‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘210 Words Per Minute’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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Of the many incredible storytelling accomplishments, The Walking Dead universe has pulled off throughout its years on the air, I’ve always been a huge fan of how they sneak wonderful and subtle homages to other horror franchises and zombie stories within the framework of their episodes. For the flagship series has found ways to pay tribute to great horror minds from all over the world, but its finest homages tend to be related to George Romero since we’ve seen some of his iconic zombies on display in that series in the smoothest of fashion. But, as the years roll on and the time jumps get bigger, the homages are starting to shrink a little bit in favor of the overall story, and that’s not a bad thing in the slightest, since that’s allowing for Fear the Walking Dead to take up that particular mantle.
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For the sister series is free from comic book constraints, allowing for it to do as it pleases and pay tribute to the stories that allow for it to be on television today and for proof, look no further than last night’s episode, ‘210 Words Per Minute’. Because this particular tale went all out and put forth an incredible tribute to George A. Romero and his magnum opus, Dawn of the Dead, by setting an episode within the confines of a mall and man, I won’t lie, this made me as happy as can be. Because Dawn is my all-time favorite movie, to the point where I’ve actually been to the Monroeville Mall. So, to see a place that looks quite similar to such an iconic ‘movie set’ and see moment after moment from this movie come to life in subtle fashion was a true treat and that allowed for me to be caught completely off guard by what arrived next within the framework of the story.

Because outside of the fan service, this episode actually had quite a bit to say about the human condition and it used the trio of Morgan, Grace and Dwight to explore all of it, starting with a vignette on the sheer power of good deeds. For the whole reason that our trio was at the Bridgeview Mall in the first place, was to fulfill a dying man’s wish of seeing the stars one last time. And while the plan didn’t exactly go the way that Morgan and Grace had hoped since the dead and mistakes complicated matters as they always do, eventually they were able to help the man in question and provide him with what he so desired and this was just so lovely to watch. Because Morgan and Grace risked life and limb to provide this with man a smile and a little joy in his final moments and seeing his reaction and seeing the fulfillment it gave this duo, spoke volumes to the fact that good deeds are quite the wonderful thing.

However, this story wasn’t quite done yet with its exploration of humanity, and it actually took the time to dive into how sometimes a solid scare or an uncomfortable moment forces us to take inventory on our lives and where we’ve been and where we are going and that was handled by way of both Dwight and Grace’s journey. For D came to realize that Logan’s cronies were following the group in an effort to discover where the oil fields were at and this, was an opportunity for Dwight to reflect upon his checkered past and see if by chance he was indeed growing and refilling his karma bank under Morgan’s tutelage. And when he was given an opportunity to hurt the man tailing him, D finally came to realize that the dark man who used to serve as Negan’s number one has indeed put himself on the right path since he let the man go, and watching him outwit Logan’s lieutenant and teach him a healthy lesson was a true treat to watch through and through. 

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But while D’s moment of growth was fascinating and fulfilling to watch, Grace’s moment of inflection led to so much more. Because she wasn’t doing well in this tale, since she passed out early on in the story, prompting her to wonder if her time had come at last and that definitely motivated her to do what any logical human being would do when faced with the prospect of the end; ponder upon one’s life and all the good and bad that has come with it. Which in Grace’s case, involved giving some serious thought as to whether or not she had wasted precious time by overthinking every decision that had come her way and while it sounds as though that would be quite boring to watch, her decision at the end of this reflection, made this subtle journey completely worth our while.

In essence, Grace finally decided that it would be best for her to just move forward at this point and enjoy whatever moments she has left, provided of course that the radiation is indeed beating her down. And it would also seem that she’s going to double down on helping people since she went above and beyond in this story, taking the time to try and help Morgan through his pain as well. Because she recognized a little joy in Morgan in this tale, especially when wonderful memories of the past bubbled to the surface and honestly, it was quite incredible to see someone really try and reach Morgan on a fundamental level in this manner. For I really cannot think of a time that anyone has made an attempt like this and this decision on her part, put Morgan squarely in the spotlight as the story kicked off its final and most poignant examination of the night.

Because this segment of the episode reminded us, that while the will is sometimes there to heal and move forward in life, the actual task in and of itself is supremely difficult. Because we get attached to those powerful emotions, for they help to keep us sharp, and I guarantee that the difficulty of letting those feelings go is partly why Morgan turned his back on a potential romantic relationship with Grace, along with the fact that he’s terrified of losing someone else that he cares for and that he probably doesn’t think he’s that deserving of that kind of happiness just yet. If anything, this was quite the beautiful twist to throw into the story since it added a depth to Morgan he’s been sorely missing since he’s always so closed off and honestly, who knows where this romantic revelation is going to take us.

In the end however, this really was quite the magnificent episode. Because it really did try some new things storytelling wise, something that Fear always excels at, and I also appreciated how it took the time to gently build the threat that Logan is posing behind the scenes since one had to wonder if he and his group were just going to show up and wreak havoc at any moment. But all danger aside, the beautiful character study this episode provided us with is what truly allowed for it to shine, because you simply cannot go wrong with presenting us with the best parts of humanity, especially at the end of the world, and it’s great to see the characters making a genuine effort to enjoy life in a land of the dead and I really do hope everyone finds what they’re looking for, because heavens knows they deserve it at this point. Until next time. 

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