The Walking Dead - A - Review : "All Roads Were Leading to This - Finale Review and Season Retrospective"

     AMC ran a Walking Dead marathon this weekend, so I thought what better time to post my review of the finale! Even for those of you who, like me, weren’t able to spend the whole weekend watching, it seems like a perfect time to reflect on season four in anticipation of season 5 which has just started shooting. I also wanted to revisit the finale before I head off to San Diego Comic Con where I hope to garner some great scoop on the new season!

    The season finale was a culmination of the brilliant acting, writing, and effects that we’ve come to expect from the show. “A” was written by the team of showrunner Scott M Gimple and Angela Kang. The episode was beautifully directed by Michelle MacLaren, who incidentally last directed the season two episode “Pretty Much Dead Already” written by Gimple. MacLaren has been busy producing and directing Breaking Bad and directing other shows such as Game of Thrones. She does a brilliant job in this episode with action, flashbacks, and beautiful close ups that echo throughout the episode, reinforcing the themes of the story.

    The flashbacks allow us to see everyone in this episode, though it primarily features Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Michonne (Danai Gurira), Carl (Chandler Riggs), and Daryl (Norman Reedus). Carol (Melissa McBride) and Tyreese (Chad L Coleman) don’t actually have any lines, but it was especially wonderful to see Hershel (Scott Wilson) again.

    I have to admit that I struggled with the significance of the title for this one: “A.” Are we to interpret it as an open question – “a....”? Certainly, one of the themes that runs throughout the episode is the struggle that the four characters have with what they are and whether they are a monster. Perhaps, we are to finish the thought with “A Trap.” Hunting and trapping are also themes that run through the episode. Could it be a reference to a grade? As in a passing or failing grade in how you survive? Is it a reference to grade “A” meat? Certainly, one of the chief differences between the group at the prison and the group at Terminus has to be how they’ve chosen to feed themselves. Or is “A” simple the singular indefinite pronoun meant to be a contrast to the previous week’s title of “Us”?

    The flashbacks highlight some of the major events of the season, and we hear Rick’s voice over them: “We’ve all done the worst kind of things just to stay alive.” The question then becomes who really has done the worst thing? As the episode plays out, we are clearly meant to draw that parallel between the group (our group) at the prison and the group at Terminus. Surely, cannibalism has to be at the top of the list? There was a deleted scene that suggests there might be an alternative answer to what the Termites are doing, but it's clear they are taking prisoners, not offering sanctuary.

    The episode begins with a flashback, to reinforce that “our” group are the good guys. We see the loving reunion between Maggie (Lauren Cohen) and Hershel and between Glen (Steven Yuen) and Hershel. We already know that both Maggie and Glen strive to live by Hershel’s code. Hershel giving his watch to Glen is symbolic of him entrusting Glen with the future – just as Carol entrust Rick with both her watch and the future in an earlier episode. As Hershel tells Rick, he’s only interested in the here and now because he knows his time is limited.

    The opening scene takes us back before the horrific events of the season – we see Carol and Tyreese walking together as friends. Things at the prison are stable – in contrast to Rick and Michonne’s conversation over the rabbit later in the episode when they comment on the fact that they don’t talk about anything but food anymore – when every day is a struggle to survive, you must live in that moment with no thought to how you are living. Hershel has the time to look at Carl and wonder what kind of future there is for him.

    There are two wonderfully parallel flashbacks. Hershel comes to Rick and asks him to come with him – telling him he can leave his gun. He takes him out and shows him where they can start to grow their own food. Hershel tells Rick that the war is over – at least for him. Hershel shows Rick that he has a more important job – to show Carl the way. Will it be only how to kill to survive or how to nurture life as well. Will Carl’s life be only more killing or will it be more than that? Rick responds that changing things inside the prison, doesn’t change things outside. Hershel agrees, but points out that they are here today and it’s a good place to start. It’s also, of course, a metaphor for what one is on the inside. That goodness inside them that may have to be tamped down to let the monster out to stay alive, but if the part of them that is still human isn’t nurtured, isn’t fed, it will die and they will be only monsters.

