It would seem that the sudden push to deliver more terrifying moments and general character development that we witnessed in last week’s episode of The Mist has brought forth a sense of urgency when it comes to storytelling on this series. After all, there was more tension to be found this week, and there were more questions that the show tried to answer and while this episode wasn’t exactly as successful as its predecessor (more on that in a moment) it certainly gets an ‘A’ for effort since it did work to unravel more of the mystery surrounding The Mist and break the characters all in the course of a single hour.

But before we get too deep into The Mysteries of the Mist, let’s get into the characters and their journey this week because the show did work incredibly hard to accomplish something I think the audience has been waiting for patiently…the mental collapse of everyone when it comes to dealing with this stressful situation and well, it certainly delivered on the genesis of that in two key ways, with a surprise at the hospital and by way of a stunning turn of events at the church. Because Mrs. Raven’s newfound belief in ‘Gaia’ if you will, forced young Link to believe that she was turning people against God and their faith and well…that fear translated into stunning violence wherein Link tried to have his own little Spanish Inquisition with Mrs. Raven, and it was a move that cost him his life when she used The Mist as a weapon and well…it’s clear now that fear and a desperate need to hold onto something that provides mental safety are forcing people’s hands and Link wasn’t the only one who lost his life because of this.

Because at the hospital, we learned that the dear Doctor we met in last week’s episode, who seemed genuinely dedicated to saving lives, is taking that quest to the next level…by experimenting on terminally ill patients with The Mist to see if there’s a way he can protect people from it and well, if a floating cloud of moisture can turn a good doctor into a mad scientist, who knows what other horrors will come about from humanity as the series rolls on. Thankfully Jonah/Bryan & Adrian put an end to the Doctor and his off brand of science and this episode did perhaps give us a taste of things to come, since young Alex had a brush with death since someone, likely the late Lila’s mother, trapped her in a breakroom and set fire to it and if it wasn’t for Jay, there’s a fair chance she would have either run out of oxygen, or burned to death and truly, these little vignettes are demonstrating the steady collapse of civil order in this town and I’m glad the series finally decided to address this.

However, we do need to get back to The Mist itself, because last week, the series posed an interesting idea…that this strange phenomenon finds a way to connect to you on some personal level and this episode proved that was the case, by way of Mia. Her return to her mother’s house to get the bag of cash she left behind turned out to be quite the wild experience since The Mist manifested itself to resemble her mother, and even tried to make peace with Mia’s storied past with her mom in an effort to bait her into dying and now that it’s obvious that The Mist will entice you to your death if necessary in the most personal way possible, and it was also implied that those that are good of heart seem to be left alone by its machinations since it did spare Alex and it also spared Kevin last night, merely displaying strange imagery when it came in contact with him, rather than tearing him to pieces. 

I did make mention though, that this episode wasn’t quite as successful as last week’s and I stand by that because this one…well it was simply overwhelming. This particular tale really packed in way too much for one hour to handle and in doing so, we didn’t properly get time to develop or digest the ideas that were coming our way. It doesn’t make the episode terrible, just rushed and cluttered and that’s a shame because this one had the potential to be a truly gripping hour of television. Either way, the danger coming is real, people are beginning to break down and it is only a matter of time before humanity accomplishes what The Mist has been trying to do, all along. Until next time.    

The best horror stories out there, are the ones that find a way to reach us on an intimate and personal level all while scaring our socks off at the same time, and while we've seen stories like that before, combining those two elements is truly no easy task. After all, the scares are the focus of any horror story and the push to terrify often takes precedence over anything else, which means that when we do encounter a story that reaches us on that supremely personal level, we take notice of it and share the wonder of it with everyone that we possibly can. 

Which brings us to last night's episode of The Mist. Because 'The Waiting Room' delivered on so many levels. Not only did it provide us with some answers to burning questions that have persisted the inaugural season of this show, but it did exactly what we just discussed; it gave us a perfectly balanced horror story, and in doing so, gifted us with the best episode of this young series to date. Now if anything, I would like to dedicate a little more time to talking about how it accomplished that, so let's dive right in and discuss one of the mysteries this episode revealed last night...Bryan's true identity. Because after arriving at the hospital to save his life, Mia was able to find out that another Bryan Hunt was recovering in the hospital as well, and he just so happened to be a solider that was attacked by a man named Jordan Hixon who clearly stole Bryan's identity and this revelation was enough to break Mia and send her back into The Mist.

