Fear the Walking Dead has really grown on me. It has a lot of room to grow, but it’s getting there.
When the first six episodes aired last year, I was worried about how the slow pacing might impact the fans. These days, the expectation is that shows establish themselves quickly or face instant cancellation. Fortunately, AMC has a much difference approach to programming than the networks. They believe in The Walking Dead, and therefore they believe in Fear the Walking Dead.
Season 2 of Fear has been spent on the water. Anyone who watched The Walking Dead and asked why you couldn’t just get on a boat now has the answer to the question. The water is just as terrifying as land. Not only are there Water Walkers, but there are really freaky people on boats. The apocalypse has only just begun, and these people have already become Lord of the Flies on the open sea.
Madison has really stepped up this season. While Travis is still toeing the line between what life was like and what’s happening now, Madison is more firmly rooted in the present. She has embrace this new life because her family depends on it. In that sense, Daniel has become one of her allies, and even Strand has acknowledged her new way of thinking after she helped to defeat Connor and Reed.
Ofelia and Nick are probably the most realistic of the “kids.” They’re old enough to see what’s going on, and they accept the things that must be done. Alicia has (hopefully) learned her lesson after this debacle with Jack, while Chris hasn’t gotten over what happened to his mother. In this way, Chris is as dangerous as Carl was when he and Ron started butting heads in Alexandria. Chris won’t be able to move forward until he gets this chip off his shoulder. Both he and Alicia seem to be acting selfishly even in the face of everything happening all around them.
Strand and Daniel are very aware of what is happening around them. While they don’t necessarily understand it, they do understand that the world has changed and if you don’t adapt, it’s game over.
My main issue, which is something that has been voiced by many fans, is that despite the learning curve, and even though the apocalypse has just begun, these characters still feel extremely two-dimensional. When I think of where the Grimes Gang was after twelve episodes, it blows my mind that Fear came after TWD. However, it must be said that these characters are much more insulated aboard the Abigail than they would be on land. They still haven’t experienced the enormity of what’s going on. They still have hope that there is somewhere to go that is safe. Reality is going to set in very quickly…I think. We haven’t seen it in twelve episodes, so hopefully we start to see that realization setting in very soon.
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