Mastodon Mastodon Mastodon Mastodon Mastodon The Walking Dead – Season Finale – ‘A’ Review and Discussion


    Enable Dark Mode!

  • What's HOT
  • Premiere Calendar
  • Ratings News
  • Movies
  • YouTube Channel
  • Submit Scoop
  • Contact Us
  • Search
  • Privacy Policy
Support SpoilerTV
SpoilerTV.com is now available ad-free to for all premium subscribers. Thank you for considering becoming a SpoilerTV premium member!

SpoilerTV - TV Spoilers

The Walking Dead – Season Finale – ‘A’ Review and Discussion

Mar 31, 2014

Share on Reddit
I was both scared and excited going into this finale. It turns out I didn’t need to be too scared. While there were some very dark moments, our team, otherwise known as “Us,” were still alive at the end, as far as we know. The only fatalities were on the “Them” side. The excitement was rewarded tenfold as The Walking Dead knocked it out of the park for what was the most action-packed, suspenseful finale to date, with the possible exception of season 2.

The episode was split into two sections – the first focusing on the journey of a few members of our group to the utopia they had hoped to find, otherwise known as Terminus. The second on what they found when they got there.

The first part becomes very dark as Joe and his gang finally catch up with Rick, Michonne, and Carl, and threaten to rape Carl and Michonne and kill Rick. Daryl, who had looked like he might be headed down a bad path, is forced to see the true nature of this gang he has joined up with, and true to character, steps in to defend his friends – putting his own life on the line. Daryl tells Rick later that he didn’t realize what they were. He knew they were bad but they had a code – and that explanation makes sense given what Daryl had seen of them.

Like the characters, we, the audience, have been somewhat sheltered from the horrors men like Joe and his gang have been inflicting on others. We’ve heard stories of rape and murder second-hand, and have seen the after-effects on many occasions. But like the prison group, we’ve been mostly kept in a safer place where ideals like faith and goodness can still flourish. This was a close up look at the ugliness of what the world has become, with the assault perpetrated not only on just any members of our group, but the family Carol had referred to as their first family in season 2 when she asked Lori to approach the Greenes about cooking a group dinner. While the scene with Carl about to be raped was very graphic for TV, even cable TV, it was eye-opening and raised the stakes, and drove home why changing did in fact seem necessary in this world.

This first half also provides a turning point for Rick. In a moment nicely illustrated by a slow motion, almost out-of-body reaction after a gun goes off near his ear, Rick emotionally snaps as Carl is about to be raped and becomes the man that Shane had tried hard to convince Rick he needed to become in season 2 – the man who would do anything to protect his family without hesitation or regret. Walker-style, Rick uses the only weapon at his disposal and lunges for Joe’s throat with his teeth, taking a chunk out of him and puncturing an artery, killing him.

In the second half, Carl, Michonne, Carl, and Daryl make it to Terminus, but smartly approach the settlement cautiously – scoping it out first and hiding a weapons cache where they can easily retrieve it later, should they need it and be able to break free long enough to get to it. Their distrust is revealed to be deserved, as Rick notices items that had belonged to their group (Hershel’s watch (given to Glenn), Daryl’s poncho (worn by Maggie), and the prison riot gear) had been appropriated by members of the Terminus community, and those people were lying about where they had come from.

While we don’t know yet know what the plan is with the Terminus group, or what motivates them, clues are written on the walls of a room that looks to be a memorial for people they’ve lost. “Never Again. Never Trust. We First, Always.“ I’m guessing they once were not so different from Rick and his group, but trusted the wrong people and were betrayed. That tragedy forced them to change and become the thing that had hurt them.  There are also hints of the plan in their decision to not kill the newcomers immediately, and a quick view of a pile of what looks to be remains of humans or animals that the group passes as they are running for their lives - fueling speculation that that group may mirror the comic book story and be cannibals.  