But before we get to the other interesting revelation from last night, let's talk about the intimacy of this story, because often times in horror stories such as this, where the world in essence comes to an end, the human element is truly lost in the chaos. Sure there's something to be said about a quest like Kevin's, where he is determined to be near his family, but that's a touch cliché and that's precisely why I appreciated this episode so much. Because by taking a break from that theme and putting Kevin right next to his ailing brother Mike...the show was able to truly draw us in on that personal level by reminding us exactly how much family matters at any level, and Kevin's desire to see his brother healthy and free of pain gave gravity and depth to his overall quest and it made his decision to risk a voyage through The Mist to save his brother's life all the more powerful...and heartbreaking since he was unable to do so and Kevin's journey ended in dark and disturbing growth this go round since he was forced to kill Mike to save him from a painful and terrifying death, and while this story ended on a sour note, it was nice to see this series pepper in some wonderfully human and meaningful moments.

Which brings us back to the other interesting revelation of the night, the fact that this episode once more revealed some interesting tidbits about The Mist itself. Because it's becoming a constant theme now to hear about how The Mist seems to know you inside and out, and this time that revelation came from Mike as he described how it seemed to use his past to get to him and when you take that into account, and combine it with the fact that Mike had a violent reaction returning to The Mist...it truly seems as though this entity is tied to our greatest fears and once it has its moist claws upon you, you can never quite escape it, and speaking of The Mist preying upon our fears, it almost seems as though it manifests an appropriate being to dispatch humans as well. Mrs. Raven's love of nature seems to relate to the violent moth-filled death her new friend succumbed to. The girls saw Harry Potter-esque 'Dementors' in the bookstore and before Mike died, he and Kevin were assaulted by an unending wave of leeches, which is interesting considering how much blood was involved shortly before they manifested. 

It truly seems as though The Mist has a certain level of sentience to it, and these little tidbits week in and week out about this strange cloud are simply fascinating and I cannot wait to see what else we learn about it. Regardless, I really did love this episode. It took us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. We felt sorrow, we felt pain and we most certainly felt fear and it's obvious now that the show is starting to find its legs and if this is the best that I've seen so far, I certainly have high hopes that upcoming weeks of the series will be just as magnificent and I also cannot wait to see what comes out of the whole Bryan/Jordan issue and learn what will become of Mia now that's she out there on her own. Until next time.

When I was eleven years old, I came to understand the true power of horror films. Because that summer, after plenty of begging, my parents finally let me watch George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead without their supervision. Now you see, in my household for many years growing up, horror films were watched with mom or dad present and when the red stuff started to flow, we were asked to close our eyes or turn around to be spared those images. But being a bold kid, and having watched a few horror films on late night cable without their knowledge...I thought this would be just another scary movie and another awesome time. Boy...was I ever wrong. The power that I came to understand about this genre on this day, was that the right kinds of horror flicks, could completely and utterly terrify you and that's what Dawn did to me. 

I was uncomfortable with every single moment of this film, and the gore that flowed like water on the screen, forced my own brand of 'censorship' when I would find myself looking away to lessen the power of seeing someone's entrails being pulled from their belly. But the terror it instilled didn't end with the film fading to black. That night, I couldn't sleep a wink. Every time I closed my eyes I would see slack jaws, and vacant eyes and blue skin rushing toward me and to make matters worse, any rustling noises I heard outside froze me in my bed because I was waiting to hear the raspy moan of the living dead outside my windows. That movie scared me so much, that I actually stayed away from zombie flicks for years simply to never have to face their horrible visages again. But something happened my senior year of high school that helped me learned that not only can horror films rock you to your core...but that they can also tell incredible stories. 

