#feartwd3

Season 3, Episode 5: “Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame”

Maddie joins Troy in search of the group responsible for killing Travis. Nick and Jeremiah get to know each other while Alicia and Jake get acquainted in a different way. Strand and Daniel go to the hotel to search for Ofelia.

A lot of good things happened in this episode but it’s become more apparent that our characters are settling down. Only time will tell if this is a good for Fear, considering we’re used to watching everyone travel from place to place. As it stands, tensions are beginning to rise as it seems that the Clarks’ new home might be in danger. But most of the episode focused on life on the ranch.

Character Commentary

Maddie & Troy

Troy’s mission to find missing community members is the only part of the episode that added to the overall plot. On their excursion, Maddie was able to prove her combat abilities but they weren’t enough to defend against a rival group from revealing itself. We’ve yet to learn all the details but the rival group is lead by a young Native-American man claiming that the land that the ranch occupies belongs to him.

This sounds like something Jeremiah has been dealing with since before the apocalypse, but this is now Maddie’s fight since this group is responsible for killing Travis and they threaten her family’s new home.

Nick & Jeremiah

Nick struggles with deciding to either stay with his family or leave with Luciana. While trying to earn his keep, Nick bonds with Jeremiah as he reminisces about family, the ranch, and they have a discussion about the “beauty” of guns.

It was strange having such a normal conversation, but it also managed to reaffirm the idea that in this new world, it’s not necessarily “Us versus them [walkers],” but other people. By the end of the episode, Luciana sneaks away and leaves the ranch to go back to Mexico. Will Nick go after her?

Alicia & Jake

Aside from establishing a romance between these two, I feel like their interactions served the purpose of discussing the value of art in this new world, specifically poetry and Charles Bukowski (hence the title of the episode).

Strand & Salazar

Strand perpetuates his lie about Ofelia by taking Daniel back to the hotel. Their interactions are hostile but things escalate when they return to the hotel only to discover that it’s been overrun with walkers. Daniel deliberately gets the attention of a horde of walkers to finally get the truth out of Strand and decides to leave him for dead.

“Let’s see how you get out of this one!”

As resourceful as Strand is, can he fend for himself? Will Daniel return to the dam or continue to search for his daughter?

This episode certainly slowed things down and if I were to guess, this might be the trend for the next few episodes. Hopefully we get to see more action and fewer discussions about life, but who knows? Perhaps Fear can manage to make it more interesting than the regular Walking Dead series.

Season 3, Episode 4: “100″

Daniel Salazar lives! One of Fear the Walking Dead’s best characters returns as this episode retraces his steps after having survived the fire he started at Thomas Abigail’s compound last season.

After my disbelief of Travis’ death in the second episode of this season, I mistook Daniel Salazar’s appearance in the previous episode as Strand hallucinating in prison. Daniel Salazar is alive and well, and unsurprisingly, in a position of power among Dante’s organization.

This was easily one of Fear’s best episodes. It focused solely on Daniel and was primarily in Spanish. We watched a man whom we know to be capable in the apocalypse be vulnerable and in dire need of assistance.

I mentioned in a previous review that having Daniel Salazar around was too convenient for the other characters since he was so resourceful, and I accepted his apparent death since his character didn’t have much of a personal journey at the time. But with his return it seems we’re exploring a new element to him: penance.

Character Commentary

Daniel Salazar

Since he was introduced there was always a darkness to the humble, yet intimidating barber -- a mysterious past he was ashamed of, which he hid away from his daughter Ofelia. In season 1 we witnessed his proficiency with guns and defending himself and later we watched his ability to calmly interrogate a soldier. He had always possessed a dark wisdom that he would often share with Maddie and Travis, and in this episode we learn more about his dark past.

After finding out that Daniel was originally from El Salvador, Dante was able to pick up on his history in the Salvadorian Civil War as part of a death squad called “Sombra Negra” (Black Shadow). This certainly explains his skills, the guilt he possesses, and his composure as the world around him falls apart.

The episode is entitled “100″ which refers to the number of people Daniel Salazar has killed (though thanks to poor editing it only looks like he’s killed 99 people). This number now includes Dante, who was shaping up to be a major antagonist against Strand. What will happen to the dam now that Daniel seems to be in power? And what of Ofelia?

What excites me most about this season of Fear is that these characters are bound to reunite, but how? Daniel and Strand are still in Mexico while the Clarks are north of the border. Will Daniel believe Strand’s claim that Ofelia is still alive? And is she still alive? In any case, Fear the Walking Dead has been knocking it out of the park every week this season. Let’s enjoy the ride while it lasts.

