What to Expect From Season 5 of THE WALKING DEAD

Walking Dead, season 5, is finally here, and speculation about who the Termites are has been the center of discussion since the end of season 4. Are they cannibals? Are they good guys? What mysteries are hiding in Terminus and what do they mean for our heroes? Well things look pretty grim for Rick and the other survivors from what he have been teased with in the trailers for the upcoming season.

The Walking Dead TV series has always been adamant about moving in a different direction then the comics, however there are storylines which cannot be ignored, like the Shane & Lorie affair, The Governor, and Rick’s neck rip. There are still other stories from the comics that would be great to adapt into the live action TV series, which will keep the show feeling fresh and exciting, especially for people who haven’t read the comics, and for those who haven’t read any of the books, consider this your warning as I describe what can be expected in season 5 of the Walking Dead!

SPOILERS!!!!!

Season 1 of the Walking Dead covered part of Volume 1 of the comics called “Days Gone By.” Season 2 covered Volume 1 & 2, while season 3 sped up a bit and covered volume 3-part of 8. Season 4 covered the rest of Volume 8- 10 which was called “What we Become” and showed Rick brutally kill the Marauders who were going to rape his son and kill them. For season 5, we will be around volumes 11- 15.

Volume 11 is titled “Fear the Hunters” and in the TV series in place of the Hunters we get the Termites. Looking at the trailers for season 5, Rick and the others are in danger, however it seems they have come to some kind of agreement with Gareth, the leader of the Termites (possibly Chris, leader of the Hunters in Volume 11). Season 5 seems to be taking a lot of its storylines from the comics.

Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita have their “mission,” Father Gabriel has been confirmed to be apart of the series, and Rick is a very different Rick then he has been before. He is, supposedly, no longer second guessing himself, which means some of his decisions, no matter how brutal they may seem to others, he believes must be done for the safety of his group. He will become Governor Rick, which is a great storyline to move forward.

Looking back at the comics, after loosing so many of his people to the Governor’s attack on the prison, the attempted rape of his son, and now discovering a group of people who survive by eating other survivors, including their own children, Rick and company snap, and torture and mercilessly kill the hunters, while Father Gabriel watches in horror. The group has had enough with how ruthless the living had become. The next day however, they are remorseful of their actions.

For the television series I see the same thing happening again, only slightly different. Now that Tyrese has become a more developed character, I can see him filling in the role of moral compass during this season. We already were shown his ability to forgive during the second half of season 4. During volume 4 of the Walking Dead comic series, Tyrese calls out Rick for taking it upon himself for coldly shooting, what Rick considered a threat, in the head while clearing out the Prison. Now that Rick is no longer second guessing himself, and seeing the Termites as threats to his loved ones, maybe Rick will convince the others, except Father Gabriel, to torture and murder the Termites (possibly over a span of 3-4 episodes), as they make their way to Washington for the mid-season finale event, which I believe will be the “No cure” reveal, which is important for the second half of the season because it takes the hope away from the characters and the viewers, that they will never get back to normal. Along the way, a few other story points from the comic should pop up. One will be Maggie’s suicide attempt, however this time, I believe Tara will be the one hanging, and the reason being is the torture and murder She, Rick, and the other survivors inflicted upon the Termites during the beginning of the season, under Governor Rick’s command. As the season continues for its first half, Rick is reunited with Morgan, who finally joins the other survivors. As the first half of season 5 comes to a close, Rick and the others learn that Eugene has been lying to them the entire time and there is no cure for the zombie plague. With hope stripped away from them, and Abraham screaming into nothing (from the trailer), The camera pans up to reveal a well kept community, which will be revealed to the Alexandria Safe-Zone during the second half of season 5.

After the break between the two halves of the season, Rick and the others keep moving forward and soon discover the Alexandria Safe-Zone, where they all finally feel like they’ve found a place where they belong. Each survivor finds the perfect job to contribute to the new community, including Rick who no longer has to be the leader. Instead, he becomes a Sheriff again, and patrols Alexandria, keeping it safe. While on Duty, he discovers that one of the Alexandrians is being abused by her husband, and when Rick confronts him, he makes an enemy. Shit goes down, Carl gets his eye blown out, Walkers overrun the Safe-Zone, the original leader of Alexandria is eaten alive, and after killing every Walker that compromised the Safe-Zone, Rick once again becomes leader, however he now feels he is capable, and as the season comes to a close, Rick and the survivors are finally hopeful of their future. As the camera spans out, a man resembling Jesus can be seen overlooking the Safe-Zone from the top of a hill.

While the first half of season 5 will undoubtedly be pretty dark and brutal (especially with the Walking Dead using the hashtag #FeartheBeard in regards to Rick’s new attitude), the second season will end on a high note, especially with the title of Volume 15: We Find Ourselves, possibly being the title for the season finale. Ending the season positive will be perfect, especially for what lies ahead for Rick and the others in season 6, **cough**cough** Negan…