The Walking Dead season 4 finale aired Sunday on AMC and depicted one hell of a fight, the reunion of several characters, and more.
“A” began with a flashback to before the Governor’s takedown of the prison. Hershel is still alive and Rick’s just returned from a hunt. Hershel makes two more flashback appearances throughout the episode. On tonight’s Talking Dead, show runner Scott M. Gimple says that Scott Wilson returned at the end of their season shoot for two days to film these scenes.
In present day, Rick is up against a car, bruised and bloodied. He, Carl, and Michonne are still moving from camp to camp but getting closer to Terminus. While out having a group lesson about traps, they hear someone screaming for help. They run to the scene but it’s too late to save this human. They head out onto the train tracks and continue towards Terminus.
While keeping watch one night, the group is held up by Joe and his gang. It looks like the bad boy is about to shoot Rick until Daryl walks in and stops the New Year’s Eve countdown. Joe wants to kill Rick for what he did to his former partner at the house a few episodes ago, but Daryl says he’s willing to be the one who’s sacrificed (is he feeling hopeless anyway without Beth?).
Getting closer to Terminus, presumably on New Year’s Day, Rick wisely suggests they take the woods instead of the train tracks because they don’t know who they’re dealing with.
Michonne tearfully reveals how Andre died while they’re scoping out Terminus. She’s filled with regret, and made herself suffer by making his father and his friend her zombie pets (those mouthless, armless zombies she dragged around with chains). Carl confesses to her that while his father is proud of him, he’s not who his dad thinks he is. Sadly, he thinks he’s a monster just like Michonne thinks of herself.
The group hops the Terminus fence and enters a wing where there are people sending out radio messages. We meet Gareth, played by Andrew J. West, who is optioned to become a regular during season 5. He seems friendly enough and asks that they put down their weapons. After a pat down, they give the weapons back. They’re then brought to meat cook Mary who wants to serve them some food. Rick looks around and is suspicious because everyone’s wearing things like gear and a poncho that his friends used to have. He then spots someone holding Hershel’s watch, which had been given to Glenn. He holds the guy up at gunpoint, which begins causing mayhem.
After no one answers his questions about these items he’s spotted, they make a run for it and go through a gate labeled “A.” It looks like shooters on the roofs are purposely directing them towards certain areas. They quickly pass an area where there are a pile of bones then enter a memorial room where names are written on the ground with candles lit. “Never again. Never trust. We first always,” the people of Terminus have painted on the walls.
Now cornered, Gareth tells Rick to go to the train car, which is also labeled “A.” The rest of the group follows on Gareth’s orders. The door shuts behind them, and in there we find Glenn, Maggie, Tara, Bob, Eugene, Abraham, Rosita, and Sasha.
“They’re going to feel pretty stupid when they find out,” says Rick. “Find out what?” asks Abraham. “They’re screwing with the wrong people.” The line is a nod to the comic series.
Your ‘Walking Dead’ recap: What did you think of the season 4 finale?
It seems all but certain that there is cannibalism going on at Terminus. It’s also worth noting that we never saw Carol, Tyreese, Judith, and Beth arrive here. Have they already? We’ll be waiting until season 5 to find out, it looks like. The good news is that no major characters died tonight.
The Walking Dead season 5 premieres later this year on AMC. Filming is expected to begin in the next few months. As the show has done for past seasons, we expect a season 5 trailer will debut at San Diego Comic-Con this July alongside a premiere date.