It feels to me like they wanted to return to a smaller-scale story (ironic since there's more going on than ever), but couldn't find a way to do so without abandoning the cliffhanger from last season. I would've much preferred a smaller/non-existent time-jump that actually dealt in the apocalyptic ending of S4- they gloss over it with a few lines and the only impact it's had so far is the military presence. I'm hoping it pulls itself together over the following episodes and picks up the pace, because nothing so far has felt as epic or thrilling or conclusive as any final season should be, especially one of the most expensive and highly anticipated ones ever.