“The only way to survive a mad world is to embrace the
madness”
What a fantastic way to finish up the first season of Fear
the Walking Dead. This week the episode got off to a fast start and didn’t let
up until the very end. The episode wasn’t perfect, and if I had to pick I probably
prefer last weeks as the best of the season. It was still great and for those
who have enjoyed the season to this point the finale did not disappoint.
We start with the family packing up and going to get Nick
and Liza. Travis decides to let, Andrew, the solider go, which will become a
major point later in the episode. Daniel of course wants to kill him, but
Andrew gives Travis the information he needs to find Nick and Liza at the
military facility. We flash to the facility with the doctor and Liza as they
are prepping the patients to be evacuated. Liza negotiates for the military to
rescue Chris and Travis, but no one else. Liza wanted to save the others, but those are
the two who mean the most and if she is forced to choose I understood her decision.
We jump back to our group who is coming to the rescue, and I
have one small nitpick at this point. Did they really leave the gate open for
any walkers to get inside the fence to the neighborhood?? Sure the military has
bailed, but at least close the fence back for the people inside. Maybe it
automatically closes, or at least I hope it does. Would it have been that big
of a deal for them to show it starting to close back? My only other real grip
and nitpick with tonight’s episode is Daniel releasing the walkers from the
stadium and casually strolling up to the gates of the facility. How did he get
away from that horde? He just casually stayed ahead of them and led them with a
flashlight? I would have liked to have seen the release and Daniel’s trek to
the gates. Maybe they shot it and it got cut out, because it seemed to be a big
gap in the story telling.
The rest of the episode I loved. From the walker’s attack on
the base, to the groups breaking in and then escaping the facility. One of the
best scenes of the night is when the walker’s enter the compound and a solider
gets bit. He then promptly goes and walks into a helicopters propeller. It was
a gruesome death and was fantastic. Liza witnessed it all and decided she had to
go back and rescue Nick from the same fate. Nick has already made his escape
with the amazing Strand.
What and interesting character Strand has turned out to be
in just two short episodes. He just seems to know how to survive, yet he
obviously isn’t that handy with a gun. He is cool, calm, and collected
throughout the entire episode. Even in the face of the zombies and not being
able to kill them he didn’t seem to panic. His quote of the night, about
surviving the world was perfect for the episode and for the series. He should
be a resourceful individual to have around, and I wonder if they are going to
end up on his boat at the beginning of next season. The rest of the party shows
up at the nick of time (see what I did there?) to save Strand and Nick.
The zombie fight scene was well done during the escape and I
liked many of the kills. Everyone got in on the act and pulled together to survive
the ordeal. This was an important aspect to tonight’s episode. Every other week
the group has been pulling apart and not trusting each other. This week, and
during this scene in particular, the group pulls together to survive which will
be an overriding theme for the coming seasons. After they escape the zombies
they are able to find their way out of the facility with the directions from
the doctor in the medical ward.
It was an interesting scene with the doctor, and very reminiscent
of the CDC scene from the first season of The Walking Dead. She has already given up hope, and it has barely
been a month into the apocalypse. She could go with them, but decides to kill
herself and accept fate. Our main group makes their way back to the cars where
Alicia and Chris are waiting. This is the only other part of the episode which
didn’t really fit. While Alicia and Chris are waiting for the others, a group
of soldiers breaks into their car, and promptly beats up Chris and steal the
vehicle. I’m guessing this scene is going to come back in play next season. There
is a sense the soldiers may have tried to rape Alicia after Chris was knocked
out, but nothing is mentioned about the event once the two groups reunite. I
think the military is going to still play a major role in the show moving
forward.
Travis of course wonders what happened to Chris and want to
make sure he is ok. However Andrew suddenly shows up and points a gun at
Daniel. He then decides to shoot Ophelia, knowing this will cause Daniel the
most pain. Travis finally reached his tipping point and pounds Andrew into a
bloody pulp. For those who haven’t liked Travis’s character, hopefully this appeases them. He is a pacifist and the entire
world has shifted, it just has taken him more time to adjust. He did tonight in
a big way, and his growth as a character over the first six episodes has been
great. Cliff Curtis has played the character brilliantly, and his performance
as Travis is by far my favorite of the show. I get why people haven’t liked him, but for me
the overall arc of his story was perfect. We saw a bit of him standing up to
the military last week, and this week he let loose when Andrew came back. He’s going to be a protector and a leader,
maybe not as much as Madison, but still a strong presence in the group.
We end the episode with the first major death of the series.
Liza was scratched by a walker at the facility. She asks Travis to kill her, so
she doesn’t come back as a zombie. I was surprised Travis was able to do this,
and it will have major repercussions next season. It will be interesting to see
how Chris reacts when he learns Travis pulled the trigger. You thought the
family dynamic was strained before? Wait until next season.
The Good man is an apt title for the season finale. Travis
finally cracked and reacted with violence to a situation. Next season the group
will face issues about where to go and how to survive in the new world. It was a
fantastic well-paced six episodes to introduce us to the characters and watch them
react as the world crumbles around them. Watch the first season as you would
two three hour movies. Each build to a
climax and then resets. I for one am glad we have this companion series to go
along with main show and will eagerly await the start of the next season.
My Rating: Fantastic
What did you think of tonight’s episode? Which episode was
your favorite of the first six? Am I crazy for liking Travis’s character more
than any other in show? Comment and let me know. Share subscribe and all that
fun jazz.
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