First we're going to talk about Rick going all Papa Bear mode. WELCOME BACK BAD ASS RICK. I'm not sure if you guys caught the fact that Carl was almost raped, because if you didn't know what you were looking for chances are you may have missed it. I know a few people did and went back and rewatched the scene when I pointed it out. Dude who pulled him out of the truck flipped him over on his back and you heard him unbuckle his pants. That was the point when Rick went nuts. His entire life right now is keeping Carl alive, so you bet he didn't take kindly to the thought of his son being raped in general, let alone in front of him while he was helpless. He took a page out of the walkers book and bit Joe's throat out. Mmm... tastes like chicken. (Which if you watch Talking Dead you know that it was chicken, and raw chicken at that. *gag*) This scene was by far one of my favorites in the entire show and definitely a turning point. At this moment you realize that Rick will literally do ANYTHING to keep his family safe, which is bad news for Terminus.
I'm sure the rape scene was uncomfortable for a lot of people, but I have to say I'm stoked they went there. After killing off Lizzy (Look at the flowers sweetheart.) a lot of people were disturbed. Killing walker kids they could handle, but straight up shooting a little girl? A lot of people were wondering how dark they were willing to take the show, and the attempted rape of Carl tells me that it's pretty fucking dark. And Rick's response to it was almost even darker. Which I'm thrilled about because along with being a show about zombies and surviving, it's really a show about human nature. What people will do when there's no right or wrong, nobody to answer to but themselves, and human nature isn't always pretty. I think it's important for people to realize this. You can't trust everyone, and in a postapocalyptic situation you really can't. I don't think the zombie apocalypse is really going to happen (anytime soon at least) but it's important to remember that in life and death situations, when it comes to keeping the people you care about safe you're capable of just about anything. Even if it's biting through some dude's neck.
I also want to take a minute and say that Daryl got so many more cool points with me than he already has. To volunteer to be taken instead of Rick, says a lot about how he views himself and how he sees Rick. It's obvious that he doesn't see himself as the good guy he is, even though him willing to sacrifice himself shows just how good he's become. He may have started the series off not giving a fuck aboout anyone and as a lone wolf, but he has a family that he'd be willing to die for now. I love that. A lot. What Rick said about Daryl being his brother is spot on.
Moving on, the fact that they hid those guns outside the gate is REALLY going to come in handy for them next season. One thing about the walking dead you have to remember is that every detail is important. Someone could forget to shut a door this episode, and it comes back and bites them (quite literally) three episodes down the road. I'm not sure how they're going to come into play, but they will. We're leaving the comic storyline a bit with the whole Terminus thing, but I'm excited to see what the writers come up with.
Terminus itself is obviously bad news and filled with cannibals. There are still people questioning this but I don't see how it's not obvious to them. Even if I hadn't read the comics I would have picked up on the fact that they ate people pretty quickly, and the hints they gave in the episode made it glaringly obvious to me for a few reasons.
1) They take in survivors, yet there are only a few people there. I LOVED how Rick realized they had his people's shit and went all beast mode activated on their ass. It took him half a second to recognize Hershel's watch and know that his people had been there, and weren't in sight so obviously something was wrong. I may have started yelling at the TV at this point, something along the lines of GET 'EM! GET 'EM!
2) While they were running away from the bullets, did you notice they were being herded? I saw a few comments of "wow they've got crappy aim." Uhm, no. With how many people were shooting at them do you really think they'd be alive if they didn't want them to be? And why would they want to keep them alive? How are going to keep a body fresh to eat if it's dead? It's not like they've got big meat lockers they can store the people in. If you noticed outside of the train car there was a package of food. Why would they be feeding them if they were just going to kill them? Gotta keep the meat on thier bones.
3) The most obvious hint.
That shit is straight butchered clean. Not a piece of meat on those bones. That's not the work of walkers, that's straight up human evil at play here. Ribs anyone?
I'd say like anyone else who watched the show my absolute favorite part was the ending. I loved that they all (minus Carol, Tyresse, Judith, and Beth) were reunited. That group is filled with some bad ass mother fuckers and as Rick so eloquently put,
I can't wait to see what they come up with now that they're all together again. It's going to be pretty bad ass I can tell you that.
I do have to say I was pretty happy my prediction about Glen and Maggie was wrong. At least for the season finale. It breaks my heart but I honestly think one of them is going down next season.
Things I'm looking forward to next season:
I can't wait to find out if Beth was really eaten, or who has her. I'm pretty sure that it was the Terminus people, but they're going to have to have the group find her or find a piece of her at least. I would say there's no way they'd just leave us always questioning "BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO BETH!?" But then again, it's possible. I'm pretty sure Scott Gimple and Steven Moffat are related someway, because they both enjoy giving you the feels for people and then ripping them away from you. Maybe they're satan's spawn? I digress.
I also look forward to hopefully Carol, Tyresse, and Judith getting back up with the group at some point. I'm torn on when I want this to be though. I think Carol and Tyresse would be extremely helpful in an escape/Terminus ass kicking, but I also feel like I need baby Judith to stay safe and she won't be if she's there. Now unlike others who want her safe because she's a baby, I'm more selfish on my reasoning. I want to see her grow up. I'm curious on what the psychological implications would be of growing up after the world went to shit. Is she going to be a psychopath like Lizzy? Is she going to think it's perfectly normal to kill people when you have a disagreement? Is she going to see the walkers as as much of a threat as the group does, or will they be more like wild animals to her, something that's always been there?
I'm pretty stoked for the introduction of Father Gabriel as well. I'm pretty sure he'll be showing up next season and I won't tell you anything about him, just that I hope he's going to be included in the storyline. I really want Isah Washington to play him.
I think one of the biggest things next season is going to be that the people are much more of a threat than the walkers are now. The walkers are predictable. They will try to kill you, you know how they'll try to kill you, and there's no question about it. But the people are different. People can manipulate, lie, steal, etc. they're fickle and can change loyalties pretty quickly. People are unpredictable, and in these situations that's more terrifying than the zombies.
Question Time:
I wanna know you're thoughts.
What do you think of the three new people in the group, are Eugene, Rosita, and Abraham to be trusted? Do you think that Tara will be able to get over her guilt now that she's reunited Glenn and Maggie? Is anyone else hoping that Sasha and Bob get it on? Do you think Rick and Carl will be able to fix their relationship? Do you think Beth was eaten? What are your predicitions? What's the biggest threat right now? Does anyone else want Daryl to either get a girlfriend of some sort or have a dog? I feel like he should have some compainionship of his own.
