‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘The Portrait’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 707 of ‘Fear the Walking Dead’.
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One particular concept that continues to fascinate the whole of modern mankind… is the nature and the genesis of evil. Because the idea that an everyday person will one day wake up and make the decision to hurt other human beings seems like an impossibility. After all, we live in a world that is so incredibly interconnected. To the point where anyone should be able to step in, either in person or from afar, and help those wavering between good and evil, so they can be saved from the darkness and live a life filled with wonder. But despite our ability to so via technology, evil persists, and its ability to do so despite the benefits of our world and the kindness that outweighs it… is what keeps this fascination alive and compels us to dive deeper into its origins.
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Which is why we demand that behavioral science continue its major strides in uncovering the genesis of evil and why we expect storytellers to explore this as often as possible, so we can root out the real cause of evil and end it and transform mankind into something genuinely beautiful. But even that hope and that quest seems fleeting at times, especially when one comes to realize that sometimes… evil is born from the simplest of moments. The kind that are in essence, the perfect nexus of emotional trauma and disdain for the world as it stands. Which no one could see coming in the slightest, leaving one to wonder if we can ever defeat it. But rather than ponder upon that further, for the sake of today’s discussion, the simplicity of evil and how that singular moment can nudge people toward it in a tragic and unexpected manner is top of mind… because that played out during last night’s episode of Fear the Walking Dead.

For ‘The Portrait’ took the time to examine what has made Victor Strand so sour and so evil at times and it did so, by offering up a Shakespearean tragedy of sorts. One that saw Victor express in the most subtle way imaginable… that he has been a broken man for a long time, and that he is desperate to have others see him as a hero or a wonder to fulfill some deep-rooted trauma and insecurity and all that of came to light… by way of his desire to have a portrait commissioned by an artist within his Tower. Because he genuinely wanted this painting to really show everyone in the Tower, and those who would soon call it home… that he was the same beacon of light that shone atop this building and that they could trust him and love him and cherish him for his acts. But alas, the painting captured the same ice in his veins that we know exists and that reality… combined with some surprises, left Strand in quite the precarious place mentally. 

Because his desired perception was put to the test. By way of the arrival of Morgan Jones and the Stalkers. Because shortly after Strand figured out a way to show Morgan that he was indeed a beautiful man that had figured out the right way to move civilization forward, by way of mercy and kindness for a sickly Mo and in the midst of that lesson… the Stalkers arrived and opened fire upon the building with zombie bombs. The kind that would soon do devastating damage to the Tower by way of nuclear contamination if he didn’t let this group of rag-tag survivors in and let them share in the wonder of safety and shelter, and that brought about the first real step toward breaking Victor Strand and motivating him to embrace the darkness within. Because there was a real fear that he wouldn’t be able to keep his people safe and wouldn’t be able to exert raw power and attitude over these individuals and that epiphany, made him look weak and indecisive and to complicate matters further… someone in his midst had poisoned him.

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Leaving him to believe this was nothing short of an assassination attempt by the Stalkers so they could get their hands on what he worked so hard to build and well, rather than immediately take up Morgan’s offer to help him by way of the MWRAP… he was quick to circle the wagons and attempt to make himself look like the hero as always. For he desperately needed everyone to see he was in control, that he was right about everything and could in fact, get them out of this darkest hour. But alas, it quickly became apparent that wasn’t going to be the case and he was forced to work with Morgan and follow that plan. One that worked so well, that it seemingly kept Strand from turning to the dark side. But the reveal after the Stalkers had left, that Morgan was the one who poisoned him… finally sent Victor down the proverbial rabbit hole. For in that moment… he came to realize a great deal about himself, and his situation and his future.
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In that, he was a monster to others. A being that only cared about himself and his advances, although he built a place to create safety and shelter for others. And that epiphany combined with an admission in the midst of the crisis that he was in essence, desperate to have someone love him and see him in a positive light, preferably Alicia… motivated him to just give up and give the people what they wanted. For if that was how they saw him, that was what they would receive. Making this story a grand tragedy for Strand and a brilliant examination of that genesis point of evil. Of how the right circumstances can break a man and commit him to it, especially when their flawed attempts to do the right thing are rejected and insulted. But while we wait to see what this awakening will produce for the future of the story; we’d be foolish to not talk about the rousing surprise that came about at the end of this tale.

For shortly after Morgan and Victor parted ways, in exchange for Grace and Mo’s safety… Morgan found himself surrounded by the Stalkers and was seemingly in dire trouble. That is until Sherry and Dwight revealed themselves to him and informed him that they weren’t with the Stalkers, but an offshoot group with better intentions, before taking him to meet the true leader of this splinter group… who turned out to be Alicia. Who revealed that not only is she thriving and leading people to safety, but that she needs Morgan’s help in keeping folks safe and that will be easier said than done, since those dirty bomb walkers are still out there and one of them, detonated near the camp. However, while a cliffhanger of that caliber was quite engaging and while it was nice to finally see Alicia return to the fold again… let’s be honest, all of that was grossly overshadowed by the core themes of this episode.

Since Victor’s harrowing journey truly hammered home how hard it is to genuinely rid the world of evil since there are people like Strand all over the world, who refuse the help they need and refuse to take responsibility for their actions and will indeed embrace darkness when the right opportunity arises, leaving one to wonder how we combat evil if that is the case and of course… if Victor Strand can be redeemed now that he is at his lowest. But while we wait to get the answers to those questions, we can genuinely bask in the majesty of one quality episode. One that really let Colman Domingo shine through and through since he expressed everything we discussed here in a powerful and subtle manner, and he really does deserve a round of applause for turning in a powerhouse performance and for leaving us quite worried. Because we’ve never seen Strand truly be unleashed and the kind of pain, he is carrying… could lead to all kinds of strife… all because Victor cannot find what he needs to fill the void in his soul. Until next time.  

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