Title: Fear the Walking Dead: “Teotwawki”
Network: AMC
Air Date: June 12th, 2017
Genre: Serial Drama, Horror
Fear the Walking Dead just aired its all new episode titled “Teotwawki.” This episode is a change of pace from the 2 hour season premiere but… that’s certainly not a take away from this episode. This episode has a number of both tense and emotional moments. Not to mention, that ending caught me completely off guard. Fear the Walking Dead teased us with conflicts from a number of different situations. Jake and Troy are butting heads over the Clarks staying at the ranch while Luciana is solid in her decision to leave the ranch once she heals. This is, no doubt, putting Nick in quite a spot. Nick is clearly torn between staying with his family or leaving with Luciana. Strand also makes his way to an old business associate for a meeting… a meeting, that clearly went a different direction than he was hoping. It did, however, reunite Strand with an old friend thought to be gone…hint hint, wink wink.
Just what does”Teotwawki” mean after all? Basically “Teotwawki” is not a small time emergency. It’s an event that throws all humans back into a prolonged mode of brutal survival. It’s something that Jeremiah Otto has been planning for, for a long while. When we get a glance at the storage area under his basement known as the “pantry,” it’s quite clear that Jeremiah is very prepared. One thing I did like in this Fear the Walking Dead, where the similarities between Madison and Jeremiah. Yes, they’re both very different people but… they are bonded by those similar experiences. They begin to understand each other more. We’ll have to wait and see if that plays out as more of a positive or negative down the road.
As I mentioned in my preview article, we’re beginning to see tension grow between brothers Jake and Troy. Through a conversation between the two, it becomes very clear that Jake is well aware that Troy is troubled. Jake even said something along the lines of, “If the ranch really knew what you were.” That is some pretty heavy stuff so one certainly has to wonder what the backstory is there. Just how messed up is Troy and why hasn’t Jeremiah done anything about him? One of the emotional exchanges between Madison and Jeremiah answer this question and also made me somewhat sympathize.
Strand has gotten himself into a bit of a pickle in this Fear the Walking Dead episode. He does have numerous connections all over due to his business dealings but… it’s obvious Dante does not view Strand as a friend. Victor is one with words and he was able to talk himself out of a gory death, nearly missing being dropped into a huge pile of zombies. Speaking of zombies, check out all the info released on State of Decay 2 today from E3. We don’t know much about Dante but we do know that he is currently in control of one of the most valuable resources… water. Does Strand indeed just want to help Dante secure supply routes or does he have something else in mind entirely? The end reveals with Strand shows Daniel alive and well. It was teased numerous times that Daniel was coming back but Fear the Walking did a great job at still making it feel like a surprise.
One thing I didn’t like in this episode was the exchange between Madison and Nick. I understand Nick being torn due to his feelings for Luciana and also the guilt he feels for what happened to her people. If Luciana is indeed made to leave the ranch, Madison tells Nick he’s got a choice to make. The obvious implication that he has to make the decision to either leave or stay… and he couldn’t have both. Madison has gone through all this trouble recently to get Nick back. Even going back to the first season, she is always looking out for Nick. Now, after impossible odds, she finds her son again. She’s harped all about the importance of her family and then boom… either stay with us or leave. It just didn’t make sense to me.
Alycia sitting down for the “bible study” was a fun scene. Despite the apocalypse, the teenagers have still found a way to be kids. The kids from the ranch have been largely sheltered from the outside world since everything went down. They look up to Alycia and are anxious to hear what her experience has been. They use “Jerry” to communicate in the group, which is basically a live dead head. While Alycia does get a little serious, it was nice to see her get the chance to lighten up some around people her own age.
Did you catch tonight’s episode of Fear the Walking Dead? If so, what did you think? Be sure to let us know in the comments below and check back for our ongoing coverage of E3. Xbox One X was just announced earlier today for a fall 2017 release.
Verdict: This week’s episode of Fear the Walking Dead was a change of pace from the premiere but still carried plenty of emotional weight. Not to mention, the big reveal at the end which introduced the return of a fan favorite character. Even though the episode wasn’t action packed, the stage is being set for several conflicts between our characters.
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