fernandoschiavi Reviews

The Walking Dead: World Beyond: In This Life (2020) Season 1, Episode 10

The finale not only wraps up the season's plotlines but also plants seeds for the next season, particularly in how it deals with the concept of the future for each character

[6/10 · 8 May 2024]

In a series of flashbacks, Leo and Kari adopt Hope and Iris as babies. Leo later talks about Hope's genius with Lyla Belshaw whom he is dating; Lyla subsequently informs the CRM, causing them to deem Hope "the asset." In the present, Leo expresses his distrust of the CRM to Lyla and asks for her help in proving that he's right. Elton and Percy locate Silas and reveal that Huck was the one who had murdered Tony and shot Percy; with CRM soldiers closing in, Silas turns himself in to give his friends the chance to get away. Elton and Percy agree to find their friends and save them with Percy seeking to get revenge on Huck.

Hope confronts Huck who reveals that the CRM need Hope's talents to help with Leo's research and rebuild the world, but they needed her to see what she was trying to save which is why they had set Hope on her cross-country path. After a fight between Huck and Felix, Hope agrees to go with the CRM, but she secretly tells Iris that they are going to beat the CRM together. Hope and Huck meet with Kublek who tells Huck that she intends to deal with the other Endlings despite Huck's protests. In the woods, Felix and Iris are reunited with Will who is with a large group of people and realizes that they don't know that the Campus Colony has been destroyed.

The episode begins with the group reeling from the fallout of the secrets revealed in "The Deepest Cut." We see Hope, Iris, and the others grappling with the hard truths about the Civic Republic and their own personal limits when it comes to dealing with loss and betrayal. The emotional turmoil is palpable, with each character confronting their own demons and deciding on their paths forward. The tensions culminate in a series of emotionally charged decisions that redefine their relationships and future missions.

One of the episode's most poignant scenes is the confrontation between Hope and the Civic Republic operatives, which reveals her to be a key to their future plans. The dynamics of this scene are tense and laden with a sense of inevitable change, highlighting Hope's growth from a hopeful teenager into a critical player in a much larger and darker world. This scene, along with several others, is shot with a keen eye for drama, using close-ups and shadow play to enhance the emotional depth.

The finale not only wraps up the season's plotlines but also plants seeds for the next season, particularly in how it deals with the concept of what the future holds for each character. The closing scenes are a mix of despair and hope, with the group fragmented yet each member emboldened by their experiences. The narrative remains strong and focused, with a well-paced plot that drives home the harsh realities of their world while opening up new possibilities for the story to evolve.

Overall, "In This Life" serves as a potent finale that successfully closes the first chapter of "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" while promising much more complexity in future seasons. It is a testament to the show's ability to weave intricate character studies into the broader tapestry of a post-apocalyptic narrative, making it a compelling watch and setting high expectations for the series' continuation.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond: The Deepest Cut (2020) Season 1, Episode 9

The episode unfolds with the group splintered and navigating through both literal and metaphorical minefields

[5/10 · 8 May 2024]

In a series of flashbacks, Felix and his boyfriend Will argue about Felix being torn between protecting Leo and staying with Hope and Iris, leading to Will going in Felix's place. Huck secretly meets with Kublek who orders Huck to speed up the process of bringing "the asset" to them and to isolate her from the rest of the group. In the present, with only a little more than a hundred miles to go, Huck purposefully crashes the truck and then discreetly injures Felix to slow the group down, making efforts to divide them.

At the same time, a distraught Elton finds and protects an unconscious Percy who he hallucinates talking to him, conveying Elton's own mixed emotions. Percy eventually wakes up and reveals that it was actually Huck who shot him, not Silas. Huck apparently succeeds in driving a wedge between Hope and the others and they set out on their own. However, Hope had actually figured out how to break the CRM message codes and learned that Huck is a double agent. In a post-credits scene, Will is chased through the woods by CRM soldiers who are trying to kill him.

The episode unfolds with the group splintered and navigating through both literal and metaphorical minefields. The central focus is on Hope and Iris as they deal with the revelation of their father's ongoing manipulations and the deeper implications of the Civic Republic's experiments. This discovery strains their relationship, pushing them to confront their ideals and the harsh realities of their world. Their journey, fraught with danger, symbolizes their transition from naivety to a grim acknowledgment of the complexities of their situation.

One of the most striking scenes involves a confrontation between Hope and Huck, whose true allegiances are laid bare, adding layers of betrayal and deceit to the narrative. This confrontation is charged with emotional intensity and showcases excellent character development, shifting audience sympathies and raising questions about trust and survival. The episode deftly handles these revelations, weaving backstories and current motives into a tight narrative that enhances the overall arc of the series.

In conclusion, "The Deepest Cut" is a compelling setup for the season's finale, masterfully blending emotional depth with suspenseful storytelling. The episode excels in developing its characters and pushing them to their emotional and ethical limits. The pacing is taut, and each scene meticulously adds to the buildup of the impending climax. As the series heads toward its finale, this episode successfully heightens the anticipation and sets up a complex tableau for the concluding chapter. It stands out as a testament to the series' ability to maintain tension while deepening viewer investment in the characters' fates.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond: The Sky Is a Graveyard (2020) Season 1, Episode 8

One of the most compelling aspects of "The Sky Is a Graveyard" is its use of flashbacks to explore Silas's traumatic past, providing context to his current behavior

[6/10 · 8 May 2024]

A series of flashbacks reveals that Silas' father was abusive, ultimately leading to a violent altercation in which Silas accidentally killed his father and then had to put him down after his father reanimated and attacked his mother. Although Silas' father's death was ruled to be self-defense, his past and blackouts as well as the murder weapon being found at his side leads to a division amongst the group about whether or not Silas is guilty of Tony's murder and Percy's disappearance and what to do with him if he is.

Silas displays suicidal thoughts, almost allowing a walker to kill him before Hope saves him. Rather than continuing to endanger his friends, Silas claims to Iris that he had murdered Percy and Tony and exiles himself from the group. Elton decides to follow his best friend and before he leaves, Hope confesses to accidentally killing Elton's mom on the Night the Sky Fell. In a flashback to her two day scouting mission, Huck is revealed to be Kublek's daughter and a mole within the group whose mission is to protect "the asset."

The episode revolves around the fallout from Silas's violent actions, forcing the group to confront their fears and suspicions about him, and by extension, about each other.

The narrative thrust of the episode centers on the group's decision regarding Silas's fate after he is suspected of a grievous act. This decision-making process is fraught with tension and moral ambiguity, illustrating the complexities of justice in a post-apocalyptic world. Each character's stance on whether to trust or condemn Silas brings to light their personal biases and experiences, particularly Elton's struggle with his pacifism versus the harsh realities he faces. The interactions among the group are charged with emotion and reveal deep-seated fears and insecurities that drive their decisions.

One of the most compelling aspects of "The Sky Is a Graveyard" is its use of flashbacks to explore Silas's traumatic past, providing context to his current predicament and behavior. These flashbacks are skillfully interwoven with the ongoing narrative, enhancing the viewer's understanding of Silas's character and eliciting sympathy for his plight. The visual storytelling, coupled with the intense performances, particularly from Hal Cumpston, who plays Silas, adds a profound depth to the episode, making it emotionally resonant.

"The Sky Is a Graveyard" captures the psychological tension and moral dilemmas inherent in the series. It challenges the viewers to consider the nuances of right and wrong in a world where the lines are blurred. The episode's slow burn tension and focus on character development enrich the narrative, setting up a complex foundation for future episodes. While it may not be the most action-packed episode, its strength lies in its ability to delve deep into character psyche and moral conflicts, making it a crucial addition to "The Walking Dead: World Beyond".

The Walking Dead: World Beyond: Truth or Dare (2020) Season 1, Episode 7

A pivotal episode that sets the stage for the characters' future decisions and the dynamics that will inevitably influence their journey

[6/10 · 8 May 2024]

In flashbacks, Huck is revealed to be a former US Marine named Jennifer Mallick who defied orders to execute unarmed civilians as things got bad. Instead, Huck kills her comrades, including her best friend Drake, in order to save the civilians, resulting in Huck scarring her own face to match Drake's scar as a reminder. In the present, after a drunken game of truth or dare, Hope reveals to Huck that she had killed Elton's mother on the Night the Sky Fell and Huck advises Hope to keep it a secret from Elton in order to protect him. Tony reveals that he has managed to get his hands on a map to CRM fuel caches and he has figured out how to decode CRM maps. Using Tony's decoders, Iris is finally able to decipher the coded map that Kublek had given to her and Hope which reveals that the CRM's research facility is located in Ithaca, New York.

The Endlings raid the unmanned fuel depot, retrieving CRM code books and enough fuel to make their journey. However, Hope and Huck end up in a hostage situation with Walter, a desperate survivor who has been bitten. Huck promises to help Walter, but after talking him down, Huck kills him instead. Tony and Percy decide to join the Endlings' mission to rescue Leo and a romance begins blossoming between Iris and Percy, much to the jealousy of Silas. However, Iris finds Tony with his head bashed in later that night with Silas' bloody wrench lying next to him and no sign of Percy aside from a blood trail leading out of a window. Nearby, passed out covered in blood with a bottle of liquor next to him, is Silas.

Episode seven of "The Walking Dead: World Beyond," titled "Truth or Dare," explores deeper into the psychological states and backstories of its characters, particularly focusing on their fears and secrets. Set against the backdrop of an abandoned school that the group uses as a temporary shelter, this episode effectively utilizes the eerie setting to amplify the tension that unfolds among the characters.

As the group settles in, the episode introduces a game of truth or dare, which starts innocently but soon becomes a conduit for revelations and confrontations. Through this game, viewers are given significant insights into the characters' pasts, including Hope's struggles with guilt over her mother's death and the responsibilities she feels towards her sister Iris. This revelation not only adds depth to Hope's character but also impacts her relationship with Iris, who sees her sister in a new light.

One of the most powerful scenes involves Silas, whose backstory is partially revealed through flashbacks that are both disturbing and illuminating. These flashbacks, paired with the current tensions that arise during the game, paint a clearer picture of Silas's troubled past and how it shapes his behavior and self-perception. This episode does well to contrast his inner turmoil with the external threats, highlighting the theme that sometimes the monsters within are as dangerous as those outside.

In conclusion, "Truth or Dare" stands out as a psychologically intense episode that delves into the complexities of its characters' psyches. It effectively mixes suspense with deep character studies, making it one of the more memorable episodes of the season. While the pace of the episode might feel slow to some viewers, the depth of character exploration it provides adds significant value to the overall narrative arc. It's a pivotal episode that sets the stage for the characters' future decisions and the dynamics that will inevitably influence their journey. In essence, this episode not only entertains but also enriches the viewer's understanding of the characters, marking a critical point in the series.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond: Shadow Puppets (2020) Season 1, Episode 6

"Shadow Puppets" excels in character development, particularly through its depiction of the evolving relationship between Iris and Percy

[5/10 · 8 May 2024]

The boy, Percy, reveals that two men have stolen his belongings, including a truck that can greatly shorten the Endlings' trip to New York. Iris becomes enamored with Percy, causing Silas, distrustful of Percy's truthfulness, to become visibly jealous of their relationship while Hope struggles with the revelation that she had killed Elton's mother. The Endlings make a deal with Percy to help him retrieve his truck in exchange for Percy giving them a ride to New York. However, Percy turns out to be a grifter who is working with his uncle Tony to steal the Endlings' belongings. Iris becomes trapped in a dumpster while chasing after Percy and, as a herd closes in on the group as they work to save her, Percy and Tony return and rescue them.

