Fear the Walking Dead 502 – The Hurt That Will Happen
Al’s disappearance drives the narrative in The Hurt That Will Happen. As the mystery surrounding what happened to her deepens a new character is introduced while an old favorite is welcomed back into the fold.
Daniel returns and his scenes with Strand are a reminder of what used to make Fear so compelling to watch. Tracking Daniel down after watching one of Al’s videos, Strand gets an Antarctic reception from his former adversary. Unwilling to believe that Strand has changed, Daniel is skeptical of his story but lets him explain why he’s suddenly at his doorstep. Even though Strand is able to provide proof that he’s telling the truth, Daniel’s past experiences with him are hard to dismiss. He brands Strand as an agent of death who will surely doom those he’s trying to save.
Searching for Al leads Alisha and Morgan to uncover the reason why the radioactive signs are littered all over where their plane crash-landed. Apparently a reactor went down spewing radiation all over the place and as a result created a new threat: radioactive walkers. All of this backstory comes courtesy of the new kid on the block, Grace who was front and center when everything went nuclear. She’s on a mission to find the people she used to work with, including those that are now roaming the countryside as walkers.
The futility of their current situation starts to get to Alicia. Her inability to save anyone has her spiraling downward and it’s a situation that Morgan is acutely familiar with. He sees her pain and in a quiet moment between the two offers some sage advice to help her step into the light again.
The Hurt That Will Happen does have a few comedic moments, which are rare for Fear. Recovering from her gruesome injury, Luciana gets a little trippy from the drugs June gave her and there is a payoff near the end of the episode. The frenetic pace of the season premiere is replaced by a more pedestrian tempo allowing for some character development. John and June get to connect some more and Grace’s introduction exposes some of the potential threats everyone will be facing as the season progresses. While Alicia’s transformation into an action hero is fun to watch it would be a shame if they don’t delve deeper into the reasons driving her reckless behavior. The Hurt That Will Happen isn’t as entertaining as last week’s episode but having Daniel as part of the mix again, particularly sharing the screen with Strand, should satisfy long time fans of the series.
