Title: Fear the Walking Dead: “Eye of the Beholder + The New Frontier”
Network: AMC
Air Date: June 4th, 2017
Genre: Serial Drama, Horror
SPOILER ALERT
Fear the Walking Dead returned tonight with its two-hour premiere episode and… whoah. I’ve said it leading up to this premiere but I’ll say it again, this season hits the ground running. Not only did we have a major character death, we were introduced to a new location and characters. The first hour also had a somewhat heavy political tone that goes along with some of the politics seen in the world today. It began with the military facility Nick had scouted out from season two and progressed to a hidden ranch in the mountains not far away. The second hour also had us check in on Victor Strand who is still currently at the Mexican hotel. As a fan of the Walking Dead Universe, I was not disappointed with this premiere at all.
If you follow entertainment news, you most likely have heard that Cliff Curtis, who plays Travis, has been cast as a lead in the next four Avatar films. Needless to say, I was expecting his time on Fear the Walking Dead to come to a close… but not this soon. His death really took me by surprise, especially after fighting off and killing all those infected in the opening hour. That to me was also one of the coolest moments in this premiere. A battle hardened Travis took out all those infected when the soldiers clearly thought he would be killed. I briefly thought he might be killed off there and Madison would eventually find him being eaten. The helicopter scene was also a little misleading because initially, I found myself thinking “Alright, well he could live from that right?” but then the big wound on his stomach was revealed.
If it hasn’t been apparent already, Madison has taken on the leadership role in Fear the Walking Dead. I love how fierce she has become as a character and the fact that she will do anything to protect her family. She’s not an evil person or looking to harm anyone but… when her family’s in danger a flip is switched. A particularly cringing scene is with Madison, a spoon and new character Troy Otto, played by Daniel Sherman. Madison also makes it very apparent that she will have no hesitation in killing anyone of this new group they meet if it comes to it.
As far as new characters go, the three main ones we’re introduced to are Troy, Jake, and Jeremiah. Jeremiah is played by Dayton Callie and the leader of the militia our group comes across. His shadowy figure was briefly seen in the season two finale when he confronted Ophelia after she made it through the border fence. Jake and Troy are brothers from another mother and the sons of Jeremiah. They are also polar opposites. We find out that Jake is part of an outfit sent to grab fuel from this military border facility. And Troy has a secret side operation going on in the lower levels of this facility. Foreigners and enemies alike seem to be rounded up and killed just for the purpose of seeing how long it takes for them to turn. Travis, Nick, and Luciana almost went out at the hands of Troy and his men.
Jake as I mentioned, is the polar opposite of his brother. He is reasonable, caring and generally wants to help. It is Jake after all who talked Madison out of removing Troy’s eye with a spoon and making sure her family remained safe. The premiere episode contained some tense scenes between these characters and it’s obvious they are going to be clashing all season. I found it hard to get a real gauge on Jeremiah just yet. There are a few moments where he comes across as reasonable and just generally seems concerned for the people in his care, but there are hints that there may be a mean streak.
We briefly saw Strand during the second hour of the premiere. While he was still holding up in the hotel, the lie of him being a doctor has ousted him. Thankfully, he did get to leave in style. What gets me about Strand is that he admits to having a place to go. It seems like Victor Strand has a backup plan to his backup plan. This guy has connections all over and I’m anxious to see where he ends up. With Strand still in Mexico, is makes me wonder if he’ll be the one to come across Daniel Salazar. I did enjoy the scene with Strand and Ilene in the hotel room. Ilene was the one who stabbed Strand way back in season two of Fear the Walking Dead and was banished to her room forever.
Fear the Walking Dead came out with a strong season two premiere and a major character death. I’m really excited to see where this season goes and how Madison and company’s time with the militia goes. Did you catch the premiere of Fear the Walking Dead? If so, what did you think? Were you expecting Travis to die so soon? Be sure to let us know in the comments below and check back next week for our all new review. Also, if you enjoy the shows on AMC, check out our preview article for the all new episode of Better Call Saul.
