Pumping out my season reviews for seasons 5-7 after putting it off for a while. Season 5 I believe is the most interesting season of the show. Mostly because of the drastic quality difference between the first half and the 2nd half. Season 5 starts strong, the first 3 episodes are so fucking good and one of the best arcs in TWD. 5x1 and 5x3 being obvious standout episodes that have some of the most badass sequences in television. Then… 5x4-5x8 happens… this is without a doubt, the worst TWD has ever been up do this point, and even up to the point of the end of Season 6. The hospital/police arc is just so shit. It manages to be both poorly written and boring at the same time. It starts and ends and genuinely did not need to exist at all. Theres some “decent” scenes mixed in with the stretch, like Abrahams character work, and Eugene’s reveal, but it’s mostly just an arc id prefer to forget. Especially 5x8, which gives the worst and stupidest character conclusion up to this point. But oh my… the 2nd half of Season 5 is a stretch of episodes sent from heaven. 5x9-5x16 is a non stop surge of consistently well written, extremely entertaining, and thought provoking pieces of the show. It’s easily my favourite arc of the show. Our characters were put into the worst and best scenarios. It put them into spots we’ve not seen them yet before. It’s dark, hopeful, and pure survival, which is everything I value in this show combined into a fantastic 8 episode stretch. Probably the best season of this show. It’s just such a shame that 5x4-5x8 exists, if it had not, this season could’ve been an all timer for me. Top 5 Episodes: 1 - 5x1 No Sanctuary (top 60-70 oat) 2 - 5x16 Conquerer (top 6 in the show) 3 - 5x10 Them (best survival episode of the show) 4 - 5x3 Four Walls and a Roof 5 - 5x9 What Happened and What’s Going On Mentions: - 5x8 is the worst written episode in the show, slightly worse than 3x16 - The hospital arc is the worst segment in the show - 5x16 is severely under appreciated - 5x9 is WAY too overhated - Terminus arc is the best 3 episode stretch in the show - Top 25 season ever (Top 10 potential if it weren’t for hospital arc) Overall: 9.5/10