Season 3, Episodes 7 & 8: “The Unveiling” & “The Children of Wrath”

Ofelia’s whereabouts are finally revealed. Alicia follows Jake in his attempt to strike a deal with Walker. Nick joins the militia while Maddie discovers her place on the ranch.

The two-part mid-season finale left me excited for what happens next in the series. Not only did these two episodes establish a larger role for Ofelia, but it also showed off how far Maddie is willing to go to protect her children. -And it’s shocking just how far she’ll go. These episodes were action-packed and managed to maintain an intensity that fed your anticipation for a war.

Her Father’s Daughter

After not seeing her for the first six episodes of this season, I was beginning to fear that something tragic had happened to Ofelia Salazar; but it’s fitting that she ended up among Walker and the Nation/First Humans/Pony Warriors. Until Episode 7, the last time we saw Ofelia was in the second season finale, when she was cornered by a man we now know as Jeremiah Otto.

My fears over what Jeremiah could have done to Ofelia only worsened after his sudden apology to her, but it was later revealed that Jeremiah had simply left her to die in the desert over her skin color. This, of course, made Jeremiah’s eventual death much more acceptable. But is that enough to justify betraying Maddie and Nick the way she did?

Madison Clark: Explained

Maddie managed to convince Troy and the militia to raid the Nation twice; first, to rescue Alicia and a second time to secure leverage over Walker by stealing ancestral relics. As risky as this was, this wasn’t the extent of her willingness to protect her children and secure her new home.

The mid-season finale ended with Maddie giving Jeremiah’s severed head to Walker. The fact that Nick is the one who killed Jeremiah, doesn’t change the fact that Maddie was about to do it herself; and given the conversation she had with Alicia and Nick it comes as no surprise as to what she was about to do.

A scene that will go down as one of Fear the Walking Dead’s most memorable is that of Maddie admitting to her children that she killed her father as a young girl. She began the conversation by talking about her hometown, and told a story in the third-person about a popular councilman who was also a drunk who physically abused his wife. Tired of watching her mother endure such pain, Maddie took matters into her own hands, knowing that she would have to carry her decision and its consequences for the rest of her life – and she’s wiling to make that kind of decision again to protect her children.

This explains Maddie’s coldness. This explains her initial willingness to kill the dead at the beginning of the series when Travis wasn’t. This explains Maddie being drawn to Daniel Salazar’s dark wisdom, and this certainly explains her willingness to hand over the severed head of a man who was not unlike her father to achieve peace.

Victor Strand and the Cosmonaut

As luck would have it, Strand found the Abigail and managed to salvage a bottle of champagne. After getting drunk and passing out by a ham radio, it was clear Strand was feeling hopeless. After all, what reason does Strand have to continue on?

Strand awoke to a Russian Cosmonaut making contact through the radio. What followed was a circumstance completely unique to Fear the Walking Dead and a conversation that put things in perspective for Strand. He wasn’t stuck in space, running out of supplies, confined to the International Space Station; he still has a chance down on Earth. Burning what was left of the Abigail, Strand decided to move on.

Who knows what’s in store for Strand? Despite his scenes not having great significance to the plot of the finale, it was nice getting such a moment that strengthened his resolve.

What’s Next for Fear the Walking Dead?

The beauty in this mid-season finale lies in the fact that it didn’t end in a cliffhanger. Though there are many key elements that have yet to be resolved there was enough closure to leave me satisfied. But we still need to keep in mind:

What will happen when word gets out that Troy is responsible for killing the Trimbol family?

How will the community react when they’re expected to share their land with Walker and the Nation?

Who will lead the community now that Jeremiah is dead?

Will Jake and Troy really believe that their father killed himself?

So far, season 3 of Fear the Walking Dead has been fantastic. After 8 episodes, not a single one of them was a weak entry; proving that this series has hit its stride.

The show is taking a hiatus for the next few months, so we have plenty of time to discuss predictions for what’s coming next. What did you think of this mid-season finale?

Season 3, Episode 6: “Red Dirt”

Maddie and Troy return to the ranch and word gets out about a potential attack on the community. Jeremiah struggles to reassure the people about the ranch’s security while Jake makes a rash decision to solve their problems by himself.

Another episode that takes place almost entirely on the ranch but still manages to move the plot forward. The young Native-American man introduced in the previous episode goes by the name of Walker (no doubt named to allude to the threat of walkers). He and his people intend to take the land that the ranch occupies for themselves. It’s a classic tale of Native-Americans seeking to reclaim their land but with an apocalyptic twist.

