Fear the Walking Dead - Season 2 (SPOILERS)

[Tom]

SPOILERS!

I've been reading several reviews on the season opener, and was mostly just disappointed in the reviews, rather then having gained any insights. I thought most of the reviews lacked balance and the commentary obvious, or self justifying.

Going backwards a moment, to last seasons finale, no reviewer seemed to take note of our new intrepid group being nonchalant mass murderers. Having released several hundred (or thousand) zombies from the arena, they then lead them to the military outpost which was also a civilian hospital and detention center. From the looks of it few if any made it out alive (excepting our new survivor group). All to 'rescue' their members from the detention center and hospital. That made no sense whatsoever in the context of how humane these people are regularly portrayed as being. That was Governor or Negan level brutality.

The season premiere, I thought ok. It kept my interest at least and I wasn't so distracted by wanting certain members to be killed off. The opening scene was fairly dramatic. The nautical environment is novel and the continued cluelessness of the group feels realistic. I liked the girl and the radio sub-story. Jack, had me fooled too (If he's a pirate as it seems).

One thing I do not get is Strand's odd claims that the Junkie has all these valuable skill sets. I don't see that at all. Either its weird writing or a deception on Strand's part.

Any thoughts???

 

[Judge]

One thing I do not get is Strand's odd claims that the Junkie has all these valuable skill sets. I don't see that at all. Either its weird writing or a deception on Strand's part.

Any thoughts???

Junkies can and do anything for their next fix. They find a way. A peculiar kind of resourcefulness that only another streetwise person like Strand can understand and appreciate. Those without such a mentality likely have little value to Strand.

Those holes in the hull of that yacht. Who is out there on the water with a 20mm or 37mm gun? No surprise the water is as dangerous as being on land. But so soon....

 

[Mia]

I did pick up one clue about Strand in the last episode, he never sleeps. People who do certain types of drugs like cocaine and heroin (not morphia) all the time rarely sleep.

My assumption is that he's also a junkie, likely why he helped a fellow drug user. The skill set that he mentions might include that ability of not sleeping, as well as Strand's past statements about heroin (not morphine) being the 'King' of drugs. There is also mention of the fact that people who do drugs do so because they don't fit into the world, each day is lived as if it's their last because the drugs could kill them, everything is chaos in that world, so they are used to living in chaos, which would serve them well in the apocalypse.

There's are a few problems with that mindset though, finding the drugs in an apocalyptic world, when even food and water would become more and more difficult and dangerous to find. Becoming incapacitated during the fix, which would be dangerous to the person and everyone around them. As time goes on finding drugs that were still usable would become a problem, much would have deteriorated.

 

[Tom]

Interesting, this twist on addiction, and some food for thought. It reminds me of a joke I used to make in the military. If I was in a front line I thought I would normally be the closest to China, hugging the bottom of my foxhole. Unless I ran out of cigerettes and thought the enemy had some. Then I thought I would be that half-psycho that crosses no-man's land at night with nothing more then a knife.

You are lead to think Strand is some sort of operator (con man?, illegal dealer of something? Thief?) but not what type, other then he has made a lot of money at it (house, boat, valuables). Why was he in detention?

He kind of stole the show, being a very interesting character, when he appeared at the end of season 1.

 

[Judge]

Strand's choice of words says a lot when he told Nick that he "obligated" him while in the detention facility. It's the equivalent of an intelligence case worker telling someone that they are now their "asset".

Strand is a cold-blooded opportunist and makes no pretense to project anything else. I would take for granted that such a person's wealth involves any number of illegal and unethical practices. Where means are justified by their ends.

But does that rate him highest in terms of survival potential? Perhaps, but only at the outset. There's a learning curve that even the most righteous of the old world may adapt to in this new world. After all, "Officer Friendly" ain't dead yet.

Characters like Travis have a lot of catching up to do, but I think it's reasonable to conclude that the evolution of his character will also involve overcoming that learning curve. His wife as well I suspect.

Besides, I don't see actor Cliff Curtis sustaining yet another pink slip this time around. When he jokes about the future sustainability of his character, he's not really joking. His life in Hollywood hasn't been an easy one.

 

[Tom]

Travis's 2nd 'wife' (Are they actually married?), Madison has potential to be a serious bad @$$. She was already very tigerish when it came to anything concerning her children and seems to have the least problem adopting a cold survivalists attitude. She reminds me a little of 'Paula' on TWD, the Savior who captured Carol and Maggie, as well as Carol.

Yes, Strand does seem to be entirely self centered. He does not see this as a group he is part of (yet), and might dump them all off somewhere if it suited his purposes. The group did save Strand's life at the hospital and get him to his house and boat, though Strand only seems to remember his saving the group with his boat.

I wonder if we will ever get to see that high school kid Tobias again.

In comparison very few people on TWD just exit the scene and have fate unknown. The Morales family from Season 1 is about the only example I can think of. Oh, and the Atlanta Hospital group.

 

[Judge]

To me timing is everything. There are those with feral instincts at the outset (Shane), and those who will develop them in time (Rick). A dynamic that seems to drive most of the plot in the mind of Robert Kirkman I suppose.

Good point about Tobias. The kid saw it all coming.

Funny though to think how such programming may paint the minds of the public in the event we ever really were to incur some kind of global apocalypse. And just how fast would all the "Shanes" of the world rise the surface.

 

[Mia]

Strand's choice of words says a lot when he told Nick that he "obligated" him while in the detention facility. It's the equivalent of an intelligence case worker telling someone that they are now their "asset".

