Fear the Walking Dead 311 recap: ‘La Serpiente’

Fear the Walking Dead continues as old friends reunite in episode 311, “La Serpiente.” Here’s your complete recap of all of the action!

It’s time for Madison to get all of the dam water she needs in tonight’s episode. The episode starts out with a road trip. Walker is at the wheel of the water truck while Madison sits in the middle and Strand is at the window. The road sign says Tijuana but Strand says that’s not where they’re going. But he won’t reveal their destination.

Walker yawns at the wheel and the group looks bored on the long drive. Fortunately, there’s a roadblock up ahead filled with crashed cars and a herd of Infected. Walker is furious at first, but when Strand throws a beeping cay key fob to the side of the road, the Infected follow, clearing the path for the truck to plow through the cars. They get through and continue along the way.

Upon arriving, Strand opens the gate to a junkyard and locks the Infected behind them. Madison hops out and helps. With the gate closed, Strand looks out over the expanse of cars for a red VW beetle. Underneath it there is a grate, and Walker says there has to be another way, but she insists that Strand is not the sewer type. If there was another way, he would have found it. Walker doesn’t want to follow but Madison says she’s getting the water.

Down they go into the smelly sewers. The ground is wet and it’s pitch black inside, so Strand leads the way. It smells awful but they continue along. There are the requisite sewer rats, of course. Strand leads them down another path and they stop when she see Infected on the grate above them. The Infected see them but can’t get to them.

Strand turns back when he loses his way and Walker tells Madison that she traded all of his gold for Strand but so far he hasn’t done anything. She reminds him that Strand saved her family.

They encounter the Infected in the tunnels and they run instead of fighting. Strand hesitates when they come to a fork in the tunnels. Walker leaves, and Madison asks what he’s looking for. There’s a symbol there that he’s looking for. He also reveals that Daniel is at the dam, and that he’s not happy with him for using Ofelia as leverage. She smiles and says that Ofelia is at the Ranch. At that moment they find the right markings. Walker rejoins the group and they head in that direction.

The group has to crawl in poop to get to the dam. They hear Infected behind them and it sounds like it’s in the tunnels. They go faster, and of course Madison drops her light. There’s an Infected in the tunnel, stuck. He’s also in their way. Madison kills it and then says they have to remove it. She starts hacking away at it while the men watch. She rips the head off and they pass it back behind them. Madison starts hacking again. As Strand pulls the arm away, water pours in.

Daniel and Efrain drive back to the damn after being ambushed by a group of people. He tells the man in the truck who had been shot that it’s just a graze. Efrain is mad that Daniel attacked the people but he says he had to. He sends Efrain away when he sees Strand. He shoots at him and then sees Madison and Walker. She says they’re so glad to see him. He asks about Ofelia and he melts. He wonders how he can trust them when Strand lied. She says he told the truth and that Ofelia left the resort. She says that Walker saved her in the desert. She says they need help and need his water.

Daniel and Efrain go to speak with Lola, leaving Madison and Walker to look out over the dam. Strand watches the interaction inside. Madison tells Walker that she should handle the negotiations. She knows Daniel will help them.

Daniel invites Madison inside with Walker and Strand. Lola sits and listens and says that they can offer them supplies in return for the water. Lola says that they have no water to spare. They have no water to spare for them. Madison says she knows they were attacked but Lola isn’t budging. She sends them away.

That night, Daniel toys with his wedding ring. Lola comes to visit him. She asks if they know where Ofelia is and he says she lives with them. He says Madison has never lied to him. Lola asks if he’s going to go with his daughter. He says his daughter is safe but Lola isn’t, and he made her a promise that he will keep. He’s going to help her. His daughter thinks he’s dead and thinks that it could be for the best.

Walker packs up his gear when Strand comes in. They’re sharing a room and Walker notes that everything is funny to him. You can’t know tragedy without humor, Strand replies. Walker says that he and Madison made a deal over the water. She spent his gold on a deal to save Strand. If there is no water, then his people come first and Madison and her kids will be back out in the desert.

