No Sanctuary (TV Series)

"No Sanctuary" is the first episode of Season 5 of AMC's The Walking Dead. It premiered on October 12, 2014 at 9/8c on AMC, and on October 13, 2014 at 9pm on Fox.

Plot Synopsis
In a flashback marked "THEN", a woman screams while Gareth, Alex and other Terminants are kept inside a box car. Alex weepingly laments that they should have never put up the 'Sanctuary' signs. Gareth retorts they were trying to do the right thing as human beings. Despaired, Alex asks what are they now. Gareth closes his eyes as he considers Alex's question.

In the present - marked - "NOW", The captive survivors plan their escape from the train car by fashioning weapons out of their clothing, jewelry, and wood. However, the Terminants planned ahead and used a smoke grenade to disorient them before opening the door. As preparations continue, they share updates on their missing loved ones. Daryl tells Maggie he ran after a car with a "white cross painted on it," after Beth. "But she's alive?" Maggie asks. "She's alive," Daryl says confidently.

Meanwhile, four Terminus residents head toward them. Rick gives one final reminder to the gang. "You all know what to do: go for their eyes first, then their throats." The Terminants drop gas into the car, confusing everyone. With gas masks on, the Termites finally head inside, grabbing and knocking out Rick, and dragging him, Glenn, Bob and Daryl to a trough, past dead bodies and three trash bins that read, "Burn. Feed. Wash." Three other men from different cars are brought in too, including Sam. Sam and Rick lock eyes, but exchange no words before a bald man in a bloody apron knocks Sam out with a bat, while another grabs his lifeless head and slits his throat. Gareth walks in just before the duo reach Glenn. "Don't do this. We can fix this," Bob pleads. "We have a man who knows how to stop this. He has a cure. We just have to get him to Washington." "Can't go back, Bob," Gareth replies, brushing the suggestion off. Gareth re-gags Bob and then asks Rick what he buried in the woods before entering Terminus. Rick doesn't reply, until Gareth threatens to kill Bob. Rick finally admits of the bag's contents, and a machete he's going to use to kill Gareth. After laughing at this response, Gareth gets back to business, telling the human butchers they have two hours to get the bodies on the dryers before Terminus goes back to "public face." A strange silence causes them all to pause. Then, an explosion rocks them all.

"I'm gonna get you both there and make sure you're safe, but I'm not gonna stay," Carol tells Tyreese as they pass another Terminus sign on the train tracks. Just then, a walker emerges through the trees. "I can't," Tyreese says, taking Judith and letting Carol do the dirty work. "You're gonna have to be able to," she reminds him. After Carol takes care of the walker, they all hide down a small slope due to an approaching herd. It's a bleak situation until gunfire in the distance attracts the walkers away from the trio. Carol and Tyreese realize they need a more cautious strategy. "We'll be real careful. We're gonna get answers," she says, as they both wonder what the gunfire means.

Outside of a small house in the woods, a man in a baseball cap is setting up fireworks. While talking to someone on the other end of his walkie-talkie, he mentions Michonne. "Alex didn't get it. …I knew the chick with the sword was bad news. ... I told Albert I want the kid's hat after they bleed him out," he laughs. His chuckle ends quickly as he feels a revolver on the back of his skull. "We're friends of the chick with the sword and the kid in the hat," Carol says. "We just have the boy and the samurai. That's it. We were just protecting ourselves," the man named Martin says, trying to reason with Carol and Tyreese after they tie him up inside the shack. He explains the Terminans were all going to set off their fireworks at the same time to scare the herd away. "Carol, how are you going to do this?" Tyreese asks her as Carol straps her gear on and gets ready to go in. "Gonna kill people," Carol says, walking out and leaving him behind with baby Judith and Martin.

Finding a dead, decaying walker, Carol coats a poncho in walker blood and her face in mud. Creeping toward Terminus, Carol reaches the fence, peering in just in time to see Rick, Daryl, Carl and Michonne tied up and dragged off. She loads the gun, takes aim at a tank and fires. The fence is blown up and the herd head in.

