‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Season 5, Episode 2 ‘The Hurt That Will Happen’ Review: Splintered Group

It’s an ominous episode for tonight’s Fear the Walking Dead. There’s a lot of mystery that was unraveled after episode 1 ended, and season 5, episode 2 (titled “The Hurt That Will Happen”) seems to capitalize on that even more.

Following Al’s (Maggie Grace) abduction by a seemingly new threat, Morgan (Lennie James) and Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) set out to look for her. Meanwhile, John (Garret Dillahunt) and June (Jenna Elfman) scour the area for siblings Annie, Max, and Dylan. As the group splits up to find their friends, Strand (Colman Domingo) goes to Daniel Salazar (Rubén Blades) for help. Al’s interview tapes did prove its worth after all. The helping crusade is still in full swing, but Morgan realizes that maybe it’s not that of a good idea after all, especially after they meet Grace (Karen David).

Now, this is where things get a bit crossover-ish with HBO’s CHERNOBYL (alright, maybe not officially, but it’s got some serious dark tones). With last week’s crash site littered with radiation warnings, it was apparent that something sinister is in play here, aside from the threat of the Dead. I actually thought that this was Logan’s doing, but it’s something that was borne out of sheer bad luck.

SPOILERS from here on, so tread with caution.

Hunting in a Radioactive Wasteland

As John, Alicia, and Morgan examine the crash site, they find that Al has been gone, with their weapons crate raided empty. So Alicia and Morgan decide to look for Al and eventually bumps into Grace, a former scientist at the nearby water plant. The plant experienced a nuclear meltdown when the water cooling reactor gave way, infecting those exposed to it and turning them into radioactive Walkers. It’s a welcome twist to the typical zombie that we’re used to having since The Walking Dead came to be, but the way it was utilized in tonight’s episode of Fear the Walking Dead was a bit underwhelming. Sure, okay, we’ve got these radioactive Dead all around us but it took only a minor breeze for Morgan and Alicia to help Grace out in looking for the infected Walkers. It’s too fast for a complication so grave.

Ryan Green/AMC

Elsewhere, we’ve got John and June heading out to look for Annie, Max, and Dylan. They leave a drugged-out Luciana in the diner, thus having her twist her words and see shit that aren’t supposed to be there. But despite their efforts to look for the kids, all they find are more radioactive Dead.

Meanwhile, Strand locates Daniel’s hideout and the two share an awkward reunion. Daniel has always been unsure of Strand’s true intentions, despite the latter explaining that he’s a changed man now. But what really hurt like a bitch tonight was the mention of Madison and Nick, and how Daniel took the news of them long dead now. Strand followed Al’s instructions of asking for his help in acquiring a new airplane, but Daniel has none of it. “Every time you help people, you end up hurting them,” Daniel says to Strand.

Ryan Green/AMC

Tonight’s premise is a simple one, but it still works as a prelude to more fearful things that are set to befall our small group of survivors. There are several teases of a new group of villains at bay, as evidenced by the various road blockages and severed Walker heads strewn all over the place, including the Diner they’re holed up in.

Awkward Pacing, But a Strong Set-Up

“The Hurt That Will Happen” gave me mid-season 4 vibes—but in a good way. Season 4 had so many slow-paced filler episodes that seemed to take inspiration from The Walking Dead Seasons 7 to 8. Tonight’s episode was no different. It had an excruciatingly slow narrative and something that could have been chunked up into a little less than 40 minutes. But what oddly worked in this type of exposition is its nonchalant way telling us that shit is about to go down. We’ve all begun to love and hate the show’s penchant for showing episodes that are reminiscent of the “Calm Before the Storm” storytelling (which was successfully executed by the last two episodes of Walking Dead‘s ninth season). “The Hurt That Will Happen” is an episode that dwells on that narrative but fails to make itself relevant in terms of where the story should be angled towards. It’s a very awkward second episode, for sure.

Ryan Green/AMC

But in this blunder lies the fact that this episode succeeds in maintaining a gripping storyline for the future episodes of season 5. Paradoxically speaking, “The Hurt That Will Happen” is slow as fuck, but works as a good segue to chaos and surprises along the way. Daniel’s return is definitely a long time coming, and I’m curious as to how he’s going to make himself useful in this season. Then there’s the case for Austin Amelio’s Dwight, who was never heard from again after being exiled by Daryl towards the end of TWD Season 8. Dwight is set to mark his residency in Fear, so it’s interesting how his meeting with Morgan would go. I’m guessing the show’s timeline is somewhere between the peace period at Alexandria, Hilltop, the Kingdom, and Sanctuary, so these guys have no idea what’s going on over at Georgia.

One of the key points of tonight’s episode is the heartful exchange between Morgan and Alicia. Morgan knows that Alicia is still not over the death of her mom and brother, and it’s evident in the way she’s willing to always take risks to the point of having herself killed—or worse, bitten and turned. In a beautifully-written sequence, Morgan explains that Alicia would have to live with the pain and anticipate “the hurt that will happen.” It’s by doing so that will help Alicia move on from the pull of violence and killing.

‘Fear the Walking Dead: The Hurt That Will Happen’ Overall Verdict

Episodes that follow every season premiere are usually stagnant in terms of pace and narrative set-up. “The Hurt That Will Happen” is a good example of this, but it doesn’t erase the fact that this season is still on the right track. It’s a new premise with a bunch of new faces, but it works well enough to take up a new identity post-Madison Clark era. There are so much dialogue and exposition in tonight’s episode that it’s easy to lose yourself in the trance. Despite the relatively slow pace, “The Hurt That Will Happen” maintains a steady climb to the top, with excitement and anticipation brewing along the way.

Fear the Walking Dead continues next Sunday, June 16th, with “Humbug’s Gulch” at 9/8c on AMC.