On Nov. 30, more than 14.8 million viewers watched the mid-season finale of AMC’s zombie-apocalyptic drama series “The Walking Dead” which airs every Sunday at 9/8c on AMC.

In “Coda,” the last episode of season five in 2014, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) starts off killing Officer Lamson, the cop who knocked Sasha unconscious in the previous episode.

Afterward,  Rick makes a proposal to the police:  he wants Beth and Carol in exchange for two of their officers. They agree, and so Rick, Daryl, Sasha and Tyreese encounter Dawn and her people at the hospital. Both groups seem to be sticking to their bargain when an unexpected twist costs more than one life.

I really liked season five for its thrilling scenes, the deep dialogues and the development of the characters, but the finale disappointed me. Even though there are some great scenes  in the last episode, for example Rick’s hostage negotiation or seeing  Michonne slicing up some walkers, the episode is overshadowed by the death of a main character who I had not only become fond of in the past couple of episodes, but who was also in the midst of developing a remarkable personality. The character’s death was not only completely unnecessary and avoidable, but also a waste of great opportunities for upcoming episodes.

Nonetheless, I am looking forward to see the next episode which will air on Feb. 8, 2015 when Rick and his group will be looking for a new place to survive.

Rating: ✰✰✰