Season 5, Episode 1
Air Date: Sunday, October 12, 2014 at 9/8c on AMC
Rating:
“We’re friends of the chick with the sword and the kid with the hat.” – Carol
Tyreese is coming into his own. The wall has been broken down.
I’ve been a fan of The Walking Dead since its first season. I am not, however, well versed in the comics but I think that’s a good thing. My ignorance of the comic book inception leaves me open to interpret what the writers want us to get out of the show on my own terms. And I’m tapped into viewing each episode purely for entertainment value. I say all this to lead into my overall feelings on the season premiere of The Walking Dead. I am way too into this show. “No Sanctuary” has taken over as my favorite episode. Plain and simple, I don’t know if the writers can top this one. The opening left me speechless, in tears, and cheering for my favorite characters. While I called it about those freaky creeps in Terminus being cannibals in my review of “A,” I am nowhere near happy about that fact. There’s been plenty of gore before but “No Sanctuary” takes the cake. I still get chills just thinking about it. Oh well…
Transitions
You know there’s a story behind Terminus. The shrine room tells you as much. “Never Again. Never Trust. We First Always.” What happened to this group of individuals isn’t good. We get a glimpse of what ails the founders of Terminus, yet not all the pieces to the puzzle have fallen into place. The sanctuary promised to all was real at one time. So twisted were their circumstances, but to lead to cannibalism? I’m still lost on that one. We need more clarification, writers. I want to learn more about Terminus because it seemed like a place of solace. But it turned into more; turned into worse. Why give us such a small taste of “then” when we need an explanation of “now?” The premise of “No Sanctuary” ventures into the psyche of all the characters—what drives them, what keeps them sane, what makes them decide to cross a line. Everyone is pushed to their limit. A parallel is drawn between the crew at Terminus and the survivors we’ve come to know and love over the last four seasons. You may not think they’ve reached their breaking points, but they prove otherwise.
Things I Can’t Stop Thinking About
Still reeling from this scene.
Funny thing about this cure business. It’s not exactly what I thought it would be when Eugene (Josh McDermitt) finally spills the “classified” beans to the group. “Fire with fire.” Oo-kay. While I understand the concept, what Eugene suggests isn’t quite a cure. I’m on the fence about his importance in saving the world and ending the apocalypse. Don’t get me wrong, I like Eugene. I think he has a twisted sense of humor and his mullet kills me every time I see it. I just don’t see him making it to the end, or the need for him to. There has to be someone else out there who knows what he does. Right?
Has Carol (Melissa McBride) turned into the female version of MacGyver? Talk about badass chicks. I love this focused side of her. Carol had a goal in mind, set out to do it, and didn’t stop until said goal was achieved. She completely blew my mind. And while I don’t think she’s ready to be the group’s new leader, yet her character has grown above and beyond anything I could have imagined. The change is dramatic and kind of scary. She’s either really brave or really stupid, and her sneaky side comes in handy during her secret mission.
Not to be outdone, Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman) shows us what he’s made of. I can’t say I didn’t see it in him, I just have a hard time reconciling the two sides of his character. On the one hand he’s a gentle giant (he’s been taking care of Judith), and on the other, he turns into the Incredible Hulk when his back is against a wall. For those reasons alone, he and Carol are my MVPs. They are the two people I didn’t think would work well together because of what Carol did—you know, her little murder spree last season. I’m curious to know what is in store for them both.
Memorable lines:
Tyreese: “I can’t. Not yet.”
Carol: “You have to be able to.”
A significant moment in time for Tyreese. He gets over his hesitation eventually.
**
Rick: “You cross any of these people, you kill them. Don’t hesitate; they won’t.”
Damn straight, Rick (Andrew Lincoln). Damn straight.
**
Mary to Carol: “You’re either the butcher, or you’re the cattle.”
And whoever spoke this message meant it literally, Mary (Denise Crosby)?
**
Carol: “You lead people here and you take what they own and you kill them? Is that what this place is?”
Mary: “No. Not at first. But that’s what it has to be now.”
**
Tyreese: “I won’t!”
Do you know how important it is for Tyreese in this moment to keep himself in the grips of humanity? Deep.
**
Rick won’t give up until they are all safe.
“No Sanctuary” takes it to the extreme. As season premieres go, I’m blown away. It could have gone either way with this trip back into The Walking Dead. I don’t have a weak constitution but man, did I feel like breakfast, lunch, and dinner were gonna make a reappearance. Talk about keeping it real. I felt “No Sanctuary.” I was living it for the hour my eyes never left my television screen. And if you didn’t shed a tear (or at least have watery eyes) at the end of the hour, you my friend, were not watching the same show. I cried, and I’m not ashamed to say it. You writers are a tricky bunch, pulling at my heartstrings like that. If you feel the same, or opposite, drop me a line in the comments section or tweet me @ellemoe. I’m dying (har, har) to know what you thought about the return of The Walking Dead.
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Photo credit: Gene Page/Greg Nicotero/AMC © 2010-2014 American Movie Classics Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
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