The Walking Dead: Season 5
Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun
Reviewed by Brian M. Sammons
It’s the latest season on disc of the show that launched a 1000 other horror TV shows. I mean really, before American Horror Story, Bates Motel, Salem, Hannibal, Sleepy Hollow, The Strain, Scream, Scream Queens, and a TWD spinoff called Fear the Walking Dead. Sure, there were spooky shows on television before The Walking Dead, but there was never the gory glut of serious, violent, and hardcore horror on TV like there is now. So am I saying that all this is thanks to The Walking Dead? Yes I am. Love the show or hate it – I hear plenty from both sides of that fight – I think it’s undeniable that if AMC didn’t take a chance on TWD, which has become one of the most watched shows on TV, then we would not be in this new golden age of horror-themed television. All that being said, does The Walking Dead still deserve to be one of the most watched shows on television? Well grab your gun, samurai sword, and be sure to aim for the head; we’re heading back to the zombie apocalypse for the fifth season to find out.
This season kicks off with Rick and company still imprisoned in the town of Terminus by a group of cannibals. Surprisingly, that predicament is wrapped up pretty quickly, and satisfyingly, and the group is on the move in short order, but are they being followed? And if so, by whom? New characters from comic are introduced this season, including the ever crazy Father Gabriel, and others return after a hiatus, such as Beth and even Morgan, who has been MIA since season three. Most of the action is on the road this season, something I always like, and then ends up with Rick and his posse reaching a “safe zone” in the little town of Alexandria. But how safe is it when there are troubles within the sanctuary and troubles outside in the form of a mysterious group called “The Wolves” who like to carve the letter W into the foreheads of both the living and the dead?
On to the extras in this new Blu-ray set from Anchor Bay. First and foremost, there are a bunch of featurettes to be found here. Nine of them, to be exact. No wait, there’s even more than that. “Inside The Walking Dead” is actually a collection of short behind the scenes bits for each of the sixteen episodes this season. “The Making of The Walking Dead” is also a collection of sixteen mini-featurettes, each one focusing on an individual episode. There is one on “The Making of Alexandria,” the little slice of heaven our heroes find at the end of this season. There are four “Journey” shorts, each one focusing on a different character: Beth, Bob, Noah, and Tyreese. There are two “Day in the Life of” features on two of the actors: Michael Cudlitz (who plays Abraham), and Josh McDermitt (who plays Eugene). Last, but not least, there’s one on the real stars of the show, the zombies, called “Rotters in the Flesh.” Additionally there are a collection of deleted scenes for six of the episodes and six audio commentaries for five of the episodes (episode one of this season has two commentaries). So yeah, that’s a whole lot of special feature love for the show, and I couldn’t be happier for it.
Season five of The Walking Dead is another solid effort from the zombie show that changed the landscape of television. Sure, there are some uneven spots, but that can be said of most shows. But pound for pound this show keeps on delivering the goods and this Blu-ray boxset is a must for fans of the show. Consider it well recommended.
