A Preview of the Final Episodes of ‘Fear the Walking Dead’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Kim Dickens as Madison Clark in Season 8 of ‘Fear the Walking Dead’. (Photo Courtesy of Lauren ‘Lo’ Smith/AMC.)

This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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Truly one of the most difficult challenges that await the creative team of a spin-off of a wildly popular show, is figuring out how to get said spin-off to properly honor what came before it while finding a way to offer the audience something fresh and original. Because that is the point of the spin-off, to give everyone something new and enjoyable while giving rise to familiar feelings, and a great many spin-offs have failed at that venture throughout the years. But some, have risen to the challenge and provided fans with something quite incredible to say least, and one such series that fits that particular mold, just so happens to be Fear the Walking Dead on AMC.

For this first spin-off in The Walking Dead Universe, truly blended together elements we loved from the flagship series while finding a way to do its own thing. Courtesy of stories that were darker and devastating now and again, while also making sure to dig deep into the characters and the impact this world would have upon people. Something that has been handled so well here, we are starting to see it pop up in the new spin-offs. Because this show really did trailblaze in the world of zombie storytelling, and well… as it nears its conclusion, each of us are wondering what kind of bold moments await us in the farewell tour and well, we here at NTG had the distinct honor of seeing some of the final episodes of this incredible spin-off, and we want to take a moment today to discuss, in a spoiler-free manner of course… how this show will indeed offer up some big and bold moments as it barrels toward its ending.

Part of which will be handled by answering some of our biggest questions regarding some of the characters. After all, we were curious as to why Victor Strand and Luciana were absent from the events of the first half of season eight, and here… we get those answers, and they are… quite incredible in nature. Simply because some of the paths that people took in their away time are not what we expected them to be, and they lead to powerful character moments that stand with the legacy and the vibe of this series, and there are other big reveals that pop up early that also are bold and dynamic in nature and set the stage for some potentially tear-jerking moments. The kind that only this series knows how to pull off, and the majesty of this final leg of the journey, doesn’t end with some bold decisions from a character standpoint.

For what truly makes the final six worth our while, is the sheer fact that a grand question posed at the start of the season is revisited in this farewell tour. For this show opted to go further regarding The Walking Dead’s examination of why humanity is worth salvation… by pondering upon whether or not we can be saved. Or if the mistakes and darkness we let infect us at times… will forever be our undoing. And that question is pondered upon heavily in these final stories in a manner that is quite powerful and insightful and that adds wonderous depth to these episodes, and it will undoubtedly be answered in the series finale. Which should be epic in nature, because of that philosophy lesson, and also because… there’s quite the threat to be found here.

For it is no secret now that Troy Otto has returned to the show as well, since no one is gone until they’re gone, and his desire to find his own fulfillment only adds to the epic nature of these final six episodes and helps to set the stage for a grand showdown between Madison’s camp and his own. All of which will provide us with one incredible farewell tour, one that is indeed trending toward a thoughtful and meaningful conclusion for these characters that we’ve come to know and come to love. But alas while it is wonderful to know that depth and quality is to be found in this last leg of the journey, this preview piece does end with some bittersweet news. For the beginning of the end of a series that has moved us, shocked us, and outright captivated us, gets underway this Sunday, October 22, when Fear the Walking Dead returns to the airwaves on AMC and AMC+… and we here at NTG cannot wait to geek out about this series for a little while longer before we finally say goodbye to one bold and brave spin-off series.

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