The second half of this season of The Walking Dead took viewers along with the characters on a journey to an unknown destination called Terminus; sometimes deliberate, sometimes slow and plodding, we eventually arrived there in a conclusion that unfortunately felt unsatisfying and open-ended. For a show that has become known for its shocking moments and season-ending gut punches, the finale to the zombie phenomenon's fifth season lacked that trademark "wow" moment. The final eight episodes usually focused on just a few members of the group, giving the viewer a similar sense of separation that the survivors were experiencing, but ultimately could have been condensed into four or five episodes by trimming some of the filler. We were given one truly outstanding episode ("The Grove") and one very good one ("Us") mixed in with a lot of average television. That's somewhat always been the story with The Walking Dead. Whenever the plot seems to slow to a crawl an event comes along that grabs the viewer by the throat once more. For instance, just when we were being lulled into complacency with the monotony of the Greene farm episodes in season two, the show woke us back up again with the reveal of Sophia in the barn and Shane's death. The latter half of this season felt like it was building to a huge crescendo that never came. Sure the gang made it to Terminus, but what its purpose are and who its inhabitants are remains to be seen. Rather than answering any of the lingering questions from previous episodes, it felt like this finale left us with more mysteries than resolutions. Let's take a look at 10 huge questions from the finale.
10. What Was That Altar?
During their attempt to flee the compound, Rick and the others run into a dark room with weird symbols and writing scrawled on the floor and walls and eerie candles all around. The room appeared to be some sort of altar or shrine. What's the story there? Are the Terminus residents worshiping something (or someone) there? The words "Never again. Never Trust. Us First, Always." Were painted on the wall, along with names and ages on the floor. Is it a memorial for those the residents have lost since everything went to hell? Is it a twisted way to honour those who've fed the greater good, so to speak? We shall see.
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.
