‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘The End is the Beginning’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season six premiere of ‘Fear of the Walking Dead’.
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Make no mistake about it; season five of Fear the Walking Dead was a supremely polarizing year of storytelling for fans of this series. Because the idea that people would try to be positive and non-confrontational in the midst of the zombie apocalypse seemed like an outlandish idea to some fans. One that they believe, outright weakened our intrepid heroes and allowed for them to become nothing more than pushovers and it made their decision to surrender in order to see another day in the season five finale, stunning to say the least. For in The Walking Dead Universe, people that face insurmountable odds, fight to the bitter end and find a way to win and surrendering made Morgan and his merry band of friends appear as though they’d given up.
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But while some lamented this storytelling direction, there were others who found it to be downright brilliant. For they believe that it offered up a different perspective on the zombiepocalypse since we rarely see anyone think positively about tomorrow in the TWDU and it did allow for some unique episodes to take place for certain. However, whether you loved season five or outright hated it, it did do enough to garner everyone’s attention and leave folks eager to see where exactly Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg planned to take this franchise in season six and well, at long last we are starting to get an idea of what they have up their sleeves. For last night’s season six premiere took us on quite the wild ride, one that revealed the fate of Morgan Jones, while revealing what appears to be the grand plan for this year’s journey through the world of the dead. 

However, before we dive too deeply into that particular plan, it’s best we take a moment to discuss what ‘The End is the Beginning’ revealed about Morgan Jones’ fate. And as it turns out, this brave man actually managed to survive his gunshot wound. How exactly, we will get to in a moment. Because what matters more, is that when we catch up with Morgan here, he’s in rough shape. For the medical attention he received was nothing more than mere patchwork, and he’s still bleeding from his wound and in dire need of quality care. Because the wound is becoming toxic and gangrene is settling in and that oddly gives Morgan quite the special ability in this particular tale. In that, it allows for him to avoid the dead.

Simply because, he smells of death, and he is seemingly near it as well and that motivates walkers to pass him by because he’s nothing more than a spoiled meal. But he finds no joy in having this ability. Instead, Morgan is racing against the clock to assemble a safe zone for his friends and the good Samaritan that saved him after his desperate radio plea. Because Morgan has finally given up and resigned himself to a fate worse than death. Because he’s failed in his mission and he’s failed his friends and at this point, the only good he can do this world, is to offer his friends and savior some safety. But a chance encounter with a decent man in need, leaves Morgan quite conflicted. Because the chance to do something good does awaken something within him. Something that he works to bury quickly in order to avoid the prospect of disappointing someone else. 

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But this kind stranger refuses to let Morgan quit and even offers him a mission, one that would involve getting much needed supplies to the stranger’s pregnant wife and well… the good news is that Morgan isn’t that broken just yet and their quest to save a life is what begins a grand character study/loose reveal of what season six is going to stand for. Because this journey allowed for Morgan to ponder upon what’s put him in this broken state, and it all relates to the sheer fact that he doesn’t understand what he is supposed to be in this world. After all, he’s been the monster and paid the price for it, and he’s also been the pure hero that praises the sanctity of life, even at the end of the world. To the point where he has refused to harm or kill others in order retain that purity. But neither path has produced anything for him. Instead they’ve pushed him into solitude.
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Which means that this particular episode dug deep into the nature of heroism and what it actually means to be one, and of course, whether or not a good man can actually be decent in an indecent time. Or if he has to figure out how balance the light and the dark. Which are a lot of philosophical notions to dive into, the kind that should take weeks for Morgan to work through. But the episode does make use of a simple plot device in order to get Morgan to start to sort this mess out, now. For as they continue their quest to save a pregnant wife, they are pursued by a relentless bounty hunter that is eager to bring Ginny, Morgan’s head. And having to face that particular brand of evil on a consistent basis, and being placed in harm’s way, are what allow for Morgan to work out his past while coming to some supremely important epiphanies about what needs to change for him going forward.

In that, he comes to realize that some people only understand violence and responding in kind is the only way to be done with them or reach them. And also, that, sometimes a hero has to make the tough call and do horrible things in order to see another day and to ensure the safety of others. Which is a stunning lesson to inject into a show that was looking at positivity not that long ago, but it makes sense in this particular situation. Because there’s no reasoning with someone like Ginny, there’s only her way or the grave, and not standing up and fighting for what’s right and doing what must be done, will only allow a monster of her caliber to grow and engender more suffering. And that epiphany, along with the fact that doing nothing would cost an innocent baby its life, motivated Morgan to indulge in the darkness and do what must be done with the bounty hunter in order to ensure his safety and the baby’s. 

A decision that gave him a third chance at life, since his newfound friend was skilled in triage and repaired Morgan’s wound before passing into the beyond, thanks to a bite and clearly, Morgan is focused and clear for the first time ever. Because now he understands the way forward and that challenging Ginny is the only way to keep his friends safe and all of this made for one fascinating season premiere. Because this episode dug deep into the duality of man and every nuance that goes into making a tough decision and that made for a fascinating character study, one that blended together the best and worst parts of Morgan to create a stunning new character. One that is motivated to make the tough calls to keep people safe. Which means that we can expect the other characters to be challenged in this manner as well, in order to truly find their way in the apocalypse And that is going to make season six one fascinating ride, as we come to learn what these heroes are genuinely all about and whether or not they can genuinely make peace with the tough decisions they will have to make, in the weeks ahead. Until next time.

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