The 5th season of AMC's The Walking Dead kicked off with a bang. And a stab. And a lot of blood. Like, a lot of it. It's an action-heavy premiere that involves plenty of human and zombie violence, but the sheer amount of bloodshed doesn't prevent the episode from also having some great displays of character and some real heart.
While other seasons established a location and then spent a lot of time there, "No Sanctuary" wastes no time turning Terminus into a war zone and moves full speed ahead. Rick's group has been through hell time and time again, and their ability to thrive and overcome when they're surrounded by pure chaos shows how much they've changed over the years. No one is screaming or panicking; they're just in game mode and focused on seeing another day. Pretty much everyone gets their hands dirty, but Rick and Carol? They're acting like stone cold super-soldiers. The stealth kill and then shooting all of the humans in the back? Damn, dude.
If you're a fan of the comics (if not, do yourself a favor and pick up the 1st trade), then the time at the trough was likely a real nailbiter. Many believe Season 4 was a little too slow, so this one wasted no time and delivered an absolutely intense and savage bit. Odds are comic fans were thinking "no way they're doing this," but part of you was wondering if they really would go through with it, right? Heck of a way to grab our attention right from the get-go.
Speaking of being a fan of the comics, it's great to see they're not blatantly adapting what happened in Fear The Hunters. There's a reason for this "it's you or me" mentality and that epiphany is reached after a really tragic, twisted and dark development. I would have liked to see a little more of Gareth, but the episode did a fine job expanding this plot just enough. It wasn't weighed down with an onslaught of exposition and the pacing never slowed down.
While you do see a majority of the cast, it's really Carol and Tyreese who receive the best arc. Glenn's good nature has stayed intact despite all they've been through and it was great seeing Eugene get a scene (I still think his big twist will remain the same, though), but what goes down with Carol and Tyreese offers the most depth. There's a great scene where Carol enters what's essentially an inventory room. There's weapons, gear, and stuffed animals. The stuffed animals get a glance at most before she moves on. She's still caring towards the people she loves, but to me, it seemed like her innocence is gone. A stuffed animal may bring warmth and comfort to someone else or hold a bit of nostalgia and sentimental value, but for her, it serves no purpose. She's all about surviving and this episode did an effective job showing that. You can't really blame her after what she was forced to do in the last season though, can you? I immediately had a "what the hell?!" reaction when Carol chose to rush Mary instead of just shooting her, but I can chalk that one up to her realizing she can get some answers. Meanwhile, Tyreese's scene was a little heavy-handed at times (pun is 100% intended), but it was still a totally gripping dialogue and turn of events.
After so much graphic fighting, "No Sanctuary" finds a way to deliver a huge amount of emotion. The scene didn't need dialogue and that's something they obviously recognized. Instead of having them potentially ruin the moment by saying something obvious or cheesy, the show allows the actors to bring their emotions front and center. The end result is a sequence that's surprisingly heartfelt -- something I'm sure no one really anticipated since the episode was basically non-stop tension and action.
Oh, and that credits scene! Lennie James did such an amazing job with his previous appearances, so it's exciting to see he's back for more. Also, does anyone else think Mary was saved at the last second? Or, maybe Gareth will realize that her remains has a bullet wound in a leg and that'll motivate his need for revenge?
My only negative about this episode is there was one short close-up shot of a zombie eating a dude's face -- you know, that guy who couldn't stand up and run away (blame it on raw fear paralyzing him, I guess?). This show often has terrific practical effects. So many of the zombies are fearsome and there's some truly awesome shots with them. However, this one definitely felt noticeably fake to me. I remember thinking the zombie's jaw isn't moving as it's supposedly turning this poor fellow into a meal. Regardless, that's like, a handful of seconds out of the entire episode. So not too shabby, right?
Season 5 of The Walking Dead is off to an incredibly strong start. Instead of dragging its feet, the AMC show rushed forward with a ton of brutality, teased an interesting narrative, and had some engrossing character beats. The show's back and off to a great start, but will this level of quality continue? Only time shall tell and after an excellent episode like this, something tells me many of us will stick around to find out.
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