The Walking Dead Mid-Season 5 Finale Recap

SPOILERS (obviously)

Last night marked the Season 5 mid-season (for lack of a better word) finale of The Walking Dead.  The episode entitled "Coda" was the eighth of the season. 

No surprise, someone was going to die.  That's kind of how mid-season and season finales work. Build up, build up, tense moments, death... How they deal with said death, do they need to move locations (yes), and then when things are going ok (can't ever be great) then back to the build up.  

I'm not knocking it. I've seen every episode since day 1 and have read the comic book (still reading in fact, as they are still writing it.) So they've got me. 

The big death this time around?  Beth.  Beautiful, innocent, tougher than she looks Beth.  This probably should not have been a huge shock as after episodes of being away they dedicated a whole show to her one week and she was just starting to become a major character.  Also her loss will have an enormous trickle down on the others, Daryl, Carol, Rick, and her sister Maggie. 

Well, speaking of Maggie, her emotional reaction to seeing Beth being carried out of the hospital would have been a lot more powerful had she, you know, even mentioned Beth ONCE since they've been a part. 

I don't get it.  Maggie would walk to the end of the Earth for Glen, she was a mess when her dad died, but Beth?  Never a word about her until an hour (or so, hard to say) before her death she heard she was alive and looked relieved. 

Not saying Beth's death wasn't emotional, it was.  And if they replace her with the dude with the limp, Noah, as a cast member?  Brutal.  Give him a bullett.  I just think it could have been a lot more intense and overall sad had Maggie given a crap about Beth for more than 30 seconds before seeing her body.  

I'm going to miss Beth, she turned into a great character.  Where they go from here will be a fun watch.  How close will it line up with the comics?  Is Negan around the corner?  

One last thing, the episode opened with Rick chasing down the cop who escaped. He hit him with a car and then shot him.  Not messing around.  It took a few seasons but Rick is officially Shane. (Always had the same taste in women, I mean right?). 

Now we wait until Februrary...