TV Review: Fear The Walking Dead (Season 1, Episode 2)

Last Updated on July 22, 2021

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EPISODE 2: So Close, Yet So Far

THE HOOK: As Los Angeles grows more perilous, Travis grabs his ex-wife and goes on the hunt for his son, while Madison heads to the school in hopes of aiding Nick’s withdrawal.

The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS, so I don’t recommend reading this if you haven’t watched this episode

THE LOWDOWN: So at this point, many of you have expressed your hatred for this show, and to be fair, it wasn’t the greatest premiere, but it set the stage for what I think will be a good time once it finds its footing. Tonight is a fine example of just that. The tension rises, the stakes are raised and the fact that something is amiss becomes pretty damn evident. As far as the structure (bones/foundation) of this show is concerned, I’m satisfied. I feel the creative team learned a lot from THE WALKING DEAD, and have more than a few surprises tucked away. Yes, we have to “get to know these people”, so calm the hell down folks, it takes time to build rapport, but the greatest ace up this show’s sleeve is the fact that it’s a clean slate. Love it or hate it, THE WALKING DEAD has a set path to follow because of the comics. A change here or there, sure, but its trajectory is plotted. Needless to say, I think coolness is on the horizon, but let’s get into tonight’s venture.

First we have Nick, whose really dragging ass. Harsh? Well, though I like the character concept, I don’t have much sympathy for his withdrawal. Jesus, Rick has an easier time with Judith and she’s a damn baby! But don’t worry brah, Supermom is off to score you some drugs. This whole school adventure felt a little stretched to me, but for the sake of argument I’ll go with it. She gets there to score drugs. Cool. No zombies. Great! Jimmy’s a locker and finds the stash. Bonus! Now here’s where it gets a little outrageous. What in the name of Hades is Tobias doing there!? He’s the one dude who “got it”, yet, here he is wandering the school alone worried about his toothpick of a knife…and stealing as much food as he can get. Coincidence? Okay, I’ll keep rolling. Then poor Art comes along with a bigass chomp taken out of his back. Dude’s obviously f*cked up, but hey, let’s approach him all half-assed anyway. The scuffle which ensues is almost laughable. For all the whining Tobias does about his knife, all he does is cry like a baby when Art attacks him. By some miracle they both survive, but I was shaking my head at the sheer ridiculousness of it all.

I feel for the Alicia and Matt scenario. It’s rough. She had to go to his house to know for sure what happened to him, and yes, she’s totally unprepared/oblivious/a deer in headlights, but I get it. Once her parents arrive it gets interesting. Up until this point, everyone’s been rather numb to any telltale signs of…well, anything. But suddenly (out of nowhere), when Travis sees the wound on Matt’s chest he’s like “Is that a bite? Is this how this thing’s spreading?” Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for situational awareness, but it felt a little odd that all of a sudden, he gets it. Also, Matt knows he’s f*cked. He knows the how and the why, yet, he says nothing about it. He agrees with Alicia’s parents that it’s best if she goes with them, and tells her flat out to leave, but that’s it. Again, perfect opportunity to say something to the effect of, “some crazy looking dead mofo attacked and bit my ass, now I feel sick as shit.” Nope. Just that classic manly-man “I’ll be okay baby, don’t worry about me.”

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 1’s second episode acknowledges there’s a problem, albeit a little slower than I’d like, but at least people are becoming aware. That said, there’s always annoying characters like Travis’ son, Chris, who has to join the protest of cop haters downtown rather than answer his phone—yeah, I won’t weep if he becomes a walker buffet. I didn’t think they’d split the team up so early though, with Travis, his son and ex, all shacked up with Rubin Blades (great actor) and his family downtown. My biggest beef tonight was with Madison. She’s being built up as a tough-as-nails, outspoken, don’t mess around, mom type—the stuff with Tobias, fighting for her son, and no fear of the crack church all pushing toward a badass hero chick, am I right? So please explain to me why she makes no attempt to warn/help her neighbors across the street. Throughout the episode (keep in mind they’ve seen a walker at this point), she has at least three opportunities to warn her seemingly oblivious neighbors who are setting up an outdoor birthday party for their kid. WTF!? You can tell by way of the setup that the kid’s party isn’t going to end well…but here’s the rub, it could have. Easily. Don’t want to walk across the street, yell or call them over? Fine. Pick up the damn phone! Tell them to deflate the damn bouncy castle and get the hell inside! Nope. They just watch, until, well, you know how that party ends. So, yeah, loving the show, but finding it a little hard to root for some of the “good guys” at the moment.

PARRALLEL CONNECTIONS: Still a little early on this front, but dammit, it will happen I’m sure!

BLOOD AND GORE: There’s a lot of nasty bites going around, some scuffles, a nasty fall at the school, a birthday party you’re glad you missed, and things aren’t going well for the cops downtown. Still a little light by WALKING DEAD standards, but we’re getting there.

COOLEST SCENE: There were a lot of small nuances tonight, quick show stopping scenes where the characters are noticing things that seem out of place, while we understand completely. The best one was when Travis sees the cop filling his trunk full of water. Travis is one person who seems to be coming around fast. I’m rooting for him, hoping his this series’ Rick Grimes.

FINAL VERDICT:

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