    The scene between Hershel and Rick is paralleled by a similar one between Rick and Carl. Hershel has been a father-figure to Rick which just reinforces this parallel as Rick attempt to pass Hershel’s wisdom to Carl. When Rick comes to get Carl, he sees Patrick (Vincent Martella) playing with some legos that he’d found for Carl. Carl on the other hand is cleaning his gun – underscoring his flight from childhood by soaking up the gun oil with a coloring book. I’d love to know if that touch came from the writers or the director – sound off in the comments if you know! In the end, of course, Carl survives while Patrick does not. Rick tells Carl exactly what Hershel told him, leave the gun – “It’ll just get in the way.” Rick also leaves his own gun this time.

    The final flashback shows Hershel, Rick and Carl working the soil, while Beth (Emily Kinney) looks on with Judith. As they are working, Carl’s sheriff’s hat falls off as he sheds some of that identity. Rick jokingly picks it up and puts it on Beth’s head, saying there’s a new sheriff in town. I’m really, really hoping that this is foreshadowing that Beth is not only alive, but that she’s going to be instrumental in helping to rescue the rest of the group. On the other hand, as a young woman, holding a baby, she is also clearly a symbol of the future of the human race, and Beth’s gently, innocent nature is what they are trying to preserve. The future resides in Beth, Carl, and Judith for Hershel and Rick.

    The first flashback ends with a close up of Rick killing walkers at the prison fence and cuts to a close up of his bloody hands in the present. We then have a long shot of him sitting against the suv – all in complete silence. It ends with a close up of his right eye. And this becomes an important shot throughout the episode as MacLaren returns to it. The eyes are the mirror to our soul after all – reinforcing the theme throughout of how characters see themselves and how the world sees them. Even Rick’s final words in the episode echo this: “They’re screwing with the wrong people.” The people of Terminus have mis-judged them, haven’t seen them.

    We are left to wonder whether Rick is the only one left alive and what he did to get so bloody as the next thing we see is Rick, Michonne, and Carl at their campsite. They are all hungry, but Rick has set snares. He takes them both to show them how it’s done – to show them how to feed themselves. Rick shows them how to set the trap, how to funnel the rabbits into the hidden noose. Not only does this reinforce the theme of food – all humans are food for walkers and must still find a way to feed themselves, but the monsters at Terminus are hunting their own kind.

     The trap at Terminus is really identical to the rabbit snare. This is made explicit when Alex (Tate Ellington) tells them, in reply to Daryl’s question about how long they’ve been there, that they’ve been there almost since the start. He tells them that “people just find it. It’s like instinct...” Just as rabbits will follow a path through the woods, people will follow train tracks – and the sound of other humans offering help and sanctuary. Michonne asks why they let people in, and Alex answers that it makes them stronger. We’ve seen that being alone is not an option – it’s one of the reasons Rick absolves Daryl from joining up with Joe (Jeff Kober) and his men – but the people at Terminus are made literally stronger by newcomers because they eat them!

    Carl worries about what to tell the people of Terminus so that they’ll be accepted. He asks Rick and Michonne what they are supposed to tell them: “Are we going to tell them the truth? What we’ve done?” Rick reassures him that they’re going to tell them “who we are.” Who they are is more complicated than simply what they’ve done. The most important question in the group’s three part test has always been “Why.” Still, Carl worries, “How do we do that? Who are we?” It’s actually a sign of hope that Carl still doesn’t know the answer to that definitively.

    One of the interesting elements this season was how our group chose to let new people in by asking them three questions. How one judges others is a focus of this episode too as I’ve already mentioned with Rick’s last line. We also see Rick and Michonne discussing whether Terminus is a trap. Michonne is wary – as she was with the Governor. She points out to Rick that the Governor, like Terminus, let people in, promising sanctuary. This scene around the campfire is beautifully shot as it comes in for a close up of Rick and Michonne. They – and we – are so intent upon discussing Terminus that they don’t see or hear Joe and his men approach. We return to that tight focus on Rick’s right eye this time via a shot that moves down the barrel of Joe’s gun.

