Chris Manawa: The making of an apocalypse villain on Fear the Walking Dead

Ruben Blades called in on Talking Dead last season, we may be watching a villain of the apocalypse as he is created on Fear the Walking Dead in Chris Manawa.

We’ve all wanted to see the backstory of Negan or The Governor or Gareth. We’ve wondered what happened to them to make them become so mean and evil. Were they always mean or were they broken by events of the apocalypse?

We’re seeing that in front of our very eyes with Chris Manawa on Fear the Walking Dead. For some it’s no surprise because he was annoying to them from the start. But it’s breaking my heart. And it’s breaking Travis’ heart.

As a former high school teacher, I am used to seeing through annoying behavior as a call for attention and love. I’m used to loving the unlovable and having them respond in ways that would surprise people.

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Last night when Chris shot the farmer, I was left sad and still. I was still and silent for several minutes. I was convinced that Chris had crossed a line that can’t be uncrossed. That Travis must face some really hard facts now. Madison’s lessons dealing with letting go of Nick might come into play soon.

You can love someone and still let them go and hope for the best for them. Detach with love. One of the hardest oxymoron expressions to put into practice. Yet fans think it would be so easy. They need to imagine it is their own child.

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Chris is not the first kid to fall in with the wrong crowd. To show off in front of kids who are impressed with him. To want to belong. As hard as it was to watch, it makes complete sense. Nobody in his family or the boat group liked him or treated him well except for Daniel and now these kids treat him like he’s amazing.

His dad is a dad. He wants the love of his dad yet he sees the apocalypse in a way that his dad doesn’t. He thinks his dad is naive and he knows his dad wants to go back to the group that hates him.

Just as with Alejandro, we don’t have dramatic irony to help us. We don’t know the answer yet. Are they going to be Fear villains? We will have to wait and find out. It’s an interesting twist. We knew The Governor and Gareth and Negan were villains before we got to know them. We’re getting to know Alejandro and Chris before we find out. Plot twist!

Next: Let's look at what Chris has been through

A little off topic, Lorenzo James Henrie seems to have really grasped what his character is going through and the idea that this is where he is going to thrive. His explanation on Talking Dead about the idea that Chris would need tons of psychological help in the real world because he’s so broken, but now that it’s the new world, he can learn to live in a different way as a new person, shows that Lorenzo is accepting his own character.

When I’ve heard him talk before, he was holding onto the possibility that Chris was good and seemed to be having a hard time with the bad fan reaction. Embrace yourself, Lorenzo!