Fear the Walking Dead: TEOTWAWKI

First Aired June 11th, 2017

The episode opens with a video of Jerimiah Otto (played by Dayton Callie) advertising survival classes for the ‘end of the world’ due to an influx of immigrants. At the ranch, Madison (played by Kim Dickens) introduces her family during a funeral after a mourner blamed them for the woman’s death due to their lack of survival skills.

People continue to be wary of who shot down their helicopter the night before and Madison finds herself treated with contempt by most people. Troy Otto (played Daniel Sharman) confronts Madison in her room and hints that he wants Nick (played by Frank Dillane) gone but she stands up to him. Nick tries unsuccessfully to convince Madison they should leave, citing his distrust of the people and the likelihood they may force Luciana (played by Danay Garcia) to leave. But Madison is determined to cultivate a life at the ranch, even blaming Travis’s (played by Cliff Curtis) death on him because they went looking for him.

Madison goes to Jerimiah and tells him about Troy’s sadistic experiments at the fuel depot and demands he be kept away from her family. Alicia (played by Alycia Debnam-Carey) attempts to bond with local residents by attending a bible study, where the kids drink, do drugs and keep a walker head as a ‘pet’.

Not fitting in with your neighbors is bad enough on a regular day, but in a post-apocalyptic world, it’s dangerous. On the surface Madison isn’t wrong about wanting to make a home there; being part of a group is the only way to guarantee your survival. But the way Madison talks about their plans sounds more about revenge against Troy and for Travis’s death. She’s trying to hold it together but is slowly falling apart and that’s not the best frame of mind to be making decisions. Jerimiah might be a benevolent leader but he allows someone like Troy to murder people and Troy clearly has a grudge against Madison. While I don’t find Madison’s decision completely plausible these new characters have been a great addition to the show so far, you want to learn more about them and eventually see Troy meet a just and brutal end. Alicia has made headway with a few people, they may not be the best crowd but they at least don’t have homicidal tendencies.

Jake Otto (played by Sam Underwood) tells Jake to stay away from Madison and her family, stating that other people would turn on him if they found out about his sadistic ways. Alicia learns from the other kids that most people aren’t fond of Troy but tolerate him because he and other soldiers can offer protection. After being forced out of the hotel, Strand (played by Colman Domingo) searches out an old acquaintance named Dante (played by Jason Manuel Olazabal) who barters with survivors for access to his water source. Strand offers to work with Dante to help him run his operation, however, Dante almost has Strand killed over mistrust from before the outbreak but instead has him imprisoned.

That night while out on a boar hunt across the grounds Troy convinces Nick to come with him. Madison and Jerimiah open up to each other about how they each tolerate dangerous qualities in their kids, Nick’s addiction, and Troy’s violent streak. However, he believes that it prepared Troy for the dangers of the new world and hopes that Madison and her family are up for the challenge.

In the beginning of the outbreak trading expensive jewelry might have worked but now Strand has learned the hard way he has more to learn about adapting to survive this new world. Being separated from the other main characters has so far proven to be beneficial for his character and the plot. It allows the action to take place outside the ranch which keeps the action from feeling boring and provides more insight into Strand’s character.

Troy likes to think he has a lot of power but people like/respect his brother and father much more. Once he realizes that he will become more dangerous perhaps even making a power play, and that’s the kind of action that will make this season fun to watch. On the flip side, as nice as Jerimiah appears to be, his video and the fact that Luciana is the only person of color at the ranch raises red flags. It looks like Jerimiah’s “new nation” is one someone like Hitler might be proud of.

Nick attacks and nearly kills Troy on the hunt but can’t bring himself to do it. Ironically the altercation seems to endear him in Troy’s eyes. The next day Jerimiah announces that a group sent out a few days before has not returned and organizes a second to find them and Madison is among the volunteers.

While in his cell Strand is given water and his savior turns out to be Daniel Salazar (played by Ruben Blades). For people who were social outcasts at the start of the episode, the Clarks have made a lot of headway. People clearly respect Madison’s decision to risk her life and although Troy likes Nick for attacking him, that’s as clear a sign as any Nick should keep his distance. Daniel was one of the more complex characters on the show and throwing him back into the story should shake things up in a good way.

Quotes/Thoughts

“He was a good man, a much better person than I am.”

Alcohol and drugs aren’t the worst way to pass the time during the end of the world, not like there’s still Netflix available.

“Killing people is not complicated, it’s easy.”

Now that Daniel is back, maybe we’ll find out what happened to Ofelia (played by Mercedes Mason).

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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