ThisFear the Walking Deadreview contains spoilers.
For others, the apocalypse is a sudden cataclysm that brings about the end of civilization itself.
The beauty of shows likeFear the Walking Deadis a more granular examination of these perspectives.
Thats the nature of a fluid.
It seems to me the same goes for social mores.
What constitutes justice depends on which side youre on.
I admireFTWDsthird season for trying to take all of this onall in the span of eight hours.
In that time, weve delved into issues of race in a way thatThe Walking Deadnever has.
To men like Jeremiah Otto, the world may have ended, but old conflicts and old beliefs persist.
The Clark family blundered into this feud.
And yet, remain they do.
Worse, Madison takes an active role in perpetrating crimes against the Black Hat tribe.
Her thirst for survival takes on the shape of whatever microcosm of society she calls home.
And thats just not good enough.
To ride out the conflict from the sidelines is one thing.
But Madison cant and wont do that.
Shes not concerned with the greater goodshe only cares about her familys immediate survival.
All of which eventually leads first to bad blood, then spilled blood.
While it may seem like their animosity is two sides of the same coin, its not.
Jeremiah would be happy if the Black Hat tribe was wiped off the map.
Walker simply wants justice.
Which is why hes willing to parlay with Jake to avoid an all-out war.
And for a while, it seems like peace is within reach.
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Until Madison gets involved.
Shes not so much interested in understanding or resolving the conflict as she is in perpetuating and escalating it.
One could argue that Madison is prickly and abrasive, a hard character to like under the best conditions.
Sure, shes tough as nails, fierce, and fiercely loyal.
But she also makes questionable choices that are often rooted in a me-first attitude that gets people killed.
Last season was all about finding Nick, a kid who was lost even before the apocalypse.
This season, her attention has turned to protecting Alicia, no matter what the cost.
This would be all well and good, if this season were solely about the Clarks continued survival.
But its not.FTWDsthird season has really been about the Ottos.
Its not really clear who we as viewers are meant to root for, either.
Indeed, I stopped caring about Madison once she blackmailed Troy to break the parlay.
But its when she stole Walkers reliquary that I actually began to hate her.
Because of this, I found the finale to be wholly unsatisfying.
The death of a bigot does not equal the death of bigotry.
That being said, I liked Michael Greyeyes very much asQaletqa Walker.
Hes volatile and mercurial, seesawing between magnanimity and violent rage in a way that deepens the character.
His final standoff with Madison is one of the finales stronger moments.
But the real standout in this episode is Colman Domingo.
His finding the Abigail is unexpectedly poignant.
But its Strands unlikely conversation with a Russian cosmonaut thats among this seasons most effecting moments.
In other words, there will not be darkness as long as a single candle burns.
Her presence on the reservation speaks to the bigger idea of loyalty.
Unlike Madison, Ofelia is very grounded in her loyalty to the community that took her in.
And unlike Madison, Ofelia is keenly aware of the feuds underlying racism.
FTWDneeds to fix its Madison problem.
Rating:
2.5 out of 5
