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"Fear the Walking Dead" Season 5 Finale "End of the Line": This Week's "TWD"/Rick Grimes Connection [SPOILER REVIEW]

If you're a fan of the Walking Dead universe, things are pretty sweet right now – especially from the perspective of AMC's Fear the Walking Dead. Following up on an epic appearance at this summer's Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC), we learned that the series been picked up for a sixth season – and as we've already seen, the second-half brings the arrival of new survivors – and new foes. Then there are those teases about this season being a game-changer and those connections with CRM and black helicopters. Hmmm…

It's hard to believe that we've reached the fifth season finale of Fear the Walking Dead – holycrapwasthatanending!?!

Just in case we need to say it…

Fear the Walking Dead season 5, episode 16 "End of the Line": Facing an unknown future, Morgan leads the group on a mission; John and June make a promise.

So that happened. Have to give credit where credit is due: Ginny (Colby Minifie) isn't The Walking Dead's Terminus: she understands that keeping them together isn't a smart move – like how the bad guys would always lock the A-Team in a room together – with power tools, sheet metal, etc.

Oh no, Ginny only stopped short of separating Dorie (Garret Dillahunt) from his candies – clearly everyone else was fair game (…but Daniel (Ruben Blades) and Skidmark? Really?) – and she found a way of separating the group from Morgan (Lennie James)… maybe permanently.

So let get to that moment since it directly impacts The Walking Dead: Ginny shoots Morgan and leaves him for dead – and as walkers approach, he reaches out on the airwaves with what sure-as-sh*t sounds like "last words":

"What we were doing out here… it wasn't just about doing right. It was about the future. We fought for the future. We made the hard call. For her. For all of us. So, Grace… if you're listening to me…live. All of you… if you can hear me… just live."

Now do we think Morgan's dead? No – the wound look more shoulder than chest. Our bigger concern is his location and that he's all alone. Only way I can see that getting straightened out is if Ginny has a change of heart and turns back – or we get a "deus ex machina" to open the sixth season. Plus, you can't have him finding out Grace (Karen David) is pregnant just before he dies – even if it isn't his kid (another Rick Grimes connection).

Still… that ending did seem a little Madison (Kim Dickens)-like in its graceful finality…

● OPENING CREDITS: Open field with a horse (no surprise) on a partly sunny day.

● Dwight (Austin Amelio) looks to be getting radio messages from Sherry, but is unable to respond because of radio reception crap-outs. Thankfully, he finds his way back to the semi and Al's (Maggie Grace) "death machine" – and the riderless horses that will play a major role later in the episode. Now do we think that's Sherry? Nope – a little too convenient, but we're still not sure if its a Ginny/CRM thing or some new player in the game.

● Dwight referencing his time with Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and the Saviors was an effective heart-crusher, and proved to be the exclamation point on his argument against doing things Ginny's way. This dude does not want them to travel down the same road he did…

● Speaking of "The Feels"… Dwight offering up his and Sherry's wedding rings to Dorie and June (Jenna Elfman) for their wedding was a rough one – and has us wondering: does this mean he's giving up on Sherry, or is the giving up of the rings a symbol of a fresh start for them when they find each other? Hmmm…

● Of course, we would be remiss if we didn't address the matter of the lapel patches that Al found, casting serious shade on the validity of Ginny's claims. Are we looking at undercover CRM?

Possibly.

One takeaway from the scene where Ginny pulls the trigger on Morgan at point-blank range (but it turns out to be a dud): that her shocked reaction at what she tried to do was the reaction of someone meant to keep their "military cool" and not make things personal. But in that moment, Ginny did – maybe because she's been "embedded" for so long?

Makes you view the scene where Ginny wants Al to tell her about the black helicopters a little differently now…

Heading into season 5 of Fear the Walking Dead, the group's mission is clear: locate survivors and help make what's left of the world a slightly better place. With dogged determination, Morgan Jones leads the group with a philosophy rooted in benevolence, community and hope. Each character believes that helping others will allow them to make up for the wrongs of their pasts.

In the second half of Season 5, after successfully proving their way can work, our heroes gain momentum, rescuing survivors, and spreading the message of hope along the way — until foes both familiar and unexpected arise, forcing the group to question whether their brand of altruism can really make a difference in a world filled with death and decay.

Earlier this year, FTWD cast member Alexa Nisenson (ex-Vulture Charlie) was promoted from recurring to series regular for the upcoming season. Joining Nisenson are Karen David (Legacies, Galavant) as series regular Grace, The Walking Dead alum Austin Amelio reprising ex-Savior Dwight, and the returning Ruben Blades as Daniel Salazar.

Bailey Gavulic (Prodigal, At The End Of The Day) plays young survivor Annie, who ends up crossing paths with our crew alongside Cooper Dodson's (American Horror Story, Preacher) Dylan and Ethan Suess' (Scorpion, Henry Danger) Max. Matt Frewer (Max Headroom, The Stand) also joined the cast as shady denim factory co-owner Logan.

Newcomer Colby Hollman is on board as Wes, a survivor who joins the group after meeting Alicia and Strand – and has more of connection to Alicia than either of them realized. Peter Jacobson (House, The Americans) is also on board as Rabbi Jacob Kessner. Colby Minifie (The Boys, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) joins this season as Virgina ("Ginny"), head of an organized group of militia-survivors. Holly Curran (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) also joined the series during the second-half of the season.

Nisenson, David, Blades, Amelio, Gavulic, Dodson, Suess, Frewer, Jacobson, Hollman, and Minifie join Dwight's crossover comrade Morgan (Lennie James) on the upcoming season of The Walking Dead spin-off series, which has undergone some major changes over the past year. Jenna Elfman, Garret Dillahunt, Maggie Grace, Mo Collins, and Daryl Mitchell joined James on the series last season; with Alycia Debnam-Carey, Colman Domingo, and Danay Garcia the only original cast members heading into the fifth season. Daniel Sharman is reportedly reprising his role as Troy Otto, though how his character will come into play during the upcoming season is still unknown.

Showrunners Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg executive produce alongside Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple, David Alpert, Gale Anne Hurd, and Greg Nicotero, with the series produced by AMC Studios.

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