2.10: Fear The Walking Dead - Do Not Disturb

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Travis and Chris Manawa (Photo by Cliff Curtis/AMC)

Travis has a hard time connecting with Chris while looking for shelter; Alicia meets a woman with a bloody past.

Redeemed: Nick, Daniel, Madison and Strand

Main Characters on the kill-list: Chris, Alice, Travis and Ofelia

 

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It's so strange to start the episode with the Viennese Waltz. You just wouldn't expect to hear it. Not in this world. And certainly not without a some really weird scene with Madison and Strand incapacitating the zombies around the bar table. But then again, FTWD isn't its parent show and it is making it's own way in the world.

Just like Chris and Travis are doing on the road to nowhere. They have no real aim. No plan on what to do, as they've abandoned the rules and decided to follow their own path, in the world that will not frown upon their activities as psycho-killers.

There is no cops. No detectives. No Federal Agencies. No psychologists to hunt them down and put them behind the locks. In Kirkman's world they should be on the tip of the food pyramid. Standing higher above the zombies.

But yet, they are standing on the human scale, below the undead. Still, Chris made me smile on showing how he is, when it comes to survival in this world. He has no moral qualms on stealing from the people, or leaving them in a dire-situation with a hole in their chest. In a way, he is stronger then most people - who are just about starting to learn on how to live among the dead. And the living.

His sister Alice has much bigger problems on adapting in the situation. She has made more wrong choices than his brother, even though she's no monster, and therefore, being automatically in a weaker position than Chris.

But above them stands Travis. Man, who has acquired academic and practical survival knowledge through his activities. In a way, the methods he teaches to his son draws from Jack London's ideas - stuff he were teaching to the kids back in the Los Angels.

I feel he should have stayed with his wife to keep their group in control.

He would have found out a good location to camp out and learned on how to really survive in this world, while in the moment, the whole family is spread around the bloody Mexico. With bloody being the active word. Just like the darkness that has swamped US it has clouded its southern neighbour.

In Mexico, the tales of death are somewhat darker then what they've been shown to be at other side of the border, when the apocalypse began. What did you think about it?

 

[REBerg]

It would seem that Travis' has dedicated himself to keeping his obviously murderous son away from others and somehow rehabilitating him. I don't know that an indefinite father-son camping expedition is the answer, but Travis has at least protected the rest of the family from Chris while attempting to do the right thing as a father.
Chris is not happy with the arrangement, as shown by how quickly he bonded with the equally lethal gang which apparently saw Chris as a potential recruit after he stole from them. I saw what I interpreted as defeat on Travis' face after his son shot the farmer.
The hotel wedding flashback was horrific. Who would have guessed that the infected chain was initiated by the dead father of the bride as she was attempting to revive him?
The maitre d'hotel, Elena, acted quickly to "contain" the outbreak, but locking the entire wedding party and guests in the banquet room was a bad decision. At least she showed some feelings of guilt for her action, or maybe that was just fear of the survivors. I was surprised to see the groom and mother of the bride, those who would most hate Elena, among them.
I realize that the narrative needs to follow multiple storylines, now that the group has taken different paths; but I found the rapid switching between the Travis/Chris chicken barn scene and the Alicia/Elena hotel scene to be annoying. I would prefer that individual storylines be followed more extensively in each episode, as was done with Nick. I'm not sure what the showrunners were attempting to convey with the micro scenes -- contrasting cooperation and confrontation?

 

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I'm not sure what the showrunners were attempting to convey with the micro scenes -- contrasting cooperation and confrontation?

Just trying to add up tension and showing a mirror scene.

 

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As a note, Mrs was giggling at Travis bushy beard. I think he's one of those men that will get one, if they don't do nothing to keep their jaw line straight. I, personally think that it suits him more than trying desperately fight against it.

 

[REBerg]

As a note, Mrs was giggling at Travis bushy beard. I think he's on of those men that will get one if they don't do nothing to keep their jaw line straight. I, personally think that it suits him more than trying desperately fight against it.

Shaving is a low priority for me on weekends. I imagine it would be a non-priority in a zombie apocalypse.

 

[nixie]

I'm putting Alicia on the redeem list. She is growing on me, she has spent a lot of her life being over looked, most of Madison's time has been took up with Nick and his addiction Alicia has fended for herself. She has shown a survival instinct also she is secure enough to know that she is as important to her mother as Nick.

