Photo Credit: Richard Foreman, Jr/AMC
Fear the Walking Dead: Ep 206 Sicut Cervus
As Fear the Walking Dead approaches its mid-season finale, some of the plot threads that have been hinted at are finally being revealed, an old friend from Strand’s past makes an appearance and the crew of the Abigail ditch their sea legs. Sicut Cervus is a deep and moving episode that fluidly transitions from scenes of horror to moments of tenderness. It casts certain characters in a new light and further develops the trajectories of others in sometimes shocking directions.
At last the crew of the Abigail reach land, however their arrival is anything but smooth. It’s fought with danger and eventually leads them to a church full of walkers. During the walker melee, Chris exhibits some behavior that causes reverberations throughout the rest of the episode. His actions continue to puzzle and his uneasiness has been bubbling under the surface for some time.
After making their way from the church or horrors the group arrive at their intended destination. The cracks that have been forming within the group since last season begin to widen behind the walled sanctuary in Mexico. The strain of surviving the apocalypse weighs on Madison and the others in different ways. Tensions arise and allegiances are tested. The bonds of family are no match against the forces of doubt, frustration and above all else fear. Fear takes center stage in this episode and for one of the first times in the series, Fear the Walking Dead lives up to its name. While past episodes have touched on it, Sicut Servus lays bare the effects fear has on the survivors of the apocalypse. From the Mexican military, to friends, family and lovers the powerful nature of fear may be the most destructive force they’ve encountered.
More flashbacks for Daniel and the coin at the start of Sicut Cervus hint at dark times from his past. This episode brings out a different side to Daniel and it’s almost as though a return to his ancestral region erases some of the resolve and composure audiences have seen from him so far. Daniel isn’t the only one drifting back through time though. During a quiet moment of reflection with Ofelia, Nick comes to a realization that leads to more unanswered questions.
Domingo Coleman’s performance is one of the highlights of the episode. His portrayal of Strand, is in stark contrast to the figure audiences have come to know so far in the series. Even though we’ve seen fleeting moments of his past and past relationships, his performance in Sicut reveals a tenderness that until now seemed impossible from him. Strand’s demeanor on the Abigail needs to be re-examined. Perhaps it wasn’t his abrasive, almost evil nature that caused him to act the way he did. It may have been desperation. Desperation that could only be quelled by reaching Mexico.
The events of Sicut Cervus have shaken the status quo somewhat on Fear the Walking Dead. As characters morally shift and slide those we originally perceived as heroes or victims may turn out to be villains. How it all plays out remains to be seen, but it appears that things will never be the same again.
