THE WALKING DEAD “Conquer” Review

Will Rick be kicked out of Alexandria? And will Morgan make another appearance? Read on to find out.

The official description from AMC:

Daryl experiences trouble on a run while Rick and his group continue to feel like outsiders in Alexandria, where trouble is creeping into the gates.

WWE WrestleMania may have been the most talked about show on TV last night, and having watched it, I can say rightfully so, but that hasn’t stopped the millions from tuning into the season finale of The Walking Dead, this fanboy included (all be it the better part of 24hrs later). Despite having had a mixed opinion on the fifth season as a whole, I’ve been eagerly awaiting this moment, as though many will be distraught with the notion of waiting another seven months for their Walking Dead fix, the speculation of how a season end always enthrals me.

Following the not so shocking decisions of Rick from “Try,” it is quickly evident that there’s change coming to Alexandria, one way or another. With Deanna considering kicking Rick out of the community, Rick planning how he’ll respond to this kind of action, and the remaining group’s split efforts at resolving tensions, there’s a lot to explore within this episode. And this is only a fraction of the overall developments, as elsewhere Daryl and Aaron run into a familiar face in Morgan. The main thing that should be commended about this episode, is the way that writers Scott M. Gimple and Seth Hoffman, and director Greg Nicotero pace things out, as given the fact that some of the prior episodes have been a little slow, it’s surprising how this 90 minute finale flows smoothly from start to finish.

I seriously must be sounding like a broken record by now, but once again the acting on display within this show blew my mind. Were usually certain actors stand out in certain episodes, “Conquer” manages to spread the wealth around it’s extensive cast, with nearly every member having a moment to shine. Nevertheless, there are still a few that shine that itty bit brighter, and in this case it’s Andrew Lincoln (Rick), Seth Gilliam (Gabriel) and Steven Yeun (Glenn). Between the conflict of thoughts within Rick, the test of faith within Gabriel, and the resolving strength building in Glenn, these three characters have some heavy development, ultimately leading to some gripping moments. Lennie James (Morgan) also gives a cool, collected performance, as though the appearance of his character wasn’t as influential as I’d hoped, it leaves a lot of speculation leading into Season 6.

“Conquer” is one of the more interesting season finales to date, as though the introduction of Terminus last season was more shocking, there’s a lot more going on here. The character developments, and insight into things that’s to come will also leave fans hooked, with the ending of certain developments reminding us why The Walking Dead is a must watch show.