User Reviews

I believe it important to point out that the major spoiler of this episode was spoiled for me. Thanks to the wonderful people operating The Walking Dead's Facebook page, I was writhing in fury early this morning when (accidentally) I came across a picture of Daryl holding Beth with the caption "RIP Beth". Needless to say my day was from there ruined...

Given that I knew Beth would die from the outset, I had a different perspective from most viewers whilst watching this episode. I paid close attention to the conversations between Dawn and Beth, as I imagined it would be her who would result in Beth dying. And I didn't see the two distancing themselves; rather, they became closer and seemed to bond - especially with the struggle between the other officer whom Beth ends up sending to his death (which she previously said that she would never do).

Beth and Dawn cooperate, even share a drink, yet end up getting one another killed. Typical with TWD, this is paradoxical as both have saved one another at some point. This may have been exasperating for some viewers to watch as it seemed that the two were similar, as Dawn points out. But there is reasoning for this: the two characters had completely opposing values and mindsets.

The ending was not, therefore, unpredictable (I do realise that having known the ending before it came may make my point seem invalid) as Dawn quite clearly was struggling to regain authority and respect within her group. Take the fight between herself and her fellow male officer by the elevator shaft as an example: Dawn essentially said that there was no way both of them were walking out of it alive, as doing so would undermine Dawn's position and authority, and she quite clearly feared following in the footsteps of her predecessor. Even the two hostage-cops admitted that there was no chance of Dawn accepting the trade-off as she'd be too concerned that allowing Rick to dictate the outcome of the situation would show her officers she could easily be bullied.

This indicates Dawn's fierce desire to remain in control and, further, to have the upper hand in every situation: balance does not satisfy Dawn as it indicates equality, and where there is equality, no single person is entirely in control. This is what we witness in the penultimate scene of the episode as she simply does not accept a fair trade-off of 2 survivors for 2 cops. She demands more to show her fellow (subordinate) officers that she is in charge and will be respected; however, we, the viewers, know very well that Rick (an ex-officer too) will not cave in to the demands of a stranger. And whereas Dawn has allowed herself to become corrupt with the apocalypse, allowing her to demand more than she bargained for, Rick is still a man of his word and a man of justice. He refused to let Noah be taken by Dawn, although his reasoning was not the same as Dawn's (to show his group he was in charge) his reasoning was for fairness and respect of the deal they originally had.

Therefore we already know that things cannot end well when the two Sheriffs come together to make a compromise: one hell-bent on gaining the upper hand and one too stubborn out of a desire for justice to allow that to happen. We gather that when Dawn is placed in front of her officers and expected to act, she will do so out of what is ultimately best for her, and not what she knows is right.

In addition, Dawn says she used to be like Beth, however Beth has not yet allowed herself to become so polluted by the apocalypse that her values are corrupt, as Dawn's now are. Beth, like her father before her, has a strong moral compass and a set of values which are (seemingly) impenetrable. Therefore, at this sudden turn of events when all seemed to be going so well and Dawn demands more, Beth cannot accept it and lets her morals take control.

That being said, all throughout the episode I was hoping that the ending I knew was coming, would not. Despite all evidence pointing towards a not-so-simple (because they never are in TV shows) trade-off, the optimist within me cheered once Rick turned his back to leave and it seemed as though everyone would make it out alive. But then again, would the episode have been that satisfying if they had all walked away with no shots fired? Perhaps since they would have been reunited, perhaps not...

What makes it all the more heartbreaking is that Rick tried to suggest an alternative plan time and time again, yet it was Daryl, arguably one of the most eager survivors to see Beth alive again, who pushed for the trade-off which inevitably led to her death. Which can surely only lead to some deep (and probably dull) conversations in a future episode between Maggie and himself in which he explains his guilt.

Once more, we are left with a bleak outlook on this apocalyptic world, feeling - just as the characters are - that nothing will ever improve...or will it?

The mid season finale for the fifth season of THE WALKING DEAD did not end with an all out blood bath like the battle of Terminus that opened this season, but that bullet going through Beth's has to be one of the most traumatic moments ever in a series filled with them. And the amazing thing was that it hurt so bad despite it not being that much of a surprise: Beth, like her father, Herschel Green, and even further back, Dale, was a character who had managed to hold on to their humanity and keep their moral center. And on this show, those characters have a very high mortality rate to say the least.

Beth had gone through quite a character arc from the farm girl who attempted to slit her wrists back in Season 2 to the girl who got drunk with Darryl and held her own against Officer Dawn Lerner, the cop who doesn't realize there is no more job to do. If she wasn't one of TV's stock "strong women," then certainly she was a great "brave woman." All praise to Emily Kinney for a terrific performance.

