Fear The Walking Dead Ep. 209 Los Muertos
The struggle to survive and the futility surrounding it punctuate Los Muertos. What does it mean to be alive and the measures taken to remain among the living weigh heavily on everyone. Ofelia, the gangsters and the people in the community all question, in their own way, the sanity of moving forward. Some like Ofelia, waver in the uncertainty of the new world they live in. Others like Nick revel in the despair finding a center that has eluded them before now.
The sanctuary Nick discovered at the conclusion of Grotesque is not as idyllic as it first appeared. After waking and finding the compound almost deserted, he stumbles upon a bizarre scene that involves the entire community and some walkers. The perception of walkers is different south of the American boarder and what was hinted at in Celia’s cellar at the Abigail compound seems to have some similar, if not strange connections to what took place near Nick’s new residence.
For team Madison the search is on to reunite her broken family. Things go from bad to worse when they discover the Abigail is gone and they must seek refuge in an abandoned hotel. Desperately trying to maintain a grip on her surroundings Madison must deal with her broken marriage and lost son amongst the chaos of the apocalypse. Throw in Alicia’s growing resentment and Madison’s place as the emotional anchor of the group begins to crumble.
Whenever there is a power vacuum something is always around to take its place. In East Tijuana chaos has given way to a new form of order – this time run by gangs. The defacto leader of the compound, Luciana, is tough as nails and is a soldier of the streets. Danay Garcia gives an unflinching portrayal of Luciana and is shaping up to be one of the badass characters of the back half of Season 2.
Some back story is provided for some of the main players, including a somewhat surprising glimpse into Madison’s past courtesy of some bonding time between she and Victor at the hotel bar.
The new characters are putting a different spin on the Fear the Walking Dead narrative. Mystery surrounds Nick’s adopted home and the strange pharmacist continues to elicit more questions the more he’s on screen. There appears to be a theme being pushed that strives to humanize the walkers somewhat. Not just through Nick’s ease around them or the view that they are another stage in life, but a shift from seeing them as monsters and more as victims trapped on another plane of existence.
Los Muertos is one of the most human episodes in the series. Despair, hope, duty are among some of the emotions that dominate the episode. Los Muertos takes place in a hotel of horrors with a slight nod to westerns while family and the struggle to find and maintain it continue to be central themes of Fear the Walking Dead. The second half of Season 2 continues to impress providing viewers with new avenues to explore the Walking Dead mythos while creating entertaining scenarios and developments for Fear’s main and supporting cast.
