'Fear the Walking Dead' Recap: 'Just in Case'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

While social commentary and a better understanding of the human condition are both important staples of the horror genre, often times these kinds of tales take the time to put those notions and examinations on the back burner from time to time to either advance the plot of the story, or outright return to their scary roots in order to entertain the audience. Unless of course we are talking about Fear the Walking Dead since this show has made both of those concepts an important part of season four and last night’s episode of the series was no exception to that particular rule.
 
Because ‘Just in Case’ is another chapter in this storied saga that took the time to break down both of those elements. But this time around Fear chose to specifically examine what it means to be given a second chance in life since sometimes…that’s something we all seek when we’ve made a mistake or a misstep that we would love to take back and what made this exploration so fascinating is that the series achieved this grand examination by focusing on two key characters, Strand and Naomi, and all of their respective mistakes…and why they deserve a second chance in life despite their goofs. 
 
However, what made this analysis so interesting and downright impressive, is the sheer fact that was it handled in different fashion than what we are used to. Usually the characters aren’t self-aware of their mistakes in situations and stories such as these and it takes someone else to teach them the all-important lesson in question, but that was simply not the case here. Naomi and Strand were fully aware of their actions and despite their respective pushes and missteps to survive, they felt guilt and shame and wondered exactly what made them worthy of forgiveness and their second shot at life.
 
As to what exactly makes them worthy, well that was answered by way of Madison, who…more or less laid it out on the line that everyone in this life deserves a second chance, because the mistakes we make in the moment aren’t always done out of malice or because we are bad people. Sometimes fear makes us stupid, and we should be given an opportunity to realize and atone for that, and despite the fact that Strand and Naomi tested her beliefs with their respective confessions, Madison never wavered when it comes to her newfound faith in humanity, and it’s just fascinating to see her in this place mentally, and it’s refreshing to have this perspective present on a horror series as well.  

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However, what also made this episode so fascinating, is that it didn’t make this particular analysis of the human condition the sole focus, and it found ways to advance the plot and fill us in on some holes when it comes to some of the backstories we’ve had questions about as well. Like the fact that we learned that after the dam exploded at the end of season three, Madison nursed Strand back to health, and slowly reunited her family before they began their trek back to the United States. And we also learned exactly what happened to Naomi’s daughter as well since she and Strand and Madison returned to the FEMA camp she escaped from before washing up on John Dorie’s doorstep, forcing Naomi to reflect upon her past.
 
If anything, that plot thread ended up being the most horrifying and disturbing segment of the evening since the dead were everywhere in this place and it was just heartbreaking to see Naomi recognize the people she left behind and struggle with putting them down, despite the fact that they turned into walking abominations. And it was equally as harrowing to learn about how she left her sick daughter behind in the complex in order to find some medication out in the world to help her, only to return and discover that her daughter had died while she was away and that the camp had now been overrun by the dead, and it was heartbreaking to see Naomi blame herself for all of this, when in fact there’s a chance something else led to a mass infection inside the camp.
 
But while Madison offered her forgiveness and that chance to begin again, and while this plot thread closed out in cheery fashion with Naomi buying the stadium way more time, there was plenty of darkness to be found in this episode as well to balance everything out. After all, we did come to learn that Madison prepared to deal with the unknown by prepping a bug out truck at the ballpark simply because…you never know, and we also watched John Dorie take a bullet when he came to discover that his love was alive and well, simply because Alicia couldn’t resist a chance to drop Naomi when she learned she was now joining up with the Vultures to survive and well, once again, this series ends on an air of mystery and surprise with Dorie now badly wounded.
 
However, what I appreciated the most about this particular episode, is that it continued to build upon the notion that the only way forward in this broken world, is together and that revenge has no place anymore and hopefully that last little lesson is one that Alicia figures out quickly. But I do get the feeling that Naomi was right, and things are going to get a lot worse before they get better and my only hope is that we don’t lose a ton of good characters in the process of making things better. Either way, I’ve yet to be let down by any episode in season four of this series and this one is no exception to that. Once again, the series was poignant and powerful, and I cannot wait to see what other cerebral notions await us in the weeks to come as this series works toward a better world, and a better tomorrow. Until next time.  

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