After picking up after the intense ending of season four’s mid season finale the second half of “The Walking Dead” season four kicked off sunday night the week after Super Bowl Sunday. The main characters just escaped The Governor and his small army from the prison they had settled in, but were all spread about. If you follow the show, you know that many minor characters die in the battle, in addition to one main character, Herschel. The death of Herschel is tragic to the group, although each member of Rick’s tribe seems to carry on the Ghandi like logic and wisdom Herschel spread upon the group for two seasons.
The second half of season four mainly covered the fallout from the battle at the prison, how each small isolated group copes with the loss of Herschel, Rick completely losing what was left of his humanity, and lastly, finding a sanctuary. Rick, Carl, and Michonne barely escape undetected by a group of unknown looters from a house they had fortified in the mid season premier episode. Darryl and Beth attempt to piece together a game plan for surviving and eventually settle into a routine when all of a sudden Beth is abducted. Viewers of the show do not know the fate of Beth even by the finale of season four leaving many unanswered questions. Glen and Maggie are both in desperate attempts to find each other, and along the way Glen joins forces with a group who is protecting a man who claims he knows how the outbreak started. Bob, Sasha, Tyreese, and Maggie also find themselves separated from the group, eventually letting Maggie go her own way, and mid way through the second half of the season, meet up with Carol and the children.
Each group eventually makes their way to an alleged sanctuary, Terminus, only to be captured upon entering proving once and for all that there is no sanctuary in the world they live in.
The second half of season four is a foil to the first half. The characters finally found a home, a safe sanctuary to call their own only to have it taken away from them and separated by the second half. Just as each main character was obtaining their humanity they had lost in the trip to the prison, whatever humane instincts that had been recovered were lost later in the season. Rick chomping down on an enemy’s neck and puncturing the jugular certainly offers a new take of what the title, “The Walking Dead” really means.
Leaving the viewers with more questions than answers the season four finale did not disappoint. However, it seemed that this half of season four was extremely dragged out. What could have happened in two episodes ended up taking seven which was a bit annoying. I am curious to see what will happen in season five inside Terminus, and more importantly, what characters will die.