Fear The Walking Dead: Did Strand finally get redemption?

Strand and Daniel Salazar came to an understanding this week on Fear The Walking Dead but did Strand do enough to redeem himself?

Fear The Walking Dead “Skidmark” brought Daniel Salazar and Strand to a point of tolerance, if not forgiveness. It’s hard to say what tipped the balance for Strand. It could have been that he finally admitted to the others and to himself that his lie about knowing where Ofelia was had permanent and tragic consequences for Daniel that Daniel will have to live with for the rest of his life.

Or it could have been Strand’s sacrificing the chance to go save the others by using the plane to kill the walker herd and save Daniel that brought Daniel to a point of peace with Strand. He will never forgive Strand, but at least he’s not going to shoot him on sight so that’s definitely progress. Strand’s willingness to sacrifice the plane may have convinced Daniel that Strand has changed.

But does Strand deserve redemption? Are his crimes forgivable in the apocalypse world where everyone has done awful things to try and survive? Does he even need redemption considering that it’s an unspoken truth that everyone will do whatever is necessary to save themselves? The morality of the apocalypse world is different than the morality of the previous world. When every day is a fight to survive can people be forgiven more easily for lies, deceit, and betrayal?

Our panelists had some fun debating whether or not Strand has earned redemption or if he needed it in the first place:

The Redemption Of Victor Strand

Did Strand redeem himself by saving Daniel at the end of the episode with the plane?

Sonya says:

"I think so. I think Daniel Salazar is haunted by not getting to reunite with Ofelia before her death and Strand admitting that he contributed to that helped. Daniel wanted Strand to take accountability for that. It won’t make his suffering less, but it’s something. And I think Daniel saw first the first time in this episode that maybe it’s possible Strand has changed. But if Strand and the others don’t take care of Skidmark I think Daniel will shoot him in the face."

Sara says:

"I think he definitely redeemed himself. Clearly Strand really wanted the plane, but in the end, he sacrificed it to save Daniel. I think Daniel was also shocked that Strand sacrificed the plane to save him, I hope this leaves them on a good new path."

Jeffrey says:

"I totally think Strand has redeemed himself. He has done a ton of terrible things, but even before saving Daniel, I felt as though he had made up for his sins. Saving Daniel from the walkers and destroying the plane proved to Daniel himself that Strand had evolved from how he used to be in the earlier seasons."

Renee says:

"I am unsure if he has totally redeemed himself in Daniel’s eyes but I am sure this has gone a long way to mending things between these two. We have two very strong personalities and I believe there will always be tension between them because of this. I do think Daniel may soften towards Strand because of this incident."

What do you think FearFamily/TWDFamily? Is Strand redeemed on Fear The Walking Dead? Does he need redemption? Follow the panelists to join the conversation: @SonyaIryna, @WrittenBySara, @TWalkingDWorld, @IowaMamaof3, and @UndeadWalkingFS