Author: Chrissy Piccolo
The much anticipated season five premiere of AMC's hit The Walking Dead "No Sanctuary", delivered with an emotional roller coaster ride that had fans on edge in the first five minutes!
set to be unceremoniously killed within first few minutes of the episode.
While our friends are about to meet their doom, Carol (Melissa Suzanne McBride) and Tyreese (Chad Coleman) make their way through a sea of zombies and are able to capture a Terminus resident, who clues them in on what was going on. Over the years we've seen Carol rise from a victim of domestic violence, to mother, to friend, then enemy. However no one could have predicted it would be her to come to our gang's rescue! Like a true warrior, she successfully infiltrates the Terminus camp by blowing up a propane tank to cause a diversion and then makes her way inside the gates as none other than...a zombie! It's a brilliant move!
Thanks to Carol's distraction, Rick is able to free himself and take down the animals about to kill them. Rick, Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Glenn (Steven Yuen) head out to find Carl (Chandler Riggs), Michonne (Danai Gurira) and the others. In a chilling statement, after finding the butcher room and seeing body parts hanging from the ceiling, a sickened Rick makes it clear that under no circumstances can any Terminus resident be left alive!
Although Tyreese thinks he has his prisoner under control, he suddenly breaks free and threatens to kill the baby if Tyreese doesn't sacrifice himself to the zombies surrounding the small cabin. With no other choice, Tyreese surrenders to the frenzied zombies. However it isn't long before he turns the tables and regains the upper hand, finally doling out justice by promptly killing the Terminus bully. After Carol's propane explosion and entry into the camp, she begins her search for her friends and confronts Terminus Mary, who in a moment of weakness attempts to explain that the deadly destination wasn't always a cannibal camp. Though Carol tries to get the group's location, it's all for naught and after shooting Mary in the leg, she's left to be devoured by zombies!
After making their escape from Terminus, in one of the most touching moments of the shows history, Rick realizes his baby girl is still alive and he takes a moment to embrace both of his kids. Carol finally reunites with Daryl. She's accepted back into the fold with open arms by Rick, who is astounded at what she accomplished. Though the gang has made it out of Terminus in one piece, a possible new threat lingers!
For those who may not remember, Morgan and his son Duane ended up in Rick's hometown after his wife Jenny is killed. He makes friends with Rick, who encourages him to meet in Atlanta at the Center of Disease Control. Unfortunately though Rick attempts to keep his promise to stay in touch via CB, his calls to Morgan are left unanswered. With no other choice, Rick makes a final broadcast warning Morgan to stay away from Atlanta. Later the two meet again as Rick, Carl and Michonee return to his hometown looking for guns but find a whole lot more! Morgan has booby-trapped the streets and is holed up with a huge stock of guns. It's clear he's mentally unstable after seeing his zombie wife kill their son! He blames himself. Though Rick encourages Morgan to join them at the prison, he refuses and reluctantly gives a bunch of guns to them before sending them on their way. Looks like he's back and the question is, how mentally unstable is he now and why is he suddenly following Rick and company? Will he pose a major threat to the group or does he just want to be with other survivors? It all remains to seen!
Overall the episode was classic Walking Dead, with plenty of intense, terrifying moments, as well as gratifying heartfelt reunions. Twitter exploded with comments from fans:
Jo-Rel Rollins@PaOfKalEl 39s Oh Michonee is ready to go! #Teruminus had no idea who they were messing with. I was so freaking out for a minute #TheWalkingDead #TWD
Ryl Phenomenon@SuckaThrone 2m Omfg almost puked watching #TheWalkingDead ...and that was just the beginning wooooh
Alex V.@al_valz_ 5m K seriously. That's how #TheWalkingDead starts?? I was having a heart attack in the first 10 minutes. #shitsisreal #sogross #Carol
The consensus...it was a kick ass season premiere episode and fans are anxious to see next week's episode!
I have to say that it was tough to watch the brutality of killings by the resident cannibals, using the crack and slash method, as each victim was taken down the line. Seems strange that it affected me so much since we've come accustomed to the zombie bashing and I think that's why I was so disturbed- because they weren't zombies. I really thought Glenn was a goner and I'm so happy his time wasn't up yet, though we know from producers a few of our favorite survivors are set to make a very sad exit by the season's end.
With everything that went down at Terminus, Carol's zombie infiltration was nothing short of genius and I love how strong she has become over the years. She's probably the one character I feel that has really had a metamorphosis, slowly gaining her own identity from the bowels of being a battered wife for many years. I loved her reunion with Daryl. It was heartwarming and long overdue. You could see the love in their eyes and how much they missed each other. It's clear Rick was surprised Carol came after them and his grateful embrace said it all. I'd say she's come full circle and is finally home, back where she belongs.
My assessment of "No Sanctuary"-- it was Carol's time to shine and she is my standout character this week.
Of course as always, Chris Hardwick returned for another season of The Talking Dead, with Executive Producers Greg Nicotero, Scott M. Gimple and superfan Conan O'Brien. Hardwick declared the premiere episode "No Sanctuary" to be the best of the entire series! I'll have to agree with him on this! One of the biggest questions is where is Beth?? Gimple didn't give up much, just that she is alive, in a place that she's not too fond of, with people she doesn't like. Nothing like being cryptic to keep fans wanting more! With regards to Morgan's return, Gimple simply pointed out what we all could see- that he doesn't appear to be in the same mental state we last saw him in, he's been following the signs to Sanctuary and he's following Rick. Could it be Morgan's ready to rejoin the survivors? We'll have to stay tuned!
A few fun facts revealed on The Talking Dead....
1. To ensure containment of the explosion of the propane tank, it was made of Styrofoam
2. Michonne's weapon used in tonight's episode was crafted to look like the double lightsaber Darth
Maul had in The Phantom Menace
3. There have been 1000 weapons used thus far on The Walking Dead
4. The first character to be killed in tonight's episode also plays the Penguin in Gotham
Season five is off to an epic start, but what can we look forward to this season? Producers also indicated there would be time jumps as we learn more about the characters from Terminus. In tonight's episode, we learned that Alex (Tate Ellingston, deceased) and Gareth (Andrew J. West) are Mary's sons and she was a victim of rape. Originally captured themselves, Mary's son's vowed they'd take control of the camp. As the season progresses, we'll be seeing how they did this, as well as why they turned to cannibalism. Interestingly it's Alex who is on the butcher's table in one of the scenes. Apparently, it doesn't matter who you are where cannibalism is concerned! A few fun facts revealed on The Talking Dead....
So what's in store for next week? Looks like the gang comes across an old church and a priest with a dark secret. What is he hiding and how will Morgan Jones fit into the mix? Will he survive a zombie attack or will Rick come to his rescue? Don't miss an episode of AMC's #1 television show, The Walking Dead, Sundays at 9pm!
*Be sure to check in on TV Tag to collect limited edition stickers.
*Watch The Talking Dead immediately following The Walking Dead every Sunday at 10pm ET and interact withe panel by calling (855) 332-3528 or posting your questions at www.thetalkingdead.com/playdead.
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