Previously on Fear the Walking Dead: The military kidnaps Griselda and Nick while Liza is continuing to help the army medics.
This episode featured my favorite new character on Fear the Walking Dead: Strand. On top of the fantastic voice that is totally perfect for voiceovers, Strand is a compelling new character that is sure to mix up the chemistry between our main cast of characters. Already with a full understanding of the new world and the reality of his situation, Strand stands a good chance at causing some big problems for Nick and the rest of our main characters. At the same time, he could be a useful member of the new group that is destined to come together at the end of the season. Just like The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead is beginning to blur the line between heroes and villains.
In the premiere of Fear the Walking Dead, I was really expecting to see Travis and Madison become the leaders early on. Unfortunately, Travis is not adjusting to the zombie apocalypse as well as I expected or would like. Obviously, such a transition isn’t something that an English teacher makes in a single day, but if he wants to survive and keep his family together, Travis is going to need to learn how to protect himself in the face of such new problems. This is definitely going to include the use of a gun (or katana, or hammer, or whatever other weapon he deems fit) and for his family’s safety, he is going to need to decide that violence is the only answer to survive.
With only one episode remaining in the first season, I’m a little disappointed that we haven’t been able to explore Ofelia’s character more. While she currently has her father around to protect her, Ofelia is clearly a force to reckoned with on her own. Romancing Andy, while seemingly genuine, was clearly rooted in her need to acquire medical help for her mother. Whereas Travis continues to live in the old world, Ofelia is adjusting at a medium rate. She is horrified (as anyone would be) at the lengths people must go to in order to survive now (e.g. Her father torturing her new boyfriend), but she also isn’t afraid to speak her mind. I really liked the scene where she yelled at the military because it showed us that Ofelia is not completely helpless and may show promise in adjusting to the new world.
I really enjoyed the bit of backstory that we got on Daniel and Ofelia’s past relationship as father and daughter. It was great to see Ofelia come to the realization that her father isn’t exactly a saint. Obviously, in the end, Daniel’s torturous tactics were a necessary evil that provided crucial information for our main characters and I think that Ofelia recognizes this fact deep down. Travis, on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious to the reality of their situation. Travis is simply going to have to adjust or die. It’s as plain and simple as that.
My favorite part of this episode was Griselda’s death scene. However morbid and bloodthirsty that may sound, the scene was a perfect way to end the penultimate episode of the first season. With Griselda talking total gibberish and Liza freaking out even worse Travis has been, it was super tense for viewers. While the writers could have made this a quick and easy scene for experienced Walking Dead viewers, I liked that they took the time to show that walkers will appear after any death. Additionally, it was cool to see the sense of responsibility from Liza in putting down walker Griselda as has become so custom for The Walking Dead’s main characters.
While I enjoyed this episode, it also featured my least favorite storyline on the show to date: Alicia and Chris playing house. Did we seriously watch these two just dress up in their neighbor's clothes and talk about the world? These scenes honestly felt like they were meant to be part of an only web series for the show that no one will even watch. Is it sad that the actual web series for Fear the Walking Dead is going to be more exciting than Alicia and Chris's scenes in this episode?
Rating: 8.4/10 - This was another mostly enjoyable episode, but it definitely had its share of problems. Travis needs to get with the program and Alicia & Chris need to stop playing house right now!
Favorite Quotes
Unnamed army guy: “Momentary lapse of patriotism sir..”
Nick: You saved me.
Strand: No, I obligated you…There’s a difference.
Nick: I’m an addict.
Strand: No, you’re a heroin addict. That’s the gold standard. Don’t sell yourself short.
*Strand after Nick finishes vomiting: “I was wishing we had something to mask the smell of urine…You saved the day..”