    This scene also reinforces how a code can turn out not to be a good one. They are there to avenge Lou’s (Scott Dale) death. A quick shout out to all the brilliant performances in this scene – Lincoln, Biden (who will be missed!), Reedus, Gurira, and Chandler. The terror on Carl’s face almost turned my stomach it was so raw and hard to watch.

     I loved the look on Biden’s face when Daryl steps out of the dark (symbolic, of course, as he leaves his time in the dark to rejoin Rick in the light) to try to stop him from killing Rick. Joe is crushed when Daryl “lies” to him and shows that his loyalty lies with another. And how great was Reedus as Daryl is ready to lay down his life for the others? The war going on within Rick is clear to see on Lincoln’s face, but while he might acccept his own fate, it is animal instincts that have him acting by ripping Joe’s throat out with his own teeth to save the life of his son. The scene ends on a close up of Carl’s eyes as he watches Rick kill the guy who almost raped him. It’s here that we have the flashback in which Hershel asks Rick what way he is showing Carl to live.

    We now return to the shot of Rick alone, covered in blood with the knowledge of both what he did and why he did it. He only appears to be alone – Michonne and Carl are in the suv behind him, and he is joined by Daryl, whose red bandana comes in handy to wipe the blood from Rick’s face. Daryl gently reminds him that while Rick can’t see his face, Carl can – and that can only be disturbing to Carl – as a reminder of almost losing his father and the violence they’ve been through.

    The scene between Rick and Daryl is the one I think many of us were waiting all season for. It proves how far both characters have come and how much they rely on each other. Rick outright calls Daryl his brother – after absolving him for hooking up with Joe and company. Daryl explains that they had a code – it was simple and stupid – but he thought it was enough. He tells Rick that once he realized they were going to kill and innocent person, he was going to take off on his own – which we know is almost a death sentence. Daryl tells Rick that he didn’t know what they really were – and this echoes with the conversation Rick and Michonne had about the Governor and whether to trust Terminus as legit.

    Rick tells Daryl that what happened with Joe doesn’t matter, it only matters that he’s back with them now. He tells him “that’s everything.” Daryl then tells Rick that what he did last night, anyone would have done – absolving Rick of his actions. Rick is still horrified by what he did – of the monster inside him – but he also realizes that part of him is also helping to keep him – and more importantly – Carl alive. He tells Daryl – “That’s all that matters.” It’s the why that matters.

      As Rick talks, the camera cuts to Michonne and Carl in the suv. Carl had been seeking comfort from Michonne, sleeping on her lap, but the camera gives us a close up of his open eyes as he listens to his father’s words. All of Carl’s doubts throughout the season about his father’s ability to lead and to do the hard things, seem to be answered here for him – and yet, he’s still troubled. If this monster lives within his father, does it also live within him? And is that all he is?

    Rick heeds the warnings though, and isn’t stupid enough to simply walk through the front gates at Terminus – to serve himself up on a platter as it were. Once again, Carl goes with Michonne instead of Rick. She sees that he’s troubled by what he’s heard. She tries to make him see that Rick is no different than she is – and Carl trusts her after all. We finally get the story of how Andre died and how her boyfriend and their friend ended up as her walker pets. She tells Carl, “It was sick. Felt like what I deserved. Dragging them around, so that I’d always know. I found out that they kept me safe. They hid me. The walkers didn’t see me. I was just another monster. Me: I was gone for a long time. But then Andrea brought me back. Your Dad brought me back. You did.” I was struck by the similarities with the Governor – he kept his daughter around as a penance (and also because he was crazy) – and she also hid his true self from the world – he was gone for a long time, briefly re-emerged and then descended back into a monster.

