Reviewed by Rich Jepson.

After last week’s florally haunting episode (the last of) Us tried to balance out the karma in this apocalypse by having Glenn and Maggie reunite in the depths of a rock-walker filled tunnel.

One thing that’s been great about this season is the creativity with walkers, it’s like they are becoming special editions of themselves. We’ve seen so many regular walkers that they no longer have an affect, so now instead we have seen BBQ walkers, rock walkers and a personal favourite was the barbed-wire-cheeky walker waking up Daryl’s new group.

Daryl and the bandits have been an interesting take on this world, surviving in a dog-eat-dog yet disciplined manner, claiming food and objects as they go and putting those who become too unstable to remain out to pasture. This was an interesting format and not something we’ve come across before, in a way it’d have been better if Beth was taken in the episode where they burnt down the house so that Daryl could have received more time with this rag tag bunch. If they wanted to experiment with the time frame, having Daryl be at the house where Rick was would’ve been an attention-grabbing concept.

Outside of this we also gained more history from Abraham’s group, we now know they were part of a larger operation whose numbers were considerably cut and that Eugene is even more peculiar than first thought. Meanwhile, Rosita remains a bit caricature whist Ford’s a likeable guy and a much more refined soldier than the average jarhead you tend to see portrayed on TV.

It’s clear to see after the penultimate set up that the season is hedging its bets on the power of next week’s finale. That’s a big risk to take when you’re audience has been with the show for the past four years, having seen a variety walkers’ attack and the Governor’s antics, we find ourselves needing to see a different kind of enemy other than what’s gone before.

So what is at the Terminus and what can we expect? Well, behind its prison-like sense of protection and safety has to be something sinister, otherwise what’s the point? The Internet is awash with theories at the moment with one theme being dominant. I what spoil it for those who are in the dark and haven’t read the comics but if you want to know it’s not hard to find a common idea about who (or what) the people at the Terminus may be.

All I will say is that I hope the series’ writers know what kind of speculation would instantly come about with this approach and have planned a curveball to throw at the audience. Or else, the last few weeks of build-up would have been a bit pointless when we could’ve explored a lot more of the surrounding world.

Whatever the case, the terminus quite fittingly is where all roads end for season four and judging by the way Glenn and Maggie’s group were talking, I’d say that season 5 will have a new roadmap with D.C at the end of it.

8/10

Scene of the Episode: Rock and A Hard Place – Inside the tunnel we found some unique new walkers, the reunion of Glenn and Maggie and found out more about the group’s newest members – nothing majorly iconic but all good developments that keep the story moving for next week’s finale.