Fear the Walking Dead 103 – Not Fade Away
By Bobby Doherty @thehorndogg

This week’s show starts off with everyone going through ‘normal’ type routines as Chris is documenting the military occupation and life behind the fence. We are now on day 9 since the lights went out. Chris while narrating his documentary catches a glimpse of something shiny from a far off house and he realizes someone is out there signaling for help.

We start to see what looks to be the new normal. The family waiting on the power to come on, Travis coming home from a run. Family bickering in the kitchen. Madison starts to complain to Travis about his role as man of the people and all the things she has to do around the house on her own.

Chris forces his father to look at the footage of the flashing. Travis just blows off Chris and tell him it’s just the sun catching a reflection and nothing else. While this is going on Nick is just hanging out in the pool and Madison confronts him about why he isn’t taking his medicine. That she doesn’t want Nick to relapse. Nick isn’t interested in taking the pills and he promises her he’s fine. Nick asks his mom if she’s alright. She just responds with ‘Enjoy your swim’.

Travis is now at the military outbrief of the safe zones. During the speech we learn that there are 12 safezones and that the people inside the fence are getting daily rations. Lt. Moyers will not give any real answers to the questions that they people have. He says that they should feel lucky they get to stay inside their house. He list the rules they must follow and makes an off beat joke about having to shoot the civilians if they disobey the rules that he has laid out.

Lt. Moyers ask Travis to speak with one of his neighbors Doug about his refusal of the medical screening required by everyone inside the fence. Travis wants to do whatever he can to work with the military to save the people. So he agrees to talk to this neighbor even though he really doesn’t know the guy.

Travis goes over to the man’s home, where everyone in the house is in hazmat suits, Doug is locked away in his bedroom. Travis goes and talks to him and find him scared in the bathroom. Travis coaches up Doug about what he needs to do to help his family. Travis’ motivational speech convinces Doug to leave the room and take the test.

Alicia’s now returning to the home with the family daily rations finds her mom painting the living room again with Chris. Earlier in the show Madison swears she still sees the blood stains and wanted it painted again. Alicia returns to Susan’s home where she pulls a picture off the wall that she drew for Susan when she was young. She then finds a note on night stand that remind her of her lost boyfriend.

We finally get our first look at Liza doing her nurse duties at a neighbors. Getting a man hooked up with a morphine drip for the night. Nick hears everyone leave the house and now we know why Nick isn’t taking his meds. He’s still getting high.

We find Ofelia who left earlier in the show trying to use her womanly ways to get more meds for her mom from what looks to be her new soldier boyfriend.

After some in car make up sex. Madison and Travis discuss what’s going on the chris’s video. That Madison believes that something is out there. Doug’s wife interrupts the conversation by pounding on the garage door. We find out Doug has disappeared. Travis assures the family that he will find Doug.

It’s sun rise of the next day. We find Travis out for the search for Doug. He finds the car abandoned at the fence line. While this is going on Madison is on the roof trying to make contact with the house on the hill from the video.

Travis is now talking with Lt Moyers about trying to find Doug. Doug was picked up in the night crying in his car and he is now at a government treatement facility. Travis tells Lt. Moyers that he could have notified the family, Moyers tells Travis that’s not his job but that’s Travis’ and then calls him ‘Mr. Mayor’. Travis then tells Moyer that his son saw something on the hill. Moyer says there’s nothing alive out there. The whole time the conversation is going on Moyers his hitting golf balls. As the shot scans back we see a bible verse on the fence Rev 21:4 -And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Liza goes back to check on her patient. We find a real doctor, Dr. Exner from the government. Dr. Exner questions Liza’s techniques and we find out Liza isn’t really a nurse. Dr. Exner doesn’t mind that she’s not a nurse that she wants to pretend longer.

We now see Madison sneaking out of the safe zone and making her way towards the house on the hill. During her journey we see a second mention of the Rev 21:4 this time on a missing persons wall. Madison finds dead bodies all over the streets and the military patrolling the streets with what looks like a shoot to kill patrol.

We cut now to Dr. Exner doing house calls. She examines Nick and Griselda and thinks it’s best for them to get treatment at the medical facility. It looks like they are going around rounding up the sick members of the community

Alicia is show giving herself a jailhouse tattoo of the design her boyfriend drew on her.

Madison comeback and tells Daniel that the bodies outside the fence look like they were healthy and just shot by the military. Daniel tells a story about his childhood where he found dead bodies by the river. The people that he found were people that the military swore would be fine. He tells Madison he is going to the government facility with his wife and if he never makes it back that she please take care of his daughter.

It is now nighttime and the military are now in the house taking the sick from the house. There are only two names on the list, Griselda and Nick. Daniel can’t accompany Griselda to the hospital. Liza is told she is needed at the hospital and jumps on the truck and mouths ‘I Love you’ to Chris who is looking out the window. Madison blames Liza for Nick being taken. As this show ends we have voice over reading a letter and Travis on the roof looking at the house on the hill seeing a different flash this time. A muzzle flash.

This week I give Fear a C+. I really want more to happen in the episodes especially with such a short season. We only have two more episodes to go and I’m not sure where this is going to end. If I had to guess its a prison break from the hospital and then the cliffhanger of now we are on the run. It’s starting to fall into the TWD pattern of all you really need to watch is the last 5 mins of the show and you can get what’s going on in the story. I really hope Travis seeing the muzzle flash at the end and the basic kidnapping of the sick from the safe zone changes the way he looks at everything. I also want more Rubén Blades he is by far my favorite character on the show.

Things I question about this episode:
Anyone else love them some Lou Reed?
If you only have power for part of the day are you really charging your hand held camera?
If Liza isn’t a nurse what the hell is she?
Did anyone else feel like we missed a lot with the sudden advancement in the time line?
Anyone else want more of Daniel (Ruben Blades)?