Fear The Walking Dead – Date of Death

By: Kelsey Juntwait

This week, “Fear the Walking Dead” was a rollercoaster ride of raw emotion between multiple people. The second half of Season Two has so far been setting us up for the rise and fall of relationships in Date of Death. Some relationships grew while others destroyed but with each story, we’re learning how this apocalypse can change people.

Things started off on a bad note this week as Madison’s (Kim Dickens) attempt to get Nick (Frank Dillane) back turned ugly. Thoughtlessly turning on the hotel lights, a crowd of sick, hurt, and hungry locals is begging to be let in. Their plan was to not let anyone in until Madison saw a familiar face in the crowd… Travis (Cliff Curtis).

Somehow, they get the gate open just enough to allow Travis to squeeze through without anyone else slipping by. The locals are left shouting, angry. Madison and Travis are reunited but she is asking about Chris (Lorenzo James Henrie), who is nowhere to be seen. She leads him into a hotel room to talk, saying how Nick went off on his own and thinks he’s near Tijuana. Asking about Chris, again, a visibly troubled Travis says, “I had no choice.”

Queue the flashback.

We pick back up with Travis and Chris immediately after Chris shot the owner of the farm. James, who’s been hit with a bullet in the leg, is screaming in the background as Travis stands there in shock. Jumping out of it, he rushes to James (Israel Broussard) side to mend his leg. He finds a needle and thread in the house and stitches up the injury, telling him it’ll be okay.

As night falls, the young boys are drinking around the fire. Travis tends to James, asking how much pain he’s in. James, clearly in a lot of pain, lies and says he’s fine. Travis knows he’s lying for a reason and he’s determined to figure out why. He pulls Chris outside, who’s completely unaffected by killing a man that day, and goes full disappointed, angry dad on him. Travis says these guys are savages and they don’t belong with them. Chris responds that he must be a savage too and “there’s no more good, there’s no more bad; right or wrong.”

In the morning, Chris, Brandon, and Derek (Kenny Wormald) are getting ready to leave the farm since they ate all of the chicken. Travis mentions they could have stayed longer if they ate the eggs instead, which annoys Brandon (Kelly Blatz). They load James into the back of the truck. Travis knows James isn’t well enough to travel, but he understands what these boys are capable of and doesn’t argue. They’re headed to San Diego, even though Travis told them it’s burnt down, which Chris is now refuting.

Once the truck is moving James is in significant pain but asks Travis, who’s sitting in the back with him, to not say anything. They get as far as halfway down the driveway before James passes out from the pain. They turn around. Back on the farm, Travis overhears the three boys whispering about killing James. He snatches Brandon’s gun to prevent this from happening and goes to sit by James. James tells him that he knows what his friends are going to do. They had another friend, Troy, who was bitten and made them promise to kill him before he turned. James ended up killing him. Travis tries to tell him this is different but he says it doesn’t matter.

The next morning, Chris knocks on the barn door promising he’s just coming to talk. Chris starts to apologize for everything and tells his dad he’s realized everything he’s done. Of course, as Travis goes in to hug Chris, Chris tackles him down to the ground and calls in Brandon and Derek. Brandon then puts a bullet into James’ head.

They start packing up to truck once more. Travis pleads with Chris to understand this poor decision. Chris tells his dad that this is how to adapt to this new world, bringing up how Travis shot Chris’ mom. Still begging for him to stay, the truck drives off into the distance, leaving Travis behind.

Cut back to the hotel room. Travis tells Madison that he had been walking for ten days until he saw the hotel lit up like a beacon.  He’s struggling with his decision, saying it’s his fault he let Chris become a monster. Madison tries to give him comfort, but there is clear tension between the two. Travis admits to all the regrets he feels about Chris, which makes Madison feel the need to go talk to Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey).

Madison sees that they’re letting in injured people so Andres (Raul Casso) can help them. Alicia is assisting and putting her Spanish to use. Madison brings Alicia out to the boardwalk and admits something that she’s been hiding for years – that her dad’s fatal car accident wasn’t an accident at all. According to Madison, she kept it a secret because of Nick. The two find some sort of peace in this conversation.

Later that night we see the backs of people walking up to the hotel, two of them being Brandon and Derek. This leads viewers questioning: Where is Chris? Where is Nick? Where is Ofelia (Mercedes Mason)? And are we going to see a dramatic reunion of everyone during next week’s finale?