‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘Mourning Cloak’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 710 of ‘Fear the Walking Dead’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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When we last settled in to discuss the dynamic AMC series, Fear the Walking Dead, we talked at length about how the season seven midseason premiere… outright surprised us. Because after weeks of bleak storytelling, the kind that saw everyone suffer through incredibly difficult times in a corner of the world where the dead walk amongst nuclear fallout… there was genuine hope to be found in that tale. To the point where each and every one of us were left wondering, if by chance some semblance of positivity and hope was going to be present within future episodes since ‘Follow Me’ felt like a turning point in this overall journey and well, it didn’t take long for the series to answer that particular question… with a resounding yes. 
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For ‘Mourning Cloak’ is a story… that celebrated love and the wonder of it, and it also took he time to examine what motivates us to fight for good in this world and it accomplished this magnificent feat by taking us on a grand and sweeping journey through and beyond Victor Strand’s beloved Tower. Wherein we were introduced to a young named Ali who was quite frankly, searching for meaning in the wasteland. For while he and his parents survived the majority of the zombiepocalypse, the arrival of Teddy’s nuclear gifts, took mom and dad out, and left Ali to fend for himself. Which of course led him to the Tower and motivated him to try and find meaning by following in his father’s footsteps, by serving his fellow man as one of Strand’s Rangers.

But of course, his age complicated that, since he was only a teenager, and his lack of maturity in Strand and Howard’s eyes… left him handling duties for Victor that he didn’t see as all that illustrious. Specifically… he was tasked with building Strand’s butterfly collection… an act that surprisingly changed his life and brought forth the explorations in question. For while he was out and about in the world, he ran into young Charlie. Whom claimed she had run away from the U.S.S. Pennsylvania, in the hopes of finding shelter and a warm meal and a better tomorrow. A move that of course, was met with skepticism by Howard and others at the Tower since trust for Morgan and his people, was basically nonexistent and that meant, Charlie had to prove to Howard… she wasn’t lying.

Which is why she volunteered for a dangerous mission, to retrieve elevator parts for the Tower, with Ali no less and once they were out in the open… the majesty of love was explored. For it didn’t take long for this duo to connect and understand they shared something special. And that allowed for Charlie to inform Ali… that she did have a secondary objective in getting to the Tower. In that, she was to disable the Beacon so Morgan and a rescue team could get Grace and the baby out and go from there and she made this honest admission, not to speak to betrayal or to concern Ali… but so that she was honest and transparent with him. Because she genuinely cared for him and wanted no borders to be between them, and because she wanted him to know that she wasn’t going through with it. So, she could live in the Tower and be with him, and the truth… did wonders in this instance.

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For it motivated Ali to bring Charlie back home with incredible urgency when she came down with a touch of radiation sickness and it also prompted him… to lie to Howard about the real plan. Because this was a chance at true happiness for Ali, and his shot to know a life that didn’t feel hollow or constantly surrounded by fear and well, to help his new love be trusted by both sides, he tried to disable the Beacon… and paid the ultimate price for it. Because Howard threw him off the building in an effort to keep control and order in the Tower and well… that set the stage for more strife internally, since John and June weren’t good with this move and they were also quick to protect Charlie, whom Howard wanted ejected.
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But what matters more here, is what this story had to say about why we fight and how seeing a teenage love affair take place in a story about the end of the world fit into something positive and well, it all relates to, a better tomorrow and a need for hope. Because in essence, everyone in the Tower, is just surviving right now. Sure, they’re safe and they have a roof over their heads and three squares a day, but that’s it. There’s no joy, no little moments of beauty to be found, those important things we take for granted and starve for when they’re gone. Which is probably by design courtesy of Strand and Howard, to keep control… but it isn’t… living. It’s just going through the motions and people, need to live, need to experience more… they need that beauty. 

Which is why it was so important to Ali and Charlie to find love and for others to see it blossom and see Howard be cruel. To remind them of what they’re fighting for, which is that better tomorrow and a place where people can live and thrive and go to bed feeling fulfilled… despite the mottled horrors that roam in the dark in this universe. And to see John and June have that spark ignited here, is a huge deal. Since it means that others are starting to want that and understand what they’ve lost and what they need to reclaim and that should build a coalition of the willing against Strand, and likely add support to whatever Alicia has planned for the future. and that really does make this quite the hopeful and somewhat bittersweet tale as well.

Because it in essence, refocuses the series and demands better of the characters and it gives the audience a further break from the horrors of this wasteland, and it was just wonderful to see the show extend wonder another week and give us more to chew upon from a positive perspective. But while it has been wonderful to break away from the ugly for a couple of weeks and enjoy an episode that features a magnificent performance from Alexa Nisenson and some slick direction from Lennie James… it really is best that we relish in the majesty of this for as long as we can. Because things are only going to get worse before they get better, since Strand won’t be happy when he learns of what transpired here and of course… there is still a looming war on the horizon, one that will be bloody and heartbreaking and could potentially change the landscape of this series for years to come. Until next time.

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