Fear the Walking Dead: Victor Strand is even more mysterious now
By Susie Graham
Victor Strand has been the mystery on Fear the Walking Dead since the beginning. His back story clears up things just to reveal more mystery.
It seems that much of Victor’s character has been cleared up by the information we received last night in some flashbacks. But I find Victor even more mysterious now.
The Closer or the Long Con
The closer. The con. But is he closing now? Is he conning now? Is Abigail closing? Is this a long con? Who is the mark? Strand? Abigail? Us? Obligation. Love. Money. Survival. Have they changed?
From the beginning of the scene in the hotel we know we are learning things, but what are we learning? What are we watching? The teacher or the student? They are both carefully revealing appealing information about themselves to each other. Drawing each other in. But for what?
Does Abigail know Strand will do something to obligate himself, if given the chance, and drink too much, or at least enough to set the trap? Was it a trap? Or is it Strand who knows that Abigail would fall for Strand and he presents himself as bait?
Is Abigail Strand’s Eastman
Who is Eastman and who is Morgan? Are they each both? Morgan was in a desperate place when he met Eastman and Eastman brought him out of it. Eastman taught him certain lessons that Morgan clung to with ferocity in order to maintain his newfound sanity.
Abigail and Strand are very different in personality and circumstance, but Strand has used Abigail’s words to replicate the results that he’s looking for with Nick. But is he doing so out of desperation, like Morgan, or admiration? Perhaps his mark just gave him some motivational strategies and inspiration.
Perhaps Nick was the perfect mark to obligate in the apocalypse for more reasons than his tenacity and survival skills as an addict. As an addict, Nick also understands obligation. An addict’s family has to make many decisions based on figuring out the difference between love and obligation.
Love and Obligation
Strand told Douglas in the pen that he couldn’t prey on people so weak or desperate to trust their lives to others. To a piece of paper called an insurance policy. Does that mean he can prey on those who aren’t desperate or weak?
Strand’s father was a preacher. Does Strand consider religion the ultimate insurance policy? Did he respect his father or consider him weak. Desperate. Desperate for insurance to get into heaven?
Is that where love and obligation got confused? In order to get into heaven where God loves you, you are obligated to follow certain commandments and rules or you won’t be loved anymore? Perhaps Romans 13:8 would have come in handy to Victor earlier in life.
"Owe nothing to anyone–except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. (Via Bible Hub)"
How does Strand’s mother figure into things? Is Strand himself an obligation for his father? Is that how his father shows love? Fulfilling his obligations. Maybe that’s why having others obligated to him is so appealing.
Madison told the pregnant woman that having a child makes you weaker. Now you are obligated to that baby. But is it obligation or love? She said you are weaker because you would die for him. Sounds stronger than obligation. But is it? Why aren’t we obligated to our parents? Seems like the ultimate debt to repay.
Sexuality
The sexuality of Victor or Abigail or both once we get more information in the future is completely irrelevant to Strand’s mystery. Whether either Strand or Abigail is truly in love or one or the other is a mark. Or whether each thought the other would be attracted by that con because of outside signals. None of that matters.
It matters as much to Strand’s story as much as Alicia’s sexuality figures into us trying to figure out if she’s playing Jack now that she got played. It just doesn’t.
Obligation and Debt
Strand and Daniel have always had trouble getting along. Their two words are opposite. Strand wants to have people be obligated to him in order to know they will stay with him and do what he wants them to do. The one who has people obligated has control.
Daniel knows that all too well. He does everything he can to make sure his actions and what he receives are not construed as unpaid debt. He is not a score keeper, but he knows the rest of the world keeps plenty of score and he makes sure to play by their rules.
Strand might not know that Daniel is a torturer, but he knows for sure that Daniel would not buy an insurance policy.
Strand’s Defining Moment
As the Carpenter’s song says, “We’ve only just begun.” Things have just started. A well-played con or even a legitimate business deal needs planning and execution. There are always openings for flexibility in the plan, but the apocalypse is a pretty big monkey wrench.
We’ve dealt with a lot of planning on the boat and Strand already had a plan in motion to get to Mexico. Pretty soon he is going to have to start improvising, and as Colman Domingo said on Talking Dead, eventually he’s going to have to pick up a machete or something.
Victor Strand will have to close a few walkers soon and his defining moments within the context of the apocalypse are certainly still to come.