“Conquer” is perhaps the weakest among the season finales of The Walking Dead, mainly because it lacks the thrill, explosions, and deaths
we got so used to in the show. Yes, there were deaths but they were not the
people we rooted for. However, what the finale lacks in excitement, it
compensates with the development of most of the characters. They were not the
Kleenex moments as there are more touching episodes in the show (Remember "The Grove"?), but we get to have deeper understanding and appreciation of each character.
It is a beautiful flourishing of the characters we both hate and love, and
making us an inch sadder for any impending doom on them. Here are some
highlights of the Season 5 finale and what it did to our favorite walker-fighting
crew:
Michonne and Maggie.
These two ladies have risen to be great and wise leaders in the group. Michonne,
once untrusting, aloof and self-centered, have gradually shed her hardened
exterior, revealing a compassionate woman who yearns to live in peace once
again. In Alexandria, she demonstrated this by sitting aside her katana and
working as constable. She showed her wise judgment when she knocked Rick off in
last week’s episode as the latter had gone berserk. And in “Conquer,” when Rick
confessed that he, Carol and Daryl had been keeping guns, Michonne was resolute
in her resolve for peace when she told Rick that they do not need weapons in
Alexandria and that they must find a way to coexist. Yet, she also showed her
loyalty to Rick and the group when said that she will always be with them. In the
"meeting," she tells the Alexandrian that Rick only wants his family to live, and
that the Alexandrians are now part of his family.
Meanwhile, Maggie has no big moments in this season, even
after Beth has died. However, in Alexandria, she had become some kind of
advisor to Deanna and helped her give appropriate works to Rick’s group. After the
incidents of last week’s episode, she took the initiative of talking with as
many Alexandrians before the fated meeting. Truly, Maggie has demonstrated that
with all the hardships and trials they had been through, she is still able to
keep her head and heart.
Sasha and Father
Gabriel. On the other hand, Sasha is already on the brink of losing her
sanity. With the consecutive deaths of her brother Tyreese and boyfriend Bob,
she had relinquished her sunny dispositions, her hopes and smiles, and instead
turned into a distant, angry and irritable walker hunter. And when she is
finally willing to talk about what heartbreaks she is carrying, she is only frustrated
as Father Gabriel only ground salt to her wounds.
Father Gabriel is a character I have not yet loved in the
show. He is simply a hypocrite who is so devoted in preaching about Christ, yet
deep inside, he harbours secret anger and hatred. His negative feelings are not
really against other people, but to himself for his helplessness and cowardice.
In “Conquer,” he finally faced his demon by going out of Alexandria and killing
two walkers. Well, this experience momentarily evoked madness in him, especially
when he became too harsh to Sasha when the latter came up to him for confession.
With vile words, he blamed Sasha for the two men’s death and told her she did
not deserve to live. This led to a physical confrontation between them, with
Sasha pointing her rifle to Gabriel. Weeping, Gabriel wished his death while
saying “They all died because of me,” referring to the people he shut out of
his previous church. Maggie intervened and in a brief second, we saw the three
of them sitting around in circle, possibly letting each other’s heart out.
Daryl and Aaron. There
is some kind of bromance going on between the two. They had been out of
Alexandria this whole time, scouting for new people. In this season's finale,
they experienced firsthand a trap laid by the people calling themselves as “Wolves.”
These people were placing walkers inside container trucks, and when Daryl and
Aaron opened them after thinking there were food inside, they were attacked by
countless walkers. They were cornered inside a car, and Daryl, who had risen to become
some sort of Rick’s right hand, offered to make himself as decoy while Aaron makes
it to the fence. Well, Aaron, gentle person as he is, refused the offer. Instead,
he suggested they fight together and make the run. Thankfully, a familiar figure
comes to their rescue.
Glenn and Nicholas.
Glenn is perhaps the season’s hero. After witnessing Noah’s death in the supply
store, he maintains his composure and good sense. In "Conquer," Nicholas
attempted to kill him by shooting him in the shoulder and feeding him to the
walkers. But Glenn is a seasoned fighter, with all his near-death experiences
in Hershel’s farm, Governor’s Woodbury, the prison and other places. So he
fought through and succeeded, and instead of killing Nicholas, he lets him live
and atone for his guilt. Meanwhile, Nicholas is a very despicable person, after
all the things he did while Aidan was still alive and during his death. So while he
was struggling against Glenn, thinking the latter will kill him, he pleaded and kept
crying, “I was scared. I don’t belong out there.” Being the better man, Glenn
helped him up and they walked back together to Alexandria.
Carol and Rick. Among
the show’s characters, Carol and Rick have perhaps grown the strongest,
physically, mentally and emotionally. From being an abused wife and having lost
her daughter to the walkers, Carol had become an aggressive fighter, decisive thinker,
and valuable member of Rick’s group. In Alexandria, she takes fun in cooking
for anyone (casserole for Deanna, cookies for Sam) while investigating the place
and its people. She demonstrates her faith in her group by hiding weapons for
themselves and threatening anyone who will go against them. She even stands up
against Pete (the abusive Alexandrian husband) who poses threat against their existence.
As for Rick, he has become a ruthless killing machine, both
for walkers and for the living. He has killed a number of the living in order
for his group or “family” to keep on living. Having experienced the world
outside the walls, he knows what it takes to survive, that no matter how steady
the walls of Alexandria are, the walkers will always find ways. That is the message
he has been telling the Alexandrians which they refuse to accept.
Deanna and the Alexandrians.
For Carol, the Alexandrians are children who love to hear good stories. For Carl,
they are weak. All these are true as the Alexandrians have all been sheltered
throughout this time, safe from the walkers and the living who hunts to
survive. But when Rick’s group came, their little blanket of peace and security
is shattered. They have armoury, but they are not trained for a battle as exemplified
by Aidan and Nicholas. Deanna herself is second-guessing herself and the people.
And in the “meeting,” she faces a terrifying nightmare when Pete attacks and
accidentally killing her husband Reg, the second in her family to die. With
bitterness, she said “Rick, do it,” maybe signalling her acceptance of Rick’s
message and methods.
The Wolves. “W”
is for Wolves, and in “Conquer,” we got to see how this group operates. They set
traps for innocent victims to fall into. There is still not much background
information about them. One thing is sure, they are a big threat to the living,
especially to Rick, his group and the Alexandrians.
FINAL THOUGHTS. The season finale is all about reconciliation and
redemption. The title is absolutely fitting as the characters begin to conquer their
own demons – Sasha and her grief, Father Gabriel and his guilt, Rick and his
doubts, and Deanna and her frailty. Rick’s other crew have also surmounted
their own trials, like Abraham and Eugene finally saying their apologies, and Tara
waking up after a critical slumber. The fifth season of “The Walking Dead” has
ended not so eventfully, but tons of questions have arisen, especially with
the appearance of Morgan who defeated two Wolves at the start of the episode. With
the Wolves near the walls of Alexandria, I expect a very explosive and bloody
beginning of Season 6, possibly deaths of some characters (perhaps Nicholas and
Father Gabriel who will demonstrate some heroism). If not, Alexandria will still be
rocked to the core in ways that may take us avid viewers to greater surprise.
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