Fear the Walking Dead 301: Eye of the Beholder
Season 3 of Fear the Walking Dead picks up not long after the events of last season’s finale. Travis, Maddie and Alicia are dragged towards the U.S. boarder and into a military base by men wearing army fatigues. Once inside the sprawling installation, the gang is separated and things go from bad to worse in a hurry as the compound soon resembles a house of horrors.
Travis finds himself detained with strangers until a familiar face pokes through the mayhem – Nick. Reunited but it doesn’t feel so good as the reality of their current situation begins to sink in. The men who’ve taken them are systematically killing those around them and it’s only a matter of time before either Nick, Travis or Luciana has their number called.
Alicia and Maddie have things a little easier, and are greeted by Troy, a young charmer in fatigues. Troy talks a sympathetic game but something sinister lurks behind his boyish smile.
Meanwhile downstairs Nick, Luciana and Travis are pulled into the strange game run by Troy’s henchman. They’re executing prisoners to turn them into walkers but their reason for doing so while ingenious is quite sadistic. Their plans for Travis and Co. hit a road block when Travis organizes a prison break. in the confusion, Nick and an injured Luciana make their way through the tunnels beneath the compound as Troy and his men turn their attention to Travis, Madison and Alicia.
Eye of the Beholder does a great job of setting the tone for the series moving forward. It showcases how close and resourceful Madison, Travis and the crew have become since the start of the series. Their loyalty to each other never in doubt, all of them are willing to pay the ultimate price to insure each others’ safety. Travis’ decent into hell while down south has forged him into a man of action. Maddie, fierce protector that she’s always been, gives no quarter and her ingenious – and cringe worthy – use of a spoon will be a topic of conversation for some time.
For a series that has been rather light on walkers, Eye of the Beholder ups the quota quite a bit. Not only does the audience get some National Geographic style info on the zombies but the episode’s level of gore and walker mayhem elevates the show from it’s horror/drama roots into action adventure territory. Between Madison and Travis, Fear the Walking Dead has some characters that could give Rick, Michonne and Daryl a run for their money.
While it was good to see the principles in this episode, some mystery still surrounds Ofilia and Victor’s whereabouts. Combine the promise of their storylines with the new locale, the heavy burden carried by Travis and the developments at the conclusion of Eye of the Beholder and Fear the Walking Dead may be on its way to its most successful season yet.
