Return of the Dead

"We've all done the worst kinds of things just to stay alive. But we can still come back. We're not too far gone. We get to come back. I know... we all can change." — Rick, "The Walking Dead"

When "The Walking Dead" signed out for the season last Spring, our heroes were left in a precarious situation. They had spent the back half of the season realizing just how brutal the world is, in search of a safe harbor, and trying to discover who they were meant to be.

Some were critical of that approach. Some complained about the pacing of the final eight episodes of the season. I loved it. The back half of the season was a deep dive into these characters and the nature of man. It was slow and, at times, brutal. But it was fascinating.

But none of that prepared us for where the season would end up — with our heroes finally arriving at Terminus, a sanctuary that loomed as a beacon of hope, only to end up trapped in a train car. The impression given was that it was a grim fate that awaited them all.

That was confirmed Sunday, at "The Walking Dead" returned with a premier that tied together the work done last Spring. The people at Terminus were, indeed, recruiting survivors for food and supplies. Namely that meant taking their possessions and weapons as supplies, and using them as food.

While our heroes escaped, and Terminus collapsed, the ultimate point was that it was meant as an exploration of man. All our heroes were tested in the Spring — what would they stand for in a broken world; what would they value; how would they live? The people at Terminus faced a similar challenge. Through flashbacks, we see that they were once positive, noble, and seeking to make a better world — that is until they encountered violence and ugliness in the world. It hardened them, and forced them into their worldview. People were a treat and a resource, and that's how they lived.

But that's not how our heroes will live. Even in making their escape, facing danger, when presented a chance to save themselves and their own while forgetting others, they refused. As Glen said, "That's not who we are. That's not who we want to be."

"The Walking Dead" is a brutal, dystopian world. Everything is a danger. Everyone is, literally, a walker waiting to happen. But the most dangerous thing in the world is man, which is full of brutality and horrors.

In the darkness and danger, those alive are faced with a choice — how will you choose to live? That's where the show is going, and last night we started to get some answers.