Fear the Walking Dead 803 PADRE reveal falls flat

Fear the Walking Dead began its eighth season with two amazing episodes that featured Morgan (Lennie James), Madison (Kim Dickens), Grace (Karen David), and June (Jenna Elfman) and also introduced several new characters for the final season. In the third episode, “Odessa,” there was an amazing tie-in to a season 7 character, the return of a familiar face, and, surprise, the reveal of who Padre is. But the long waited reveal was less than impactful.

PADRE has long been a subject of intrigue. It was originally mentioned in season 7 when Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) met a guy named Will (Gus Halper). He takes Strand (Colman Domingo) to a bunker where Alicia was held, only to find she was gone and left a note simply stating PADRE. This posed the question of what PADRE is. Will told Strand it represented the possibility of something better.

It would later be revealed that PADRE was supposedly a location set up by the US government with supplies and instructions on rebuilding after a significant catastrophe. Alicia found a document titled P.A.D.R.E. marked as classified and the U.S. seal and once believed that the reanimated form of Senator Vasquez would lead her there as he knew the location of PADRE.

By the end of season 7, Madison would make her return and shatter all of the notions that PADRE was the haven everyone thought it to be. Instead, this organization enlisted collectors, like Madison, to abduct children from their parents to raise and train in combat.

Fear the Walking Dead – PADRE

Season 8 began with a seven-year jump and an inside look at the goings-on of PADRE. It appeared to be a well-oiled machine that was raising children and training them to fight off the undead. It appeared that the leader of PADRE, also known as Padre, was an impressive force to command all the people in his/her charge.

During the third episode of season 8, “Odessa,” it was revealed that the US government initially set up PADRE for the purpose of rebuilding after a catastrophe, and a man, Major General Krennick (Michael B. Silver), was placed in charge. His children Sam (Maya Eshet) and Ben (Daniel Rashid) also lived with him, and when they witnessed his death by a walker attack, took it upon themselves to save other children from  “the worst pain of all: the pain of losing a parent” by abducting them. Hence, they never saw their parents again.

Sam, who goes by Shrike, is quite menacing and appears to be the heavy of the siblings, but Ben, known as Crane, is quite a wimp, nothing like you expected Padre to be at all. It was quite the letdown after a whole season of build-up to PADRE and what this location is all about. Especially since Shrike has been featured in the first two episodes as someone, you don’t want to mess with.

Perhaps things will get better where Crane is concerned in the upcoming episodes, but so far, it appears that Padre better watch out because Daniel (Ruben Blades) and his army of angry parents are heading his way.

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