Season 5, Episode 16:
End of the Line
Directed by Michael E. Satrazemis
After hallucinating Sherry's voice, Dwight finds a group of horses near the remains of the caravan and returns to help. The group clear Humbug's Gulch of walkers, revealed to be the previous survivors who used the location before Virginia massacred them for resisting her. They decide to use the walkers to ambush the Pioneers, but are forced to abandon the plan when they discover that Luciana is with them. Knowing that Virginia is on the way, the group enjoys the time they have left together, as John and June finally get married.
When Virginia arrives, she splits the group into her various communities and gets a doctor to examine Grace, who is revealed to be pregnant and malnourished. Once everyone is gone, Virginia attacks Morgan by shooting him and leaves him to die when the walkers approach her. Morgan relays a message to his friends, encouraging them to "just live" as the walkers approach him.
Tropes:
- The Bad Guy Wins: Virginia ends the season victorious and having destroyed Morgan's caravan.
- Cliffhanger: Morgan is mortally wounded after Virginia shoots him, and can only get out one last message to his group as they're pulled apart by the Pioneers.
- Downer Ending: Virginia succeeds in capturing the group and splits them apart across her communities, and shoots Morgan to leave him to die.
- Evil Is Petty: Virginia is downright delighted to finally have Morgan's group under her thumb and takes glee in separating them from each other. This includes continuing to separate John and June despite their having just been married (if anything, learning of this reinforces her decision). At the end despite having no reason to, she takes Morgan somewhere alone and shoots him because as she puts it, she just hates him that much for defying her.
- Kick the Dog: Virginia is in fine form, separating June and John even when the latter pleads for them to stay together and shooting Morgan for defying her.
- Relationship Upgrade: The only bright spot in the episode is that June and John finally get married, which the group stops and celebrates before Virginia arrives.
- Wham Episode: June and John get married as Virginia captures the group and segregates them among her communities and shoots Morgan to leave him for dead.
