Fear TWD ‘Welcome to the Club’ review: Suspicious minds

Fear TWD 602 revealed Alicia and Strand’s fate in Virginia’s Lawton community

After two seasons searching for the silver lining in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, Fear TWD is systematically destroying all hope in season 6. “Welcome to the Club”, directed to perfection by Lennie James, reveals that Strand and Alicia are in a dangerous position in Virginia’s community and no one is safe.

When screeners were first released for Fear TWD season 6 I made a statement that season 6 features a number of callbacks to season 1, and it’s “Welcome to the Club” that really dives into those callbacks that transport some of our beloved characters back to their early days in the origins of the zombie apocalypse.

Spoilers for Fear TWD 602

I really enjoyed “Welcome to the Club.” This was our first time seeing Strand and Alicia in this new anthology format, which also revealed that Daniel and Charlie were also in Lawton and were living very different lives.

The start of the episode was gruesome in the best of ways. It’s not often we get to see innovative walker situations and this time around the warehouse full of gooey molasses walkers set up a very intriguing mystery for the rest of the episode. What’s inside the warehouse and why does Virginia want it?

I know that some viewers will take issue with the fact that the warehouse turned out to be empty, but this is part and parcel of Virginia’s modus operandi. She’s a little nutty to begin with, and she’s giving these second chance prisoners a chance to prove themselves. The ones who can clear it are worthy of being in her army, and when Strand takes responsibility for them she gives him the biggest reward of all – autonomy. (Indeed, one of the rangers sees him later and welcomes him to “the club” by sheer virtue of his actions) The warehouse was one of Virginia’s methods of weeding out the weak from the capable.

This episode also featured a moment where Alicia asserted herself and insisted that they follow her plan to clear out the warehouse. Strand doesn’t like it, but he’s willing to go along with it. Alicia isn’t willing to risk their lives with Strand’s escape plan, especially not with Charlie and Daniel at risk, and this moment reflected her growth and her dedication to her mother’s desire to protect her family. Charlie and Daniel are their family and Alicia isn’t not willing to put anyone at risk.

I’m not usually the kind of person who becomes unsettled while watching television. It is, after all, television. But after six seasons of Daniel Salazar being a strong and resourceful character, seeing him as weak and wary was downright unsettling. The bruise on his head made me think of lobotomies (okay, I’ve been watching Ratched…) and for the majority of the episode I honestly thought Virginia gave Salzar a lobotomy for rebelling.

That’s the brilliant aspect of Virginia’s character. Colby Minifie really leans into Virginia’s villainous ways so it’s hard to tell if she’s bluffing or being straightforward about much of anything. The only real thing in her life seems to be her love for her sister Dakota, and that could prove to be her undoing in the future.

I also loved the moment when Charlie reassures Dakota about he empty warehouse. After being on the other end of the equation after killing Nick and betraying their trust, Charlie knows what it’s like to be in Dakota’s shoes and when she says they believe it, it’s a major moment for Charlie that reflects her growth and maturity. (I also love that Charlie was sent to the camp for trying to run away – twice. You have to love Charlie’s spirit)

At the end of the episode, Strand sends Alicia away because he knows that in order to get the job done he can’t be around someone who pushes him to be a better person. When Strand killed Sanjay (who, let’s face it, deserved it) he was toeing the line of a carefully constructed morality that had been building since falling in with Madison’s people. By sending Alicia away, he can protect her by becoming the Victor Strand that Nick met in the prison cell back in season 1, and he won’t have to look her in the eye if he has to make tough decisions.

Strand’s decision will definitely have an impact on Alicia, who isn’t happy that she has been sent away while Janis is allowed to stay. She’s leaving Lawton with Charlie and there’s no telling where they’re going or what their experience will be when they get there. Alicia would be well within her right to be furious with Strand for what he’s done, and my guess is that there will be repercussions for it.

The end of the episode featured a wonderful reveal when Daniel and Morgan reunite. The fact that Daniel had been pretending to forget who he was the whole time (I think/I hope) really speaks to the chameleon he is. He’s going back to his season 1 roots, too, as the former El Salvadorean soldier comes out to play. By making it look like he’d forgotten everything, he was able to infiltrate Virginia’s inner circles and learn more about her, and now that he’s with Morgan they can form a dynamic duo the likes of which no one has seen before.

I really enjoyed how the new anthology format allowed the focus to remain on Strand and Alicia and develop their story. The next time we see them, we’ll understand how they came to be there and how decisions made in this episode will impact their actions in the future. If nothing else, now that suspicion has been introduced, there’s no question that Alicia and Daniel will wonder whether or not they can really trust Strand even if he is acting in their best interests.

Finally, we have to give props to Lennie James for his work directing the episode. Of all the episodes to start out with, he had to manage a little bit of everything and from the look of the final product he did a phenomenal job. Here’s to hoping we see more of Mr. James behind the camera because he is a natural in the director’s chair!

What did you think of Fear TWD “Welcome to the Club?” Let us know in the comments!