[RECAP] Season 4, Episode 2 of Fear The Walking Dead, "Another Day in the Diamond"

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By Carolina Gallardo (@carolgallardo)

Last week’s season premiere of Fear the Walking Dead felt like a sort of introduction/transition of sorts, weaving in our new characters into the lives of our reoccurring characters.  As a result, it isn’t really until this episode, “Another day in the Diamond”, the second episode of the season, that we really get a chance to see our original characters.  This episode starts to lay the groundwork for what occurred to our characters that brought us to this point and while we don’t get the complete picture (yet), we start to get some vital pieces of the puzzle to start connecting.

The episode begins with where it left off with our new characters being held up by our original cast of characters including Luciana, Strand, Nick and Alicia (still no Madison to be found).  We then flash back to the “BEFORE” which takes it to another time (very nicely delineated by the change in color tone) where we see our original characters waking up at baseball stadium.  We hear an announcement that it’s been another 365 days in the diamond, which informs us that at least a full year has passed since the dam explosion (likely over a year, based on this information).  Life appears to be stable and, dare I say, good, based on a jovial conversation over a decent breakfast that includes luxuries such as maple syrup.  We also see that Nick is one of the community members responsible for the growing of the crops within the stadium and that Madison (FINALLY shown) has a sort of leadership position within the community.  She is seen creating more dormitory space within the dugout and also gently speaking with a young girl named Charlie.  Charlie does not speak much, even as Madison tries to inquire where Charlie came from or where her family could be. 

Regardless, Madison decides for their core team (with the exception of Nick) to go out on a run and see if they can perhaps find Charlie’s family.  Nick stays behind because we are told that based on the state in which he was found, he is not a mental place capable of leaving the confines of the stadium.  For now, we are not clear what that means but my guess is that we’ll get more tidbits of information on that in future episodes.  In any case, they come across a former community that appears to be have been obliterated and begin to explore their surroundings.  As they split up and Madison and Alicia pair up, they are inevitably confronted by a frazzled woman, who goes by the name Naomi.  She holds up Madison at gunpoint and demands access to her car, to which Madison tries to convince her that they can work together and they can bring her back to their community.  Secretly however, she is signaling to her counterparts and they quickly come as her subtle cavalry.  It’s at this point that Naomi scatters off, with Madison and Alicia still in hot pursuit. 

They find themselves on top of an oil silo that (of course) eventually gives in, bringing Naomi down into a pit of oil and walkers.  Madison follows suite and comes down to assist her in fighting off these oil slick walkers.  At the same time, Alicia and Strand work on opening up the hatch to the silo, in order to access where the women are.  The hatch is finally opened and a slew of oil and walkers pour out from the inside.  At the sight of this, Luciana immediately begins taking out the walkers that come out, while Alicia goes into the silo to find Madison.  It’s at this point that Alicia sees Madison from behind, slowly raising herself up until she turns around we realize that she’s fine and they both run out.

This moment feels like a sort of foreshadowing for what is to come, by showing Madison from behind and making us feel like we may or may not know if she has been killed and/or turned, etc.  We will obviously need to wait to see where the writers take this but it certainly feels like this is a planted image that will come back to haunt us in the future.

Back at the stadium, we see Nick try to continue to form a relationship with the young Charlie, but Charlie is very tight-lipped about her past.  Nick also expresses frustration on the current state of the crops.  It appears that the crop has weavels (Again with the weavels.  These things were an issues for King Ezekiel and the Kingdom as well).  These organisms are highly detrimental to the crops and unfortunately the crops are suffering because of these things.  Time is going by though and Madison and her crew have still not returned, making Nick increasingly anxious over their whereabouts.  Finally at a certain point, Nick decides to obtain a car and look for them himself, even with his intense fear of venturing outside the walls.  He does force himself to, however, until his PSTD catches up with him and blinds him to a point that he crashes into a wall, injuring his head.  Fortunately for him, Cole manages to snipe some threatening walkers and this all gives Madison enough time to drive in and scoop up Nick, just in time.  Talk about close calls.

Once inside, we discover that Naomi was once a nurse and she puts the skills to use as she tends to Nick’s head wound.  But the surprises are not over, once they are inside the stadium.  Soon thereafter, a caravan of cars arrives in the parking lot outside of the stadium, causing everyone in the community to arm up and watch over their gates with bated breath.  Eventually, all the cars come to a halt and a member of this group sets up a lawn chair to sit outside.   Another member begins to mount a bicycle that plays opera music (similar to “the fat lady” on The Walking Dead), leading some of the stray walkers in the parking lot into a trailer.  The trailer is then tagged with a flag stating “12” similar to the flags that Morgan and crew came across in the season premiere.  Madison finally ventures out on her own and confronts the gentleman in the lawn chair, who we learn is named Mel.  Mel informs Madison that they are not here to tailgate but rather to take what they have, once their luck runs out and they have perish.  Apparently Mel’s group are like vulture/scavengers (to steal a line from The Walking Dead) and this has been how they have been able to survive in this new world.  Mel then begins to share his knowledge on the weavels and the dwindling supplies at the stadium, much to Madison’s shock and surprise.  How does he know?  Well, apparently quiet little Charlie has been acting as a mole for the group and runs to them when beckoned.  Despite this disappointment and the threats, Madison shows no signs of weakness and informs Mel that they won’t be going anywhere and they are free to join their way of life (to which Mel refuses).  Mel ominously states that they have not been fully tested yet but they will be…and his group will be waiting outside to collect the scraps once that happens. 

