"Conquer" is the sixteenth and final episode of the fifth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on March 29, 2015. It was written by showrunner Scott M. Gimple and Seth Hoffman, and directed by Greg Nicotero.
Several recurring storylines culminate in the episode: the residents of the Alexandria Safe-Zone deciding on what to do with Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) following his outburst in the previous episode; Glenn Rhee's (Steven Yeun) conflict with Nicholas (Michael Traynor); and Sasha Williams (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Father Gabriel Stokes (Seth Gilliam) confronting their demons. Meanwhile, Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Aaron (Ross Marquand) encounter trouble from a potential threat during a run, and Morgan Jones (Lennie James) nears the end of his search for Rick.
Similar to the pilot episode and the season two premiere, the episode aired in a 90-minute time slot, as opposed to its regular 60-minute time slot.
Television commentators lauded the character progression, its storytelling, Nicotero's direction, Gimple's and Hoffman's script and the ensemble's performances. Many highlighted Andrew Lincoln and Lennie James's performances, as well as the character progression of Carol Peletier. Upon airing, it attracted 15.8 million viewers with an 18-49 rating of 8.2, making it the most watched season finale in the show and drama in basic cable history.
This episode marks the last appearances of the recurring cast Corey Bill (Pete Anderson) and Steve Coulter (Reg Monroe), as their characters die at the end of the episode.
Plot
One morning, Morgan brews coffee in his camp when a man (Benedict Samuel) with a "W" written in his forehead approaches and holds him at gunpoint. He explains that he and his group, the Wolves, are hunting down other survivors and eliminating them. Morgan offers his supplies in exchange for being let go, but the Wolf refuses. Morgan evades another Wolf's attempt to ambush him and knocks both of them out with his walking stick.
In Alexandria, Rick regains consciousness after being knocked out by Michonne and is informed that Pete has been separated from Jessie, and Deanna is holding a forum to decide whether Rick should be exiled. Maggie tries to talk Deanna out of it, but is unsuccessful.
Outside the walls, Sasha buries a group of walkers she had killed. However, still emotionally unstable, she goes into the grave and lies among the pile of corpses. Elsewhere outside the wall Daryl and Aaron see a survivor wearing a red poncho (Jason Alexander Davis) in the forest, but lose track of him, and decide to scavenge supplies from a food truck. However, they set off a trap that unleashes a horde of walkers and are forced to take shelter inside a car.
Tensions continue to rise between the outsiders and members of the community. Carol visits Pete and asks him to check on Tara, who is still wounded. When he refuses, Carol pulls a knife and threatens him, saying that she can get away with claiming self-defense. Elsewhere, Glenn sees Nicholas climbing over the wall and follows him into the woods. While tracking him, Glenn is shot and wounded by Nicholas.
Back at the car, Morgan arrives and Daryl and Aaron are able to escape. Aaron invites Morgan to Alexandria, but Morgan declines, asking instead for directions and shows them the map he picked up in the church. As Daryl looks at the directions he sees Abraham's handwritten note to Rick, recognizing Morgan as a friend.
Back at Alexandria, Gabriel goes outside the walls, unarmed. He finds a walker eating a man and approaches, offering himself to the walker, but he ends up killing both the walker and the dying man. Upon returning to Alexandria, Gabriel leaves the front gate ajar. Inside the walls, Abraham visits Tara and talks with Eugene, and they apologize for things that happened on the road. Eventually, Tara wakes up while Rosita is watching her. Rick admits to Michonne that he and Carol stole guns from the armory and tries to return the gun, but Michonne says she would not have stopped him, and that she knocked out Rick to protect him, not Alexandria. On his way to the meeting, Rick notices the front gate open. He closes it and follows a trail of blood to find walkers amongst the houses, while the town meeting begins, with Michonne, Carol, Abraham, and Maggie speaking in Rick's defense.