Five reasons to watch The Walking Dead season finale tomorrow

Most people don’t need to be convinced to watch AMC’s stellar hit show, The Walking Dead. Based on one of the great success stories in the last ten years of creator-owned comics, The Walking Dead tells the story of a family (and the close-knit community surrounding them) struggling to survive in the world following a deadly plague that sees the dead rise, attack the living, and quickly tear down society.After two seasons, Rick Grimes and company have seen a lot of hard things, but none more than the last couple of weeks, which have seen not one but two major components of their community of survivors die–one of whom lasted far, far longer in the comic book source material.So–what are some of the reasons that you should check this one out? Well…It can’t be worse than last year’s.At the end of a terrific first season, The Walking Dead had a vexing and unpopular finale that combined a lack of substantial action with quiet, character-driven scenes that didn’t make sense or fit with the feel of the show. This year’s finale can’t be worse than last year’s was, and it seems likely that following on the heels of five great episodes and then a much-reviled finale last year, the crew and writers probably made it a priority to turn this years finale into a big hit.All that said, there’s that whisper thing…Near the end of last year’s finale, Dr. Jenner from the CDC whispered something into Rick’s ear that hasn’t been revealed–not just to the viewers, but even to the other characters, as far as anyone can tell. Comic creator and show executive producer Robert Kirkman has told various media outlets in the last week that the information will be revealed–at least to the audience–in this week’s finale.Did you see the size of that thing?Get your mind out of the gutter; we’re talking about the horde of zombies that are descending on the Greene farm as the episode begins. We saw hints of it in last week’s episode, but a clearer look at exactly what Rick and company are facing down in previews of this week’s episode available online. It’s big, and it’s scary, and we’re basically guaranteed that Hershel won’t make it out of this one alive, as he refuses to leave the farm (something photos have shown the Grimes family, Daryl and Carol have done–although admittedly Hershel also appears to be obscured in the background of one shot).And as a side note–how are Glenn and Daryl going to fare, given that as far as we know they’re behind Rick (and therefore probably in the thick of that horde before they can navigate their way inside).Life without ShaneWhile it seems unlikely that Rick will be wrestling with many of the moral and ethical questions about taking out Shane–at least not much, and not in front of the group–the first extended action sequences without him in the group will be something to watch. Even when Rick was at his field-general best, making assignments and kicking ass, he leaned heavily on his old partner for support. In the absence of Shane, not only does the group dynamic change but so does the combat responsibilities.MichonneJust in time for her origin story to appear in Playboy magazine, The Walking Dead newsfeed is reporting that Michonne, the bad-ass, sword-wielding woman who has long been one a fan-favorite character in the comics, will appear in the finale this season, likely played by actress Rutina Wesley. Fans have been clamoring for this character to appear for a while now, so now that she’s on board, it would be a shame for the finale not to break yet another cable ratings record and really welcome her in with a bang.