The other thing to take away from this mid season show is just how brutal Rick Grimes has become; after the way he dispatched Officer Lamson, I think Shane would be impressed. Same for the rest of the group, they are a truly hard core and brutal family of survivors (just ask Gareth and the Termites) and anybody who crosses them had better beware. In there own way they have become as frightening as any of the villains they've encountered in past seasons.

What the hell was Father Gabriel doing going to that school? To see Bob's leg? This fool nearly got himself, along with Carl, Michonne and Baby Judith killed, but seeing the Walker get its face split was one of the highlights of the show. I think everyone caught the irony of him having to beg to be let back into his own church after baring the doors to his desperate flock during the Zombie Apocalypse.

Wouldn't it have been a better to have followed Rick's original plan and sneaked into the hospital, slit a few throats if necessary and resort to guns blazing if it came to that, rather than Tyreese's idea to capture and exchange hostages.

And Christine Woods's Officer Dawn will have to go down as one of the all time great control freaks, if only she hadn't pushed the issue of Noah just to prove she was in charge, everyone would have gone their separate ways only slightly worse for the wear.

Now the group is reunited (yet again), but the future looks more grim than ever; how far to the Alexandria Safe Zone? And Negan? And when is Morgan going to catch up to the group? Not until the season finale by the way things are going.

This is the eighth episode and mid-season finale of the fifth season of the Walking Dead. This wasn't an action shootout as we had in previous mid-season finales, but this episode is more of a tense cat-and-mouse game involving prisoner exchanges. But this was also a very sad episode as another important character dies. I may have been annoyed with Beth at times, but there is no denying her importance. The reactions of Daryl and Maggie at the end was just so heart-wrenching.

In this episode, "Coda," Rick chases after the officer who escaped and hits him with a car after he refuses to stop. Meanwhile, they plan a prisoner exchange with Dawn, which will eventually go awry. Back at the church, Father Gabriel escapes and he runs into trouble with walkers as he leads them back to the church where Michonne and Carl are standing guard.

Overall, this is a different kind of midseason finale from what I am used to, but I enjoyed it. It is one of the saddest episodes to date and although I am sad Beth is gone, they handled her death quite well. Now I'm wondering how the survivors will deal with the aftermath.

My Grade: A+

Rick hunts Officer Bob Lamson down and hits him with the police car since he does not stop running. He is badly injured and Rick is forced to kill him. Meanwhile Father Gabriel is chased by a horde of walkers and forces Michonne and Carl to open the front door of the church compromising the place. However they flee from the church with Judith and trap the walkers inside the place. Out of the blue, Abraham's group returns and protects them. In Atlanta, Officers Shepherd and Licari agree to help Rick and his group, telling that Lamson was attacked by rotters. Rick negotiates the trade of Carol and Beth per Shepherd and Licari in the hospital. Everything seems to be resolved when a tragedy happens.

"Coda" is the great but sad finale of this short first part of the Season Five of "The Walking Dead". Rick's negotiation is extremely tense but unfortunately the ambiguous Officer Dawn is gone since she was a promising character. On the other hand, Beth's reaction was not smart and provoked the tragedy in the end. Maggie's reaction when she sees what has happened in the hospital is heartbreaking. Now we have to wait until February of the next year to follow the journey of these survivors. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Coda"

Note: On 19 April 2016, I saw this show again.

The Walking Dead season 5 episode 8 Coda' YWhyyyyyy do you always take the good ones, The Walking Dead!?!? I'm shaking my fists at you so hard right now, I could probably shatter a Shake Weight! "Coda" wrapped up the first half of Season 5 by killing off another character, because that's what happens on The Walking Dead. Unfortunately, it was someone I'd taken quite a shine to: Beth, who's been one of my favorites since The Walking Dead decided to make her a real human being instead of blonde zombie chow. And even more unfortunately, her death was shocking (In a good way!), really sad, plainly shocking (well, mostly shocking and sad), and seemingly done just because the show wanted to upset fans as they started to like the character as she was progressing really well! :( But brilliant haters and critics do one you are all boring and out numbered by us fans who still enjoy the show very much! ITS NOT ABOUT ZOMBIES ITS ABOUT HOW THEY SURVIVE IN THE APOCALYPSE!!!!!! :)

