'Fear the Walking Dead' Recap: 'Sicut Cervus'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

This season of Fear the Walking Dead has featured quite a few firsts when it comes to the zombie genre and it's a wonderful sight to see. This is a series rife with opportunity, where the show runners can try new and exciting and terrifying things when it comes to the zombie genre and this week on the show they decided to do that once again.  

Last night's episode, "Sicut Cervus", served as the springboard for exploring one incredible concept after another. It started simply enough with a look at what happens when people are completely and utterly pushed to their breaking point since several people in the group are starting to crack under the pressure; and it also took the time to dive deep into what happens when the human mind simply cannot take anymore of the horrors surrounding it.  But before we get into that fascinating part of the story, let's talk about those in the group who are collapsing from stress...starting with Chris.

This week's episode saw Chris make mistake after mistake and well, now the kid is getting downright scary. First he nearly lets Madison die at the hands of a walker outside the church, then he feels the need to threaten Alicia to not say a word about the fact that she caught him choosing not to help their mom and what the hell was he planning to do with that knife in Alicia's room in the middle of the night? It seems as though in many ways, Chris has finally snapped and since he's taken a life on several occasions now, one has to wonder if he's simply gotten a taste for the ease of it and with the world no longer conforming to any rules...perhaps he no longer sees the value of life anymore. 

There's a real mean streak brewing behind him, a hint of the Governor if you will because this is a kid who is young, impressionable and clearly believes that people telling him what to do and what he should believe at this age are trying to do him wrong. Now that he has discovered that some of his problems can be removed with a simple pull of the trigger...it's an easy way out and that's dangerous. Madison did have one solid point about her step son, he needs help, and it's obvious he needs it quickly because he's slipping into some pretty dark places and if they don't rescue him from it soon and figure out how to reach him, bad things are going to happen. 

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Oddly enough however, Chris' disturbing behavior was not the most terrifying part of the night. That honor was reserved solely for the Abigail compound in Baja, where we quickly learned what effect the Apocalypse is starting to have on some people's minds, Nick's included, by uncovering the fact that Thomas Abigail's surrogate mother Celia, is playing caretaker to the dearly departed by giving the living dead shelter and food.  

This was a fascinating move and while for a moment there it seemed like an echo of The Walking Dead had popped up by way of retelling the tale of Hershel's farm, that was simply not the case. While Hershel believed that they were sick and needed a cure, and he was right about the sick part, Celia full on believes that the dead are the physical incarnation of the afterlife. That the spirits of the departed have come home to roost and in the process, reanimated the dead. Of course it's odd that she sees no problem with the fact that they eat human flesh, but Celia's inability to see them for what they are is absolutely chilling.

This was truly the best part of the episode because something we often see in the genre is that everyone is quick to accept the fact that hey, the dead now walk the earth, avoid them at all costs and kill them when you can. But Celia's thought process is a fine example of not being able to let the reality of the matter sink in. She cannot comprehend that this is the end of the world as they know it and that the dead have indeed returned to life to attack the living. She has injected her religious beliefs into the matter to rationalize it all and that's just scary, and well...it makes her the most dangerous person on the show right now since let's not forget that she was willing to poison an entire church full of people who disagreed with her view.

To top it off, Nick is also struggling with the reality of this mess as well and now he's starting to listen to her special brand of crazy. The group truthfully would have been safer on the ocean at this point and with Strand breaking his vow to die with Thomas peacefully...they're all in incredible danger now. They are sleeping atop a cellar full of the dead, their host is stark raving mad with an entire staff backing her up and Chris is still out there filled with rage as well. Either way, the stage is set for one stunning midseason finale and while we wait to see how this mess wraps up, kudos to the show for once again pushing the envelope and giving us one dark and disturbing tale. Until next time.

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