We then see what we presume to be the next few days since the confrontation with the vultures: We see that the rations and supplies are dwindling, we see Nick struggling with the crops but we also see Madison staying the course and continuing to build housing within the dugout.  She is eventually joined by her crew as they all continue to build together.

It’s at this point that we flash back to the “NOW”, with our old crew and new characters together again.  Morgan, Althea and John Dorie have been tied up and questioned, especially once Luciana sees that they have one of the vultures’ flags.  Althea informs them that they know NOTHING on the vultures other than that they grabbed that flag from another town that they would gladly direct them to.  This is exactly what they want so they load them up in the SWAT car and direct them to take to them to wherever they found that flag.

Based on this episode, we can start seeing how this introduction of this groups likely contributed to the demise of the diamond.  But we still have a way to go until we understand fully what happened…including what happened to Madison.

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD AIRS ON SUNDAYS AT 9:00PM EST ON AMC.

[RECAP] Season 4, Episode 1 of Fear The Walking Dead, "What's Your Story?"

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By Carolina Gallardo (@carolgallardo)

With The Walking Dead season 8 now in the books, one might ask, what are we to do now?  Well, AMC's very own FEAR The Walking Dead has been increasingly gaining a following as well as positive critical reviews.  It appears that the redheaded stepchild of The Walking Dead has finally come into its own.  So much so, that this co-podcaster that had never seen ONE EPISODE of FEAR decided that with the Morgan crossover (and the prospect of a larger crossover down the line), it was time to jump on the bandwagon and assess the show for myself.

NOTE: Now please bear in mind that I did NOT do a blitz of seasons 1 through 3, but rather read a 50 page "Cliff Notes" online version of the previous seasons, in the interest of time (#momlife #corporatelife).  All in all, I think it did a pretty good job of getting me up to date so thanks IGN!

The first episode of the season was in every sense a transition episode.  This is made explicitly clear by the fact that our main characters do not even make an appearance until the last few minutes of the episode.  Instead, we start off the episode with what appears to be a cowboy sitting at a campfire.  Upon hearing some rustling in the woods, he starts talking to who may be there but, in essence, is really talking to himself.  Eventually Morgan emerges, after having killed the walker that was the lurking threat.  We then get a flashback that takes us to Morgan right after the war with the Saviors (pretty much where Season 8 of TWD ends).  He had settled into solitary living at the junkyard when he is approached by several members of TWD (Jesus, Carol and finally Rick), in an attempt to convince him to rejoin their community and society in general.  Rick even makes the plea that "You can hide, but you can't run".  A statement to express as much as Morgan may want to escape organized society and relationships, he cannot avoid it because whether he likes it or not, society will find HIM.

This seems to resonate with Morgan and he decides to try to run away as far as possible from Alexandria and Virginia in general.  After a mixture of walking, running and driving, he eventually arrives in Texas and crosses paths with John Dorie (the cowboy).  John wants to know Morgan's story but Morgan resists this at every turn.  They eventually both come across a camp with trailers with numbered flags (after Morgan tries to ditch a lovable John Dorie who's only trying to be his friend), where they are held up at gunpoint...and saved just in time by another stranger named Althea (or Al).

Side note, for those out there who may play Overwatch (DISCLAIMER: Not me, my husband), Althea bears a striking resemblance to the character Tracer.  Am I right??)

In any case, Althea helps John Dorie and Morgan just in the nick of time (with a pretty awesome SWAT car by the way that looks like a cross between a SWAT car and the Batmobile from The Dark Knight) and we find out that she used to be a journalist.  It seems however that once a journalist, always a journalist, though, because Althea is absolutely hell bent on getting the story of a survivor she comes across.  We learn through John Dorie's videotaped interview with Althea that he is looking for his love named Laura and he is certain that he will find her.  Morgan seems to resist and resist at every turn until he finally succumbs to Althea's persuasion and gives her his "story".  Or as much of his story that he's comfortable sharing.  He shares information about Atlanta, Virginia, The Kingdom and Shiva (of all things to bring up).  But the essence of his story and his mantra that he states before he leaves them to travel on his own (even though he sustained a bullet wound injury in his thigh) is the sad statement "I lose people and then I lose myself".

With this heartbreaking declaration, Morgan attempts to venture the road alone, trying to catch up to a walker, in an attempt to confirm if it was the same individual he saw injured in a car earlier, who insisted on being left alone (it was).  Before he can become eventually overcome by walkers, John Dorie appears in the background and literally has his back.  After burying the walker himself, Morgan finally agrees to travel with John Dorie and Althea, temporarily only, of course.

As they continue to drive, however, they see what appears to be an injured woman in the road.  They opt to stop and see what they can do to help her but the tables quickly turn as the injured woman ISN'T injured but is actually Alicia, acting as a decoy.  Once she has them where she needs them, we see Nick, Strand, and Luciana all emerge with weapons, holding Morgan, Althea and John Dorie capture.

We end with Althea asking them, what's THEIR story?

With Madison glaringly missing from the group, what's their story is very much the question of the hour.

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD AIRS SUNDAYS AT 9:00PM EST ON AMC