Percy expresses remorse for his actions, having come back to help after Iris had selflessly tried to help him when she had thought that Percy was in trouble. Tony agrees to drive the Endlings to New York as Percy had promised and he privately reveals to Felix that the truck had used to belong to the CRM and that he had found something with the dead driver that can lead the group to a CRM refueling station for supplies for their journey. At the end of the day, the group relaxes by enjoying a shadow puppet show put on by Tony, a former Las Vegas magician, depicting the end of the world. In a post-credits scene, Lyla studies Leo's manuscript and reassures Kublek that neither Leo nor his security detail will be a problem.

Episode six of "The Walking Dead: World Beyond," titled "Shadow Puppets," introduces a new dynamic to the group's journey, injecting both tension and intrigue. This episode begins with the introduction of a mysterious new character, Percy, who is initially seen as a threat but later becomes a pivotal figure in the narrative. The group's encounter with Percy unfolds in a tense and suspenseful sequence where trust and deception are key themes.

As the episode progresses, Percy's tale of stolen belongings and betrayal by his companion offers an opportunity for the main characters to debate the value of trust versus skepticism in a world overrun by walkers and fraught with human deceit. This narrative arc leads to a planned heist to retrieve what Percy claims is rightfully his. The heist sequence is not only thrilling but also serves as a catalyst for exploring the underlying motivations and moral compasses of our young survivors, particularly Iris, who struggles with the consequences of her decisions.

"Shadow Puppets" excels in character development, particularly through its depiction of the evolving relationship between Iris and Percy. The episode cleverly uses their interactions to mirror larger themes of trust, betrayal, and survival instincts within the group. Additionally, the development of Silas's character continues as he grapples with his own self-doubt and the group's varying degrees of trust in him, especially following the events of the previous episode.

"Shadow Puppets" challenges the characters' perceptions of right and wrong, testing their bonds and individual beliefs. While the heist plot adds necessary excitement and pace to the series, it also feels somewhat out of step with the show's usual focus on survival against zombies. Nevertheless, this shift is a welcome one as it expands the narrative scope and deepens character arcs, setting the stage for further complexities in their journey.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond: Madman Across the Water (2020) Season 1, Episode 5

The episode delves into the dynamics between the characters, particularly focusing on tensions and unresolved issues

[5/10 · 6 May 2024]

The Endlings arrive at the Mississippi River where all of the bridges were destroyed by the military when things went bad, necessitating a boat crossing. However, there are no boats available, forcing the group to build their own makeshift boat out of supplies that they are able to scavenge from the area. Hope learns of Felix's plan to enlist Elton's help to turn the group around and angrily confronts them both about their behavior. Felix later admits to Iris that he needs Leo and his boyfriend Will to be alright because Felix was originally supposed to be the one to go before Leo asked him to stay behind and look after Hope and Iris for him.

With a herd closing in, the claustrophobic Elton is forced to crawl under the boat and fix a problem, but it is ultimately Felix who enables the boat launch just when it seems like they will have to abandon it. The Endlings successfully cross the river into Illinois where Huck departs on a scouting mission for a couple of days. In flashbacks, it's revealed that a five-year old Elton was the only survivor when the museum that his father worked at fell due to his father hiding Elton in a box in his office. Elton subsequently discovered that his father had turned and been put down by soldiers before Elton made his way to the Campus Colony on his own. While comforting Elton, Hope discovers that she had killed his mother on the Night the Sky Fell. Hearing a noise in the woods next to their camp, the Endlings encounter a teenage boy armed with a stick.

Episode five of "The Walking Dead: World Beyond," titled "Madman Across the Water," takes the young survivors on a challenging journey that tests their ingenuity and teamwork. The central focus of the episode is the group's attempt to cross a river, an endeavor that requires them to construct a makeshift raft from materials scavenged around an abandoned boathouse. This setting not only adds a sense of urgency and danger to their quest but also serves as a metaphor for the turbulent waters they must navigate in their interpersonal relationships.

As the group gathers materials and begins building the raft, the episode delves into the dynamics between the characters, particularly focusing on tensions and unresolved issues. Elton's backstory becomes a focal point, revealing his troubled past through a series of flashbacks that intertwine with the present challenges.

The process of building the raft serves as a critical test of the group's ability to work together. The scenes are well-executed, mixing technical survival skills with character development. Challenges arise not only from the physical task of constructing a viable raft but also from the interpersonal conflicts that escalate under pressure. The episode effectively uses these moments to highlight both the strengths and weaknesses of each character, making the storyline engaging and dynamic.

"Madman Across the Water" balances action with character exploration. The metaphor of navigating troubled waters is executed with finesse, reflecting both the literal and figurative challenges the group faces. While the episode excels in developing the backstory of Elton and building tension through survival challenges, it occasionally suffers from pacing issues, with some scenes feeling slightly drawn out. However, these moments do not significantly detract from the overall impact of the episode.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond: The Wrong End of a Telescope (2020) Season 1, Episode 4

The setting of the high school is utilized to explore themes of lost youth and the stark contrast between the world that was and the world that is

[5/10 · 6 May 2024]

The Endlings take shelter from a storm in an abandoned high school where Felix and Huck take the opportunity to try to change Elton and Hope's minds so that they can get the group to turn around. While searching for supplies, Hope and Huck encounter a wolf stalking the school's hallways, but they manage to escape unharmed and find food supplies in the pantry of the school's fallout shelter. Felix and Elton gather water and investigate what turns out to be the wolf's activities while Iris finds herself drawn to the picture of a rebellious student Sabina while enjoying imagining high school life and dancing with Silas. However, the wolf and some walkers drive Iris and Silas into the fallout shelter where they discover that several survivors living there have perished and turned, including Sabina.

The others manage to rescue the two, but Silas flies into a rage, beating a walker to death with his bare hands and injuring Elton when he tries to stop him. Felix puts down the other walkers and snaps Silas out of it and it's revealed that the violent altercation that he keeps remembering is with his father whom Silas supposedly murdered. With Elton's dedication to the mission wavering, Felix attempts to enlist his help to turn the group around at the Mississippi River, their last best chance to do so while Hope, after recalling fighting with her father before he left, becomes more determined than ever to find him. Iris convinces the horrified Silas not to leave and Elton takes a group photo of the Endlings. In a post-credits scene, Dr. Lyla Belshaw performs experiments on a number of zombified test subjects at the CRM's research facility, one of whom is revealed to be one of her and Leo Bennett's own colleagues, Dr. Samuel Abbott.

Episode four of "The Walking Dead: World Beyond," titled "The Wrong End of a Telescope," blends survival horror with deeper explorations of group dynamics and personal discovery, set against the backdrop of an abandoned high school. This setting not only provides new challenges for the group but also serves as a poignant reminder of the youth and normalcy the characters have been deprived of by the apocalypse.

The episode starts with the group taking refuge in the high school, seeking shelter and supplies but finding much more than they bargained for. The deserted halls and classrooms, littered with relics of a time before the collapse, evoke a strong sense of nostalgia and loss among the young survivors. As they split up to scavenge, each character is confronted with reminders of their past lives. This is especially true for Hope, who finds herself in a science lab that stirs memories of her mother and reignites her guilt over past misdeeds. This scene is not only critical for character development but also for setting the emotional tone of the episode.

In their exploration, the group encounters a new kind of threat: b**by traps set by other survivors who had previously taken refuge in the school. This leads to tense and suspenseful moments, highlighting the ever-present danger of the world around them. These sequences are effectively staged, providing jump scares and a sense of imminent threat that keeps the tension high. The interaction between the characters during these crises does well to showcase their evolving relationships and the growing trust and dependencies forming among them.

Critically, "The Wrong End of a Telescope" succeeds in advancing the overarching narrative while delivering a self-contained story that is both engaging and reflective. The setting of the high school is utilized to explore themes of lost youth and the stark contrast between the world that was and the world that is. However, while the episode excels in atmospheric tension and character introspection, it occasionally struggles with pacing, particularly in the middle segments where the emotional reflections seem to stall the narrative progression.

Overall, the episode stands out for its emotional depth and clever use of setting. It continues to build the characters in meaningful ways, allowing the audience to connect with their personal struggles and triumphs. Despite some pacing issues, "The Wrong End of a Telescope" is a solid addition to the series, effectively blending horror elements with poignant drama and character development.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond: The Tyger and the Lamb (2020) Season 1, Episode 3

"The Tyger and the Lamb" explores the concept of leadership and the burden it carries. Silas's story arc is particularly poignant as he grapples with his violent past

[5/10 · 6 May 2024]

Hope contacts the others and reveals that she has set off into the Blaze of Gory to sound an old tornado siren in order to lure the herd away from them. The others make their way to an office near the factory containing the siren where they are reunited with Felix and Huck. Silas is haunted by flashbacks to a violent altercation of some kind for which he was arrested and has made people fearful of him, calling Silas a monster, causing him to hesitate to put down walkers, admitting to Iris that he's afraid of himself. After some trouble, Hope manages to use the siren to lure most of the herd away, but she injures her foot while making her own escape. Rescuing her sister, Iris puts down her first walker and Hope puts down her first while saving Iris in turn.

The Endlings manage to escape the Blaze of Gory and a falling rack of tires keep the herd from following them any further. In the aftermath, the Endlings all refuse to abandon their mission and go home, and Felix and Huck reluctantly agree to join them, although Felix makes it clear that he intends to keep trying to change their minds. Hope finally opens up to Iris and reveals her role in their mother's death and how she had accidentally killed the woman who had killed their mother. In the Civic Republic, Kublek looks over an attack plan for Omaha and she is visited by Sergeant Major Barca who is struggling to come to terms with the genocide that the CRM has committed. Kublek insists that it was necessary to sustain their modern civilization of more than two hundred thousand people and has Barca taken away when his doubts persist. Despite her own insistence, Kublek is shown to be privately shedding tears over the map of Omaha.

Episode three of "The Walking Dead: World Beyond," titled "The Tyger and the Lamb," delves into the psychological struggles of the main characters, particularly focusing on overcoming fears and the internal battles that stem from their past actions. This installment manages to intertwine personal growth with suspenseful sequences, marking a significant turning point in the series' narrative arc.

