Title: Fear the Walking Dead “Captive”
Network: AMC
Air Date: May 8th, 2016
Genre: Serial Drama, Horror
Fear the Walking Dead returned this week with an all new episode that was good, but…I mean Christ on a cracker. You know, to this day I say that but I really have no idea what it means. A good friend of mine once used that in a sentence to describe the frustration and I have since then used it. Fear the Walking Dead produced a good episode this week with some minor frustrating moments. For instance, the whole business with Chris this week was just….Christ on a cracker. Not to mention Jack, who seems like a complete psychotic but is played off like viewers should care for him in some way. The show picks up again immediately after the events of last week and…I knew we’d see that woman again.
Captive wasn’t a bad episode but I did find myself scratching my head some. The woman we saw cut loose by Strand on the raft is back and she is also quite angry. To me, her anger is certainly misplaced, seemingly directed at Travis. Apparently the only reason Travis was taken by Connor was because of the Asian woman that Strand cut loose with the dying kid. She is holding Travis…of all people responsible because he suggested they stay in the raft. Really? Let’s not hold the guy accountable who cut the rope and left you adrift but the one guy who tried to give you some sort of fighting chance at least being towed in the raft. Perhaps in a state of utter rage and anger I could potentially see where she is going with that logic but ultimately I think it’s beyond me. I didn’t feel one bit of emotional investment in that character’s speech to Travis about being left behind.
When it comes to Chris, “Christ on a cracker” is a term I want to blow up like a teenager’s phone. When I saw Chris taking out the infected on a fence line a few episodes back, I thought right then and there we were seeing him transition into a bona fide zombie…errrr infected killer. Then despite his gruesome scene on the plane with the injured survivor he puts the group at risk because he wandered off and now he kills Reed in this episode even though the group is supposed to trade Reed for Travis and Alicia. Chris says he killed him because he was going to turn but clearly Reed just got under Chris’s skin – at least it seemed that way in the episode. Not to mention there was that “angry” face he was making when Reed was trying to get under his skin. He didn’t come off as angry to me but he rather invoked a part of me that wished I could come through the screen and smack that look off his face. Daniel, however, calmed my rage.
Daniel on Fear the Walking Dead is that character for me that can do no wrong…well almost do no wrong. I will admit I was not happy with him in the episode “Ouroboros” but for me, the character was redeemed here. With Reed, he was so calm and he didn’t let a single word that was spewed get to him. Instead, he let Reed know that men who inspire fear rarely have to tell you how frightening they are. Daniel has been through it and the viewers know that, so for this punk kid to talk about how bad ass he is and how much Daniel needs to worry it’s pretty solid to see Daniel just brush that off as something he’s dealt with many times before. On top of all this, Daniel knows how to use Reed, once he’s already turned, into tricking Connor and getting Travis and Alicia back.
I honestly expected Connor to be the major villain in season two of Fear the Walking Dead and it appears he may not be at all. A good villain really drives a show and I thought Connor was going to be that villain and he may still be. Although at the conclusion of Captive we see Connor bitten by his turned brother Reed. If the Walking Dead has shown us anything it’s that you will not last long once bitten. Therefore, it could easily be believed that Connor is essentially out of the picture following this episode or maybe a small appearance in the next episode. I can’t say for sure either way but that train definitely seems to be on its way out of the station.
Madison took charge of the rescue mission involving her daughter and husband but her stubbornness equally frustrates. She is still treating the children like their children, including Nick. Daniel pretty much says this verbatim as well. Nick has saved the group numerous times already, going to great lengths to do so. An individual who can kill one of the infected and then cover themselves in infected guts…is no kid. Nick knows how to mask himself and it just seems like Madison is getting in his way of being useful.
Despite Chris making a bad decision and killing their captive, Daniel saved the day with the idea of basically weaponizing the now turned Reed. The whole scene brought a grin to my face because it didn’t even occur to me in that moment of such a plan being a viable option. Initially, it looked as if Chris had shot Reed in the head; however, it ended up being a shot in the face below the brain. Once the infected Reed was bound and a bag placed over his head, Connor would most likely just believe it was his brother. The group all came together well here and everyone took measures they needed to take. This could be a big turning point for the group as a whole moving forward.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-ia6OBgKi4[/embedyt]
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What did you think of this week’s episode of Fear the Walking Dead? How do you feel about Chris as a character up until this point? Be sure to let us know in the comments below and check back this Sunday for our review of the next episode “Sicut Cervus.”
- Characters: Daniel was great in this episode but Jack and Chris left me scratching my head
- Cinematography: We visit land, here again, this time, a small fishing port
- Story: The group tries to rescue their own and finally take desperate measure
- Acting: Chris reverted back to just being a frustrating character here but Daniel helped pull the episode together
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