Season 5 turned out to be a really solid 16 episodes. Things started off with a bang with the escape from Terminus and they managed to keep every episode important regardless of action and death content.
This show walks on a very precarious line every week. The gore hounds want carnage all the time, so a “slower” episode often gets derided as being boring or that “nothing happened.” Something always happens though, you have to pay attention. There’s great character insight and change. Going from a death trap to the brutal environment of wandering the land took it’s toll on everyone. There were major reveals, major internal strife in the group and some very big character losses.
Alexandria itself was like adding a new character. Reintegration into a fledgling, normal society is not easy. PTSD skews everything into darkness. Â There’ s a lot there to be wary of, but a lot of that was from the baggage the group brought in with it. “Being out there too long” was the best way to put it. Big Bad Rick made serious waves and although his explosion was extreme, it was needed. I think Carol stole this season, she went through it all this year. Rambo Carol at the start, to my favorite, Incognito Carol at the end. Loved seeing Morgan! He’s like this old thread weaved into the show that may finally get his time. He’s changed a lot and might be the ground that Rick needs.
Through the madness, humanity was (mostly) held down in the end. Both Sasha and Glenn held it together when pushed. Gabriel, a ghost of a man, admitted his trauma and defeat out loud. Rick was proved right.
Major set ups for next season are well established and look to offer up some serious juice. The power at Alexandria is likely to shift, I’m looking forward to see how Morgan is used too. The Wolves are going to bring back the external group threat to the show. The later half of this season was really internal “We are the walking dead,” but this group should bring some serious external terror back. Nothing quite like really good antagonists to stir up the pot.