Fear the Walking Dead 501 review: ‘It’s not supposed to be easy’
Fear the Walking Dead is back for season 5 and the premiere episode, “Here to Help,” was packed with nonstop action, drama and intrigue.
Talk about starting the season off with a bang! Fear the Walking Dead heralded the arrival of season 5 with a plane crash in the opening moments of the episode, and that was only the beginning. The season premiere was full of action, drama and intrigue and there’s no question that season 5 could be a game-changer for The Walking Dead companion series. Let’s break down the highs and lows from “Here to Help.”
“Here to Help” takes place just a few short months after the season 4 finale. The group staged a massive rescue involving a plane, but in the end it was all for not because the plane crashed and it turns out that the only person they’d met so far who wanted help was really after a way to keep them from coming back while he commandeered the denim factory.
Director Michael E. Satrazemis delivered episode full of cinematic magic that covered lots of ground, both figuratively and literally. Not only were there lots of locations and people to manage, but the episode provided a look at how the missions have been going for the group (not well) and what the future looks like. As season premieres go, “Here to Help” told one hell of a story.
Though it might be frustrating to start the episode off in the middle of the action, fear not. Answers are coming. In my interview with showrunners Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg they break down the reasoning behind starting the episode in medias res and how it sets up stories yet to come. In essence, the past will be explained by the future.
One of the major highlights of this episode was that every member of the cast had a moment to shine, whether it was John and June’s tender moment to Luciana’s talk with Dylan, or even Sarah’s frustration with her brewing techniques. Having the entire cast featured so strongly in one episode is a really good thing both for the show and the overall story.
Next, we’ll break down the action in “Here to Help.”