“Anybody who ever built an empire, or changed the world, sat where you are now. And it's *because* they sat there that they were able to do it”. That’s what George Clooney spent most a film telling people on the worst day of their lives and despite his obscure travelling obsession, that guy had a point. Yes, hitting rock bottom can break you but it can also make you. It happens to everyone in an apocalypse: when the world is taken away from you, those that survive in the long term are those that rise to the occasion rather than admitting defeat. On this week’s Fear the Walking Dead, we see that one character hit rock bottom long before the dead came back to life but it turned out to be the beginning of his empire.
Blood on the Streets – While Nick swims ashore to meet Strand’s contact, The Abigail is stealthily boarded by Alicia’s radio friend Jake and other hijackers working for a leader named Connor.
The first few episodes of this season have been primarily single-week events but here, we finally see the show branching out by pulling together several dangling threads and developing them into longer-running story arcs other than basic survival. The main body of the episode plays the lingering ace up the sleeve of Alicia’s loose lips on the radio that threatens to sink their ship. The takeover itself is excellently done, not just for the speed and shock value of the helpless stranded turning nasty but what it tells us about the trio of Jake, Reed and Vita. They’re highly organized in both the facade they present to get on board and how coordinated they make their move telling us that despite it only being a matter of weeks/months since the outbreak, they’ve already had a lot of practice at doing this. Then there’s the mention of Connor as their leader and even a base location. This is a great play on the existing knowledge base of main show viewers as such staples already place us in the mindset of The Governor or Negan as a singular tyrannical figure amasses a position of power.
When the reinforcements arrive, there’s a clear feeling of skills-based collection as Travis is taken away: he can repair and even hot wire high tech boats...that’s something they can use. The scenes on The Abigail with Jake and the pregnant Vita in particular show a common theme among the group. They all appear to have given up in some way. Although Vita holds off on the drink, she still seems almost indifferent to her pregnancy like it represents a life that no longer exists to her. Then, there’s the repeated mantra from all three of them that this is “their job”. They might not like it but they like having one in the way that people who are truly lost cling to the idea of having a purpose. Madison’s speculations over Vita having a miscarriage make for some surprisingly chilling moments as they wonder if a dead baby would turn inside her for a sheer helpless level of terror. There’s also the hint that something may still be on the cards between Alicia and Jake. For now, it feels like she’s just playing him (turnabout is fair play) but we could well see Jake switching sides before the end.
This episode also lifts the lid on the much-teased back story on Strand. The results disappoint a little on expectations as despite many conspiracy theories, he’s much more of a regular guy than he seemed but the story we get is still highly interesting. It keeps Strand’s existing core values at the centre of it and expands upon them: that he’s an opportunist with a code. We meet him in the flashbacks exactly as we did last season, at rock bottom (in a quarantine/detention cell) but keeping his wits about him to cease the opportune moment. The scenes also confirm the satellite phone hints that their destination has a greater personal significance than Strand is letting on as we see that he’s not so much going somewhere as returning. We meet some new faces too such as the true owner of The Abigail, Thomas Abigail (Dougray Scott – Mission Impossible 2, Hemlock Grove) and their mutual and fire arms proficient associate Luis (Arturo Del Puerto – Ride Along 2). The scenes of Nick and Luis also imply that Strand was planning to betray but this feels more like a bluff from the show to give Strand something to overcome. Nick’s dry land excursion proves a lot of fun as he makes his way through the remains of a refugee camp. The passing helicopter pledges the hope of safety nearby, like across the Mexican border but it’s clear the dead have taken up residency in the area. Nick continues to develop his survival tools as he rocks the bloody poncho again this week.
Fear delivers another good episode this week as while the show seems to be veering into more familiar Walking Dead territory, by sticking with its unique aquatic setting it still feels like a fresh alternative. Even Ofelia feels part of the episode this week, especially during her rather sweet relationship chat with young Chris. It’s an episode that gives the season added stakes and introduces several good new faces to the fold. It may be a walker light episode but dramatically it definitely floats the boat.