“Pablo and Jessica”
was an episode that I found especially frustrating. First, let’s talk about the pick-up truck crew. They spend the episode trying to make the hotel their new home, and I just have to say: what the freak?! Madison, what about your son?! Alicia, what about your brother?! This is another reason why I am not a fan of these characters. In The Walking Dead, Rick killed for his family, put his own life in danger for his family, risked the safety of his entire group just for the well being of his family. The perfect leader, the perfect father, husband and partner, one of the greatest characters in pop culture (apart from Tyrion Lannister, of course), and who are the people in Fear the Walking Dead? Selfish, that’s who they are!
Meanwhile, Alicia and Madison just leave Nick out in Mexico without any knowledge of his location or physical well being just to protect themselves. And vice versa, Nick doing the same thing with Alicia and Madison just to feed his desire to understand this new insane religious dogma. Earlier in S2 Strand was going to leave the rest of the main cast in a charred, napalmed San Francisco just so he didn’t have to take anyone else to the Mexican villa, and in an early episode of S1 Daniel at first refused to let the Clarks into his barber shop as riots ensued on the streets. The only relatively appealing characters were Liz and Griselda, the only two people that have showed any consistent selflessness and generosity, and they’re both dead.
These aren’t heroes, these aren’t even remotely good people. And I understand the idea of morally gray characters, something A Game of Thrones does beautifully. And yet these people aren’t even near the whiter side of the spectrum. I also understand that it’s the apocalypse and that the apocalypse brings out the worst sides of humanity. Yet the writers want us to like the main cast. Similar to the relationship of Frodo and Sam in the Lord of the Ring films, which borders on the line of homosexual lovers rather than best friends, as what J R.R. Tolkien originally intended. The intent of a writer is very, very important.
Yet, I digress. In the end, the pick-up truck crew clear the hotel of all walkers. They did this by leading them all into the ocean. Meanwhile, Nick and Luciana lock lips, something that I groaned audibly at. Romance for the sake of having romance, just another paint by numbers to hit. That mentality is what gives us the creative and literary wasteland that the majority of television is today. Meanwhile, a little message to Hollywood:
please start giving a crap again!
Fear the Walking Dead is just another show cashing in on the zombie craze. You used to care about what you put up on the silver screen Hollywood. What with Back to the Future and Jaws and Star Wars and Rocky, films that were clearly intended to produce art. We remember Doctor Emmett Brown especially for his eccentricism and willingness to always put Marty’s safety in front of his own. We remember Rocky Balboa for his determination and rags to riches story arch. We remember Quint because of his crypticism and grizzled personality. We remember Luke Skywalker for his bravery, heroism, and literarily beautiful hero’s journey.
Hollywood, please, brings these characters back!
