Fear the Expected

It may have only been six episodes, but Fear the Walking Dead is the spin-off we deserve, and by god do we need it!

Those who watch this show are obvious, avid The Walking Dead fans. If you aren't, I do not blame you for being hooked since the first episode. We open the series with an idea that hasn't really been discussed fully in this "universe", drug addiction. Frank Dillane (who plays Nick), really tackles the role of an abuser, and the writers do not shy away from it. The fact that he is an addict will be one that will be a part of the show until his character ultimately meets his demise (because in the Walking Dead universe, nobody is safe). We will get to see in the coming seasons how he will deal with his addiction while in a world where any weakness might be your downfall. Nonetheless, Nick's drug addiction isn't the best part of the show. The best part of the show is fear. In all sorts of ways, and thus the show is rightly titled.

If you are a fan of The Walking Dead, then you know what perils are coming for our characters. However, in their world, they simply don't. If this apocalypse were to actually occur, how would people react? If your loved ones changed, would you immediately decide to cause devastating blunt trauma to their head? If the police came across a walker in the streets during the early days, would their first reaction be to shoot it in the head? (Now, actually, in today's geopolitical world where cops are shooting everyone....) The answer is no. And the shows cast and crew do a great job of expressing that. One of the seasons best scenes is the news footage of the walker on the thruway, where it attacks an EMT and then the cops shoot it a dozen times before finally taking it down. If an apocalypse were to actually happen, that is how we'd all find out: on the news or on social media, and the show informed its characters in just that way. The walkers in FtWD are handled like the Emperor in Star Wars: we know they exist, we know they're dangerous, and we got fleeting glimpses of them until the end where they come out in full force! (no pun intended, and unfortunately there is no Darth Walker who can take them out to save the day...).

My one gripe with the show is how the military was handled. They did a great job of showing off the dick Lt. Moyers (played by Jamie McShane), but they did not show much kind-heartedness from any of the rest of the soldiers. Even Ofelia (Mercedes Mason) and Andrew's (Shawn Hatosy) relationship seemed more circumstantial than legitimate, to the point you don't really feel for Andrew when Daniel (Ruben Blades) is torturing him for information.

The main focus of the show, on the other hand, is the family dynamic between the main characters. Madison (Kim Dickens), Travis (Cliff Curtis), and Liza (Elizabeth Rodriguez) are trying to keep their families together even before the outbreak. Seeing the apocalypse unfold through the eyes of a family drama was unique and refreshing, as the character focus was a welcome reprieve from the dreary world that is TWD. Nick, Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) and Chris (Lorenzo James Henrie) are normal kids, aside from the drug addiction, and are not ready for a world of running and survival. They are innocent and naive, similar to how Maggie, Beth and Carl (fucking Carl...) were before they learned to protect themselves and fight back. It will be interesting to see if the twist at the end will help propel them into a mindset where they will actively try to protect themselves, especially Chris's character.

Fear the Walking Dead is completely different from The Walking Dead, and that is what audiences want. This show needs to stand on its own, and it is well on its way after only six episodes. The crisp shores of Los Angeles are a welcome site, and The Abigail, Victor Strand's (Colman Domingo) yacht, will hopefully lead the characters to a world much different from Georgia's rain soaked woods. And it will be interesting to see how the web series, Flight 462, meets up with our wayward survivors. This is all very exciting, and even more so considering Season 6 of TWD starts this coming weekend!