On a broader thematic level, "The Tyger and the Lamb" explores the concept of leadership and the burden it carries. Silas's story arc is particularly poignant as he grapples with his violent past and the fear others have of him, which conflicts with his gentle nature. His struggle is mirrored in the group's dynamics, as they must decide whether to continue supporting him or distance themselves due to his history. This tension culminates in a critical scene where Silas chooses non-violence in a moment of crisis, reinforcing the theme of redemption and the possibility of change.

Critically, the episode does well to balance these intense personal dramas with the overarching narrative. However, it sometimes feels as though the show sacrifices some of its pacing to delve into these character studies. Despite this, "The Tyger and the Lamb" is a strong episode that effectively uses its characters' fears and desires to explore larger existential themes. It challenges the viewer to consider what it means to fight one's inner demons and the implications of such battles on one's ability to lead and inspire others in times of crisis. Overall, this episode enriches the narrative landscape of the series, setting a compelling foundation for the development of its characters.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond: The Blaze of Gory (2020) Season 1, Episode 2

"The Blaze of Gory" stands out for its development of the show's central themes of guilt, redemption, and the loss of innocence

[5/10 · 6 May 2024]

Iris proves to be unable to put down a walker that the group encounters, even after it is impaled upon a fallen tree in the struggle. As the group continues on with their journey, Hope begins leaving clues behind for Felix and Huck, losing faith in their plan but being continually outvoted by the others. An encounter with a second walker leaves it chasing the group before Hope, unable to put it down, traps the walker in an abandoned swimming pool. In order to avoid a costly detour, the group, who are dubbed the Endlings by Hope, are forced to go through the Blaze of Gory, a massive perpetual fire that has drawn a massive horde of walkers to it.

The Endlings are able to get through part of the Blaze, but become stranded in a tire junkyard containing most of the fire. After the others go to sleep, Hope takes off alone into the Blaze. At the same time, Felix and Huck follow their trail while Felix is haunted by memories of his parents who had kicked him out after discovering that Felix is gay as a teenager. At night, Felix sneaks off and returns home, only to discover that his parents have died and reanimated, but he is unable to bring himself to put them down. Felix and Huck close in on the Endlings thanks to Hope's trail of clues and Felix puts down the walker that has been continually stalking them after it escapes from the swimming pool.

"The Walking Dead: World Beyond" continues its exploration of a post-apocalyptic world with the second episode of its first season, titled "The Blaze of Gory." This episode sees our young protagonists venturing deeper into the dangerous territory as they follow a map that their father left behind. Their journey leads them to an abandoned high school enveloped by a wildfire, which serves as a metaphorical crucible testing their resolve and survival skills.

In "The Blaze of Gory," the group's dynamics begin to shift under the stress of their perilous journey. Iris, still trying to assume the role of the group's moral compass, finds herself conflicted between her desire to lead and her inexperience. Meanwhile, Hope grapples with her past actions, particularly the secret of her involvement in their mother's death, which haunts her interactions with others. The episode smartly uses flashbacks to provide viewers with a deeper understanding of the characters' backstories, enriching their current motivations and emotional responses.

Visually, the episode is striking, utilizing the eerie backdrop of the burning landscape to enhance the sense of danger and desolation. The scenes involving "empties" swarming around the fiery wreckage of the school are particularly gripping. These moments not only heighten the suspense but also underline the thematic undertone of the series-the idea that the past can consume us if we let it, just as the fire consumes the school.

Critically, "The Blaze of Gory" stands out for its development of the show's central themes of guilt, redemption, and the loss of innocence. However, some viewers might find the pacing uneven, as the episode dedicates considerable time to character development at the expense of advancing the plot. Despite this, it succeeds in deepening the emotional landscape of the series, setting a solid groundwork for the characters' future challenges. Overall, this episode reinforces the harsh realities of the world these characters inhabit, blending emotional depth with thrilling survival scenarios to create a compelling narrative.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond: Brave (2020) Season 1, Episode 1

The episode's central theme revolves around the concept of courage, as the characters must confront their fears and venture into the unknown

[6/10 · 6 May 2024]

Ten years after the world ended, the Campus Colony, Omaha, Nebraska, Portland, Oregon and the mysterious Civic Republic are allied together in the Alliance of the Three. Hope and Iris Bennett are a pair of highly-intelligent sisters living in the Campus Colony whose father Leo was taken to the CR months ago and who has been communicating with his daughters in secret. As the ten year anniversary approaches, Leo sends two distress messages to his daughters who are divided on what to do while their friend Felix, who is dating Will, the head of Leo's security detail, refuses to do anything as it would involve leaving behind Hope and Iris whom he is acting the guardian of. Lieutenant Colonel Elizabeth Kublek of the Civic Republic Military provides the sisters with a coded map to the research facility where Leo is working in New York State.

Concerned for their father's safety, Hope and Iris decide to go after him with two other teenagers, Elton Ortiz and Silas Plaskett, Elton wanting to find his mother who has been missing for years while Silas wants to get a fresh start from the rumors about his violent past. However, a flashback reveals that on the Night the Sky Fell, Elton's pregnant mother had killed Hope and Iris' mother in a moment of panic and was then accidentally killed by Hope, something that she has been hiding from her sister. After discovering that the teenagers are gone, Felix follows them with his friend Huck, convinced that they will only get themselves killed. After the group is gone, the Campus Colony is overrun by a herd and destroyed due to Kublek and the CRM. Sergeant Major Barca reports that they can't find "her" which Kublek is left pleased by.

"The Walking Dead: World Beyond" opens its first season with the episode "Brave," plunging viewers into a post-apocalyptic world where humanity struggles to survive amidst the threat of the undead. This inaugural episode serves as a narrative anchor, introducing audiences to the lives of two sisters, Iris and Hope, who reside in the relative safety of the Campus Colony, a fortified community. However, their lives take a dramatic turn when they embark on a perilous journey outside the colony's walls to locate their missing father, believed to be in grave danger.

The episode's central theme revolves around the concept of courage, as the characters must confront their fears and venture into the unknown. This theme is palpable throughout the episode, highlighting the characters' resilience and determination in the face of overwhelming odds. Additionally, "Brave" delves into the complexities of family dynamics, portraying the unwavering bond between the sisters as they navigate the treacherous landscape of their world.

One of the standout aspects of "Brave" is its ability to create tension and suspense, particularly during the encounters with the undead, referred to as "empties." These moments are expertly crafted, showcasing the relentless and unforgiving nature of the undead threat. Furthermore, the episode introduces the enigmatic Civic Republic Military (CRM), hinting at a larger, more complex world beyond the confines of the Campus Colony.

While "Brave" lays a solid foundation for the series, some viewers may find its pacing slow, as the focus is primarily on character development rather than action. However, this deliberate approach allows for a deeper exploration of the characters' motivations and personalities, setting the stage for future episodes to delve into more intricate plotlines.

Fear the Walking Dead (2015–2023)

"FTWD" managed to explore some interesting aspects of "The Walking Dead" universe, but also faced challenges in maintaining interest and quality throughout its seasons

[6/10 · 5 May 2024]

"Fear the Walking Dead" is a series that set out to explore the beginning of the zombie apocalypse, focusing on a group of survivors in Los Angeles and later in other regions of the United States and Mexico. The series presents a narrative that seeks to differentiate itself from its parent series, "The Walking Dead," by exploring themes such as human nature in extreme situations, the emotional impact of the apocalypse, and the different ways of dealing with survival.

Throughout the seasons, the series features striking moments, such as the transformation of the main characters from ordinary people into hardened survivors, the internal and external conflicts between groups of survivors, and the difficulties of rebuilding society in a devastated world. Additionally, "Fear the Walking Dead" also addresses themes such as the search for a safe place, the loss of humanity, and hope amidst chaos.

However, the series has faced criticism over its seasons, especially regarding the inconsistent development of characters, the lack of coherence in some plots, and the repetition of certain conflicts and situations. Additionally, the series has been unfavorably compared to "The Walking Dead," often being considered inferior in terms of script quality and character development.

Overall, "Fear the Walking Dead" is a series that managed to explore some interesting aspects of "The Walking Dead" universe, but also faced challenges in maintaining interest and quality throughout its seasons. Despite its flaws, the series has managed to garner a dedicated fan base and provide moments of tension and emotion for viewers.

Fear the Walking Dead: The Road Ahead (2023) Season 8, Episode 12

The series was never really good, but the ending was interesting, with the reiteration of Alicia's legend status and the creation of Madison herself as savior

[6/10 · 5 May 2024]

Now convinced that trying to help others only gets people killed, Madison attempts to set out with Tracy to find Alicia, putting Madison at odds with her friends. Russell reveals that Alicia might still be alive before launching an attack on PADRE with thousands of walkers in retaliation for Troy's death. Tracy shoots Madison and puts down and buries a zombified Troy before later being found by Strand. Strand reveals that although PADRE was destroyed, everyone escaped because Madison, having been protected from the bullet by Alicia's St. Christopher's medallion, had once again seemingly sacrificed herself to destroy the herd the exact same way that she did at the stadium. Renaming the organization MADRE in honor of Madison's sacrifice, the group splits up to use MADRE's supplies to build new communities and honor Madison's ideals of trying to build something better.

June decides to return to John Dorie's cabin with Odessa and to provide medical attention to those in need while Dwight and Sherry set out to find the still missing parents of PADRE's children, intending to rebuild the Sanctuary with them. Daniel and Strand finally make peace before parting ways and Daniel is reunited with his long-lost cat Skidmark. Madison is rescued by Tracy and reunites with a still alive Alicia who reveals that she is not Tracy's mother. Madison and Alicia let Strand know that they had survived, but choose to keep their survival a secret otherwise. Madison decides to return to Los Angeles with Alicia and Tracy to help rebuild their old home.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Alicia was indeed alive all this time and, on top of that, with the cat Skidmark by her side. And, as if that weren't enough, nobody went after her, but instead she returned on her own motorcycle and managed to find the cabin that Tracy had made to take care of a Madison given up for dead by her friends after she once again sacrificed herself for the collective. It's like an entire season of reasonable potential being squeezed into just a few minutes and told through dialogue alone, without even a little flashback sequence to illustrate what happened.

Madison Clark died in the stadium back in the middle of the fourth season. A noble sacrifice. A loss felt deeply. But, as the new showrunners of FTWD needed something bombastic for the final season of the series, the character returned at the end of the previous year. However, in the stumbling style of the showrunners, half of the final season was lost around PADRE and a threat that never really became threatening, with the narrative revolving around the time jump they decided to make. In the second half, things started to get on track, almost as if Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg were recognizing that the original version of Fear the Walking Dead, which ended in the third season, needed a definitive end, which also led them to resurrect Troy from the dead with a revenge plan against Madison and boasting to anyone who would listen that he had killed Alicia.

But killing Madison once wasn't enough. It was necessary to kill her again, this time at the hands of the little Tracy in the most telegraphed sequence of recent years, there in the garage of vintage cars that, I don't know if you noticed, has even a DeLorean with the doors open. Speaking of telegraphing scenes, the dose was double, as Madison's second resurrection came thanks to the saint's medal she placed inside the bullet clip in the pocket of her leather jacket, which of course was exactly where the bullet fired by Tracy ended up. But two deaths were also not enough, and in a few minutes' time, Madison, after easily saving her friends in PADRE (seriously, all it took was a flare and that's it?), "dies exploded again." I don't know if I should be thankful that they stopped at the third death or if I'm disappointed that there wasn't a fourth and maybe even a fifth...

