'Fear the Walking Dead' Recap: 'Red Dirt'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

While it's been quite wonderful for the Clark family to have finally found a legitimate safe heaven on Fear the Walking Dead where they can take a moment to catch their breath and their bearings, I think it is safe to assume that we've all been wondering one particular thing about Broke Jaw Ranch. Exactly how long is it going to take before the peace in this place is ripped asunder, and everything Jeremiah Otto has built begins to fall apart?

As it turns out, the answer to that question is...not that long, because after only spending about a week on the ranch in television show time, everything is beginning to fall to pieces at Broke Jaw Ranch and oddly enough, it didn't take much to make that happen. Granted, we knew the people of this tiny oasis were never prepared for the horrors that await them outside of the fences, but it's safe to say we all hoped that they would be a little stronger than what we saw last night and their inability to handle a little pressure, combined with a lack of leadership, has led them all to utter disaster and the details of this collapse and everything that's helped contribute to it was the focus of last night's episode, 'Red Dirt'.

In fact, watching this little community completely and utterly shatter was quite the fascinating little ride and thankfully the show did it in epic fashion, by delivering us a smart script, a surprise twist and also by going into detail as to what really starts this kind of collapse...fear. Because upon returning to Broke Jaw on foot, Troy's little militia buddy Mike instantly snaps over the things he saw last week and begins to let everyone know that if they don't pack up their things and get the hell out of the ranch right this second...there's a fair chance that everyone is going to suffer and die at the hands of Walker and his men and everyone present for his little rant...eats that panic right up.

Suddenly people are raiding the pantry as I'm sure they raided the store in the early days of the End Times all while discussing the possibility of getting out while they still can and while one might think that Jeremiah Otto would step up and be the leader he appeared to be when Madison and her family first arrived at this place...it turns out the man simply does not have a spine. He's more concerned about his image as a leader and the solidarity of having his founder friends at his side and the stress of seeing the people he's kept safe turn their backs on what they've built here, along with repeated psychological attacks from Walker and his men, is simply too much to bear for Jeremiah and he turns back to the bottle once again. 

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Which means that the real issue at hand, is not that Broke Jaw doesn't have the potential to be a safe place, it's that its completely devoid of solid leadership since the problem extends beyond Jeremiah's lack of administrative skills, when you consider the fact that his boys are equally as incompetent as he is. Jake, while filled to the brim with good intentions is completely unable to rally people to his cause, and of course we all know that Troy is nothing more than a psychopath who would love to step into a leadership role to rule with an iron fist, and that leadership vacuum is precisely what allows for Mike's family to finally leave the ranch and allow for something incredible to happen. 

Because shortly after they leave, a disturbing chain of events is set into motion. Jeremiah notices a lone horse, one that the family took with them, has returned to the ranch and is badly injured, and after a brief search to see if by chance Mike's family didn't make it that far, Jeremiah's worst fears are realized. The family did indeed falter in their journey and succumbed to death and resurrection and considering how angry Troy was over their departure, and also considering the fact that Madison had to take the time to try and inspire him to be a better man, there's concern from dear old dad that Troy followed the family out into the middle of nowhere to kill these innocent people for betraying the community. 

Madison however, believes Troy is just a misguided boy and blames the attack on Walker and his men and upon returning to the ranch, seizes the opportunity to finally provide inspiration and leadership to the people of this place and thanks to her actions, the panic and fear begins to diminish and the good people of Broke Jaw seem ready for a fight. But there's only one slight problem with Madison's actions... Troy was indeed the one responsible for killing Mike and his family after all, and it would seem at this point that all that Madison has done...is see a grand opportunity for a power play on Jeremiah Otto and she has seized it in magnificent fashion, and one also has to wonder if she is quietly manipulating Troy and his fury to do her bidding as well and when all is said and done, holy cow...what a way to end this episode.

We've always known that Madison has a darker side and will unleash it as necessary, but to manipulate people in this manner is both brilliant and chilling all at once. It's brilliant because hey, it worked. Broke Jaw is united against a common enemy, but from the chilling perspective, it's clear that Madison Clark will do anything and everything to maintain safety for her and her family and woe to the Ottos or anyone that stands in her way. Regardless, it should be interesting to see what Madison's exact end game is when it comes to this incredible power play and whether or not her actions will indeed draw the people of the Ranch into an unnecessary war. Either way, this tiny little community stands on the brink of either becoming a beacon for the future of humanity, or collapsing entirely like the rest of the modern world and there's a fair chance Broke Jaw Ranch's fate will be decided in next week's midseason finale. Until next time.

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