A

What things did we have to do to get here? Did we ever go to far on some places?

This was a wild finale with some very memorable moments and how Rick developed in just one episode.. wow!

This episode went to a whole new level of brutality as Rick practicly went BEAST MODE in such a graphic way, that even Carl got scared of him! This was obviously a major turning point for him! He has been hiding this part og him since season 3, but now it has been let loose! Now Rick.. is just as scary as the other bad guys!

The flashbacks were used perfectly to show the growth of Rick's character!

The ending was tense and the Cliffhanger was cruel! Terminus is not what you think it is.. and if you know what kind of place it is.. this episode gets even more disturbing!

Brace yourself for this episode..and the episode that folliws!

The series had to have at least one finale end on a cliff-hanger, and this happened to be the first, while the next season's premiere feels more like the finale than this.

This episode is still great, following only one storyline and a few characters with a few flashbacks makes for one of the best paced episodes where we see these characters pushed to their limits. The opposing arcs of Rick and Michonne are brilliant, one coming to terms with their violent nature and overcoming it and the other embracing it.

Great tension and build up towards the end with a great twist and cliff hanger but does feel more like the penultimate episode of the season than a final.

Rating: 94%

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

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.

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.