‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘Channel 5’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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Whomever coined the phrase, ‘the audience loves a happy ending’, was only half right in their observation. Because while we do indeed enjoy seeing the main character save the day, or find true love, there is a dark side to storytelling that we all like to indulge in. For there is something quite powerful about seeing fictional humans go through strife and fight hard to see another day, and we crave this kind of storytelling simply because it is relatable. After all, life has its ups and downs and seeing others fight hard to overcome their problems is something that eases us right into a particular story. But the true irony of this fascinating aspect of how we consume entertainment, is that we only prefer this kind of story to be present in a handful of genres.
 
One of said genres, is horror, because we more or less expect people to suffer and deal with strife in stories involving monsters and watching them overcome demons in both the literal and figurative sense is just delightful. Which means the other wrinkle in regard to this preference, is that a fair chunk of people don’t like to see the happy ending thrown into the mix when it comes to scary stories. We want the terror; we want the carnage and we want a payoff and that’s why I am able to understand why some fans are upset with Fear the Walking Dead right now. Because season five of this series tried something new and tried to mix positivity into the end of the world with fascinating results in my humble opinion.
 
But so many more have been displeased with this change up and deem it as a ‘softening’ of the series. However, slowly but surely, the saga has been sliding back into darker territory and last night’s episode was perhaps the bleakest story to date when it comes to season five since our group of hope givers found themselves in a nearly impossible situation. Which is funny since ‘Channel 5’ started off in a more innocuous fashion since it initially focused upon how the Ginny Gang straight up stole the group’s documentary idea since our wily villain used the outposts scattered around the countryside to broadcast her group’s ‘story’. One that painted them as genuine saviors of mankind and architects of a better future. Which made it seem as though the only real challenge the group was going to face in this tale was an ugly copyright violation, but in the end, this merely served to misdirect us and set the stage for the tough situation in question.
 
Because the time had come for Morgan and company to find a home at last, so that they could regroup and figure out how to offer safety and shelter and help to those in need, so the innocent didn’t find themselves under siege by Ginny and her lies, and that push for shelter was a tough one in its own right. For starters, they didn’t have a clue where their new home would be, and with limited fuel they had to be picky about where to look. But as this universe is wont to do, inspiration often arrives in the most unique ways imaginable. And the discovery of a walker from another Humbug Gulch, the original one in fact, prompted the group to make the dangerous trek to what might be a safe space for them to regroup at last, and that’s when the episode started to introduce some of the danger and strife in question.

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​For what should have been a simple straight shot to the Gulch was complicated by the fact that Grace was still struggling with her health, and that prompted the group to make a quick pit stop to find her some fluids and the detour they were forced to take put them in the most precarious situation imaginable. Because they encountered a rickety bridge, one that wouldn’t allow for the cars to cross safely, and while they worked to put together a safe way to get to the other side, good ol’ Ginny showed up to make life difficult. For she was hell bent on getting Morgan and his people to join her and when the group refused her overtures once again, she pushed the situation to the limit by firing her weapons into the air, effectively drawing the dead toward the bridge.
 
Which put the group in panic mode and forced them to scurry across to avoid a fate worse than death. And while they were able to escape a small herd, they lost Tom in the process and the last of their supplies and that’s when the story showed us what happens when good people are put in quite the desperate situation. Because they put all of their hope into the Gulch, and what they saw upon their arrival, robbed them of every ounce of that hope. For the OG Gulch was filled to the brim with the living dead, and without any food or water or supplies, they felt their only chance at survival, was to do the impossible and radio Ginny’s Gang for help and well, it doesn’t get more desperate than that and it’s a decision that may cause more harm than good since Virginia is clearly not to be trusted in the slightest.
 
If anything, I rather enjoyed the vastly different vibe that this episode presented the audience with. Because this one was devoid of this season’s trademark commentary and lessons, this was just the group executing what they believe in to a tee, and doing whatever they had to in order to find a sense of safety and that makes their decision at the end of this episode, devastating to say the least. Because this group is supposed to find the best way forward, and they don’t give up. But sometimes, the villain wins, and sometimes we are forced to ask for help when we don’t want to, and it was just heartbreaking and powerful to see genuinely good people cave into the pressure and turn to the anthesis of what they’ve worked toward, for help.
 
Plus, I also loved how Dwight walked away from this before he saw a familiar cycle start over again since his silence and frustration reminded us of how he made a similar decision, one that he ended up regretting when Negan and the Saviors showed their true colors, just as Ginny is beginning to. If anything, this was a jarring ending, the kind that stuns you and really, what has me nervous when it comes to next week’s season finale, is how Ginny is going to handle their surrender. Because she’s made it clear that not everyone gets to wear that fancy little key, and if they don’t serve her a good purpose, they may find themselves back in the wild. Which means this cry for help may be all for naught and I can only hope the group finds a better solution, before Ginny arrives at the Gulch. Until next time. 

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