And the most surreal thing is that it's the little Tracy who digs through the rubble of PADRE to find her "grandmother," and then immediately carries Madison's lifeless body to a military-style cabin and administers medications taken from who-knows-where to save her, only for, magically, Alicia to appear alive, come up with a more than flimsy excuse for her being away all these years, and everyone be very happy, even with the final revelation that Tracy was not Madison's granddaughter at all. And there was still time for the showrunners to give that "clever little twist" and arrange endings for the most important characters of the series, leading them on separate paths after words of reconciliation (even in German) and the brilliant idea of the couple Dwight and Sherry to found a new PADRE - now MADRE - there at Negan's former Sanctuary.

In the end, even though the way the ending was done was interesting, with the reiteration of Alicia's legend status and the creation of the legend of Madison herself as savior. It was definitely positive and cute - returning Skidmark to Daniel and leaving that little flower for Strand were cute touches, right? - and, most definitely, seeing Madison alongside Alicia and Tracy, with Nick in the can, even made the audience briefly imagine a spin-off just for them in Los Angeles. But it was just a brief moment. In the end, it wasn't a special or epic or even remotely memorable ending, but it could have been infinitely worse, as has happened several times in FTWD. And just not being an unbearable, senseless, or completely illogical affair already makes me happy. Yes, I know I'm settling for very little, especially in the case of a series that never really proved itself, but right now, considering the eight years following the series, the thing is to savor what we were given.

Fear the Walking Dead: Fighting Like You (2023) Season 8, Episode 11

With this, the series' great villain ironically becomes Madison herself, and I hope this is well used in the final episode, even though I'm sure Alicia will reappear alive

[5/10 · 5 May 2024]

Troy begins leading a massive herd to PADRE, but his truck is wrecked by a trap, causing Tracy to seek out Madison's help. After a brief scuffle, the two reach a deal where Madison will help Troy bury his wife Serena and reunite with Tracy and he will lead them to the herd. Troy reveals that Alicia had saved Serena from a walker bite, causing Serena to follow in Alicia's footsteps. Serena was killed in a robbery while answering a distress call, causing the grief-stricken Troy to blame Alicia and Madison. However, the two are attacked by a vengeful Ben Krennick who seeks to reclaim PADRE for himself. Ben reveals that he and Shrike had rescued Madison from the destruction of the Dell Diamond baseball stadium and used her love for her children to manipulate Madison to do their bidding.

Madison draws in walkers who devour Ben while Troy unexpectedly saves her life. A remorseful Troy admits that Serena had encouraged him to continue helping others even after it killed her, and Troy willingly helps Madison's group to stop the herd. Believing that Alicia giving Troy a second chance got her daughter killed, Madison fatally impales Troy with Alicia's prosthetic arm rather than making peace with him. Before dying, Troy implores Madison to take care of Tracy, claiming that she is actually Alicia's daughter who Troy had kidnapped.

Imagine a brief mental exercise and picture the episode without Crane and his henchmen. It would be much easier and smoother to work the central conflict of the chapter without these supposedly dangerous detours to create fake suspense. Even the branch stuck in Troy's shoulder after his truck is catapulted by one of Crane's traps (who must have learned from the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi) is a poorly utilized element, as it seems that the one-eyed villain is completely stuck there to the point where he can't get out to help his daughter. However, when Madison shows up, he jumps out of the truck with the branch and all as if nothing happened, gets into a fight with her, and then still has the strength to dig a grave for his zombified wife and hit Madison in the head with a shovel. I don't usually complain about problems like this in a series, but it was just too ridiculous, too much negligence for a supposedly important moment.

If it weren't for the truly magnetic presence of young Tracy (Antonella Rose proves to be one of the best in the cast), who basically has an answer for everything and doesn't let anything slide, I don't know if I would have endured all the chatter until the moment when it seems like her father is going to finally and magically turn good, only for Madison to drive Alicia's mechanical arm into his stomach, giving her time to say that Tracy is his granddaughter. It was obvious that Madison would do what she did (and it was quite ridiculous that Troy didn't suspect anything), and it was even more obvious that Tracy would be turned into something else at the last second, even though her being Alicia's kidnapped daughter seems strange to me, perhaps a lie from Troy to make Madison take care of the girl. But at least the showrunners had the courage to have Madison kill Troy once and for all. Leaving him alive would have been a complete mockery.

With this, the series' great villain ironically becomes Madison herself, and I hope this is well used in the final episode, even though I'm sure Alicia will reappear alive and well with some explanation for her long absence, leading to a happy ending for the Clark family, even if Madison dies again. As for the other characters, well, I believe they will only be part of the background of the final chapter, as they have all been completely wasted by Chambliss and Goldberg so far, and there is no reason for that to change.

Fear the Walking Dead: Keeping Her Alive (2023) Season 8, Episode 10

Instead creating new trends, the showrunners should work slowly with the shades of gray of the morality of the old characters and starting to deal with the closure of arcs

[5/10 · 5 May 2024]

Furious about Strand's abduction of Tracy, Dwight, Sherry and June attempt to return to the girl to her father along with Strand. Wanting to save Tracy from that, Strand escapes with her and brings Tracy to Madison who is continuing her search for Alicia and Tracy agrees to help Madison find Alicia. Wanting to use Tracy to get revenge for Ofelia's death, Daniel accompanies them, throwing Strand out of the truck when he tries to stop them. Strand is rescued by a group of women driving Al's old SWAT van who explain that, after escaping Texas with dozens of survivors who had heard her message, Alicia had traveled around helping survivor groups until her apparent death; having been saved by Alicia, the group has been keeping her alive for other people.

Tracy leads Daniel and Madison into a trapped herd that she claims holds Alicia, but in reality, it's an attempt to get Madison killed by her zombified mother who Tracy claims died because she believed in the same things as Madison and Alicia. Tracy finally tells Madison that Alicia is in a mansion near Fort Worth and Strand talks Madison down from killing Tracy, but she escapes with the knowledge of where PADRE is, convinced that Troy was right about them. Troy attacks Luciana's truck stop, killing most of both groups, but they realize that Troy intends to attack PADRE using an army of the dead like he did with Broke Jaw Ranch. Unwilling to risk anyone else that she cares about, Madison goes after Troy alone in the SWAT van.

The entire episode revolves around Tracy (Antonella Rose), Troy's daughter who disappeared at the end of "Iron Tiger" and was captured by Strand and imprisoned in PADRE in the epilogue of "Sanctuary," to be used as a bargaining chip. Returning to the mysterious island, June, Dwight, Sherry, and Odessa confront Strand in a succession of considerably tired dialogues that result in the girl and her captor being taken as tributes to Troy, under the promise that he will leave PADRE alone. Of course, a series of small and convenient plot twists make everything go wrong, and Strand retrieves the girl - who, thanks to him, now knows the location of the island - to take her to Madison so that the zombified version of Alicia can be located, something that does not happen, as the season's finale seems to want to keep the doubt about her death until the end.

Amidst more twists and turns, Troy faces Luciana's troop off-screen in a battle that ends badly for both sides, and Madison and Daniel lose Tracy - a girl smarter than all the adults there put together - amidst a horde of frozen undead that, as they deduce, will be used as a weapon to attack PADRE (how, I don't know, since there's water in the way...). Strand, in turn, in another twist mixed with deus ex machina, is saved from zombies by the triumphant arrival of Al's armored SWAT truck, now commanded by a group of women who had been saved by Alicia and who now dress like her savior with the aim of perpetuating her ideals.

The presence of this troop that acts under Alicia's name and flag is a really cool idea, but it would have been much better if it had been introduced in the first episode of this season's restart or, better yet, at the beginning of the season as a whole. Perpetuating Alicia through the people who owe their lives to her is, at least conceptually, a much more interesting narrative line than anything presented in the final season so far, and I would like to see more of that, something that seems to be present in Tracy's mother's story, who believed in these ideals. Of course, everything will go down the drain - completely emptying the concept - if Alicia appears alive, which has a good chance of happening in one of those sequences where the mother sacrifices herself for her daughter.

Amidst a huge succession of twists and the complete ignorance of concepts such as distance and passage of time - I know the series has always been like this, but here, this aspect becomes even more evident to the point of being annoying -, I would say that the highlight is Strand. Colman Domingo is a very good actor who only needs a little space to stand out, something he finally gets in "Keeping Her Alive." Of course, the routine of "I'm good, but I'm a villain" or, conversely, "I'm a villain, but I'm good" is nothing new and has already given what it had to give, but he continues to do this layered role very well, which, here, the script by Nazrin Choudhury and Calaya Michelle Stallworth uses and abuses to establish the concept that everyone in this universe, dead or alive, is not completely one thing or another. Not even Ofelia's memory is kept intact throughout the episode when Tracy reminds us that she tried to poison Troy's camp.

In other words, instead of inventing new trends, the showrunners only need to revert to the heart of the series to create good episodes, working slowly with the shades of gray of the morality of the old characters and starting to deal with the closure of arcs, as they rehearse here with Alicia's legacy. Hopefully, the qualitative seesaw will end, and the final two episodes will be well used to bring the original cast to a conclusion as satisfactory as it is closed, without inventing to leave loose ends to be resolved in more future spin-offs.

Fear the Walking Dead: Sanctuary (2023) Season 8, Episode 9

This episode breaks the rhythm of the season, a regression from where Sherry and Dwight had stopped in the 6th episode, but now they seem to be together again

[6/10 · 4 May 2024]

After the surprising eighth episode, it seems that Fear the Walking Dead regretted delivering something minimally good and decided to return to the standard mediocrity of this current season. Despite its questionable quality, this episode managed to handle a specific issue well (at least at the beginning); the accumulated traumas of Dwight (Austin Amelio) and the weight of his past. The first ten minutes of this episode are very good and easily the best thing about it, as it effectively addresses all the burden on the character. How traumatizing is the loss of a child? How difficult is it to live with terrible decisions from the past that cost lives? The episode starts by exploring these questions, but then it gives them up for a silly "nostalgia."

At first, we see Dwight finally confronting his past, and through his pain, we understand the weight of all this accumulation on him. Returning to his old house seemed to be seeking comfort and stability, but he realizes that the more he delves into the past, the greater the wounds that will be opened. Austin Amelio's performance shines in these early minutes, portraying all the physical and mental strain, the vulnerabilities, and the depression the character is experiencing are conveyed through his physicality, voice intonation, and expressive eyes, perhaps being the actor's peak throughout his character's history.

