A

This episode represents what The Walking Dead should always be. It was expertly paced (the Lost-style flashback structure worked very well!), the camera-work was outstanding from the usual episodes, and the direction? Great, as is always the case with Breaking Bad veteran Michelle MacLaren. For the first time all year, I've felt that the characters I'm attached to were in serious danger. For the first time in a long time, I felt like there was a sh**load of weighted symbolism in the framing and that I'm watching something that the creators really care about. It's strange how much the quality of a show can improve when you give people like Gimple and MacLaren the reins. Scott M. Gimple has taken the mess left behind by Glen Mazzara and turned it around completely, and I couldn't be more thankful. Rick's epic kill was not only shocking and disgusting, but weighted in symbolism. Things like more variety in camera shots was something that added so much to the experience it's unbelievable. I'm not exaggerating at all. When AMC lets The Walking Dead take chances, this is what we get.

This episode is not what I have come to expect from the writers of the show. It has too many flashbacks, and had very little to do with what is actually going on in the present. The writer of this episode got this vision of grandeur about the episode and completely missed the mark on it. Trying to take us back to get a complete idea about Rick is what he said on The talking dead, but this is inaccurate as he did not go back to where it began, he just wanted to fill the episode of clips so that he can continue the story line in the next season. Overall, this is a prime example of why people get upset about this "Poetic license" That screen writers and producers use when adapting books into movies.

The episode was good but not worthy of a season final.

The flashbacks were out of place with no real benefit to the story. Episode 14 was more worthy of season finale status then this.

Recently it feels like more and more Walking Dead has started doing story lines spanning from half-season to half season(s3e8 - s4e8 and s4e8-s5e8) way too many loose ends.

As other reviews state its just not what i expected given Walking Dead's track record.

Rant over, the episode if we ignore that it was a season finalle was decent, lots of twists, turns and surprises.

This is a compelling episode with an ending that, for the first time in the show, made me immediately watch the next one.

There is virtually nothing I can say about the plot without spoiling, however it has plenty of big character moments for Rick, Carl and Daryl. Rick's development is quite significant, along with Carl's perspective of him, and this is clearly presented through the use of flashback. Also, the storytelling has a creepy sense of foreboding that is very effective.

Andrew Lincoln is on top form and is supported very well by the rest of the cast.

As ever, it is wonderfully produced with great cinematography, editing, lighting and fantastic art design. The set design of the Terminus is especially good.

Had heard nothing but great things about 'The Walking Dead' from friends and IMDb reviewers. It took a while to get round to watching, both from being busy and also not being sure whether it would be my cup of tea. Finally getting round to it a few years ago and slowly working my way through it, having had a very long to watch and review list, 'The Walking Dead' turned out to be very much my cup of tea and as good as the hype made it out to be, have found it extremely addictive.

All the previous Season 4 episodes were for me decent to outstanding, though a few episodes are divisive. Despite any reservations as to how it fares as a season finale, "A" to me was an outstanding episode on its own terms. It is easily the second best episode of Season 4's second half, after "The Grove". It is also one of Season 4's very best and one of the best of the show overall, a return to the tense and gutsy kind of episode instead of the quieter action-light kind of episode. It is yet again a strong reminder of how Seasons 1-5 of 'The Walking Dead' to me were absolutely brilliant and seeing the show in its full glory days (Season 6 was uneven, Season 7 was a huge disappointment and am still debating whether to watch Season 8). It is as emotional, complex and as tense as one would expect, at the same time it has adrenaline and guts.

It still shocks me at how an intelligent, well-made (so much so that it is easy to mistake it for a film) show about zombies could be made when so many films have tried and failed abysmally to do so.

Like all the episodes of the show, "A" is incredibly well made in the production values, with gritty and audacious production design, photography of almost cinematic quality, effects that look good, have soul and are not overused or abused and pretty frightening make-up. The music is haunting and affecting, having presence but never being too intrusive.

The writing is intelligent and thought-provoking, not as talky as some of the previous episodes, with lots of tension and emotional resonance and shows signs of character complexity and multiple layer storytelling. The more eventful parts with the Claimers are thrilling and terrifying as well as uncompromising. The ending is deeply disturbing and wrenched the gut in how shocking it is. In terms of storytelling, "A" is one of the darkest episodes, up to this point of the show and overall, as well as one of the most shocking. On a thematic level, especially with Rick, "A" to me came over as one of the show's most fascinating.

Appreciated the ever strong and still progressing story, where a lot happens and full of different strands without being confused or over-stuffed, and character building, which the episode has a bigger emphasis on, and that the pace is rarely dull or rushed, with a taut intensity in the more tense parts. The character writing and the character interactions are what is particularly great here, with some especially fine character writing for Rick and Daryl. The flashbacks feature a good deal here but for me they were compelling with some very interesting and complex symbolic themes and interwoven beautifully, while not making the mistake of reiterating what is already known, didn't think that they unbalanced the episode.

Everything is nicely paced without rushing through the more important parts, much of it being very taut. The world building is already stunningly immersive and effective. Direction is smart and atmospheric while the show throughout has been strongly acted. Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus are particularly superb and the Claimers are suitably formidable adversaries that add significantly to the episode's tension.

Summing up, an outstanding way to end a mostly very impressive and mostly brilliant even season. 10/10 Bethany Cox