Fear The Walking Dead did a fantastic job through its first season in establishing itself as its own series as well as the sister show to the incredibly successful AMC drama, The Walking Dead. Thankfully, that's something we see continue in the first episode of the show's second season, as our bunch of characters take to the sea and discover that there are just as many threats on the ocean as there may be back on land.
Credit: AMC
Character development is at an all-time high, though it's now a little odd to see Travis take the lead as the guy who wants to put those closest to him ahead of the lives of others who may need their help. In the first season we saw him struggle to even pull the trigger of a gun, but the death of his ex Liza has seen him turn a new page.
Similarly strange is Madison's approach to outsiders in this episode. She wants to help those she finds floating around instead of thinking through all of the implications they would bring first and that's not how I would have thought she'd be handling situations given everything she's seen. Is this the same woman who smashed a school janitor in the head with a fire extinguisher back in season one? I'm hoping that as season two continues, we'll see more of Madison's kickass take-no-prisoners side.
The kids, aside from Nick, are annoying. They always make stupid mistakes but then, as a viewer you have to ask yourself if those mistakes you see are only deemed stupid because you've seen so many be made before through The Walking Dead. You have to remember that all of this is taking place before anything we ever even saw on The Walking Dead and so, can we really judge?
Colman Domingo gives a standout performance as Strand in this first episode, and as the passengers on his boat begin to question just how trustworthy he is, the viewer is forced to do as well. Why exactly was he on the run in the first season and why was he at the same camp as Nick? Though he's been a saviour at times he could have some major ulterior motives which I'm sure we're going to explore as the season runs on.
With a slow start but an intense middle and end, episode one of season two of Fear The Walking Dead did extremely well to lay the foundations for what should be an exhilarating ride. There are already so many unanswered questions that will be delved into as the show progresses and Fear continues to push the boundaries of what can be done in a television series focusing on a zombie apocalypse. If you think you've seen it all before, you're in for one heck of a surprise.
Fear The Walking Dead returns to AMC in the US on Sunday, April 10 at 9/8c. The premiere will be simulcast in the UK on AMC UK, exclusive to BT TV customers, and will also air on Monday, April 11 on the same channel.
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