Like in the earlier episode “Alone,” in which which we saw multiple instances of traps (Beth stepping into an animal trap, Daryl setting a noise trap, and the food in a funeral home neatly left behind like a people trap), we saw a trap in this episode as well. Early in the episode, Rick explains the mechanics of a small animal trap to Carl and Michonne, telling them that it force the animal in a certain direction to where it will be caught, with a noose fastening around its neck. This foreshadows what is to come at Terminus, with Rick, Michonne, Carl, and Daryl dodging snipers who appear to be aiming only at their feet. The snipers seem to be leading them to the place where they want them – a place easy to capture them and load them onto a train car where Glenn, Maggie, and their group are being held.

Everyone’s a Monster and Everyone Changes

In a pre-finale season rewatch, one thing I noticed but hadn’t focused so much on my first time through was the irony of Carol’s words to Lizzie and Mika. Carol had urged them to change and said that everyone changes. The ironic twist was that Lizzie, in trying to turn Mika, was really just literally following Carol’s advice and trying to change. In Lizzie’s mind, the walkers wanted them to change and become like them. And in many instances we’ve seen a gradual blurring of the line between the living and the dead. After the Governor snapped and killed his own people, he became like the dead, walking among them like he was one of them. Michonne has also had periods of doing the same. It was the realization triggered by seeing a walker who looked a lot like herself that snapped her out of it and motivated Michonne to start living again. So Lizzie wasn’t totally wrong. Carol’s message was that everyone changes, and becoming a like a walker is just one form that change can take.

In this episode, Rick also changes, yet this time around I was cheering for it. In season 2, I remember there being a lot of debate in the fandom on whether Rick or Shane was right. Do people need to change and do whatever it takes to survive, or is it better to retain your values? Rick’s been waffling over this question for several seasons now, afraid of reaching a point where he can’t come back from, but he seems now to have definitively picked a side. It’s not the one I had expected, but somehow it feels right and good. 

But when the Governor picked a very similar side – he committed to doing whatever it takes to protect his family and survive – it seemed wrong. Is this an “Us vs. Them” perspective skew on things, or is it a difference in the details in how you define change? Whereas Rick would bite out the throat of a man attacking his family, I still do not believe he would murder innocent people to steal for his group. So the distinction might be in the details.

Adding another level of comparison to frame this debate, in the finale, we’re presented with flashbacks to another turning point in Rick’s evolution, where Rick was heading in the opposite direction of where he is now. In this flashback, it isn’t an “Us vs. Them,” but “Us vs. Us” comparison, and we see Rick, concerned about how Carl is changing into a cold killer, heeds Hershel’s advice to put away the guns and start planting beans. That also felt right and good.

I don’t have the answers to these questions – what is right or wrong – but I’m impressed at how skillfully this show has managed to zigzag back and forth between these two points of view – or more than just two really – and portray these different perspectives with enough sympathy so that the audience remains split on the issues and keeps an active debate going.

So what did you think of the episode? Did it match your expectations? How excited are you for next season? Let me know in the comments.

46 comments:

  1. Great review Chris. I loved the finale, I was on the edge of my seat for the last 20 mins. I just knew terminus would be bad !

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm sure the Season 5 premiere will be crazy, so I'm looking forward to that.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Awesome observations and analysis! What you wrote about Carol and Lizzie and Mika was very interesting.


    I thought this episode was great and one of my favorites. I love it when leaders get all 'bad-ass' and go crazy on the bad guys and what they have turned Rick really made the episode so much better. Then his final words were the icing on the cake. I really hope they keep up his bad-ass attitude for next season.


    I just wonder if 'The Hunters' will be all of Season 5 of only the first half then they can introduce a new story line for the final half?


    Great Review again and it's gonna be a long way to Season 5!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Not that killing her sister would ever be considered good, but to a twisted mind, it made some sense. In a way, Lizzie was being true to Carol's message that everyone has to change.