Goodbye Beth, you finger-flipping, Peach Schnapps-wanting, moonshine-chugging, campfire-singalong-ing, baby-sitting, cabin-burning, bullshit-calling badass. You will be missed. :) OH AND MORGAN AT THE END AWESOME MAKES THE EPISODE EVEN BETTER!!! 10/10

We've reached the conclusion of the different story lines that have definitely shocked, surprised and saddened the audience, it's the mid season finale. I can definitely say it wasn't as good as "Too Far Gone", the season four mid season finale but it was worth watching just to find the last piece of the puzzle to this half of the season. A very sad episode indeed with the different scenes that occur but watching the group come all this way for this to happen was painful for the audience to witness. The cinematography was clever and unique as a certain technique was used to portray the atmosphere in a certain scene which I will elaborate later in this review. Characters released secrets and the episode went in depth to their journey to Terminus and what happened after the prison which was a great use of past events still effecting them to this day. In this episode, Rick and the rest of the group are heading to Atlanta to save Beth and Carol, but when the other group want to handle things in a more violent manner, it could go from a calm trade to a battle of survivors.

It's obvious which scene concluded the episode and that was the face off between both groups in the hospital. The setting was a perfect place to do the trade due to the echoing of every movement the groups did. Not only did this build up the tension for the climax but it was enclosed, leaving no escape for anyone if things suddenly turned dangerous. The dialogue between Rick and Dawn was fantastic due to them both being involved in the police and using their language, forceful and attentive, to try and set a sense of status in the scene. There were emotional aspects to this scene such as Beth's death which was the explosion of the bomb in this scene, triggering the change of attitude. All of a sudden, two people died at once from a calm scenario. As Beth finally got her freedom and saw everyone again, she got taken away from them. Norman Reedus, the actor who plays Daryl, said "it's as if someone is dangling a carrot in front of a rabbit and just as he grabs it, it slips out of his hands into the mud..." Daryl's calmness and sensitive side to approaching this trade completely disappeared for a split second as he killed Dawn, showing that if anyone hurts the group, these are the consequences. However, his tear filled eyes as he was pointing the gun made me melancholy and emotional as you can see the struggle in the group's eyes to get here, just to find that they've lost someone. A very emotional and surprising scene to sit through.

Paying a tribute to the loss of Beth, she suddenly realised and learnt more about the hospital in this episode and the attitude they have to survival, "this is who you are until the end..." It appeared to me that the hospital was a way of giving something back for all the bad things people have done, but when Beth denies it, she claims that its just a change of situation and nothing to do with personality which is why she stood out to me. She became a sensible adult and a realist in this scene from the teenager she is and felt like she understood everything that is occurring, especially with Dawn, which was proved with her confession to the other policeman. It's almost as if Beth changed her character which the audience tries to fit in with the rest of the season and how she will become, just to see her burned down and killed. I wouldn't have minded seeing some more progression of Beth but her death was very emotional to witness, especially as she is welcomed to supposed adulthood.

The cinematography was the best thing about this episode for me, especially in the trade off scene between the two groups. A clever and common technique was used to portray the scene to the audience. This was a "Dutch shot" which is used to portray tension or psychological uneasiness, and it couldn't have gone any better with the situation that the characters were in. Using different sorts of cinematography shows this episode to be inventive which is the reason I'm so interested in it, due to the attempt of finding new ways of expression. Showing Rick and Dawn's faces with close up shots were very important, acting as the mutual feeling between them both and the seriousness of protection when it comes to their groups. The camera being filmed at an angle with the faces showed them both to have one thought; to get the rest of their group back safe and to get what they want. I loved the use of different cinematography techniques.

The narrative of this mid season has come to and end and has concluded all the different plot lines, especially as everyone came together at the end with Abraham's group returning. It was emotional to witness with Beth and Bob's death and seeing the group handling it is reckoning to the audience's affection of their favourite characters, leaving them keen to see the next half of the season. A beautifully shot and constructed episode, assisted with a "Dutch shot" to show the feeling in the atmosphere in the hallway worked to meet their intentions and the audience's satisfaction along with a "kick in the head" which is the death of Beth. I've loved this season so far, the character progression has evolved gradually but in memorable instalments and the story lines didn't disappoint the audience; the threat of The Hunters, the escape from Terminus and the danger of the big city Atlanta was very attentive the comics in some story lines whilst maintaining the quality in some improvised story lines. I look forward to reviewing the next eight episodes. Brilliantly presented.

