Fear the Walking Dead Ep. 205 Captive
As its sophomore season progresses, Fear the Walking Dead continues to forge it’s own path and differentiate itself from its sister show, The Walking Dead. The horror brought about by walkers has been cast aside and replaced with the evil that lurks within us all, particularly when faced with uncertain outcomes. Captive, continues this examination of the human condition and also touches on the constant struggle parents have with their offspring.
The action begins with Alicia going face to face with Conor, the big bad from last week. Her conditions appear to be hospitable until she realizes that she’s being held captive on a boat in dry dock near the shore. Travis is somewhere in the vicinity and questions abound concerning the safety of the rest of their family.
Back on the Abigail, Daniel’s tends to Reed’s injuries and his subtle interrogation yields some valuable information. Meanwhile Madison, against the wishes of Strand’s buddy Luis, turns the yacht around to go look for Alicia and Travis.
Strand and Madison ‘s conversation on the bridge tugs at the underlying theme of the early episodes: the maturation of children and the struggles parents have with seeing their children grow. Nick has begun to take initiative with his dealings with Strand. Alicia, forced into her own maturation from child to adult, begins to move from passive to aggressive as she’s held captive by Conor’s crew.
Travis’ scenes with Alex showcase how circumstances can change people. Sometimes it’s a fine line between hero and villain and it doesn’t take a zombie apocalypse to expose this reality. The decisions people make and the consequences they have on others often determines the their path or fortunes moving forward. Alex’s demeanor and allegiances are a far cry from when audiences first met her during the Flight 462 shorts. Her experiences since boarding that fateful flight and being cut loose from the Abagail have forged her into a different person.
The only one who seems to be on a slow path to realization is Chris. Filled with mixed emotions, guilt and grief, he takes longer to come of age and his awkwardness at times puts everyone in peril.
Captive was full of psychological land mines for several characters. Daniel’s flashbacks, Travis’ guilt, and Chris’ immaturity add layers to the intrigue the writers are trying to build into the narrative. There’s also the growing and unavoidable rift between parent and child. Daniel, Travis and Madison are all experiencing it in different ways but Madison may be the one who has the most difficulty dealing with it.
Madison, despite her best efforts to ignore it, has raised a couple of badass kids and Alicia might be the tougher of the two. As they sail towards Mexico her biggest challenges may not come from Strand or what lays before them but from her own flesh and blood.
