Welcome to the Legion!

Fear-TWD-Zombies-Beach

One of the chief complaints with the first season of Fear The Walking Dead was the series’ decided lack of real zombie carnage. While there was certainly plenty of character study in the show, the lack of zombies undercut the show’s main premise, the previously mentioned “fear”. Fortunately after watching this week’s episode “Ouroboros”, it seems that Season Two has gotten past this narrative hiccup and started to pick up some real action. That’s not to say that Fear The Walking Dead has shied away from it’s study of a family trying to survive in the zombie apocalypse, not at all. It’s finally kicked in the action we’ve been clamoring for since the show’s announcement.

**SPOILERS BELOW**

You know I have to be honest, this is one of those episodes where “not a lot happens” but it turns out to be a huge turning point in the story. This is thanks, mostly, to the LA Survivors getting their first real combat with the undead. While the parent show had hunters and police officers protecting their group, the LA Survivors in Fear The Walking Dead have mostly been unprotected except for an occasional heroic act, quick thinking, or pure luck. In fact, Daniel notwithstanding, the LA group has a decided disadvantage compared to The Walking Dead’s Rick, Shane, Merle, T-Dog or Daryl. Fortunately that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore as numerous members of the LA Survivors were able to test their mettle and find themselves a lot tougher than they originally realized (BIG changes to the Learning Curve later).

Fear-TWD-Alicia-Beach

That’s not to say that the LA Survivors didn’t have their fair share of stupid mistakes this week such as Nick falling down a sinkhole with a zombie or Chris wondering away on his own, it just meant that they finally learned how to deal with those problems when said mistakes try to bite them in the rear. Despite these incredibly stupid mistakes, we were able to reap some real benefits such as Nick learning the “guts” camouflage trick, making him invisible to the undead. Plus, Chris had a teachable moment when he discovered a mortally wounded man in extreme pain. Instead of leaving him to die at the hands of zombies or waste away in the wreckage of a downed aircraft, Chris did the humane thing and performed a mercy killing, which is certainly relevant to Travis’ recent killing of Liza.

Speaking of the downed aircraft, “Ouroboros” finally showed us the fate of Flight 462, a webisode series that would tie into Fear The Walking Dead. In their final moments aloft, Flight 462 broke up and crashed. In the aftermath Charlie (Michelle Ang) was protecting a severely hurt Jake, refusing to let anyone throw him off the tiny raft. In fact, the dispute became so heated that one survivor tried to kill Jake in the middle of the night, to which Charlie dispatched him with the ferocity of a lioness protecting her cubs. In an act of irony, their salvation would be the fact that said would be murder eventually clogs up The Abigail, causing the LA Survivors to stall near the coast of the 462 accident. While Travis was stuck fixing the yacht, Alicia lead a team to the coast in order to salvage clothes, medicine and other possible supplies from the wreckage.

Fear-TWD-Charlie-Beach

This provided us with a wonderful segue into Charlie. Just like Strand, Charlie is currently a blank slate, which makes her very engaging compared to the emotional turmoil of Madison and Travis’ struggle to keep their family together. Even so, it’s clear she can become a valuable member of the group as she’s obviously protective and compassionate, something this group values. If you add in her possible knowledge of “what’s going on” with the Zombies, she could be a critical role in surviving long term. Regardless, Charlie made a big splash this week, as she was also responsible for bringing the zombie horde down on Daniel, Alicia, Nick and Chris and really it needed to happen.

As I said before, without Daniel, the LA Survivors have no real fighters on their team. They haven’t had a chance to test themselves against the undead and that leaves them vulnerable. When the zombies crested that ridge, hunting Charlie and discovering an entire group of tasty viddles, it was up to the Survivors to stand together and fight back. It was wonderful that felt natural and completely earned as the kids began clubbing zombies and pushing back against the tide of the undead. It also gave us a chance to see Nick’s lack of fear. Strand said it was one of the reasons he wanted Nick by his side and sure enough, Nick faced down a wall of the undead covered in gore and completely unafraid. So needed, so awesome.

Fear-TWD-Nick-Beach

Back on the boat Madison, Travis and Strand come to a very shaky armistice, agreeing to work together for the greater good than for their own selfish wants. This was put almost immediately to the test when Charlie arrived with a burned and battered Jake. Strand, always the pragmatist, refused to let them on board but Travis suggested a compromise: tow the tiny raft to safety. Strand agreed and everything seemed to be ok until everyone had settled down. As soon as he had a moment, Strand took up a machete and cut the two loose on the open ocean. In the end, he wasn’t even willing to do the bare minimum to help out his fellow man and that decision may prove to be his downfall. With the “kids” learning to fight and the adults ready to mutiny, Strand may have finally pushed them one step too far. He may be right in many decisions but his lack of people skills is going to get him a one way ticket to his own life raft, if not a speedy ticket to the hereafter.

Regardless, the decision’s been made and we’re off to Mexico. We have no idea what lies in wait down in Baja but it’s pretty clear that it won’t be a good thing. The real question is, can Strand keep everyone in line long enough to get there, or will he find himself floating home, or worse?

 

The Learning Curve

If this is your first time reading my write-ups of Fear The Walking Dead, let me introduce you to The Learning Curve. This is a summation of each character as they learn how to navigate in the zombie apocalypse. Each week I’ll rate the cast’s chances of survival based on their actions up until this point.

