Fear the Walking Dead Season Premiere: “Monster” – Dead in the Water

First Aired April 10th, 2016.

Madison (played by Kim Dickens) watches her children transported to Strand’s (played by Colman Domingo) boat amid explosions from nearby missile attacks. Everyone left on the beach is soon attacked by a horde of walkers until her son, Nick (played by Frank Dillane), returns in a lifeboat to rescue them.

Everyone settles in on the boat enjoying the relative safety it offers in the ocean while they had to San Diego. The group spots another boat sinking but Strand refuses everyone’s pleas to help them, backed up by Travis (Played by Cliff Curtis) who agrees it’s too dangerous. While listening to the radio for signs of rescue, Alicia (played by Alycia Debnam-Carey) makes contact with someone on yet another boat. They begin talking and share their experiences but remain guarded against revealing their locations. Madison overhears Strand talking to someone over the radio but he passes it off as just talking to himself. Madison then talks with Daniel (played by Ruben Blades) who doesn’t trust Strand and thinks he was too prepared for the end of the world. Travis (played by Lorenzo James Henrie) mourns over his mother, Liza’s (played by Elizabeth Rodrigues), body, unable to cope with her death. Travis leads a funeral service for Liza and she is given a burial at sea.

Season two hit the ground running with an opening packed with action, which was needed considering the bulk of the episode took place on a boat. Although the premiere felt slow at times (especially when compared to The Walking Dead) there were some good moments. Strand is a driving force for this season because nobody knows what his motives are which makes him dangerous, but the group needs him. He’s being set up as someone who knew the end was coming and possibly has answers as to what caused it. This may be a red herring but I hope not because Fear the Walking Dead can only build on what TWD has done. Having the characters in this medium know why the world ended is a great way to expand the shared universe of the show and make Fear stand out more from its predecessor. As for Alicia, relationships that start online (or in this the radio) are never a good idea in general, let alone during the apocalypse.

Chris retreats further into isolation after the service and attacks Travis, blaming him for her death because he shot her (to prevent her turning). Meanwhile, the man Alicia was talking to reveals his boat is taking on water and that they are heading to land. She asks where they’re located and begs the group to go and rescue him and his two friends. Strand again refuses to help anyone, saying they should be grateful he saved their lives. Chris jumps into the water and everyone panics, thinking he is trying to commit suicide but he reveals to just be going for a swim and the others join him. Alicia calls the man on the radio and apologizes for not being able to rescue him but he ominously says he will see her soon. While swimming underwater, Nick is attacked by a floating walker and soon dozens of walkers approaching from a nearby boat wreck are shown.

Just when they thought it was safe to go back in the water, a different set of “jaws: come snapping at their asses. The ocean is the last place to expect a walker attack and it kicked the last section of the episode into high gear. Chris seemingly committing suicide worked too because it gave a sense of false safety, the silent montage as he prepared to jump helped sell that he had given up hope. Abandoning strangers is different than ignoring a new long-distance friend, but as evil as Strand comes off he isn’t wrong. Stranger danger is one of the biggest threats and they’re learning it quick. The biggest surprise is nice guy Travis jumping on board with that idea so fast. But if that wreck wasn’t justification enough for that logic, Alicia’s radio boyfriend suddenly coming to find them should do the trick.

Nick swims inside the wreck after thinking he hears someone calling for help but only finds a trapped walker. Meanwhile, an alarm sounds on Strand’s boat and he realizes another boat is coming their way. Realizing that whoever sunk the other boat is closing in on them they prepare for a potential fight. Nick almost died but he managed to grab the ship’s log (for some reason); you have to take those small victories where you can. Looks like some pirates (maybe led by Alicia’s radio boyfriend) are coming to start some trouble. Exciting as that sounds, the group needs to find land soon. Staying on the ocean too long will leave the narrative dead in the water.

Quotes & Thoughts

“You die on water, you die on land. You gotta die somewhere.”

Living on the high seas in a luxury yacht is a great way to ride out the end of the world, if you can avoid the pirates and water walkers.

“How do I contribute? Why am I here?” “You mean on this boat or existentially?” “I don’t know, either?”

I’m surprised they have barely any guns; next to food that’s essential to survival.

 If you enjoyed Manny’s review, you can find the rest of his work right HERE on Sci-Fi Bloggers. You can also follow him on Twitter @KN_Manny.

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