Well what can I say about this show? It just keeps getting better and better every season. It’s always so suspenseful and entertaining to constantly watch these survivors. They constantly test themselves against the world that is whether it’s from the Human villains like the people of Terminus, to the walkers themselves as well as fight their own internal struggles in the closing episodes in their new home of Alexandria.
First off, I praise the way in which the Termites (as the fans call them) were handled. After some time with the Governor as the overhanging villain for a season, it was rather refreshing in that they were handled quickly by Rick’s crew. I also praise that this show constantly reminds us of the shades of grey in this apocalypse. The contrast of the flashbacks of Terminus to the present day made you feel sympathy and a little sorry for the way they turned out. Having seen both the people of Woodbury and Terminus turn evil in the end makes me hope that Rick’s crew does not turn out like that in the end while in Alexandria in the end.
One thing this show constantly succeeds itself in doing is making you and the rest of the audience feel real pain from the deaths of the characters we grew to love. For example the death of Beth Greene (Emily Kinney) was just plain shocking right after she came into her own as a much stronger character in her time at the hospital. It was just plain brutal when straight afterwards, Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman) dies just like that. It was nice seeing all the elements of that character handled well through the different dead characters such as the Governor telling him his fight is over. The most brutal death this season was most likely the most recent one. The way in which Noah (Tyler James Williams) died where “Everybody ate Chris” impacted the group in such a way it crossed the line for our protagonists and changes them moving forward. You started to see the cracks in their sanity as they can no longer cope with the way the people of Alexandria cope with things.
One of the standout performances would have to go to Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride). Ever since she rescued the group from the Termites, she went on an upwards escalation to a formidable member of the group. Her inner brutality really came through a lot and reinforces her character’s credibility. My favourite moment hands down was when, in a calm collected manner scared the pants of a kid looking for cookies.
Moving forward, I do hope to see what happens to Rick’s personality and human nature now that Morgan’s back in the fold (and hopefully a regular who doesn’t die?). Is there a chance we’ll see a Rick Grimes that’s a little less dark seeing as someone Rick has known from the early days has returned? Let’s hope that the show will constantly re-invent itself and stay fresh. I loved how the show basically changed as soon as the group reached Alexandria. You see a different side to each of the characters and how the PTSD has broken them down to their core. It’ll be interesting to see how Alexandria will change our crew moving forward and how our crew will change Alexandria. Looking at the way in which the show parallel’s the comic book by Robert Kirkman, it’s likely we’ll see Alexandria for a long time.
Overall, this season is a much deserved five stars from me. It has great action and great character moments and enough brutal moments to last a lifetime.
As we wait for Season 6, it’ll be nice knowing we can quench our thirst for the Zombie Apocalypse with the companion series Fear the Walking Dead. You can check out the trailer below. It’s set in Los Angeles in the early days of the Apocalypse. I hope we get to see something a little different from the usual.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fxRe98_qI4