However, all of this is thrown away, all this buildup is discarded because after Jay's (Jack Mikesell) death, we have the return of June (Jenna Elfman), Sherry (Christine Evangelista), and Dove (Jayla Walton), and these three characters take away all the dramatic weight that was being well-built in Dwight. It's as if the episode didn't want to give him protagonism and desperately needed to fit more characters into the plot. This episode needed to be a unique journey for Dwight and Sherry, to conclude these open arcs of the couple and give them a worthy conclusion, especially after so many traumas and sufferings. June and Dove's presence not only takes up more screen time than necessary but also leads to a dragged-out and forced plot for the episode. This bloating in the story sidelines the character study that could have been very successful.

Having an episode focused on a character from the main series, where he revisits a place from his past to confront his demons and end a cycle in his life, is the perfect description for the 4th and this 9th episode. A replica of what was already done in the same season, but worse and not working as well as the first time. If in "King County," the narrative paused the main plot to tie up loose ends for Morgan (Lennie James), there was a justification and a final result that justified this delay in the story, as the final feeling was that Morgan's journey with his family had truly concluded. Unlike here, which appears to be just another adventure and a call to nostalgia to please the less demanding fans. It's undeniable that seeing the Sanctuary destroyed and in pieces after so long is cool, but now the question remains, is this nostalgic factor enough to sustain an entire episode? Especially one of the final episodes of a series that lasted 8 years.

The maternal plotline between June and Dove doesn't work and only serves to drag the episode further. Moreover, Dove, in this episode, only serves to occupy screen time and irritate viewers with every sentence she utters. The actress tries to make the character's fears and doubts plausible, but the writing is so weak that it makes her seem clueless in the end. If the character is so afraid of death and the PADRE base is where she feels most comfortable, why on earth did she decide to go on a mission alone to face an unknown group in an unknown place? It's decisions like these that make the episode disagreeable as a whole, how annoying these rushed decisions and narrative changes are, destroying the potential that the episode presented in its introduction. Additionally, once again, we have dumb antagonists who die easily, even after more than a decade surviving in this world. The group now residing in the Sanctuary seems to be derived from the PADRE soldiers in the first part of the season, they are so dumb, beyond caricature, with the most trivial motivations possible. The conclusion these "antagonists" receive is laughable and makes no sense. They literally infiltrate the middle of a zombie horde to die, in one of the most embarrassing scenes of the season.

This episode breaks the rhythm of the final episodes by introducing a core story that leads from point "B" to point "A," in other words, a regression from where Sherry and Dwight had stopped in the 6th episode, but now they seem to be together again. Austin Amelio delivers the best performance within the character, but his effort deserved much more than this accumulation of mediocrities that was this chapter. This episode is a true filler and ultimately serves no purpose within this end of the season and series. When watched, the impressions don't seem so bad, but when analyzed with a little care and considering the point at which the season is, this episode becomes a true house of cards. In the end, the only scene that makes the story "move" is the entire final segment involving Strand (Colman Domingo) and Tracy Otto (Antonella Rose). Victor seems to have found and captured Troy's daughter (Daniel Sharman), something the episode doesn't show or bother to explain, but instead of exploring this, it focuses on the relationship that no one cares about between June and Dove. This ending will be the only usefulness of this episode in the midst of this final batch.

Fear the Walking Dead: Iron Tiger (2023) Season 8, Episode 8

The episode effectively explores the actions and consequences theme, something basic but seemingly abandoned by the series for some time, as few actions had consequences

[6/10 · 4 May 2024]

In search of gas, Daniel, Strand and Madison are reunited with Luciana and Charlie who was cured of her illness by PADRE. After being captured by PADRE, Luciana had agreed to refine oil for them in exchange for the use of PADRE's resources to help other survivors across the country and for the release of Daniel whom PADRE had intended to kill. Charlie confesses to an enraged Madison that she was the one to murder Nick, causing Madison to blame her choices for the deaths of her children. Madison demands that Charlie use her skills to assassinate Troy, but relents and forgives the girl after discovering that Charlie had Nick's body dug up and cremated, leaving Nick's ashes for his mother.

However, Charlie is captured by Troy who demands the location of PADRE in exchange for Charlie's release. In the chaos of an explosion that she set, Charlie breaks free and commits suicide, sacrificing herself to protect PADRE. Madison briefly helps Troy to search for his missing daughter Tracy, learning that he was cutting off the arms of walkers to mess with her and that Troy blames Madison for the death of Tracy's mother, something that Madison has no knowledge of. The death of Charlie causes Luciana and Daniel to turn against Madison, and Daniel leaves to be with Luciana. Realizing that they're right, Madison leaves PADRE in Strand's care and goes off on her own.

After several episodes of absence, Luciana (Danay Garcia) is finally back with a fresh twist. Luciana's journey in Fear the Walking Dead is both sad and intriguing. Introduced in the middle of the second season as one of the series' most "Bad*ss" characters, she exuded leadership and bravery. However, over the seasons, she drastically lost this edge, becoming a character who was the opposite of her initial portrayal.

After Nick's (Frank Dillane) death, Luciana had the potential to grow and develop further. Instead, the writers sidelined her, reducing her to a background character. Declining since the fifth season, culminating in the seventh where she became practically useless, Luciana now returns prominently, becoming the focus of an episode for the first time. The writers attempted to revive her character in this episode, restoring her as a leader and bringing back the brutal edge she had in the second season. While this was a good idea and it works, it's lamentable that the character had to wait until the series' end to receive the spotlight she deserved.

Bringing Charlie back also served to conclude an arc and canonize an anticipated event, the showdown between Charlie and Madison (Kim Dickens), and the revelation about Nick's death. This episode finally delivers on these storylines, and it is satisfying in terms of their development and conclusion. This showdown had always had the potential to trigger something significant and definitive, which may explain why Charlie was absent for the entire first part of the season; once she appeared, this storyline had to be resolved. With Madison absent, Charlie was able to evolve over the seasons and become one of the main characters of the series. When we finally see this showdown, we as viewers are torn. We feel Madison's grief but also understand Charlie's evolution and redemption, a point that has been well-developed in this second phase of the series.

If the impression before was that Troy had returned stronger than ever and seeking revenge, this episode gives him more depth and a motivation beyond what was previously established. Now, he has a daughter, and his quest for vengeance against Madison is not for his father and brother (whom he clearly didn't care much about) but for his daughter's mother. Seeing him lose his composure and all his imposing demeanor upon discovering his daughter had disappeared humanizes him and puts him in parallel with Madison. Now, we know that Troy is just a mirror image of his enemy, with the same motivations and objectives, but fighting on the other side.

Like the previous episode, the climax of this chapter is in the third act and the decisions made. Charlie's death was one of the most impactful scenes of the entire series. Depicting suicide is always delicate and dangerous, but here, credit must be given to Heather Cappiello, who directed this episode. In this segment, she focused on showing only what was necessary and creating an impact, even with so little shown. Portraying the suicide of a teenager in the way it was done could have gone very wrong, overstepping boundaries and making the scene problematic. However, fortunately, this is not the case. Similar to the approach in Season 9, Episode 14 of the main series, where the execution of children was carefully avoided, the decision to show Charlie's death in the background was a smart choice. Additionally, Charlie's death carries significant narrative weight and leads to irreparable consequences for the characters.

One of the best-developed aspects of the episode and the season is how the series portrays Madison as a character full of flaws who constantly makes questionable decisions. While in the early seasons, she had a protective matriarch vibe, here she is given a new role, becoming a leader who consistently fails and is driven by emotions. Surprisingly, this is not a negative point. By addressing the consequences of her actions, the series adds depth to the character. Madison's rash decisions led to Charlie's death and the group's disbandment, leaving a scar on Daniel (Rubén Blades) that he could never forgive. Furthermore, this tragedy gave him a development that had been lacking for a while. The episode effectively explores the actions and consequences theme, something basic but seemingly abandoned by the series for some time, as few actions had consequences for the characters. This is crucial for the plot's evolution and essential for adding depth to the narrative. Perhaps this was the best-executed aspect of this script: how each action, both past and present, is generating consequences and influence over these characters. If this approach continues in the final episodes, the series has the potential to deliver a worthy and memorable ending.

Fear the Walking Dead: Anton (2023) Season 8, Episode 7

The series seems to be trying to return to its roots, but it is making questionable and risky decisions that could lead to either success or a catastrophic end for the series

[6/10 · 4 May 2024]

On the run from a hostile group, Madison takes shelter in a friendly hotel community run by Victor Strand who is now going by the name Anton, has adopted a son named Klaus, with his husband Frank, and hides his past. When the other group comes searching for Madison, frightened of his past coming back to haunt him, Strand tries to turn her over to them, but Klaus helps Madison to escape and convinces his father to help. Hiding from a herd, Strand explains that after leaving Texas, he and several others washed up in Georgia, but they rejected his help due to Strand's tyrannical past, leading to their deaths of starvation. Remorseful for his actions and wanting to live up to Alicia's request to become a better man, Strand reinvented himself as Anton, the man that he wants to be.

Madison, Strand and his people are captured by the hostile group who are revealed to be led, much to Madison and Strand's shock, by Troy Otto who had supposedly died several years ago at Madison's hands. Having survived blinded in one eye, Troy seeks revenge on Madison and to take PADRE for his people, exposing Madison and Strand's secrets to Strand's people. Before Troy can harm anyone, the group is rescued by Daniel, June, Sherry and several others and Madison takes Strand's people back to PADRE. Before they leave, Troy claims to have killed Alicia Clark and left her to reanimate, providing Madison with Alicia's prosthetic arm as proof of his claims.

"Fear the Walking Dead" Season 8, Episode 7, titled "Anton," marks the return of Victor Strand (Colman Domingo) after being absent for the first part of the season. This decision initially seems correct, as Strand is one of the most beloved and also one of the most hated characters in the series. When he became the main villain in the seventh season, the show seemed to pigeonhole him into repetitive storylines. However, this break from the character was a wise decision, as it allowed the audience to reset their feelings towards him.

In this episode, we discover that during the decade between the seventh and eighth seasons, Victor has formed a new family, which has changed him completely. However, the series once again fails to effectively develop Strand's romantic relationships. Despite being an openly gay character, his romantic arcs have lacked chemistry and depth since his sexuality was revealed in the second season. However, this time there is a new element, as Victor is not only a husband but also the adoptive father of his spouse's child, which could add layers to his character and deepen his relationships.

The second part of the season seems to return to the roots of "Fear the Walking Dead," focusing on the original characters from the early seasons. One of the indicators of this return is the re-emergence of Madison (Kim Dickens) as the protagonist, who had previously shared the spotlight with Morgan in the first six episodes. The season appears to adopt the same format as the fourth year of the series, with essentially two seasons in one. However, starting this second part with a similar story to the beginning of the first is lazy writing. The episode also fails to develop the new characters introduced, taking too long to make Strand interesting again.

Directed by Danay Garcia, who portrays Luciana and makes her directorial debut, the episode's direction is minimally basic. While there are some interesting camera shots and tense moments, the direction of the actors and action scenes falls short. Despite bringing a hint of novelty, the episode feels like a copy of the first, lacking in originality. It does not irritate or annoy like many episodes from the first part, but it also does not stand out. The series seems to be trying to return to its roots, but it is making questionable and risky decisions that could lead to either success or a catastrophic end for the series. The season continues to be of mediocre quality, with this episode being one of the better ones so far, but that is not saying much given the questionable quality of the rest. The upcoming five episodes will be crucial for the series to conclude decently and not squander its few good ideas, as it has had its share of ups and downs.