Because around this time, the Internet was gaining steam and me being the horror fan that I am, I found the forums and sites talking about all the VHS classics I enjoyed through the years and one forum was focused on the brilliance of Romero's work. Of course I raised a skeptical eyebrow over such ideas considering my experience with his work...but naturally, I read what the forum had to say and found myself suddenly curious about this film again. People called it brilliant. People were saying it understood society in the 1970's and present day and having discovered my love for film in high school, I was intrigued by all of this and decided to give Dawn a second chance and my goodness...did it blow me away. Everyone was right about the brilliance, the commentary, everything and suddenly, it was a film I could not get enough of. I went out and bought a copy of it, I poured over every single scene and it wasn't long before I was sharing it with everyone I knew. I had simply never seen a horror film this intelligent and it wasn't long before I was pouring over the rest of George Romero's work and collecting everything from the Dead saga I could get my hands on, even adding the exact VHS tape that terrified me all those years ago to my collection.

I share these memories today, simply because of the fact that I'm still stunned and reeling over the fact that George A. Romero passed away yesterday after a battle with lung cancer, and I feel it's only right to share these things because George's work in the genre, not only transformed the face of pop culture and helped to make the horror genre the pop culture Goliath that it is today, but because his work influenced and touched so many people. Many of my artist friends speak constantly about their love of George and his work and how it got them into art so that they could create their own brand of unique nightmares and send shivers down spines the way that George did. He was simply an inspiration and he most certainly inspired me as well.

Because shortly after discovering the intelligence and prowess of Dawn of the Dead I came to realize that films and stories can be more than just a reflection of their genre. They can entertain, they can make us think and they can move us in ways we never knew imaginable and Romero's work is what influenced me to get into creative writing. So to say that his loss doesn't hurt, would be an outright lie. This man was a hero to me, a maverick who often said 'fuck it' and did things his way because it was more important to tell a good story over anything else and that attitude and that mantra brought him the right kind of success and I know I'm not alone in thinking that the motion picture industry won't be the same without him, because his kind of genius is a rare find.  

Few writers have ever had their pulse on society the way that George did, and few have ever been able to teach us about our world and make us see things in such crystal clear fashion the way that George did. I'm just happy that he was able to live long enough to see the joy he brought to fans around the world, and witness the horror phenomenon he helped create and I also hope that George was able to indulge in the irony of making the living dead as big as the NFL since some fans out there are similar to his special brand of zombie in that they're unrelenting and ravenous when it comes to consuming the wealth of zombie related horror available to them, but they never quite understand why they're enjoying it so...or where this bevy of treats comes from. Either way, at least we know that his work will live on, thanks to the wonder of the digital era, but George will certainly be missed regardless. So, thank you George for telling such incredible stories, thank you for the nightmares that changed my life and may you forever rest in peace. 

For the past three weeks, The Mist has done a fine job of well...outright teasing us. We've been dying to know what horrors await the people of Bridgeville within The Mist itself and I think at this point, some folks out there are likely taking bets on which character is going to crack first under the pressure of this strange and scary set of circumstances.  

Yet, we've only received glimpses of the monsters that populate The Mist, and so far everyone has been able to keep it together, for the most part, but that all changed on the show last night. Because 'Pequod' decided to unleash some horror-tastic fury upon all of us, by letting several of the characters embrace a breakdown, making them terrifying in their own right and also by at long last showing us something populating The Mist that wasn't a creepy bug or an unknown terror and these little surprises made for a simply fantastic episode. 

Now when it comes to people starting to lose control, well that was put on display by way of Mrs. Raven and the man we met in the gas station named Clay, and the latter of these two stories was handled in simple and predictable fashion. So, let's spend more time on Mrs. Raven because her story was downright disturbing, and one reason her journey was so unsettling is because of the fact we've slowly watched her descend into madness week after week since she's gone from gentle neighbor to grieving widow before succumbing to utter madness since last night, she finally explained her new found beliefs through her actions and it would seem now that Mrs. Raven firmly believes that nature, and the earth as a whole has grown sentient and sent these beings to punish mankind and well...her newfound faith is starting to cause a divide and instill terror into the hearts of the people at the Church.

