Sunday, April 22, 2018

Fear the Walking Dead: Season 4, Episode 1: What's Your Story




Ok… so that happened?

We’re focusing on Morgan. Yes from The Walking Dead who has jumped ship to Fear the Walking Dead on the much vaunted crossover. Presumably because Morgan has run out of people to mope at in The Walking Dead

It may actually be good for his character though as it means he won’t be acting as Rick’s personal moral warning system all the damn time

So he hangs around in the junk yard to get on with life as a happy hermit. Except Jesus visits. And Carol. And Rick. All of them trying to convince him to return to the fold and mope at them close range, and telling him how awesome he is and how they’re there for him

It’s hard to be a hermit who keeps getting guests so he sets out wandering, dodging zombies, running across occasional people until he runs into John Dory

John looks like a cowboy, is a quick draw and very good with a gun (though he badly needs to learn the first lesson of the zombie apocalypse - MELEE WEAPONS). He also seems to be a genuinely nice guy, charming, kind and just nice. He’s also been alone for a very long time, he mentions not speaking for over a year since he was split up from the woman he loves who, I think, carries an antique revolver twin to the one he has. It’s not surprising then when he kind of latches on to Morgan who keeps trying to ditch him

When a gang of bad people lead by a man called Leland (so you know he has reasons to be angry with the world) who decides to capture Morgan and steal his stuff. Gunslinger is a nice guy, has decided Morgan is his friend and he runs to the rescue and is captured himself - because there’s so many of the gang.

Which is when a big swat truck covered with guns arrives. It’s driven by Althea and she has a much more effective rescue (and is also willing to trade for them) so escape time. Althea is a journalist, or used to be when journalism was a thing, and is still collecting people’s stories for reasons.


John Dory is happy to tell of his lost love, his isolation and his determination for a happy ending. While poor Morgan is doomed to be the only man in the apocalypse plagued by people who want to talk about his feelings. He clams up, absolutely refusing to talk and tries to trade food instead of actually talking. She refuses so he just leaves - with john proving he is utterly the nicest man in the apocalypse by chasing him with socks. Because he needs socks.

Which is when Leland and the gang catch up to try and steal Althea’s truck so we have lots of fighting, Morgan reminding us he’s a major martial artist and John showing off some impressively accurate quick draw skills, there’s also a snake. Eventually the big guns get fired because you can’t have a big gun and not fire it.

Morgan is also shot in the leg. But it’s noteworthy he does try to save one of the attackers from being eaten by Walkers. Pacifist Morgan is back

We have a reference to flags with 51 which is apparently a thing now. And Morgan finally tells something of his story: he was with a settlement of good people but left. Since he doesn’t really explain anything Althea isn’t entire satisfied and plans to push more.

Which has Morgan leave again, even though he can barely walk, and has to be rescued by the Nicest Man in the World John saves him again and they’re all together on their road trip

Until they’re ambushed: by Alicia, Nick, Luciana and Strand. Hey they do still exist


I’m saying this now, John is going to die. No-one on the Walking Dead who appears to be anything like a moral compass lives long. They just don’t. And a guy this nice - he carries sweets to give to people for crying out loud - is long for this world.

Morgan needs to learn some middle ground - no wonder his moral compass always causes him pain. He’s either slaughtering unarmed prisoners and people who have surrendered like a serial killing death machine or refusing to kill people who are literally shooting at him. There is a middle ground between Hannibal Lector and the Dalai Llama.

So this whole episode stinks of soft reboot. We’re introducing new characters, bringing in the crossover and moving the focus. And I seem to remember that Fear the Walking Dead was set a long time BEFORE the Walking Dead so Alicia et al must have leaped quite far forwards in time.