Fear the Walking Dead season 5 delivered the best ending of any season in The Walking Dead universe. The Walking Dead has had its share of explosive, emotional finales that puts the viewer on the edge of their seat, but Fear the Walking Dead took it to another level.
After reaching Humbug’s Gulch and accepting that they need the Pioneers’ help, Morgan (Lennie James) and the others find a different way forward in the season 5 finale, “End of the Line”. They use horses to clear the zombies out of Humbug’s Gulch in an effort to set a trap for Virginia (Colby Minifie), but due to unforeseen complications they aren’t able to follow through on their plan. Outgunned and outnumbered, Morgan’s group realize that they have no choice but to accept defeat. When Virginia arrives, Morgan convinces her to take everyone. After splitting up the group, Virginia shoots Morgan and leaves him for dead. Morgan’s fate is currently uncertain.
Fear the Walking Dead season 5 went out with a bang. The finale was easily the most intense episode of the season, and is on par with any finale from The Walking Dead. The episode begins with a group of desperate people working to save not only themselves, but each other. For Morgan, what it’s all about is saving everyone, which is contrary to how Virginia operates. Great performances are on display from the majority of the cast, including Garret Dillahunt, Austin Amelio, Lennie James, and more, as they all deal with Virginia’s impending arrival in their own way.
Fear the Walking Dead has struck a tone of optimism throughout season 5, and the finale tests their resolve more than ever. The episode takes a turn when they find out that the plan to stop Virginia won’t work. Though things are looking even worse, Morgan uses this as an opportunity to follow through on something that they’ve been talking about since the beginning of the season: “living”. To enjoy what’s left of their time together, they hold a wedding between John and June (Jenna Elfman). The wedding is a heartwarming moment that shows a different, much brighter side of the apocalypse that isn’t often seen on either Walking Dead show. The fact that it’s able to happen at such a dark time speaks volumes about how far these characters have come since they were first introduced.
The Fear the Walking Dead season 5 finale best moment comes at the end after the group is already split up. Morgan discovering that his time is up is filled with irony. Throughout the episode, Morgan was insistent that no one would be left behind. He made an impassioned plea to convince Virginia to agree to his demands. What he didn’t know was that it was he who would be left behind. The scene where Morgan faces off against Virginia builds up to a thrilling moment where it’s not clear at all which one will survive. Though Morgan is the show’s main character, the scene conveys the feeling that he could die at any second. The grim intensity of it all is Fear the Walking Dead at its very best.
As the episode comes to an end, Morgan seems to accept that death is right around the corner. Morgan uses the radio to contact the others and tells them to “just live”. Morgan’s final message to his friends is in step with everything that he has done thus far, and if this is the end for Morgan, Fear the Walking Dead has concluded his story in a way that feels right for the character. Whether Morgan lives or dies, Fear the Walking Dead has succeeded in setting up an exciting season 6.
More: What To Expect From Fear The Walking Dead Season 6