However, while that was fascinating to watch, let's be honest...none of it compares to what happened in the mall this week. Because once again, resident idiots Ted and Vic are up to no good, and their attempt to 'redeem' themselves by bringing the corpses they dumped outside, back inside, ends up leading to complete and utter disaster. Something in The Mist gets hold of Ted and the sight of seeing his best friend be served as dinner to the unknown is enough to get Vic to panic...and unleash The Mist into the bookstore, which just so happens to contain Alex and her new friend Lila. Naturally, chaos ensues and Lila's life is lost while Alex's is spared but what made this little sequence so stunning...was that the show finally delivered us something new monster wise in The Mist mythos. The creatures that attacked didn't have tentacles or wings, they were merely forms in the void and they thoroughly enjoyed consuming the life force of humans. 

However, while one would expect this sequence of events, and the banishment of Vic, to serve as the centerpiece of the night, it was all grossly overshadowed by the continued mystery that is The Mist. Because not only did the Sheriff speak of feeling a connection with it when he was surrounded by it, Alex was able to survive the attack from the Dementor-like creature by simply doing nothing which definitely gives me reason for pause. Does The Mist feed off of the worst parts of humanity? Does it love fear and anger and suffering and does apathy and respect appease it in some fashion? It's hard to say, but it is clear this iteration of The Mist is far different from anything that's come before it and it should be fascinating to see what else we learn about it in the weeks to come. But in the meantime, this was the episode we have all been waiting for. There were thrills, chills and what looks to be the beginning of the end of civilized behavior and I'm expecting the series to get far darker from here on out. Until next time. 

The horror genre is and will forever be, a wonderful place to examine anything and everything about our society. It can show us our greatest flaws, it can remind us of how cruel our kind can be, and by displaying the worst parts of us...it can also offer a solution to our woes. After all, we find ourselves frustrated when we see the obvious fix to a problem that the characters are missing in a particular story and by solving that issue in our minds, we inadvertently learn a few things about our world and possibly how to make it a better place.

Throughout the years, zombie stories have served as perhaps the finest place to work out society's woes on screen since the living dead tend to represent and bring out the worst parts of us and Fear the Walking Dead is no exception to this particular set of rules because after spending a better part of season three upping the intensity, gore and scare quotients respectively...the series finally brought social commentary back into the mix last night during its midseason finale since 'The Unveiling' and 'Children of Wrath' examined in detail what it means to let go of the past in order to move forward under the guise of an an incredibly timely analysis of the importance of working together in order to survive and find peace and harmony in our world.

Now, I use the word guise, simply because...the episode did do a fine job deceiving us. After all, the whole 'working together' notion would have been the easy way out for this episode and by making it appear that this was the forefront theme in its social analysis, it actually made for an engaging episode filled to the brim with frustration for the audience before a grand payoff. Because watching Black Hat and Broke Jaw constantly trade jabs with one another and fire off rhetoric had me squirming in my seat since hey, it's the end of the freaking world...and really they should be working toward dealing with the complete and utter collapse of mankind and the hordes of reanimated corpses roaming about the countryside rather than this...but the show made sure to take this frustration one step further by even making it seem as though the characters were changing and evolving in new ways as well.

Take for example Ofelia, who we discovered was abandoned by Jeremiah Otto in the desert, only to be rescued by Walker and taken in by Black Hat where she could rest and recover, and even she seemed different since she took part in Walker's revenge plot by helping to deliver Anthrax to the complex, killing a majority of the Broke Jaw Militia and sickening Nick to the point of concern as well and this is when the 'de-evolution' of the characters truly paid off. Because as it turns out, Ofelia had not a clue that Walker had given her Anthrax and the revelation that she was asked to be a killer by her new beau...brought out the character we have come to know along with the realization that she, and the others, were in essence pawns in a blood feud, and from this point on, the past took the center stage and revealed some fascinating surprises.

Jeremiah Otto's past perhaps revealed the most shocking moment of all when we learned that the gunshots he fired into the floor of the adobe a few weeks ago weren't just some random drunken moment, instead they were a reminder as to where he buried several bodies, and those bodies belonged to people related to Walker, including his father and uncle who were murdered by Jeremiah and the Founding Fathers of Broke Jaw Ranch in cold blood years ago when they too tried to accomplish Walker's task of retaking land that belonged to the Native American people, and to see Jeremiah admit to this with impunity when Nick confronted him about the matter and maintain that it was the right thing to do, was downright jaw dropping.

