'Fear the Walking Dead' Recap: 'Close Your Eyes'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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Whether we like to acknowledge it or not, there is someone that came at long at some point in our lives and our touched us in such negative fashion, that we would be just fine with running into them again in order to give them a piece of our minds. Some would have something positive to say to their tormentor, something that would no doubt involve forgiveness and a notice that said person can no longer harm them. But for a fair majority of us, we would simply like to let them know how badly they hurt us, how big of a jackass they are for doing so and how we hope that karma takes the opportunity to teach them a valuable lesson in life.
 
However, while we’ve all pondered upon how that moment would go, that kind of opportunity rarely arrives in life because when we bid farewell to that person, we never see them again and we eventually make peace with the whole mess in our minds as the days roll on. But, playing ‘what if?’ with those kinds of scenarios is sometimes a necessity for our own mental health and sometimes, fiction helps us out with that, as was the case with last night’s episode of Fear the Walking Dead, ‘Close Your Eyes’. Because in this tale, the past was put on full display, and one character was forced to confront it and the person that has caused her grave pain. 
 
Because in the midst of the storm, Alicia found a house to take shelter in, one that was easy to clear out and seemingly safe once the dead were out of the way, until she discovered that she was not alone. And after letting the other intruder know that they needed to vacate the premises or face certain death, she came face to face with exactly who was hiding the house with her, and wouldn’t you know it? It was Charlie. Yes, the little girl who put a bullet in her brother, and whom Alicia firmly believed was responsible for her Mother’s death was once again sharing her space and it was more than she could bear, and she made every effort to get as far from Charlie as possible.
 
But the storm made that damn near impossible, meaning that for the foreseeable future, Alicia and Charlie were going to have to be roommates, and despite an act of kindness from Charlie, Alicia saw this as the grand opportunity to say everything she ever needed to say to her tormentor and my goodness, did she unleash her fury in painful fashion. Because Alicia said things we simply should never say to anyone, but the pain of losing everything was still surging inside her, and she let Charlie have it, and even threatened her life. But despite letting that anger take over, she did make it clear that she was conflicted, thanks to everything her mother taught her about being a better person. 

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​Yet, while it fascinating to watch Alicia give Charlie a piece of her mind, what made this episode so supremely satisfying and heartbreaking for that matter as well, is that it became quite the powerful character study, one that dug deep on trauma and loss and how tough it is to get over such matters because as the storm raged on, this duo were forced to finally talk to and learn about one another and the horrors they’ve seen over the past few years and well, all of their pain bubbled up to the surface, making for tense and uncertain moments between the two of them as they both came to realize, they haven’t dealt with their pain in the slightest, but they are doing their best to get by.
 
However, while this episode was bleak in so many ways, it did fine a way to give us some kind of positivity by reminding us that doing good things for others can sometimes ease our pain and help us forge a path forward. Because when the storm reached its apex, and things looked grim, Charlie asked Alicia to end her life so that she could no longer suffer in this terrible world, a request that Alicia outright refused, and she even apologized to Charlie for the horrible things she said, all in the name of doing the right thing and once the storm cleared, the duo were able to move forward for the time being, to the best of their abilities.
 
If anything, what made this episode so incredibly impressive, is that it didn’t offer a single answer as to how to solve any of Alicia or Charlie’s problems, it simply forced both of them to move forward and well, that’s painfully realistic. Because when we hurt, there are no easy answers, there’s just another day that we have to get through, and sometimes all we can do to rise above our pain, is to be better and do good things and find fulfillment in that until our hearts and minds are ready to truly deal with our pain and our trauma and well, this sense of realism in a show about walking corpses and the end of the world is jarring in a good way, because I’m honestly not sure it’s ever been done before.
 
It certainly leaves us with plenty to chew upon and this forced reflection for the characters is making for some compelling television, the kind that delivers some magnificent performances and for proof, look no further than Alycia Debnam-Carey, who was a tour de force acting wise in this episode since her portrayal of Alicia’s struggle made it impossible to turn away from this tale. And while it seems that Alicia has found her peace for now, there are others searching for the same thing, as it was established in the mid-season premiere and from the looks of it, we are going to see them face their own darkness in the weeks to come and if those episodes are remotely as good as this one, we are in for the quite the harrowing treat. Until next time. 

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