"A" | |
---|---|
The Walking Dead episode | |
![]() | |
Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 16 |
Directed by | Michelle MacLaren |
Written by | |
Original air date | March 30, 2014 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"A" is the sixteenth and final episode of the fourth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead , which aired on AMC on March 30, 2014. The episode was written by Scott M. Gimple and Angela Kang, and directed by Michelle MacLaren.
As multiple paths collide on each group's travels, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) remembers the past and comes face to face with sheer brutality. As the so-called sanctuary, "Terminus", begins to reveal its true face, the group struggles to survive. Themes explored in this episode include preparedness and the extremities of living in a lawless world. The latter is explored through Rick's guilt and trauma after being forced to brutally murder two men to protect his son, Carl (Chandler Riggs).
Flashbacks through the episode take place during the groups' time at the prison. Over an undetermined period, Hershel helps Rick to recognize that he has taken a violent, callous attitude toward protecting his group, and reminds him of how this has impressed on his son Carl, nor allowed himself to spend time with his infant daughter Judith. Rick comes to take Hershel's advice, deciding to put down his gun, take up farming alongside Carl, and enjoy time with the members of his group.
In the present, Rick, Carl, and Michonne follow signs along the tracks to Terminus. They hear cries for help and find a lone survivor surrounded by walkers. Rick warns them about conserving their ammunition and determines there is too much to risk in saving the man, and they watch him get killed by the walkers.
That night, they are ambushed by Joe and his gang of Claimers, whose number also includes the reluctant Daryl. Joe had been tracking Rick's group for some time, seeking revenge on Rick for killing one of his own. Joe holds Rick at gunpoint, and Daryl (who was unaware it was Rick's group being tracked) tries to convince Joe to not harm his friends. Joe refuses Daryl and has two of his men secure him before turning his attention back to Rick. Joe says that the Claimers are "reasonable men", but in revenge, he will have Daryl beaten to death, sexually assault Michonne, then Carl, and then kill Rick after he is forced to witness this. One Claimer, Dan, prepares to rape Carl. Instinctively, Rick headbutts Joe, who fires his gun but misses, but the shot leaves Rick temporarily deaf. Joe wrestles and secures Rick, but Rick then bites into Joe's carotid artery and rips out his jugular vein, killing him and shocking the other Claimers. Daryl and Michonne use the moment to break free of their captors, killing the rest of the Claimers except Dan. Dan pleads for his life, but Rick stabs him with Joe's pocketknife and disembowels him, and then continues to stab him to death repeatedly, as Carl watches. Rick makes sure the others are safe, and he and Daryl reconcile, and Daryl explains that he got separated from Beth and is unaware of her fate.
Later, the four continue toward Terminus and soon come in sight of the train yard. Rick is concerned and decides to bury most of their weapons nearby before they enter. They are greeted at Terminus by brothers Gareth (Andrew J. West) and Alex (Tate Ellington), and they check their weapons before returning them to the group. Alex provides them with a tour of Terminus, providing them with food from their mother Mary. Rick notices inside Alex’s cargo pants pocket the silver chain of the pocketwatch that Hershel had given to Glenn as his sign of approval for marrying his daughter Maggie. Rick takes Alex at gunpoint and demands to know where he found the pocket watch. Gareth, observing from a distance, orders his men to attack, starting a large firefight. Rick uses Alex as a bullet shield, before he and the others are forced into a series of alleyways, and eventually into a closed-in area, where they have nowhere to hide from snipers. Gareth demands they drop their weapons, and the group is escorted into a boxcar where they find that the Terminus residents have already captured Glenn, Maggie, Bob, and Sasha, along with new allies Abraham, Rosita, Eugene, and Tara. When they are locked in, Rick tells the others "they're screwing with the wrong people."
"A" was co-written by executive producer and showrunner Scott M. Gimple and producer Angela Kang; it was each their third writing credit for the season. It was directed by Michelle MacLaren, who previously directed season two's "Pretty Much Dead Already" and season one's "Guts".