Fear the Walking Dead: All I See Is Red (2023) Season 8, Episode 6

The episode manages to disappoint in almost everything, not because it fails to deliver what it promised, as it does deliver the end of an arc and the farewell of a character

[5/10 · 3 May 2024]

Having all the expectations of a decisive mid-season episode, "All I See Is Red" manages to disappoint in almost everything, not because it fails to deliver what it promised, as it does deliver the end of an arc and the farewell of a character, but it does so in such a bad way that it becomes infuriating. In addition to the problems present in episode 3 that return with force here, such as PADRE becoming bunglers and being easily ambushed, as well as the exclusion of scenes that would be essential to understand how the conflicts occurred. An example is the scene where Daniel suddenly appears and surprises PADRE's soldiers, and the scene cuts to them opening fire and gaining control of the situation. However, when we return to this core, Daniel's group is subdued, and it is never shown how they lost that battle.

Another extremely negative point is that, as it is a mid-season episode, in theory, it should be epic and decisive. But the feeling while watching the episode is that many things were procrastinated, and when it got here, they had to solve everything and wrap up these plots in less than 50 minutes. In the end, what we had is a true Frankenstein of an episode. The entire aforementioned conflict between Daniel's group and PADRE's soldiers seems to have been filmed at the last minute and without a script, just to add action to the episode, as it lacks a comprehensible geography in these scenes. Besides, the whole initial sequence of Madison reuniting with Morgan and both going after the horde trapped in PADRE's containers seems very rushed, and the episode's confusing editing fails to explain what happened there.

The episode also tries to give Madison a role in this plot, but the impression given is that she is just lost and thrown in the middle of it all. The same must be said of Daniel and especially June, who appears very little in this episode, and all her scenes, except for the dialogue with Dwight, are completely thrown away and useless. As if it were not enough to just finish the PADRE plot, the episode also tries to conclude and give a purpose to that horde of zombies, a conclusion to this poorly developed plot about the cure, which here simply stopped working, and they did not even bother to explain why, besides inventing the conclusion of the arc involving Morgan and Mo. Unfortunately, the episode fails to conclude almost any of them acceptably.

In the end, the "big villains" of the season are laughable. Two young people who lost their father and created the most clumsy strategy after this trauma. Maya Eshet, who played Shrike in these episodes, tries to create an interesting villain, but the text is so poor and empty that it was not possible to do much. On the other hand, Daniel Rashid, who played Ben, is one of the worst actors who has ever been through these series, without charisma, with such a bad performance that when he needs to convey drama or impose himself, he becomes laughable. In general, we can say that this plot involving the new villains, despite being short, quickly became saturated, besides not containing good development or a good story, as PADRE is nothing more than everything we have seen before, but worse. The resolution of these villains is the same as their development: empty and unexciting.

Probably one of the few things well-worked in this season is the story of Dwight and Sherry, and it is really sad to remember how difficult and painful this couple's journey was. Going from problems and conflicts with Negan and the Saviors in The Walking Dead to all the conflicts here in Fear. And at the end of this episode, they have to deal with the loss of Finch, their son with whom they could never enjoy a real family relationship, and who, when they finally do, is infected and killed shortly after.

The scene where they bury Finch is sad and heavy, besides carrying a very strong dramatic weight. Much of this merit comes from the actors who dedicated themselves a lot to their characters, even more than this series deserves, surpassing the terrible script and making something out of nothing. As if all the pain and difficulty were not enough, in the end, the two cannot even stay together and separate to each follow their own path, even after all the work they had to reunite. Dwight and Sherry's journey is one of the saddest in The Walking Dead Universe, and they are certainly two of the characters who have suffered the most in this world.

At the end of this episode, we have what seems to be Morgan's farewell from Fear the Walking Dead, a character who took over the series' protagonist in the middle of the fourth season. The episode ends with a tone of farewell and prepares the character's return to Alexandria, which, let's face it, he should never have left. He leaves Madison and the entire group that was like a family to him for years and sets off with Mo, beginning his search for Rick Grimes. In the end, the episode sets up a possible reunion between the two, which would be a great fan service since the chemistry between the two characters was one of the highlights and focuses of the main series' 6th season. Morgan's final scene ends up being the best of the episode, as he once again revisits a place that was fundamental to his journey. This time in the region where he lived and buried Eastman, a character who was fundamental in his psychological restructuring, and also the same place where he decides to bury Grace. Just like at the end of episode 4, once again, Morgan says goodbye to his past.

The season, which was average until now, suffers a big overall drop with this disastrous episode. A season that promised to fix the mistakes of the previous one, but repeated many of them. The last hope is that the final episodes have good plots and can steer the series towards a minimally decent ending, since now, in this second part, we will have the return of Strand and Luciana, two of the series' veteran characters, in addition to the probable return of Troy. And it gives us to understand that these final episodes will focus on the veteran characters and that they may have a similar feel to the series' first phase, its best, for sure.

Fear the Walking Dead: More Time Than You Know (2023) Season 8, Episode 5

Even being a med*ocre episode, it still gives a sense of progression and provides a dignified and surprising end for one of its main characters

[5/10 · 3 May 2024]

Let's talk about the negatives and the countless inconsistencies of the episode. One issue that has been worsening and making the whole PADRE plot silly and comical is the characters' ease and lack of difficulty in either surrendering to or defeating the group members. This has become increasingly annoying and comedic, but in a bad way. The scene where Mo manages to throw herself to the side of a soldier's gun and then Dwight and Morgan easily subdue them is pathetic and seems like it was directed by a ten-year-old. The lack of care from the writers and directors in crafting action scenes and in building the villains' danger becomes really evident.

Apart from the poor handling of action scenes for much of the episode, it is also full of terrible, cringeworthy dialogues that border on secondhand embarrassment. The final scene's dialogues between Mo and Grace are genuinely good and emotional, as are the ones she has with Morgan before leaving him. However, the dialogues in the scene where Mo is trying to pass through PADRE's "Young Soldiers" are embarrassing. The character tries to deliver an emotional speech, but it is so poorly written that it evokes nothing but shame. Moreover, regarding this character, the episode manages to break any empathy the audience could feel for her, turning her into a truly annoying child. All the events that happen to her throughout the plot should serve as a point of growth for the character, but in the end, she simply regresses, making her whole journey pointless. All the dialogues and scenes she had with her mother before she died should serve as a stepping stone for the character to grow and evolve, but the script simply ignores all of this in an attempt to generate more conflicts, which is a very questionable decision that makes no sense within the character's arc that has been built in this final season.

Besides the various forced inconsistencies surrounding the character, throughout the season, the series works on Mo's lack of knowledge about some things and objects that were common in the normal world but are practically non-existent in a post-apocalyptic world, like the kiss in the previous episode and the phone in this one. The character not knowing about these seems acceptable for the script, but her ability to handle and recognize limited-access medical devices does not seem like a problem. In fact, the scene of her being able to use the medical equipment without any difficulty and apply the radiation to Grace, only with June's help, is ridiculously forced.

Since her introduction in the 5th season, Grace, despite being a good character with a good interpreter, has always been trapped in repetitive arcs and plots, and when they did not happen, she was sidelined, as was the case for much of the 7th season. Her plots really boiled down to her precarious health with the growing cancer in her body, and her trauma involving loss and motherhood. The character has been present in four of the eight seasons of the series, but her plots were only these, which is really a considerable waste. Grace's death was shocking and, at the same time, unpredictable, since a few episodes ago, a probable functional cure for zombie bite infection had been established. Just like Finch's fate, the episode builds tension around Grace's survival. Throughout the plot, the episode slowly bids farewell to the character until it reaches the fateful moment of her death, which, despite being sad, becomes fundamental to the story. The scenes where she says goodbye to Morgan are good and have a necessary dramatic weight for them to work. However, the most emotional one is certainly the montage of Grace and Mo's farewell, where scenes from the present and past are interspersed, telling the whole trajectory of the character through her perspective and narration, to the background of a melancholic soundtrack. This, certainly, is the most emotional scene of the character in the series, surpassing the ending of "In Dreams" in the 6th season.

Even more concerning are the narrative inconsistencies and the character arcs, as what irritates and disappoints the most is the dismissal of all the character arc construction around Mo, who even after everything she went through and experienced in this episode, ends up returning to PADRE in the end. Even though she was the character who, in the last two episodes, was willing to do anything to destroy it and defeat Shrike. In the end, it feels like the script is more concerned with creating cheap conflicts than with maintaining coherence with what has been established in each episode.

The whole PADRE arc, despite being recent and having few episodes, is already more than saturated. The series does not seem to take it as seriously as it should, and all the development around the group and its theme seems tired and repetitive. All that remains is to wait and see if this plot will conclude in the next episode or if it will be extended to the second part of the season. The season is still reasonable despite everything, not as bad as the previous one, but far from reaching the peak that this series has already delivered. Even being a med*ocre episode, it still gives a sense of progression with the story, besides preparing an interesting hook for the next one, and, despite everything, provides a dignified and surprising end for one of its main characters.

Fear the Walking Dead: King County (2023) Season 8, Episode 4

Revisiting King County brings back dark memories and triggers the most questionable part of his sanity in Morgan

[6/10 · 3 May 2024]

Morgan returns to King County, Georgia on a quest to put down his zombified son, Duane. Grace and Mo follow him, as well as Dwight and Sherry, who were forced into hunting Morgan by Shrike. Morgan reveals his wife, Jenny, bit Duane after he couldn't bring himself to put her down when he had the chance. Morgan and Grace are eventually captured and forced to show Shrike's forces that they are telling the truth about Morgan's mission, but they find no sign of Duane. Dwight and Sherry kill the guards with them, unwilling to allow Morgan to be executed, and help Finch escape from Shrike's captivity.

Left alone, Grace confesses to Morgan that she is terminally ill from radiation sickness. While trying to escape from Morgan's burning house, Mo discovers her father chained up Duane in the attic years before during his period of insanity. With Mo in danger, Morgan is finally able to shoot Duane with the gun that Rick Grimes had left for him and buries Jenny and Duane's bodies. Shortly thereafter, a walker bites Grace, and Morgan vows to get her to June for help.

Recently, we've seen various works that rely on nostalgia to elicit emotions from the audience but fail to use it to enrich the screenplay as a whole. Fortunately, this is not the case with "King County," the fourth episode of the 8th and final season of "Fear the Walking Dead." It wouldn't be absurd to consider this one of the best episodes of the entire spin-off because what we find here is not an episode of "Fear the Walking Dead," but rather an episode of "The Walking Dead." After a third episode full of errors and inconsistencies, the series gifts us with a nostalgic fourth episode that simultaneously advances the story and concludes character arcs that started more than a decade ago.