    I loved the bad-assery too and hope it sticks with Rick. I think he may be one of the few characters to be able to handle it without turning into a Governor-type character. I'm feeling more confident that it will stick for a while anyway, and that we're through with his self-doubting stage. He's worked through his issues and doubles. He's kind of like Carol in this way - changed but not necessarily for the worse, to something stronger and more confident but with still a sense of humanity.


    On your last comment, I'm guessing half of season 5. Scott Gimple was on The Talking Dead last night and he made a comment about how the show always reinvents itself, and I think he said every 8 episodes. I'd have to rewatch that to be 100% certain, but I think that's what he said.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You are right. I just watched the Talking Dead and Gimple says exactly that. Can't wait to find out!

    ReplyDelete
  6. My husband is feeling pretty proud today, because he's the ONLY one in our family who predicted there wouldn't be a major character death in the finale! We had been giving him such a tough time. Though I'm actually sort of relieved to have been wrong, because some of the scenarios we'd been picturing would be tough to take after losing Hershel.

    Speaking of Hershel, what a wonderful surprise to see him again. I really liked how this episode used the prison flashback parallel to illustrate different parts of Rick's character trajectory. It was nice to re-visit that time, and those characters, if only for a little bit. If anything, it really emphasizes Carol's edict that "you have to change."

    I feel that Rick's brutality comes across as "good guy" partly because of framing -- he's been our protagonist since day one -- but also because I can't recall Rick using that brutality to forcibly take things by cruelty or domination. Like Joe, or the Governor, or Shane, it now seems clear that Rick will strike like a viper when cornered into a specific circumstance. But unlike those characters, he doesn't seem to exhibit a thirst for power, or a need to be "on top" in the world order. He simply seems motivated to survive and protect his loved ones (especially his son). I find that this makes it much easier to identify with his motives.

    It was interesting to hear Scott Gimple's take that the show re-invents itself every 8 episodes, or essentially every half-season. To me, that suggests a very clear framework for how he'd like to shape these characters and their journeys. After all the time spent course-redirecting with each new showrunner, I'm looking forward to some consistently powerful and thought-provoking stuff from Gimple and crew next season.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'd like to agree with your assessment of Rick, and I do in part - the part about him striking when his family is threatened - but there have been hints that he has an uncomfortable relationship with power and that he was at risk for being coming like the Governor in season 3. I'm specifically thinking back to his Ricktatorship moments, and how at the beginning of this past season, his relationship with power and violence seemed to parallel Bob's addiction to booze. When the Governor called out Rick, Rick was quick to duck it, saying something along the lines of, "I don't make decisions anymore."


    But I'm hoping this was just a growth period, and he's moved beyond this. Right now, I agree his darkness is directly linked to his protectiveness of his family - like with Carol and the children - and that makes him more sympathetic, whatever he does. And Joe really deserved it. No sympathy there!

    ReplyDelete
  8. My fingers hurt from biting my fingernails to the nubs lol.

    ReplyDelete
  9. "fueling speculation that that group may mirror the comic book story and be cannibals."

    I haven't read the comic books. Between the human remains and the way they were being herded like cattle, it seemed very clear to me that these people were cannibals.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Rick finally got his balls back!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I thought this was the weakest of the four finales so far. There was so much build-up of suspense. You could feel something MASSIVE was about to happen - and this was even before the episode aired. That opening scene (after flashbacks) with Rick sitting in TOTAL silence (which was so chilling) with bloody hands had incredible potential. At that point, you kinda knew that Joe's group were gonna die, but it felt like someone close to Rick had died (potentially both Carl and Michonne). We then got about halfway through and to the confrontations and I knew then that none of our group were gonna die then - it was way too early for the way the back half of the season has been progressing, what with everyone going to Terminus and all. It didn't feel all that tense until Rick took that guy hostage. Then it sort of died down again when Daryl (I think) pointed out that they were going for their feet (or something) - either way, they weren't trying to kill them. The scene with the four of them being individually being told to line-up was so tense - I thought for sure they were being led to a slaughter. Then... nice... big... happy... reunion. Hey, great! But as a cliffhanger? Yeah... no thanks. Really disappointed by this episode.

