Fear The Walking Dead: Who ISN’T The Worst? Part 3

Qaletaqa

Now, before we start with Qaletaqa, let me explain why I’m skipping ahead to him instead of focusing on Jeremiah.

To be perfectly honest…I just couldn’t think of enough arguments to make on Jeremiah’s behalf! I will say that, we do see the occasional moments of humanity shine through Jeremiah, mostly in the form of regret over his alcoholism, his treatment of Troy because of it, and his feelings of helplessness in the face of his son’s demons.

That said, other than the fact that I appreciate his efforts to prepare people for the apocalypse, and his refusal to go to war with Qaletaqa (Despite his advantage) there isn’t much else I can think of, and all I can, I just crammed into that previous paragraph! I do believe Jeremiah is at least slightly redeemable. I mean…we have certainly seen worse people between both Walking Dead shows than Jeremiah, but, that’s not enough to warrant an entire page.

So, that said, let’s begin.

The first thing I noticed about Qaletaqa upon being introduced to him was his stance on those outside of his feud with Jeremiah.

When he first met Madison, rather than simply say “If you’re with them, you’re my enemy, too.” Qaletaqa advised her to leave the ranch, rather than get caught in the crossfire.

For Qaletaqa, his beef was with Jeremiah and his fellow “Founding Fathers”. If he could have, he would  have preferred to avoid others suffer for it.

This was proven during his conversation with Alicia about the helicopter his people shot down. When Alicia revealed that Travis was killed in the attack, Qaletaqa had remorse. He didn’t want collateral damage, all he wanted was to get rid of the Founding Fathers, nothing more.

Of course, that is not the extent to which his compassion for strangers reached.

When he discovered Ofelia lying half dead in the desert, he stopped to help her. First, he gave her some of his water (Worth more than gold in a desert…in a drought), then, placed her on his horse, while he walked.

He didn’t have to show such generosity, and few others would have. It’s the sort of selflessness that is a rare commodity, especially in a zombie apocalypse.

It was that same selflessness that emerged again when Proctor John was about to execute Madison, Alicia, Nick, and Strand.

Even though he and Crazy Dog were heading north, they returned to aid The Clarks and Strand in their hour of need. With Qaletaqa spotting for him, Crazy Dog eliminated several Proctors before Daniel arrived to cut down those who remained on the dam.

Once again, they didn’t have to help, but, they chose to, regardless. I often find the worst sort of people are those who commit cruelty simply because they have the ability to. To help others, even when it is unnecessary or counter to your goals, is the exact opposite.

While I still can’t condone Qaletaqa’s use of biological weapons, it’s his capacity to help others that keeps him within the realm of redeemability.

Next: Forgiveness Through Sacrifice