‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘In Dreams’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 612 of ‘Fear the Walking Dead’.
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It is definitely safe to say that humanity shares a collective fear of the unknown and it is understandable as to why. For we are highly intelligent creatures that are supremely curious and logical and when we encounter something that we do not understand… we do our best to uncover its truths and make sense of it. Which of course, has led to incredible discoveries during our short time on this world, the kind that have helped us to understand the nature of the universe and a fair majority of its secrets. But while we have conquered viruses and discovered the nature of the atom and looked into the heart of the universe, there are some aspects of the unknown we still don’t understand and fear. Such as what happens after we die.
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For we simply haven’t a clue if our last breaths lead to an eternity of dreamless darkness or if we do indeed slip into a plane of existence, we never knew existed. And conflicting reports from people who have had near death experiences, only adds to the confusion since there is science and knowledge that potentially debunks their experiences. Which means, we won’t know a thing until our time arrives and even then, we don’t be able to share what we find in death with anyone else, since no one returns from it. But until that time arrives, all we can do is speculate and ponder and use fiction to focus on what could be and really, our curiosity about what happens after we die, is relevant to our discussion today… simply because it served as the focus of last night’s episode of Fear the Walking Dead.

Because ‘In Dreams’ took the time to explore this concept in the most unique manner possible, by plunging Grace into the future. Some sixteen years in fact, wherein she came to meet her daughter Athena and well… what she found in this strange world was quite hopeful and beautiful. For the community that Morgan laid down roots for had grown into quite the inspiring place. Where everyone worked together and got along, because the birth of Athena gave them hope and allowed for them put to aside their differences and well, while that was wonderful to see, since it is the happy ending that every fan has hoped for since they started this wild journey through a world of living death... something was off about this dreamlike place. 

For it was simply, too perfect and too wonderful, and it didn’t take long for us to realize that this place only existed within the framework of Grace’s mind and that in reality, she was in a great deal of trouble. And as it turns out, that was a correct assumption. For she was unconscious and holed up with Morgan in a vet clinic, due to the fact that Riley and his boys attacked her and Morgan on their way to the hospital that June was building. For they wanted the key around Morgan’s neck and were ready to raise hell to make that happen and the resulting attack to retrieve the key put Grace in her temporary coma, one that she was beginning to understand held more weight and gravity than she gave it credit. Since it truly seemed as though this strange dreamlike state… was an opportunity to make peace with her life since she was facing her final moments.

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Which made sense, since it fit in line with what we know about near death experiences. Since it featured the peace and serenity that so many claim washes over them when they have that brush with death, and the flashes of people that matter to the potentially deceased were there as well, albeit taken to the extreme by giving Grace the chance to spend time with her unborn daughter. But while all of that would have led to a satisfying exit for the character, one where a mother's sacrifice could have indeed engendered hope, a fascinating and devastating twist came into play. In that, Grace didn’t die after all. Instead, she returned from this strange place at just the right time. In part to give birth to her baby, but also to inform Riley that his way of life and his plans were no longer a possibility, since hope was arriving in the form of Athena, and she would change the landscape of the future. 
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But alas, that hope simply wasn’t meant to be. For while Athena was indeed born, there was no life in her body and Grace came to realize that the lurid near dear experience she took part in… was instead her daughter’s final moments, leaving this story in quite the dark place, one that will undoubtedly divide the fans through and through. Simply because, showing us a supremely happy and go lucky world that never existed will be seen as nothing more than a waste of time from some of the fans and it is understandable as to why they will feel that way. Because this was an opportunity to offer up an intense fight between good and evil, one that instead took a backseat to a philosophical notion that we have no answers for at this particular time. 

But at the same time, this is a storytelling decision that has its upside. Because lurid or weird or not… this is a story that truly dug into some deeply powerful concepts about death and our fear of it and how devastating it can be. For the loss of Athena, speaks to the fact that death can find us at any time, and it can break us, since Grace won’t be the same after this, and that the randomness and chaos of it, definitely gives us reason to fear it… but at the same time, we should also fight that fear with every fiber of our being. Simply because life is to be celebrated, for it truly is a gift and while we will lose those we love along the away, or at the potential beginning of their journey, we honor them by making an impact and doing wonderful things, a message that makes the ending of tale a tad more palatable… despite its devastating nature.

In the end however, whether you loved or hated this particular tale… one thing we can all agree upon is that this one of the most unique zombie stories to hit the airwaves in years. Simply because it really did dive into concepts that are rarely explored in the genre and it did so in an extremely unconventional manner and it also deserves credit, for injecting some genuinely creepy elements into that dreamlike state as well. Because the talking Riley-Walker was the stuff of nightmares and it added depth to the commentary as well and if anything, this episode makes it clear that the back end of season six of Fear the Walking Dead is going to do its best to bring this particular journey to a unique climax. One that will push the envelope like never before and leave us talking for days on end. Until next time. 

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The Riley-Walker, in all its horrifying glory.