Fear The Walking Dead Ep. 210 Do Not Disturb
Family bonds and the dynamics surrounding them is one of Fear the Walking Dead’s major themes. Do Not Disturb, relied heavily on that theme from the episode’s opening moments right through to it’s final frame. Over the last two episodes, the narrative has been splintered focusing on Nick on his own and a second group featuring Ofelia, Alicia, Victor and Madison. Do Not Disturb continues along the same path and finally veers towards two members of the main cast who’ve been absent until now.
Travis and Chris finally make their appearance. Still hobbled by his gimpy foot, Travis and Chris try to establish a new life together in all of the madness. After stumbling across a robbery in progress, they take off in an old beater to create some distance between themselves and a trio of young men who were also at the scene. Out of all of the relationships on the show Travis and Chris’ is the most tragic. Both are locked in a spiral of pain but their efforts to find relief consistently seem to be at odds with each other.
Still bitter and overwhelmed by what he feels was his father’s betrayal when he killed his mother, Chris seems to finally be connecting with Travis. Travis on the other hand must feel like his son is like a handful of sand in a hurricane with his efforts to hold on to him tenuous at best. Some of the best moments in Do Not Disturb come from the quiet moments between the father and son duo. Travis Manawa and Lorenzo James Henrie deliver heartfelt performances that echo thousands of discussions between parents and their children as they begin to walk separate paths.
The back story surrounding the abandoned hotel is revealed. The horror hotel raised the level of tension for Alicia as she is faced with a missing Ofelia and a hoard of zombies making their way toward Madison. Helping her move toward her mother is the hotel manager who was presiding over the wedding from hell that kicked off Do Not Disturb. The addition of the hotel manager opens up new avenues in terms of storytelling and hints that any chances of the main cast getting back together may be delayed for a while.
Do Not Disturb was an excellent episode that featured standout performances from Manawa and Henrie. The choices made during the episode were not only shocking but have set certain characters on paths from which there may be no return. Good drama is all about conflict, and Fear the Walking Dead appears to be setting that up in spades.
