‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘End of the Line’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season five finale of 'Fear the Walking Dead'.
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It’s been quite the wild and fascinating year for Fear the Walking Dead. For season five of this series has served as a grand experiment storytelling wise, one that has taken us to some unexpected places. Because we expect a series that is set at the end of the world, to be rife with tragedy and terror and gooey moments when the dead feast upon the flesh of the living, and those elements really weren’t anywhere to be found in this season’s storyline. Because week in and week out, it was all about positivity and unity and doing more in the end times to rise up above fear and pain in order to give people hope when they need it the most.
 
Which quite frankly, is a direction that polarized the fan base like never before. Because people either loved or hated what this season had to offer. If anything, the disappointment that fans have expressed on social media, made me wonder if the series could do anything to redeem itself in the slightest and really, the only way to do that, is to take us back into the darkness. Which is something that last week’s episode flirted with greatly in the back half of that particular tale, but it didn’t quite commit to the shadows. But it would seem the season five finale was fully prepared to take us to some unexpectedly bleak places, since ‘End of the Line’ provided us with some ugly moments, complete with one in particular that will stay with us for quite some time.
 
However, before we dive into that, let’s talk about the opening of the episode since it set the tone for a fair chunk of this story since it was devoid of hope from the get-go. Because the group was still facing the prospect of an uncertain future, one compounded by the fact that Morgan failed in his attempts to negotiate the safety of everyone. Which meant the sick and the elderly were going to be left behind to fend for themselves and while that didn’t sit right with anyone, the group felt helpless to stop their upcoming fate. That is until a few observations were made, and a hero returned to their camp. Because the group came to realize they could clear this place out no problem, and the horses that Dwight stumbled upon meant that there was water nearby, and all they needed to do in order to seal this place up for themselves, was give Ginny one hell of a fight.
 
Because then she would be inclined to stay away and leave them to their own devices and well, it turns out the dead within the Gulch would be the perfect tool to cause trouble with, since they could use this tiny herd as a weapon against her gang. But alas, things didn’t quite work out the way the group expected it to. For when Daniel discovered that Luciana was traveling with Ginny’s convoy, the attack was called off, and to make matters worse, a momentary lapse put Dwight within an inch of death’s door when he lost his horse. And in the end, John and June and Grace were forced to lead the dead to a white-watery grave in order to save their friends and that only added to the darkness.

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​For now, the group was without their one weapon and with zero supplies and Strand now missing, it became clear that they were right back where they started and braced themselves for a rough life under Ginny’s thumb. But before she and her people arrived, there was time to partake in a little wonder and joy, and that came about by way of John and June’s long-awaited wedding. Which was quite the lovely affair to watch on screen since it featured all kinds of feel-good and wonderful moments. Plus, there was a little musical number that featured more of Reuben Blades’ lovely voice and talents. But while all of this was magnificent in its own right, the time had come for that all-important shocker, and that came forth by way of Ginny’s arrival.
 
Which is ironic in its own right since Morgan forced a positive moment to happen once her convoy parked at the Gulch. Because he demanded that Ginny take everyone in his group to safety and somehow in the midst of his impassioned plea, he got through to her and she agreed to his terms, allowing for everyone to begin their tearful goodbyes as Ginny’s lackeys quietly split up the group one by one, on purpose no doubt. Because there was a fair chance the group would cause trouble if transported together, and it may happen regardless based upon what Victor Strand had to say to Alicia. Since he explained that he was happy to curry favor with Ginny’s Gang so that they wouldn’t suspect him down the line when sabotage and insurrection popped up at his final destination.
 
But once the farewells were said and Grace was put in a doctor’s care, things took a genuine turn for the worse. For Ginny finally revealed the fact that she knew Morgan would always cause her trouble and likely inspire an uprising in whichever community she sent him to. Which meant that Morgan had to be ‘dealt’ with. And in a stunning sequence of events, we watched Morgan Jones, a man who has cheated death more times than we can count, face it for the first time ever. Because despite his skills with the staff, Ginny got the drop on him and put a bullet in his chest before abandoning him, and it would seem that his fate is a grim one indeed. For the closing moments of this tale saw Morgan begging for his friends to keep fighting the good fight as the blood continued to pour out of him, while the dead… closed in.
 
So, yeah. It really doesn’t get much darker than that, and honestly, I fear the worst for this character. Because there’s no dumpster for him to dive under, nor is there a helicopter waiting to drop out of the sky, which means there’s a good chance that this is Morgan’s final, indignant moments, and the series will likely never be the same if that’s the case. For the group will have lost their moral center and it gets worse from there. For they are also lost and scattered to the wind, under the thumb of a ruthless regime and I fear that more will perish in the season to come, and where we go from here, I haven’t a clue. But it should be interesting to see if a story that shifted toward hope, can maintain that focus in a new place that will likely be filled with despair. Until next year.

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