What is PADRE in Fear the Walking Dead?

By the conclusion of Fear the Walking Dead’s season 7, more light was finally shed on the mysterious PADRE. This term was initially mentioned during the first episode of this season by newcomer Will (Gus Halper). He found a note from Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey), signifying that she was searching for what Will describes as the possibility of something better. Since then, PADRE has become a focal point for many of our survivors and will carry into the final episodes of Fear the Walking Dead.

Will told Alicia that PADRE was where he and Senator Vazquez were supposed to go when it was safe, as it was supposed to be stocked with everything needed to start over in the event of a catastrophe. The name is an acronym, but what the letters stand for hasn’t been revealed. The binder that Alicia found in the bunker said, “Rebuilding our country’s future.”

After Alicia was bitten, she became obsessed with finding the location to the point that she was confident the walker version of the Senator would lead her there. This was quite strange for someone like Alicia to believe, especially since she told Will, “If you forget that, that is when things become dangerous,” regarding whether or not the undead can remember anything before their reanimation. She gave up her search and decided to make the Tower her own PADRE, but this failed, and then she decided to leave the group.

Fear the Walking Dead – PADRE

Throughout season 7, PADRE was mentioned by many people actively searching for it. Morgan (Lennie James) and Grace (Karen David) encountered a couple, Fred (Derek Richardson) and Bea (Maren Lord), who had been searching for PADRE and developed severe radiation burns in the process. They discovered the only safe route to which they are sure is where PADRE has to be, as all other routes they tried led to dead ends. This couple wasn’t in their right mind, so it was hard to believe everything they said, and Morgan chose not to follow their advice.

During the season 7 finale episode, Madison (Kim Dickens) makes her return, and it is discovered that she is part of PADRE. This is something many fans speculated about when her return was announced. Little did anyone know she would be Collector #6 for this organization, a person who steals children to be raised by PADRE.

Showrunners Ian Goldberg and Andrew Chambliss discussed PADRE in an Entertainment Weekly interview Entertainment Weekly. They used this storyline to explain her absence in that she was basically being held hostage by PADRE and forced into service by them. This has kept her from seeking out her children and others for all these years.

By the end of season 7, Madison and Morgan are heading to PADRE in a small boat while blindfolded, and viewers see a larger boat in the distance. Showrunners shared that this boat isn’t PADRE, but it will take the pair to the location. The larger boat hints at how PADRE has such a vast reach. They explain that season 8 will dive into where PADRE is located, the philosophy behind taking the children, and what happens to them.

Fear the Walking Dead season 8, episode 3, “Odessa.”

In “Odessa,” much more information is revealed about PADRE. Viewers learn that the US government set the location up with supplies and military personnel to assist in rebuilding after a catastrophe. This episode would also reveal that Shrike (Maya Eshet) and her brother Crane (Daniel Rashid) are the ones responsible for kidnapping the children and are, in fact, now pulling a Negan with their “We are PADRE” mantra.

They believe they are saving the children from “the worst pain of all: the pain of losing a parent.” These two don’t stand a chance, with Daniel (Ruben Blades) leading an army of ticked-off parents.

By the season eight midseason finale, Madison and the others took control of PADRE. She promised the children she would help them locate their parents, as she felt much guilt for being the one to abduct many of them. She also vowed to rebuild PADRE.

Fear the Walking Dead season 8, part 2

PADRE will once again be a significant topic during the final six episodes of Fear TWD. In the second half of the season, Troy Otto (Daniel Sharman) returns from the grave, as he was thought to have died in season 3. He is seeking Madison to exact his revenge, as she was the one to leave him for dead.

At the tail end of the midseason finale, a mysterious person was seen listening to a radio broadcast from Madison about PADRE while they packed familiar items in a bag. As every viewer thought, this would turn out to be Troy Otto. 

In the latest teaser (below), Troy has located Madison and wants to know about PADRE. This location is ripe with resources, and Madison and the rest have begun to rebuild PADRE into the haven it was initially planned to be.

Don’t miss the final six episodes of Fear the Walking Dead when they air on AMC and AMC+ beginning October 22, 2023.

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