    ReplyDelete
  12. the first season finale was the worst one...waste of time.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I actually liked the first one.

    ReplyDelete
  14. flashbacks were a waste of time...and the scene with zombies killing that random guy was so forced...the scene was made just so we could see any walkers in this episode. The Terminus people have to have a lot of bullts...
    they wasted so many just to "lead" their cattle to the slaughterhouse.
    They seem to be the cannibals, but they look like banch of morons...not scary at all. They left all those signs miles from Terminus (it had to be dangerous and time consuming) just to lead people into trap and eat them? The comic cannibals were on the move hunting people on the road. Here we have quite large group of people, how much meat they need? I really hoped the cannibals story is not the case...I was wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I already asked this q somewhere else:
    Whose watch was that and the pancho (is that the spelling?)? Rick somehow knew it did not belong to the Terminus people and that made him suspicious? How?
    Because the only thing that was suspicious was the size of the meat on the plate...too big to be rabbit, no way they have cattle...but the watch was the thing that made them think something is not right?

    ReplyDelete
  16. That was Hershel's watch that he gave to Glenn back in season 2 when he was welcoming Glenn into the family. Maggie had been wearing a poncho we've seen on Daryl before when she walked into Terminus. I think Rick also recognized the prison riot gear that Glenn had been wearing.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I strongly disagree. Rick has been struggling with his dark side for so long, that he finally accepted it and was OK with it, is a significant change as far as the character development goes. I found the almost-rape scene extremely graphic and darker than a simple death would have been - so I don't feel the trauma was overplayed at all.


    I actually think I prefer when they don't kill off major characters in the finales because to do it properly, there should be plenty of emotional build up. The finales are just too rushed for that. That was one of the bigger problems with last year's finale. The second half was mostly spent giving Andrea a proper send-off. I'd rather the finales be a high-action game-changer, like this one and season 2 were.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Each item belonged to someone from our group:


    *Pocket watch: Blonged to Glenn, as it was originally Hershel's. Hershel gave it to Glenn- was supposed to go to his son, but Hershel thought of Glenn as his son so he gave it to him.
    *Orange Backpack: Was also Glenn's
    *Riot Gear: Also Glenn's
    *Pancho: Was Daryl's but he lent it to Maggie, who was last seen wearing it upon arriving at Terminus.


    The Terminus Peeps take anything and everything they can use off people then use them for grub...seems to be the case anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I think there was a lot in this episode to imply that's the case. I'd be shocked at this point if it turns out not to be the case. It's been speculated online for weeks now but up to this episode, there really wasn't anything concrete in the show to support the speculation.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Yeah, I liked that. Rick's struggle is great, and it's especially great to see how Carl couldn't even talk to him afterwards because Rick went to the lengths he did. There was also some nice development with Michonne - that scene where she explained how her son died and who those walkers were (a question that's been bugging us since we first saw them) was great, although it made me think that she was a certain goner.

    It wasn't so much the lack of a character death that frustrated me. It was the fact that we've been waiting for the arrival at Terminus since 4.09/4.10 (I can't remember which we first saw it in), and then last week we had the arrival of Glenn, Maggie etc. Pretty much every fan had made up their minds that this wasn't a good place (many suggesting they are cannibals - that plate scene confirmed it) and it was just confirmed. I didn't really see that as a massive development, since it was obvious that it was going to be a bad place. Yeah, obviously there's the set-up for a bloodbath in 5.01, but that last line wasn't great as a set up for it.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Agree with you -- though (in my opinion) it still makes for some exciting viewing. The idea of "roving cannibals" works all right in the comics and McCarthy novels, but trying to maintain an actual post-apocalyptic community of cannibals wouldn't be the smartest option. We've already seen that the few surviving humans seem to be far outnumbered by zombie hordes. Herding those few survivors toward your outpost only to eat them wouldn't really make a lot of economic sense. Most of the weak links have already been weeded out -- so you'd be slaughtering battle-tested warriors who could help protect everyone while the community began hunting, raising vegetables, and taking in livestock. Seems to me their long-term value to the group would far outweigh their short-term value as (YUCK) lunch or dinner -- though the issue of who to trust is probably a biggie.

