Fear the Walking Dead 408 – No One’s Gone
Well that was an interesting way to start the mid-season finale of Fear the Walking Dead. The twisted strands of this season’s narrative intersect once again when a desperate Madison crosses paths with Althea in a pre-credits sequence. It’s not long before we jump the to present and rejoin Morgan, Naomi and the group in the middle of the stadium surrounded by a host of severely charbroiled walkers.
No One’s Gone flips back and forth several times between the stadium in the present and Madison’s encounter with Althea in the past. As John slips away from the wound to his abdomen, Morgan and Naomi search desperately for medical supplies to save him. Meanwhile Alicia continues her transformation into the Rambo of the post apocalyptic world. By her side are Luciana and Strand firing rockets and raining bullets on Althea’s beloved armored vehicle.
Separated from her family in the aftermath of the Stadium’s fall Madison becomes the focus of one of Althea’s films. The two do a little bonding in the rain and Althea reveals some of her backstory while an impatient Madison is consumed by guilt and regret. The measures she’s taken to ensure the safety of her kids has exacted a terrible price on her soul that’s only been exacerbated by the futility of her struggles.
Back in the present Alicia continues to be consumed by anger and is sent over the edge when she learns that Althea and her mother crossed paths. With Naomi’s death the only thing on her mind Alicia’s quest for vengeance is only quelled by a passionate plea from Morgan. Madison’s fate remains a mystery until the final moments of the episode. Those who were on hand for the Stadium’s demise recount the events of that fateful night detailing her heroism in the face of insurmountable odds.
The mid-season finale, if what transpired is set in stone and doesn’t get altered in some way when it returns in August, leaves a little to be desired. While the season’s structure was built to provide maximum effect for its mid-point the result is anti-climactic. When Fear returns the show will be almost unrecognizable from what it started out as. This season’s tweak is essentially a reboot of the series and with its lead potentially out of the mix moving forward the success of these changes are still very much up for debate.
