Game of Thrones has episode nine (Ned Stark, Blackwater, the Red Wedding, the Wall, Dany on a dragon); The Walking Dead has the midseason finale. The AMC zombie series typically saves its biggest and bloodiest moments for the halfway point of the season, as opposed to the table-setting finale.
Guess what? This Sunday is the season six midseason finale of The Walking Dead (the show returns on Valentine’s Day). Let’s take a look back at previous midseason episodes and guess what might happen in “Start to Finish.”
Season two: “Pretty Much Dead Already”
The Walking Dead was never more frustrating than it was in the first half of season two, but “Pretty Much Dead Already,” better known as The Sophia Episode, cleared the decks for better episodes to come. A lot happens: Shane goes crazy, Rick tells Shane that Lori is pregnant, Hershel stupidly demands Rick and company treat walkers like people, there’s a zombie massacre, and of course, we learn Sophia has been in a nearby barn the entire time.
Season three: “Made to Suffer”
Two notable characters are introduced in “Made to Suffer”: Tyreese and Sasha, who stumble upon the prison where Carl and Carol are protecting Beth and Judith. Also, Axel is there, and he thinks Carol is a lesbian. The rest of the group, including Rick, Michonne, and Daryl, are in Woodbury to free Maggie and Glenn, who’s apparently always getting trapped. The rescue mission is successful, mostly. Michonne takes a detour to the Governor’s house, where she discovers and kills his walker-daughter. A brutal brawl ensues. Meanwhile, Daryl is captured and held hostage by his brother Merle.
Season four: “Too Far Gone”
It’s the end of the prison arc. The Governor decapitates Hershel, storms the gates, and gets stabbed in the chest by Michonne. Everyone goes their separate ways, with their former shelter in ruins behind them: Daryl with Beth, Tyreese with Lizzie and Mika, Glenn on a bus, Maggie with Sasha and Bob. After discovering Judith’s empty baby carrier, the episode and half-season ends with Rick telling his son, “Don’t look back, Carl. Just keep walking.”
Season five: “Coda”
Young women and old men do not fare well in Walking Dead midseason finales. Sophia is a zombie, the Governor’s daughter is a walker, Judith goes missing, and now, Beth, poor Beth, is shot dead by Dawn. In retaliation, a distraught Daryl fires back at the leader of the hospital, killing her. Back at the church where the group was staying, Gabriel is a wimp and Abraham informs everyone that Eugene’s so-called mission was a lie. It’s not a happy episode. For anyone, except Morgan, who’s hot on Rick’s trail.
So, what can we expect from “Start to Finish?” Death, obviously, possibly to a member of the Greene family (look out, Maggie!), or maybe an unofficial member of the Greene family (look out, Maggie’s sort-of boss/mom Deanna). Other likelihoods include the continued destruction of a familiar setting (Alexandria) and a new character being introduced. It won’t be Negan, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to hear his name for the first time.
No matter what happens, sh*t’s gonna go down.