    ReplyDelete
  22. You might be right, Chris. I felt like his "Ricktatorship" phase was kind of like the farmer -- over-revving his engines and just trying on hats (no pun) to figure out which one would fit the best. The cool thing about this episode is that Rick finally realizes they ALL do ... that savagery and humanity can co-exist. But as you imply above, he's only human. So maybe the question going forward will be, for how long?

    ReplyDelete
  23. I think you have to keep in mind that fans who post actively online and share theories with others are are way ahead of the curve in terms of figuring things out. To be honest, if I were just watching this at home and were unfamiliar with the comic stories, then I don't think - even now - that I would have figured out that they were cannibals. What were the hints, really? That they had a lot of food, that they had laid out a trap for people, and that there were some suspicious briefly-glimpsed probably-human remains?

    ReplyDelete
  24. No, you're right. But, for those who are familiar with the comics it seemed obvious - and in the world of social media if one person suggests it then suddenly everyone can piece it together. Once you have that, it became pretty clear.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I actually think your original interpretation is probably right on the money. I'm just reluctant to write off future problems with Rick and power yet, because I'm overly suspicious that way. That and because the show seems to like to shift the idea of what is right and what is wrong every few months.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Which is why I think it's a mistake to stay too true to the comics. I get that they don't want to alienate their most loyal fanbase, but people have been guessing too many outcomes this season.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Yep. Thing is, even without the idea that they're cannibals, we knew with a 99% certainty that this wasn't going to be a safe haven. Then suddenly... we have it confirmed. Not exactly the game-changing twist I'd hoped for.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I think it's been understood by a lot of people for a while that nowhere is going to stay safe for long, but I think that's the nature of any show. You can't have a "happily ever after" smack in the middle of a series. Otherwise, show's over. Sometimes, even if you know things will go back, it's enough to not know how things will go bad to keep things suspenseful.


    I suspect that by having most of their main characters believing that Terminus sounded like a good idea, they managed to fool a number of viewers into thinking that that trying to get there was good.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Yeah, but I think some people might expect perhaps the illusion that it might be safe. Even that first (last of last week's episode) scene at Terminus was creepy, so from the first moment we saw anyone at Terminus we knew there would be problems. It's not like we had that feel of 'it might actually be safe here', even for a little while. I think that's the frustrating thing, because we know that all of these characters are heading there into a potential bloodbath.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I think we had that illusion for the whole second half of the season, with the exception of this episode. Even though it was mostly an idea, and something people were talking about as they died by the side of the train tracks, the illusion was maintained until Rick started talking about sneaking around through the woods.

    ReplyDelete
  31. For the characters, yeah. But as a viewer, I've felt that this whole thing has been a pipe dream from the start. Rick has a much better world view than most on the show I think. He's the guy that wants all this great, safety stuff, but knows that it's never gonna be that simple.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Fair enough, but I still think it was well done. Perfect? Maybe not, but good enough considering there are only so many things the show can control, and Internet speculation and overly suspicious viewers aren't two of them.

    ReplyDelete
  33. My first clue that they were cannibals which I haven't seen anyone mention is they're willingness to kill Carl. Like there's not much meat on him compared to the other two. Admittedly it may have just been to force Rick's hand

    ReplyDelete
  34. No one noticed the packaging of milk powder on the floor next to the wagon?
    Looks to me that Carol's group might already be at terminus...