Because it revealed the fact that Jeremiah has been the problem all along and that this entire mess is his own doing and by refusing to let go of this feud, and own up to what he's done in the right kind of way, he's putting his family and countless others in jeopardy. Which means it fell to Madison to make things right and that's when this whole matter of facing the past and letting it go came around full circle, because in order to do what had to be done, Madison had to dig deep and admit to her children that her tough nature and at times overly protective mantra comes from a dark moment in her past, wherein she watched her mother be beaten day and night by her drunk and abusive father and rather than see her mom suffer any further...she put her father down without question and now she was forced to face another angry drunk in Jeremiah and deal with something like this all over again.  

But this time around, she wanted it to go differently, and see if by chance she could get Jeremiah to surrender his own life for the sake of others. However, the elder Otto was having none of that. He was here to stay, he would fight Walker to the death and risk lives in the process and just when it seemed that Madison would have no recourse but to walk down that dark path once again...her son stepped in and put an end to Jeremiah and his strange and incompetent strangle hold over Broke Jaw Ranch, and by committing that act...peace was finally made. Walker was made whole again, families were spared and at long last...the past was finally the past for Madison Clark, allowing for her to move forward and potentially provide her children with a sense of true stability for the first time in their lives.  

While it was beautiful to see that kind of commentary however, and in a roundabout twisted way...a happy ending, there are still some unresolved issues that will no doubt have to be dealt with later this season when the show returns in September. After all, Jake and Troy Otto haven't a clue to the fact that Madison brokered a deal for Jeremiah's life and the discovery of that could cause more harm than good, despite the fact that Troy actually listens to Madison and to top it all off...has peace truly been made between Broke Jaw and Black Hat? There's some deep divisions between these two communities and considering how the past was quite an issue for so many in this episode, can others let it all go on both sides in order to survive in peace and harmony? We'll find out in the fall but in the meantime, I have to give the show some serious credit for putting together one solid midseason finale. Plot lines were wrapped up neatly, there was character growth and intelligence to the script and that means I have high hopes that the back half of season three will be just as magnificent as the first half. Until next time.

The slow and methodical approach to horror, is becoming quite the lost art form. Because in this day and age, it's all about the jump scare, or the gore, to terrify the audience and quite frankly, it's a shame that the slow burn isn't quite what it used to be. There's something to be said about taking one's time to properly build up suspense and terror and allow it to unfold before our eyes in uncomfortable and unsettling fashion, and as luck would have it...the slow approach to scares is clearly something that The Mist is going to try and resurrect.

Because last night's episode, 'Show and Tell', focused on that classic approach, giving us merely a sample of the forthcoming collapse of order in a world trapped beneath this mysterious Mist and the first stand out story that reflected that slow and methodical approach from last night...was Mrs. Raven's. Because for the past two weeks, we've all been wondering what this crisis will do to her now fragile mind and last night's story answered that question...it will shatter her to her core. After all, Mrs. Raven found herself mentally prepared to die, and she figured the best way to do that was to walk into The Mist and let whatever happens, happen. But a good Samaritan in the church tries to stop her, only to succumb to the horrors of the unknown in gruesome and brutal fashion, and to make matters worse, the awful things she and everyone that came outside to rescue her witnessed, seems to have invigorated her and given her faith in something none of us understand.  

Mrs. Raven's story was merely the tip of the iceberg however, because over at the mall, the pressure and constraints of the unknown, combined with the discovery that the people who committed suicide were Army soldiers, helped to amplify the fear already growing behind the scenes. The military's involvement in this mystery in any capacity has people worried and because of that, and the dumb actions of a pair of employees from the local game store, people are now calling for law and order; which leads the Mall Manager, Gus Redfield, to try and create a set of rules for everyone to live by. But, Eve has none of that, considering that what Gus is proposing will keep her daughter near the boy that hurt her (a claim he ever so creepily denied in this tale), and she sets up her own rival camp within the mall to keep her daughter safe, and to give her options if by chance things go south inside the mall.

