‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘Handle with Care’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 610 of ‘Fear the Walking Dead’.
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Stories that focus on the power of trauma and loss and mental health issues in general, tend to come to a close shortly after the main character has recovered from their respective pain and it makes sense as to why. After all, that’s it. The protagonist has endured utter hell and come through it in one piece and the time has come for them to live a normal life, so fading to black as they return to it, serves as a happily ever after. The kind that leaves the audience in a great place mentally when they walk out of the theater or shut off their favorite streaming device. But while that does indeed offer up a satisfying conclusion to what is often a harrowing journey, this is another example of how often times, these issues are glossed over or presented in a painfully sugary light in popular media. Because sometimes, getting back to everyday life after dealing with intense trauma and its fallout, is no easy task.

Because there is some measure of re-learning how to live when that happens. Plus, there are no guarantees that each day will be hunky dory and filled with sunshine when recovery is ‘complete’. For dark days will still find us down the line, and that will test our mental health and stability and to top it all off, there’s always a chance for a relapse of sorts since the power of trauma is strong for certain and it can genuinely take hold once again if the conditions are right or if it hasn’t properly been dealt with. Which is why you have to respect stories that don't shy away from this aspect of mental health. Since it helps to educate all of us on an important issue we don't talk about enough. And it just so happens that this unfortunate side to the road to recovery, turned out to be the focus last night’s episode of Fear the Walking Dead and that made ‘Handle with Care’, quite the powerful and fascinating episode when all is said and done.

Especially when one considers the fact, that early on it seemed as though this episode was going to focus heavily on the threat waiting beyond the walls of Morgan’s new sanctuary. For the strange group that blew Tank Town to hell and back, were suddenly making moves behind the scenes. As though they understood that Virginia was now absent from the world and that left all three communities concerned that an attack or more trouble was imminent and that in turn, motivated Morgan to hold a little convention at his place. One where top minds could come together and discuss a strategy to fight these individuals so that all could survive and well, it didn’t take long for this meeting to quickly go south and bring forth some supremely harrowing moments.

For Morgan couldn’t be there for a majority of the meeting, since he needed to take the MRAP with a handful of helpers to go get proper medical gear for Grace. Who was on her way to having her baby, and that left the always reliable Daniel in charge, and he quickly faced some incredible challenges. Because while everyone was bickering about what was the best way to handle this newfound threat, an explosion went off. One that immediately reminded Luciana of the attack on Tank Town and that likely meant that someone inside the camp was loyal to this strange apocalyptic cause and did this as a warning and well, now it was up to Daniel to protect everyone within these walls and to root out the traitor in their midst and that’s when things became quite interesting for certain. 

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Because suddenly, the weapons went missing as well, meaning that the saboteur/troublemaker was making great efforts to leave everyone in the camp vulnerable. And to make matters worse, the dead heard the explosion and were threatening to get in and that pushed Daniel to make some tough and intense decisions. Such as sending Charlie and Grace away to a nearby safehouse and to let some of the dead in to see if anyone magically had a weapon. Which as it turns out, Strand did, which in turn… led to Strand’s arrest and an intense interrogation on Daniel’s part, one that was designed to get some answers but failed miserably. For Victor was adamant that he simply snuck that gun in and wasn’t responsible for any of the trouble here. A claim that Daniel so firmly believed was a lie, thanks to their sorted past, that he was ready to execute Victor if the truth didn’t come forth. 
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But thankfully, Morgan returned and handled the dead and saved Strand, that’s when the show finally examined the notion of how trauma can return and take control, and it accomplished this goal, by bringing some major surprises into the light. Because Grace and Charlie weren’t at the safehouse, simply because Daniel incorrectly remembered their destination, and it turns out he was the one who stashed the weapons after all. Simply because Daniel felt the need to revert to survival instincts from the past when his safety and the safety of others was threatened. Which is in fact, a trauma response, one that made it clear to Daniel that he needed to leave Morgan’s sanctuary in order to heal since his mind’s way of dealing with strife is through unhealthy means and thankfully, Strand was there to offer aid in his time of need by inviting him to Lawton. An act that undoubtedly serves as penance for acts committed so long ago.

However, while that is a happy ending in its own right, what made this such a powerful tale, is that it really held nothing back in its exploration of how trauma can return to the surface of our minds, especially when it isn’t properly dealt with. Because this episode made it clear that Daniel’s time in the warehouse wasn’t spent on inflection and recovery. Instead, he used that time to simply learn how to bury his past and his pain, allowing for all of it to return in this inopportune moment. But at long last it would seem he’s finally ready to deal with all of this and that’s a wonderful thing since Daniel does indeed deserve peace and clarity and the show also deserves serious credit for exploring this in such great detail. For mental health issues are still a taboo topic in modern America, and it is quite wonderful to see a series point out that such a problem exists, and that support and care is paramount to getting people back on the right track.

But all commentary on mental health aside, one can only hope that Daniel finds his peace and soon. For the threat behind the scenes is growing and a man of his stature and skill will be needed in the coming fight against an enemy that quite frankly, has nothing to lose. But while we wait for that grand showdown to take place, we can bask in one engrossing story. One that once again addressed the long-term impact of the apocalypse on the human mind and more importantly, allowed for actor Reubén Blades to shine. For he was simply electric, and at times scary, as Daniel Salazar here, reminding us once again of what his acting skills bring to the table, and now that Daniel is off to heal, we are left waiting for Sunday’s next episode. To see what the scout team will learn about these mysterious individuals and their plans for a morbid future. Until next time.

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