanta, he decided to travel to the city. The trio first borrowed guns from the sheriff's station and then Rick said goodbye, with the promise of contacting Morgan using a walkie-talkie every day at dawn. While leaving town, Rick put down a now-undead fellow officer and also returned to where he first found the half-devoured undead woman to put her out of her misery. After overcoming some obstacles on the road, including running out of fuel and having to continue the trip with a horse he had found, Rick finally arrived at the city and found it completely devastated. A helicopter flying over the sky caught his attention and Rick tried to chase it but ended up leading himself into a massive horde of walkers that cornered him and devoured his horse. Having taken refuge inside a nearby tank, Rick lost all hope he had of escaping until a voice contacted him on the radio. ("Days Gone Bye")

Fortunately for Rick, the young man who had witnessed the entire incident helped him escape from his perilous situation. After following Glenn into a department store, where a group of survivors was waiting for the duo, Rick came into a heated conflict with Andrea because his gunshots had alerted all the walkers in the area to their location and they couldn't escape. When Merle Dixon tried to take advantage of the situation, Rick stepped forward and restored calm by handcuffing him to a pipe on the roof. As the walkers kept swarming the building, the group had devised another plan to escape. Using the guts of one of the undead to camouflage their scent, Rick and Glenn were able to move among the horde roaming around the streets and get a vehicle for the group to escape, although they were all forced to leave a handcuffed Merle behind. ("Guts")

Rick accompanied the group to the camp in which they were living, and due to fate, he managed to find and reunite with his wife and son, who had been kept safe by Shane since the apocalypse began. Thankful to live for having given them a second chance, Rick and Lori reconciled and made love. The next day, Rick informed Daryl Dixon about his brother and told his family he had already planned on returning to Atlanta to rescue Merle and to retrieve the bag of guns and walkie-talkie he had dropped. When the rescue group finally arrived at the rooftop of the store in Atlanta, they only found Merle's amputated hand. ("Tell It to the Frogs")

After following a trail of blood and discover that Merle had also escaped from the building somehow, Rick argued that they needed to retrieve the bag of guns before they could continue searching for him. While carrying out the plan, another group of survivors, who had also taken an interest in the bag of guns, kidnapped Glenn and demanded the bag in exchange for his freedom. Rick did not hesitate to fight for the release of the person who had saved his life, and after learning that the enemy group actually needed the weapons to protect some elders who had been left under their care, he decided to share half of the bag of guns and ammo with them. Having partially completed their mission in the city, Rick and the group returned to the camp that night to find it under attack from some walkers, and they quickly helped defend the place. ("Vatos")

The next morning, Rick attempted to contact Morgan with the walkie-talkie to update him on what had happened since they separated ways but got no response whatsoever. After being blamed by Shane for having left the camp defenseless by taking some of the strongest members on his mission, Rick suggested that they should go to the CDC since it was much safer and they probably could help Jim, who had been bitten during the attack. Feeling too overwhelmed for his growing role as the new leader, Rick sought comfort in Lori, who supported him in his decision to leave the camp. The next day, Rick left a note with new directions for Morgan and also said goodbye to the Morales family. While the remaining group of survivors departed towards the CDC, they left an agonizing Jim under a tree by the road as his last wish. Upon arriving at their destination, they found everything abandoned. As some walkers began to approach them, Rick noticed a security camera move and his screams of desperation finally convinced the person inside the place to open the doors. ("Wildfire")

Upon entering the CDC, Rick and the group were reluctantly welcomed by the sole remaining scientist, Dr. Edwin Jenner, who allowed them to stay in exchange for some blood tests. That night, the survivors had a feast in the cafeteria and enjoyed all the luxuries the facility had to offer, beyond happy about having found a safe haven. Rick and Lori enjoyed a hot shower and then they each decided to go explore the building. Completely drunk, Rick visited the control room and confessed to Jenner that he thought they were actually going to die out there because they were running out of options. The next morning, Rick and the group learned that the virus that had caused the outbreak erased any conscious human traits from someone infected.

When the power generators began to ran out of fuel, Jenner revealed to the group that the facility would explode due to a self-destruct protocol and then sealed everyone inside the control room, explaining that it would be a quick and painless death. Rick was eventually able to convince him to change his mind, and before leaving, Jenner whispered something important in his ear that left him confused. Upon finding all the top doors locked, Carol handed Rick a grenade she had found in his uniform and he used it to destroy one of the windows. Rick and the group escaped as the building exploded, and then they continued their journey towards a new destination. ("TS-19")