Fear the Walking Dead
Season 7 / Episode 16 - "Gone” – Season 7 Finale
Morgan: Days after reaching some unnamed shore, Morgan (with Mo) has suspended the raft above ground to act as a shelter. With no walkie contact with the rest of his group, Morgan sets out to find food for Mo; along the shore, he discovers several walkers buried up to their necks—their heads covered by sacks. Perplexed by this sight (but clearly suspecting a threat), Morgan heads toward the interior of the region to come across a mansion. Once inside, he believes its abandoned until he hears a woman trying to radio a “Joe”.
Catching the woman off guard, he notices a number of pregnancy tests scattered on a table. The woman (Ava) warns Morgan that the area is no place for a child—that he should leave ASAP.
That evening, Morgan is awakened by a call for help, but the second he sticks his head out of the raft, he’s knocked out. The next morning, Morgan finds himself on the beach, surrounded by masked people (one holding Mo) holding him at gunpoint, accusing him of never ”taking our kids again”. The assailants force Morgan into a fresh grave, intending to bury him up to his neck when gunshots ring out, with every assailant killed by someone wearing a mask. That someone who reveals herself to be Madison Clark, who has to periodically use an oxygen tank.
Madison: Instead of helping Morgan out of the hole, she grabs Mo and fires shots at Morgan, warning him against coming after her. Later, Madison arrives at a well-supplied dock, radioing her contacts about Mo. Securing the child at the dock, she’s radioed by a woman seeking help—but wondering if Madison is one of the people who steal children. Madison lies, saying she would not do that, as she is a mother, too. Not long after Madison enters a store (seeking more oxygen tanks), she’s held at axe-point by Morgan. With the most “don’t bullshit me” look in his eyes, he threatens Madison’s life unless he takes him to Mo. No matter what warnings she gives, Morgan brushes it all aside, as a breathing-challenged Madison tries to convince him that the ”Eggs” (children) are better off with her contacts.
Madison thinks back to her “interview” with her faceless employers—a voice not only telling her she’s still alive thanks to his group, but they will tell her who she will be from that time forward…
Morgan & Madison I: At the dock, Morgan finds he’s too late—Mo has been taken. Seeing Madison’s notebook listing how many children she’s taken, he is shocked to see the official P.A.D.R.E. signage on its cover—and a name—“Collector #6”. Morgan demands answers about the mysterious group/location—Madison asks how he knows about P.A.D.R.E…
Madison tries to attack, but Morgan easily restrains her, then notices the names “Nick” and “Alicia” tattooed on her wrists. Instantly concluding she has to be that Madison Clark, Morgan questions how she survived the stadium (and if her breathing issues were caused by the stadium fire), but refuses to answer any of her questions until he’s reunited with Mo. Madison won’t let up on arguing the merits of P.A.D.R.E’s structure—their kidnapping over natural families who cannot take proper care of their children. Morgan hypothesizes that P.A.D.R.E. might return Mo to him…in exchange for a pregnant woman, adding he would not be separating the mother from her child. Madison has a different view, suggesting P.A.D.R.E. will take care of the child, and tells Morgan he does not want to know what will happen to the mother. Still, Morgan takes Madison to Ava’s mansion, making the offer to help her find Jim (her child’s father). While Ava gathers her things, Madison gives Morgan the low-down on P.A.D.R.E.—how they have re-written the book on personal connections, which includes how they rear children for the world they’re building.
Morgan no longer wants to participate (even after explaining how he would never want to see Grace lose another child) until Ava returns, and he’s forced to play along. Pretending to be perked-up, Morgan & the women set out to connect with P.A.D.R.E., but they do not get far, as they spot a posse of hooded, armed people (similar to those who attacked Morgan) marching toward the mansion.
Ava: Taking a back door to a family mausoleum, Ava cuts her stomach on a vine, but is able to lead them to temporary safety. Concerned, Madison uses a Doppler ultrasound on Ava, but detects no heartbeat...expected, as the woman is not pregnant. Ava accuses Madison of not remembering who she is, but reminds Clark that one year ago, she stole Odessa (her daughter), and is going to use Madison to get her back. Ava uses Madison’s hammer to smashes the oxygen tank’s regulator, then break into her grandfather’s tomb, where she grabs the shotgun he had been buried with. Ava threatens Madison’s children (with the aid of the group searching for Madison) if she does not take her to P.A.D.R.E.
