So many lives were hanging in the balance in the 90-minute season finale of The Walking Dead but only a couple didn’t make it.
The episode picked up with Morgan, who was asleep in the back of a destroyed vehicle somewhere in the woods. Later, he made camp and was treating himself to a nice cup of coffee until he was interrupted by a man wielding a gun.
This person had the letter “W” marked on his forehead, just like the walkers we had previously seen. He wanted to kill Morgan to take his supplies. But before he attempted to do that, he explained to Morgan what the “W” on his forehead meant, basically saying that they are wolf hunters.
While Morgan tried to negotiate with this man, out came another guy who tried to attack Morgan. However, the two failed to kill Morgan, who used just a stick to knock out both these fellas. Morgan did not kill these men. Instead, he stashed their bodies in the vehicle he was in earlier, until they would gain consciousness, and ran off.
Meanwhile, Daryl and Aaron continued to wander in the outside world, looking for people to recruit. They found a man wearing a red poncho and followed him around to evaluate his actions. Unfortunately, they lost track of this man and instead landed at a food factory, seeking for canned goodies.
With four trailers lined up, Daryl and Aaron expected to loot a ton of food, but as Daryl opened one of the trailers, a huge herd of walkers jumped out. It was a trap set by the “Wolves” group. Daryl and Aaron managed to kill a handful of walkers and made a run to a nearby car and trapped themselves inside of it, surrounded by the enormous herd.
Luckily for them, Morgan happened to be nearby as he saved their lives. Upon doing so, Aaron offered Morgan to come back with them, but he refused. Morgan told the two that he was lost and handed Daryl the map with Rick’s name on it that he found in the church at the end of episode 8.
Back in Alexandria, Deanna arranged for a meeting to discuss Rick Grimes. She was adamant on dismissing him from the community, but Maggie, Abraham, Carol, and Michonne were defending Rick. While all this was going on, Rick noticed the front gate of the town was left open (Father Gabriel left it open after he went outside for a “walk” and came back). Rick realized that a few walkers had invaded the town and went looking for them. He found three biters, killed them, and delivered one of them to Deanna and the rest of the people who were huddled around a campfire during the meeting.
Rick used the walker to help the Alexandrians realize the dangerous world they live in. He told them that people and walkers from outside can get in at any time, and they have to be ready for it. He offered to train them and change them into fighters.
While Rick was giving another wonderful speech, Pete joined the meeting, wielding Michonne’s katana. He attempted to kill Rick with it, but Deanna’s husband, Reg, got in the way to try to stop him. In doing so, Pete swung the sword and cut Reg right in throat, killing him. With a devilish look in her eyes, Deanna ordered Rick to shoot and kill Pete, so he did.
After firing the shot, Daryl and Aaron appeared, along with Morgan, who called out Rick’s name.
Back at the food factory, the “Wolves” used sound to lock the walkers back into the trailers and found Aaron’s images of Alexandria, concluding the episode.
A lot of things seem clear now. Morgan was still alive and finally reunited with Rick. The people carving “W’s” on walker heads were revealed, and Rick finally got the Alexandrians to understand the dangers lurking outside.
Where will the show go from here?
It looks like the Alexandrians may finally start listening to Rick and allow him to become the leader. Rick’s first course of action would be to teach them how to fight. All the while, the “Wolves” are not too far. They will be looking to raid Alexandria, so we should be in for another battle between Rick’s group and another group.
Season five was very intense and interesting. A lot of good characters were lost, but now it’s time to focus on season six, which will premier in October.
Other happenings in Alexandria:
-Abraham and Eugene cleared the air between them as both apologized for their actions.
-Nicholas attempted to kill Glenn, who wanted to kill Nicholas back, but forgave him.
-Tara finally gained consciousness after nearly dying at the solar warehouse.
Episode 16 – Overall Grade: 9/10