Certainly there is an obligation Judge, at least on the part of Nick to Strand. Although Nick can be as ruthless as Strand, the whole wide-eyed innocence pose seems a mask. As we did in a previous episode see Nick lying under a dying man's hospital bed stealing his morphine, without any guilt. We also saw him in one of the first episodes not killing his girlfriend after she'd been bitten, but running in fear to save his own skin. He also ran over and shot his drug dealer buddy, but didn't know to finish him off. Leaving him there, that might be because at that point little was known about death and zombies.

Considering Strand, he is a powerful character as far as his wealth and will are concerned. He's planned everything down to the finest detail, as few people have at that point. Ready for the storm. Does that make him a survivor? Ruthless as he is? Maybe, and I suspect he has other plans, like a tucked away island fortress somewhere. Filled with food and water and all he needs are people who will work for him.....

 

[Judge]

Considering Strand, he is a powerful character as far as his wealth and will are concerned. He's planned everything down to the finest detail, as few people have at that point. Ready for the storm. Does that make him a survivor? Ruthless as he is? Maybe, and I suspect he has other plans, like a tucked away island fortress somewhere. Filled with food and water and all he needs are people who will work for him.....

An interesting point. The possible distinction between a survivor and a survivalist. And whether Strand is both.

 

[Judge]

Think that I may have been influenced by Max Brooks books: 'Zombie Survival Guide' as well as 'World War Z' in which he suggests that after the apocalypse there are many different small pockets of survivors everywhere.

Indeed. Then imagine if the inhabitants of an entire planet were categorized in only two possible ways: predators and prey.

 

[Tom]

Indeed. Then imagine if the inhabitants of an entire planet were categorized in only two possible ways: predators and prey.

I think that is how it would be initially in many areas. It would not be a sustainable ecology though. Like the canned/dried food, the prey would run out eventually.

 

[Tom]

Me too, I liked that kid, he seemed to know much about what was happening beforehand. And was ready for it.

And he acted on that knowledge. Madison bumped into him raiding the school food supplies at the high school.

 

[Judge]

I think that is how it would be initially in many areas. It would not be a sustainable ecology though. Like the canned/dried food, the prey would run out eventually.

"To kill the monster you become the monster."

I suppose that depends on how effective a community or civilization manages its own logistics. The Morlocks managed to survive for a great deal of time with their own unique solution in such an apocalyptic scenario. Where civilization continues, but civility is left by the wayside. Where you raise people the same as you would cattle.

Imagine life imitating the art of an H.G. Wells novel.

 

[Tom]

"To kill the monster you become the monster."

I suppose that depends on how effective a community or civilization manages its own logistics. The Morlocks managed to survive for a great deal of time with their own unique solution in such an apocalyptic scenario. Where civilization continues, but civility is left by the wayside. Where you raise people the same as you would cattle.

Imagine life imitating the art of an H.G. Wells novel.

That kind is how it looks Negan operates. The overlord allows the subjects just enough to survive after taking the rest. In a way it reminds me how the Middle Ages were with Serfs, or any slave owning society, like the US South till mid 1800's. Protection rackets use a form of this principle. So I guess really this is very common and normal human methodology.

 

[Tom]

Episode 2 - All fall down

I liked it overall and it kept my interest. I thought at first the family on the island would be portrayed in a very stereotypical/predictable ways. For instance, George, the father, would be a crazed survivalist nut. But he was portrayed as only partly crazy and entirely overwhelmed by the situation. In TWD they come accross the remains of individual and family suicide all the time, and it feels realistic. This was one of those type events. I also liked they left it not completely resolved. The two brothers remain behind, alive.

Daniel continues to be an interesting person to watch, if not like. He at least is not being antagonistic towards Travis and family and the two families seem to have bonded into a single group. Nick the other person I dislike in the group, also is conversely one of the other most interesting actors to watch.

And then there is Strand, and he has, as was easy to suspect, been misleading everyone all along, as to his plans and that he is involved with another entity secretly. A drug cartel would be my first guess. Lots of money, boat, scary gun, cali-mexican connection.

 

[Judge]

A drug cartel would be my first guess. Lots of money, boat, scary gun, cali-mexican connection.

My only guess. After all, Strand was quite specific in choosing Nick as an "asset" to exploit.

 

[Judge]

I like the idea that the show is still reflecting people who aren't entirely aware of their new environment.

Spoiler

After all had that been the case, they would have known not to venture anywhere in the vicinity of a downed airliner. Clearly the learning curve has begun. Also cool that Nick figured out how to get past the walkers without incident. I'm beginning to think that Strand for the present intends to murder everyone on his yacht. Assuming of course that this will change as time goes on. As does Strand himself.

 

[Tom]

I thought episode 3 was decent story-wise. Kept my interest, mostly. The being on a boat presents novel possibilities. I have to go back and watch the related mini-episode about the airliner. Biggest issue I have is with characters doing stupid things. This group is so disorganized, does not plan its actions, it should not have survived. No one listens to anyone else and everyone goes off and does there own thing. There is no leader.

The only interesting characters are The Druggie the Torturer and the Mobster. If any of them died I wouldn't care. I feel no attachment to this group at all. The two best characters, Cliff's first wife and the Government Doctor were killed off already.

Alex might have been a good addition, but they cut her lose.

Its like a poker hand in a game I want to stay in but all the cards suck. Can you get five new cards?

Strand is increasingly iffy. But if he plans to betray/abandon them all, how would he do it? Salazar is armed at least.

 

[Judge]

Interesting watching both Nick and Chris evolve in terms of how they begin to truly understand their situation.

And to see Chris lose it and shoot Reed. Nick may be a real pragmatist, but I can't help but wonder about Chris.

Nice touch with Reed biting his brother Conor. And Alex showing up again. You just know that isn't the last we'll see of her. Don't get too comfy, Travis.

 

[Tom]

Good episode.