'Fear the Walking Dead' Recap: 'TEOTWAWKI'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

After last week's powerhouse season three premiere of ​Fear the Walking Dead, wherein we saw the show go to some incredibly dark and powerful places to the point where the series even bid goodbye to a big time lead in Travis, it's safe to say that every single fan of the show was wondering as to whether or not the series was going to continue this downward spiral into darker storytelling and as it turns out the show wasted no time in answering that question...with a resounding yes. 

Because last night's episode, 'TEOTWAWKI', gave us an inside look into the mysterious Broke Jaw Ranch and well...this little oasis of humanity has some serious issues boiling beneath its surface, and all of those issues were revealed by way of giving the characters something they've never had on this show before...a break. After all, ever since the dead began to walk the earth, Madison and her family have in essence been on the run, only spending a handful of days in safe locations. So while it was nice to not see the Clark family on the go, there is a fair chance their safety could be compromised by the problems prevalent in this 'sanctuary.'

One reason the family could find themselves in trouble, is the sheer fact that no one outside of the militia is prepared to deal with the threat that is the living dead. A group of kids made it inherently clear to Alicia that it is up to the men with guns to keep them safe and we all know that in order to survive in this awful world, one has to be prepared to get their hands dirty and considering the fact that these same kids keep a reanimated head they've named 'Geoff' around for their own disturbing brand of entertainment, it is inherently clear that they don't take the threat of the living dead seriously in the slightest and that always leads to trouble.

Not to mention, the people in charge of this strange little place, the Otto family, have issues of their own. Granted we got a taste of those issues in last week's premiere, since it's obvious that Troy's mental health is in question. But this week we learned plenty more about this family, in that the head of the clean, Jeremiah Otto, has always been a true believer in the end of the world, to the point where he sold 'how to survive the end of the world' tapes to the masses to fund Broke Jaw Ranch and while this episode did give us some of his human side in that Troy's mom was an alcoholic and Jeremiah had to deal with the strife that came with that, the man clearly enjoys his status as the Alpha Dog in this place and he truly seems to relish in being viewed as a savior here, and that could cause trouble down the road if someone or something comes to challenge him.

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Because Jeremiah, is not a leader, he's a salesman and the only reason he's found some level of respect or is even remotely recognized as the man in charge, is because he was right about the end coming, and he's provided safety to shell shocked people and that's dangerous because they firmly believe he will protect them from anything...and he may not be able to provide that level of safety. What's worse however, is that he seems to have piqued Madison's interest on this place being a true beacon of salvation and considering the fact she's so hellbent on keeping the Clark family here, one has to wonder if Madison has bought what Jeremiah is selling or if she is working a long con to potentially take this place over like she mentioned at the end of last week.

But as a nice break from the Broke Jaw Ranch storyline, the show also took a little time to catch up with Victor Strand, who apparently has contacts just about everywhere since he knew exactly where to go after leaving the hotel...a nearby dam, where he hoped to meet up with an old friend named Dante. Unfortunately the reunion with Dante did not turn out quite the way Strand was hoping for, because after a brief catch up session, Dante was more than happy to show Strand how business is done in the new world and threatens his life all in the hopes of breaking Victor's spirit. As it turns out, Dante sees the end times as a new opportunity to set right old wrongs and since Strand has committed many a sin, Dante will make sure he atones for every last one of them. 

However, not all hope is lost for dear Victor, because in the best surprise of the night, a guardian angel appeared to give Strand water and comfort and that angel turned out to be none other than Daniel Salazar. Yes, the bold and brash father of Ofelia, whom we all thought died in the fire at the Abigail compound is alive and well and somehow he found his way to the same place as Victor and it should be extremely interesting to learn how he survived the fire and what he's been up to after all this time. However, when all is said and done, what truly impressed me about this particular episode, is the sheer fact that Fear the Walking Dead is working hard now to take us on an emotional rollercoaster ride.

After all, there was a genuine sense of danger permeating this episode since the ranch is unfamiliar territory and the episode used that sense of the unknown to its maximum potential. We were worried about Alicia's safety when the kids took her down into their little hangout shelter, and for a moment there it seemed as though Nick would be harmed as well. Regardless, these changes are clearly part of the push to make this series a touch more on the terrifying side and it's working like a charm. My only hope is that the more cerebral nature of the show finds its way back into this season as it progresses. But in the meantime, this is quite the dark beginning to the season, and I am thoroughly impressed with the fact that the show is maintaining this bleak atmosphere and I'm curious to see just how dark season three is going to get. Until next time. 

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