    ReplyDelete
  35. That's a really good point -- I assumed the milk powder was (maybe) for "fattening up" the people/prey in the boxcars. But that's only presuming these people are cannibals, which has been hinted at, but not necessarily confirmed.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I definitely think it could be an angle they wind up considering -- especially with Scott Gimple's strong focus on character development and narrative. Isn't this the first time TWD's had a showrunner spanning two seasons? I bet we'll get some really interesting character insights going forward, and Rick's relationship to power could be one of them.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Awesome review, this espisode left more questions than answers and that's what they wanted to keep people from watching their season premiere. I beloeve the most action packed one was season 2 finale this wasnt even near but it was good action no matter what.

    Do you know why the episode is called "A" ? is been bothering me and i dont understand.

    Also i like what you said about Rick changing. Everything started is season two at the end when he said "This Isn't a Democracy Anymore" he was doing things for everyone but now he understood that he needed to do more to take care of Carl, he always had wanted to keep him "safe" not to become i'm gonna say a "monster?" that have to kill everyone but in a world like that thay have to do things to stay alive and i think that was also the meaning of so many flashbaks right? like to see what is right and what is wrong, what can you do to stay away from a killing path, how you can change from one person to another in just minutes and how does that change you.



    I'm upset with all the terminus part evreything looks so good to be true and then all those writtings on the walls and floor was just a clear warning that they are always first and no other person will come to "damage" what they have but what do they have? i notice while they were running those remainings of animals or people or whatever and also screams from the other containers that were there.


    And c'mon WHERE THE HELL IS BETH? who has her? i now believe that whoever took her is not from terminus and why Carol, Tyresse and Judith didnt arrive i thought they were close.

    ReplyDelete
  38. SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!!!! Great season finale, great review. I never read the comics either, but the second i heard of Terminus i thought bad things and then when i saw them cooking "meat" in the episode before the finale i was like......hmmmmmmm i havent seen any cows around or any other big animals aside from the occasional deer. They gotta be grilling people. Then after the finale i was like yup, gotta be people, when they ran by the bones that sealed the deal for me. Cant wait to see Rick flip his wig on these fools come the season opener.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Also the shot of someone pushing their food around on the plate not wanting to eat it. Conscience maybe?

    ReplyDelete
  40. Thanks for the commenting. I can't wait to see what happens next. Rick promised a reaction, and he's not the type to make empty threats. Plus, we still have question marks with a number of other characters. I have a feeling next season's opener may be more popular than this finale. So much potential!

    ReplyDelete
  41. Thanks for the comments! On the question of "A," I don't have anything other than it was the name of the boxcar. I feel like we got a lot of hints and teases about Terminus in this episode, which will be explained more when we come back next fall. This may fall into that category.


    I have to say, I'm feeling a little more confident that Beth is still alive after this episode than I was before. And I think the reason for that is is that I saw the loss of Beth as the pivotal point to drive Daryl in a certain direction. Now that Daryl is back safely in Rick's camp, there's not as much reason to kill her off.


    We heard cries from help from a boxcar that the group was running past as they were being shot at. I'm wondering if maybe part of our missing group might be in that boxcar? It's going to be a long summer wait!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Thanks for sharing. I noticed those powered milk wrappers, but I wasn't sure what significance I should apply to it. That's a good theory that they could point to a baby. If yes, why were they moved?

    ReplyDelete
  43. Yeah, I noticed that the people there didn't seem thrilled with the food. I wonder what the community is like there - whether everyone is of the same mindset or whether there are differences of opinion. It could be a very fascinating to get a deeper look into that community next season. I hope they spend at least one or two episodes doing that, the way we spent a couple of episodes with Brian's new group.

    ReplyDelete
  44. That wagon could be a place where they do a triage of people, and they may be in one of those containers where we heard people inside.
    Or as Mary pointed out they might just use the milk powder to fattening up the people.

    ReplyDelete
  45. I think you may be right. I'd like to hope they don't leave people in there for too long. I know this is TV, but there are not bathroom facilities in there!

    ReplyDelete

NOTE: Name-calling, personal attacks, spamming, excessive self-promotion, condescending pomposity, general assiness, racism, sexism, any-other-ism, homophobia, acrophobia, and destructive (versus constructive) criticism will get you BANNED from the party.