SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched tonight's episode of The Walking Dead, don't read any further!
As season finales go, this one left me completely and utterly speechless. It was a subtle, yet powerful episode that was atypical in terms of shock value. There wasn't an onslaught of deaths and the violence was a bit tame for a season finale but the writing and character development was off the charts. The theme of this episode and the season overall was change. Throughout this season and more specifically in tonight's episode, we saw how our survivors attempted to change and adapt to their new community. Some of these changes were mitigated by the trauma they've experienced prior to their arrival at Alexandria while other changes were caused by the group's interactions with Deanna and her people.
"Conquer" was a complex episode of multiple layers, one which I will attempt to peel away:
As season finales go, this one left me completely and utterly speechless. It was a subtle, yet powerful episode that was atypical in terms of shock value. There wasn't an onslaught of deaths and the violence was a bit tame for a season finale but the writing and character development was off the charts. The theme of this episode and the season overall was change. Throughout this season and more specifically in tonight's episode, we saw how our survivors attempted to change and adapt to their new community. Some of these changes were mitigated by the trauma they've experienced prior to their arrival at Alexandria while other changes were caused by the group's interactions with Deanna and her people.
"Conquer" was a complex episode of multiple layers, one which I will attempt to peel away:
RICK: The character who arguably experienced the most change since the series inception experienced yet another drastic transformation both physically and mentally during Season five. The new clean-shaven Rick wasn't playing with a full deck this season and with each passing episode, he slowly started to become unhinged from sanity. Rick in the latter half of the season most closely resembled Morgan from the season four episode "Clear" and the significance of that character's arrival in Alexandria is supposed to signal Rick's own journey back to sanity. Further, Rick's speech at the end of the episode echoes the idea that in order to survive, one must change and adapt in order to survive. Rick's ever changing persona made it possible for him to convince Deanna who after the loss of her husband that she too must change. This realization was solidified when she gave Rick permission to murder Pete.
Michonne: The character who most wanted to assimilate to the lifestyle established by the Alexandrians realized that the rules of the pre-apolocalyptic world no longer applied. She let her guard down when she hung up her katana. The price of doing so gave Pete the opportunity to steal her sword and kill Deanna's husband. It is interesting to note though, that without Michonne, Rick would have gone down a different path than the one he did in the finale. She was the one who kept him "sane" long enough to realize that taking over Alexandria was unethical and immoral. At the end of the episode we see Michonne reclaim the katana and by extension her previous persona.
Glenn: The character who refused to change. Glenn who was still reeling from the loss of Noah did not give into his temptation in murdering Nicholas in the woods even after he almost got him killed. If he had chosen to pull the trigger, he would be no different from Nicholas. In this refusal, Glenn remains, in my opinion, the most innocent character of Rick's group.
Sasha: The character who could not accept. Sasha is the archetypal character of grief. The viewers have watched Sasha through all the stages of grief. She lost Bob, Tyreese, and Noah within weeks of each other and could not accept their deaths and as a result became "dead" herself. She didn't want to feel, so she killed. That final moment when she went to Father Gabriel for repentance was her cry for help; her chance to finally accept.
Father Gabriel:The character who could not forgive. Father Gabriel was the most ironic character this season because as a priest he is supposed to provide guidance but he himself was lost due to what he had done. He could not forgive himself for choosing to sacrifice his parishioners in order to save himself and the guilt was eating him alive. He wanted to die and did everything he could to get himself killed. In a weird twist of fate it was Sasha's cry for help that made him realize that he is needed by the Alexandrians and has something to offer.
Carol: The strongest character of them all. Carol undoubtably has grown the most out of all the characters throughout the course of the show. She started as a battered wife in season one and in season five proved to be the savior. She saved everyone at Terminus and realized first that Pete was a problem. Her ingenious manipulation of the townspeople in Alexandria solidified her as a possible leader if and when Rick was ever unable to lead. She also had the best line of the episode in her confrontation with Pete, "you're a small, weak nothing and with the world the way it is, you're even weaker."
The climatic end to season five heralded in a "new" changed Alexandria that begun with the death of one of the town's original founders. How will Rick and the others shape this new community? We'll have to wait until October for season six to find out that answer.
Until then, the wolves are near...
Walker 2
Michonne: The character who most wanted to assimilate to the lifestyle established by the Alexandrians realized that the rules of the pre-apolocalyptic world no longer applied. She let her guard down when she hung up her katana. The price of doing so gave Pete the opportunity to steal her sword and kill Deanna's husband. It is interesting to note though, that without Michonne, Rick would have gone down a different path than the one he did in the finale. She was the one who kept him "sane" long enough to realize that taking over Alexandria was unethical and immoral. At the end of the episode we see Michonne reclaim the katana and by extension her previous persona.
Glenn: The character who refused to change. Glenn who was still reeling from the loss of Noah did not give into his temptation in murdering Nicholas in the woods even after he almost got him killed. If he had chosen to pull the trigger, he would be no different from Nicholas. In this refusal, Glenn remains, in my opinion, the most innocent character of Rick's group.
Sasha: The character who could not accept. Sasha is the archetypal character of grief. The viewers have watched Sasha through all the stages of grief. She lost Bob, Tyreese, and Noah within weeks of each other and could not accept their deaths and as a result became "dead" herself. She didn't want to feel, so she killed. That final moment when she went to Father Gabriel for repentance was her cry for help; her chance to finally accept.
Father Gabriel:The character who could not forgive. Father Gabriel was the most ironic character this season because as a priest he is supposed to provide guidance but he himself was lost due to what he had done. He could not forgive himself for choosing to sacrifice his parishioners in order to save himself and the guilt was eating him alive. He wanted to die and did everything he could to get himself killed. In a weird twist of fate it was Sasha's cry for help that made him realize that he is needed by the Alexandrians and has something to offer.
Carol: The strongest character of them all. Carol undoubtably has grown the most out of all the characters throughout the course of the show. She started as a battered wife in season one and in season five proved to be the savior. She saved everyone at Terminus and realized first that Pete was a problem. Her ingenious manipulation of the townspeople in Alexandria solidified her as a possible leader if and when Rick was ever unable to lead. She also had the best line of the episode in her confrontation with Pete, "you're a small, weak nothing and with the world the way it is, you're even weaker."
The climatic end to season five heralded in a "new" changed Alexandria that begun with the death of one of the town's original founders. How will Rick and the others shape this new community? We'll have to wait until October for season six to find out that answer.
Until then, the wolves are near...
Walker 2