But perhaps what fascinated me the most in this particular episode, was The Mist itself. The series hasn't done a heck of lot with it, outside of establishing the fact that it is dangerous of course. But in a way The Mist is a living character as well, and this story finally gave us a little more insight into how it works. Now, we've heard hints over the past couple of weeks that The Mist will thicken when a human is present, but this episode gave us our first good look at that, making this collection of moisture all the more creepy. It's as if by thickening it signals to whatever horrors await in the shadows that a meal, or breeding vessel in this case, is ready for the taking and I find it equally as fascinating that to date, we've only seen an abundance of bugs in The Mist, which makes me wonder how long before the really scary stuff steps into the limelight. Either way, it was cool to see how interactive The Mist truly is, and it's eerie to know that it's waiting patiently for more victims to step into its humid web. 

Regardless, three weeks into this show, I really am appreciating the fact that it is taking its time to tell its story. It seemed at first that such a move might be a detriment, but we are truly seeing the fear settle into people's souls as the weeks progress and already they're starting to show signs of wear and tear and distress and outright aggression. It means that man will indeed be the true monster as the story rolls on and I really am looking forward to seeing what other creatures await in The Mist itself since the series is clearly taking its time with that too. Either way, this is starting to become quite the psychological horror story, and I'm also appreciative of the fact that there's a real claustrophobic feel hanging over the story as well. I'm hooked for certain, and the wait to see what happens next week and what other horrors await us in The Mist, will be a tough one. Until next time.

As the old saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover and really...that saying can easily apply to television pilots as well. Because those stories are often times uncharted territory, wherein both the show and the audience are getting a feel for a brand new world. Granted, latter episodes could end up being outright rough as time goes on, but giving a show a fair shake after a so-so start is the only way to find out what exactly we are in for.

Oddly enough, that particular line of thinking also applies to Spike's The Mist. Because my first impressions of the initial episode were mixed to say the least. On one hand, this is clearly a series with major potential since the script featured some smart moments when it came to social commentary and also because when the scares and the gore arrived on screen, they were simply top notch. Yet it seemed over the course of that first hour that the show was definitely holding back when it came to the scares and well...in the end I'm extremely glad I didn't write this one off in immediate fashion. Because the second episode, 'Withdrawal' finally let loose storytelling wise, giving us a taut and terrifying thriller, one filled with intrigue and chilling moments to boot. 

Picking up immediately where last week left off, the show completely and utterly delivered on one key element missing from the prior week, a true sense of danger and fear permeating over the town of Bridgeville because now...the unknown is upon them. The Mist is everywhere, the horrors it harbors are still a secret and people are afraid and looking for immediate comfort and they appear to get what they need, for now, inside the church and the mall, but you can sense the trouble is brewing. Mrs. Raven is quickly losing faith in just about everything following the onset of The Mist and her husband's death, and already there's panic bubbling beneath the surface at the mall as people begin to cry out for leadership and stability and of course help since a young man points out, there's a F.E.M.A. emergency radio present in the security room of the mall per Homeland Security Regulations...and that's when this episode kicks everything into overdrive.

Now we are plunged into the true wonder of The Mist as Eve and that young man try to their best to contact outside help. We have no idea if anything is waiting for them within its ominous droplets and perhaps the best part of this particular segment of the episode, is that this scene and the ones that follow it give us our first big ties to the book, outside of said Mist of course, since the Arrowhead Project begins to take the center stage as we discover the young man that accompanies Eve to the Security Room to use the radio is part of that project and so are his friends and judging from their final and fatal decision after Eve is forced to put down their friend (a fact she is keeping secret from everyone else in the mall) it's clear we're starting to tread down the dark path that we've been waiting for when it comes to this tale...a pseudo collapse of society once people are cut off from the rest of the world.

If anything, this was quite the impressive episode, simply because it truly feels as though the show has finally found its footing with the arrival of The Mist and everything is going to degenerate from here out on out and that leaves me ready for more. Because I'm curious to see what a lack of hope is going to do to Mrs. Raven since she's teetering on the brink and it's only a matter of time before the safety and security of the mall is either compromised or supplies begin to run low. Either way, things are only going to get worse from here on out and I have high hopes now that this show is going to take us to some genuinely terrifying places once fear truly takes hold. Until next time. 

While it's been quite wonderful for the Clark family to have finally found a legitimate safe heaven on Fear the Walking Dead where they can take a moment to catch their breath and their bearings, I think it is safe to assume that we've all been wondering one particular thing about Broke Jaw Ranch. Exactly how long is it going to take before the peace in this place is ripped asunder, and everything Jeremiah Otto has built begins to fall apart?

