Technically, we’re halfway through season five of “The Walking Dead,” but there’s an argument that each half-season is its own season, complete with its own premieres and finales. The midseason finale is just as valid as the season finale; in fact, some of the strongest episodes of “The Walking Dead” come right at the halfway mark of a season, not at the very end.
While we’re waiting for “Walking Dead” to return with the second half of its fifth season, let’s take stock of the climactic finale episodes we’ve already endured. Here are our rankings of every single “Walking Dead” finale thus far:
8. “Pretty Much Dead Already” (Season 2)
There’s no doubt that Sophia emerging from barn as a zombie-child is one of the most powerful and iconic images of “The Walking Dead.” But it came at a high cost, calling each of the preceding episodes into question. Everyone was so focused on finding Sophia, and then it turned out she was right on site the entire time. It’s one of the biggest and most justified criticisms of season two.
Will “Coda” rise in the ranks over time? Perhaps. But right now, even Rick slamming his car into Bob isn’t amazing enough to offset Beth’s senseless death. (It’s enough to catapult “Coda” past “Pretty Much Dead Already,” however.)
It’s not even about losing a beloved character, either. (This is “The Walking Dead,” after all. It happens.) The actual death scene happens way too fast, coming across as sloppy and jarring. Beth’s motivations in attacking Dawn aren’t crystal clear; did she really think that sticking a small pair of scissors in Dawn’s shoulder was a kill move? Was she inviting a gunshot to the head? Why did this happen?
Days have passed since the episode, and still, Beth’s actions remain unclear. At best, she was naive and impulsive; at worst, she was stupid and selfish. It undercuts the tragedy of losing one of the show’s longest running characters.
6. “Welcome to the Tombs” (Season 3)
Governor gone wild! Don’t-Call-Him-Phillip goes crazy, shooting up his Woodbury flock in a fit of rage. The survivors wind up in Rick’s prison, now a part of his group. Andrea’s drawn-out death scene drags the episode down a bit, but it’s still a winner.
Robert Kirkman can regret the CDC episode all he wants, but he shouldn’t. It’s an unusual hour of “Walking Dead,” and in this case, unusual works. Seeing how the so-called TS-16 virus works from a scientist’s perspective, and meeting Doctor Jenner, are two of the show’s greatest delights. Plus, the CDC’s fiery explosion is still one of the biggest and baddest moments in the series.
Is the episode a bit out of step with the rest of season one? Absolutely. But it’s a unique hour of “Walking Dead,” and one that deserves respect.
4. “Made to Suffer” (Season 3)
The Governor versus Michonne, round one! Their knockout brawl is one of the fiercest fights in “Walking Dead” history. We also see Daryl and Merle reunited for the very first time (outside of season two’s dream sequence), and it’s not the reunion that either one of them wanted. Bonus points for the Shane Walsh cameo.
3. “Beside the Dying Fire” (Season 2)
If the midseason two finale was a letdown, the full season two finale was a true barnburner. Literally; Hershel’s barn, and his entire farm, burnt to the ground following a walker invasion that kicked everyone out of their comfort zone.
“Walking Dead” needed to get the hell away from Hershel’s farm in a very bad way, after spending an entire season in that one location. (Seriously, it’s only two issues in the comics. How did this happen?) When the time came, they pulled the plug in style, burning everything to the ground, and teasing up two of the comic’s most anticipated icons in the process: Michonne, and the prison.
Rick Grimes bites out a dude’s throat. What more do you need? How about every single living “Walking Dead” character we know and love (aside from Carol, Tyreese, Judith and Beth) getting thrown into a train car, locked away to be eaten by cannibals another day? The cliffhangeriest cliffhanger of all “Walking Dead” cliffhangers.
OK, perhaps the midseason four finale was an even greater cliffhanger, with each of the “Walking Dead” characters scattered to the nine winds after the prison’s destruction. On the show, the moment was a season and a half in the making. For comic book fans, it’s quite possibly the iconic moment from the comics — and it was well worth the wait.
The prison’s fall was fast, furious, and brutal as all hell, claiming innocent lives (rest in peace, Hershel) and guilty lives (rest in hell, Governor) alike. Easily the best “Walking Dead” finale, and in the conversation for best episodes of the series.
Every ‘Walking Dead’ Finale, Ranked
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