The Walking Dead Season 1-5 Re-Cap

The Walking Dead Box Set

With Season 6 of The Walking Dead being released on home entertainment this week (thanks to our good friends at eOne Entertainment) and Season 7 about to hit television screens next month we decided that now would be a good time to go back and recap the main things that have happened in each season… and keep tuned to the Heavy website because we have some Australian exclusive The Walking Dead content coming up over the next couple of weeks.

 

Season 1

Our trusty hero Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), the best television cop since Sgt Frank Gilroy, wakes up after being in a coma in hospital. He quickly discovers that a virus has spread right across America and the result are hordes of zombies (called ‘walkers’ by Rick) that will either bite you and turn you or just eat you… depends on how quick you are at getting away.

After meeting up with Morgan Jones (Lennie James) who were refer to as that dude from Jericho in our household Rick heads off to Atlanta, which is rumoured to have been quarantined by the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, in search of his wife Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and son, Carl (Chandler Riggs).

Meanwhile, Lori has started a relationship with Rick’s best friend and Police partner Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal) as she believes that Rick is dead. Her, Shane and Carl are staying with a group, including Andrea (Laurie Holden), Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn), Glenn (Steven Yuen), Daryl (Norman Reedus), Carol (Melissa McBride) and Merle (Michael Rooker) just out of Atlanta.

Rick meets up with the group and learns that Atlanta is over-run with workers. After a daring escape that sees Rick handcuff Merle to a roof in Atlanta the group head for the CFDSAP where Dr. Edwin Jenner (Noah Emmerich) tells that the outbreak cannot be contained and that technically everybody is now infected… that just have to die for it to take over. He kills himself and blows up the centre but our group of trusty heroes manage to escape.

 

Season 2

The group leave Atlanta and head for Fort Benning. But after Carl is accidentally shot they head to the farm of Hershel Greene (Scott Wilson) and his family which includes Beth (Emily Kinney) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan). Hershel patches up Carl (despite being a vet not a doctor) and the group decide to try and stay with the Greenes, but not everything runs smoothly. Rick and Hershel clash on a number of things (the biggest being Hershel’s refusal to kill walkers – he believes he can cure them), Rick loses trust in both Shane and Lori after he discovers their relationship while Daryl sinks into depression and Carol struggles to deal with the loss of her daughter. Then there is the sad death of Daryl.  In fact the only person who seems to be enjoying his time at the Greenes is Glen who starts a relationship with Maggie.

Then on one fateful night Rick and Shane come to blows, the result being the death of Shane, while Shane actions lead to the ‘walkers’ attacking the farm. The group flee but in doing so leave Andrea behind, but she is rescued by a mysterious figure who keeps walkers on a chain.

 

Season 3

Eight months after the night of horror at the Greenes Rick and his group stumble across an abandoned prison. After clearing the complex of ‘walkers’ they make themselves at home but tragedy strikes pretty much straight away. First Hershel’s foot has to be amputated after a walker bite while Lori dies during child-birth and has to be shot by her own son, Carl, before she can turn. Her death then starts Rick on a steady journey of mental illness as he starts seeing her ghost everywhere.

Meanwhile Andrea and her new found friend, the modern-day warrior Michonne (Danai Gurira) are taken captive by Merle and delivered to a settlement run by the ego-driven The Governor (David Morrissey). After learning about the group at the prison The Governor decides they are a threat and after he takes Glen and Maggie captive a series of attacks between the two fractions start.

After The Governor continues to de-stabilise his behaviour becomes some erratic that he ends up torturing Andrea, something that results in her killing herself, and launching another attack on the prison. With Rick’s group coming out triumphant The Governor and his commanders are sent packing while the rest of his group are welcomed into the prison.

 

Season 4

The two groups seem to be happily co-inhabiting at the prison but the joy is short lived when a flu epidemic sweeps through the complex. Many die and Carol becomes exiled after killing some of the infected.

The Governor then returns and manages to take Michonne and Hershel captive and use them as leverage against Rick. Another battle erupts, one that claims The Governor and Hershel’s lives but not before the prison is badly damaged allowing it to become once again over-run with walkers.

As Rick’s group flees the prison they go in all different directions but all find themselves heading to Terminus, a railway depot that is said to offer safety and shelter for victims. While various members of the group meet Glen and Tara (Alanna Masterson) run into Abraham (Michael Cludlitz) and Rosita (Christian Serratos) who are helping a ‘supposed’ gifted scientist, Eugene (Josh McDermitt), get to Washington where he believes he can cure the walker epidemic.

Eventually the entire group arrive at Terminus and soon learn that the people there are not what they are expected and find themselves being taken captive.

 

Season 5

While the group are being held captive at Terminus they learn that they are about to become food for the inhabitants there. Luckily Carol and Tyrese (Chad L. Coleman) launch an attack on Terminus and the group are rescued.

After that they stumble across a Church run by Father Gabriel Stokes (Seth Gilliam) and while most stay there Carol and Daryl leave in search of Beth who they believe has been kidnapped by instead has been taken to a hospital that is run by corrupt Police Officers. While trying to rescue her the group are shattered when Beth is killed.

Once again devastated the group travel and look for a new home and in doing so are found by Aaron (Ross Marquand) who takes them to the fortified community of Alexandria which is run by a former Senator, Deanna Monroe (Tovah Feldshuh).

Rick and the group find it difficult to settle into Alexandria though. Rick believes the community is not protected enough and schemes with Carol and Daryl to go against Deanna. Meanwhile Glen finds himself at war with one of the locals after the death of a young man. Everything comes to ahead when Rick tries to protect Jessie Anderson (Alexandra Breckenridge) from her violent husband. After being ‘arrested’ her husband kills Deanna’s husband and Rick is ordered to kill him just as Morgan turns up.

 

Whew…so that should bring you up to date with what has happened in the first five seasons of The Walking Dead now make sure you check back over the next couple of days because we’re going to behind the scenes of Season Six in a way that you have never seen before.