Struggling to get upright following the blast, everyone in the Terminus human slaughterhouse is shaken. The butchers take their eyes off the ball just long enough for Rick to break free and kill them. Fearless Rick then helps his friends from their bonds. Quickly, they all gather weapons. Bob is just about to put his knife through a dead Terminan's brain when Rick stops him. "Don't," Rick says. "Let him turn." As they head outside, Rick reminds his group they are at war. "Cross any of these people, you kill 'em. Don't hesitate. They won't." At the doorway to the courtyard, Glenn states that they have to save the other trapped survivors, nodding toward another train car. Running outside, they take down walkers and open the train car. "We're the same!" screams a man who leaps out with long hair, a beard and face tattoos. As he cackles, a walker jumps him and devours him. Rick runs into the danger zone, crouching by the side of a car. Once the walkers pass and then the Terminans, Rick leaps into action, knocking the last man out, before taking his gun and shooting his captors. "We don't have to double back," Rick tells his group.

Carol finds her old watch and Daryl's crossbow, which she slings over her shoulder. "Drop your weapons and turn around. I want to see your face," shouts Mary. Carol slowly slips off Daryl's crossbow, turns and whips up the gun that was hidden under her poncho, firing at Mary, but misses. Carol and Mary brawl, the victor being Carol. "The signs, they are real. It was a sanctuary. People came and took this place. And they raped and they killed," Mary explains. "But we got out and we fought and we got it back and we heard the message... You're the butcher or you're the cattle," she adds. Carol asks after her friends. No reply from Mary prompts Carol to shoot Mary in the leg to try and get her to talk. "You could have been one of us," Mary says. "You could have listened to what the world is telling you." After another exchange, Carol gathers her weapons and heads off to find her friends, letting hungry walkers in to devour Mary.

Walkers distract Tyreese long enough for Martin to jump up and grab Judith's head. He orders Tyreese outside or he'll kill the baby. Once Tyreese is outside, Martin gets on his walkie-talkie. "Cynthia, do you copy?" the man asks, shouting above the sounds of Tyreese fighting for his life. Radio silence follows. Suddenly, Tyreese breaks in and kills Martin, beating him to death with his fists.

Stopping her weapon-making work, Sasha demands to know what the cure is in case things go south. Eugene doesn't need to answer, his traveling companion Rosita says, defending him, but Sasha won't give up. "I was part of a 10-person team at the human genome project that weaponized diseases to fight weaponized diseases. Pathogenic microorganisms with pathogenic microorganisms. Fire with fire. Interdepartmental drinks were had, relationships made, information shared. I am keenly aware of all the details behind failsafe delivery systems to kill every living person on this planet," Eugene explains. "I believe with a little tweaking on the terminals in D.C., we can flip the script. Take out every last dead one of 'em. Fire with fire." Rick arrives and sets everyone free. The group fight through walkers and Terminants. Rick takes aim at the Terminants, killing several and hitting Gareth in the shoulder, before Rick's gang makes a break for it over the fence.

"Right here," Daryl says, pointing out the spot they buried the guns and supplies in. "Go along the fences. Use the rifles. Take out the rest of them," Rick insists. "They don't get to live." His words surprise everyone. "Rick, we got out. It's over," Glenn says. "It's not over 'til they're all dead," Rick states. Abraham states, "I'm not dicking around with this crap. We just made it out," the man spits out. Maggie won't budge either. Just then, there's rustling in the woods. It's Carol. Running to her, Daryl and Carol embrace. He lifts up her tiny frame, hugging her close. The moment hits Rick hard too, and he starts to smile, while Daryl backs up and gets misty-eyed. "Did you do that?" Rick asks. Carol nods. Cradling her head as he embraces her, Rick says simply, "Thank you." Carol leads everyone to the shack.

