So, that definitely happened! Last night’s highly anticipated season 5 finale of The Walking Dead was probably the biggest emotional roller coaster of the entire season…no, scratch that, since Beth’s unexpected death. No one in “our group” died, but we did see many of the subplots from the entire season conclude in compelling ways. Crazy Rick may be here to stay—at least for a while, the Michonne we all know and love comes back to us, Morgan resurfaces just in the nick of time, Glenn proves yet again that he is the better man and so much more on The Walking Dead: Conquer. Spoiler alert!
Morgan 2.0
First things first, can we say welcome back to the program Morgan? Please have a seat and stay for a while this time. Since the last time we saw Morgan, apparently a lot has changed with him. And though changes were to be expected, there was no way that I could have anticipated that he would become an expert in some sort of martial arts. It was absolutely bad-ass how he first demonstrated patience and then offered his attackers an easy escape before being forced to take their lives in the intro to the finale. Oh, but he didn’t stop there.
During a tense moment before Daryl and Aaron became zombie food, Morgan the hero, reappeared to save the day. This was not the same Morgan we first met back in season 1. This man was not afraid of anything or anyone; he was able to exercise a great deal of control that ultimately gave him the upper hand. What’s more was that he finally had caught up with members of “our group” and we all knew what that meant: it would only be a matter of time before he would once again see his friend, Rick Grimes. Touching, right?
Father Gabriel Gets a Second Chance
I have a confession to make. As awful as it is to say, I was really hoping that Sasha would kill Father Gabriel in the season finale. Although he is flawed, like every other character on the show, there is just something about his struggle with his own internal conflicts—classic man versus himself—that irks me. What’s more is that he often jeopardizes the safety of everyone else because he has yet to practice what he preaches or have more faith in his own beliefs. Perhaps that may be why the writers chose to have Sasha take mercy on him instead of putting him out of his misery. There’s much potential for character growth here.
Like many, I suspect, I was surprised to see Sasha in the chapel upon Father Gabriel’s return from yet another faith based emotional breakdown. Character breakthrough alert! Sasha had finally realized that she had lost her way. But then came the test.
Though some of us would have certainly understood if Sasha decided to go through with killing Father Gabriel after he antagonized her to do so, lucky for him Maggie came in and coerced Sasha not to go through with his execution. Will Maggie and Sasha live to regret their decision to give Father Gabriel a second chance? We shall see next season, but I suspect so.
Rick Saves the Day
It just wouldn’t be a proper season finale without Rick Grimes saving the day, right? After causing nearly everyone—even in “our group”—to lose faith in his sanity, sane Rick woke up to face the aftermath of his seemingly psychotic public episode. Not that he needed to repent for anything because by the time he made his way to the town meeting regarding his actions, thanks to Father Gabriel leaving the gate open allowing walkers to get in and Pete causing Reg’s death, Rick had all the proof he needed to make his point that the people of Alexandria need him and “our group,” just before Deanna urged him to put a bullet in his romantic rival’s head.
What Else Happened
I’m so glad Glenn is still alive after that intense altercation with Nicholas; it didn’t look so good for him for a minute there. And while it would have certainly been within his rights to leave Nicholas out in the woods to die, Glenn proved once again that he is the better man.
Also, I’m so proud of Carol and her standing up to Pete. So much has changed with her since we first met her character in season 1. She is no longer the abused, timid housewife. Now, she is stronger, both physically and mentally and a little crazy too, but I guess it’s par for the course at this point.
Our warrior Michonne is back. I think she left us briefly when they first got to Alexandria, as she began to envision a more stable life for “our group,” but after a heart to heart with Rick about his intentions, I think she finally began to wake up to the possibility that all may not be what it seems in Alexandria. In a bonus scene before The Talking Dead, we saw Michonne place her katana blade back on her back; symbolizing that the warrior is back.
Ladies and gentlemen, The Walking Dead has officially left the building! But until the next season of The Walking Dead, there is the companion series Fear the Walking Dead that will air this summer. In case you haven’t seen it, here is the trailer.