There has been many questions about "The Church" located deeply within the maze of Terminus. It looks like a spooky altar, but it's their way to honor the fallen residents of Terminus.
At the Church, you can see the proverbial writing on the wall. These cryptic messages are cautions from the residents to the newcomers: NEVER AGAIN, NEVER TRUST and WE FIRST, ALWAYS.
I believe one time
Terminus was probably a very nice place to reside. An actual sanctuary of sorts, but something obviously went awry. Somebody
deceived them and the survivors want a constant reminder by the messages on the wall along with the memorial on the Church floor.
I think it's safe to say the names on the floor are loved ones who have perished during an insurgence at Terminus. I’m sure you noticed
belongings carefully placed by each name obviously left by the residents in memorial for their dead. Which is the complete opposite of the flagrant pillaging
of the living, Glenn’s pocket watch given by Hershel, Dr "Mullet" Eugene's borrowed riot gear and Maggie’s poncho.
“There’s a big story to
Terminus,” series creator Robert Kirkman explained in the finale’s postmortem.
“There’s a very long and involved way that Terminus came about, and that
memorial is a big part of it. It’s what these people have lived through and
what’s happened to them and what’s built them into what they are, which will be
revealed in Season 5.”
Many viewers are wondering if Rick's group understands why they are being held in train car. Are they aware it's a cannibalistic community? Kirkman suggests watching the finale again because there are some hints of next season.I took his advice and watched the episode again. This time I noticed when Rick and the group ran through the trap and came along this scene. Rick and Carl stared directly at the strewed carcases as they ran passed. The following scene we watched the group still scrambling for an exit. As they run passed a couple of train cars, Darryl says "What the hell?" in response to hearing calls for help from people trapped within those train cars. Check it out for yourself. Click Here
Prey - hunted
or caught for food, defenseless in the face of
attack.
In the season finale of The Walking Dead, Rick showed Michonne
and Carl how to catch an animal in a trap. He explained if you camouflage the trap, you can control the movement of the animal and force them directly into the trap.
The irony of his statement is we now know, Rick's group was in fact the big catch of the day. The maze layout of the compound is exactly what Rick described as the perfect trap. The group was forced through the facility guided by snipers on the
rooftops shooting at the ground and directing them to boxcar "A" by gun men in the bushes.
There is no question that they have done this before.
AMC released this photo of a deleted scene from the finale. We see Rick, Carl, Michonne and Daryl fighting off a several Walkers chained-up with stacks of human remains sprewed all over the ground (note how the remains look). It's not zombie ravaged victims but carefully cut leftovers. If you read my previous post Come for Sanctuary - Stay as a Meal, I've suggested that humans are butchered for their meat by the cannibals of Terminus. This photo is further proof of their practice. We have witness survivors feeding the undead before. Remember The Governor caring for his daughter Penny and Hershel keeping Walkers in the barn on the farm. Could the well-fed Walkers be former members of Terminus who now serve as part of the
trap? What do you think?
Walking Dead
comic book fans and Telltale game series players suspected that Terminus had human ribs on the menu. But seeing decaying carcass
of human remains tossed aside, like a
turkey the day after Thanksgiving was shocking. Note: These remains look like something a butcher would throw out, cut with proficiency. I believe Terminus is a remix of the two groups found in both the game and comic book. A group known as The Hunters were a roving band of cannibals. They appeared in Fear the Hunters storyline in the comics. They stalked, trapped and slowly killed other survivors for meat. Keep in mind, in this world you can't just kill people for food without them turning into Walkers. The Hunters would cut limbs off, tourniquet the wound and use the meat immediately. They always had fresh meat.
The second cannibalistic group resided on a Dairy Farm, led by Brenda St John. Her character appeared in Telltale Games’ The
Walking Dead: Season One episode, Starved For Help. Like Mary, Brenda appears to be a kindly older woman who is very welcoming to
strangers. Her family lured survivors to their farm, similar to all the signage leading survivors to the welcoming doors of Terminus. Where Mary stands grilling slabs of meat.
Do you remember this guy?
Tryesse tried to help him on the railroad tracks. His dying words to Carol and Tyresse was "There's a safe place to bring the children. Trust me please ...follow the tracks." He sounded like a commercial for the place. Why was the man so infatic for them to go there? Could it be those men were scouts to lead unsuspecting people to the grill?
I think we'll find that Terminus is probably a little bit like both groups. But they all have one thing in common ... a belief that everything taste the same with ketchup. If you are interested -I wrote an article on a news story about cannibalism in South Africa entitled Human Meat Burger. Fiction is not as far away off reality as you may think.
Watching the season finale of The Walking Dead was a bittersweet experience. After my thirst to find out how the season was going to end was quenched, the reality of the seven month hiatus became quite real.
