Fear the Walking Dead 609 – Things Left to Do
Warning: This review contains spoilers!
Don’t get comfortable if you’re a fan of Fear the Walking Dead. The shock of last week’s episode is still fresh and Things Left to Do continues the roller coaster ride of emotions. The reality of John Dorie’s death and Dakota’s true nature continues to rock Fear and the complex connections between characters reach a boiling point. The grief and anger coursing through June as she buries John is heightened by her desire for revenge and an end to Ginny’s tyranny. Things Left to Do is like a laundry list for several of the players on Fear who have scores to settle and loose ends to tie up before they can find peace or move on with their lives.
There are two distinct forces moving in opposite directions and within them several others at play. On one side is Morgan, who wants to build a new community full of hope for a brighter future. On the other is Ginny, desperately trying to hold onto her reign of power, and find her sister Dakota – who incidentally wants her dead. Within the Morgan/Ginny conflict are the divergent wants and desires of others like Sherry and Strand who have their own ideas on how things should play out.
In a scene echoing Negan’s infamous beatdown of Abe and Glenn, Ginny lines up Luciana, Grace, Daniel, June and Mo and holds them at gunpoint in a desperate bid to get Morgan to reveal Dakota’s location. With Grace’s life on the line and Strand looking on, Morgan appears on horseback and starts spitting facts demolishing Ginny’s façade in front of everyone. Dakota murdering Cameron as well as Ginny’s involvement in the cover up and Janice’s death shakes her Rangers’ faith in her. Sensing that the situation is about to spiral out of control, Ginny appeals to Strand to set things right. Even though he is in her debt, Strand puts his plan into action and a bloody shootout ensues with a wounded Ginny holding Grace at gunpoint and Daniel taken hostage.
After Grace and Daniel are whisked into the darkness by Ginny’s loyal Rangers, Morgan captures her and is faced with a heavy decision. Hand Ginny over to Strand and his team of Rangers or hold on to her to ensure Grace and Daniel’s safety. If Strand wasn’t Strand, Morgan might have listened to him, but instead ignores the ultimatum and takes off.
The hits just keep coming in Things Left to Do. Once Morgan whisks Ginny off into the night a tsunami of facts ensues. After tending to her wounds in the abandoned water tower that provided him shelter not so long ago, he reveals that Dakota was the one who saved him after Ginny gunned him down. Morgan dispels any doubts Ginny may have about his tales when he confirms that Dakota saved him so that he could kill her. Crushed by the news, Ginny breaks down and reveals that Dakota is in fact her daughter.
Their heart-to-heart doesn’t last long though. Morgan and Ginny are soon on the run after being tracked down by Sherry and her squad. Ginny eventually finds herself at the wrong end of Sherry’s gun but is saved by Morgan. Frustrated, Sherry stings Morgan when she compares him to Ginny. Whether Sherry is right or not she does touch on an important aspect of one of the driving forces of this season – perspective.
Everyone involved, no matter what side they are on are doing what they think is right and feel justified in their actions. Whether it’s John, Morgan, Dakota, Ginny or Strand everyone is motivated by following their vision for a better future and the conflict arises when competing goals clash. That clash cost John, Janice and Cameron their lives and holds Daniel, Grace and her unborn child’s lives in the balance. Morgan, convinced that he is doing things the right way, is put in an uncomfortable position by the fact he and Ginny may be two sides of the same coin. While he and Ginny may be at different points in the progression of their ideal worlds it brings up a line from The Dark Knight where Harvey Dent states that, “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” And we all know how that turned out for poor Harvey.
Morgan bringing Ginny to his sanctuary causes all sorts of tension. Strand and Sherry’s people close in on Ginny who has a lot to answer for to a lot of people. They all want justice but that may come at the risk of Grace and Daniel’s safety. Morgan’s dilemma is feeding everyone’s thirst for vengeance while trying to build a new community free of the malice that exists in the world. While his vision for a new future is admirable it doesn’t have a one size fits all aspect to it. Some like Sherry and Strand see things differently and the fragile nature of what he’s trying to build is dealt a severe blow in the aftermath of June’s conversation with Ginny. June realized the error of her ways letting Ginny live during Tank Town and wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.
As the screen goes dark on Things Left to Do there remains a lot of unfinished business. The episode is a roller coaster capping off two straight weeks of sharp twists and turns for all involved. With Ginny out of the way the path is clear for a new big bad to step into the spotlight. Welcome to Fear the Walking Dead, John Glover. Fans of Smallville may remember him as Lex Luthor’s pops and his mysterious new character on Fear seems to have a keen interest in Alicia. Season 6’s return from hiatus has thrown things into the development blender and the result is what feels more like a new season as opposed to the continuation of one. The end is the beginning has a dual meaning, not only referring to the terrifying group led by Glover’s character but also to Fear the Walking Dead’s ever evolving storyline.
