Fear The Walking Dead – The Unveiling

By starrymag | July 16, 2017

By: Tara Donahue

 

“Fear the Walking Dead” delivered two of their most action packed, drama filled episodes ever with their mid-season finale. Long standing questions were answered and some issues were resolved, but that doesn’t mean it was all tied up in a neat bow. If anything, it left us with more questions and wondering where things would go from here.

 

Let’s start with the first episode.

 

Jake (Sam Underwood) is on his way to try and negotiate with Qaletaqa Walker (Michael Greyeyes) and hears something behind him, which makes him start running. He takes cover and pulls a gun as someone catches up with him. It’s Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey). She was worried about him, especially after what happened with the Trimbols. Jake feels like that makes it even more of a reason to go, but Alicia doesn’t agree. If he has to go, she’s coming with him and, in case he hasn’t learned by now, when Alicia sets her mind to something there’s no changing it.

 

They approach Tribal Headquarters, which is a gas station, with their hands held up in surrender. The place is heavily guarded and their weapons are taken. Walker comes out, bloody machete in hand, and tells Jake while he’s 200 years late for peace he’s just in time for lunch. He drops a decapitated pig’s head from his apron.

 

At the ranch, Madison (Kim Dickens) has realized Alicia didn’t come home last night and wants help finding her. Nick (Frank Dillane) isn’t all that concerned, though. Alicia’s a big girl. But then Jeremiah (Dayton Callie) approaches and he’s also looking for her because Jake’s missing, too. Their relationship hasn’t escaped his keen notice so he knows they have to be together. Nick wants to do something to help and, upon finding out the militia is recruiting, decides to join up.

 

Jake’s trying to reason with Walker, but getting nowhere. When he learns that three of the founding fathers are dead, he feels like it’s long overdue karma. It’s very clear that Walker has major issues with the founding fathers and he isn’t backing down. Jake; however, was hoping for a parley. This is something Walker is willing to discuss, but not until they eat. Someone is serving food and we see that it’s Ofelia (Mercedes Mason) and the popular #WhereIsOfelia question that’s been hanging over this season is finally answered. She makes eye contact with Alicia, but neither of them say a word.

 

Troy (Daniel Sharman) is at target practice with the new recruits when Nick arrives to let him know he wants to join. After a tense conversation involving Nick using blackmail tactics with what he knows about Troy’s involvement in the death of the Trimbol family, Broke Jaw Ranch’s militia has a new member.

 

Away from Walker and Jake, Alicia confronts Ofelia. She’s angry over what happened back at the hotel when Ofelia just abandoned them. She tells her that Taqa found her and took her in. Alicia fires back with these alleged good people killed a whole family two nights before. Ofelia looks confused. There was no mission that night and Walker always goes out with the war parties, but he didn’t. He was with her.

 

Jake comes out and tells Alicia they have a parley. He wants her to go back, with one of Walker’s scouts, and tell his father the terms. But Alicia knows Jeremiah won’t listen to her as he needs to hear it from his own son. Alicia will stay behind, instead.

 

Ofelia accompanies Jake back to the ranch and they’re greeted at the gate by Madison and Nick, who has a fresh new haircut. Finding out that Alicia is now Walker’s hostage while they work these details out, Madison freaks out. She questions Ofelia, but no one really seems that happy to see her.

 

At the reservation, Walker is showing Alicia around, explaining the rules and how she will need to contribute. He tells her how they’re building their own Air Force and shows her the helicopter. He’s very proud of how they shot it down, but Alicia is quick to tell him how she was on it and so was Travis (Cliff Curtis), who [thanks to them] is dead now. Walker seems to show no remorse, instead telling her that the hate she feels for him is nothing compared to his hatred of the Otto family. This only angers Alicia more. She does hate him, for killing Travis and for thinking he knows how she feels. “You’re just a hypocrite playing the noble Native American,” she tells him.

 

After Jake tries to talk to his father about the parley and Madison is told she’s an outsider and doesn’t understand everything that’s at play, we go back to the Black Hat Reservation. Walker shows Alicia a trailer full of relics that tourists used to pay money to visit. He pulls out something that wasn’t for tourist’s eyes and shows her the bones of his grandfather that he managed to save from the Otto’s.

 

They talk about the end of the world and the afterlife. Walker explains that apocalypse means “the great unveiling.” As he started collecting relics to save them, he found a theme in the petroglyphs, cave paintings and tanned hides – prophecies of what was going on and how the land would be shed of the impure. It was foretold they would not lose. After the apocalypse, it would all be returned to them; the first humans.

 

Troy and Madison are discussing the situation. She can’t let Alicia’s life be forfeit in this upcoming war. She wants Troy’s help in getting Alicia out of there. Troy balks, but Madison reminds him that he owes her. She didn’t tell anyone that he was the true one responsible for killing the Trimbols.

 

It works. After a moment with Jeremiah telling Ofelia not to complicate matters with old business (which has to have something to do with the last time we saw her with him) we see Alicia feeding pigs and someone grabs her. It’s Troy. He’s there to save her. It doesn’t go smoothly (does it ever?) and soon there’s a gunfight. Madison is ready with the truck though and they manage to get away.

 

Jake is angry when they arrive back at the ranch. They’ve just declared war on Walker’s nation. Alicia can’t believe it was all Madison’s idea and said there was no danger until Troy showed up and started killing people. Even Jeremiah didn’t back Madison’s decision to do this. What did they expect though? Madison is a mother. She wasn’t going to stand back and leave her daughter in the hands of someone as dangerous as Walker. She witnessed his savagery first hand.

 

The next day, Jake is packing up the truck with bottled water when his brother approaches. He’s going to try and placate Walker with water, but Troy tells him he doesn’t think he’ll be coming back.

 

When Jake and Ofelia arrive at the reservation, he’s dragged out of the truck and beaten. Walker tells him he broke the parley and stole his hostage. He tries to explain it was Madison and Troy, but it’s all the same and the water isn’t good enough. Jake’s put on his knees and is still desperately trying to make peace as Walker starts to scalp him. Ofelia stops him before he can drive the knife through Jake’s head.

 

Later a motorcycle approaches the gate at the ranch with a white flag waving. They dump out a beaten Ofelia and leave. She tells them Walker thought she’d given them information and now she’s lost her home and the people who took her in when she was left to die in the desert. She gives Jeremiah a look. There’s a story there and I can’t wait to find out what it is. Madison tells Ofelia she can stay with her and Alicia. She offers to help out in the kitchen, that’s what she did at the reservation.

 

At the perimeter fence, we see the militia guys. Joe (Dominic Bogart) isn’t feeling well and starts throwing up and falls to the ground before Blake (Michael William Freeman) screams out in pain as well. Coop (Matt Lasky) calls for a medic.

 

Screaming wakes Madison, Alicia and Ofelia and mother and daughter race out to help. Ofelia stays behind. Coop is trying to radio Jimmie (Nathan Sutton), who we see sitting on the ground, against the fence dead. But not for long. He’s infected. Suddenly, there’s chaos. Everyone’s running, there’s infected eating others and Nick, Madison and Alicia are trying to maintain order. Nick sees Ofelia and calls out to her, but she ignores him and starts to leave. He realizes she’s the one behind this and tells Madison before he falls to the ground, sick. Madison leaves Alicia with him and rushes after Ofelia to stop her.