The Walking Dead (season 5)
The fifth season of "The Walking Dead", an American post-apocalyptic horror television series on AMC, premiered on October 12, 2014, and concluded on March 29, 2015, 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 were Kirkman, David Alpert, Scott M. Gimple, Greg Nicotero, Tom Luse, and Gale Anne Hurd, with Gimple as showrunner for the second consecutive season. The fifth season received widespread critical acclaim. It was nominated for multiple  awards and won three, including Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series for the third consecutive year, at the 41st Saturn Awards. This season adapts material from issues #61–77 of the comic book series and introduces notable comic characters, including the cannibalistic hunters from Terminus, Father Gabriel Stokes (Seth Gilliam) and Aaron (Ross Marquand), as well as the Anderson and Monroe families. Now reunited, the season continues the story of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group of survivors as they search for sanctuary, but face new threats from both walkers and other (hostile) human survivors. It also marks the return of  Morgan Jones (Lennie James), who was last seen in the third-season episode "Clear." The first half of the season focuses on the group's escape from Terminus, after finding themselves in a vulnerable situation, where they learn the true motives of the Terminans, and the rescue of Beth Greene (Emily Kinney) from Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. In the midst of events, part of the group travels to Washington, D.C. in search of a possible cure for the walker virus. The second half of the season focuses on the group's addition and experience in a newfound sanctuary; Alexandria  Safe-Zone: a walled-off community, whose inhabitants have little experience dealing with external threats. Cast. Main cast. The fifth season features seventeen series regulars, with ten actors receiving opening credits billing; the other seven are credited as "Also starring." Michael Cudlitz, who portrays Sgt. Abraham Ford, is added in the opening sequence, after being listed as recurring in the previous season, as are Emily Kinney and Chad L. Coleman, who portray Beth Greene and Tyreese Williams, respectively, after previously being credited as "Also starring." Credited as "Also starring" are Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Alanna Masterson, and Andrew J. West , who were promoted to series regulars, after being listed as recurring in the previous season, and Seth Gilliam, who joins the main cast as Father Gabriel Stokes. Kinney and Coleman's names were removed from the opening credits after episode nine; they were added back in episode thirteen for a brief flashback scene. Production. The series was renewed for a fifth season on October 29, 2013. The season began filming on May 5, 2014 and finished on November 22, 2014. Scott M. Gimple continued the role of showrunner, a position he held since the fourth season. In January 2015, it  was announced that Ross Marquand had been cast in a series regular role, to debut during the second half of the season. It was believed Marquand would be playing Aaron, a prominent character from the comic book series. The character debuted in the tenth episode, "Them", and his role as Aaron was officially confirmed. This season also introduces prominent characters from the graphic novels, besides Aaron, including Bruce, Eric, Nicholas, Olivia, and Tobin. The season finale aired in an expanded 90-minute time slot. The titles of the final five episodes of the season ("Remember", "Forget", "Spend", "Try", and "Conquer ), which feature the characters in the Alexandria Safe-Zone, refer to William Faulkner's novel The Sound and the Fury", which Dale quotes from the first season episode "Vatos". Writing. Scott M. Gimple remarked that the television series would be following its source material more than ever in the fifth season, with exceptions including original characters such as Daryl Dixon, and deceased characters from the comics alive in the television series and vice versa. The fifth season adapted material from the comic books "Volume 10: What We Become", "Volume 11: Fear the Hunters", "Volume 12: Life Among Them", and "Volume  13: Too Far Gone". While the television series has remained faithful, the character of Beth Greene and her story arc have been largely made up for the television series. Despite this, the scenario in which Rick Grimes chases down a man who betrayed the group's trust was a moment from the source material, albeit with a different character. Episodes. <onlyinclude></onlyinclude> Reception. Critical response. The fifth season of "The Walking Dead" has received critical acclaim. On Metacritic, the season holds a score of 80 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews", based on 11 critics. On Rotten Tomatoes , the season holds an 90% with an average rating of 6.95 out of 10 based on 32 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "Thanks to a liberal dose of propulsive, bloody action and