( CNN ) Have Rick and his fellow survivors finally found a place they can settle in for the long term ? That was the question left still unanswered at the end of Sunday night 's season finale of `` The Walking Dead , '' and a finale record 15.8 million viewers tuned in to find out the answer . Rick was back in `` Ricktatorship '' mode , telling the residents of Alexandria that he knew what it took to survive and they should follow him . That led up to one of many moments where we gasped during the 90-minute finale . Here are five of the biggest gaspworthy moments : . 1 . Morgan is back . We 've literally been looking for him all season , and Rick 's old friend Morgan -- going all the way back to the first episode -- made a return appearance , wielding a stick he used to kick walker , and human , butt when necessary . And it was definitely necessary once he was captured by two men wearing W 's on their heads , who , we would later learn , wanted to turn Morgan into a walker in order to join a horde of walkers they controlled . 2 . Daryl looks done for . It was Daryl who happened upon that horde , and he and Aaron were soon surrounded and forced into a car , with little chance of escape -- that is , until Morgan rescued them . We rarely believe what we hear when there are rumors that Daryl might die , but that was a close one . 3 . Carol and her casserole . Melissa McBride continues to steal scenes left and right lately , and her threatening of Pete while lending him a casserole may be one of the best scenes in the series ' history so far . 4 . Glenn gets shot . We seriously thought Glenn was a goner after a vengeful Nicholas shot him , then left him for a large group of walkers to attack . Somehow , Glenn survived and attacked Nicholas , but stopped short of killing him . That 's our Glenn , always doing the right thing when it comes down to it . 5 . Rick 's memorable walker encounter . Just when you thought you 'd seen everything , Rick literally squeezed a walker 's neck then discharged a round causing the walker to spray out blood -- a walker he presented to the residents of Alexandria , in a bid to lead them toward survival . Rick was then rudely interrupted by Pete , who slashed Reg 's throat in a fit of anger . At that point , Deanna told Rick to off Pete , which he did . Phew ! It was one of the most intense episodes of the already hyperintense series , and our group of survivors somehow made it through . Fans on Twitter were into it . `` That was the most intense hour and a half of my entire life , '' one tweeted .
``` Ricktatorship '' mode ended its fifth season with many shocking moments . SPOILER : Rick and crew made it through the finale alive .