In the standoff, Madison not only tells Ava that she’d never make it to P.A.D.R.E. with the lie about her pregnancy, as they would check for a fetal heartbeat now, on the trip and everyday going forward. Tossing the walkie to Morgan, Ava screams for the man to tell her allies where Alicia & Nick are; Morgan refuses…finally telling Madison that the two are dead—that he only used them as the carrot to get what he wanted from her.
Morgan & Madison II: Anguished and boiling mad, Madison calls Morgan a liar, but once he name-drops Strand and Luciana as having helped with Nick’s burial, the cold reality of it all starts to sink in on Madison. Morgan struggles with even mentioning Alicia’s name, but relates everything, from Alicia being bitten, surviving with the virus longer than anyone he ever knew…to the belief she was close to death. Collapsing in tears, Madison asks how each died, but Morgan—though he believed Alicia—with her tenacious nature—could have found a way to survive. Even so, Madison does not want to see her again—to see what she’s become. The only reason she served P.A.D.R.E. for so long was to prevent the group from ever finding her kids and forcing them to be collectors.
Ava and the Posse: The masked group kill their way through the walkers to order the occupants out of the mausoleum; the posse leader claims Madison kidnapped his son, but Clark is silent—giving him no reaction. Madison is taken to the beach to ”watch the tide come in,”, and now have directions to the dock (thanks to Madison’s P.A.D.R.E. notebook), where they will ambush the scheduled P.A.D.R.E. pick-up ship. Ava asks the posse to let Morgan go, and though he's still angry with Morgan, the leader agrees, warning Morgan not to get in the way. Ava shows a stuffed animal to Morgan, relating how it was a gift meant for her daughter, and how she can finally give it to her. Morgan suggests she should not go with the posse, but Ava feels she has no choice.
Morgan & Madison III: At the beach, Madison is buried up to her neck, fated to drown as the tide rolls in. As if that was not bad enough, a few walkers emerge from the waters and head straight for their next meal—interrupted by the timely arrival of Morgan. Madison reiterates her inability to help Morgan with Mo, but he says she sort of owes her, as it was Alicia and Nick who helped him out of a similarly hopeless mindset as she finds herself in now. Madison sort of gets where Morgan is going with this, reminding her of something she used to tell Alicia—no one is gone until they’re gone.
Madison struggles to breathe, leading Morgan to run off to retrieve her tanks—just as more walkers emerge from the water. Morgan returns, but freezes as he sees that this latest batch of walkers were part of the posse: the leader, one of his men…and Ava—all murdered by members of P.A.D.R.E. Morgan freezes, leading the Ava walker to fall on him, as the other creatures approach Madison. She manages to free herself and kill the rest, saving Morgan in the process.
Madison still believes she’s “gone” but agrees to help Morgan…but the only way he will get into P.A.D.R.E. is with another child…or a pregnant woman. Weighing his thoughts (and glancing at the tape player Grace used with Mo), he concocts a plan, one he says cannot fail.
Escorted to the dock by a P.A.D.R.E. guard, Morgan and Madison promise the main contact they can provide the kind of people P.A.D.R.E. needs—including a pregnant woman. The contact agrees to take them to P.A.D.R.E., and while the boat races out to sea, Madison—responsing to Morgan’s question about the group’s location—casually says she does not know where P.A.D.R.E. is. Morgan has no time to deal with the latest betrayal as he—and Madison are blindfolded, as the boat speeds toward a Corvette-sized boat.
NOTES:
So ends season seven, and the end of:
To bargain for Mo, Morgan says he can exchange her for a pregnant woman; this could turn into a dark situation, as the only pregnant woman he knows is Sherry (if he’s aware of her pregnancy). That said, his ”Can’t fail” line probably means his group will be on the scheme, so failure is the only way for everyone to make it out alive.
Obviously heartbroken about her lost children, Madison still seemed to take some pride knowing that they—after she was assumed dead—still played a positive role in the life of another, namely Morgan.
Kim Dickens is only credited as a guest star, so that designation plus the character’s lung issues hints that she may only be around for a short time over the course of season 8.
GRADE: A.