Season 5, episode 8 of "The Walking Dead' gets a mixed review from me. The acting was great, especially Beth (Emily Kinney), Carol (Melissa McBride), Daryl (Norman Reedus), Rick (Andrew Lincoln), and many others. Although the acting was great, it's hard to make up for a dumb call to (SPOILER!) kill Beth. Her character arc lasted about 3 episodes and ended with a gunshot with about 10 minutes left in the episode. It was a wasted character who was just now finally getting her rightfully deserved screen time and a wasted first half of the season. Beth should have made it out alive.

My rating is therefore a 6.6 out of 10

After the previous disappointing season of TWD, I considered to stop watching it all together. It was once fresh, new & exciting, but now it lacks suspense & imagination. I decided to give this season one last chance. The first 2 episodes of this season drew me in: The fallout from Terminus & the arrival of a new group who were seemingly a match for Rick & the rest. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next; would the Cannibals pick them off one by one? What lead them to become Cannibals & what happened to them at Terminus?...Unfortunately this supposedly intelligent group of Cannibals lead by their charismatic leader were all killed off early on & it's been downhill since, culminating with this second-rate mid-season finale.

The biggest problem the TWD has is that it's difficult to care about the characters when they constantly act irrationally. We are 'supposed' to care that Beth died, but not when her actions can best be described as naive. Anyone with a functioning brain would know that stabbing Dawn in the shoulder with a pair of scissors, whilst surrounded by 2 opposing, heavily-armed gangs is not exactly a wise move. Am I seriously supposed to believe the Beth thought she could kill Dawn & avoid harm coming to herself, & to her people who had risked their own safety to rescue her & Carol?! All the work put into developing Beth's character this half season was all for nothing to see her die in such a pathetic fashion.

Beth's actions seem a lot more plausible compared to Father Gabriel's big day out. A guy who is so scared of walkers, & has somehow survived for so long, decided to break out of the church to walk to the school, unarmed. He then sees what remains of Bob's leg, wusses out a bit, before all the walkers at the school suddenly break out. That's just great timing, Father G obviously can't catch a break! Our favourite Priest then hobbles back to the church, leading a few dozen dead with him. Which leads us to the really moving*, yet ironic scene of him locked outside of the church, begging to be let in. Am I supposed to feel something at this point… apathy?

Ultimately Michonne & Carl give this turn of events about as much thought as the script writers. Unless they have early onset dementia you would expect them to be at least a little bit aggrieved that Gabriel's illogical & unnecessary actions have disrupted their afternoon & put their lives, & Judith's life at risk... Or not, neither of them seem in the least bit bothered. Michonne asks him what happened, & his reply is only "I had to see it".

You had to see it?

You simply had to see Bob's half eaten & badly burnt leg? If there's one thing worth risking your life for, & the people who are helping to keep you safe, it's to sneak out to take a look at a group of cannibals' leftovers.

In second place for great timing this week was the firetruck coming out of nowhere. Fresh from sulking for an episode & a half, Abraham must have some new psychic ability, as within a split second of turning into that driveway he knew where the optimum place was to park: through the church steps & block all the walkers inside, just when they were set to escape. TV gold!

A previous reviewer pointed out that a scene that should have been shown was Carol & Beth's reunion in the church. They haven't seen each other since Carol left the prison. Another interesting scene would have been the firetruck group's decision to return to the church. What would they have said to Eugene once he came round? Especially Abraham, how would he have reacted towards him? I'm pretty disappointed that there's been plenty of filler episodes, & a bunch of stuff that makes no sense, at the expense of potentially interesting & coherent story lines.

This show's not on till February now, I think I can wait till then. If I will actually bother to watch another episode.

*That was sarcasm, you know that.

