Fear the Walking Dead 515 recap: Channel 5

Things take a dark turn on this week’s episode of Fear the Walking Dead as desperation leads to big decisions. Here’s your recap of “Channel 5.”

This week’s episode of Fear the Walking Dead begins with a video of Virginia and her people riding down the road. Tom (whom we met in last week’s “Today and Tomorrow”) and other new faces tell the camera what happened before Virginia showed up. They’re alive because of them. Because of Virginia. Then Virginia starts talking about how they are focusing on tomorrow, not today. There’s a map over her shoulder reflecting all of the different settlements they have started and she says that the stories are all the same. People are trying to survive but they always fall short.

There’s a condo complex, a bowling alley, a skating rink, a country club and a logging company. The Pioneers come in and fix things up, and now they’re thriving. Virginia taps the key on her shirt and notes that they wear them as a reminder that they all hold the key to the future. They can all help each other to fix things. (As she talks we see the man who fixed Morgan’s stick) She advises anyone out there who needs help to pick up a walkie and turn to channel 5.

That’s right: Virginia’s people made videos, too.

The camera pulls back to reveal that Al, Tom and Morgan are watching the video. “It’s not the truth,” Al says before pulling the television onto the ground.

Cue the credits, here we go! This week’s title sequence features a murky look at the landscape we have come to know and love, but there’s a crack in the lens to reflect the now-broken television screen.

June has a map and she’s marking down all of the places they have been in their quest to find a new place to live. Al says that this is why they’re making another video – to show people what their reality looks like and that it’s not easy. Morgan seconds this: What they’re trying to do isn’t easy, he says. Alicia says that what they’re doing is important, and Dwight adds that they’re doing things the right way. He emphasizes “right” because if anyone knows how bad things can turn out, it’s Dwight.

There’s only one tanker of gas left, according to June, so they need to find home soon. Charlie knows they will find it. Wendell says that Luciana stayed behind to give them this opportunity, but they will go back for her once they find it. Sarah isn’t intimidated by Virginia’s claim that their way won’t work. Al is clearly upset that Virginia is using her method of making videos to lie to people, but Tom says that if there are people out there watching, then it’s working.

Al says she was going to prove Virginia wrong, and this is the story of how they did it.

Morgan brings a pillow to Grace, who has an IV. He’s very gentle as he adjusts her arm. He asks if she needed anything while he’s out there, and she asks for candy beansies with a smile on her face.

June says Grace is dehydrated, but she doesn’t know if this is radiation-related or not. She will have to do some research.

Morgan is upset that he wasn’t there for Grace when she needed him, and he wasn’t there for Tank Town. But he’s here now. Al asks if he said what he needed to say, but he hasn’t. We cut to Grace, who says that she thinks she knows what Morgan was going to say.

Tom says that he thought Al and Morgan were going to kill him when they found him. As he’s talking, someone calls his name. It’s Janice, his sister. They reunite with a hug. He’s elated that they found her, and she smiles and says that he found you. Tom wants to help make the documentary. We see that he’s helping to make the documentary because he believes in this mission, and he doesn’t agree with Virginia that only certain people are useful.

Alicia paints her trees and says that he wants to paint the trees when she finds their new home. She was hoping to find the person who was painting them, but now this is all that makes sense in her world.

June calls in to different scouting parties. The possible home locations aren’t panning out. She’s frustrated and John is there to comfort her. She was the one who picked this direction and she is confident that their new home will be out there.

Rabbi Jacob says that he believes in June’s intuition because she has what so many people spend their lives looking for: Faith.

Wes says he thought the first movie was BS, and now he’s part of the BS and he doesn’t think it’s BS anymore. Charlie asks if he’s going to paint again, and after a look at Alicia he smiles and says “we’ll see.”

Daniel and Grace watch as Charlie tries to learn how to play the guitar. Eventually Charlie gets it and they all smile. Later, Grace, who is weaker, says that she wants to see it when they arrive in their new home so she knows they made it.

The group meets that night to determine whether to use the last of their gas to make a final push for a new home. Strand doesn’t think Tom and Al should film it, but Al insists that they need to be open and honest about what’s happening. Suddenly a walker breaks through the fence and Dwight kills it, and he calls everyone over to see that it’s wearing a badge.

John says that the badge is from the original Humbug’s Gulch park, and he thinks it could be a sign because the parks were made to be authentic to the time period, so it would make an ideal home for them. And it should be fairly close by. Strand says they have no idea what condition the park would be (it’s not the same one where they met Dwight) but everyone agrees that it’s worth a shot. This could be it. Daniel asks if it has a barber shop.

Tess calls for June because Grace is in trouble. They run into the van and see that she’s passed out. Morgan looks terrified that she’s not doing well. Grace is severely dehydrated and her blood pressure is low. They need to get more fluids.

Later, June uses the portable ultrasound from the mall to see what might be happening, but she doesn’t know what to look for. Daniel was the one who made sure they took everything they could from the mall, and for good reason. June says she can treat the symptoms but they don’t know how long it will last. They need more fluids before anything else. Sarah thinks there is a shortcut to a nearby retirement home, and they might have supplies. John asks Morgan if he’s sure he should go there but Morgan knows that Grace wants to be awake to see them arrive.

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Tom says the mission to help Grace is not something they would ever see on Virginia’s tapes, because she doesn’t do this.