Things made a rather interesting turn in this episode. With fear of an attack on the ranch, one of the founders of the community, and one of Jeremiah’s lifelong friends, decided to take his family and find refuge elsewhere. The day after the family departed, one of their horses returned to the ranch which indicated to Jeremiah that something went horribly wrong.

Jeremiah, Maddie, and Nick leave to investigate and find the family’s vehicle in the middle of the road, the family dead and turned, but with all their supplies still in place. The only member of the family that hadn’t turned was their son who was part of the militia, who was shot several times. All the evidence leaves Jeremiah and Nick to believe that Troy is responsible for their deaths but Maddie takes the opportunity to use the family as an example for the community in Troy’s favor.

Although I’ve had my concerns about this season of Fear the Walking Dead going stale, they’re doing a good job of keeping me engaged in the characters. All signs point to Troy for being maliciously responsible for the death of that family, but what if Troy is telling the truth? What if he didn’t kill them? Is there a third party our characters should be weary of?

Admittedly, the story surrounding Jake has gone stale despite his romance with Alicia, but what will come of his rash decision to negotiate with Walker? And what trouble does this spell for Alicia?

As interesting a character Nick is, it feels like he’s taken a backseat in the season thus far, especially now with Luciana out of the picture. It intrigues me that he wants to back Maddie’s push to have Troy become the new leader, but how far will he go?

With two episodes premiering next, I can’t wait to see what in store for the Fear Family.

Notes

It never occurred to me that Nick never used guns

Season 3, Episode 3: “Teotwawki”

Maddie learns more about Jeremiah’s family and ranch and how he managed to be so well equipped. Alicia gets to know the local youth who’ve yet to experience the new world while Troy and Nick go hunting together. Strand seeks out an old business associate and sees another familiar face.

This episode began with a peculiar television ad starring a young Jeremiah, selling his 4-part videotape series: “TEOTWAWKI” or “The End of the World as We Know It”. With the chaos that is (was) modern-day America, Jeremiah offered a video guide teaching subscribers how to:

Stockpile food, ammo, tools, medical supplies and barter goods

Recycle water, dig a well

Grow crops and raise livestock

And most importantly:

“How to defend your sovereignty against the urban hordes who will want what’s yours when those four hosemen ride.”

It seems this season of Fear the Walking Dead aims to depict life for the paranoid people who were right to prepare for the end of the world.

As interesting as this premise is, it raises concerns for the progression of this season, or the lack thereof. Last season focused heavily on travel and exploring different survival tactics of people the family met along the way. Between consistently finding new settings and getting to know different characters, things never really got stale. Until Nick stumbled into the colonia and Maddie found the hotel, we were always accustomed to having a change of scenery week-to-week. But perhaps this season seeks to slow down and focus on character interactions, now that the Clarks have reunited.

Character Commentary

Jeremiah Otto

After 7 seasons of The Walking Dead, Fear still manages to do a fantastic job at differentiating itself in unique ways; this time around by adding a character who was actually prepared for the world to end.

The TEOTWAWKI television ad set the tone for the episode, helping us understand why it feels like Jeremiah has a cult-following -- it’s because he does. Jeremiah is practically worshiped, he’s the community’s savior. But what’s refreshing about him is that he doesn’t seem to have a God-complex.

For now it seems that he and Maddie are implicitly at odds with one another. As entertaining as it would be to watch these two butt heads, an idea that interests me more is if these two are forced to work together against an outside antagonist.

Troy Otto

It was awfully suspicious for Troy to invite Nick hunting. Troy expressed to Maddie his distrust for her son earlier in the episode, so we were lead to assume the worst. Their interaction ultimately ended strangely amicably, leaving me to wonder what’s next for these two.

To me, it seems Troy’s stability is dependent on Jake and their father. In this episode Jake reminded Troy that it’s up to them to lead the community once Jeremiah eventually dies. Could this conversation be a sort of red herring? What happens to Troy if Jake were to die? His instability is a liability, but what happens when Troy joins forces with Nick?

Victor Strand

Strand’s resourcefulness brings him to the doorstep of Dante, an old business associate who controls a source of water in Mexico. Conscious of his conniving nature, Dante imprisons Strand in an effort to dull his lust for power. While confined, Strand begins to hallucinate and sees the ghost of Daniel Salazar.

I really don’t know what to expect of this outcome. The Walking Dead has yet to deal with this kind of psychosis -- and it’s especially intriguing since it has to do with Strand.

Victor Strand has always managed to have some sort of control over his situation, regardless of what’s thrown at him. What happens when he loses his mind?

Although this season is at risk of going stale, it’s given us enough to wonder about to keep us watching. The Ottos are a welcome addition to the cast, and it’s great to have a former cast member return, even if he is a hallucination.

Notes