Season 7 / Episode 16 - "Gone” – Season 7 Finale
Morgan: Days after reaching some unnamed shore, Morgan (with Mo) has suspended the raft above ground to act as a shelter. With no walkie contact with the rest of his group, Morgan sets out to find food for Mo; along the shore, he discovers several walkers buried up to their necks—their heads covered by sacks. Perplexed by this sight (but clearly suspecting a threat), Morgan heads toward the interior of the region to come across a mansion. Once inside, he believes its abandoned until he hears a woman trying to radio a “Joe”.
Catching the woman off guard, he notices a number of pregnancy tests scattered on a table. The woman (Ava) warns Morgan that the area is no place for a child—that he should leave ASAP.
That evening, Morgan is awakened by a call for help, but the second he sticks his head out of the raft, he’s knocked out. The next morning, Morgan finds himself on the beach, surrounded by masked people (one holding Mo) holding him at gunpoint, accusing him of never ”taking our kids again”. The assailants force Morgan into a fresh grave, intending to bury him up to his neck when gunshots ring out, with every assailant killed by someone wearing a mask. That someone who reveals herself to be Madison Clark, who has to periodically use an oxygen tank.
Madison: Instead of helping Morgan out of the hole, she grabs Mo and fires shots at Morgan, warning him against coming after her. Later, Madison arrives at a well-supplied dock, radioing her contacts about Mo. Securing the child at the dock, she’s radioed by a woman seeking help—but wondering if Madison is one of the people who steal children. Madison lies, saying she would not do that, as she is a mother, too. Not long after Madison enters a store (seeking more oxygen tanks), she’s held at axe-point by Morgan. With the most “don’t bullshit me” look in his eyes, he threatens Madison’s life unless he takes him to Mo. No matter what warnings she gives, Morgan brushes it all aside, as a breathing-challenged Madison tries to convince him that the ”Eggs” (children) are better off with her contacts.
Madison thinks back to her “interview” with her faceless employers—a voice not only telling her she’s still alive thanks to his group, but they will tell her who she will be from that time forward…
Morgan & Madison I: At the dock, Morgan finds he’s too late—Mo has been taken. Seeing Madison’s notebook listing how many children she’s taken, he is shocked to see the official P.A.D.R.E. signage on its cover—and a name—“Collector #6”. Morgan demands answers about the mysterious group/location—Madison asks how he knows about P.A.D.R.E…
Madison tries to attack, but Morgan easily restrains her, then notices the names “Nick” and “Alicia” tattooed on her wrists. Instantly concluding she has to be that Madison Clark, Morgan questions how she survived the stadium (and if her breathing issues were caused by the stadium fire), but refuses to answer any of her questions until he’s reunited with Mo. Madison won’t let up on arguing the merits of P.A.D.R.E’s structure—their kidnapping over natural families who cannot take proper care of their children. Morgan hypothesizes that P.A.D.R.E. might return Mo to him…in exchange for a pregnant woman, adding he would not be separating the mother from her child. Madison has a different view, suggesting P.A.D.R.E. will take care of the child, and tells Morgan he does not want to know what will happen to the mother. Still, Morgan takes Madison to Ava’s mansion, making the offer to help her find Jim (her child’s father). While Ava gathers her things, Madison gives Morgan the low-down on P.A.D.R.E.—how they have re-written the book on personal connections, which includes how they rear children for the world they’re building.
Morgan no longer wants to participate (even after explaining how he would never want to see Grace lose another child) until Ava returns, and he’s forced to play along. Pretending to be perked-up, Morgan & the women set out to connect with P.A.D.R.E., but they do not get far, as they spot a posse of hooded, armed people (similar to those who attacked Morgan) marching toward the mansion.
Ava: Taking a back door to a family mausoleum, Ava cuts her stomach on a vine, but is able to lead them to temporary safety. Concerned, Madison uses a Doppler ultrasound on Ava, but detects no heartbeat...expected, as the woman is not pregnant. Ava accuses Madison of not remembering who she is, but reminds Clark that one year ago, she stole Odessa (her daughter), and is going to use Madison to get her back. Ava uses Madison’s hammer to smashes the oxygen tank’s regulator, then break into her grandfather’s tomb, where she grabs the shotgun he had been buried with. Ava threatens Madison’s children (with the aid of the group searching for Madison) if she does not take her to P.A.D.R.E.
