“They’re gonna feel stupid when they find out…they’re screwing with the wrong people.” 

-Rick Grimes's famous last words at the end of The Walking Dead Season 4 Finale, as Rick and his followers soon learned after arriving upon Terminus. There is “No Sanctuary” in this place.   

During Season 4, we journeyed with Rick and the group as they were separated from one another after their confrontation with The Governor. This encounter resulted in their loss of the prison as well as the death of Hershel. The group, now broken into several small squads, tries to regain its footing by seeking salvation at Terminus. The believed safe haven was the ideal location to find others in the hopes of ridding the world of this virus.   

The Season 5 Premiere began with the survivors still caught inside of the freight box, but this time instead of waiting to meet their end, they prepared to fight. Each member was sharpening any object they had on their bodies that could be used as a weapon: belts, necklaces, pocket watch chains, etc. 

However, as the survivors readied themselves a Terminite approached the freight from above and dropped a tear gas grenade in order disorient them from making any sort of advance against the people at Terminus. Four of our survivors were captured and are taken to the slaughter room to be “prepared.” 

As AMC’s The Walking Dead typically does, much gore was included in this episode. As Rick, Glenn, Bob and Darryl are all dragged to a trough, they witness Sam being hit over the head with a baseball bat, his throat slit and the blood draining from his body. Wow. What a scene. Our survivors are surprisingly calm after seeing a man’s neck split open and blood gushing out of his throat.   

(As we learned last season, the Terminus are cannibals and have been leading numerous survivors to “salvation” in order to entrap them and use them as food. Yes, they were eating these stragglers).

Rick and the guys escape the clutches of the Terminus butcher team and wander into a room full of numerous human torsos hanging from hooks looking similar to cattle. As they make their way outside they hear a man yelling from another freight and Rick wants to use this as a distraction in order to get away. Glenn reminds Rick, “We have to help him, that’s who we are still, it has to be.” Rick agrees and the four depart towards the man in hopes of rescuing the victim. Soon after they save the man, they are attacked and he is killed in the fight. Better luck next time, Rick.

Meanwhile, as all is going to hell in a hand basket, an unlikely hero by the name of Carol, yes, I said Carol, swoops in to save the day like a knight in shining armor with a sniper rifle and explosives. She has covered herself in walker blood and guts to mask her scent and sneaks close enough to the gate to shoot a tanker and fire a firework into it, causing a rather large explosion that not only destroys the stronghold but allows nearby walkers to burst into the prison and give the section a clean sweep. Luckily, while all of this is happening, our group escapes Terminus, which is now ablaze from Carol’s sneak-attack, and Rick is reunited with both Tyrese and his daughter, Judith.   

Still inside of Terminus, Carol faces her own problems. She encounters Mary, one of the most influential figures in Terminus. Carol overpowers her, but right before allowing walkers to take over and finish the job, Mary says one final thing; “It wasn’t always like this, it had to be this way. In life, you’re either the butcher or you’re the cattle.” 

This upcoming season, I believe we will see a little more of Rick and his group deciding to be the butchers and not waiting any longer to be the cattle.