I have to give credit where it’s due: “The Unveiling” was a pretty solid episode of Fear the Walking Dead. It wasn’t perfect by any means, and it certainly dragged in places, but it knew what story it wanted to tell, it introduced a believable conflict, and most impressively, it got me genuinely interested in the finale (much like Fear‘s two-part premiere, the two-part finale will be broken up into two reviews).
The best way to describe “The Unveiling” is to once again use that old chestnut: it’s a table-setting episode. These are typically boring, but necessary, preludes to the big showdown that always, always constitutes a finale in this franchise (meaning this and The Walking Dead), but “The Unveiling” was nicely character-focused, and interspersed enough action to keep itself from becoming a slog. The conflict between Jeremiah Otto and Taka Walker is personal, which gives it some narrative heft missing from previous conflicts in both shows, which usually boiled down to one group wanting what another one had. This feels like an actual rivalry.
I will say, it seems almost petty for Walker to be threatening war on Jeremiah because he feels the Ottos stole the ranch land from his ancestors, but on the flip side it does give Walker a sense of single-mindedness that helps the character. Walker, apart from some unfortunate stereotypical characteristics (he almost scalps someone, but at least he doesn’t offer anyone fire water), is one of the most complex characters this show has seen, well, ever, and the fact that this only makes for his second appearance (he was mentioned but not seen in “Red Dirt”) is a poor reflection on the show’s approach to its villains. But Michael Greyeyes takes the role and runs with it. At any given point, he’s the best actor not just on screen but on the show (Dayton Callie is fun, but Callie can play roles like Jeremiah Otto in his sleep). Walker is surprisingly sympathetic, and Jeremiah’s dismissive attitude towards him (“I wouldn’t piss in his mouth if he was dying of thirst”) really tests the viewer’s sympathy.
I’m pleased to admit that I was wrong about the Ottos. They’re not the bad guys, but they’re also not exactly the good guys – and neither is Walker. It’s nice that Fear is confident enough now to operate in these gray areas; our ostensible villain is a man who, in his own words, desecrated his great-grandfather’s grave so the Otto family wouldn’t get to his bones. It’s a nice touch that the conflict between Walker and the Ottos goes back to civilization, when a judge ruled in the Ottos’ favor. “The days of the the white man’s court are over,” Walker tells Jake, but there’s no smile on his face when he says it. “The Unveiling” is way better a Walker episode than was his debut. More characters (and writing) like this, please.
Unfortunately, Fear‘s Clark problem still persists. My biggest issue now is that Madison is part of Jeremiah’s inner circle, but I realize that that’s true of everyone in the Clarks’ group: Salazar was Dante’s head enforcer, and Strand was running the hotel. It’s as if the show is afraid to let these characters exist on the periphery; on the one hand, that’s understandable, because these are your lead characters, but on the other hand, Fear does way better by its side characters, and can never resist making the Clarks the center of the universe, even when it harms the show (Nick, for example, has become so smug and unlikable that in the wake of Chris’s death he is the show’s worst character, and it’s not even close). The actors do fine work, but if I wanted to watch a show where prickly white people are constantly told that they’re right, I’d watch an Aaron Sorkin show.
Ofelia returns in “The Unveiling,” and gosh I hope that title doesn’t apply to her, because her reentry into the show is treated very unceremoniously. Which, in a weird way, works for the show. I’ve said since episode three or four that the only way to salvage Ofelia’s absence was to have her return as a villain, and while she’s not quite that different, she is in Walker’s camp (and naturally a member of his inner circle). The return isn’t handled well; neither the show, nor Alicia (who first talks to her) seems surprised to see Ofelia, so for a moment I wondered just who the hell Alicia was talking to.
I still don’t think sidelining Ofelia (never my favorite character in the first place) was a wise move, but I will admit that it helped the character, and Mercedes Mason, who plays her. Mason has never been bad in her role; she’s hit the base level of competency that the rest of the cast, except Ruben Blades and Colman Domingo, usually operate at. But this Ofelia is a little quieter, and Mason successfully conveys the idea that even though we didn’t see any of it, Ofelia has seen some shit off-camera. When she’s sent, beaten, to Brokejaw Ranch, it seemed like an easy way to return everything to the status quo, but Fear the Walking Dead actually manages to surprise in its final minutes, as people in the camp (including Nick) start doubling over and wretching for an unknown reason. Nick points to Ofelia: “It was her.” Of course the episode ends with Nick once again being right, but the idea of Ofelia as not only a double agent but an actively malicious infiltrator is very interesting to me. When “The Unveiling” succeeds, it’s because of its character work; if the show can stay at least at his level, it could be pretty good.
3.5/5
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