‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘All I See Is Red’

Written by John Edward Betancourt  

Lennie James as Morgan Jones, Kim Dickens as Madison Clark, Rubén Blades as Daniel Salazar in Episode 806 of ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ – ‘All I See Is Red’. (Photo Courtesy of Lauren "Lo" Smith/AMC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 806 of ‘Fear the Walking Dead’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It is definitely safe to say, that the AMC series, Fear the Walking Dead, has offered up some of the darkest and most terrifying zombie stories in years over the past few seasons. For it has explored the horrors of infrastructure breakdown via the end of the world, alongside explorations of what could happen when true mad men seize power and have every weapon at their disposal. Not to mention, the series has also explored what we become when the trauma mounts and is never resolved. All of which has made for some powerful and bleak storytelling, the kind that has seen these characters suffer and seen some of them fall along the way. Which begs quite the question… will this series ever find the semblance of hope that it once expressed a few seasons back?
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Well as it turns out, the answer to that question… is a resounding yes. For last night’s episode of the show took the time to offer us hope once again. By pondering upon how we come back from the darkness and find hope once again, and ‘All I See Is Red’ accomplished that feat… by putting Morgan Jones through one difficult journey. For this story picked up shortly after Mo and her fellow trainees left with anger in their hearts after Grace’s indignant passing and well… Morgan was slipping back into his old ways. For the train car was filled to the brim with notes regarding the world needing to be ‘Clear’ once again, and Morgan had broken out of the train car, and dropped an entire horde with his bare hands and his axe and had it not been for a quick smack to the head… he might not have stopped.

But Madison gave him that gentle nudge and tried to bring him back to the land of the living and a place where he could function and once, he was coherent again, he was able to resume his quest to find Mo, which ended in sorrow and worry. For the shipyard was in fact, empty, save for the dead and with that worry and fear in his heart… he once again returned to that dark place and once again slaughtered with impunity and once again… needed to be put in place to be functional. This time, with Daniel’s help, all so a large group could work together in saving the children. For the dead were too much for them to fight and they were retreating inland to find shelter and safety, and Mo thought it best… to find the old boathouse since it provided some protection and shelter. 

Which of course, pushed Morgan to follow her. Wherein he continued to struggle and battle his own demons, to the point where he almost hurt Mo, and had she not hurt him… he may have done serious damage to her and what was left of his psyche. But thankfully, her actions did stop him and gave her a chance to tie him up and think upon her next steps, which didn’t offer much in the way of options. Since the dead were everywhere and there was a chance she and her father would perish because of his actions. Because he couldn’t let his pain and his fear go and because he didn’t know how to reconcile it and, in many ways… Morgan found himself back where he started. Unable to act, unable to process a way forward and that is where this story offered up some hopeful and powerful lessons, regarding trauma. 

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Zoey Merchant as Wren in Episode 806 of ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ – ‘All I See Is Red’. (Photo Courtesy of Lauren "Lo" Smith/AMC)

Because in order to properly heal from trauma, so much more goes into the process that just acknowledging we’ve experienced it. We have to make real peace with it and learn to live with the fact that it happened, and we need to learn the skills necessary to understand… that it will find us again and if we cannot do all of that, we will return to old habits, and be caught in a cycle of sorts. Where we endure periods of peace and periods of pain and well… Morgan hadn’t done that just yet. Hence this push to save his little girl in such a smothering and panicked manner. But some wise words from Madison, such as pointing out how we honor the dead and make peace with their passing, alongside a huge assist from her, helped Morgan to understand, how to complete his healing cycle.
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Which meant… the first step was… to let Mo go. Because she wanted to leave and she wanted to be part of P.A.D.R.E. and rebuild the world, and after a final confrontation with Shrike, wherein her own unresolved trauma cost her, her life, Morgan was ready to make that happen and end the conflict in general. Since the coordinates of carefully chosen rebuilding sites were in hand and everyone could go and restart the world. So… Morgan told her to go. To forge her own path and find her own way and that he would let it happen no problem and well… that beautiful moment and Morgan’s growth, combined with a disdain for the conflict in front of everyone that never seemed to end, was enough for everyone to put down arms and ponder upon a truly better tomorrow. One where those supplies could be used to make a real sanctuary on the island and where healing could begin for so many. 

Of course, that wouldn’t necessarily happen just on the island. Because there was more loss to be suffered in this story, since Sherry and Dwight lost Finch to the infection after all, and the wake of his death and the ugly times they had dealt with since coming together at the Sanctuary, prompted a parting of the ways to heal in the manner they each needed to. Not to mention, Morgan decided, the time was right to return to the Alexandria Safe Zone. To check on his old friends and right a wrong, and show his daughter a different life than the one she’d known. Because she realized her desire to leave was grounded out of fear over her father’s uncontrollable actions, and his healing showed her that maybe… sticking around would be worthwhile. And that brought them to Eastman’s old property to bury Grace, reflect and restart the journey that Morgan started ages ago, the right way. With family in hand and with a radio broadcasting to an old friend named Rick Grimes… to hopefully guide one another to that better tomorrow. Which makes this Lennie James' farewell episode and well, plain and  simple, he deserves a round of applause for turning in so many years of powerful and moving performances, and for helping to guide two shows in two key ways. By putting Rick on the right path toward his family, and for bringing Madison and so many others back from the brink, and for leaving us in quite the hopeful manner via hopeful ending.

One that still featured a vague cliffhanger regarding Alicia Clark, and a potential blast from the past, but was hopeful none the less. Because for the first time in ages, we saw people working toward something better here. Unity, community, healing, all things that Morgan wanted to accomplish ages ago when everyone lost so much back then. All because everyone finally came to realize that this wasn’t life, it was surviving and that if we want to move forward in life, we need to heal, put in the work to build what we need and work just as hard to maintain it, and it was wonderful to see everyone come together with that understanding and do the right thing for a change and start to work toward a better world again. A world that works and a world that offers the support to a broken humanity, that they offered to one another here, and it will be fascinating to see where that cliffhanger takes us, and what the new world is going to look like when the show returns for its final episodes. Until next time.  

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