Five Things We Want From The Walking Dead Season 5

AMC is currently running a "Dead, White and Blue" marathon of all four seasons of The Walking Dead, which is great for those of us who want to substitute zombies, guts and blood for burgers, pools and margaritas. It's also great for those of us who need a Walking Dead fix before Season 5 premieres in the fall.

So now is as a good a time as any to look ahead to Season 5 and discuss some of what we want to see from the hit show next year. This probably goes without saying, but MAJOR SPOILERS FROM THE SHOW AND COMIC BOOK BELOW.

1) More character development.

The second half of Season 4 may have been a bit slow, but it succeeded in turning the focus on each of the characters once they were separated from each other. After the chaos of the Governor's attack on the prison, the show wisely slowed things down and let us spend some time with splintered groups of characters. It did not always work in the latter half of Season 4, but The Walking Dead definitely benefits when it lets us get to know these characters rather than just throwing them from one dangerous situation to another.

2) Badass Rick Grimes.

In the comic, Rick goes through numerous transformations. At times he is a ruthless leader and at other times he's compassionate and wise. When it comes to the cannibals that attack the group in the books, we see perhaps the darkest and most deranged version of Rick Grimes in the series' run when he and the other survivors mutilate the cannibals in some of the most disturbing ways possible.

Television has its limits, but we're willing to bet (and hope) that we will see Rick make this dark turn on the show. After all, Rick said the final line in Season 4 when the survivors were trapped in the train car at Terminus: "They're screwing with the wrong people." It was clear that the Rick who takes swift action is back, so now we just need to see how far he will go.

Plus, Rick's ruthless streak in the comics ultimately leads to a more wise and peaceful character, which was a welcome sight after so much brutality.

3) Keep things moving.

As much as we liked the character development in the slowed-down second half of Season 4, this is still a show that needs to continually push the plot forward or it will stall (need I say more than "Season 2?"). The Walking Dead has found the right balance in the past, and it now has some consistency at the top, as showrunner Scott Gimple is back for his second season at the helm. This should help the show maintain the course as it progresses into more interesting territory in Season 5.

4) Continue to divert from the comics.

Before you all shout me down for this one, let me explain. The Walking Dead should absolutely stay true to the comics as much as possible. No one wants to see Rick suddenly wind up with Maggie or something equally ridiculous. But a shot-for-shot remake of the comic would be a disservice to the show, which should try to craft its own story and its own identity. Gimple has even said in interviews that he wanted to stick to the books closely, but Robert Kirkman wanted to make the show different from the source material. So let's stay on that path in Season 5 and keep the changes coming.

5) Find a way to bring back Lori.

LOL just kidding.

What would you like to see in Season 5? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.