enough compelling character moments to reward longtime fans, "The Walking Dead"s fifth season continues to deliver top-notch entertainment." Brian Lowry of "Variety" gave the fifth-season premiere a positive review, saying: "After the (rather too) long and winding road to Terminus, 'The Walking Dead' opens its fifth season in spectacular fashion, a dazzling adrenaline rush filled with suspense, righteous violence and, before it's all  over, genuine emotion. Imbued with cinematic touches, the only downside to this breathtaking episode is pondering what the creative brain trust can do for an encore. Still, AMC's megahit finds itself in a very good place, from the current makeup of its ever-evolving cast to the latitude it has earned to take unexpected detours. Given the hype surrounding the series, it's still impressive to see the producers deliver such a feast." Several critics have felt the fifth season has been a huge improvement to its preceding seasons. Emily VanDerWerff for "Vox", wrote: "...it's not unprecedented for  a series to have its best season in its fifth year, but it's definitely strange for a show to make this big of a leap this late in its run." She praised all aspects of the storytelling and conception of the fifth season, singling out the action, themes, characters, advanced storylines, newly introduced anthology character-focused episodes, and overall improvements to the material the show has always worked with. Similarly, writing for Grantland, Andy Greenwald praised Scott M. Gimple as showrunner, particularly noting him as an improvement to Glen Mazzara and Frank Darabont, as well as praising the increase  in minorities and resulting racial diversity among the main cast. He further commented: "Gimple has also done wonders with the characters he inherited," and singled out characters such as Beth Greene and Tyreese, praising their newly established complexities and character evolution. The constantly shifting environments and surrounding threats were also noted and lauded. Zack Handlen of "The A.V. Club" in his review of "Consumed," summarized the season as a whole, saying: "This is a large part of why The Walking Dead has gotten so good this season: The writers have found a way to exploit subtext and history in compelling , haunting ways." Laura Prudom of "Variety" on her review of "Conquer" commented that "...season five represents a marked improvement over the stagnation of previous years, with the promise of Alexandria breathing new life into the series, offering our group a form of opposition that isn't inherently wrong, unlike The Governor or the Termites." She assessed it as having "arguably been "The Walking Dead's" best yet, propelled by compulsive story threads and fascinating character dynamics." Accolades. For the 41st Saturn Awards, the fifth season of "The Walking Dead" received seven nominations and three wins. The wins were for Best  Syndicated/Cable Television Series, Best Actor on Television (Andrew Lincoln), and Best Supporting Actress on Television (Melissa McBride). The nominations were for Best Supporting Actor on Television (Norman Reedus), Best Supporting Actress on Television (Emily Kinney), Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series (Chandler Riggs), and Best Guest Starring Role on Television (Andrew J. West). The season also received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations, the most for an individual season of the series currently, for the 67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, but failed to win any. The nominations were for Outstanding Prosthetic Make-up for a  Series, Limited Series, Movie, or Special ("Strangers"), Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series ("Conquer"), Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role ("Conquer"), and Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series, or Movie (Monty Simons). Additionally, the season was also nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series at the 21st and 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards for both halves of the season, respectively. Ratings. Live +7 ratings were not available, so Live +3 ratings have been used instead. Broadcast. The first half of the season premiered on Fox International Channels on October 13 , 2014. Episodes air a day later than in the United States. The second half debuted on February 9, 2015. Home media releases. The fifth season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1/A on August 25, 2015. Special features include "Inside "The Walking Dead"" and "The Making of "The Walking Dead"" featurettes for every episode; eight other featurettes titled, "Beth's Journey," "Bob's Journey," "Noah's Journey," "Tyreese's Journey," "A Day in the Life of Michael Cudlitz," "A Day in the Life of Josh McDermitt," and "Rotters in the Flesh"; deleted scenes; and audio commentaries  with cast and crew. A special limited edition Blu-ray packaging set, featuring the "asphalt" walker, designed by Greg Nicotero and sculpted by McFarlane Toys, was released on December 1, 2015.