One of the most forced aspects of the entire episode is the ease with which characters know where Morgan (Lennie James) is headed. The episode attempts to explain this inconsistency, but the justification is hardly plausible and makes it seem like the characters know his location just because the script needs them there at that moment. The episode features very well-written text rich in its most minimalist details and boasts highly competent direction. However, the scene where Finch (Gavin Warren) attacks Shrike (Maya Eshet) with a chair and easily escapes from the PADRE base seems extremely poorly conducted.

Additionally, it highlights an escalating problem with each episode: PADRE are the most foolish villains in the entire franchise. It is remarkable how easily characters escape the base or confront their "soldiers." As seen in the first and third episodes of the season, where Madison (Kim Dickens) and Mo (Zoey Merchant) leave PADRE's fortress with absurd ease, or how Daniel (Rubén Blades) manages to ambush and capture members of the group without any difficulty. These issues related to the group's incapability and how easy it becomes to subdue them removes all tension, mystery, and danger around them, making these new villains, instead of being threatening, laughable.

Revisiting this iconic setting from the first season of the main series brings back to this universe a taste of the sensation this work caused at the beginning, besides making us reflect on everything that happened to these characters over time. Revisiting the house where Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Morgan hid from zombies in the first episode of this universe reminds us and makes us rethink the entire journey these two characters had over the years, and reflect on who they were and who they have become. When the episode explores these settings, which were very well recreated by the way, it constantly makes us reflect and use this narrative mirror. This goes from the evolution of the characters to the entire work of scenery deterioration. How dead and destroyed this world is and how much humanity these characters have lost over the years.

Revisiting King County brings back dark memories and triggers the most questionable part of his sanity in the character. Then, he finds himself in a situation where he needs to gather strength to move forward or let his past literally kill his future, as in the scene where Morgan needs to shoot Duane to save Mo. This is not just a scene that shows the character managed to confront his "ghosts," but also a scene that shows he gave up his past, in this case his son, to dedicate himself to the future. The scene shows that he finally managed to detach from his old family so that he could live his new life.

Besides the hallucinations he has with his ex-wife Jenny (Keisha Tillis), which appear every time he needs to make a crucial decision. When he finally manages to ignore her, he sets aside his dead wife to care for and save his current wife, Grace (Karen David), who is dying. After ignoring Jenny and finally ending Duane, Morgan manages not only to let go of his past but also to commit to the future. And the scene that cements this character transition is when he buries his ex-wife and son, where he seals his past and places a white flower on their graves, symbolizing forgiveness and peace. "Forgiveness," as he says in front of their grave, and Peace symbolizes his current state of finally having managed to detach from his past. The white flower may also represent the character's passage to a new life and a new journey that lies ahead. These scenes are symbolic, and the text is very rich in finally putting an end to this story. In the end, what is conveyed is a feeling of conclusion, not only of a character arc but also of a cycle.

Fear the Walking Dead: Odessa (2023) Season 8, Episode 3

All the mystery surrounding this group and who was behind it, which had been built up since the end of the previous season, is broken in a ridicul*us way

[5/10 · 3 May 2024]

When it was announced, "Fear" was marketed as a series that would address the beginnings of the apocalypse within the universe of "The Walking Dead," and one of the main things fans expected to see was the origin of the virus and the potential cure. However, as the seasons progressed, the series strayed from this concept and shifted its focus more towards survival.

Over the years, "Fear" significantly lost its audience. At its launch, the series had achieved a record viewership worldwide, even surpassing the main series and the more recent "The Last Of Us." However, due to the questionable quality presented over the seasons, the audience gradually abandoned the series, leading up to this 8th and final season. In essence, it took the series about eight years to answer a question, and it chose its worst phase to do so, as the main series, which carried the highest viewership in this universe, has ended, and the viewership of this spin-off is the lowest of all. Thus, they answered a question that few will know the answer to and that will not affect the main series, since it has already concluded.

Besides these issues, the idea that a cure was discovered by a nurse who isn't a scientist, and with a group that lacks half the resources of a CRM (Civic Republic Military) or Commonwealth, is a huge and forced convenience. Moreover, if this cure is not addressed in upcoming spin-offs, all of this will have been in vain.

A positive aspect highlighted in other episodes was the fact that the season had fewer episodes, which helped the plot to have more substance and pace, something this chapter seems to have failed to capitalize on. Many of the scenes seem disjointed and unresolved, as if during editing many were cut. For example, the scene where Mo (Zoe Merchant) and Dove (Jayla Walton) suddenly find themselves walking in the forest and investigating the schemes of PADRE, and how they got there and why they decided to investigate, especially Dove, who in previous episodes seemed satisfied with PADRE's actions, remain unanswered during the episode.

Additionally, the poor handling of the time passage between the previous episode and this one, which seems to be a direct continuation but simultaneously states it takes place a few days later, makes the episode quite confusing.

The reunion of these two major characters was a huge disappointment and a waste of potential; the episode does not sufficiently explore their relationship, something that could be better explored in future chapters and has great potential, but "Odessa" squanders this golden opportunity for much of the time. Fortunately, this episode saw the return of one of the best and most beloved characters of the series, Daniel Salazar (Rubén Blades). A character who has been winning over audiences since the first season, and rightfully so, as the actor is always very charismatic and his Panamanian accent adds even more charm to the character.

Moving from one of the episode's positives to one of its major negatives, we encounter a series of unnecessary suspenseful elements that the episode introduces. One of them is the entire mystery behind the character Dove, who had until then been very underexplored, resulting in a lack of connection between the character and the audience.

The episode creates situations to place her in specific locations at exact moments, and from there, it generates clumsy suspense around the character's parentage. The episode thinks it's developing an interesting plot for the character by putting her in conflict with everyone in search of her true identity and origin, but it fails because it executes this idea in such a weak and generic manner.

Another poor reveal in the episode concerns the identity of PADRE. All the mystery surrounding this group and who was behind it, which had been built up since the end of the previous season, is broken in a ridicul*us way. This third chapter is filled with flashbacks that serve to explain the origin of this group, and it could not have been more cliché. The episode tries to deceive us by working with the idea that the man leading PADRE might be Krennick (Michael B. Silver), the father of Shrike-Sam (Maya Eshet). But we later discover that Krennick died trying to save his children Sam and Ben (Daniel Rashid), and that the mysterious man behind PADRE is Ben, and that he and his sister developed and shaped what PADRE would become. All the flashbacks serve to deceive us and briefly tell the story of PADRE, but this is shattered by a terrible revelation that diminishes the merits of this group and their level of threat, because discovering that the great mysterious leader is nothing more than a teenager pretending to be someone he is not, completely nullifies the mystery and threat that had been built up around this group.

"Odessa" is by far the worst episode of the season so far. It has the weakest script, the worst editing, and technical work. It is filled with events that, instead of enhancing the story, diminish it, destroying some of the good ideas that had been built up until then. Episodes like this, with such empty and clichéd stories, led to the downfall of "Fear the Walking Dead." But despite some flaws, the episode still moves the story forward and maintains the season's fast pace, giving us hope that this arc around PADRE might be concluded in this first part of the season, leaving room for the last six episodes of the series to tackle a new plot. We just have to wait and see if the next three episodes will conclude this arc in a worthy or forgettable manner. The season suffers a significant drop in quality overall with this episode, but the hope for a good season and good episodes still persists, depending on whether the next ones are as good as the first two or as bad as this third one.

Fear the Walking Dead: Blue Jay (2023) Season 8, Episode 2

The episode develops June and how she was in last years, and certainly, the most striking point of the episode is the fact that it addressed the idea of a cure

[6/10 · 3 May 2024]

June, living alone in the wilderness, attacks PADRE Collectors and cuts off their trigger fingers. She meets a desperate father, Adrian, who is searching for his daughter, Hannah. During an ambush, June discovers Dwight, Sherry and their son Finch, who has appendicitis and needs surgery. June reluctantly agrees to help and takes them to an abandoned lab. Joined by Adrian, June admits she performed experiments with radiation to find a cure to bite infections after having deduced that Alicia had survived due to her previous exposure. However, the radiation levels were fatal to her test subjects, causing June to abandon her research. After finding Hannah amongst the test subjects, a devastated Adrian allows himself to be devoured rather than live without her.

June saves Finch and decides to flee PADRE with Dwight and Sherry. They are caught by Shrike, who cuts off June's trigger finger and has Finch bitten by an undead Adrian in order to motivate June to resume working on a cure. Elsewhere, Morgan admits his guilt over something he didn't do in his past is holding him back in his relationship with Mo. Madison helps Morgan escape, remaining behind and ordering him to go fix whatever it is.

"Blue Jay" seeks to distance itself from the tendencies of the previous episode. While "Remember What They Took From You" featured a more fast-paced narrative and was filled with events, "Blue Jay" takes the opposite approach and focuses on a more contained and closed story. What might initially seem like a negative point for breaking the season's rhythm turns out to be a significant success.

The episode begins with a beautiful sequence of scenes where much is shown and little (basically nothing) is spoken. The scene contains no dialogue, just ambient sounds, and displays the daily life of June (Jenna Elfman). It's worth noting the changes in the appearance of this character, who seems to have received more attention from the production, as one of the biggest criticisms regarding the previous episode is the lack of visual changes in the characters after a seven-year time jump. June looks completely different from the last time we saw her, and the changes involve not only her appearance but also her personality and psychology.

The character appears to be tormented by a kind of trauma and internal conflicts, and this is exposed in the episode in a way that isn't gratuitous. Jenna Elfman conveys all these emotions and feelings with the finest details of her exquisite performance in this episode, whether through her body language that seems rougher and more aggressive yet still retains the essence of the person she once was, or through her gazes and facial expressions that tell us everything the character seems to be feeling without the need for expository dialogue.

The episode well handles the mystery surrounding the character and what might have happened to her during these seven years. This agonizing mystery is fueled through the actions the character takes in refusing to help a father who wants to find his daughter, something the character would never do in the past, considering June has always been portrayed as a good and humanitarian person. Not only this act of negligence says a lot about what the character has become, but how she faces and conflicts with herself in a simple scene where the character is sitting thinking about all this. These small details of acting enhance June and show a great effort and dedication by Jenna, who over the seasons has proven to be one of the best (if not the best) actresses in the entire series, and who has won the hearts of fans with this rich and complex character.

In addition to featuring an exquisite performance that carries and highlights the episode as a whole, "Blue Jay" is also rich in technical successes, from its evolving soundtrack, which has been improving since the previous episode and becoming ever better, to the new image resolution aspect that gives a cinematic air to the series, including the editing and montage that, although slow, never make the episode feel massive or dragged, and the beautiful cinematography of the episode that maximizes its settings to extract the most beautiful shots. The entire setting of the abandoned train is technically meticulous from its exterior and especially its interior.

The episode's cinematography cleverly uses the nighttime setting and utilizes lights to further enrich its composition. All the external takes of the train showing that small horde of zombies slowly approaching are beautiful and brought a slight nostalgia for when the main series used more open environments to show the vastness of the zombies, something that was very well done in the second season of The Walking Dead, during the farm era.

