Fear the Walking Dead Season 1 Episode 5, Cobalt

The penultimate episode in the fledgling series was high on torment and tension.  I believe it is a nice set-up for all hell breaking loose for the mid-season finale. Cobalt is a hard lustrious silver gray metal. Things are about to get harder...

The first scene opens with a view of the American flag hanging over the detention center where Doug is being held.  An African-American man speaks to Doug about selling insurance.  Doug cries out looking at a picture of his wife.  The other man taunts him, noting that since she is still good looking, she’ll find “a man to help her survive through all this.”  Doug cries out more despondently and is taken out of the holding cell, the man turns to look at Nick, asking, “And who are you?”

Ofelia is shouting at the army near the neighborhood’s fence.  She throws things, demanding to know where her mother has been taken.  The soldier who was flirting with her in the previous episode offers to take her home.

At the kitchen table, Maddy looks forlorn.  Travis enters and assures her he’ll find out where Nick is by talking to Moyers.  Chris enters and is rude to Maddy then tries to explain to Travis that Liza left willingly.  Chris is concerned Liza will not return.  Travis advises his son to “be strong” and tells him he will get his mom back.  Maddy reminds him to ask about Nick too.

Liza sutures a wound in a makeshift hospital, which appears to be a gym. The doctor is shorthanded, stating several nurses quit. (A few are unaccounted for, did they turn?) Liza asks to see Griselda. The doctor is curt with her.

Maddy goes to the Trans’ and finds the note Alicia read at the end of the last episode. She hears some banging and goes to investigate. (Patrick Tran is still unaccounted for.) Instead, she finds Daniel, Ofelia and the soldier duct taped to a chair. She winces as Daniel coldly explains; “This is how we bring them home.”

The soldier says their family members will be okay.  Maddy interrupts, “Where are they?”  Ofelia pleads with her father not to hurt the soldier, stating he doesn’t know anything.  Maddy tells Daniel that Travis is going to talk to the commander, Moyers.  Daniel is adamant he needs the soldier to bargain with the army for their families’ release.  He asks Maddy to keep an eye on Ofelia while knowing she wouldn’t want to see the man tortured.

Travis has a conversation with Moyers.  The commander is short with him stating the “quarantined” are under the doctor’s jurisdiction and he has no say in their release.  He also says he can’t concern himself with civilian matters.  It’s a dead end.  Travis insinuates the civilians could revolt if he doesn’t get information. The commander asks if that is a threat, then grudgingly offers to have Travis taken to his ex-wife’s location.  The commander is abrupt with the patrol leader who complains they’ve been up fifty hours. Is mutiny stirring?

Daniel speaks to the soldier, asking him not to blame Ofelia for his present predicament.  Daniel takes off his shirt and opens an assortment of “tools.” The soldier states his wife is about two miles away at a community college, which has been set up as a hospital and quarantine area.

Travis rides along with the super fatigued patrol unit. They approach a walker and set up their weapon to shot the woman.  Travis looks through the scope, sees the nametag on the woman’s uniform and is unable to shoot her. (In a scene reminiscent of Morgan in TWD Pilot where he is unable to shoot his wife.) The men taunt him, “Do you think she’s human, then that would make us murderers?” Travis is silent. Another man shoots her, blowing her head off.

Liza and Dr. Exner work triaging patients arriving for care.  Liza finds one with a bite mark and that person is quickly removed down the hallway.  The doctor chastises Liza, stating a missed bite could put everyone at risk.

The military inform Travis there are still pockets of infected, people who “don’t trust the government.” The men go inside a building, but quickly retreat. Travis overhears screaming and “There’s too many” on the radio in the Humvee.

Daniel seems to be toying with the soldier.  He recounts his own torture; blood is seen on his undershirt.  Daniel asks, “What is Cobalt?” stating he’s heard the code word on the radio transmissions. The soldier pleads ignorance and Daniel continues to skin his arms.

