The Walking Dead Season 5 Finale

Okay, so, what did everyone think about The Walking Dead season 5 finale?

As we know, the group has found a bit of a respite from the excesses of being on the road, as they have been admitted into a walled and, frankly, sheltered (in every sense of that word) community that is still blessed with first world luxuries in Alexandria.

The finale, (season 5, episode 16) was an hour and a half long, and the show was titled Conquer. The only thing particularly predictable about The Walking Dead is that everything eventually falls apart, and at the end of the episode last week, it sure seemed like Rick was about to be evicted from the community.

So, the big question that I had following last night's episode was whether or not we finally saw Negan? One coworker of mine has read all of the comics, and mentioned the inevitable appearance of this mysterious, and very sinister, character. The way that he mentioned him, however, suggested that Negan was still quite far off, even though he also said that the show has been taking pains to show signs of Negan's imminent arrival, such as a baseball bat wrapped with barbed wire. He is supposed to be the leader of The Wolves, a new, dark rival gang that will give the group possibly as many headaches as The Governor and his group did a while back, although that coworker said that, at least according to the comic books, The Governor was still far worse.

It would be strange if either of the two guys shown in last night's episode were Negan, since both of those members of The Wolves were tricked into believing a little too easily in Morgan's helplessness, and then in getting their asses kicked while doubleteaming Morgan. That would make it hard to believe that either one of those two guys could be the next truly fearful enemy and ruthless leader that the group will have to face. Morgan leaves the two of them inside a car, unconscious and facing one another lying in the back seat. He then honks the horn, and presumably, leaves them for dead. Yet, the do show up later in the episode, so they somehow managed to get out of their own predicament, even though that is hardly explained to us.

The big event for this episode that everyone knew was coming was the town meeting to determine whether or not to kick Rick out. Before we reached that point, however, there was plenty of drama that still needed to unfold.

Nicholas tried to kill Glenn, and the two of them played an alternating game of cat and mouse, chasing one another through the woods, aiming for an ultimate, lethal showdown between the two. Nicholas actually show Glenn, and later, made a point of exacerbating his injuries before leaving him to confront a bunch of Walkers on his own, and seriously injured.

Yet, Glenn somehow managed to walk away from the ambush by the Walkers. Considering how seriously injured he was, and that the Walkers were already on top of him, it seemed unrealistic that he managed to escape, frankly. They just cut away before he was about to be torn apart by the Walkers, and then, he shows up again rather suddenly, and it is, by then, fully dark.

Towards the end of the episode, we see Gabriel essentially having a breakdown. We know he is having issues, but having betrayed the group by telling Deanna that they are not good people and do not deserve to be in Alexandria, giving Deanna some pause for thought. Gabriel goes for a walk, and we see him violently confront a Walker, as well as brutally kill the Walker's victim. He breaks down crying, then returns to Alexandria, and apparently leaves the gate opened intentionally, which ultimately allows Walkers to get in.

Sasha finally acknowledged her own breakdown, and it coincided with Gabriel's breakdown. Sasha had sought Gabriel's help, but he refused, choosing to deal instead with his own demons. Things got heated between the two of them, and ultimately led to a conflict in which Sasha ultimately is about to pull the trigger and end Gabriel's tormented life. Maggie was presumably going to fetch Gabriel for the meeting, but walked into the confrontation between Sasha and Gabriel. She calmed Sasha down and, the next thing we know, they are all kneeling and praying together, in what seems, frankly, an unsatisfying conclusion between them. Given Gabriel's Judas-like treachery, when will be held accountable for all of his actions?

Michonne looked like she had turned against the group, or at least Rick, at the end of last week's episode, knocking him out when he was giving his bloody speech. But rather surprisingly, she was not very confrontational with him in this episode, and she remained silent, holding her tongue in almost every situation. We do not get to know what she thinks about Rick's scheming should the meeting turn against him, and we never hear her testimony for or against Rick's staying during the actual meeting. But she seems to be leaning towards remaining loyal to him, even if reluctant to do so.

Carol's false passive front for the Alexandria community continued through this episode, and we even see her doing an act before members of the group, this time, clearly unsure who she could trust. She sides with Rick, we know that. But she admonishes him for stealing a gun (when she was actually the one who stole the guns) in front of Abraham, Michonne, and Glenn. Later, however, she gives Rick yet another gun and, ultimately, this is what he uses to kill Pete, the abusive wife and child beater. Carol continues with her false soft approach during the meeting, as well.

Deanna's been in charge for quite some time and, ultimately, flirted with taking a dictatorial approach as such, making a point of outright saying that she was in charge, and that the decision of whether to kick Rick out or not would be decided by her. It seems for most of the episode that Deanna is leaning towards kicking Rick out, but the unanimous testimony in support of him by the group

Eugene and Abraham finally talk, and seem to make up, Eugene apologizes for lying, and Abraham apologizes for beating Eugene unconscious. I did like Eugene's response "Yes, there's that." to Abraham's admitting that he almost killed Eugene.

Daryl and Aaron were out recruiting for possible prospects to bring into the Alexandria community, but they happened onto a trap set up by The Wolves. They managed to get out of trouble, although ultimately, just as they were about to go on their own, personal suicide missions to get out of a car surrounded by walkers and make a break for it, they were helped just in the nick of time by Morgan, who it at least appears will not play a bigger role (at least for a while, anyway).

When they brought Morgan back to Alexandria, they arrived just in time to see Rick blowing Pete's head off. Given Morgan's statement about all life being precious, it remains to be seen how he will react to Rick's brutality, even if we rather understand and accept it as viewers, given all that is going on.

That is how the season finale ended, and with a lot of questions. While the group's future in Alexandria still seems secure, there are numerous questions now left. Will Glenn and Nicholas manage to come to terms and make up? They have not even made it back to the community yet. How will Morgan's reaction to what he saw Rick doing (which probably looks like cold-blooded murder) play out? When will we see the full threat of The Wolves, as last night's episode clearly showed that they are not only merely close, but here, for the group to deal with now.

Finally, one personal observation: it is getting colder in Alexandria. Literally, it is growing cooler, and winter clearly seems to be on the way. How will that play out when it comes to making runs, and having enough food for the community to get by? Just my personal opinion, but I think the rougher, northeast winter might play a strong role next season.

Anyway, that is it for now. This was the season when I finally got into The Walking Dead. I caught up on all of seasons 1 and 2, and good parts of season 3 and 4, and watched all of these episodes this season from the beginning. So, I guess I'm hooked.

Still, I am not as distraught as some others, since the final episodes of Mad Men start on AMC next Sunday night. That is another television series that I enjoy quite a bit, and look forward to seeing the new episodes, even if these signal the end of the series.

Also, it was revealed in The Talking Dead that a new series that a spinoff will air over the summer. It is called Fear the Walking Dead, and will feature an entirely new cast of characters, and a new location - Los Angeles. Here, evidently, we will finally be able to watch the actual zombie apocalypse unfold, and see how it grew to the point of ending civilization as we know it. Should be interesting!