SPOILERS FOR SEASON 2, EPISODE 1 FOLLOW!
By: Tyler Miller
When Fear The Walking Dead aired last summer, people were excited for it at first. The prospect of watching the downfall of civilization in a totally new environment intrigued many viewers. Unfortunately, many viewers also ended up feeling disappointed by the show due to lack of connection to the characters, character decisions, and a slower pace than sister series The Walking Dead. If you were one of those people that ended up disappointed with season one, the season two premiere might not be enough to change your mind.
Before I really get into the recap, I would like to say that I liked season one of FTWD. Even with it skipping over the fall of civilization halfway through the season and slowing down, I still enjoyed the series for what it was: a look at how people on the other side of the country reacted to the start of the zombie apocalypse. I was on board with characters making poor decisions and the slower pace from the first episode. These people aren’t hardened survivors like Rick and his motley gang of road warriors. They’re just the average, ordinary person that’s had their world turned upside down, so everything they do makes sense in that context. Yeah it may be a bit frustrating, but I can see where they’re coming from.
With all that being said, so far season two is freeing itself from the constraints of being on land and opening itself up to a whole new experience out at sea. Unfortunately for some viewers, that means we’ll have more of the slow pace that was prevalent in season one. The episode certainly doesn’t start off that way though.
It kicks off shortly after the events of the season finale, and everyone is getting ready to go to Strand’s yacht “Abigail.” Strand is already out there getting the boat ready to go with Nick, Ofelia, Alicia, and Daniel. On the beach is Travis, Madison, Chris, and Liza’s dead body as they wait for Nick to come back and get them to the yacht. Explosions are going off nearby and in the distance, which is only bringing walkers to their location. Madison and Travis fight them off until Nick arrives, and they all get on the boat and head to the yacht. It’s just in time too as the military is sending jets in to firebomb the city. Goodbye L.A., hello Pacific Ocean.
The following day everyone is settling in on the yacht, but not getting any sleep that they definitely need. They end up coming across a raft that has some people on it and Madison wants to help them, but Strand refuses to stop the boat because it’s too risky. He’s only planning on getting to San Diego because the military there may be able to help them. Travis agrees with him and of course this only further pisses Madison off, but they’re both right in this situation and Travis tells her this. They have to worry about their family first and make sure that they’re safe. Bringing other people on board when they don’t have enough supplies for it is only asking for trouble.
As for the rest of the people on board, Chris is sitting with his mom and grieving for her until he decides to go and fish with Daniel on the back of the yacht (where they catch a nice eel too). At the same time, Nick and Ofelia cross paths and her gives her some medical advice for her gunshot wound she got in the season finale from her crazy army ex-boyfriend.
While all this is going on, Alicia is using the radio they have to try and find people that could possibly help them. Instead she finds someone named Jack that seems like a nice guy her age. The two of them get to chatting and they both reveal different things about themselves and their respective situations, causing Alicia to trust him to a certain extent. This leads to him asking her to help his group get to Hawaii, a place that he sees as a paradise of sorts.
Things get put on hold though for Liza’s funeral. Everyone is there for it (minus Strand) as Travis gives her eulogy, and it’s pretty emotional. Yeah we didn’t get much of a connection with Liza last season, but it still hit me a little bit because you could tell that Travis definitely still had feelings for her and wishes that things had been different in terms of what happened to her. Chris comes over to the body and looks at her for a moment before angrily dumping her body in the ocean and storming off. Travis goes after him and they have an argument that ends with Chris punching him right in the face.
Alicia goes back to the radio and Jack tells her that his boat is sinking and he needs her help. She goes to Travis about it and suggests that they help when Strand overhears, shoots the idea down, and then establishes the rules of the boat. It’s his goddamn boat, plain and simple. The moment is tense, but afterwards they all have a nice meal together with the eel Daniel caught being the main course. Of course the good times can never last as Chris jumps into the ocean. Nick goes after him to bring him back, but then leaves him alone after Chris says he just wanted to go for a swim.
Nick then starts to enjoy himself in the water when he sees a walker appear above him floating on the surface. He gets away from it only to see that there are a bunch of walkers in the water near them. Both Chris and Nick start to head back to the boat when Nick hears something coming from a nearby boat that’s been capsized. He goes to investigate it and Travis goes after him. Meanwhile Alicia goes back on the radio and tells Jack that they can’t help him, but he tells her that it’s fine because he’ll be seeing them soon, implying that he’s the one that caused the boat to be capsized.
Nick gets to the other boat and finds a yacht log. And it comes with a free walker too! He gets away from it though and starts to return back to the yacht with Travis. They get back just in time too because Strand spots a boat coming in their direction on the radar, and it’s coming fast. Time to go and get the hell out of there, before they end up like the other boat and its passengers.
Other thoughts:
- It’s totally understandable why Chris is pissed with Travis. They never really had all that great of a relationship, as had been established in season one. So Travis killing Liza, the one person Chris loved the most is definitely going to make him hate his father more than ever before. With that being said, I hope he doesn’t end up being like this all season long, or even for a majority of the season because he’ll get really annoying real fast.
- Strand is definitely the most prepared and capable for the apocalypse, but his motives are suspicious. He definitely seems like he has a hidden agenda that he’s not sharing with the group. What this agenda is is anyone’s guess.
- I wonder if Jack’s group will be the main antagonists for the season, or at least the first couple of episodes. He knows what the group has and their situation, so he could certainly fill out the antagonist role, assuming the show wants to give the characters a season long antagonist.
- In addition, I wonder when we’re going to get our character from Flight 462 to join the cast. In the promo for the season, the group comes across a plane crash which I’m assuming is the same one as in the miniseries. Maybe in a few episodes they’ll get to that point.
The first episode of this season was definitely a slow one, with the purpose of setting up the premise for the season and getting us caught up with where these characters after the events of the season finale. That’s not to say that I don’t want the show to get more exciting and faster paced, because I would like it if it did, but I’m fine with the slow pace. The ship has set sail for the season and I’m going along for the ride. It should be a fun one.
TheComfySpot 