Fear the Walking Dead ushers in its third season with an intense two hours of action and drama.
ThisFear the Walking Deadreview contains spoilers.
But were also presented with an unexpected character death and the equally unexpected dilemma of ethnic cleansing.
And this is all in the course of two hours inFTWDsnew season.
One can only imagine (and hope) the rest of season three maintains this level of intensity.
But I want to save this for the end.
It would also be easy to discuss the new characters thrown our waynamely the Otto family.
And well get to them in due time.
But I want to talk first about Madison, who is quickly becomingFearsRick Grimes.
So, Madison it is.
Daily survival is hard fought and hard won, one moral compromise at a time.
And we know she hasnt been the most attentive parent on either side of the apocalypse.
If this isnt a page straight from the Grimes playbook, I dont know what is.
While some may see Madisons course correction as derivative, this doesnt bother me.
Its about time Madison came to her senses, as her carelessness has continually put her group at risk.
(Seriously, why turn on the hotels lights?Why?)
PlusTWDhas female badasses to spareso theres no reason forFTWDnot to follow suit.
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But Madison isnt impervious to pain or loss.
Kim Dickens shines in The Final Frontier, showing us toughness and vulnerability in equal measure.
Dickens shines in both regards.
Alycia Debnam-Carey is also great in Frontier.
Since then, shes stared down death in its many forms, killing the living and the dead alike.
Its left her shell-shocked and confused, her soul abraded by an ever-mounting body count.
Ultimately, its Traviss self-sacrifice that breaks her, as it does Madison.
Madison pulls herself together; Alicia, not so much.
Gone is his carefree attitude about walking among the dead.
Seeing a more serious Nick isnt a bad thing.
Its good to see him more grounded and less patient.
He doesnt like or trust these survivalists, no matter what Madison says or does.
And thats fine, toothe more friction, the better.
And who could blame him for distrusting the Ottos, given that Troy Otto is a murderer.
Which brings us to the aforementioned ethnic cleansing we see in Eye of the Beholder.
There isnt something rotten in DenmarkDenmark itself is rotten.
Its one thing to be rounded up at the border and thrown in a cell.
But its quite another for innocent people to be executed in the name of so-called research.
That this happens in a military setting lends the proceedings a more sinister air.
But these are not soldiers, despite their uniforms.
And these killings arent research, no matter what these military types call it.
If youre white and healthy, youre golden.
But if youre sick or injured or, god help you, brown, youre as good as dead.
Given current events, its hard not to draw parallels to the real-world rise of nationalism and isolationism.
For some, survival of ones race trumps survival of humanity itself.
Sure, weve seen mans inhumanity to man play itself out before on this show and on TWD.
The Governor is no Boy Scout, nor is Negan.
But for them, their cruelty has more to do with power or pride than with prejudice.
Travis sums it up best when he says of Troy, Hes allowed to exist.
Others here allowed that to happen.
Fortunately, this is balanced out by Troys brother Jake (Sam Underwood).
Maybe his measured demeanor is genuine, or maybe theres something more ominous simmering just below his calm exterior.
And time will tell how long his Broke Jar Ranch will withstand the zombie menace.
Im not the only one in denialAlicia is holding out hope that he somehow survived.
Of course, it always feels like a cheat when certain characters are too big to die.
So if Travis is indeed dead, good on you,FTWD.
(But I need to see zombie Travis before I believe hes truly dead.
The same goes for Daniel while were at it!)
His isnt a false bravadothe man really is that confident.
He has a powerful scene with Ilene (Brenda Strong), the mother of the bride.
Domingo gives us humor and heartbreak, all within this same affecting sceneandFTWDis better for it.
Rating:
4.5 out of 5
