Is Morgan losing himself again on Fear the Walking Dead?

Morgan used to lose people, then he lost himself. Morgan used to lose people, then he lost himself. Are we seeing that again on Fear the Walking Dead?

Fear the Walking Dead episode 510 titled “210 Words Per Minute” seemed to be setting up a hookup, if not a relationship, between Morgan and Grace. She had previously hinted that she saw him as a kindred spirit, and now Morgan, a normally serious man, was feeling giddy while spending time with a woman in a way he hadn’t since he met his wife. The only way the show could’ve been less subtle is if one of the walkers in the mall was wearing a Cupid costume.

Except, in a move reminiscent of Abraham avoiding Rosita before he broke up with her way back in season 6 of The Walking Dead, Morgan avoided riding with Grace to the group’s next destination. She was crushed and we see him being hurt by his own choice, too.

If you’re new to the universe and don’t know much about Morgan, but for those of us who’ve watched him since season 1 of The Walking Dead, this is not at all shocking. Morgan couldn’t bring himself to kill his turned wife way back in that pilot episode, and when we encounter him again two seasons later, he’s gone into full-blown mental illness because his failure to kill her allowed her to bite his beloved son, Duane.

Eventually, of course, he was helped back from the brink by Eastman, but the Negan war and the Wolves’ attack wasn’t easy on him…which is why he left Rick in Virginia and headed to Texas.

Now, Morgan faces a choice – can he learn to love again, knowing that Grace could get bit and die at any moment, just like anyone else? Complicating his choice is the fact that Grace may be dying from radiation poisoning. So even if she’s capable at surviving walker attacks and of taking care of herself, her time may be shorter than most people’s. There’s an underlying assumption that if people don’t get bit, and they can find food, shelter, and medicine, that living to old age is still a possibility, even in this new world. Grace is an exception to that – she’s young, but she may be dying.

That’s why he ran. It would be hard enough for him to be vulnerable should a new lover get killed, but knowing that Grace may have less time to live than most may be unbearable for him (of course, she declined an ultrasound. Perhaps she’s not even sick!).

For other people, it would be hard to start a new relationship knowing the other person may die soon. But it goes deeper than that for Morgan. He’s not just afraid to start something with Grace because her time may be short, but because he’s afraid he’ll break down again if and when she dies. And he’s likely also afraid he’d not be able to bring himself to prevent her reanimation, thus putting his new friends at risk.

The choice Morgan ultimately makes – continue to run from Grace or get close to her despite her possible fate – will likely define most of the back half of this season.

Hopefully, Morgan will finally shed his demons and grow – whether Grace is sick or not, whether she lives or dies. But given Lennie James’ acting ability and how interesting Morgan can be when dealing with PTSD, a return to his days of needed to “clear” doesn’t seem that far-fetched.