Girls of Geek TV Rewind: The Walking Dead - Season 5.0

Written by John Edward Betancourt

When we last left Rick Grimes and his group, they were as devastated as the rest of us. Beth was murdered in brutal fashion and we all knew the show would never be the same. But even before that earth shattering moment, the show had already made sure to surprise us at every turn, working with time jumps that left us guessing. So before we reach the Midseason premiere of The Walking Dead, here is a look back at the first half of Season 5. 

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Episode One: "No Sanctuary"
Immediately following the Season 4 Finale, we pick up with the group still trapped at Terminus, and trouble is already brewing for Rick as Gareth's lackeys pull Rick, Daryl, Glenn and Bob from their train car to slaughter them for food. But it turns out that Carol is near and saves the day, laying waste to Terminus, and helping everyone escape before being reunited and welcomed back into the group by Rick. 

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Episode Two: "Strangers"
Back on the road once again the group finds sanctuary in a church after helping out a jittery priest named Father Gabriel. As they catch their breath, Gabriel lets them know of a food supply that Rick and a group bring back to the church. It seems that all is well, but that's far from the case. Carol and Daryl are separated from the group when Daryl discovers Carol trying to leave and then spots a car similar to the one that nabbed Beth, taking Carol with him to pursue it and it turns out Bob was bitten in the food raid before being kidnapped by Gareth and the Terminus survivors. They plan to hunt Rick and his group, and they have already started their hunt by capturing Bob and cutting off and eating his leg.  

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Episode Three: "Four Walls and a Roof"
The showdown begins between Gareth and Rick when the Terminus survivors return Bob to the church. As Rick takes a squad to dispose of them at night, Gareth arrives at the church to exact his revenge. But his plans go awry when Rick returns and kills Gareth in brutal fashion. Following the end of Gareth the group is split when Abraham takes some of the group to head to Washington D.C., while the rest stay behind to wait for Daryl. He returns shortly after Abraham leaves, with a mystery person in tow...

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Episode Four: "Slabtown"
Beth awakens to discover that the car she encountered at the mortuary has brought her to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, where she finds a group of survivors, mostly made up of Police Officers and people that owe those officers a debt for being saved. She figures out quickly that this sanctuary is anything but, it is ruled by a tyrant known as Dawn and it seems that no one has ever repaid their debt, meaning she may be trapped here for some time. Especially after her attempted escape with Noah, a man she has befriended there, ends in failure for Beth but success for Noah, and to make matters worse, Beth sees an unconscious Carol being wheeled into the hospital as well.

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Episode Five: "Self Help"
Following an accident on the road to Washington D.C., Abraham's group is doing their best to secure some kind of transportation to head to the nation's capital. But there seems to be complications all along the way, including the demon's from Abraham's past and the fact that in a moment of panic, Eugene reveals he isn't a scientist and knows nothing of a cure, prompting Abraham to beat him senseless. 

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Episode Six: "Consumed"
Carol and Daryl arrive in Atlanta at last, and begin to scout for Beth's location. Along the way we learn much about these two, especially their pasts and the hardships they have suffered before being robbed of their weapons by Noah. They eventually figure out that Beth has been taken to Grady Memorial, and they also cross paths with Noah again, saving his life but alerting Dawn's police force. Their attempt to hide leads to Carol being hit by a car, sending her to Grady Memorial with Beth and sending Daryl and Noah back to Rick and the group to arrange a rescue party for Beth.

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Episode Seven: "Crossed"
Rick and a vast majority of the group head to Atlanta to figure out how to bring Beth home. As they formulate a plan, Abraham works to come to terms with everything that has happened, and Beth works to save Carol's life since a show of strength from Beth has nearly doomed her friend, and Father Gabriel escapes the church to get a better look at the world as it is now on his own. Upon arriving in Atlanta, Rick and the gang encounter some of Dawn's crooked cops and capture them, planning to use them as bartering chips. But one of them has ideas of his own, and knocks Sasha out in order to escape.

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Episode Eight: "Coda"
The escaping officer has been dealt with, and Rick and the group have a plan to rescue Beth from Grady Memorial. As they prepare to put their plan into action, Abraham and the D.C. gang return to the church just in time to save Michonne, Carl, Judith and Gabriel from walkers that the good father brought back to the church in his travels, prompting all of them to help Rick in Atlanta. But the mission in Atlanta ends up going more smoothly than expected as the come within seconds of Beth being returned to them. But things go horribly wrong, and Beth is murdered in cold blood by Dawn, prompting Daryl to put Dawn down as well. The episode ends in brutal fashion as Abraham and everyone else arrive at Grady Memorial, just in time for Maggie to see Daryl bringing out the body of her baby sister.

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