Fear the Walking Dead Season 4 discussion and spoilers.

Not really much to say about this one. It was alright, but it was mostly just set-up. Strand fighting the walker while Luciana obliviously listened to her music was a fun scene.

Lennie James has confirmed he's NOT in Walking Dead season 9. So I suspect we're probably going to have Morgan talking about returning to Alexandria only to decide in the finale he's finally found a home/sense of belonging among the Fear cast.

Fear got renewed for a fifth season a few weeks ago.
http://comicbook.com/thewalkingdead/2018/07/28/fear-the-walking-dead-renewed-season-5-AMC/

 

Except for the fact that Luciana was listening threw those magical tv/movie headphones that erase all sound perfectly to a point of almost being magical. As for Morgan going back I could see a Walking Dead character or two guest star to sort of end that idea. I can already see it now. On the way back he encounters Carol who tells him that RIck is dead and then he changes his mind. Also I just noticed something about the cowboy/gunslinger. His name is John and the women he is in love with is named June. That's got to be a nod somehow to Johnny Cash and is wife June Carter.

Jason

 

If he's talking about Alexandria now, then you can bet by the end of season 4 we're heading back east, lol. I'm not a fan of this new creative team or the direction they're taking the show, and most of all, I don't like how plausible this offhand, sass-ridden theory can sound given what they've already done in telegraphing every single story intention every episode while still patting themselves on the back for being so clever. That said, it feels like Morgan is gonna have a lot of FEELINGS about his past and present and is gonna want to convince his new friends to go on a zombie killing, season 5 road trip to the east coast. They adventure themselves back to TWD and whatever characters remain will get absorbed back into the parent show, and Fear will end on a "high" note at the end of season 5, before being cancelled due to lack of interest. AMC gets a timeslot back and spits out a new TWD spinoff, this time with a "better" formula, as has been hinted at by giant bag of air, Scott Gimple.

I loved Fear the Walking Dead, a LOT....for a single (the third) season. I don't think I'll feel too many things when its over. Now, if Fear somehow ends up on TWD and also finishes off TWD in the process, that might get me interested.

 

I can see that happening. FTWD was a misguided creation from the start in its attempts to be the
anti-WD--that and the endless political soapbox-ing over the past three seasons. Is it any wonder the series suffered from diminishing returns? What better way to gut FTWD (and save money on fired cast members / production staff that were only working on FTWD) than to merge the series. With TWD's Andrew Lincoln and Lauren Cohan's characters set t be killed off in season 9 (I doubt either character are "riding off into the sunset") and who knows else might beat a path to the exit door, TWD will be running on fumes to a degree. It certainly cannot stand on becoming Daryl and His Crew of Zombie Apocalypse Ass-Kickers.

AMC gets a timeslot back and spits out a new TWD spinoff, this time with a "better" formula, as has been hinted at by giant bag of air, Scott Gimple.[/quote]

...and someone should have asked Gimple what would that formula be...

"See what happens when the walker outbreak explodes at a national political convention! True humanity will be put to the test to see who is right--and who is...dead!"

Yawn.,,and I do that as it seems AMC/Gimple, et al., seem obsessed with preaching as a substitute for what this concept used to be: survival horror/drama.

 

Fear the Walking Dead--
"Close Your Eyes"

Alicia: Another bottle / "drama showcase for one of the series leads time" episodes. Yes, she's still lost/grieving, but the plot loses impact when TWD series have explored this time after time after time, with Rick, Carol, Morgan, Daryl, Tyreese, Maggie, Carl....it goes on and on, with bouts of angry isolationism, rage, revenge feelings...general anti-social behavior, etc. No matter how the PTB play this, there's not much character impact (for the audience) here, including the "I don't know if I will kill you, but I probably will" / "how you can never, ever make up for it" internal conflict business with Charlie, which you just knew would end up with Alicia dropping her "I don't care" / revenge position.

Charlie: As mentioned earlier this year, the showrunners have set Charlie up to be another Enid (in her originally standoff-ish attitude toward Glenn), only to turn into a quasi-sibling relationship. Both characters have a loss of parent story, and a fixation on death; Enid told Carl that the world belonged to the dead / where the world was supposed to go (ultimately that means the living are on the extinction block), while Charlie wanted to advance that end by asking Alicia to kill her.

NOTES: Director / DP trying to hard for visual set pieces--diffused light streaming in through windows, dust-bowl-esque gritty cinematography (only, with rain storms, instead of dust storms), the works. Its a distraction from the story, making one think some are more concerned with their director's reel than the job.

 

Ah, so we're going with the everyone's split up, here's an episode focusing on a character or two, with this time showing how each character(s) cope or deal with the hurricane. I understand the appeal of these storylines for the production staff, it having everyone separated allows for multiple episodes to be done at once, thus the show capitalizes on its filming schedule, which is a bonus for a show that has as much location work as this does. Still, the show has practically a whole new cast this year, it would have been nice to get to know them a bit better and establish relationships between them before having them all split up for presumably half a season.

