Walking Dead: The Terminated

Moderate spoilers below – recommend you turn back if you haven’t seen the premiere...

AMC has got themselves a showrunner who delivers in Scott Gimple – and how. He’s cracked the code of how to give fans what they want while sending the show’s ratings into the stratosphere, delivering their highest numbers ever with 17.3 million viewers (up 7% from last year), while increasing 6% in adults age 18-49.

Sunday night’s 5^th season premiere of The Walking Dead jumped right into the thick of things Sunday night, manhandling viewers out of the boxcar into a sequence that’s destined to be referred to as “the trough.” Easily one of WD’s most horrible and disturbing openings ever – and it’s important to note that the violence isn’t perpetrated by Walkers, but by human beings. Humans who've strayed so far off the moral map that they now employ a casual, institutionalized brutality that makes their actions all the more disturbing. A scene depicting the mass sorting of victim's clothes, watches and possessions conjurs up a chilling semblance of the Holocaust. As in-your-face as the episode began, it was an unforgettable way to nail viewers’ attention.

I figured we’d be spending at least one or two episodes at Terminus, but the survivors have left its smoldering ruin in their wake. What may be most surprising is what didn't happen last night, as the body count for Rick’s group was unexpectedly low – with a couple of truly heartfelt reunions, placing all of these characters together in one group for the first time since the prison fell.

Head means-justifier Gareth is clearly still out there – and it’s likely only a matter of time before Rick makes good on his promise there. We also saw that someone else is back, too – in a very surprising reveal that popped up after the episode’s end credits. So without a doubt, a smashing return for fans of The Walking Dead, as Gimple and episode director Greg Nicotero pushed and pushed hard, to deliver an unforgettable episode that’s got us primed like mad for what comes next.

West coasters – in the past, AMC has always had their west coast feed show the series earlier than the normal 9:00 PM broadcast, keeping in line with the east coast feed, allowing viewers to capture it on their DVRs and watch it before the 9:00 airing. For the premiere, we had to wait ‘til 9:00 – but looking ahead to next week, they’re showing episode 5.2 first airing at 6:00 PM Pacific, so the 9:00 airing was just for the premiere, and to accommodate the lead-up of the season 4 marathon. Adjust your DVRs accordingly.

Scott, Greg – thanks, fellas. You let us all know without a doubt that you’re open for business – and business is good.