Fear the Walking Dead is making such a strong case for its primary setting being Strand’s yacht the Abigail. It gives the group a central location, but one with the luxury of motion, allowing them – and us – to see the wreckage of the California coast (compare this to last season, where the central location of the Manawa house resulted in the group being under house arrest, which led to narrative stagnation). But the boat acts the same way as would an RV: it attracts other people, and some of them (most of them) might be the wrong people.
Take “Blood in the Streets,” which for the most part focused on the invasion of the Abigail. It was a smart lesson in consequences, as one of the hostile men was none other than Jack, Alicia’s CB buddy from “Monster.” (I’m glad FTWD actually addressed this storyline.) Director Michael Uppendahl, a veteran of Fargo, makes excellent use of the interiors of the boat, balancing the claustrophobic engine room with shots of the expansive sea surrounding everyone. It’s tense, demanding storytelling, and kudos is due to the main cast, who spends the majority of the episode sitting on their asses with their hands bound. Kim Dickens in particular acquits herself nicely, as she talks about pregnancy and miscarriages to one of her captors.
Seeing the group in action is a breath of fresh air. I hate to keep bringing up The Walking Dead as a comparison, but – actually, fuck it, it’s totally fair to compare two different parts of the same franchise. Everyone on TWD is a goddamn moron now, so it’s enjoyable to see a group working together and coming up with practical solutions to their problems.
Last thing before I move on: the invasion of the Abigail does wonders for Fear‘s story, because, like TWD, walkers have almost ceased to be a threat on this show. That’s not inherently a bad thing (or even, it could be argued, the point of either show). Fear is wise enough to not only introduce Connor, but to have him kidnap Travis and Alicia. It’s a smart cliffhanger to end “Blood in the Streets,” although if I’m being honest, seeing Salazar talk about attacking Connor’s group in the “next week on” has me worried that we’re already veering into Walking Dead territory, where the group just travels around attacking random people. But Fear handled this plotline so well that I’m inclined to give the show a break.
The Strand flashbacks were a nice addition, too. At times they threatened to undercut the momentum of the invasion, but Colman Domingo is so inherently watchable that the looks into Strand’s past were never unwelcome. He had good chemistry with Dougray Scott (Mission: Impossible II), playing Thomas Abigail, whose last name should sound familiar. Strand being gay is a nice revelation, precisely because it doesn’t come until we’ve gotten to know him pretty well. It doesn’t define who he is as a person, just like sexuality in real life. He can name his boat after a man, and set two people adrift at sea from that same boat.
“Blood in the Streets” was not perfect (I think we’re all resisting FTWD‘s attempts to turn Nick into its own Daryl Dixon). But it was a huge improvement over last week’s lackluster installment, and reaffirms my belief that there is a damn good show in here.
A Few Thoughts
- Why do people keep telling Travis how much time he has to fix the boat? That’s two episodes in a row now.
- It was a very creepy touch that the invading group knew everyone’s name. Don’t get me wrong, I understand why they did, but it was still unsettling to hear Jack or Reid refer to people by name.
About Author