 

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I'm putting Alicia on the redeem list.

I'm not so sure. Alice has a tendency to make friends with people, who aren't that good. The hotel manager is right example of it. That woman made a horrible, deliberated thing, when she locked the wedding party inside the reception room, and Alice is trusting her?

She's a storm crow, calling a bad weather over her companions. How has she redeemed herself with her actions? She lead the zombies to the toilet, Madison and Strand were hiding in. How is that helping their case?

 

[REBerg]

I'm not so sure. Alice has a tendency to make friends with people, who aren't that good. The hotel manager is right example of it. That woman made a horrible, deliberated thing, when she locked the wedding party inside the reception room, and Alice is trusting her?

She's a storm crow, calling a bad weather over her companions. How has she redeemed herself with her actions? She lead the zombies to the toilet, Madison and Strand were hiding in. How is that helping their case?

Plus, Alycia promised to protect Elena, which I immediately questioned. At that point, Elena had been the strong one, having already pulled Alycia's bacon out of the fire twice. I thought: "Don't make promises you can't keep."
Convincing Elena to give the survivors her keys, the source of her power, seemed more like capitulation than protection.

 

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If anything I would be willing to pick Travis out from the kill-list, as he's doing everything in his power to make things good. Although that also makes me think Hershel and how he ended up getting a bad bargain in the hand of the governor. And Travis - with his good intentions on trying to keep his psycho son from killing all the people that might come handy in the long run - might meet his end as the first main character from this season to meet his end.

Anything can happen. None of them have been saved, but what we are watching is the show of how they met their ends, while we hope that at least one of them survive to live to their olden days.

What I am surprised is that we still haven't really seen any major villains. It is almost as if the dead are really ruling over the living in this series.

 

[Dave]

What I am surprised is that we still haven't really seen any major villains. It is almost as if the dead are really ruling over the living in this series.

The Mexican gang with the supermarket visited by Nick and Lucia ought to have followed them back to the village. I know Lucia thought it possible, so may have taken some precautions, put pushing two shopping trolleys on foot wouldn't give them too many options to hide their trail. So, in a few episode's time we might see some "major villains" take over that village. If they didn't follow them, then they aren't very good at this being a "gang" business, and you are probably correct.

 

[nixie]

Yes but I still like Alicia, she has made some really bad decisions and put everyone in danger. I still feel we haven't seen her full potential, I'd sooner Alicia have my back than Nick I'm not sure he would destroy the dead anymore never mind fight the living.

 

[REBerg]

Alycia's Alicia needs to get back in touch with her inner Lexa.

 

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Yes but I still like Alicia, she has made some really bad decisions and put everyone in danger. I still feel we haven't seen her full potential, I'd sooner Alicia have my back than Nick I'm not sure he would destroy the dead anymore never mind fight the living.

It's not a capability of causing trouble. In the TWD Carl was causing trouble for quite a while. He even invertedly caused Dale's death by not making sure that the swamp zombie was dead, when he left the poor undead alone in the season 2.

If, back then, we would have had same pool, Caroline could have been featured in the kill-list next Carl. So, at least to me, it's better we observe a bit longer, before we move her into the redeemed list.

 

[svalbard]

If anything I would be willing to pick Travis out from the kill-list, as he's doing everything in his power to make things good. Although that also makes me think Hershel and how he ended up getting a bad bargain in the hand of the governor. And Travis - with his good intentions on trying to keep his psycho son from killing all the people that might come handy in the long run - might meet his end as the first main character from this season to meet his end.

Anything can happen. None of them have been saved, but what we are watching is the show of how they met their ends, while we hope that at least one of them survive to live to their olden days.

What I am surprised is that we still haven't really seen any major villains. It is almost as if the dead are really ruling over the living in this series.

Only catching up on the series at the moment( got sidetracked bingeing on Narcos), so my thoughts may be out of date.

On the question of major villains. Are we seeing the birth of one in Chris. In the parent show we were introduced to the Governor after he had taken power and we will soon have our screens filled with a certain Negan. In Chris are we about to witness how such people come to exist.

 

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Are we seeing the birth of one in Chris.

I believe so.

In Chris are we about to witness how such people come to exist.

Exactly. But yet, it's still not completely proven to be true.