I knew within the first minute that this episode was going to focus primarily on Alison, and that made me a little bit nervous. I've always enjoyed her and Donnie's silly suburban drug-dealing adventures, but I also felt that putting an episode focused on it at this time, right when the final season is starting to pick up some steam, would have been a mistake. Luckily, this episode managed to balance the levity and character development with some good plot movement and one strong scene of tension near the end. It wasn't a nail-biting thrill ride like last episode, but it had me on the edge of my seat a few times.
And far from being just another episode of Alison and Donnie's wacky mishaps, it feels like the conclusion to that saga. It brings back almost all of the elements that have been in play in that story-line, and leaves them all in a place that feels complete. In fact, I feel like we may not see Alison at all until the last couple episodes. This episode really closed the book on her story, and developed her in some interesting ways. I'll miss her, but I also think that it's good to cut her out so early in order to maintain the momentum necessary to make this a complete and satisfying final season.
After the somewhat disappointing fourth season, I was hoping that the fifth would benefit from the knowledge that it is the last and be able to pull together a more cohesive, streamlined narrative. So far, this season has more or less lived up to that expectation. I look forward to the next instalment.