The walkers, on “Fear the Walking Dead,” can’t and won’t be held at bay for too long. On the last episode, Daniel went to the arena after interrogating one of the soldiers. There is no more denying what motivates the dead: Hunger! Hunger is what feeds the virus that controls them. What motivations will the living need to survive and, when that time comes, who do you pick to survive with you?
Daniel
Ruben Blades’ character Daniel is not a nice guy, but this is why he’ll survive. His decision to kill Andy is shot down by the others. Andy tells Travis a way into the medical compound if he lets him go. Daniel and Maddy are determined to rescue Nick and Griselda. They better hurry because there are 2000 walkers aching for a snack.
Now, I have to hand it to Daniel. There was no way into the hospital compound without a little help and, Daniel had the help of the hungry 2000 to distract the soldiers long enough for Travis and the others to sneak into the compound. Daniel is not a nice guy, but I want him watching my back because he doesn’t play by the rules. I’m taking a vote. Is Daniel a Rick Grimes type of guy?
Strand
“If I were a rich man,” as the song goes, makes us wonder how would we use our wealth to survive if indeed we were rich. Strand is a smooth talker, a good dresser with fancy gold cufflinks and he has a mansion and a yacht. Damn!
We don’t know the back story about Strand, but we get the sense that he is a con man who knows all the escape routes. He does help his new friends take the right route out of the burning city. Is Strand a Governor type of guy?
Travis
Travis is the moral compass of the group and that’s not always a good thing. If there is anything that we’ve learned over the five years of “The Walking Dead,” is that people who are moral compasses during the apocalypse, like Hershel and Dale, usually die.
Travis refused to shoot the donut lady, Kimberly, but when Andy shot Ofelia, Travis went berserk. Travis still believes in civilization, or he did until he had to put a bullet into a loved one’s skull. I’m saying that Travis is more Glenn than Rick.
The Ladies
Dr. Bethany Exner, who I expected to last into the next season, kind of gave up when she realized that the military considered the staff at the compound, expendable. She had the chance to make it out with Liza and the others, but after killing the patients under her charge, we are left to wonder if she used that captive bolt pistol on herself.
Maddy
We don’t know much about Madison but what we do know is that she doesn’t shy away from what has to be done. She listened to her student Tobias who, bless his soul, watched enough apocalypse shows to understand what was going down.
Madison is a working single mother and, any woman who can raise a family and work a full time job, is a survivor in my book. She didn’t shy away from Daniel’s torturing Andy. It had to be done. When she found Nick inside the babysitter’s house, she beat the living shit out of him because she knew he was looking for drugs.
Maddy walked into that compound knowing that the herd was close by, but it didn’t stop her from searching for Nick. When one of their own was bitten, she was ready to pull the trigger. Maddy to me is a future Carol.
Conclusion
The finale of “Fear the Walking Dead” did not disappoint us. This episode featured the shows first herd of walkers and the death of a major character. Liza, during the escape from the compound, discovers that she’s been bitten. She knows what the virus does. She’s seen the end result. The dead always come back. She didn’t want to risk the safety of the others. She asks Maddy to kill her, but in the end, it is Travis who takes hold of the pistol.
Nick, Chris, Ofelia and Alicia are young, but so far they’ve survived the first wave of madness. Nick tells his mom that he’s been living his own apocalypse for a long time, and now… everyone else is catching up. My money is on Nick as a survivor. He’s already hit bottom, the only way to go is up. Maybe Strand will lend some sharp clothes to Nick.
Strand and the others are planning on reaching his yacht, which is anchored offshore, but the open sea is no guarantee that they’ll be safe. There are dangers out there… other people. On the “Talking Dead” special that aired immediately after the episode, Chris Hardwick had series creator, Dave Erickson, Kim Dickens and, Cliff Curtis on the show. One of the questions Chris asked Erickson was who would be more dangerous during season two? Erickson hinted at the soldiers, and then, he reminded everyone that going into season two, Rick Grimes is still in a coma.
Speaking of Rick Grimes, don’t forget that season six of “The Walking Dead” returns next week on AMC. See you next week, my little zombie snacks.
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