Alicia rolls up to Chris on a bright pink bicycle.  She offers to take him somewhere cool. They go to an abandoned mansion. Alicia sets out trying on expensive gowns and jewelry.  Chris watches her; sexual tension between them is mounting.

The African-American man in the holding cell gets his temperature taken. Nick has a fever so is about to be removed from the others.  The African-American man makes a deal with the guard, his cufflinks for Nick.  The guard agrees.  What is this guy playing at?

The patrol exits from the over-run building.  Travis’s ally is dead; the man driving says they are no longer going to the hospital but to San Diego. (Where he has family.) Is it possible they took out their commanding officer? They don’t say he died, just that he’s not coming back. Fragging?

Daniel emerges from the basement carrying a bowl of soldier skin to the kitchen! Maddy asks him how it’s going.  He tells her how he explained to nine-year-old Ofelia why they had to flee El Salvador and about the things they had endured. He adds, he never told her which part he played. (The aggressor, not the victim!) Maddy asks, “Did he tell us what we need to know?”

Liza accompanies Dr. Exner to the quarantine area where Griselda is slipping into septic shock after her foot amputation.  The doctor chides Liza for not trusting her.  Griselda mumbles about seeing the face of the devil. (Daniel?)

Alicia and Chris continue to party in the mansion, wondering where the people fled.  They are drunk on champagne.  Suddenly, Chris begins to break things, and Alicia joins in, eager for some catharsis.

Travis finds Ofelia who tells him what’s going on in the basement.  He asks her if she knew what her father was going to do.  Downstairs, Daniel hears the soldier recount a frightening story. He tells of a large group, perhaps two thousand people in a confined area. The military couldn’t tell the infected from the living so they shot everyone then locked them inside. Travis enters the basement. Daniel asks the soldier, “Tell him about Cobalt!” The soldier explains Cobalt is the code for the evacuation of the L.A. basin, with “humane termination” of civilians.  It’s due to start the next morning!

In the holding cell, Nick throws up. He asks the man, “Why did you save me?” The man says, “I’ve obligated you!” He’ll need him when he makes his next move. He thinks the army will be leaving soon and they will be on their own. As an addict, he views Nick as a survivor and wants him on his team.  He shows Nick a key, presumably to the pens where they are locked up.

Alicia and Chris head home after their “play-date.” Alicia sees the army go by and says, “Something is wrong, they aren’t patrolling anymore.” Have they started Cobalt?

In the quarantine area, Griselda struggles for breath. The doctor states her brain is swelling and there is nothing left to do.  Abruptly she dies, and Dr. Exner informs Liza they have to induce head trauma or she will “come back.” Using a cattle gun, Liza shoots Griselda in the head.

Daniel sees the military trucks leaving the neighborhood. He goes up a set of stairs to find the doors chained. Inside, the dead groan and strain at the doors. How long will the chains hold them?  I predict all hell is about to break loose and this rag-tag group will have to bind together to survive on their own.

Fear the Walking Dead, Season 1 Episode 4 Don’t Fade Away

This week returned to a bit of the thrill and suspense of the first episode.  The tension is between how the living are handling the crisis.  The characters wrestle between feeling imprisoned and protected by the military.  Can the authorities be trusted to solve the crisis?  The looming uncertainty is mingled with the horrific fear the world is coming to an end.

With the song “Perfect Day” by Lou Reed plays as Nick floats in a dirty pool and Travis goes for a run.  Chris films from the roof, explaining it’s day nine within the fenced military zone.  He sees a flash from a window outside the “safe” zone.  Is someone alive out there and trying to signal them? Chris puts the camera down and says, “Hello.”

Inside, Maddy and Alicia set about painting the living room. (Where Dawson was shot.) They have electricity, on a rotating schedule.  Travis comes home from his run and bickering quickly ensues, mirroring the opening of the pilot. Alicia becomes inflamed, “Why are you acting like everything is normal?” Why indeed? Their property values are shot to hell, paint or no paint!  Alicia storms out.

Chris attempts to show his father the video he shot.  Travis quickly dismisses anything that contradicts the military’s information.  Maddy finds Nick in the pool and offers him a pill.  Nick claims he’s okay, he’s not using anymore.  Mom is skeptical and so is this viewer.

