The Walking Dead Season 5 Meet The Real Monsters

I’m as happy as the next zombie fan that AMC’s The Walking Dead exists. But if we’re being entirely honest, I think we can agree it’s been a bumpy ride. Oh, the first four seasons had some great moments, but they relied more on forced, one-dimensional conflicts than actual organic character development. Andrea sleeping with yet another charismatic villain? The Governor misleading allies for yet another prison attack? Nobody can hear zombies until they’re three feet behind you? Season 5, on the other hand, is a giant wake-up call for what this show could be. As far as I’m concerned, the premiere was zombie apocalypse perfection without a single scene out of place. AMC followed that up with a fantastic original storyline about well-intentioned police officers who became kidnappers and fascists in the new world. Finally, we returned to Walking Dead‘s comic book roots with the Alexandria Safe-Zone, the one place that didn’t become a dystopian hellhole – something that threatens Rick’s worldview more than anything he’s faced so far. And that’s why the last-half of Season 5 – despite being slow-paced – is still incredibly powerful: Rick and his crew have to face that they might be the monsters. Seasons 1-4 usually let our heroes keep some shred of their humanity, but the Governor, Terminus, and Beth’s death carved all that away. Now the survivors are incredibly effective fighters, but are no longer suited to peaceful society – as represented by Aaron, Deanna, and the Alexandria Safe-Zone. These characters – Rick and Carol in particular – lived outside civilization for so long that they cannot accept Alexandria at face value. When Aaron approaches offering peace, Rick threatens to kill him. Upon entering the city, Carol steals weapons and traumatizes the child who spotted her. The Walking Dead is finally offering deeper and more interesting conflicts than “post-apocalyptic gangs fight for resources”. Can people who survived horrific circumstances return to normal lives? Do they have anything to contribute to people who haven’t shared their experience? Does the new world really need Rick Grimes? So what you have are two groups with opposing beliefs – both completely reasonable yet flawed in key areas – who are forced to work and live together. From a storytelling perspective that’s conflict gold, and we get to watch it unfold through every character’s unique perspective. Rick and Carol are effectively planning a coup from day one, telling themselves it’s for Alexandria’s own good. Michonne decides it’s time to hang up her sword, leading to a tragic outcome she never expected. Glenn has to decide whether to resolve a threat to Alexandria’s safety peacefully, or settle it the way his group would have outside. And without the threat of zombies looming over their heads, every character’s destructive tendencies become much more apparent – something you can’t just resolve with a city wall. Bottom Line: The Walking Dead Season 5 is everything we’d hoped for AMC’s zombie show and more. Recommendation: You’d have to be a zombie to not watch this show right now. [rating=4.5] [amazonwidget]