Margaux and I discuss this week’s very intense episode of Fear the Walking Dead.
Trevor: I think Fear the Walking Dead’s slow burn storytelling is finally paying off. Characters making monumentally stupid decisions, and generally acting like jackasses, was kind of a narrative necessity, insofar as it had to happen to get us to this point. “Cobalt” was a pretty solid episode. At the very least, it was the most intense this show has been all season. What do you think?
Margaux: The change of scenery, starting “Cobalt” off in the hospital/quarantine area, with a sobbing and nearly inconsolable Doug – who’s still trying to cope with the new world order from last week – and a mysterious salesman, hooked me the way I wanted this show to from the fuckin’ beginning. Though I understand the setup, backstory, and lots of characters whining was a build up to this moment, I do feel like “Cobalt” should’ve taken the place of last week’s episode, but here we are. And anything that includes Ruben Blades torturing someone in a basement is fine by me.
Trevor: That was a terrific opening sequence. I’m really liking Nick’s new quarantine buddy. “Cobalt,” more than any episode before it, did a marvelous job of cultivating the tense atmosphere that FTWD needs to survive. The National Guard is making for a good villain, although I can’t imagine the real organization is happy with the portrayal. But there’s a deep vein of distrust running throughout this episode, and it serves the show well.
And let’s get this out of the way before we go on: Chris is (Jean-Ralphio voice) the wooooorst.
Margaux: Ha! I just wanted Maddie to turn to Chris during this episode and say, “Your mother left willingly on that truck because realized what a dead weight, pain in the ass you are.” But the scene(s) between Chris and Alicia taking over a rich family’s house, and later smashing everything that could be smashed, did a lot to endear these mostly annoying teenagers. It felt really natural, like who wouldn’t do that? Even though it was highly suspect that some adult strangers clothes would fit that perfectly…
What I really appreciated about turning The National Guard into this villainous keeper of the gates is how realistic they kept it – if shit ever really did hit the fan, no one would be protected by high ranking officials with combat experience, it would 99% be kids straight out of academy who might’ve fired a gun once or twice before. But what I liked most about Travis’s ride along experience with The National Guard was hearing the fire fight, that took Lt. Moyers (RIP!), all via the dispatch radio while he sat on his hands in fear in the humvee. It was fantastic and terrifying and you barely saw anything. Few things pierce your eardrums like the sound of screaming over a staticy radio.
Trevor: That was a pretty great sequence. Having it all take place off-screen, including Moyers’ death, was a nice touch that not only saved $$$ but allowed us to share that intimate moment with Travis, who up until Moyers shoved a gun in his hand was still pretty naive about the Guard’s intentions. There’s a whole world beyond the fence which he can’t comprehend; where the Guardsmen see a zombie, Travis only focuses on the nametag reading Kimberly. There were a lot of great, humanizing moments like that in “Cobalt,” but my favorite might be courtesy of the newly-badass Maddie, who looks at a blood-soaked Daniel and only asks if he told them what they want to know. COLD. AS. ICE.
Margaux: At this point, I’d venture a guess that Maddie trusts Daniel’s lead more than Travis, though Travis is finally coming to terms with what’s going on. All it took was three episodes, a soldier missing several layers of forearm skin, Moyers not making it back to the humvee, and the remaining National Guard clearly getting the fuck outta Dodge.
Trevor: I know most of our FTWD reviews boil down to praising Ruben Blades, but holy shit is he killing it in this role. The show has peeled back layers of Daniel Salazar (no pun intended), taking him from a man willing to do what has to be done to a man who holy shit put down the straight razor and stop talking about torturing people. The character relies a little too heavily on monologues, but the show definitely gains momentum and intensity whenever Blades is on screen.
Margaux: We’re completely in agreement about Daniel Salazar’s overly speechifying his intense moments in “Cobalt”; I’d much rather see than be told. But in Griselda’s final moments, we find out to what extent the Salazar’s were involved in a “war” that forced them to flee their country, and that was the right amount of monologue to character development, too bad it was basically Griselda’s send off. And there was a little too much God/Devil talk, but that’s just Catholics for ya.
Trevor: “Cobalt” showed that Fear is a show about collapse, not about outbreak. Daniel collapsed inward, tapping into a dark part of himself that he’d probably tried to shut off when he left his country and opened a barber shop. The National Guard is collapsing as well, as we saw multiple desertions, some attempted, some successful (good luck on Operation Get My Ass Back to San Diego!). And that last shot, of Daniel outside the stadium, was truly chilling. Society is hanging by a thread, and for the first time this season FTWD had the tragic air of inevitability, instead of the boredom brought on by the audience knowing what happens.
Margaux: Adams recounting to Daniel how he couldn’t tell the difference between someone infected and someone trying to make it out of the stadium alive, only to say “FUCK IT!” and lock ‘em all in there – WHAT PART OF THAT SOUNDED LIKE A GOOD IDEA?! Fear The Walking Dead was smart to (finally) start a ticking time bomb of: When will that particular hell start break loose? Because those chains can’t stave off what’s inside for much longer. And how far away is that stadium full of walkers from the supposed safe zone where Madison and everyone else are somewhat unblissfully unaware?
But we also find out what Operation Cobalt truly means to those in the know, the humane execution of those in the hospital and in quarantine, which wasn’t exactly a shock – I think what’ll be scary and shocking is how little of that plan anyone will be able to carry through. Amazing what having your forearm skin systematically peeled away from your body will do to your sense of loyalty.
Trevor: You know nothing is good if it has to be officially described as “humane” (but for what it’s worth, giving the dead and dying the No Country for Old Men treatment was probably the most humane, efficient way to stop them from coming back). It sucks that FTWD waited this long to approach greatness, because now I’m really looking forward to next week’s episode…which just so happens to be the finale.
Margaux: In true Walking Dead tradition, it gets good right as it’s about to end. Fear and TWD share more than their namesake!
Trevor: Haha, very well said. You wanna talk stars?
Margaux: Okay, I’ve been particularly critical and harsh of the last couple of episodes, but in a way, it lowered my expectations of this show so much that I was totally, pleasantly surprised by “Cobalt.” It took advantage of the built in tension and threw a crap ton more gasoline on the fire, and it makes me excited for what’s to come in the finale, I just hope it isn’t too little too late. With all the being said, I give “Cobalt” four stars. Your thoughts/counter?
Trevor: I agree completely. And I think it’s benefitted our reviews to have two different approaches (I gave this show way more leeway than you did). And even if Fear the Walking Dead shits the bed in the finale, we’re still only two weeks away from The Knick coming back.
Margaux: And same goes for Walking Dead, so we won’t be without zombie talk and frustrating character development for long!
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