The military speaks to the gathered neighbors.  They claim there is a six-mile “infection free” zone around the fence.  Liza asks about medicine, she’s been busy helping the sick in the zone.  The commander seems upset by their complaints, “You’re the lucky ones!” Ofelia flirts with a soldier.  Travis is asked by the commander to speak to a neighbor who is refusing a mandatory “health check.”  Travis seems to be the civilian “mayor” of the zone.

Travis goes to the man’s house and speaks with the man’s wife and two kids who are coloring wearing improvised HAZMAT suits.  She explains Paul has been acting strange since the night before.  Travis enters the bathroom to speak to Paul who seems highly anxious.  He says, “I don’t think I can do this! How can I lie to my kids? (That everything will be okay)” Travis tries to reassure him that things are going to be okay.  Is Travis really this naïve?

Alicia goes to the Tran’s house.  Is this a good idea, considering nobody understands how the infection is spread?  She sees an empty cup of tea and an empty pill container.  Has Patrick killed himself?  In the couple’s bedroom, Alicia sees a framed picture she drew for her former babysitter.  She finds a handwritten note on the bed that the audience can’t read.  Is it Patrick’s suicide note?  Alicia cries.

Doug comes out and Travis seems confident in his coaching.  Liza is offered a meal from the wife of a man she helping.  He looks critically ill, it is surprising given the circumstances but maybe he had the set-up prior to the “crisis.” Nick spies on the scene through the window.

Chris shows Madison his video.  She seems more open to the possibility of people alive outside the fence.  Nick hides under the sick man’s bed, stealing his morphine drip!  Very uncool dude!

Ofelia’s continues to flirt privately with the soldier.  She interrupts the passion to plea for medicine to assist her mother.  Talk about a mood killer.

Travis and Maddy are in the mood and have passionate sex in their car.  In the next instance, Maddy exits the car.  She is upset with Travis for dismissing Chris’s video and his blind allegiance to the military presence.  Maddy expresses frustration with their broken promises regarding water, food and electricity.  She is also suspicious about the lack of outside information about what is happening outside the zone.

Maria, Doug’s wife, reports to Travis he has gone missing.  She is frantic. Travis promises to find him.  Maddy sits on the roof and attempts to signal the house outside the zone.  In the early morning light, Travis spies Doug’s car near the fence, he is nowhere in sight.  He also looks in the distance and sees a possible flicker of light.  On the roof, Maddy sees it too. 

Travis confronts the commander who’s practicing his golf swing in the middle of the street.  He explains to Travis they had to take Doug since he was clearly a “head-case.”  Travis tries to tell him about Chris’s video, the commander dismisses the possibility of survivors outright. Travis, discouraged, says, “Forget it.” The commander replies, “I already did!”

Liza goes to check on the critical ill man Hector to find his room empty.  A female doctor enters with the man’s wife.  She praises Liza’s care but when they talk privately she calls Liza a fraud. (This is never explained, the wife had said she’s a nurse practitioner and the doctor alludes to the fact she has no license at all.)  After this is said, the doctor implores her to keep doing the work and “pretend a little longer.”

The military goes outside the fence on patrol, Maddy cuts an opening in the fence and exits. (Not a brilliant move in terms of everyone’s security.) She sees pictures with candles memorializing the dead and the missing.  This is eerily reminiscent of September 11^th.  Bodies’ lie rotting in the street, one man looks uninfected but has a fatal wound to the head.  Was he trying to defend himself from the military?  The patrol approaches and Maddy hides under a car, gagging on the stench of a nearby corpse.

Griselda needs urgent medical care due to an infection in her leg.  Dr. Exner wants to transport her to a “nearby” hospital.  Daniel is suspicious and vows to go with her.  The Dr. Exner meets Nick and examines him despite his protests.  Nick claims to be clean and sober. Nick is frustrated that Liza “narced” on him.  Perhaps she suspected he was sneaking Hector’s morphine since the man was doing so poorly.  Dr. Exner responds to Travis’s concern about Doug, stating he is in good hands, just like Griselda and Hector will be. Upon hearing this, Nick freaks out and visits Hector’s empty room.  What will he do now?  In the Tran’s house, Alicia cuts her arm where her boyfriend had doodled the heart.

