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Fear the Walking Dead: Captive

Jack, you might want to rethink the hair
"Blood's all that matters now."

I'm enjoying Fear the Walking Dead more as the second season progresses, and spending a lot less time criticizing it in my head. That's a good thing, isn't it?

What the heck was going on with Alicia? Does she really care about Jack? Did Jack think he was so hot and his connection to Alicia so strong that she'd leave her mother and brother for him? (Although I'll add that Jack didn't come off as a bad guy; he was just working for a bad guy.) Was Alicia simply stringing him along in order to save her family on the Abigail? Probably, since she jumped off the drydocked ship in the end, which was cool. I also loved her fighting the pregnant woman Vida and tossing her in the cell. That's what she gets for stealing Alicia's steak. Good steaks are rare during an apocalypse. (See what I did there?)

While much of the focus was on Alicia and her captivity by Connor the pirate, my favorite part of the episode was Daniel's interaction with Connor's jerk of a brother, Reed. Knowing what we know, it was outright funny that Reed thought he could frighten Daniel with all that talk about Achilles tendons. And I loved Daniel's solution of using Reed as a walker to take down Connor. What will happen to Connor's pirate operation now that he's been chomped on? What happens to Jack and Alex?

Reed said that blood was all that mattered now, but that isn't true. Much like the previous episode, we can see the connections forming between our three little separate families. Daniel tried to help the emotionally distraught Chris; Chris connected to Madison as well as to Nick. Even Strand softened toward Madison because she didn't leave him... stranded. Although I still don't know if Strand plans to leave them all behind somewhere, or possibly even kill them all. I'd like to think that Strand has some scruples, that he at least feels some gratitude toward Madison for what she did.

Strand even saw the potential in Nick from the moment they met in lock-up, when Nick was in withdrawal. Why does Madison continue to treat Nick like a child? Is it because she's had to be a mother to him much longer because of his addiction? Is she overcompensating because she's disturbed by Nick's easy adjustment to this new world? Seriously, it's the apocalypse, Madison. You need to start treating Nick, Alicia and even Chris as adults.


Although Chris obviously needed a mom this time, because he is seriously messed up. Was Reed truly about to turn, or did Chris kill Reed for reasons of his own and lie about it? Because Reed was taunting him? Because Chris felt guilty for not opening fire on a pregnant woman boarding the Abigail, begging for help? Chris probably needs therapy, but he's not going to get it in their current situation.

I'm also wondering about Daniel's mental health. Was he hearing voices?

Alex from Flight 462 is back in the story, understandably upset because of the way Strand abandoned them, and because she had to kill poor Jake. Turns out Alex was the reason Connor's people attacked the Abigail, so it wasn't Alicia's fault, after all.

Travis told Alex that they had something in common, because Travis had to kill Liza. But Travis doesn't want to be changed by the apocalypse. He wants to remain a calm and nonviolent example for Chris. I'm having a hard time warming to Travis, but you know, I like it that he's very aware of and accepts the fact that Madison is tougher and stronger than he is. "It's your mom. They'll be fine."

Bits:

-- The opener featured Connor chopping parsley and garlic to Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces." It's funny how even a domestic scene like that seems threatening on this show.

-- Nick is 19. I don't think we knew that. Only that he was over 18.

-- Luis told Strand that only two passages had been paid for. He said it in Spanish, but Daniel was in the room. Not that smart.

-- We need more from Ofelia. Yes, she's recovering from a serious wound, but she's mostly just hanging around the yacht so that she's available for dialogue.

Quotes:

Daniel: "In my time, I've known men who inspire fear. Do you know what they have in common? They never say how frightening they are."
True. Of course, Daniel is one of those men.

Daniel: "You have to stop treating them like children."

Alex: "Connor said he could use me. People don't use me."

Ofelia: "It's what we do now. Spill blood. Clean it up. Spill it again."

I liked this one. The last one, too. What do you guys think?

Billie
---
Billie Doux loves science fiction but hates horror, and is confused about why she loves The Walking Dead so much.

2 comments:

  1. The thing with Luis is I think he spoke spanish because it's his birth-language, the language he feels more comfortable with.
    And even if it was an attempt at trying to make the others not understand, Strand switched so quickly to english that it didn't make a difference.

    I think Strand has accepted the fact that he needs to at least try and bring everyone with him. Everything's a negotiation, right?

    Jack, to me, was looking for an "out". I think he felt and knew he was doing wrong and in Alicia saw salvation. If she could accept him, help him, he wouldn't be a bad guy.

    I too like FtWD more and more. I like the pacing and the fact that it's not so much about the gore and also that not EVERYONE is mega-super-evil. Yet.

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  2. Is it just me, or do the main teen/20 yo guys have the same hairstylist? In the first season, I had trouble telling Chris from Nick because of the hairstyle. And then Jack in the episode. They are all same length, staight almost to shoulder length a la Johnny Depp in " What's Eating Gilbert Grape". Not that I am complaining, I like that look. But it seems odd.

    Still liking the story. I kept waiting for Alicia to tell on the pregnant lady for stealing her steak. I at least hope she ate it and didn't throw it overboard.

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