Madison says it’s not about the water it’s about trading with the gringos and not her own people. They have to turn away so many other people. Madison notes that sometimes a leader must show force to earn trust. She begs her to make a deal for her people. Lola is trying to save her city. Lola tells Madison that she can bring her family to the dam and they will be safe. Madison says it’s impossible for a leader to be fair for everyone.

Strand offers to help Efrain as he tends to the wounded man. Strand says that the people shouldn’t shoot people trying to help. The wounded man says they wouldn’t have fought if Daniel hadn’t shot. Efrain reminds the wounded man that Daniel calls Strand “La Serpiente” and doesn’t trust him. Efrain is trying to keep things peaceful and open the floodgates for the people so the rivers flow again. Then it will rain and fill again. Strand says that it’s hard having so much power.

Daniel goes to see Walker, who is eating. He thanks him for saving Ofelia. Walker offers him a seat. Walker says he raised a brave woman. Daniel asks what she does at the Ranch, and when Walker says she’s a soldier and a hero, he says he didn’t raise her to be a soldier. Walker tells the tale of how she gained the enemy’s trust and poisoned them. Daniel is shocked to hear this.

Madison finds Strand in his room. She tends to her laundry. The more she tries to make things stay together, they fall apart. Strand says that maybe she isn’t meant to stay at the Ranch. He says the dam is defensible but Madison reminds him that Lola isn’t willing to fight. Madison doesn’t know what will happen if they don’t get the deal. Strand knows she will fight to save her kids, but he tells her to think of what she wants. She says it has been too long since she thought of herself. He guesses she had a perm in the 80s and wants to know what she wanted. The Ranch has problems, but it’s where she wants to be. He holds her hands. She asks what he sees in the future. He sees a future where he doesn’t fail his friends.

Lola says they need to return so people know they don’t need to attack, but Daniel reminds her that there will always be unhappy people who will attack. She thinks he would have her be a killer. He says he will kill for her, to protect her. He says that it’s good for people to fear him. She wants to go on the water run, and she also says if he doesn’t believe in her mission, he should leave. Otherwise he needs to follow her orders.

Strand returns to the place where he almost died. Daniel comes up and says that his serpent brain is “coiling around an idea.” He says if it benefits both of them, he’ll look the other way. But if it doesn’t, Daniel will have Strand in his sights. He walks away singing “Down with the water queen.”

Walker leaves, and Madison chases after him. He says she has trouble telling the truth. He wants her people to leave the Ranch. He’s as upset with himself for making a deal as he is with her.

Daniel finds Madison and says that he couldn’t change her mind. He explains that Lola saved his life and needs him, and Madison wonders if he’s afraid of his daughter. She needs her father, Madison says. He says he’ll always be her father, no matter what Walker did.

Madison finds Strand and heads to the water truck. He tells her to wait, and the truck blows up. The fire Infected approach as the dam guards rush in to hold them back.

The fire burns as Madison, Strand and Daniel kill the Infected. Lola thinks it’s an accident, but soon they hear people yelling “Down with the Water Queen” marching closer. Daniel calls Strand and Madison and they go to the office. Lola wants to know how much ammunition they will need. She asks if Madison can provide this, and she can. They need 10k gallons per week til the rains come. They will meet at the stadium. Lola wants Ofelia at the trade and Madison says she will be.

As they head to the truck, Madison thanks Daniel, who tells her to be careful. Strand says goodbye, and Daniel says this isn’t goodbye because he expects to see them back in five days with Ofelia.

Madison drives back and asks how Strand rigged the truck to explode. He says it must have been an accident, then admits he saw it in a movie. She thanks him, and he says he would have done it for her.

Down the road she spots Walker. She pulls up. “Thirsty?” she asks. Walker smiles and gets in.

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Fear the Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9pm on AMC.