The episode also boasts impeccable direction by Heather Cappiello, who here returns to direct her fifth chapter in the series and can be said to be the best among all she has directed. Not only for having extracted one of the best performances of Jenna Elfman in the entire series, but also in the competence and delicacy she possesses in scene management.

Certainly, the most striking point of the episode is the fact that it addressed the idea of a cure, but not just mentioning it as other series in this universe do, but also coming as close as possible to it actually existing. After Adrian learns about the whereabouts of his daughter, he threatens June and she reveals the details of the experiments that were conducted in that car. And all this was initiated due to events with Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) in the previous season, the idea that radiation might contain the zombie infection was what generated this whole series of experiments.

Throughout the explanation, June asserts that radiation can contain the infection, but the high level of it might end up harming the person even more. This is the first time we have an affirmation that it is possible to survive the zombie infection. This plot should be better developed in the upcoming episodes, however, it is worth mentioning that working on a theme like this, in this case, the cure, is entering a somewhat delicate territory. This part of the episode is not a negative point in itself, nor positive; everything will depend on how the season will work this idea in the upcoming episodes. If this turns out to be true and they do not know how to dose and make it credible, this will indeed be a huge negative point and a real problem for The Walking Dead Universe, as it is a plot that would encompass not only Fear but also all the other series.

Fear the Walking Dead: Remember What They Took from You (2023) Season 8, Episode 1

The episode once again serves as a kind of soft reboot for the series, which had completely lost its way after previous events

[5/10 · 3 May 2024]

Taken to PADRE, an island off the coast of Georgia, Morgan and Madison overpower several guards and rescue Mo. Seven years later, a suicidal Madison is imprisoned for her role in Mo's escape. Learning about Madison, a young girl named Wren attempts to enlist her help for training to take part in PADRE's future, but Madison discovers she is actually Mo, and has been brainwashed by PADRE. They escape the island and encounter Morgan, now working for PADRE, who believes that Mo is safer on the island. Morgan leads them to a houseboat in a walker-infested swamp, where Mo finds references to Morgan's past life.

Under attack by walkers, Morgan admits a similar attack seven years ago caused him to give Mo up to PADRE for her safety. Grace arrives and rescues the group, but Morgan and Grace reluctantly decide to turn Mo back over to PADRE. Now disillusioned with PADRE, Mo begs her parents to flee with her, but they refuse. Madison is taken back into custody, while Morgan is fired out of fear that he will eventually choose Mo over PADRE. Back on the island, Mo claims to have learned her lesson and resumes her training with newfound confidence.

The episode once again serves as a kind of soft reboot for the series, which had completely lost its way after previous events. This season opener consists of just an isolated, introductory episode. It does not promise to be grandiose at any moment, yet it masterfully fulfills what it promises for most of the time. Right from the start, we encounter something truly surprising within the realm of expectations for this episode. It begins exactly where the previous season left off, showing us the outcome of the boat scene from the seventh season, where Morgan Jones (Lennie James) and Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) are taken to PADRE. This initial scene isn't the big surprise, but rather everything that follows. After the episode's opening, we follow the story from the perspective of Mo (Zoey Merchant), after a time jump of seven years since the events of the first scene.

The idea of following this character as the protagonist of the episode is indeed a novelty, as we have never before followed this series through the viewpoint of a child. The episode delves into the daily life of the character within the fortress of PADRE, which is centered on an isolated island. The first ten minutes of the episode focus on immersing us within this new community and its doctrines. From the character's viewpoint, we begin to understand how the entire system around PADRE works and perhaps what her childhood within this fortress was like. Apparently, PADRE aims to invest in training children to become a sort of future soldiers. The daily regimen within this community is similar to that of specialized military training, from the method of educational teaching to the requirement of enhanced physical combat training. These initial minutes help situate us in the reality in which the character has been immersed over these seven years and also use this setting to make the viewer develop a certain empathy and connection with her. The episode is very successful in creating this identification with the character, because despite at times seeming somewhat irritating, it's possible to feel moved by and relate to her outrage. Zoey Merchant was a perfect choice to play the character, as if this role had fallen into the hands of a less experienced actress, perhaps the episode would not have worked as a whole. She is competent in conveying her emotions and frustrations, and despite almost bordering on cliché, the actress strives to maintain empathy and sell the emotions of her character.

We knew from the first announcements about the season that there would be a time jump that might align Fear's timeline with the main series. But surprisingly, the season addressed it within a few minutes, right after resolving the continuity from the previous season. One of the biggest problems with this episode is undoubtedly the amount of expository dialogue trying to explain the passage of time. Countless times the timeline is explained through dialogue, even after it had been very well established. The gratuitous repetition of these expository dialogues ends up making the script somewhat poorer, as it seems that the episode is failing to tell its story, which is not true, because after identifying the protagonist and the first dialogue passage explaining the seven years that have passed, the episode had explained the passage of time very well. The time jump also gave us a new look for Morgan, and the episode leaves open that many things have happened in the meantime and that the character has undergone changes in his personality and thinking. Now he seems somewhat more violent and hopeless, something that was very rare to see with him.

Without a doubt, the end of the previous season left us curious about this new group and community. And this start of the season explored well even how the whole doctrine of this group and their ways of life work. But PADRE is not such an original idea in Fear the Walking Dead. The idea of characters being trapped and separated by an entire community and forced to live a life they do not want has already been seen and explored a few times within the series. Like the entire 3rd season, where the characters live inside the Otto family's Ranch, and also in Virginia's communities in the 6th season. In the end, this idea presented in PADRE is indeed more of the same, however, it is worked on and explored in such a different way and on an even larger scale, that it makes it seem that the more of the same is something new and different. Initially, this is not a problem, but everything will depend on how this season unfolds and how this plot will develop and conclude, whether this plot will be a copy of two others we have already seen and that will just be "more and bigger," or if it will unfold in an unpredictable and surprising way, leaving this first impression aside.

Fear the Walking Dead: Amina (2022) Season 7, Episode 15

This episode attempts to offer closure to her character's arc but leaves several questions unanswered, making it feel incomplete and hurried

[5/10 · 2 May 2024]

"Fear the Walking Dead" season 7, episode 15, titled "Amina," is a poignant yet controversial installment in the series, marking a significant narrative shift and character exit. The episode revolves around Alicia Clark as she confronts her fate amidst the fallout of a devastated world. The narrative, driven by a mix of flashbacks and current struggles, weaves through Alicia's past and present, culminating in a crucial moment of self-discovery and resolution.

The episode begins with Alicia facing the consequences of her deteriorating health due to the bite she sustained. As her physical condition worsens, the narrative delves into her psyche, exploring her fears, hopes, and unresolved issues through encounters with both real and imagined figures. The titular character, Amina, appears as a masked young girl, representing a younger, more innocent version of Alicia. This visual metaphor serves to navigate through Alicia's journey, reflecting on her evolution and the burdens she carries.

Significant moments in this episode include a series of poignant flashbacks that highlight key events from Alicia's past, providing insights into her motivations and the pivotal experiences that shaped her. These flashbacks are juxtaposed with her current predicaments, creating a compelling narrative thread that examines the themes of legacy, survival, and personal transformation. The episode is particularly strong in its visual storytelling, using symbolic imagery and dream-like sequences to convey the emotional and psychological landscape of Alicia's mind.

The conclusion of "Amina" is bittersweet and somewhat divisive among fans. As Alicia decides to walk into the unknown, symbolically walking into a cloud of smoke, her departure from the series feels both abrupt and underwhelming. This episode attempts to offer closure to her character's arc but leaves several questions unanswered, making it feel incomplete and hurried. Despite its narrative shortcomings, the episode succeeds in delivering emotional depth and character introspection, framed by the hauntingly beautiful performance of Alycia Debnam-Carey. Ultimately, "Amina" is a reflective chapter that attempts to honor its character's journey, albeit not without its flaws.

Fear the Walking Dead: Gone (2022) Season 7, Episode 16

"Gone" is totally out of the ordinary when it comes to the seventh year, a giant catch-up race that they will have to fill from Madison's departure to her return here

[6/10 · 2 May 2024]

Morgan washes ashore in Louisiana, and is rescued from a posse by Madison Clark, who kidnaps Mo and turns her over to PADRE. Having survived the stadium fire with lung damage that requires her to use an oxygen tank, Madison was recruited by PADRE to kidnap children with the promise of helping her find Nick and Alicia in return; she eventually decided to forget them due to the acts she committed. After realizing who Madison is, Morgan lies that he can take her to her children if she leads him to Mo. Needing another baby to trade for Mo, Morgan and Madison convince Ava, a pregnant survivor, to take PADRE's offer of safety.

Morgan admits the truth about Nick and Alicia's fates to Madison, while it's revealed that Ava faked her pregnancy in order to get into PADRE and find her missing daughter. Morgan is forced to surrender Madison to the posse, who bury her in the sand to drown at high tide. Morgan rescues Madison before they discover that the posse has been killed by PADRE. Madison agrees to help Morgan rescue Mo. Posing as another Collector, Morgan offers the location of his group to PADRE, and he and Madison are blindfolded and taken to a ship for transport to PADRE.

"Gone" is totally out of the ordinary when it comes to the seventh year, no selective radiation in the air, nor saturated photography, nor taking off and putting on masks. It is actually a giant catch-up race that they will have to fill from Madison's departure to her return here.

Because to my surprise, Morgan and Madison work as a duo, even if it is necessary to accept the blatant change in the zen ninja's personality (yes, he has changed a lot when it comes to Strand, but putting a "pregnant" woman at risk is not like him), which would have been much more interesting to have seen back at the time of the crossover that stole the series' protagonism. But let's leave the past aside as Chambliss and Goldberg do in the script, which does not make much effort to justify Madison's survival (thankfully) other than flashbacks that are so confusing in their temporality, already showing the bias status of a baby-stealing villainess whose connection is with PADRE, just to say that nothing was so thoughtless during all this time.

For truth be told, there were fifteen episodes of pure endless dragging and stagnation that had no purpose other than to discard the huge cast in the most haphazard way possible (it's even funny to remember that in the middle of a radioactive apocalypse there was room for the CRM to appear) so that finally the reward is the return of an old character, taking away all the glamour from No One's Gone (yes, this is my exaggeration. So what?), holding back those who intended to flee the series.

And they succeed in a certain way, despite fostering the mystery about the season's MacGuffin for the next one, the mother kidnapper conflict works in terms of the acceptable margin that is written by the showrunners, corroborating Madison's "reckoning" with her past and in partnership with Morgan. So yes, there's some potential in this little scheme. Whether it will succeed is another story.

If Madison's return was rewarding, I say it was not. Just satisfactory compared to what came before, which was so horrible that it made me consider jumping ship numerous times whenever I heard the word PADRE, more than in the gruesome moments witnessed in the past. There is no hope for this series, dear sadomasochistic friends. That's why I'll continue. Confusing, isn't it?