Things finally start to kick up a notch in the second episode of Fear The Walking Dead season 2, as the crew of characters we've gotten to know over the past seven episodes face one of their toughest decisions yet. Don't get me wrong, I've really enjoyed everything we've seen so far, but this episode really feels like the beginning of a show on a whole other level.
Credit: AMC
Hoping to evade threatening forces on the ocean, the group seeks shelter with a survivalist family they come across whilst looking for a safe place to hide out. Soon though it becomes clear that each elder member of the family has their own motive and before long, all hell breaks loose with ego getting in the way of rational decisions. As I said in my last review of Fear, it's hard not to hate some of the characters for their flawed ideas about how to survive but as viewers we have to remember, we've seen a lot of different things through The Walking Dead - these characters are living through the very early phases of the zombie apocalypse.
For the first time in the Fear series, this episode left me with a lump in my throat. Seeing such great acting displays not only from the regular cast but especially the young children that appear in this episode was a real breath of fresh air. Usually, kids in TV shows irk me to no end, but here they're used brilliantly - the writers really show a stroke of genius.
There's also some great character development in this episode for Christopher (Lorenzo Henrie), not exactly somebody the fans go wild about just yet. He shows signs of becoming a bloodthirsty zombie slayer and his father, Travis (Cliff Curtis), couldn't be more worried. Madison meanwhile seems to get back into her stride, but again it does feel a little as if she and Travis traded off personalities during the season one and two break.
Meanwhile, whilst Madison (Kim Dickens) and her son Nick (Frank Dillane) unearth some major secrets the family have been keeping, Salazar (Rubén Blades) works hard to discover just what Strand's (Colman Domingo) true intentions are. As the season progresses, we could see Strand turn into the 'big bad' villain we're all waiting for. Why exactly is he willing to allow a bunch of strangers to find solace with him on his yacht? Is the yacht really his? A lot of questions relating to Strand need answering and his storyline is perhaps the most interesting one the Fear series is presenting so far.
Fear The Walking Dead season 2 continues Sundays on AMC in the US, and Mondays on AMC UK, exclusive to BT TV in the UK.
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