The Walking Dead: Every Season 5 Episode Ranked Worst To Best

The Walking Dead's fifth season introduces so many new characters, threats, and drama that it ran the risk of being a complete failure. Thanks to its stars and the work of returning showrunner Scott M. Gimple, though, it might actually be the best season of the entire show.

The season comes with some major surprises, few of them hopeful. After clashing with the group at Terminus, the Survivors lose faith in everything and everyone until finding shelter at the Alexandria Safe-Zone.

Though not without its glaring flaws, season five's high points more than make up for its issues, so much so that by the end of the casualty-heavy finale most of its worst moments are easily forgotten.

Featuring striking development from the likes of Rick, Daryl, Michonne and Glenn, as well as its various newcomers, the entire instalment is more complex, challenging and action-packed than anything the show had seen before, and remains as thrilling six seasons later as it did when it first aired.

With that in mind, here are all 16 episodes from The Walking Dead's harrowing fifth season ranked worst to best, with major spoilers throughout.

Much like The Governor's solo outings in the previous season, Slabtown kicks off a slow and ultimately pointless subplot centred around a kidnapped Beth and her captors, who are set-up in a hospital under the rule of former cop Dawn Lerner.

Although Emily Kinney tries her best to capture Beth's growth as a character, the episode itself fails her at every turn, offering little to the overall plot and instantly cementing Dawn as one of the show's worst-ever characters in the process.

There are some moments that work toward redeeming it of its flaws, including the cliffhanger ending and the introduction of fan favourite Noah, but all told Slabtown is both a colossal waste of time and a dull dud that's seriously easy to forget.