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Fear The Walking Dead Villains: Who ISN’T The Worst, Part 2

By Liam O'Leary

Kim Dickens as Madison Clark, Lorenzo Henrie as Chris Manawa, Fear The Walking Dead -- AMC
Kim Dickens as Madison Clark, Lorenzo Henrie as Chris Manawa, Fear The Walking Dead -- AMC /
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Kim Dickens as Madison Clark, Lorenzo Henrie as Chris Manawa, Fear The Walking Dead — AMC
Kim Dickens as Madison Clark, Lorenzo Henrie as Chris Manawa, Fear The Walking Dead — AMC /

We encountered a lot of villains in Season 2 of Fear The Walking Dead. But, in spite of what they did, is it possible they’re redeemable? I try to find out.

Whenever I do these “Worst/ISN’T Worst” lists, I always find them kind of…murky. I’m tasking myself with find the most irredeemable things about them before trying to determine if there’s any way they can be redeemable.

This season of Fear The Walking Dead has proven no less difficult. We have around half a dozen people, each with their own nefarious behavior. Some of them, I think, I can find the good in them. Others…not so much. And the who’s who of that might surprise you.

But, enough rambling, let’s get started with…

Reed

Jesse McCartney as Reed, Daniel Zovatto as Jack Kipling, Cliff Curtis as Travis Manawa, Fear The Walking Dead — AMC
Jesse McCartney as Reed, Daniel Zovatto as Jack Kipling, Cliff Curtis as Travis Manawa, Fear The Walking Dead — AMC /

…Oh yeah, I forgot: Reed’s essentially a serial killer. Huh.

Well, I like a challenge.

That said, I’m also not an idiot. The simple fact is that Reed isn’t redeemable. He just isn’t. It’s implied he’s killed many people since the dead rose and for apparently no other reason than because he can.

In light of this, I will not be attempting to argue about his potential redeemability.

That said, I will argue he might have once had potential for redeemability.

As we learn from Reed while he’s captive on the Abigail, his life has been far from wine and roses.

Jesse McCartney as Reed, Ruben Blades as Daniel Salazar, Fear The Walking Dead — AMC
Jesse McCartney as Reed, Ruben Blades as Daniel Salazar, Fear The Walking Dead — AMC /

He explains to Daniel that, when he was younger, he suffered abuse at the hands of his father, which his brother sought to put a stop to.

Not surprisingly, this had left Reed considerably damaged, likely sprouting into the cruel, violent persona we saw.

Am I excusing those aspects of Reed? Certainly not. However, one has to wonder, if that had not happened, what kind of person would Reed have become? Would he have become more like his brother? I think it’s silly to assume that that trauma didn’t become a catalyst in the despicable person Reed turned out to be.

It’s sad the levels of cruelty people can display and inflict on others. It’s sadder still to see those who have been the recipients of such cruelty turn around and become such monsters themselves.

Reed might have been a good person, even in the apocalypse, had he not been exposed to such cruelty when he was younger. Even so, it does not excuse the ruthless killer he became.

Next: Making The Best Of The Hand You're Dealt

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