 

Fear the Walking Dead--
"The Code"

Morgan: Another bottle / "drama showcase for one of the series leads time" episode - part two. More "People are not who they seem to be" characters. Jim's beer obsession was such a contrived "character" and unrealistic even for a fantasy series.

The couple seem like the type of "colorful" characters that will be short-timers until the series regulars reunite, making all of the time dedicated to them sort of a waste.

NOTES: So, Morgan--the new focus of FTWD--is in Mississippi, on his way to Virginia. The showrunners are really pushing this show to move toward a formal crossover with The Walking Dead ASAP, which suggests FTWD's next season might be the last.

Morgan on the toilet...sigh. Forced "keeping it real" scene.

 

I actually liked this one, the new characters were kind of fun and it is nice to see we are moving away from the storm, as I was worried this half-season was just going to be the storm from everyone's perspectives. Hell, it's practically day and night, last week was Alicia and Charlie trying to make it through the storm as it raged on, this week Morgan sleeps through it.

 

I enjoyed this episode. I heavy sighed as we found out the two "truckers" had actually killed the original truck driver as I thought it was a refreshing change of pace that Morgan ran into people without malevolent intentions. Same with him running into James Cole. But, I thought it was cool they were all together at the end going to pick up Strand, Alicia and John Dorie. I do wonder if this will be the last season, or will they stretch the trip to Alexandria out over next season as well, and just fold the cast of Fear the Walking Dead into The Walking Dead?

Usually teasers for the next episode leave me feeling "meh," but I got sort of a Mad Max-ish vibe out of the lady with the zombie truck driver in the backseat hunting down the truckers and I'm kind of looking forward to it

 

Maybe you missed the renewal for a fifth season a few posts back?

 

They mentioning going to Alexandria so much that I think it won't happen at all. if this was the final season I could see them doing it. But since it's been renewed I don't think it will happen.

 

Fear the Walking Dead--
"Weak"

Althea: Over the years, TWD universe presented characters suffering from various medical issues, from the flu end-stage cancer, etc., but none lasted (with the disease) as long as I'm imagining Althea's issue will. This should be interesting, as its always been a question about the longevity of anyone suffering from a condition in the ZA without regular medical care. Seeing the suffering from her perspective could be fascinating IF she loses all concern for elements like the walkers, or the living, as her condition consumes her. Now, her telling a lie to June (about medicine) just to get the van back pulls her back to the "WTF?" / selfish zone, as no one would be concerned with whatever the van represents to her when her health is taking a turn for the worst.

June: Of the new characters, she's been the most sympathetic; from her regrets with John, to jumping from one miserable situation to another, she cannot get a break. Add Althea's lie--which nearly got her killed--and she's

Morgan: Climbing the tower....would anyone take such a chance in a world where there's no hospitals--no basic human help in the event he slipped?

NOTES: The woman with the walker...do not know if she's a short time threat, or part of whatever will end the season. In any case, this is the best episode of the back half.

 

This half of the season is starting to feel padded out. This episode just felt like Morgan and his Trucker Gang hanging out by their parked truck, with the weird Filthy Woman teased out but nothing of substance being revealed. Plus some stuff with John Dorie, Strand and an alligator mixed in with Luciana and a nice stranger on the side.

 

The nice stranger is the truck driver...which I didn't realize until recently...the trucker pair didn't kill him..just stole his truck.

Now why he qas in a regular car is beyond me...orher than a convenient way to have him in but die.

And they essentially skipped over what could have been a nice tribute to him...maybe pour a beer in honor of him.

"Filthy Lady "(who played Hugo Strange's assistant in Gotham...Miss Peabody I think) seems to be the reason why they won't make it back to the East Coast this season.

Now...does she know Morgan or something?

 

Side Quest Completed: Beer Run
*Luciana has gained 800 XP*

 

Weird to see Aaron Sanford as Jim after just watching him as Cole in 12 Monkeys.

 

Yeah...and even weirder as a hopeful guy who can't fight walkers....

 

Oh...that's who that is. Though he looked familiar.

 

With the ratings where they are for Fear The Walking Dead, AMC can easily end the show and replace it with something doing similar or better numbers. With that being said, I wouldn't be shocked if they end it after season 5 - and a great way to end it would be for them to make it to Alexandria so that the more successful characters from Fear can live on.

Now, I dont know how they would make a trek to Virginia take a whole year, given that there seem to be cars everywhere, but I am sure they can think of something.

Also, I really hope the parent show starts heading toward some kind of conclusion by the end of next season. I'd hate to see it die an infinitely slow death.

 

I wonder which characters would transition to the old show. Other than Morgan is their anyone they would even want? I mean I like the characters and enjoy this second part of the season very much but not sure if any of the current ones would add much value other than Morgan. Maybe Strand and gunslinger but the actor who is the gunslinger is someone who does movies alot so I am not sure they could get him to sign on for many years to the franchise. I really liked the new female villan so far but then again why would they bring a baddie onto the old show.

Jason