The Walking Dead Premiere Recap: No Sanctuary in Terminus

Remember in the season 4 finale when Rick told the gang that “[The Terminus gang] are messing with the wrong people”? Well HOLY CRAP BATMAN, they were right.

AMC’s hit show, The Walking Dead returned on Sunday evening with “No Sanctuary”, filling that 9pm hour with as much blood, gore and legitimate feels.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

The season picked off right where we left Rick and the gang: still trapped in a rail car in Terminus. If you forgot what Terminus was, it was an old rail yard taken over by a bunch of crazy cannibals. Sorry but if you call a place something sketchy like TERMINUS, I am going the opposite direction!

What she really means: I WILL EAT YOU.

If you think that the gang are just sitting in that dark railcar, doing absolutely nothing, you are sadly mistaken. They’re ripping off wood, sharpening belt buckles and fashioning weapons with about everything they’ve got, preparing for the day when they can turn the tables on their captors. But before they make their first move, they’re thrown their own surprise.

Rick, Bob, Glenn, Daryl and a few other soon-to-be-short-lived characters are being prepped for BBQ and they’re not the Fourth of July kind. Within the first few minutes of the episode, we are seeing people having their skulls bashed in and their throats slit. For those of you who have complained that The Walking Dead hasn’t had an intense episode in a long time, you were in for a special treat. Executive Producer, Greg Nicotero explained during The Talking Dead that the reactions from Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Lawrence Gilliard, Jr. and Steven Yeun were all genuine during that scene. Also if you’ve been keeping up with Gotham, you might recognize the first of the “cattle”: a very blond Robin Lord Taylor makes a brief appearance in the premiere as Sam. We know nothing about his character except for the fact that Carol fixed his shoulder back in season 4 and that he doesn’t last that long in Terminus.

Glenn’s next on the list and just as we’re about to yell and tweet our distain for the show runners, he’s saved. Once by an interruption from Gareth and the second time from an explosion. Who or what caused this? Keep reading, folks.

A bit shy away from Terminus, we see that Carol, Tyreese and baby ass-kicker Judith are still on the right track (get it?) making their way to what they think is sanctuary but in reality a complete hell hole. Despite seeing and fighting his share of walkers, Tyreese is still struggling trying to get through it all. Everything that’s happened to him in the previous season has left him a bit shaken and Carol worries if he’ll be capable to fight with her or will she have to just leave him to fend for himself.

Just before becoming circled by a large group of walkers, they suddenly become distracted with sounds of gunfire from, you guessed it, Terminus. This is where the timelines might be a bit confusing. The gunfire heard by the walkers and Carol is actually the gun fight that ensues between Gareth and gang and Rick and gang in the season 4 finale.

Carol has proven herself time and time again that she is a force to be reckoned with. After seeing Rick and the gang captured, Carol crosses paths with a Terminus resident who is talking to the walkie about a “chick with a sword” and she puts two and two together and realizes that all her friends are in Terminus and they are not having a great time. After tying up Martin, Carol then preps herself in zombie guts and walks with the zombie horde to Terminus. She lets the zombies push down the fences as she shoots holes in a huge propane tank. Using the firecrackers that Martin had with him, she aims a firecracker at the tank causing the explosion which saved Glenn’s (and everyone else’s) life.

Did I already mention how bad ass Carol’s become?

As the boys manage to escape being butchered (literally), Carol makes her way through the fiery hell that is now Terminus, looking for her friends. As Carol makes her way all over the “sanctuary”, she starts to see it for what it really is. These people are cannibals, taking their victim’s possessions, tracking their kill count in a ledger and processing them like cattle. Carol soon finds the candle-filled room and is confronted by Mary, who after a scuffle, explains that Terminus was a sanctuary at first until another group had taken over and did some really traumatic things to the citizens.

Throughout the episode we get a few flashbacks of Terminus pre-cannibals, back when Gareth (who Conan O’Brian pointed out in The Talking Dead as the annoying manager at Starbucks) and the gang were the ones inside the rail cars. What happened then? We don’t know. But they somehow turned the tables on the people that locked them in and Gareth and the other crazies turn Terminus into their all-you-can-eat buffet. It gives the motto to Terminus a much clearer explanation to viewers: “Never again. Never trust. We first, always.” The names written all over the floor of the room are fallen citizens and the entire room, along with the painted motto became a shrine and a reminder of who they were and who they’ve become.

Inside the rail car, no one knows what the hell is going on outside. Eugene gives them information about the cure but just enough to ensure his safety. It still raises a few questions but his first priority is Washington. Rick and the guys finally make their way back to the car and set everyone free and over the fence and as far away from Terminus as they can.

They run to the woods where Rick’s ammo bag is waiting under the dirt and the gang discuss going back and finishing off the Terminus crew to make sure they don’t come after them. They’re interrupted by Carol who receives an emotional welcome from Daryl who rarely displays any raw emotion and from Rick who is just in shock and awe. Hey Rick, you’ve still got one more surprise.

Carol leads everyone back to the shed where they are met by Tyreese (who overcame his fear and saved Judith from Martin) and Judith. Carl and Rick are reunited with Judith and Tyreese and Sasha are reunited. Everyone’s happy right? Not until we get a glimpse of Daryl who might be wondering what everyone else is wondering: WHERE THE HELL IS BETH?

Just as the episode is about to end, we see a lone man walking along the tracks stopping at a modified “Terminus” sign courtesy of Rick. As he takes off his headgear, he reveals himself to be none other than Morgan Jones who we first met in season 1. What’s he doing back? No one knows yet!

HEAVY BREATHING INTENSIFIES

This episode brought out the very best of the show and gave fans that nostalgic feeling of why we got so hooked to the show in the first place. Rick is finally starting to realize that he needs to do everything he can to keep the family (not just blood related ones) alive and safe. Abe and Rosita are still intent on taking Eugene to Washington, but will the Grimes clan join them?

What did you think of our recap on The Walking Dead‘s “No Sanctuary”? Let us know in the comments below.