Last week, We gave you the Teacher TV review of the first 3 episodes, and I think this companion series is on the upswing. What I like most about it isn't so much the characters, the zombies, or even the change in location. I like the show really digging in and making a guess about what the world would look like at a stage of the zombie apocalypse we usually don't get to see.
The first season of The Walking Dead basically does a quick before and after with some character set up then BOOM Rick is waking up in an abandoned hospital. Both series agree that when things start to fall apart they fall apart fast. Fear The Walking Dead shows that a little more than The Walking Dead, but it also digs into the "why" of it all.
Why does it fall apart so fast? Confusion mixed with distrust of the government mixed with an unprepared government response team. This is followed by overreaction and over correction by those in power which is where episode 4 picks up.
Our favorite dysfunctional teacher couple is all back together and the town is fenced in. Nobody in or out. The shady and sometimes extreme military is in charge and has essentially set up Papa Teacher as the puppet king for the newly created zombie free colony. He does his best to keep peace and make sure everyone is mentally and physically healthy, but is still being bullied by the military folk. He's a weak leader. What do the others end up doing? Taking matters into their own hands to get what they need.
Our survivors are starting to get desperate which is why this is so much fun to watch. Most zombie shows/movies start when everyone is already in survival mode. This show is more about the transition to desperation. The characters have their own need and the show is helping us see how that desperation makes them act differently than they otherwise would.
Mama teacher? She needs info. She sneaks out and sees the truth of what's going on.
Angsty daughter? She misses her boyfriend and needs to feel connected to him even though she knows he's dead. She decides to give herself a homemade tattoo that is almost certainly going to get gross and infected causing her to die and become a zombie.
Addict son? He needs a fix. He decides to sneak into a sick neighbor's house and steal his morphine.
Other annoying camera son? He wants to rebel. Period. I don't really understand this character so maybe that's why I find him so annoying. The show hasn't spent enough time developing him. Maybe he's mad his mom and dad aren't together anymore, but either way, he's just trying to "expose the truth." Yes, I still think papa teacher cheated the ex wife. This might have something to do with the son's issues.
Ofelia? She needs medicine for her hurt/sick mother. She uses her body to try and get medicine from the military by seducing one of the soldiers.
There's plenty of other characters to talk about which is what is starting to make this story interesting. There are plenty of characters getting meat on the skeletons the last 3 episodes have set up. Ex wife being a fake doctor and then being called up to the big leagues is also pretty intriguing. This show is moving in the right direction and I'm excited to be along for the ride.