It’s another adventure of ‘narrowly avoiding death while on land, before returning to the safety of our ship’ for our survivors on Fear the Walking Dead.
‘Ouroboros’ finally gave us a glimpse of the aftermath of Flight 462. It’s a gritty reminder to our wandering teens, cuz children always wander in this world, of how much things have changed. To top this episode off, everyone’s become quite predictable with their skepticism of Strand. Here’s hoping that they grow out of it soon. At the end of the day, he’ll be the one to survive them all. Just you wait.
Adapting to a New World Order
Things have finally started to shift for our survivors. Every week they’ve been cruising along, clinging to their past, and ignoring the new world order. They went from a nice clean home to a fancy boat, so who wouldn’t? They don’t know the pain of having no walls, stuck in the middle of the forest, with only rocks and your weapons to protect you. (Looking at you, Rick & Co. before the prison.) Our survivors have been babied so far. ‘Ouroboros’ saw them starting to sacrifice pieces of themselves for something bigger. For the safety of their family.
This week’s introduction of Alex challenged them. Not Daniel, because he knows of sacrifice and puts himself and his daughter first. (We judge Strand for putting them all first, but not Daniel for putting his daughter first? Yeah that sounds about right.) The people that were really challenged by Alex were Travis and Madison. Both have spent a great deal of their careers helping youth. It’s ingrained in them. Putting the other survivors on a raft behind the Abigail was pushing aside everything they were, for what they need to be. They don’t want to let it all go because they believe it’s what makes them human. But you can have empathy for others without putting those closest to you in danger.
They can’t help everyone that comes their way. It’s a hard lesson to learn and one they should take to heart. (Ideally before, whoever shot up the other boat, comes back for the Abigail.) Being adaptable is one of the strongest attributes of a survivor. If they want to make it past Season 2, they’re going to have to be willing to grow. Good thing Strand is willing and able to teach them what the world has become.
Strand vs Everyone, Again
Even after ‘Ouroboros,’ I’m still firmly on Strands side of things. The antagonism that everyone displays towards him is unnecessary. It wasn’t until the very end that he did something that would truly cause contention on the Abigail. Before that it was all Daniel’s delusions and the writers need to ramp up tension where there was none. This is Strand’s boat. By his mercy, he allowed these people to come with him.
Then there’s the way that Madison treats him. I understand that she’s looking out for her family, who wouldn’t. What I don’t understand is how she thinks she can boss Strand around on his own property and think he’ll tell her everything. Displays of strength and anger don’t get people far. Instead of treating Strand like an enemy, Madison needs to get off her high horse and start treating him like an ally. That’s when he’ll give in and start trusting her. That’s when he’ll open.
That’s not the direction they’re going for though. From what we can tell from the “Blood in the Streets” preview, they’ve decided that they must get rid of Strand. Why? Because they’re not “sure” about him. They don’t know where he’s “really” taking them. It’s paranoia at it’s best. The only reason, that’s a valid argument for getting rid of Strand, is that he cut off the life raft they were dragging behind them. After all, they don’t want someone cold and calculating leading them. They want to save people and bring them on board, right?
Let’s see how long it takes them, after they’ve tried to get rid of Strand, to realize that it’s a dog eat dog world out there. Just because you’ve got the best intentions when bringing someone on board STRANDS ship, doesn’t mean they won’t stab you in the back to have a chance at survival like you do. The rules of the old world don’t apply anymore. By the time they realize this one of them will be dead and Strand will be there, ready to say, “I told you so.”
Growing up in the Apocalypse
Each teen is going through a transformation that is vastly different from the other. They’re in this together, that’s for sure, but it’s a matter of will they ask the other for help? From what we’ve seen so far, it’s a resounding no. Each teen is coming to understand the world in their own time and on their own terms. We’re stuck watching, right along with Madison and Travis, as they evolve into people their parents never envisioned.
First up, Alicia. This episode was the first time she really confronted the zombie apocalypse. Her mother and brother protected her before. Even the boat protected her from having to come face to face with the end of the world. ‘Ouroboros’ gave Alicia that chance to face their new reality and come out on top. Somehow, she found a strength inside of herself to destroy the creatures that were after her with a lack of hesitation. She just went for it! The only explanation is that she chose fight instead of flight, and had no idea what she was going through at the moment. I’m looking forward to the next episode where she sits down and tries to process what she’s done. The Walking Dead has a knack of creating strong and powerful women who can get through anything and everything. Alicia is going to be one of those women.
Then there’s Chris. His little side mission to the other half of the plane was him revolting against everyone with a side of healing. He was a rebellious boy before the apocalypse (after his parents got divorced) and he’s a rebellious teen now (after his father killed his mother.) No matter what, he’s dealing with disappointment and lose at a time when he needs guidance the most. Killing the man in the airplane is going to serve as a wake up call. The zombies that he’s been killing are shadows of who they once were. But that man, in the airplane, he was real. He was suffering and Chris was strong enough to end his pain before things got worse and the zombies tore him apart. This experience will give him perspective of what his father went through with his mother. Hopefully it’ll break the rebellious phase and bring him closer to his Travis. Unless Chris’ pride gets in the way. Pesky pride.
Finally, we have Nick. He had a really awkward/creepy moment with a walker where he literally faced him down. Covered in blood, Nick had a revelation. The walkers around him, they were him, on drugs. Disconnected, lost, and just drifting from one point to another. And Nick’s not like that anymore. He might feel more comfortable now, because he’s survived on chaos for so long, but he’s different now. He’s connected to the world around him. It’s heartbreaking to think that the destruction of the world, finally pulled him away from the devastation that was his drug addiction. The zombie apocalypse saved him.
What did you think of ‘Ouroboros’? Have you sided with Madison instead of Strand? Did Nick creep you out with his stare down with the walker? Leave us your thoughts in the comments section below?
Favorite Quote from ‘Ouroboros’:
This is the worst. It’ll never hurt worse than right now. And every day will be a little better. This is the worst it’s gonna be.
MVP of the Night:
Nick & his geriatric chic style are paving the way for zombie apocalypse fashion. Also he just figured out that covering yourself in blood is a handy way to camouflage yourself against the dead.
Next on Fear the Walking Dead 2×04 Blood In The Streets:
Fear the Walking Dead airs Sundays @ 9/8c on AMC.
