FEAR THE WALKING DEAD Finale Review: All Smooth Sailing From Here?

By Lewis Richards

In just six episodes we have seen all of L.A consumed by the Walker virus. With the apocalypse now in full flow, lines must be crossed in order to survive. And on that note Fear the Walking Dead’s finale completely delivers.

With the rules officially out the window, it’s time for Travis to wise up to Madison and Salazar’s way of thinking. With just hours until operation ‘Cobalt’ goes live it’s now or never. And what better way to kick off the assault with an army of Walkers led right to the front gate by the tactically gifted Salazar. He’s way past Rick at this point, just straight Governor.

The National Guard bails, leaving the sick and imprisoned for dead. Strand has other ideas as he executes his escape plan with Nick. It’s lucky that Nick does actually have a plan in place for his survival as Liza shows she initially has no intention of rescuing him.

Life as they know it has now disappeared, and we witness new characters born as normal people adapt to survive — Daniel Salazar, a barber shop owner tapping into the past he tried to leave behind, and Travis, an English teacher who tried to hold on to his humanity for as long as possible before being forced to unleash his inner thug. The level of destruction in this episode is more intense than in any that have preceded. It just goes to show the commitment to the series and that regardless of it being a spin-off it is more than definitely solid enough to stand next to the original show.

All things considered the day turned out OK in the end for the survivors. Yes there were losses and it was close, but after the escape they have actually managed to find what looks to be a safe house alongside the ever so cool Strand (who is quickly becoming my favourite character). Strand has had a quick journey from zero to hero from his humble beginnings as a prisoner to his shining climax as a rich playboy beach house owner.

Strand is a mystery and so far has always maintained a cool exterior, as if everything around him is going to plan. Strand has his own agenda and is cryptic with his answers to Nick. He comes across as if he has completely lost his mind but his plan is revealed in due course as he shows Nick a boat sitting anchored in the ocean. Strand is clearly equipped for an apocalyptic event and the survivors have hit the absolute jackpot in befriending him. Right?

The finale also sees reality finally hitting home for Travis. It’s been a long build up for him but his breaking point is tipped when Adams shoots Ofelia, causing Travis to go into beserker mode with the soldier. Getting something off your chest there buddy? Although Travis had already lost his innocence by attacking Adams so brutally, the final nail in the coffin is his execution of Liza. Liza who has seen what happens to people who have been infected, is matter of fact about her own demise. Travis does the deed but it leaves him emotionally broken, his transformation to the dark side complete. It will be interesting to see how Travis operates going forward into season 2.

Although for now our survivors are safe, the cost of their escape was great. Salazar learned of losing his wife and looked close to losing Ofelia. How will he handle that? Will he be able to see eye to eye with the man formerly known as Travis? After seeing the way Salazar executes his infiltration plan it’s clear that anyone would be a fool to oppose him.

Putting the survivors relationships aside, the more important question might be who exactly is getting on that boat? I wonder if Strand’s plan is to take everyone? Strand’s plans for surviving the apocalypse have been relatively smooth and it all seems almost too good to be true.

Meanwhile, Alicia and Chris still prove to be a burden with Chris provoking three fully armed National Guard troops trying to defend Alicia. Chris was lucky to get away with his life, but he may not be so lucky next time. These kids need to grow up fast before season 2 kicks off.

This finale was an incredible ending to the first season of Fear the Walking Dead, which now unfortunately is over until next year.

It does however makes way for season 6 of the original The Walking Dead which kicks off next Sunday.