It marks the final episode to feature Hershel Greene, although in a flashback sequence, following the character's death in "Too Far Gone". For this episode, Scott Wilson is readded to the opening credits after being removed after the ninth episode of the season.
The episode marks the final appearance of recurring character Joe (played by Jeff Kober) as he was killed by Rick Grimes by biting out his jugular vein. 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 "Volume 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.
During filming of the final scene, Andrew Lincoln remarked that he delivered the final line which was very close to the one found in "Volume #11", "Issue #64" of the comic book series. Scott Gimple noted that this would never have passed the network censors, so they had to re-take another version of the final scene without the swearing. Despite this, the scene with the swearing is considered the canonical version. [2] The home video release of the episode shows the uncensored version of the final line of the season, "They're fucking with the wrong people." [3]
Upon airing, the episode was watched by 15.68 million American viewers, and received an 18–49 rating of 8.0. [4] This marks a rise in total viewers and ratings from the previous episode, which received an 18–49 rating of 6.7 and 13.47 million viewers. [5] This rating represents the season finale high to date, but below the all-time high of the season four premiere episode. Overall, season four's average viewership of 13.3 million viewers was an increase of 20% over season three. [6]
The episode received critical acclaim. 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?" [7]
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." [8]
Rick Grimes is a fictional character and the protagonist in the post-apocalyptic comic book series The Walking Dead and the first nine seasons of the television series of the same name, in which he is portrayed by Andrew Lincoln. Created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, the character made his debut in The Walking Dead #1 in 2003. Rick is a small town sheriff's deputy and is married to Lori. They have a son, Carl, and a daughter, Judith. He awakens from a coma after a life-threatening gunshot wound to find the world overrun by reanimated humans dubbed "walkers".
"Pretty Much Dead Already" is the seventh episode and mid-season finale of the second season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on November 27, 2011. In the episode, Glenn reveals to the group that there are walkers in the Greenes' barn, dividing the group on what to do. Hershel Greene sets a deadline for the group to leave, unless Rick Grimes does a difficult task. Meanwhile, Shane Walsh slowly loses his sanity after many secrets around him are revealed and Carol Peletier begins to question whether her daughter, Sophia will be found.
"Beside the Dying Fire" is the 13th and final episode of the second season of the postapocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on March 18, 2012. The episode was written by creator Robert Kirkman and showrunner Glen Mazzara, and directed by series regular Ernest Dickerson. In the episode, a huge horde of walkers invades the Greene farm, chasing Rick Grimes and Hershel's groups off the premises. Meanwhile, Andrea is separated from the group, leaving her to fight off the same walkers that attacked Hershel's farm.
Michonne Grimes is a fictional character from The Walking Dead. The character also appears in media adaptations of the series, most notably the television series of the same name, in which she is portrayed by Danai Gurira. Armed with a katana and harboring a mysterious past, Michonne is introduced clothed under a hood and pulling the shackles of two reanimated corpses for protection and camouflage. The two walkers are subsequently revealed to be her zombified boyfriend and his best friend. In both the comic and TV series, she has a prominent role in the conflict between the town of Woodbury led by The Governor, and the Prison group.
"This Sorrowful Life" is the fifteenth and penultimate episode of the third season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which first aired on AMC in the United States on March 24, 2013.
"Welcome to the Tombs" is the sixteenth and final episode of the third season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on March 31, 2013. In the episode, The Governor and Rick Grimes prepare for the upcoming assault on the prison. Tyreese and Sasha decide to not participate in the assault and stay on guard duty before preparing to leave, as the citizens of Woodbury become increasingly alarmed at The Governor's erratic behaviour. Meanwhile, Andrea struggles to escape The Governor's torture chamber.
