Fear the Walking Dead: The Wrong Side of Where You Are Now

First Aired June 3rd, 2018

As a firefight with the Vultures ensues, Naomi (played by Jenna Elfman) attempts to find medical supplies for John (played by Garrett Dillahunt). Luciana (played by Danay Gurira) spots Charlie (played by Alexa Nisenson) but is hesitant to kill her to avenge Nick (played by Frank Dillane) and Charlie escapes.

The Vultures start to flee and Mel (played by Kevin Zegers) drives off with the medical supplies. Alicia (played by Alycia Debnam-Carey) blows up his car and sets her sights on Naomi. Morgan (played by Lennie James) convinces Althea (played by Maggie Grace) to stop filming the action and help save John. Using the guns on her truck they save Naomi from Alicia, Morgan also convinces Charlie to come with them and Naomi tells them to head for the stadium. Althea questions what happened back at the stadium and Charlie says it was her fault.

In flashbacks Madison (played by Kim Dickens) oversees the planting of food in the stadium when they get a surprise visit from Charlie asking for help. Mel left the Vultures after a fight with his brother and crashed his bus; although wary of trusting Charlie again Madison decides to help. Back in the present, Strand (played by Colman Domingo) realizes Naomi is heading for the stadium but before they leave Alicia spots an injured Mel crawling from his car. She asks how long Naomi was with his group before coldly claiming it doesn’t matter and kills him.

The first fight with the Vultures and they run the second they realize Alicia and the others can fight back, their like the bully on the playground who loses bluster once someone stands up to him. Mel was presented as the new antagonist but he was more annoying to everyone than threatening. Althea had to be talked into putting her camera down to save John and before wanted to risk her life for her tapes, putting that ahead of her friends is going to blow back on her at some point.

This show may be violent but I never thought Luciana was going to shoot a little girl. Alicia on the other hand had no problem shooting anyone and everyone, and Morgan might be the next target. They never bonded and now that he’s helped Charlie and Naomi, Alicia won’t be eager to anytime soon. John didn’t have a lot to say in this episode but I have a feeling there’s a lot more story with him and Naomi. Madison keeps trying to be a ‘better person’ but she keeps making questionable decisions. Mel might not have directly hurt her people but he’s clearly bad news but for some reason she wants to help anyone and everyone.

In flashbacks, Mel demands to leave and says his brother Ennis (played by Evan Gamble) plans to take down the stadium. They realize Ennis is going to use the large groups of walkers they’ve collected and lead them to the stadium and work to fortify their walls. Mel tries to attack Naomi but she subdues him so he tries to convince her the stadium will eventually fall and to leave with him.

Naomi talks with Madison but she refuses to give up on the home she’d built for family. Madison decides to make Mel leave although the others are hesitant because he’s injured but she insists and doesn’t allow him to take Charlie. Nick tells Madison they should try to be better than that and when Charlie tries contacting Mel on a walkie and it’s clear he’s very hurt, Alicia and Nick go after him. They find Mel passed out in his car but also spot Ennis leading a convoy of trucks towards the stadium and warn the others. They get back to the stadium at the same time the convoy does and Ennis has the Vultures release a horde of walkers.

Turns out Ennis the lesser known brother was the real bad guy, but he was wasn’t a very developed character which lessens the impact. Madison wanting to keep the stadium going is understandable but she wants it so bad she’s blind to everything else around her. it’s even more baffling why she would chose to let Mel go; he could have been a bargaining chip to stop the attack they know is coming and at worst he finds Ennis and warns him they are expecting it.

Alicia and Nick decide to save him and wind up trapped outside with a horde of walkers. All of this bad decisions are just as much to blame for the stadium falling as the Vultures. It’s also hard to care one way or the other because none of the people who lived there were given any kind of character development. Since we barely know who any of them are it likely means a lot of them are going to die in the next episode.

The Vultures also light up a fire using a ring of gasoline and Nick and Alicia find their car overrun by walkers. Madison Strand, and Luciana go out to rescue them despite the objections of the others. In the present, Althea gets the truck to the stadium which is overrun with burnt walkers. Everything is in place for an explosive midseason finale but we already know the basics; the stadium falls and most if not all the new characters from there will die. The only thing left to be answered is what happened to Madison who’s been missing in the present all season so far. I still think Madison isn’t dead especially since Nick has already died but if she’s alive where the hell has she been?

Quotes/Thoughts

“You want to protect them you’re going to have to disappoint them.”

I wonder what Althea is going to call her documentary.

“You definitely don’t know who I am. Cause I am a chick with layers.”

If Madison is alive hopefully she learns from her mistakes at the stadium and apply them to the next community she winds up in.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Friday Fiction: The Opposite of a Werewolf Curse
• Halloween Fiction: Pumpkin Coins and Fae Rules
• Agatha All Along Episodic Coverage: Follow Me My Friend/To Glory at the End
• Book Review: I Found The Boogeyman Under My Brother’s Crib
• Friday Fiction: The Art Gallery (Part 3)