Fear the Walking Dead: A guide to the first season
By Susie Graham
Episode 2
Check out the previews for So close, yet so far
This promo is hosted on the YouTube account of AMC.
Here is another video from the AMC YouTube account:
Here is a video from The Walking Dead – France YouTube account:
Fear the Walking Dead has been promoted as a family drama. We’re seeing quite a bit of family as we move into episode 2. The family across the street is oblivious and having a birthday party for their 9-year-old. They have lots of extra food because of many last-minute cancellations with this flu going around.
Matt’s family is featured in our imaginations because Alicia goes to Matt’s house to find him after he didn’t show up to meet her and stopped responding to her texts. His parents are in Vegas and will return later that day. We imagine them as snacks for Matt since we find out Matt has been bitten and at the end we see evidence of unpacking and arriving home.
Travis’ son and ex-wife are featured as he looks for them and finds them to include them in his plan with his new family to escape to the desert and ride out this craziness, whatever the heck it is. He’s decided it’s best to get out of the city and away from people.
Tobias’ family and/or lack of family is highlighted as he tells Miss C. that his mom isn’t back yet-from where we have no idea. But that his uncle has been around lately. And we see the longing in Tobias’ eyes for family as Madison offers to let him come with them until this is over, but Tobias knows this isn’t ending any time soon, if ever, and knows Madison has Nick and her own family to deal with and doesn’t want to add to her apocalyptic load.
We see Madison’s protective instincts for her family in high gear as she tries to shelter Alicia from knowing what’s going on at all and keep her as in the dark as possible until the end of the episode when she realizes that’s no longer an option. And as she tries to get meds for Nick to help ween him off of the heroine and get him through his withdrawals.
We also meet a new family in the Salazars where Travis, Chris and Liza hide out from the chaos on the streets of Los Angeles as the infected grow in numbers and panic starts to take over. The Salazars are a small family of faith, practicality and innocence.
We see families all over the city in panic and preparation and confusion. A cop loading up his trunk with water to take care of his own family. Children in the back seats of a car wearing face masks to protect them from the disease which they don’t know how people are contracting.
When civilization ends, it ends fast.
Denial. Anger. Bargaining, Depression. Acceptance. The 5 stages of grief.
Extras:
Prediction polls for episode 3
The first stage of grief is denial
Spoilers are included about the episodes discussed. Don’t go on if you haven’t seen Episode 3 of Fear the Walking Dead!
Next: Episode 3