From fire to ashes, there is birth, rebirth, and death...unfortunately this was the case for Beth, a beloved member of Rick's rag-tag team of survivors. Although many fans of the show have criticized the producers characterization and eventually demise of Beth, I found it spectacular to say the least. Going from a character who only either sang or watched Judith, I have been surprised about Beth's growth as a character these past two seasons. From someone who was weak, suicidal, and "didn't have what it took to survive" - according to Dawn - Beth has become a strong, smart, resilient and courageous individual that, through Daryl's teachings and her past experiences, have given her a reason to live and people to fight for. A cause to fight for. Beth's end, although expected by a mile by most, was tragic and brought tears of pain to my eyes. Not only did she stand up for Noah during "the trade", she also revealed to everyone how truly twisted Dawn was. Beth, had become a beacon of hope for the group, someone who reminded the group that they are not too far gone and that they can still hold onto their humanity. She symbolized the juxtaposition of humanity and brutality quite effectively, as she illustrated that when you care for the people you love, your family, you will do anything to save them, even if that means risking your own life in the process. Her heroic actions in saving Noah from a 'permanent imprisonment' really touched me as she was ready to go to great lengths of brutality for a cause of such meaning and such beauty.. And that is friendship. With her death, came great sadness to Rick, and the rest of the group, especially Daryl and Maggie. Although her character had potential for more deep character exploration, her end was still fitting and with her death comes new story arches for certain members of the group. How will Maggie learn to deal with the pain of losing her father and sister? How will Glenn change after seeing Beth's corpse and Maggie's sorrow? Will he become brutal like Rick or remain a moral compass like Tyresse? Will Daryl revert to his old ways and shut himself emotionally like after "Too Far Gone"? Will Tyresse realize that in order to survive, one must commit brutal acts of violence in order to live another day? Is he a liability to the group? Is Sasha going to grow more distant from her pacifist brother? Will Father Gabriel remain a liability? What will Eugene's new dynamic with the group be after he admitted to his less than glorious scam? Will Abraham become the new Shane and challenge every decision Rick makes from here on out? When will Morgan be brought into the fold of our beloved group of survivors? Is he a threat or an asset? Will Carl and Michonne's mother-son dynamic continue to grow? When will the walkers become a huge threat again? All these questions and more will hopefully be answered by seasons end.

In Memorium of Beth, a fighter and believer that there is more to life than simply surviving from day-to-day. Your hopeful, yet brutal character will be deeply missed...

My Score: Due to the predictable nature of Beth's death and predictable nature of the first season, I give the first half of season 5 a score of 8.5/10, despite the great ing character development of Beth, Daryl, Carol, the high octane action at season's start, and the new approach by Rick's group in dealing with another group (more pacifist approach)

Even when rewatching this, you just know somebody is going to die. I mean I don't think there's a mid season finale so far where someone notable didn't die. 2 had the Sophia reveal, 3 had Oscar, 4 had Hershel and now Beth for 5. Everyone's reactions to Beth's death brought tears to my eyes but ultimately I just couldn't stand Gabriel at all and my rating would have been a 9 if it weren't for his unnecessary wandering off which just did nothing but allow for Abraham & Co to save them in the nick of time and the group to all be in one place again save for Morgan who I was glad to see is getting closer.

I will never understand why this episode has such a high rating. I always found that Beth was an unnecessary character in the plot and she should have died much earlier, the problem is that the writers kill the characters in the most stupid and convenient ways, the characters constantly make stupid decisions, as is the case with Beth. I felt no pity and even when Maggie arrived crying and screamed when she saw her sister (the only family she had left alive in this world) dead in Daryl's arms. Regarding Maggie, her only relative, she never felt interested in looking for her own sister and blood, for later she felt remorse, a constant in she.

Not a good episode, and just a mediocre one, I'm not even impressed with Rick Grimes's moral swings.

One of the most powerful and epic ending. Beth death scene was epic and emotional. Daryl and Rick stood shocked seeing Beth dying, didn't know what to do, couldn't believe what happened while trying to control their anger to not kill other.

You see Rick behavior at the beginning of the episode was just astonishing. It was so good that I ignored Beth's death, not saying that it was bad.

After separation Maggie be like "where's Glenn?...where's Glenn?.... Glenn go this side... Glenn go that side." And suddenly in this episode - 'oh I remember, I've also a sister and I care for her'.

Really!!!!

I can't even express how infuriating this episode was. Usually, The Walking Dead's midseason finales have been fantastic, but this one was just awful in my opinion, in fact I actually consider it to be one of the worst episodes of the series. I'm only giving it a 3 because most of the episode was pretty good, from the beginning scene, to the fight between the cops, to Morgan returning, this could've been a great episode if 1 thing didn't happen. So during a trade, Beth decides to be really smart and stab Dawn with all the officers holding guns, and surprise, she gets shot. After that, Daryl shoots Dawn, the character that just started going through some real development that made you like her, but they literally kill her off, along with Beth, who also had a lot of potential after so much growth, just for shock value and because it's the midseason finale. Usually the shows' scenes where main characters die are really shocking, well written, and add to the story (such as Herschel's and Shane's death), but these deaths were so poorly written that it's frustrating! Why on earth would Beth think it would be a good idea to stab a cop who has so much backup, and why would the writers think it's a good idea to kill of the two characters that had just recently gone through so much development? And couldn't they have just let Maggie and Beth reunite? I don't mean to be so negative, but this show has not been too good lately. With the season's amazing premiere, I really thought this would be the best season, but I was left beyond disappointed with this first half.