In the standoff, Madison not only tells Ava that she’d never make it to P.A.D.R.E. with the lie about her pregnancy, as they would check for a fetal heartbeat now, on the trip and everyday going forward. Tossing the walkie to Morgan, Ava screams for the man to tell her allies where Alicia & Nick are; Morgan refuses…finally telling Madison that the two are dead—that he only used them as the carrot to get what he wanted from her.
Morgan & Madison II: Anguished and boiling mad, Madison calls Morgan a liar, but once he name-drops Strand and Luciana as having helped with Nick’s burial, the cold reality of it all starts to sink in on Madison. Morgan struggles with even mentioning Alicia’s name, but relates everything, from Alicia being bitten, surviving with the virus longer than anyone he ever knew…to the belief she was close to death. Collapsing in tears, Madison asks how each died, but Morgan—though he believed Alicia—with her tenacious nature—could have found a way to survive. Even so, Madison does not want to see her again—to see what she’s become. The only reason she served P.A.D.R.E. for so long was to prevent the group from ever finding her kids and forcing them to be collectors.
Ava and the Posse: The masked group kill their way through the walkers to order the occupants out of the mausoleum; the posse leader claims Madison kidnapped his son, but Clark is silent—giving him no reaction. Madison is taken to the beach to ”watch the tide come in,”, and now have directions to the dock (thanks to Madison’s P.A.D.R.E. notebook), where they will ambush the scheduled P.A.D.R.E. pick-up ship. Ava asks the posse to let Morgan go, and though he's still angry with Morgan, the leader agrees, warning Morgan not to get in the way. Ava shows a stuffed animal to Morgan, relating how it was a gift meant for her daughter, and how she can finally give it to her. Morgan suggests she should not go with the posse, but Ava feels she has no choice.
Morgan & Madison III: At the beach, Madison is buried up to her neck, fated to drown as the tide rolls in. As if that was not bad enough, a few walkers emerge from the waters and head straight for their next meal—interrupted by the timely arrival of Morgan. Madison reiterates her inability to help Morgan with Mo, but he says she sort of owes her, as it was Alicia and Nick who helped him out of a similarly hopeless mindset as she finds herself in now. Madison sort of gets where Morgan is going with this, reminding her of something she used to tell Alicia—no one is gone until they’re gone.
Madison struggles to breathe, leading Morgan to run off to retrieve her tanks—just as more walkers emerge from the water. Morgan returns, but freezes as he sees that this latest batch of walkers were part of the posse: the leader, one of his men…and Ava—all murdered by members of P.A.D.R.E. Morgan freezes, leading the Ava walker to fall on him, as the other creatures approach Madison. She manages to free herself and kill the rest, saving Morgan in the process.
Madison still believes she’s “gone” but agrees to help Morgan…but the only way he will get into P.A.D.R.E. is with another child…or a pregnant woman. Weighing his thoughts (and glancing at the tape player Grace used with Mo), he concocts a plan, one he says cannot fail.
Escorted to the dock by a P.A.D.R.E. guard, Morgan and Madison promise the main contact they can provide the kind of people P.A.D.R.E. needs—including a pregnant woman. The contact agrees to take them to P.A.D.R.E., and while the boat races out to sea, Madison—responsing to Morgan’s question about the group’s location—casually says she does not know where P.A.D.R.E. is. Morgan has no time to deal with the latest betrayal as he—and Madison are blindfolded, as the boat speeds toward a Corvette-sized boat.
NOTES:
So ends season seven, and the end of:
- The Teddy cult / nuclear wasteland plot
- The Strand-as-Big-Bad / Tower story
- ...and (as noted in the E15 review), Alicia’s story—except the reality of P.A.D.R.E. sub-plot.
To bargain for Mo, Morgan says he can exchange her for a pregnant woman; this could turn into a dark situation, as the only pregnant woman he knows is Sherry (if he’s aware of her pregnancy). That said, his ”Can’t fail” line probably means his group will be on the scheme, so failure is the only way for everyone to make it out alive.
Obviously heartbroken about her lost children, Madison still seemed to take some pride knowing that they—after she was assumed dead—still played a positive role in the life of another, namely Morgan.
Kim Dickens is only credited as a guest star, so that designation plus the character’s lung issues hints that she may only be around for a short time over the course of season 8.
GRADE: A.