As it turns out, the answer to that question is...not that long, because after only spending about a week on the ranch in television show time, everything is beginning to fall to pieces at Broke Jaw Ranch and oddly enough, it didn't take much to make that happen. Granted, we knew the people of this tiny oasis were never prepared for the horrors that await them outside of the fences, but it's safe to say we all hoped that they would be a little stronger than what we saw last night and their inability to handle a little pressure, combined with a lack of leadership, has led them all to utter disaster and the details of this collapse and everything that's helped contribute to it was the focus of last night's episode, 'Red Dirt'.

In fact, watching this little community completely and utterly shatter was quite the fascinating little ride and thankfully the show did it in epic fashion, by delivering us a smart script, a surprise twist and also by going into detail as to what really starts this kind of collapse...fear. Because upon returning to Broke Jaw on foot, Troy's little militia buddy Mike instantly snaps over the things he saw last week and begins to let everyone know that if they don't pack up their things and get the hell out of the ranch right this second...there's a fair chance that everyone is going to suffer and die at the hands of Walker and his men and everyone present for his little rant...eats that panic right up.

Suddenly people are raiding the pantry as I'm sure they raided the store in the early days of the End Times all while discussing the possibility of getting out while they still can and while one might think that Jeremiah Otto would step up and be the leader he appeared to be when Madison and her family first arrived at this place...it turns out the man simply does not have a spine. He's more concerned about his image as a leader and the solidarity of having his founder friends at his side and the stress of seeing the people he's kept safe turn their backs on what they've built here, along with repeated psychological attacks from Walker and his men, is simply too much to bear for Jeremiah and he turns back to the bottle once again. 

Which means that the real issue at hand, is not that Broke Jaw doesn't have the potential to be a safe place, it's that its completely devoid of solid leadership since the problem extends beyond Jeremiah's lack of administrative skills, when you consider the fact that his boys are equally as incompetent as he is. Jake, while filled to the brim with good intentions is completely unable to rally people to his cause, and of course we all know that Troy is nothing more than a psychopath who would love to step into a leadership role to rule with an iron fist, and that leadership vacuum is precisely what allows for Mike's family to finally leave the ranch and allow for something incredible to happen. 

Because shortly after they leave, a disturbing chain of events is set into motion. Jeremiah notices a lone horse, one that the family took with them, has returned to the ranch and is badly injured, and after a brief search to see if by chance Mike's family didn't make it that far, Jeremiah's worst fears are realized. The family did indeed falter in their journey and succumbed to death and resurrection and considering how angry Troy was over their departure, and also considering the fact that Madison had to take the time to try and inspire him to be a better man, there's concern from dear old dad that Troy followed the family out into the middle of nowhere to kill these innocent people for betraying the community. 

Madison however, believes Troy is just a misguided boy and blames the attack on Walker and his men and upon returning to the ranch, seizes the opportunity to finally provide inspiration and leadership to the people of this place and thanks to her actions, the panic and fear begins to diminish and the good people of Broke Jaw seem ready for a fight. But there's only one slight problem with Madison's actions... Troy was indeed the one responsible for killing Mike and his family after all, and it would seem at this point that all that Madison has done...is see a grand opportunity for a power play on Jeremiah Otto and she has seized it in magnificent fashion, and one also has to wonder if she is quietly manipulating Troy and his fury to do her bidding as well and when all is said and done, holy cow...what a way to end this episode.

We've always known that Madison has a darker side and will unleash it as necessary, but to manipulate people in this manner is both brilliant and chilling all at once. It's brilliant because hey, it worked. Broke Jaw is united against a common enemy, but from the chilling perspective, it's clear that Madison Clark will do anything and everything to maintain safety for her and her family and woe to the Ottos or anyone that stands in her way. Regardless, it should be interesting to see what Madison's exact end game is when it comes to this incredible power play and whether or not her actions will indeed draw the people of the Ranch into an unnecessary war. Either way, this tiny little community stands on the brink of either becoming a beacon for the future of humanity, or collapsing entirely like the rest of the modern world and there's a fair chance Broke Jaw Ranch's fate will be decided in next week's midseason finale. Until next time.