Fear The Walking Dead: Grading the crossover on Survival Sunday

It’s official. Morgan has crossed over from The Walking Dead to Fear The Walking Dead. How effective was the transition?

There are several components that can make a crossover a massive success. Fans got a taste of the crossover on April 15, 2018, when The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead intertwined on AMC.

Let’s take a look at these four categories to evaluate the success of Morgan Jones’ initial crossover to Fear The Walking Dead.

Is it believable?

Granted, there is always a hefty volume of the suspension of disbelief required for watching either series, The Walking Dead or Fear The Walking Dead. After all, It is set in a fictional zombie apocalypse. The question here is whether Morgan’s exit from the original show to Fear The Walking Dead makes sense.

I have had a hard time making sense of where Morgan’s head is. It has been difficult to define his mindset with strict logic. But perhaps that is part of the point.

Morgan is struggling to make sense of his place in the world. He cannot find a version of himself that grounds him as a survivor. His dialogue is often nonsensical. The characters in his hallucinations deliver cryptic messages.

As far as continuity, I would suggest that The Walking Dead does a good job of setting up Morgan’s exit. It is not sudden. His stability is challenged throughout the entire 8th season. While we may not understand it, we see visual evidence of his conflict early on in the season when he spars with Jesus after leaving the satellite outpost.

Also, Morgan becomes more dangerous throughout the season to the point of almost stabbing Henry without realizing it. He sees things in his own head that cause him to wield his stick. There is a growing concern for the safety of those around him and Morgan realizes it.

Believable: Grade B While I cannot really make complete sense of Morgan’s struggles, they most definitely seem present. His inner conflict grows throughout the season to the point where people do not feel safe. It does make sense that Morgan wants to leave and be on his own, at least until he figures out who he is in this world.

Closure

When a character exits one series to join another, it is helpful to see some closure with the story and characters he leaves behind.

Morgan has some thoughtful discussions with his friends in season 8 of The Walking Dead. They mostly consist of Morgan saying he could not save people and others trying to convince him otherwise. There are references to other seasons, all the way back to episode 1 when Morgan rescues Rick.

Morgan does not expressly say goodbye to Henry but does ask Carol to give him his armor, which I believe originally belonged to his brother Benjamin. Morgan also has a nice talk with Jesus who empathizes with Morgan’s “conundrum”.

We also learn in the premiere of Fear The Walking Dead season 4 that several friends visit Morgan during his sabbatical at the trash compound. They accept his need for space but also encourage him to rejoin them at some point. It is clear that Morgan is missed by his community.

Closure: A I think the show did well in wrapping up Morgan’s time on The Walking Dead. There were meaningful conversations with those who cared for him. And it was evident that he did not take his departure lightly. It was a long time coming.

Re-engagement

When a character joins a new series, it is important that his intersection with characters on the new show makes sense.

Morgan covered a lot of ground to get to Texas, but I believe this was an important aspect of his crossover. It would have seemed too easy if he found a new group only a couple of hours away.

Morgan needs the journey. Morgan wants to be alone. Had he connected with the new group immediately, his reason for leaving in the first place would not seem so believable.

Morgan stumbles upon John Dorie, a new character in dire need of human connection. Morgan takes refuge briefly at John’s camp but then goes on his way alone. John follows after Morgan multiple times wanting to work together and be friends.

They meet a new character, Althea. She saves them. They save her. Morgan leaves again.

Finally, Morgan resolves to stay with Althea and John. He shares meaningful details of his past with journalist Althea. The three have bonded, but it was not an immediate one. It was important that Morgan’s struggle to be with people was not easily dismissed in the crossover.

The three journey onward and stop to help a human in the road. It’s a trap and our familiar Fear The Walking Dead characters Strand, Alicia, Nick, and Luciana hold Morgan and friends at gunpoint. The connection to original characters from Fear The Walking Dead comes full circle.

Re-engagement: B Part of me complains that we did not see any of our original Fear characters until the end of the episode. The other part of me says that makes sense. I mean, what are the odds of Morgan encountering those specific characters right away? I commend the show for not making it a cheesy connection to the Clarks right away. Plus, with Fear The Walking Dead re-booting, they need a believable way to gradually integrate several new characters.

Do we care?

Morgan Jones has been a beloved character since the pilot episode of The Walking Dead. He is a capable and thoughtful character. Perhaps it is his thoughtful side that makes it so hard for him to find his place in this world. I think we will care about Morgan wherever he goes.

With that said, do his new circumstances engage our curiosity? I think Morgan’s dynamic with  John and Althea is very effective. John endears us with his puppy dog like faithfulness to Morgan. Althea has some qualities similar to Carol. She cares, but she is not going to stop Morgan from making his own decisions. It’s a nice balance among them.

So, I think we do care when our new team of three faces off with some of the original characters. It’s certainly intriguing to see Alicia in this almost feral state. What has transpired with our original Fear characters?

Do we care?: B I think the new story creates enough curiosity to make us care about Morgan’s new situation. The nostalgia of references to Atlanta, Virginia, and the term “walkers” help die-hard fans of The Walking Dead engage in the new storyline. The downside is that in some ways the initial episode seems less like a crossover and more like a new show altogether. But maybe that’s a good thing.

Next: Was FearTWD 401 any good?

Overall, I would assign a grade of B+ to the crossover of Morgan from The Walking Dead to Fear The Walking Dead.

I think if Morgan continues to make references to the original series, it will help viewers keep rooting for him in Fear The Walking Dead. If Morgan uses experiences from his past location to help him make decisions in his new location, it will help make the transition more meaningful.

I suspect re-booting Fear The Walking Dead with a new timeline and some new characters will also benefit the transition. You cannot force a square peg into a circle hole, as they say. So, making Fear seem like a new show in many respects should help Morgan’s integration be more believable.

I know I am looking forward to the next installment of Fear The Walking Dead. And I am still cheering for Morgan!