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A (The Walking Dead)

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"A (The Walking Dead)"

"A" is the sixteenth episode and fourth season finale of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. It was directed by Michelle MacLaren and written by Scott M. Gimple and Angela Kang. The episode aired on AMC on March 30, 2014.

Plot

In a flashback, Rick is seen talking to Hershel during a happier time at the prison. The scene then jumps forward in time, showing a bloodied Rick sitting next to a car and staring off into the distance.

In the present, Rick, Carl, and Michonne are sitting by a campfire in the woods. They discuss how hungry they are, then go to check a snare trap in the woods and find a small rabbit. While Rick explains how the trap works, they hear a man screaming for help. Carl sprints off toward the sound with Rick and Michonne following. They find a man in a clearing surrounded by a herd of walkers, and Carl raises his gun to fire before being stopped by Rick. The three watch as the man is overwhelmed and devoured before the walkers begin coming after them. They grab their gear and abandon their camp, returning to the train tracks toward Terminus.

That night, Rick and Michonne talk about Terminus while Carl sleeps in a nearby automobile. They are ambushed by Joe (Jeff Kober) and his gang of men; Joe holds Rick at gunpoint, and the others point weapons at Michonne and Carl. Joe begins a countdown to shooting Rick in the head, but is interrupted by Daryl's arrival. Daryl proclaims Rick a good man and offers to take the punishment for him. Joe declares Daryl a liar and orders the others to beat him to death. Rick manages to knock Joe's gun away from his head but it goes off, deafening Rick. An enraged Joe declares that they are now going to rape Carl and Michonne in front of Rick before killing Rick. Joe holds Rick's arms down, prompting Rick to bite his neck and tear out his jugular vein. In the confusion, Daryl and Michonne overpower the other men and kill them. Rick then takes a knife and brutally slaughters the man who tried to rape Carl.

Afterward, Rick is shown sitting next to the car as he was in the scene earlier in the episode. Daryl sits with Rick and apologizes for what happened. He fills Rick in on what happened to Beth and him after the prison. Rick tells Daryl they are brothers and forgives him. The group then prepares to finish the trek to Terminus. Upon reaching it, they circle around behind it and split up to observe the area before going in. Rick buries most of their weapons in the woods, and they proceed to scale the fences and enter Terminus from the rear. Inside, they are greeted by Gareth and others who check their weapons but return them. Gareth takes them outside to get food from Mary, whom Glenn, Maggie, and the others met at the end of the last episode. Rick suddenly slaps the plate of meat out of Alex's hand and takes him hostage. Rick has noticed that one of the men has Herschel's watch (that was given to Glenn), while others have items belonging to his group, such as Daryl's poncho (which Maggie had been wearing), the orange duffle bag they'd taken from the dead hitchhiker in "Clear", and Glenn's riot gear. Gareth drops his friendly persona, and a shootout ensues, forcing the group to run for cover. After being herded by gunfire through the complex and past a cage full of human remains, they are finally pinned down by snipers and forced to surrender. Gareth orders them one-by-one to enter a train car parked nearby. Inside, they are reunited with Glenn, Maggie, Bob, and Sasha, and meet Abraham, Rosita, Eugene, and Tara. Rick remarks that the Terminus group will "Feel pretty stupid when they find out". Abraham asks, "Find out what?" and Rick answers, "They're screwing with the wrong people."

Production

Similarity to the Comics

The scene where Rick, Michonne and Carl are captured by Joe's gang was intentionally shot and produced to follow a certain portion of the plotline in Vol.#10, Issue #57 of the comic book series.[1] The main difference is in the comics, Rick, Carl, and Abraham are captured by three bandits, whereas in the show, Rick, Carl, and Michonne are captured by Joe's gang (of five men).

Reception

Writing for Forbes, Allen St. John, commented the finale positively, saying, "This episode, directed masterfully by Michelle McLaren of Breaking Bad fame, puts The Walking Dead in an interesting place. The story line takes our heroes into a dark place—and what can be darker than a locked railroad car?" [2]

IGN's Roth Cornet rated the episode a "Great" 8.0, writing, "The Walking Dead Season 4 finale served as a response to a question Rick has been asking himself nearly since the start of the series: What kind of man am I? The answer, at least to some degree, is whatever kind of man the moment demands of him; which is exactly what he’d need to be in order to make a strong and viable leader in this world. While I do feel that the conclusion could have been stronger, this was one of the most well-directed and executed episodes of the latter half of this season." [3]

References

  1. ^ "The Walking Dead's Most Shocking Scene: Comics to Screen Comparison". Comicbook.com. March 30, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  2. ^ Allen St. John (March 31, 2014). "In 'The Walking Dead' Season Finale, It's Bye Bye, Hamlet, Hello, Rick 2.0". Forbes.
  3. ^ Roth Cornet (March 31, 2014). "The Walking Dead: 'A' Review (No More Mr. Farmer Rick)". IGN.
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