Madison_sm

Madison Clark: 8 of 10. While she wasn’t at the forefront of battle, Madison had her own war to wage. Life on the boat has gotten pretty tense especially between Madison, Travis and Strand. While Travis knows that Strand is correct intellectually, the guy just rubs him the wrong way, making it difficult to work together. Madison, ever the mediator, is trying to find a way to create common ground for the group. When she discovers that Strand has a hideout in Baja, she confronts him and declares that his business is now and forever “their” business as the ship is going to act as one. While it seems to have ultimately fallen on deaf ears, Madison has made her position crystal clear. Either we all work together or we cut out anyone who endangers the group. Will she see Strand’s act of defiance as the final straw?

Nick_sm

Nick Clark: 8 of 10. I’m pretty sure I declared Nick the “yo-yo” of Season One. Every episode the guy was either falling a few spots or jumping up in rank. This year seems to be no difference. After a series of poor decisions last week and a pretty dumb stumble this week, I was prepared to put Nick in the 5 or less crowd, but his quick thinking and fearlessness in the face of impending doom turned me around. While he may not be the smartest kid in the room, or the one with the best hobbies (don’t do drugs, kids), you have to admit that Nick is certainly a survivor and will do whatever it takes in order to keep drawing breath. Now that he’s discovered a way to stay invisible from the undead, it only makes him more durable.

Alicia_sm

Alicia Clark: 6 of 10. This was a big week for Alicia. After some pretty bad decision making skills last week (and in the premiere), Alicia finally started to show some real understanding of the apocalypse. After spotting the wreckage ofFlight 462, it was her idea to scavenge the beach and search for resources. It was Alicia who stayed near Daniel when they arrived and it was Alicia who really came into her own as she began scrambling for any heavy metal items that the group could use to defend themselves. All in all, this was a vast improvement and a welcome change of pace. She even picked up part of her mom’s compassion when helping others, which is still key for long term civilization rebuilding, not just the day to day work of survival.

Travis_sm

Travis Manawa: 8 of 10. Travis got a one point bump this week after going head to head with a Zombie underwater. I really though I should give him two points because, scuba zombies just seem to be more scary for some reason. Regardless, Travis pulled of a pretty spiffy kill and rebuilt the Abigail’s filtration system by hand. While his instincts could use a little work, the man’s overall versatility keeps him at a high point on the scale. Even Strand knew to back off and give Travis some serious respect when he realized he overstepped (even if it was in the best Pulp Fiction Winston Wolf impression I’ve ever seen). The lesson here is simple: Travis keeps things running. You want him on your side.

Chris_sm

Chris Manawa: 5 of 10. Last week, Chris learned to kill Zombies. This week, Chris learned that sometimes you kill someone even though you want them to live. It was a somber moment and clearly changed Chris’ trajectory in the course of the series. Not only did he realize his Father was acting out of compassion, he realized that the rules of the old world simply do not apply any more. How this will ultimately affect Chris is still unknown but it’s great to see the most useless character on the show finally get a chance to grow a bit.

Daniel_sm

Daniel Salazar: 9 of 10. Ok, so before you all lose your minds because I dropped Daniel by a point, lemme explain my reasons. This isn’t a reflection of Daniel’s importance to the group or even any mistakes that he’s made. In fact, he’s done such a good job protecting the group and that they’ve finally had a chance to grow as combatants. Daniel was able to keep the beach combers safe while the scrambled for weapons and he helped lead the charge when the Zombies got too close. Problem is, now that the group is becoming more and more capable, Daniel is going to have to go above and beyond to stand out as a 10. I’m sure he will. Regardless, he’s the only 9 this week, so that should give you a good idea of his chances.

Ofelia_sm

Ofelia Salazar: 7 of 10. I dropped Ofelia this week on mere principal. We didn’t have any real scene of substance with Ofelia to judge her character one way or the other. While the show has a lot of players, there’s usually one that gets stiffed week to week. It just so happens that Ofelia drew the short straw this time. Since the death of her mother, Ofelia has been quietly adjusting to the new world…it’s just a matter of time before we see how that affects her and the group. I’m betting that we get a Carol, but we could also get a Governor. I honestly don’t know.

Strand_FTWD

Victor Strand: 5 of 10: Strand almost kept his score of 7, but the final 30 seconds struck me as the exact wrong thing to do. It’s clear Strand is used to getting his way and people jumping when he asks for something, but this is a world gone bye (forgive the pun) and he’s not quite gotten the message. I don’t know if the LA Survivors will string him up, throw him overboard, or simply kill him but it’s becoming clear that Strand is the odd man out and if there’s any “dead weight” to cut loose, it may as well be him.

Charlie_sm

Charlie: 8 of 10: During Flight 462, Charlie was a quiet, together survivalist, possibly nurse or scientist, who knew how to handle a crisis situation. In the aftermath, Charlie proved herself to be fiercely loyal and protective over those she valued. Coupled with her no nonsense approach to problems and her considerable depths of compassion, Charlie may be the new Strand. I predict that if it comes down to a choice then Strand may find himself on the wrong side of the group. Welcome to Fear The Walking Dead, Charlie, it’s only going to get worse from here.

 

About author View all posts Author website

Shaun Rosado

Shaun Rosado is creator and host of a weekly geek podcast called "Shauncastic!," where he and a rotating cast discuss everything geeky, nerdy and pop culture-y as well as the creator of "Meet At The Tavern," a blog dedicated to RPGs. He is also a frequent Twittering fool (@Pneumaz). He is married, has a dog, is a massive fan of The Flash and owns a spaceship. One of these is not true.