Fear the Walking Dead: Ep. 203 Ouroboros
“By land, air or sea”
If you’ve been keeping up with the Fear the Walking Dead shorts surrounding Flight 462 then this episode will be of special significance to you. Taking place shortly after the doomed airliner comes back to earth, Ouroboros finds the survivors trying to fish themselves out of the water while evading the other passengers who’ve now become walkers.
Strand’s plan continues – his true motives remain shrouded in mystery and mechanical trouble on the Abigail presents the crew with a new challenge. Travis volunteers to go all Jacques Cousteau and gets a surprise when he discovers what is ailing the ship.
Salazar and Ophelia argue over how to treat her injured shoulder and their discussion highlights how the crew, despite all they’ve been through don’t fully trust each other yet. That mistrust comes to a head when Madison confronts Strand about the true nature of their destination.
Dead in the water, while Travis works to get the Abigail moving again, the crew notices something unusual on land. The wreckage from the downed plane brings Salazar, Chris, Alicia and Nick to the shore to see if they can replenish their dwindling supplies.
The tension and suspense in Fear doesn’t always come from the walkers, but rather from an old-fashioned horror technique – the unseen. Still light on gore and walkers, the first three episodes, including Ouroboros have kept viewers engaged via quick edits, isolating characters and placing them in unfamiliar situations.
That shifts a little in this episode, as the final act more closely resembles what fans have come to expect from The Walking Dead franchise. Alex will be a solid addition to the cast, which up until this point has been light on the “kill first, ask questions later” type of characters that populate its companion series. It will be interesting to see how she’ll be further integrated into the storyline as the season progresses.
Ouroboros was a coming of age episode for many of the characters. Chris, Alicia and Nick all demonstrated a little bit of growth and pushback that will be needed for the challenges that await them as the Abigail continues to make its way down the coast.
Three episodes into Season 2 and Fear the Walking Dead appears to be picking up momentum as well as adding a few layers of intrigue for good measure. Who was Strand talking to? What awaits them in their new destination? Can the crew avoid a mutiny before they even get there? These are some of the mysteries that viewers will want answered in the coming weeks and if they come accompanied by some more walker gore then all the better.
