Reviewed: The Walking Dead - 'A'

There will be spoilers ahead, so read on at your own risk...

The Walking Dead Season 4 finale was not exactly what I expected it to be: they carried on their theme of just focusing on one group and character development, this time, unsurprisingly it was Rick, Carl and Michonne. I was expecting an episode featuring all of the groups with them all finding each other at Terminus. That didn't exactly happen, but it doesn't mean the episode wasn't great, because it was...

The finale however, did leave us with a lot of unanswered questions, it seemed more like a mid-season finale or just a standard episode especially when you compare it to the Season 4 mid season finale, 'Too Far Gone' which felt like a Season finale itself. I think they went that way because so many fans were frustrated with the Season 3 finale. The whole season was building up to this battle at the end between the people of Woodbury and the prison and it just fizzled out in to disappointment, 'Too Far Gone' rectified that but I can't help but feel the writers would have preferred to progress the story further than they have done.

The goal of the finale was emphasise the change in Rick since they left the prison. They show flashbacks from when Hershel tried to get Rick to focus on starting a farm and they try to get Carl to help as Rick becomes worried how desensitized Carl is to the things they have to do to survive now. We then go back to the present day were the group hear someone screaming for help, Carl runs toward the screams but when Rick sees the amount of 'Walkers' surrounding the man, he stops Carl from helping as he wouldn't risk his son getting hurt leaving the man to be torn to pieces. In the earlier years of the show you would have expected Rick to help, he was the sheriff’s deputy before this all started and for some time he still acted like that. But not anymore.

While traveling to Terminus, Joe's group that Daryl was with finds Rick, Michonne and Carl. Rick had killed one of their members back when the group was at their house and Joe's group was seeking revenge. They were going to rape Carl and Michonne and kill Rick for what he did. Daryl's words were not enough to convince Joe to not kill Rick and Joe told a couple of his guys to beat Daryl to death. Rick and Michonne were at gun point and Carl was in a predicament of his own, with no options left, Rick knew he had to anything he could to save Carl so he did the only thing he could after Joe grabbed him, ripping a chunk out of Joe's neck. It was brilliant. The shot goes in to slow motion for a few moments after it happens just to let the audience let sink in what had just happened.

Michonne then uses the confusion to turn the gun and shoot her attacker and Daryl manages to turn the tables on the guys beating him. All that was left then was Carl's attacker and Rick picked up a knife and made sure it wasn't over quick, he made him pay for what he was about to do to Carl. Rick's transformation from the good guy to a remorseless killer that would do anything to protect his son was complete. It was one the darkest and most memorable scenes in the show's history.

With Daryl now with the group, they finally reach Terminus and it seems like it may be the sanctuary that it was described as. But when Rick spots items that belonged to Maggie and Glen he realizes that something isn't right here. He holds up one of the people from Terminus who had Glen's watch and when they open fire, Rick and co try to escape, only to be lead in to a creepy candle room with names written on the floor that only raises more questions about what on earth is going on at Terminus. They eventually get cornered and are forced to enter a container were they find Glen, Maggie, Bob, Sasha and the others who had also being captured. It was the reunion we all wanted in the finale but it didn't happen like we expected.

Rick then proclaims that “They’re screwing with the wrong people...” to end the Season. 

Obviously the cliffhanger ending was frustrating, and the finale did leave us with more questions than answers; what is going on at Terminus? Why are they capturing people and keeping them alive? Are they cannibals? Is Beth barbeque? Why haven't we seen Tyreese, Carol and Judith since 'The Grove'? And we of course have no idea what is ahead in Season 5, I personally hope we eventually see Rick and the group aid Abraham (played by Michael Cudlitz from Band of Brothers) and king of the mullet, Eugene get to Washington.

After a slow start to the second half of Season 4, it was great to see the show end with three great episodes to leave us fans looking forward to the return of the show. The Walking Dead's return to form is due to the theme of the show being like it was in the first few Seasons, focusing on darkness and reality of the situation they're in while having plently of tension. The show has actually become fairly similar to the Telltale Walking Dead video game (which you should absolutely play if you haven't) again in that respect.

This episode was a great end to the Season, Season 5 returns to our screens later this year on AMC in the US and FOX in the UK.