The season finally of the 6 episode run of Fear The Walking Dead was enjoyable from beginning to end. Was the episode the best of the season? I think so. Is it because it followed the trajectory of a traditional post-fall zombie apocalypse movie/tv show? Maybe, but I think they trimmed the fat and set it up well for a full season. They got rid of some characters that weren't 100% necessary or interesting and left some loose ends that may come back in future seasons.
***spoilers ahead***
There are a lot of similarities between this and The Walking Dead's last few episodes. Having started before the collapse, the show had a lot of time to build up to this collapse and just didn't they essentially gave a 3 episode prologue to the zombie apocalypse which I personally would have been fine extending. Things fell too fast. Episode 6 of FTWD more or less starts at episode 2 or 3 of The Walking Dead Season 1. I know it's not a direct comparison and maybe you could so that Rick woke up in the same type of hospital situation that they just escaped from. Either way, I don't think a half season was enough to tell the story of the fall and everything happened too fast. Then you get the direct parallels of jaded and defeated government doctor, beaten and abandoned guy (like Merle on the rooftop), and hidden torso bites.
Ok, so I know I'm supposed to care about the ex-wife and biological son of Papa Teacher (Travis) but I really don't. I'm glad that his ex-wife took a zombie bite to the torso and is no longer on the show. At first, I thought it was corny having Mama Teacher do it and hiding her bite. Then I changed my tune when they had Papa Teacher kill his ex. Travis has descended into apocalypse mode rather quickly. He got to see his kindness come back to bite him when the flayed soldier shows back up and shoots Ofelia, he's encountered tons of the infected and is starting to understand that they have to be killed, not saved, and now he's actually had to kill someone that he cares about. The potential for this to change, and make more frustrating/interesting, the annoying Carl character is strong here. His son is probably the worst character still alive, but maybe the death of his mother will make him more exciting to watch.
How about Mr. Salazar basically dooming the city just to try and save his sick wife? Heart warming, but so insane. He's willing to flay people, release potentially tens of thousands of zombies, and put everyone's lives in danger just to save a wife he knows was doomed to die by her injury? He called everyone weak for not doing what needed to be done, specifically killing the infected. I think this episode showed him to be weak for being unable to kill his own emotions and realizing that his wife was gone. He needed to let her go and get on with their life for the sake of his daughter. He didn't, and I think he's character is going to become more extreme and a huge liability just like Travis' son.
Slick rich guy? Cool compound. Not much else to say here. Cool compound with it's own generator. It won't last, but while they are there/on his boat, I'm sure it will be an enjoyable experience.
My concern is that eventually, like everyone in the zombie apocalypse, they are going to have to get on the road. I think these characters work as sedentary people surviving, but I don't think they will work as a road crew. I'm afraid they'll be either too boring or to crazy to be realistic as a group that could survive in the wild. I hope the new season comes soon and is offset seasonally with the original. Here's to hoping.
Episode grades
Episode 1: B-
Episode 2: B
Episode 3: B+
Episode 4: B
Episode 5: B+
Episode 6: A
Related Articles:
Episode 5 Review
Episode 4 Review
Episode 1-3 Review
***spoilers ahead***
There are a lot of similarities between this and The Walking Dead's last few episodes. Having started before the collapse, the show had a lot of time to build up to this collapse and just didn't they essentially gave a 3 episode prologue to the zombie apocalypse which I personally would have been fine extending. Things fell too fast. Episode 6 of FTWD more or less starts at episode 2 or 3 of The Walking Dead Season 1. I know it's not a direct comparison and maybe you could so that Rick woke up in the same type of hospital situation that they just escaped from. Either way, I don't think a half season was enough to tell the story of the fall and everything happened too fast. Then you get the direct parallels of jaded and defeated government doctor, beaten and abandoned guy (like Merle on the rooftop), and hidden torso bites.
Ok, so I know I'm supposed to care about the ex-wife and biological son of Papa Teacher (Travis) but I really don't. I'm glad that his ex-wife took a zombie bite to the torso and is no longer on the show. At first, I thought it was corny having Mama Teacher do it and hiding her bite. Then I changed my tune when they had Papa Teacher kill his ex. Travis has descended into apocalypse mode rather quickly. He got to see his kindness come back to bite him when the flayed soldier shows back up and shoots Ofelia, he's encountered tons of the infected and is starting to understand that they have to be killed, not saved, and now he's actually had to kill someone that he cares about. The potential for this to change, and make more frustrating/interesting, the annoying Carl character is strong here. His son is probably the worst character still alive, but maybe the death of his mother will make him more exciting to watch.
How about Mr. Salazar basically dooming the city just to try and save his sick wife? Heart warming, but so insane. He's willing to flay people, release potentially tens of thousands of zombies, and put everyone's lives in danger just to save a wife he knows was doomed to die by her injury? He called everyone weak for not doing what needed to be done, specifically killing the infected. I think this episode showed him to be weak for being unable to kill his own emotions and realizing that his wife was gone. He needed to let her go and get on with their life for the sake of his daughter. He didn't, and I think he's character is going to become more extreme and a huge liability just like Travis' son.
Slick rich guy? Cool compound. Not much else to say here. Cool compound with it's own generator. It won't last, but while they are there/on his boat, I'm sure it will be an enjoyable experience.
My concern is that eventually, like everyone in the zombie apocalypse, they are going to have to get on the road. I think these characters work as sedentary people surviving, but I don't think they will work as a road crew. I'm afraid they'll be either too boring or to crazy to be realistic as a group that could survive in the wild. I hope the new season comes soon and is offset seasonally with the original. Here's to hoping.
Episode grades
Episode 1: B-
Episode 2: B
Episode 3: B+
Episode 4: B
Episode 5: B+
Episode 6: A
Related Articles:
Episode 5 Review
Episode 4 Review
Episode 1-3 Review
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