The fourth season of The Walking Dead, an American post-apocalyptic horror television series on AMC, premiered on October 13, 2013, and concluded on March 30, 2014, consisting of 16 episodes. Developed for television by Frank Darabont, the series is based on the eponymous series of comic books by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. It was executive produced by Kirkman, David Alpert, Scott M. Gimple, Greg Nicotero, Tom Luse, and Gale Anne Hurd, with Gimple assuming the role of showrunner after Glen Mazzara's departure from the series. The fourth season was well received by critics. It was nominated for multiple awards and won three, including Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series for the second consecutive year, at the 40th Saturn Awards.
"30 Days Without an Accident" is the fourth season premiere of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on October 13, 2013. The episode was written by Scott M. Gimple, the series' new showrunner, and directed by Greg Nicotero.
"Too Far Gone" is the eighth episode and mid-season finale of the fourth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on December 1, 2013. The episode, written by Seth Hoffman and directed by Ernest Dickerson, shares its title with the thirteenth volume of the comics.
"After" is the ninth episode and mid-season premiere of the fourth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on February 9, 2014. The episode was written by Robert Kirkman and directed by Greg Nicotero.
"Us" is the fifteenth and penultimate episode of the fourth season, and 50th episode overall of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on March 23, 2014. The episode was written by Nichole Beattie and Seth Hoffman, and directed by Greg Nicotero.
"No Sanctuary" is the fifth season premiere of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on October 12, 2014. It was written by showrunner Scott M. Gimple and directed by Greg Nicotero. In the episode, Rick Grimes' group struggles to figure out a way to escape Terminus, whose inhabitants have resorted to cannibalism to survive. Concurrently, Carol Peletier devises a plan to rescue Rick's group after learning they are in danger.
"Strangers" is the second episode of the fifth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on October 19, 2014. The episode was written by series creator Robert Kirkman and directed by David Boyd. In the episode, Rick Grimes 's group encounters a priest, Father Gabriel Stokes, who provides them solace in his church, while Rick contemplates Abraham Ford's proposition to escort Dr. Eugene Porter to Washington, D.C. to cure the walker virus.
"Coda" is the eighth episode and mid-season finale of the fifth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on November 30, 2014. The episode marks Lennie James's second uncredited post-credits appearance in the fifth season as Morgan Jones. The episode was written by Angela Kang and directed by Ernest Dickerson.
"Conquer" is the sixteenth and final episode of the fifth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on March 29, 2015. It was written by showrunner Scott M. Gimple and Seth Hoffman, and directed by Greg Nicotero.
"How It's Gotta Be" is the eighth episode and mid-season finale of the eighth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on December 10, 2017. The episode was written by David Leslie Johnson and Angela Kang, and directed by Michael E. Satrazemis.
"Wrath" is the sixteenth and final episode of the eighth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on April 14, 2018. It was written by Scott M. Gimple, Angela Kang and Matthew Negrete, and directed by Greg Nicotero.
The ninth season of The Walking Dead, an American post-apocalyptic horror television series on AMC premiered on October 7, 2018, and concluded on March 31, 2019, consisting of 16 episodes. Developed for television by Frank Darabont, the series is based on the eponymous series of comic books by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The executive producers are Kirkman, David Alpert, Scott M. Gimple, Angela Kang, Greg Nicotero, Tom Luse, Denise Huth, and Gale Anne Hurd, with Kang taking over the role of showrunner from Gimple after his promotion to chief content officer for the franchise.
"A New Beginning" is the ninth season premiere episode of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on October 7, 2018. The episode was written by showrunner Angela Kang and directed by executive producer Greg Nicotero.
"Rest in Peace" is the twenty-fourth and final episode of the eleventh season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. The series finale and 177th episode overall, it aired on AMC on November 20, 2022, and was simultaneously released on the network's streaming platform AMC+. The episode's teleplay was written by Corey Reed and Jim Barnes, from a story by Angela Kang, and directed by Greg Nicotero.