3.07 - 3.08: Fear The Walking Dead - The Unveiling

[ctg]

Qalateqa Walker (Photo by Richard Foreman Jr/AMC)

A new arrival sows a divide within the ranch. Meanwhile, Alicia forms a new relationship in the hopes of maintaining peace.

This mid-season finale is two hours long. I'm not going to put up the kill-list as it doesn't seem appropriate.

 

[Flannery]

All I have to say after watching the mid-season finale is that Madison is a badass. I got as excited about this episode as I used to on some of the old Walking Dead episodes. It was a great way to close out this half of the season!

 

[REBerg]

With all hell breaking loose back on the ranch, I was relieved when the second half of the finale limited the time devoted to Ofelia's backstory and Strand's reunion with the Abigail.

 

[ctg]

Thoughts on first half

They finally gave a good look at the land around the farm with Troy's trip through it. It is hell for the dead. I cannot see many managing to get through it without broken legs. Urban areas are best for them as there's long, flat stretches that help walkers to move around. At top of the mountain, or even following the stream, it's going to be a nightmare for them.

I doubt many of them survive the trip from nearest population centre to the Ranch. Not in standing form, but it can produce a lot of crawlers. One problem for the living is that there's not many places to grow crops, so any survivors would have to continue to dip in the survival reserves instead of playing the long game and believe that they can outlive the apocalypse.

I know that I have sometimes spoken about the length of apocalypse. To my estimate in a decade you have outlived most of the dead, even those that were produced after the dawn of the dead. In that time most of the people would have adapted to the situation and regained the statue at the top of the resource pyramid. Although some places might retain the necromorphozised flesh better I would still believe that playing the long game is best to survive whole scenario.

The natives might see it as they've lived the way of the land way longer than the survivalist in their Ranch. And to them getting back the land is the choice of paying the past sins in eye-to-eye measure. Still, move the clock forward around nine months and we'll get to the situation where Ricktatorship is arriving in the Alexandria.

Rick sees it now. He knows that he cannot leave and try to find a better place. In the survival situation you don't have many choices to move, and when you do, you can only move so far before you face starvation and death. I would give three years to Ranch before they have to come down from the mountain. But with the Native Revenge coming upon its head it could all be over sooner than we realise.

The biggest thing against the living Ranch has is the ability to produce ammo. Almost all survivalists know how to and they have instruments plus materials to do so. If they can enforce their positions and create a connection to some other group, they have chances to outlast this rising wave of anarchy. At which very heart is Ofelia.

If Daniel ever find her, she will have a fearsome guardian. But somehow I will suspect he will end up in the Native side, and the end result will be devastating. At the moment they don't have a great warchief. At the moment Qalateqa is terrifying for using chemical warfare to cause mass casualties and a zombie bomb.

 

[ctg]

Who would have thought Jeremiah was first man to greet Ofelia back in the States? I wouldn't. It's interesting that Walker was the second man. Without him I'm sure ghost of Daniel would have let Ofelia to beyond the veil and left her flesh to wander around.

The biggest surprise for me was that Qalateqa used Anthrax to commit poisoning. And then had balls to claim it cannot be cured when the cure can be found from the normal anti-biotics, like Penicilin. Problem how is that some people can have allergic complications from that medication.

Antibiotics are usually used to treat anthrax. Antibiotics that may be prescribed include penicillin, doxycycline, and ciprofloxacin. Inhalation anthrax is treated with a combination of antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin plus another medicine. They are given by IV (intravenously).

Anthrax: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

If Walker would have used chemicals the complications would have been more problematic.

Strand's reunion with the Abigail.

Yep. Awesome. To me he's off the kill list. Strand has shown to be able to survive this world. He started from worst position by being locked in the hospital research wing at the zombie uprise. So to me it was a happy moment when he popped open 1985 Dom Perignon. It must have tasted heavenly. Even though it wasn't on ice.

 

[ctg]

The question of "Where is Ofelia?" has finally been answered. To the surprise of many Fear the Walking Dead fans, and certainly its characters, the return didn't come with the realignment beside the Clark family. Instead, Ofelia has been loyal to Walker and his Native American tribe, so much that she was willing to drug the soldiers of Broke Jaw Ranch.

Mercedes Mason On Fear The Walking Dead's Big Ofelia Twist

 

[nixie]

An excellent episode, Madison is ruthless the ranch is hers. Jake isn't strong enough to take her on, Troy is scared of her and also looks up to her.

A union with the natives would be the best outcome but I can't see it happening.

 

[svalbard]

A good couple of episodes. There was some suspect decision making going at times but they are ordinary people living in extraordinary times so allowances can be made.

One observation. That Indian camp was very easy to infiltrate. I wouldn't give them a chance against a well organised group like Rick's or the Saviors.

 

[ctg]

A union with the natives would be the best outcome but I can't see it happening.

How did you knew about Ofelia being villainous?

