Past Lives.
Warning: Full spoilers for Fear the Walking Dead's double-episode midseason finale below.
Fear the Walking Dead admirably closed out the first half of its third season with a two-part conclusion to Walker's deadly conflict with the Ottos. Not only did this part of the story bring Ofelia back into the mix in an important way, but it also explored the nature of what it's like to inadvertently find yourself, basically, on the wrong side of blood feud in the midst of a zompocalypse.
Because that's what Madison's had to contend with. Not only has she had to shoulder the burden of Troy and his wicked ways, but she also now discovered that the entire Broke Jaw Ranch situation was about to crumble because of its founders' past sins against the local Native American tribe.
All the while though, she doesn't care about sides. She just wants the ranch's resources and barriers and has found herself pitted against people who have a legitimate gripe with the owners. And through all this, while getting chastised by her kids for being heartless and cold, she opened up about her own tragic past, giving her character some excellent context.
It was great to hear Madison talk about her childhood because it instantly gave her more credibility as someone who was primed and ready to make "tough choices" in the face of a world-ending disaster. Because she took it upon herself to kill her own abusive father when she was young, she came into this zombie outbreak primed and ready to swing at anything that threatened her loved ones. And it was this revelation that led toward Nick pulling the trigger on Jeremiah, putting the old man down with a shot from the old antique pistol that the elder Otto admired. Great moment.
This was a nicely paced and put together conclusion for this part of the story, with nary a zombie in site save for the ones that popped up in the ranch itself after Ofelia unintentionally killed a bunch of the gunmen with a "spoiler"-style poisoning tactic that used to be utilized when the Native Americans were being killed off hundreds of years ago. Except instead of blankets laced with smallpox, it was anthrax in the coffee.
This was a gripping and revealing human-against-human story that didn't feel the need to needlessly insert zombie maulings into the mix. Aside from Strand spear-gunning some walkers on the Abigail, this one was light in the undead, instead knowing that this arid, sparsely-populated part of America wouldn't have too many ghouls lurking about. There are no swarms or herds out in the desert so it's only natural that the show showcase human conflict over the horror elements.
No bones abut it though, that's tricky to do on a Walking Dead show because it expressly relies on the characters and characters alone to drive the story. So you need to have a firm grip on them and their motivations. Fortunately, this season's worked hard to get the Clarks in order so that they can be at a point where disagreements don't feel arbitrary or fickle. Arguments make sense and no one's out to totally put everyone else in danger. Even Ofelia's choice to steal the truck and abandon everyone back at the hotel last season was a huge issue here.
Speaking of Ofelia - we found her!
Odds were good that she'd be among Walker's crew and the flashback to her and Jeremiah, as brief as it as, revealed the old man's true nature - the racism that flowed like an undercurrent through a lot of the early Season 3 episodes, and then seemed to poke its turtle head out back in "Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame" when you wondered if Luciana wasn't actually welcome in the camp. Here, helping make Otto's death go down smoother, was the past viciousness of the "founding four" and the brutally bigoted nature of the ranch's true origins. Having it all end with Madison demanding that Jeremiah kill himself was pretty awesome. Even though the man, as a drinker, was never going to be selfless enough to take his own life in the name of others.
But yeah - Ofelia and Madison were on opposite sides here, and there were a lot of little complex things running down through this beef. Firstly, Madison had a legit gripe with Ofelia. But then Ofelia, and Walker's tribe, had a valid complaint against Jeremiah, who Madison was lined up with. Peace was attempted, but destined to fail. I think the only dumb choice made this week (if you can call it that) was when Alicia decided to stay as the hostage. Not that her sacrifice isn't noted, but she had to know her mom wouldn't stand for that s***.
So, with this half-season arc ending - did Madison get revenge on the people responsible for killing Travis? No. Nor did Troy get "what was coming" to him either. She had to accept an uneasy alliance instead, as a way to keep the land and weapons. She's all about doing what has to be done in order to survive, even if it means not lashing out at the guy who shot down the helicopter. She'll have to take decapitating a corpse and then delivering Jeremiah's head in a sack as a bloody bronze medal. Perhaps with that cleansing kill she'll be able to start to heal.
Strand's part of this finale was fun, though not exactly fully formed. The theme of this half-season was that he could no longer escape into his old life, or fall into his old ways, and that got hammered home a bit too heavily with his return to the yacht. Though I did like his small chat with the fading Cosmonaut - the starman who could go literary quote for quote with him while also confirming that - yes - the entire Earth was pretty much blacked out and kaput. I would have liked to see a bit more of Daniel before we left for this break, but I also understand the need for focus.
The Verdict
Fear the Walking Dead took us out of this half season with a tense and suspenseful one-two punch that brought back Ofelia while also resolving the calamitous conflict over the ranch in a meaningful manner.
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