'Walking Dead' Finale Rankings: Where Does Season Five's 'Conquer' Land?
Season five of "The Walking Dead" is officially in the books. Safe to say it's the best season of the show yet? From the intense and immediate dismantling of Terminus, to the Rick Grimes Gang finally settling into a relative "safe zone" in Alexandria, "Walking Dead" felt more comfortable in its own skin than ever before in its fifth year on the air.
The season five finale, "Conquer," is no different, demonstrating a level of confidence in itself and trust in its audience that we haven't seen from many other season-ending episodes. The question is, where does it rank among the various different "Walking Dead" finales?
Following on the heels of "Conquer," here are our revised rankings, tossing the latest episode into the mix — and knocking one episode back a peg.
After "Coda" aired, we wondered if the episode would rise in our rankings given the rest of season five. Instead, it did the opposite, slipping into last place. The senseless death of Beth makes no more sense all these months later; even worse, the character we gained in Beth's place, Noah, is no longer with us, torn to shreds in what's pretty easily the grossest "Walking Dead" main character death of all time. The Grady Hospital story really pales in comparison to the rest of the show's fantastic fifth season, making it pretty easy to declare "Coda" as the lowest-ranked finale.
There's no doubt that Sophia emerging from barn as a zombie-child is one of the most powerful and iconic images of "The Walking Dead." But it came at a high cost, calling each of the preceding episodes into question. Everyone was so focused on finding Sophia, and then it turned out she was right on site the entire time. It's one of the biggest and most justified criticisms of season two.
Governor gone wild! Don't-Call-Him-Phillip goes crazy, shooting up his Woodbury flock in a fit of rage. The survivors wind up in Rick's prison, now a part of his group. Andrea's drawn-out death scene drags the episode down a bit, but it's still a winner.
Robert Kirkman can regret the CDC episode all he wants, but he shouldn't. It's an unusual hour of "Walking Dead," and in this case, unusual works. Seeing how the so-called TS-16 virus works from a scientist's perspective, and meeting Doctor Jenner, are two of the show's greatest delights. Plus, the CDC's fiery explosion is still one of the biggest and baddest moments in the series.
Is the episode a bit out of step with the rest of season one? Absolutely. But it's a unique hour of "Walking Dead," and one that deserves respect.
The Governor versus Michonne, round one! Their knockout brawl is one of the fiercest fights in "Walking Dead" history. We also see Daryl and Merle reunited for the very first time (outside of season two's dream sequence), and it's not the reunion that either one of them wanted. Bonus points for the Shane Walsh cameo.
If the midseason two finale was a letdown, the full season two finale was a true barnburner. Literally; Hershel's barn, and his entire farm, burnt to the ground following a walker invasion that kicked everyone out of their comfort zone.
"Walking Dead" needed to get the hell away from Hershel's farm in a very bad way, after spending an entire season in that one location. (Seriously, it's only two issues in the comics. How did this happen?) When the time came, they pulled the plug in style, burning everything to the ground, and teasing up two of the comic's most anticipated icons in the process: Michonne, and the prison.
Rick Grimes bites out a dude's throat. What more do you need? How about every single living "Walking Dead" character we know and love (aside from Carol, Tyreese, Judith and Beth) getting thrown into a train car, locked away to be eaten by cannibals another day? The cliffhangeriest cliffhanger of all "Walking Dead" cliffhangers — save for one.
Carol threatening Doctor Pete with a knife, while handing him a casserole in the same breath. Carol calling Rick "sunshine." Morgan saving Daryl and Aaron from certain doom with his ninja staff and his zen attitude. The Wolves emerging, showing their true colors. Abraham and Eugene kissing and making up. Rick Grimes proving his point, albeit at the expense of Reg's life. Father Gabriel being the worst person ever. This finale had it all, from the calm intensity of Rick's potential exile, to the final edge-of-your-seat minutes. It's as good as "Walking Dead" finales get, even if it still ranks second to one.
The midseason four finale was the show's greatest cliffhanger, with each of the "Walking Dead" characters scattered to the nine winds after the prison's destruction. On the show, the moment was a season and a half in the making. For comic book fans, it's quite possibly the iconic moment from the comics — and it was well worth the wait.
The prison's fall was fast, furious, and brutal as all hell, claiming innocent lives (rest in peace, Hershel) and guilty lives (rest in hell, Governor) alike. Easily the best "Walking Dead" finale, and in the conversation for best episodes of the series.
