Title: Fear the Walking Dead: “We All Fall Down”
Network: AMC
Air Date: April 17th, 2016
Genre: Serial Drama, Horror
In my review of episode one of Fear the Walking Dead last week, I mentioned one of the problems with this show is going to be “viewer knowledge” from those that watch the Walking Dead. This week’s episode titled “We All Fall Down” does run into that problem but I’m happy to say, the execution of scenes and the emotions that follow is very well done. If you’re a fan of both shows it’s very important to try and block out what we already know about this world of the undead and look upon these characters and situations with fresh eyes. In episode one last week when we saw Alycia eventually giving up the group’s position to “Jack” over the radio, Walking Dead veterans groaned everywhere right along with me. However, thinking about the character, Alycia, along with the emotions she is going through from not only the world ending but the loss of someone she loved, I could understand her wanting to trust this individual on the radio. The situation that unfolds throughout this episode causes the group to be very divided at the end and even had me questioning what I would or wouldn’t do if I were there.
This entire episode revolves around the group and a survivalist family they encounter while seeking shelter in a cove to hide from an unknown pursuing vessel. The ideals of our group and that of the family they encounter are very different…well for most of the family they encounter. I’m really excited for Fear the Walking Dead to explore characters and situations towards the beginning of the apocalypse and see how they unfold with the characters presented. The father, George, is very intent on his family staying at their home on the island no matter what. At first, George comes off as a someone who is a bit out there and may end up posing a danger to the rest of the group. During the course of the episode though with two scenes, in particular, involving Travis, you really come to understand and somewhat agree with George’s reasoning to stay. George is privy to the knowledge what we the viewer already know, that the entire country has gone to hell in a hand basket. There is no safe place to go, there’s no help coming and like it or not that’s the way the world is now and being with his family is all that matters. He has accepted this and when the time comes he wants to go out at his home surrounded by his family.
“We All Fall Down” also gives much more screen time to Chris, who we slowly see begin to morph from how we saw him in the premiere episode of Fear the Walking Dead. Chris is still dealing with the loss and anger of losing his mother but seemingly finds a way to suppress that during a patrol with the family’s eldest son. Despite the remote location of the family on an island, walkers are still very much a problem due to them washing up on the shore. George expresses a thought that they are most likely people that have gone down on their vessels between the island and the mainland. The son’s job is the same as that of the characters from the Walking Dead during their time at the prison. Every so often walkers will gather at the fence and need to be cleared, just like this fence along the shore. When Chris hesitantly takes a turn to dispatch one of these walkers the channeling of his anger and rage is incredibly apparent. When Chris sinks that pickaxe into the head of a walker, he does so without a look of sadness and sorrow on his face but one of anger and rage. This is essentially a therapy treatment for Chris to deal with the emotions he is going through and also to adapt to the world he now lives in. Travis catches these last few swings and is clearly concerned by what he sees.
Some very interesting things begin to pop up in this episode of Fear the Walking Dead that begin to shed some light on the mysterious Strand but equally raises more questions. In the event you missed it at the end of episode one, the group was able to snag the log book of the capsized ship that Nick went into. The log states that San Diego has been completely wiped out, which eliminates the need for the Abigail to continue heading south as Strand had planned. Even though this is made clear at the beginning of the episode, Strand is ever persistent on continuing to head that way and it is more apparent to Daniel then ever that Strand has something up his sleeve. Strand and Daniel only have a few very brief scenes in this episode and not a moment on their time together is wasted. Daniel does eventually uncover quite a bit when Strand steps off the boat and it’ll be very interesting to see how things play out once the rest of the group gets wind of it.
Madison immediately begins to think something is off with the family as soon as the group meets them. It was a light that flashed twice that drew the group to the shore, which George said was an accident but Madison suspects otherwise. We get the same sense that something is amiss when Madison’s first encounter with Melissa (the wife of George) feels more like an interview than a casual conversation. Our suspicions are further raised when the youngest son of the group, Harry, begins talking about a magic pill that will save him from the apocalypse while he was with Nick in his bedroom. Nick really showed his value in the premiere episode and continues to do so here but I think he will become a liability down the line with his lingering drug problem. He is recovered from when we saw him at his worst during season one but we eventually find him searching the family’s home, particularly the medicine cabinet for pills. It’s possible he may have an ulterior motive but the impression I get is that he’s trying to get high. He does end up finding pills, but ones that raise a red flag for the motives of George.
Madison and Travis seem to have some growing tension that may come to more of a head down the line later. When Madison discusses Melissa’s request to take the youngest of George’s children with Travis, he resists. Even before Nick comes into play with his information about the pills, Madison asks Travis to take the kids for her and not Melissa even though he disagrees. This is where Walking Dead viewers may groan some but the execution of the whole event and emotions of the cast were excellent and really draw you in during those final moments. We see the group is very divided on what the right thing to do is and this is no doubt a situation we will see again in future episodes.
Fear the Walking Dead came out with a strong episode two that had the right amount of tension, suspense and emotion despite the minor frustrations. Even though this episode was a bit light on the walkers, AMC still has said that we should expect much more in the coming episodes. AMC has also just announced that Fear the Walking Dead has already been renewed for a third season, in case you didn’t catch that information in our preview article for this episode. What did you think of tonight’s episode? Do you agree with Madison’s decision to take the little kids or should she have not interfered with George’s family? Be sure to let us know in the comments below and check back next week for our review of episode three.
Characters: All of the group will get some screen time here as well as a new family that they will encounter
Cinematography: Great opening sequence on the beach with the walkers and the kids
Story: The group hides out in a cove to avoid a pursuing vessel and encounters a survivalist family.
Acting: Fantastic acting all around, especially during the climax of the episode.
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