This season Rick struggled with the lost of his daughter, the group and mostly the prison. I say mostly the prison because it offered a security that pales to anything else since the onset of the zombie apocalypse. The group became comfortable at the prison and let their guard down from the Governor. This one act set the course of the events of season 4.
When Rick and Carl fled the burning Walker overrun prison, he was batter and weak. Carl had lost respect and trust in his father's judgement. He blamed Rick for the lost of his entire world. I think it's safe to say Rick doubted his leadership abilities as well.
Rick's only focus is keeping Carl safe. Because of that, he taps into a part of himself that I don't think he knew he possessed. This entire season all the characters were pushed to the brink and only the strong survived.
When you have nothing to lose ...you will do anything.
Rick morphed into a true gladiator when he unleashed the warrior within and ripped Joe's jugular open with a single bite. In the face of unavoidable brutality, Rick has not lost his humanity, it's just been altered. In fact, he found the necessary drive within to motivate himself Daryl, Michonne and I'm sure the rest of the captured group (who seem discouraged by their situation).
Despite Carl's traumatic encounter with the attempted rape, he was still frighten by his father's actions in order to keep him safe. We forget sometimes that Carl is a boy and he has deep felt fears as all children possess. But the loving relationship with Michonne (his mother figure and best friend) allowed him to cling to her for the emotional support and nurturing needed for him to feel safe again. Through her loving and insightful words, Carl gained understanding and reignited his respect and devotion for his father.
For Rick, reconnecting with part of the group brings inspiration and propels him with the drive to be the great leader they need. He has never been stronger and more willing to do anything to keep his group alive. Season 5 promises to show us Rick at his very best.
Check out this video released by AMC behind the scene of episode 16
If you are like me you
are anxiously awaiting Sunday's finale of the Walking Dead. The official show description states: "Many paths collide; Rick faces sheer brutality; the group struggles to survive."
That description makes me really wonder about Rick, Michonne and Carl safety. Will Daryl be alright with this
ban of ruffians he is currently with? I'm guessing things will be very intense on this finale and I hope they all survive. I came across
this video released by AMC and I thought you may be interested in hearing
the perspective of the cast. Enjoy
Sunday
night’s episode of the Walking Dead gave us the much anticipated reunion of
Maggie and Glenn. This was one of the most heart warming moments that we have seen in
this otherwise chaotic world.
The
warm feeling continued as our weary group of survivors Maggie, Glenn, Sasha,
Bob, Tara, Eugene, Abraham and Rosita enter the so-called “sanctuary for all”. From
the outside of this brick and mortar building, things looks very peaceful and welcoming but the
strangely innocuous, unguarded, unlocked entrance to Terminus is perplexing.
Despite
its serene entry with Sunflowers, various vegetable gardens, Palm trees and a friendly
woman named Mary (the welcoming committee) no one in their right mind should
trust any of this for a minute. But our beloved group seemingly does, they are tired and suffering from shell shocked after the prison escape.
They just need a place to sit still, think and hopefully connect with others from the group. There's one
interestingly strange coincidence that you may not have noticed, there is an odd resemblance with the destroyed
painting of the woman with the long braid.
Remember in episode 11 "Claimed" Michonne found the portrait
inside an abandon house. The plain dressed woman in the painting looks strangely like a younger version of
Mary.
We
don’t know much about Terminus because the name isn’t used in The Walking Dead
comic book series. The only information that we do know are those residing in Terminus want survivors to come to their facility. The obvious
indicators are the blatant signs all along the railroad tracks with directions
on how to find their location.
In
episode 3 "Isolation”, Daryl, Michonne, Bob and Tyreese while driving in
search of medical supplies, when a voice on the radio startles them. The
voice says, “Sanctuary. Those who arrive survive.” While the name “Terminus”
was not used in the broadcast, this is the same slogan that appears on the
signs for Terminus.
In
episode 10 “Inmates” Tyreese, Carol and the kids were told by a dying man, “There’s a place up the tracks. It’s safe.
You can take the children there. Trust me. Leave. Follow the tracks.” Tyreese
just tried to save the man from Walkers. How would he know it’s safe? Was he a
resident of Terminus? If so, what was he doing roaming around the countryside?
The
push to encourage survivors to go to Terminus makes the likelihood of something
deeply insidious a real possibility. You have to ask, why would a protected group actively
seek people to come to their sanctuary? Shouldn't they be leery of new comers?
Trust is earned and building trust in this world does not
come easily, food and supplies are limited, undesirable survivors roaming around
ready to rob and kill is a real threat. Given all this, why would a group risk their
resources and safety unless they are a bigger danger to fear?
2 Sneak Preview of Sunday's The Walking Dead Finale Episode 16 "A"
.jpg "Michonne and Carl")