One observation. That Indian camp was very easy to infiltrate. I wouldn't give them a chance against a well organised group like Rick's or the Saviors.

True. It was much easier to infiltrate the reservation than do the same thing at the Ranch. In the yesterdays world using that biological weapon would have brought hell in their neck by the Authorities. But now we can just bat an eyelid and assume that it's the new norm.

I believe Natives will move their camp very soon and go all mobile. Thing is they need mortars to take over the farm. And using them would bring in the dead. Although I suspect that bioweapon keeps delivering victims if it and the corpses aren't disposed properly. You have to incinerate them or otherwise they'll poison the ground and every around it. Anthrax can stay dormant in the ground for a very long time (decades).

 

[ctg]

I feel Jeremiah's death was righteous. And the past sins are now redeemed. Although Madison is carrying a hefty package with her. And so is Nick. Did anyone laugh when he said, he could stay a bit longer on the IV trip?

Troy as a doctor is now one of the most valuable people in the Ranch.

 

[REBerg]

I feel Jeremiah's death was righteous. And the past sins are now redeemed.

Jeremiah clarified any perception that he had changed his racist and murderous ways when he left Ofelia to die in the desert rather than take a "brown person" to the ranch. When he described his two sons as a crybaby and a chip off the old block, he clearly was referring to rational Jake as a disappointment and psychotic Troy as his pride and joy.

I anticipated that Nick would be the one to do the deed as soon as he walked into the ranch house. I was not expecting Madison to deliver Jeremiah's head to Walker to settle the fight. That made Walker's rhetoric about retaking native lands seem like a smokescreen for personal revenge.

Madison was really front and center throughout this mid-season finale -- a little too subjective to make impartial leadership decisions. I alternated between disliking her meddling on behalf of her family and admiring her spunk.

The Abigail's fate was tragic -- such a beautiful boat. Strand did the right thing by giving her a Viking funeral.

 

[ctg]

The Abigail's fate was tragic -- such a beautiful boat. Strand did the right thing by giving her a Viking funeral.

Thing about Abigail is that she was salvageable. She needed a little help to get off the beach and it could have been done with another boat, or four horses. At this point there should be a lot of crude oil left in the shore tank facilities. So in theory she could have served as Strand's base for a long time.

I guess they wanted to end Abigail being a possible base and just let it burn. Although it looked a bit CGI, so maybe Abigail is like Dale's bus. That RV must be worth of a lot of money whenever TWD finishes.

 

[nixie]

@ctg Ofelia being a villain was me speculating.

 

[ctg]

Madison Clark has emerged as a clear cut leader on Fear the Walking Dead in the show's third season. Part of this is a result of Travis' shocking sudden death in the Season 3 premiere but it is also a result a certain skill set Madison brings to the apocalypse.

Prior to the collapse of civilization, Madison Clark was a high school guidance counselor. The character had a certain approach which would disarm people in conversation and tap into their personalities, secrets, and other traits better than most could. Such an ability has allowed Madison to conquer Broke Jaw Ranch, according to showrunner Dave Erickson's perspective revealed in a chat with ComicBook.com.

"I think specifically, it's allowed her to really tap into the Ottos," Erickson said. "I think even going back to the premiere, she could tell, even before she know what Troy was doing with the other folks at the fuel depot, she could tell that he was dangerous. She knew there was something was off, but she was able to read him and start to understand there was a want in him and that for some reason, he was identifying and relating to her, and subsequent to that, the more she was able to piece together what this family was about. In episode three, where she mentions to Otto that Nick is an addict, that's done purposely. I mean, she wants him to know she understands his addiction, his alcoholism. She understands the loss of his second wife, and it's a way of hopefully finding some identification, so I think she's very careful and specific about what she says to Jeremiah and what she says to Troy, because she knows that she can make herself somehow trusted."

Fear The Walking Dead Showrunner Reveals What Makes Madison Such A Good Leader

 

[Judderman]

..I anticipated that Nick would be the one to do the deed as soon as he walked into the ranch house. I was not expecting Madison to deliver Jeremiah's head to Walker to settle the fight. That made Walker's rhetoric about retaking native lands seem like a smokescreen for personal revenge...

Enjoyable episodes again. I was getting tired towards the end but I thought the sons took the body of Jeremiah to the Indian encampment and that Madison found the real body of Walker's dad, then took the real skull to Walker. But seems I was wrong. Then the sons just took the body to the place they put him in the box that Madison was looking at?

I wonder how they will now stop the story from getting bogged down at the Ranch now the battle witht he Natives is over. Maybe Strand will turn up with some reason for them to leave. There are a lot of coincidences in this series but the story keeps moving so we can ignore them.

 

[Dave]

I thought this second half was the best episode of this series yet. So much was unveiled! Why Ofelia is with the Nation? The Nation's real beef with the Ottos? What happened to Abigail? Madison's childhood? And the biggest reveal of all - whether or not the whole world is infected?