Fear the Walking Dead 407 – The Wrong Side of Where You Are Now
Lovely snippets of Naomi and John’s budding relationship welcome John Dorie back to consciousness but the warm feelings are soon shattered by the sound of gunfire. Bullets fly back and forth between the Vultures and what’s left of the Clark family and mayhem breaks out punctuated by the awesome sight of Alicia wielding a rocket launcher. The Wrong Side of Where You Are Now is an at times chaotic episode that further muddies the waters where character allegiances are concerned. It also fills in some of the gaps surrounding what happened to the Stadium and drops hints at the catalyst behind the drastic change in Alicia, Strand and Luciana.
With John needing medical attention for his wound, Morgan sticks by his injured friend and aligns himself with Naomi. This distances him from Alicia, Luciana and Strand as they only have revenge on their minds and bullets targeted for anyone associated with the Vultures. Things only begin to calm down when Althea and her SWAT vehicle intervenes to spirit John to the only place that could save his life – the Stadium. The twists and turns continue when Morgan convinces Charlie to join them in their bid to save John’s life.
Is Charlie the most effective Trojan Horse in Walking Dead history?
The truth behind the fall of the Stadium comes to light as the group make their way back to the Clark’s former home. In flashbacks Charlie approaches Madison and her family to help an injured Mel. Despite Nick’s protests, Madison decides to extend an olive branch but a rift in the Vultures presents a potential danger for everyone. The group finds Mel and begin to treat his injuries but while he’s in the Stadium he tries to warn them that keeping him there is a bad idea. The realities of the real world and Madison’s desire to give her kids the closest thing to a home that she can escalates into an ideological tug of war over whether to remain at the Stadium. Madison’s futile attempt to keep the haven she’s built from slipping through her fingers soon turns to ashes through a series of events that are out of her control.
Since the demise of the Stadium is told via flashback some of the narrative tension is lost considering that the fates of the principles have already been established. Aside from Madison’s fate in the future and Nick’s death none of the main players are in peril. The real pain comes from seeing Madison’s dream die before her eyes and what’s left of the Stadium in the episode’s final moments.
