NOTE: Spoilers for FTWD S2E7
Things didn't go very well for our once unbreakable group on Fear The Walking Dead this week, as the second season showcased its midseason finale and saw a huge fracturing of alliances, with the group splintering off into three different directions.
This week saw a little more delving into the mind of Celia - a woman I thought would be this season's Big Bad but who now seems to have passed away after only featuring for a few small episodes. She wasn't the only casualty however, as Daniel Salazar's reign of madness resulted in him burning down the entire compound the family were housed, falling victims to the flames himself as the fire engulfed him and reunited him with his dead wife.
Salazar's 'crazy' was too full-on, too quickly. I didn't buy it. This wasn't something that's been going on over time. We saw a little bit of it in episode six of the season when he had a vision of strangling a young boy, but not enough to warrant him suddenly attacking everyone around him and having conversations with the dead. It was all too much. Couple that with the viewers now not discovering the rest of Salazar's backstory and there's a lot of wasted opportunity.
Nick's sudden belief in Celia was another moment too quick to happen. He believed in her so much after a few conversations that he decided going it alone in this mad world full of zombies would be a better option than rejoining his mother, sister and new friends.
It's not that I hate the Fear The Walking Dead story. I'm a big champion of it. It's just that it's now all so unbelievable. Things are happening for effect rather than for the story and it means that the viewer is never allowed to fully submerge themselves within the show and enjoy it. Instead we're left dazed and confused by certain events, hoping that it'll all become clear before the 43 minutes are out.
Madison is this show's strong point. After starting this season strangely swapping roles with Travis, she's now clearly back in the forefront, leading the group and making some big decisions to ensure the safety of those she loves. Locking Celia in with her pet zombies? Perfection. A beautiful stroke of genius and a look into the mindset of somebody who has to come to terms with the rules of a new world.
Chris is also an interesting character, as annoying as he may be. Travis giving up everything to look after his son despite that very son nearly shivving him with a knife should be something that plays out well going ahead.
We've got dead Daniel in the compound with Celia. Then there's Nick out on his own. Travis is with Chris, and Madison, Strand, Ofelia and Alecia are going back to the boat. Three different directions - how will their stories come together in the future?
So how has Fear The Walking Dead shaped up in the first half of its second season? Quite well, but certainly not without its faults. It will be interesting now to see how writers respond to the criticisms of audiences, and whether they're continue down a slightly contrived path they've set themselves up for, or fix things in one swift action when the show returns.
Fear The Walking Dead will come back to AMC in the US and AMC UK in the UK later this year.
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