John and Morgan look through the supplies but they’re coming up short. Later, John asks Al during an interview whether Morgan and Grace are a couple, adding that it’s a “bittersweet thing.” The camera catches John telling June that he doesn’t want to wait anymore, and he wants to be married when they reach the Gulch. She agrees, and he smiles. So does she.

Al keeps looking for supplies, and she finds some. A walker comes out of nowhere and tackles her, and Alicia swoops in and kills it with a knife. She smiles when she sees the supplies. Later, Alicia says that her instincts took over.

Grace is feeling much better with the fluids. Morgan is glad she’s feeling better. Sarah says that they’re making up time thanks to the shortcut. Sarah tells the camera that Virginia can “suck it.” Tom and Janice say that Virginia would never have done that. Thanks to these missions, they were able to save Charlie, Daniel, Jacob and Dwight. They all say so.

The caravan slows down and Morgan calls to Sarah, who says they have a problem ahead. The semi won’t be able to cross the bridge, which is failing. Without the tanker they won’t reach the Gulch. The bridge starts to fall apart, so Strand calls for a bucket brigade to move the gas while everyone crosses the bridge.

Dwight tells everyone that they have company. It’s Virginia, who arrives in a Jeep. She thinks they need some help with the tanker. John comes over to ensure that things remain orderly. Virginia reminds them that if she wanted them dead, they would be. She has been following the caravan’s progress and she’s impressed that they have been able to make their gas last so long. She sees Tom filming, and Al says that he’s helping to get the story. Al says that they’re going to hand Virginia a defeat, but Virginia remains confident. They’re in this predicament because they stopped to get medicine for a dying woman.

That’s the problem with their plan, she says, because they will all end up dead if they continue this path. Strand asks her to lay her cards out, and she says that they’re looking to recruit new people for their mission, and it’s all based on what people can offer. Tom asks why she tried to kill him and Virginia says it’s because he was a liability. She won’t apologize for that, either, because her methods get results.

Virginia tells Dwight that one of her people saw Sherry a while back. Dwight pulls his gun on her because he never said Sherry’s name on the video.

Morgan says that their group wants to do things differently from Virginia. She says they want the same thing, and that the future isn’t on the other side of the bridge. She invites anyone from their group to join them because it works. Morgan tells his people to leave if they want, but no one does. Strand says her methods don’t seem effective. Virginia’s men fire into the air, drawing the walker herd closer. She reminds them to call her when they decide they need help. After she leaves, the walker herd moves closer.

They pull the cars around the bridge to form a blockade while June drains the gas. Strand has Alicia’s weapon and he and Morgan try to clear walkers while everyone clears the bridge. It’s chaos as everyone runs for the bridge. Tom keeps filming while Morgan tries to fight the walkers off. Strand, Morgan and Al fight the walkers on the bridge. Tom decides to stay behind to film the walkers, and everyone watches as the bridge collapses under the tanker.

Al edits the video in the truck when the batteries start to go out. Tom gave his life trying to show that what they were doing was right. Morgan tells her that this is not the end of the road. They’re all waiting outside.

The vehicles are out of gas and everyone is waiting for them. The Gulch is 10-15 miles away. Morgan asks if Grace can walk. She’s upset that Tom died for the detour. Janice stands at Tom’s grave and Jacob asks if she wants him to say anything before they go. She says she wants him to say something when they get there.

Morgan addresses the group and says that Tom wanted them all to keep going to show Virginia that they are not like her at all. Janice agrees and said that Tom wants them to finish it. So that’s what they need to do.

They start walking. Morgan tells Alicia that this won’t be easy, but she knows it.

The group walks and walks across the Texas landscape. Morgan walks with Grace. The siblings walk together. Daniel has Skidmark. Wes tells Alicia that when they get there, he’ll paint with her. Not just trees, but maybe something else. She smiles.

John hangs back and asks Rabbi Jacob if he does weddings. He admits he has never been asked to do a wedding for gentiles but he has always wanted to do one. Morgan hears them and says that a wedding is exactly what everyone needs. John asks him to be his best man. Dwight asks Al if she’s still filming and she says she will until the whole story is told.

Daniel tells Morgan that no one knows how long they have in this world. If he needs to say something to anyone, he should say it.

They reach a road and there’s a sign that says the Gulch is 5 miles down the road. Janice says that she wants Virginia to see why she lost. Morgan asks Grace if she’s good for one more leg of the trip. He is about to tell her how he feels but she says that he shouldn’t say it because it will make things harder. He’s glad she’s there.

When they get to the ridge they look out and see that the entire place is full of walkers. Someone locked them in and there is a massive herd inside. June looks at the map. There’s nowhere else to go. They can’t go back to the cars and there is no gas anyway.

Strand says there is one thing to do, and Al says no way. He accuses her of turning the camera off and he says that this is the truth. “We can eat for tonight, or we can live for tomorrow.”

Morgan asks them for alternatives, but no one speaks up.

Al says she didn’t think this was the end of the story, but it is. Dwight says that once he calls Virginia, there is no going back. Strand says they tried to make it, but Dwight says they can’t throw in with her. He decides to leave. June apologizes to everyone and John reassures her.

Morgan takes out his walkie and turns it to Channel 5. Before he calls, he apologizes to Janice.

“Virginia, if you’re listening, we need your help,” he says.

Fear the Walking Dead returns for the season finale next Sunday at 9pm on AMC.