Fear the Walking Dead 410 recap: Close Your Eyes

Alicia’s back at it with the fire. She realizes that the chimney was blocked by a dead bird and its nest. (The family had been sleeping in the living room and the blocked chimney was how they died – Carbon monoxide poisoning) She starts crying when she sees the bird, saying she’s sorry and she’s trying. The dead bird is a nod to her mother, who told Althea the story of the dead bird Alicia and Nick cared for. The reminder helps her to think of Madison’s legacy, which she needs in that moment.

Charlie is working on her photos upstairs. She hears the impaled Infected outside her window and opens the door that leads to the little patio. Alicia’s fire is almost ready (she’s using a rottweiler picture to light the fire in a nod to the family’s dogs) She runs upstairs to grab Charlie, who is almost to the Infected.

Downstairs Alicia hands her the gun and says the gun wasn’t for Alicia at all, was it? It was for her. Alicia says that people keep telling her to keep moving forward, but she thinks Charlie has the right idea, though she isn’t going to let her go. Charlie finally speaks, asking why she saved her and whether it was to make her live with it. Alicia says she isn’t going to say Charlie changed to helped her family. She’s not going to get that kind of support from Alicia. Charlie has to face what’s done. Charlie asks how long the storm will last, and Alicia says she has no idea. She’s from California.

Alicia cooks food for them and they enjoy their meal at the table. The Infected are still at the window but it’s quiet inside. Charlie asks if Alicia lived near a beach. She doesn’t understand the size of California. Alicia eventually says she lived close enough, and Charlie asks what it was like. Alicia snaps at her and the girl shrinks away, so Alicia asks if she has ever been to the beach. She realizes she hasn’t.

Charlie tells her that she was supposed to go to Galveston with her parents, and go to the beach and boardwalk. That’s when the world fell apart. Alicia says they all missed out on things, but it’s more than that for Charlie. She says she reads and tries to imagine what it’s like. So far she hasn’t found any books about Galveston. Alicia tells her the last beach she was at was filled with the dead, referring to the resort in Mexico. It was “another place to keep you running.” She sends Charlie off to get sleep.

During the night Alicia wakes up to find Charlie gone from the couch. She goes up to find the window open again and Charlie arranging the photos. Alicia tells her she can’t be there, but Charlie panics and says that someone might come back for these photos. She knows she can’t make up for what happened and she knows she’s garbage but she is going to keep doing it. Alicia says it won’t change anything.

The fire has gone out and Alicia works to restart it. The dead are still at the window and Charlie comes down to say the wind it getting worse. She has the photos with her and Alicia says she understands what she’s doing. No one’s gone until they’re gone. These people, she says, are gone. No one is coming back. Charlie asks why Alicia cares, but the window breaks before she can answer.