Fear the Walking Dead: Is Nick the ‘Leader’ type?
Nick Clark is many things on AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead, but a leader isn’t one of them. Not exactly. But he is really good at persuasion.
In Fear the Walking Dead 312, “Brother’s Keeper,” Crazy Dog tells Ofelia that Jake is not the leader at Broke Jaw Ranch. The real leader is Nick. This is a really interesting concept because Nick seems to be the least leader-like person of the group, but admittedly he does posses the necessary skills to be a great leader even if he isn’t the embodiment of someone who can lead a group of people.
When Nick and Luciana needed to move the community at La Colonia, Nick stepped up. Whether it was his sense of urgency or a desire to impress Luciana, Nick was able to get everyone moving away from danger. (Nevermind the fact that the group walked right into an ambush at the border)
Nick and Troy share a common background. They’re they black sheep of the family and prone to causing problems that their families must deal with. Though Troy might be a better survivalist, Nick has a lot of common sense and real-world application of that common sense that Troy simply doesn’t have after years spent on the ranch instead of out in the world.
In Troy’s absence, the militia looks to Nick as their leader for a number of reasons. He was “involved” in the firefight that ultimately led to Troy’s expulsion, so they see Nick as a kindred spirit who was trying to fight the good fight even though that was not the case. Nick has a different approach than Jake and Alicia, who favor more guarded and cautious approaches rather than the flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach that Nick seems to live by.
Nick is a much better advisor than he is a leader. Nick is a lot like his mom. He and Madison are both goal-oriented and they don’t often stop to consider the consequences. (Think about Madison’s reaction at the mercado when she saw Strand) They are capable when they have a plan, but they’re not always the best at crafting those plans whereas Jake, Alicia, Daniel and even Walker are planners. It is for all of these reasons that Nick is a much better advisor than leader.
One problem with leadership is that it’s hard to gauge reactions when operating with a set perspective. Think of Deanna in Alexandria before she came to trust Rick. What Nick does best is that he can bring perspective to the table. He understands what makes people tick after years as a junkie who saw the best and worst of people. Nick is a people person, after all, and it takes someone who knows people to be able to offer advice on human nature.
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Rather than Madison and Nick, I’d love to watch more of the leadership interplay between Nick and Alicia. Alicia is the classic example of a leader and even she knows that her brother has good points about the issues the ranch is faced with. Neither one of them seems to be completely on board with Madison, which makes the potential for a partnership even more compelling.
What do you think? Is Nick the leader type, or should he sit back and play the role of adviser? Let us know in the comments.