The Season 5 opener for THE WALKING DEAD is one of the most explosive and truly satisfying episodes in TV history, and I give all credit to Scott Gimple for giving us a show that paid off all the plot threads so carefully weaved in the second half of Season 4. Many fans complained of the slow pacing of the show after the fall of the prison, when whole episodes were devoted to the development of a couple of characters: Darryl and Beth go to the country club while Carole and Tyreese hide out in a cabin in the woods with a couple of peculiar little girls. And then there was the interminable trek to Terminus, which culminated with Rick and the gang imprisoned inside a railroad car awaiting the tender mercies of a community of cannibals.
Well there was nothing slow about NO SANCTUARY, no sooner had Rick, Bob, Darryl and Glenn been hauled to the killing room before all hell broke loose thanks to Carole, who turns out to be the big hero of this episode; how far has she come since her first appearance way back in Season 1. The battle of Terminus takes up the bulk of the show and it is surely the longest sustained set piece action scene of the entire series, a three sided slaughter between Rick and company, the Termites and a herd of walkers bent on eating anyone they can get their rotting claws on. The poor loon freed from the pod who gets eaten seconds after being released is surely the most unlucky person in the history of a show filled with them, even poor Otis got off better. Then there was Sam, from Season 4's INDIFFERENCE, who doesn't even get a line before his throat is slit, but don't feel bad for Robin Lord Taylor, he's doing great playing The Penguin on GOTHAM.
I don't think there has been an episode filled with more truly epic moments, but I think most people will say it is the reunions in the last half hour that makes the show, the look on Darryl and Rick's faces when the first see Carole will bring tears to the eyes, as well as Rick and Carl's first glimpse of baby Judith. For me, the best moment is at the cabin when Martin, who has forced Tyreese to go outside or he'll snap Judith's neck, suddenly realizes the walkers have gone silent, it's our tip off that something badass is about to happen and we're not disappointed.
The acting from all involved was excellent, even if some of the regulars spent most of the time in the background (Tara, Rosita). Andrew J. West as Gareth, the leader of Terminus, went about his murderous business with the attitude of a middle manager, while Chris Coy as his underling Martin, a man who would kill a baby with his bare hands, has to be one of the vilest characters yet. If Coy looked vaguely familiar, it was because he was on TRUE BLOOD a few seasons back. That there were no big deaths in the escape from Terminus shows that Rick Grimes really knew what he was talking about at the end of last season when said the denizens of Terminus did not know what kind of people they were screwing with. And on the subject of Terminus, the series of brief flashbacks revealed that they were one more in a long line of ordinary or even good people driven to depravity in the wake of the Zombie Apocalypse, they join a growing list that includes Joe, the Governor, and even Shane. The sight of those tables filled with items taken from their victims-watches, children's stuffed animals-shows how low they had allowed themselves to fall.
I do wonder how Carole got all that Walker blood and guts off her face so quickly in time for the big reunion; guess even if civilization ends, a girl can still find the time to spruce herself up.
I do worry that after such a great opening act, how can the rest of Season 5 sustain the momentum, but the final scene, which gives us a long anticipated return of a favorite character, does give me great hope that we haven't seen anything yet. When will Negan show up?
Well there was nothing slow about NO SANCTUARY, no sooner had Rick, Bob, Darryl and Glenn been hauled to the killing room before all hell broke loose thanks to Carole, who turns out to be the big hero of this episode; how far has she come since her first appearance way back in Season 1. The battle of Terminus takes up the bulk of the show and it is surely the longest sustained set piece action scene of the entire series, a three sided slaughter between Rick and company, the Termites and a herd of walkers bent on eating anyone they can get their rotting claws on. The poor loon freed from the pod who gets eaten seconds after being released is surely the most unlucky person in the history of a show filled with them, even poor Otis got off better. Then there was Sam, from Season 4's INDIFFERENCE, who doesn't even get a line before his throat is slit, but don't feel bad for Robin Lord Taylor, he's doing great playing The Penguin on GOTHAM.
I don't think there has been an episode filled with more truly epic moments, but I think most people will say it is the reunions in the last half hour that makes the show, the look on Darryl and Rick's faces when the first see Carole will bring tears to the eyes, as well as Rick and Carl's first glimpse of baby Judith. For me, the best moment is at the cabin when Martin, who has forced Tyreese to go outside or he'll snap Judith's neck, suddenly realizes the walkers have gone silent, it's our tip off that something badass is about to happen and we're not disappointed.
The acting from all involved was excellent, even if some of the regulars spent most of the time in the background (Tara, Rosita). Andrew J. West as Gareth, the leader of Terminus, went about his murderous business with the attitude of a middle manager, while Chris Coy as his underling Martin, a man who would kill a baby with his bare hands, has to be one of the vilest characters yet. If Coy looked vaguely familiar, it was because he was on TRUE BLOOD a few seasons back. That there were no big deaths in the escape from Terminus shows that Rick Grimes really knew what he was talking about at the end of last season when said the denizens of Terminus did not know what kind of people they were screwing with. And on the subject of Terminus, the series of brief flashbacks revealed that they were one more in a long line of ordinary or even good people driven to depravity in the wake of the Zombie Apocalypse, they join a growing list that includes Joe, the Governor, and even Shane. The sight of those tables filled with items taken from their victims-watches, children's stuffed animals-shows how low they had allowed themselves to fall.
I do wonder how Carole got all that Walker blood and guts off her face so quickly in time for the big reunion; guess even if civilization ends, a girl can still find the time to spruce herself up.
I do worry that after such a great opening act, how can the rest of Season 5 sustain the momentum, but the final scene, which gives us a long anticipated return of a favorite character, does give me great hope that we haven't seen anything yet. When will Negan show up?