Fear The Walking Dead panel reactions to Daniel Salazar’s return

Now that Daniel Salazar has returned to Fear The Walking Dead our panel has some thoughts on his return and his future.

The awkward reunion between Victor Strand and Daniel Salazar was one of the best moments of Fear The Walking Dead “The Hurt That Will Happen”. Not only is Daniel back, he’s back with a cat, Skidmark, who is now the Internet’s pet and promoted many “If Skidmark dies, we riot!” posts on social media.

But none of Daniel’s backstory was revealed so it’s still not clear how he survived being shot by Strand at the dam, or how he made his way to Texas, or even who he “inherited” the warehouse full of supplies from. There’s a lot more we need to know about Daniel.

Daniel didn’t seem inclined to rejoin the group. Even though he was one of the original members of the survivors group he’s been on his own since he survived the fire in Mexico and made his way to the dam. Madison wanted him to rejoin the group and he may have done so for her, and for Ofelia, if Ofelia had lived. He’s extremely capable of surviving on his own, but it would be nice to see him become part of the group.

Would he ever join a group that Strand is part of? Will he ever believe that Strand has changed? Will he feel any responsibility to help Alicia because he had so much respect for Madison? Our panel had some reactions to Salazar’s return and questions about his future:

Daniel’s First Appearance Since Season 3

What was your reaction to seeing Daniel Salazar back on the show?

Sonya says:

"I have always loved Daniel Salazar and how Reuben Blades plays him. I thought the return scene was perfect and totally in character for both Salazar and Strand. And it made perfect sense for Daniel’s character that he would have a cat too. It was fantastic moment. Daniel is such a pragmatist. I hope he joins the group because he can temper some of that intense need for redemption that they have that sometimes leads them to make some poor decisions."

Sara says:

"I was so excited to finally see Daniel return to the show! I’ve missed him so much! He brought back so many memories from the original Fear days! It was so great seeing him back in action!"

Jeffrey says:

"I was overjoyed to see Daniel back on screen, especially after not seeing him at all in season 4. He is one of my favorite characters in the series and one of our last remaining originals, so having him back in the story just feels right. I think it is incredibly fitting for the first time we see him again to be in a reunion with Strand, given their rocky history. Also, I absolutely loved the fact that we got to see his reaction to Madison and Nick being gone."

Renee says:

"So excited! He has always been a favorite of mine. He is built for this world he finds himself in. I think he will be invaluable with the new threat we have yet to see."

Ethan says:

"Seeing Daniel was awesome! Other than Madison, Daniel was my favourite character on the show! It’s great to have him back and to have more connection to the start of the show and the few survivors that remain from Los Angeles!"

Sarabeth says:

"It’ so great having Salazar back on the show! I loved the episode in season 3 that was done almost entirely in Spanish. I think that was an very important episode of television, honestly, for taking that risk. I think Salazar has always been a good counterbalance to some of the group’s ideas and I hope he joins them and helps to steer them away from bad decisions."

What did you think of Daniel’s return to Fear The Walking Dead? Follow the panelists on Twitter to share your thoughts:

@SonyaIryna, @WrittenBySara, @TWalkingDWorld, @IowaMamaOf3, @EthanCorby, @SarabethPollock, and @UndeadWalkingFS