    Riggs delivers yet another brilliant performance as he confesses to Michonne that he’s not the good man that his father thinks he is. He tells her that he knows more about what Rick wanted for him but that he still has terrible thoughts – “I’m just another monster, too.” The look of fear and chilling conviction on Riggs’ face make this a powerful scene. The use of the word “just” is one of the most horrific moments – yet, if he was “just” a monster, he wouldn’t be horrified by that – he’d embrace it. There is more to Carl than even Carl knows yet because he does still worry that he’s a monster. It is the same thing that keeps Rick or Daryl or any of them from becoming a monster – there is more to them than that simple answer – there is a justified why.

    Finally, a few words about our new big bad, Gareth (Andrew J West) and the final scene. West does a great job as the smooth talker – though at times one can see his barely controlled annoyance at this new group that isn’t playing by the rules. Gareth doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice Alex – and Alex clearly knows that Gareth will do it. I’m not convinced that Gareth is quite as creepy as the Governor yet though.

     The scenes at Terminus hint at much more to learn about these people. The alter that they find to the dead, vowing on the walls, “Never again, Never trust, We first, always,” are an interesting counterpoint to the three questions of our group. It’s clear that they’ve done this many times before – perhaps the offered barbeque is drugged? Our group are wary, however, and I liked that Rick quickly recognized the backpack, riot gear, Daryl’s poncho, and of course, Hershel’s watch. It had to come back to Hershel’s watch – the symbol of the future of our group – and Rick’s connection with it.

    This is another piece of great directing and editing as we flashback from Hershel’s watch to Rick taking Carl away from cleaning his gun. We flash back to the present with a close up of Carl’s face as he levels his gun to back his father’s play. He’s committed to standing with his father. That’s already been reinforced when Alex remarks on Daryl’s appearance that he’d like to see the other guy. When asked if the other guy deserved it, Carl is the one to answer without hesitation – “yes.” He’s accepted what his father did because of why he did it.

    There was nice detail in having the cars and walls with prior bullet holes, and the crane shot to show that others had been forced down this tunnel – that looked just like the rabbit snare at the beginning of the episode. I found it really interesting that even though Rick introduces himself and the others, and Gareth calls him Rick when he’s trying to get him to release Alex, when Gareth is telling them to get into the rail car, he ceases to use their names, calling them Ringleader, Archer, Samurai, and Kid instead. Just as most people don’t name the livestock they will later eat – he’s making sure that he, and his people, remain detached. Rick notices that they are feeding the people in the cars – he sees powdered milk bags and plates, so I wonder how the people who feed them remain detached.

    The final reunion is terrific as first Glen and then the others appear out of the darkness. Lincoln is outstanding in this scene as well. He says to Glen, “You’re here. You’re here,” and the inflection in the repeated phrase says everything. The first one is clearly infused with ‘I’ve found you’ and relief and disbelief. The second one is inflected with horror – that they are all captive – but also the knowledge that there is strength in numbers – and it’s enough that they re together. The scene is split by the final flashback which shows Rick and Hershel with the children. Hershel tells Rick that it can always be like this – they can be together and peaceful. Rick replies that “It can be like this for now. That’s enough.” Rick is willing to take what he can from the here and now.

    In contrast to all the other interactions we’ve seen, it’s enough for Daryl to accept the strangers as friends when Maggie introduces them as friends who’ve helped to save them. Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) seems to be ready to give up – he’s failed in his mission and doesn’t seem to be the positive force we’ve seen him be in the past. Rick,  however, draws strength and resolve simply from having his people back together. He’s willing to hope for and fight for a future. The episode ends with a tight focus shot of Carl before focusing on a tight shot of Rick delivering that terrific last line.

    All in all, I found this to be an incredible and satisfying season finale – perhaps one of the best of the entire season. It brought to maturity the storylines from the entire season and planted the seeds for an exciting new season – even if it was a killer cliffhanger! What did you think of the episode? The season? Are you becoming the walking dead trying to live through this hiatus? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! If you have a question that you’d like asked at SD Comic Con – leave it in the comments and I’ll do my best to ask it!