The Small Fries

Last night was the season finale of The Walking Dead. For those of you that haven’t watched it or are not caught up, I warn you now: SPOILER ALERT! This episode was the most exciting and nail biting episode of the whole season. We are reunited with a character who has finally found our group after months of tracking them, our paradise has found its weakness, and a member of our team has been shot. Let’s not forget about The Wolves.

Lennie James as Morgan Jones

The episode, titled Conquer, opened on our beloved character, Morgan, being confronted by a young man with a familiar “W” on his forehead. We learn that he and his partner are there to kill Morgan and take him “home.” Morgan, out of nowhere, becomes a genuine Bad A$$ and beats these two to a pulp, leaving them for dead as he continues his journey to find Rick and the others. Rick is recuperating after a fight in the previous episode and being knocked unconscious by Michonne. The town’s leader, Deanna, has called a meeting to decide whether or not Rick should be banished from the community. Throughout the entire episode, Rick reveals to Michonne that he and Carol stole more than one gun from the armory, Maggie tries to persuade Deanna to not banish Rick, and Nicholas is trying to kill Glen. Daryl and Aaron are also still out recruiting people. However, things turn south for everyone involved pretty fast.

Nicholas shoots Glen, leaving him for dead as a swarm of Walkers move in. Maggie is only able to convince Deanna’s husband Reg, and Daryl and Aaron are trapped in a car surrounded by Walkers. Michonne does stay on Rick’s side though as they prepare for the meeting. Gabriel, our back-stabbing pastor, decides to take a walk in the hopes of being attacked by Walkers and killed. Though, once he comes across one, he rapidly changes his mind and kills it instead. He is the one to thank later on in the episode for leaving the gate open and letting all the Walkers in. Thanks, Gabriel. Rick nearly misses his whole hearing while he tries to slay all the Walkers that made it through. After proving himself to the citizens of the community by telling them of their weakness, Pete decides to crash the party with Michonne’s sword claiming Rick is not one of them. He kills Reg, possibly the only true and honest character on the show. This leads to Deanna giving Rick permission to kill Pete, in front of our new arrival, Morgan. With what seemed like a consensus to keep Rick freshly decided, the episode ends on The Wolves looking at pictures of our group in the new paradise. Pictures Aaron had dropped in his escape from the horde.

Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes

This episode had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I was constantly worrying about Glen not surviving Nicholas, but instead he does. He even saves him and helps Nicholas back to the compound. I was biting my nails as Daryl and Aaron sat, trapped, in a car. This is, until Morgan came to the rescue. However, throughout the entire ninety minutes, no one had died, which made me even more apprehensive. It wasn’t until the end did someone finally lose their life. Each time I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong. Now the question remains: What is in store for Rick and the others next season? Will The Wolves find them? What will happen with Rick’s new status in the compound? Will everyone adjust to their new lifestyle Rick has proposed? This was possibly the best season finale The Walking Dead has had in a long time. I don’t want to wait until next season. Luckily, Fear the Walking Dead (premiering this summer) will be there to hold me over until Walk-tober.

--Kasey