.jpg)
The survivors finally reunite on the The Walking Dead season finale but it’s out of the fire into the frying pan. Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the rest his group arrive at Terminus through the backdoor where they find the residents hard at work making signs and recording audio messages to lure more people. They’re greeted by Alex (Tate Ellington), who shows them their grill that always going.
“The more people become a part of us, we get stronger,” Alex explains to the newcomers.
It’s the second time they’ve made a cannibalistic double entendre a la the classic The Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man.” Mary (Denise Crosby) says “make you a plate” in the previous episode “Us.”
Alex gives a plate of human meat to Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Carl (Chandler Riggs) but thankfully they’re interrupted before they can dig in. Rick notices Glenn’s watch on Alex and takes him hostage. He also spots Glenn’s riot gear and Maggie’s poncho but they insist they found the items.
Gareth (Andrew J. West) tries to talk Rick down but decides to end the charade when he realizes Rick isn’t falling for it.
“What’s there left to say? You don’t trust us anymore,” he shrugs.
Gareth signals to his men to open fire but they intentional avoid hitting them. Rick and the others are herded like cattle through a maze with each turn labeled “A” which is the episode title. They run down an alley riddled with bullet holes filled with human corpses that indicates their cannibal captors have done this many times before.
.jpg)
They pass through a room known as the Church that’s filled with mementos and candles as shrine to former residents of Terminus that were apparently killed after taking in another group. On the wall are words “Never again. Never trust. We first, always.” They presumably lead them into this room to justify their actions in this dog eat dog world. It’s a much more sympathetic explanation for their behavior than that of their comic book counterparts known as the “Hunters,” who ate their own children simply because it was easier prey than animals. The Hunters had little success against Rick’s group. They only managed to get their hands (and mouths) on Dale, who had been bitten by a zombie, unbeknownst to them. They never turned because Rick put them down but not before taunting them with the possibility of eating them.
.jpg)
At the end of the maze they’re forced into a boxcar where they reunite with Glenn (Steven Yeu) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and their new friends. Daryl (Norman Reedus) insists that any friend of theirs are part of the group.
“They’re gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out,” Rick confidently tells them.
“Find out what?” asks Abraham (Michael Cudlitz).
“They’re screwing with the wrong people,” Rick replies.
It’s a near word for word reproduction of a scene from the The Walking Dead #64 except the language is censored. The originally line was “They’re fucking with the wrong people.”
.jpg)
Rick’s bravado was a little more convincing in the comic when he wasn’t locked in the panty with the rest of the group. Fortunately, a few members are presumably still out there roaming around. Carol (Melissa McBride) and Tyreese (Chad Coleman) have not yet arrived at Terminus, as far as we know. He has plenty of pent up rage and she isn’t afraid to kill women or children. Together they’ll make an unstoppable team, particularly if they find the weapons Rick stashed prior to sneaking into Terminus.
Beth (Emily Kinney) is also unaccounted for ever since she was apparently kidnapped or was she rescued? The car that speeds away with her has cross in the back window. The driver could be Father Gabriel Stokes, who was introduced in the comic at the same time as the Hunters. He’s an admitted coward so saving Beth and not sticking around for the guy with a crossbow wouldn’t be a stretch. On the other hand, the cross could be related to the Hunter’s Church and those may have been Beth burgers!
“We will see Beth again… eventually,” creator Robert Kirkman promised in reddit Q&A. Kirkman didn’t say whether she’ll be alive though.
It’s worth noting that the Terminus group is substantially larger than the Hunters, which consisted of only 6 people eaters. That makes overpowering them problematic. Could some of them switch sides like the Woodbury residents? And would Rick even take them into the group?
