‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘The Little Prince’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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I have to admit, that I’m quite impressed with everything that Fear the Walking Dead is accomplishing thus far in season five. Because in many ways, this season is injecting all kinds of new ideas and concepts into the notion of the zombiepocalypse, and while it is odd and awkward at times to see positivity and hope permeate the fabric of this universe, it’s a welcome change to the norm. But, while this is wonderful and refreshing in its own right, I have found myself concerned that these repeated attempts to bring joy to the land of the dead are going to fundamentally change this series and what it stands for. Because this is the end of the world, where danger and the unknown are around every corner and forgetting that would make the series a mockery of itself.
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However, it would seem I’m not the only one to have this concern, since last night’s episode of the series, ‘The Little Prince’, made an attempt to address this potential mistake. Because this grand and sweeping tale of rescue and hope, took the time to remind us that not everyone can be saved, and that a physical lack of people means that some unseen dangers are growing behind the scenes and what made these examinations work so incredibly well on screen, is that at first glance, it seemed like business as usual when it comes to this series. For this episode opened up in beautifully hopeful fashion, wherein the group worked toward getting the heck out of this desolate area.

Which meant, it was time to rebuild the plane and it was quite lovely to see everyone pitch in and work to piece this behemoth back together. Because it really was quite the symbol of salvation and redemption early on in this tale and I won’t lie, it was quite uplifting to hear Morgan’s rousing speech about togetherness and all of these rapid-fire elements really did instill hope into the story and I would imagine the audience as well. Because it really did seem as though this group was leaving this place behind as soon as the plane was ready, and that hope was further compounded by the fact that John and Dwight were back on the hunt for Sherry, making it seem as though that couple might reunite and find their happy ending at last.

But it didn’t take long for the universe to begin to assert itself since the plane, started to break down, to the point where a propeller snapped in half, and to make matters worse, Grace called in, asking for immediate help. Because the second reactor at the power plant was going into critical status and she needed the outpost’s generator to buy everyone some time, and just like that, the story returned to more dismal territory. Since now, the group was on the clock with the reactor preparing to go into meltdown status and that brought about the interpersonal complications I made mention of, since the harsh reality of the plane’s status, and the lack of a ready supply of propellers, prompted regression from Annie.

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Because she saw the potential writing on the wall, and rather than believe Alicia’s claims that a fix would come for the plane, or give Morgan proper time to help Grace slow the impending meltdown, she made plans to get her brothers and her group back to their safe space, and well, this led to a surprisingly powerful interaction. Wherein Alicia tried to talk some sense into the young girl, only to learn that Annie is severely traumatized by everything she’s seen and experienced over the past few months, and at this point, the only way she feels safe is if she’s on her own and calling the shots and despite making some solid points about why it was time for Annie to try something new, Alicia’s words fell upon deaf ears, and the kids made a run for it.
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Plus, things didn’t go that well for Morgan, either. Because helping Grace offered Morgan one last chance to talk some sense into her as well, and hopefully get her away from her dark quest to perhaps allow for her to enjoy life for a change. If only for a little while, if she was indeed telling the truth about her exposure to radiation. But Morgan ran into the same problem as Alicia, and his inspiring words and solid attempt to save her ended in failure as she made her way to the power plant alone, and well, the hits in this episode just kept on coming, because even the always positive John Dorie ran into some complications out on the road with Dwight, the kind that could be catastrophic down the line.

Because let’s be honest, Dwight is in a precarious place, and his only beacon of hope, is Sherry and the only thing keeping him going, is the possibility of finding her in the midst of this madness. And while he and John made some solid strides in getting closer to Sherry, John found a letter from Dwight’s one and only that asked him to stay away and rather than embrace the ugly as his counterparts did in this tale, John tried to keep hope alive, by keeping the letter a secret from Dwight. Yet, while all of these issues were enough to leave the audience worried and on the edge of their seat, the closing moments of this tale truly hammered home the return to bleakness for this series since an attempt by Charlie and Strand to deliver propellers, ended in disaster since they’re now surrounded by radioactive corpses.

So, just like that, all the good and all the wonder that season five has worked toward is basically wiped away in this tale and well, I love this twist when all is said and done. Because these characters are at their best when they face great challenges, and well, they’ve got plenty ahead of them now. Because they need to get all their problems resolved and quickly, since the clock is ticking to a major meltdown, the kind that no one will survive and well, I absolutely praise this episode for shattering the joy that season five has brought to the table. Because it provides balance to this story, and it does serve to remind us that bad things are inescapable in the horror genre, and events like this, definitely keep you vested in the story, and I’ll be counting down the minutes to next Sunday’s episode to see how the group gets out of this incredible mess. Until next time. 

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