At the shack, Tyreese walks out holding Judith close. Overwhelmed and elated, Rick drops his gun and charges toward his baby girl. Grabbing his baby, Rick hugs her close, alongside Carl. Spotting Tyreese, Sasha runs over and jumps on her brother, tears streaming down her face.

Seeing the smoke coming off of Terminus, Rick makes a decision. "We need to go," he tells the group. "Yeah, but where?" Daryl asks. "Somewhere far away from there," Rick says. Abraham and Rosita exchange a look. "We'll talk to him," Abraham tells Rosita.

In a second flashback marked "THEN" the marauders that Mary mentioned to Carol, enter the cart, throw Mary inside and take another woman to be raped. "We're gonna take it back... We will," Gareth promises his people. "You're either the butcher or the cattle."

In a post credit scene, Morgan finds the sign that Rick covered up, and begins to follow markings along trees left behind by unknown survivor(s).

Co-Stars

 * Justice Leak as Knife Smock Man
 * Adam Boyer as Bat Smock Man
 * Owen Harn as Crazed Man
 * Anissa Matlock as Terminus Resident
 * Nelson Bonilla as Terminus Guard

Uncredited

 * Aaron Kirschnick as Terminus Guard
 * Preston Baker as Terminus Guard
 * Duke Jackson as Terminus Resident
 * Aaron Tarver as Terminus Resident
 * Chris Critter Antonucci as Terminus Resident
 * Summer Williams Houck as Terminus Resident
 * James Rodney Sims as Terminus Resident
 * Joe Foley as Terminus Resident
 * Unknown as Albert
 * Lennie James as Morgan Jones

Deaths

 * Sam
 * Terminus Butcher
 * Terminus Butcher 2
 * Crazed Man
 * Poncho Girl (Off-Screen)
 * Terminus Resident 1
 * Mary
 * Martin
 * At least 13 Terminus residents.
 * At least 4 Terminus captives.

Trivia

 * First (and last) appearance of Martin.
 * Last appearance of Sam.
 * Last appearance of Mary.
 * Last appearance of Alex. (Flashback/Corpse)
 * This episode marks the return of Sam since his last appearance in "Indifference".
 * This episode marks the return of Morgan Jones since his last appearance in "Clear".
 * Alex's corpse can be seen being dissected by the guards.
 * This episode featured a new opening sequence.
 * This episode features the most deaths for a season premiere, with a total of at least 20 casualties.
 * Despite being series regulars since Season 4, Emily Kinney (Beth) and Chad Coleman (Tyreese) are listed in the opening sequence for the first time.
 * Despite being regulars as well, Sonequa Martin-Green (Sasha) and Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (Bob) are still listed under "also starring".
 * This is the first episode featuring Michael Cudlitz (Abraham), Josh McDermitt (Eugene), Christian Serratos (Rosita), Alanna Masterson (Tara), and Andrew J. West (Gareth) as series regulars.
 * Cudlitz is added to the opening sequence, while McDermitt, Serratos, Masterson and West are listed as "also starring".
 * The title of this episode comes from the fact that Terminus isn't a sanctuary as it claims, and also from Rick's repainting of the Terminus sign so it reads "NO SANCTUARY".
 * The first 4 minutes of this episode was released by AMC via their YouTube channel, a day before the initial broadcast, as a sneak peek to the episode.
 * It is revealed that Terminus turned into a group of cannibals, just like The Hunters from the Comic Series, after being attacked by a group of anonymous people.
 * The "Red Ring" also known as the "Red Ring of Death" reference Eugene makes, is a well known Xbox 360 technical problem which indicates that a General Hardware Failure error occurred in the console.

Goofs/Errors

 * When Carol was about to shoot the gas tank at Terminus, we could see two Terminus resident run past the tank. But when the camera zoomed in and Carol fired the first shot, those two Terminus resident could be seen run past the tank again.