Daniel knows Maddy snuck outside the fence.  He asks her what she saw.  She tells him she saw corpses that didn’t even look infected.  Daniel tells her a story from his childhood in El Salvador.  There were men from the government who came and took some people away. The Capitan assured Daniel’s father they would come home.  One day, he was swimming in the river and realized the disappeared had come home, as bodies decomposing in the water.  It’s a startlingly image which indicates he’s a survivor.  Daniel relates his father told him, “Men do evil because of fear.” He shakes his head at the memory, stating, “ He was a fool believing there was a difference. If it happens, it will happen very quickly, and you must be prepared.”  He advises Maddy to watch out for her son and watch after Ofelia if he doesn’t return with Griselda.

Maddy finds Nick in Hector’s empty room.  She realizes he took the ill man’s morphine, punches him in the face.  Nick runs home and locks himself in his bedroom.  Alicia tries to talk him out, Travis tries to help, but she shoos him away.  Finally, he opens the door and she asks about his wounds.  They hug.  Maddy cries outside by the car, frustrated.

The military moves in to transport Griselda.  Daniel says goodbye to Ofelia. They will not let him go with his wife. They are looking for Nick too, and a scuffle ensues to get him on the transport vehicle. Daniel tries to fight with the military to go with his wife. The guns come out and Travis pleads for calm and asks to speak to the commander.  Nick runs but is caught and forced into the transport Humvee.  Dr. Exner tries to convince Liza to go with them to the hospital.  She hesitates, looks at her son in the window mouths something to him.  She decides to leave.

Maddy is furious and yells at Travis, “Liza, she did this!” (Getting Nick taken away.)  She runs to the garage in dismay.

Alicia reads the note she found at the Trans; “Patrick, if you find this, I’m sorry, if you find this, I love you. I saw today, something that horrified me. At first I thought it was unnatural, I thought it was an aberration, but I was wrong. What I saw was prophesied, what I saw was Godly and I think it’s overdue. I wish you were here but I will see you soon and you will hold me. If you find this, I am sorry, if you find this, I love you.”

Maddy cries in the garage.   Travis is on the roof, looking for the mysterious lights outside the fence. Then he sees a flash, and hears gunshots.

The episode was interesting development for the forming group.  The mistrust of the military is evident, and they seem to realize how powerless they are to make decisions on their own.  They may be the lucky ones; those living outside the wall are being murdered.  It seems unlikely we’ll see Doug, Nick or Griselda again.  It is an ominous development as the “weak” are also removed from the safe zone.  Only the “strong” will survive.  Who will that leave?  There are only two more episodes this season, where will it go?

Fear the Walking Dead Season 1 episode 3 The Dog

  

After a week hiatus, Fear the Walking Dead returned. I hoped with a little more action than episode 2.  With the episode’s name, I am guessed the episode will upset dog lovers.  

Travis, Liza and Chris are still in the barbershop, as all hell breaks loose on the streets outside.  Travis is eager to get back to Madison’s house to pick her and the teens up before they leave town.  Chris urges his father to just leave town and not go to his girlfriend’s house. The barber, Daniel, surmises they may have to abandon his shop soon and run.  A fire has started in nearby buildings.

At “home”, Maddy looks out the window at her slain neighbors while Nick worries about his withdrawal symptoms returning.  To distract the teens, Maddy produces a game of Monopoly.

The barbershop must be abandoned as the fire grows.  Travis and the other family run through the chaotic scene.  It is difficult to tell the looters from the zombies. The barber’s wife Griselda is trapped briefly under fallen scaffolding, she has badly injured her leg.  Travis is able to load everyone into his old truck and flee.

Maddy and her kids play Monopoly by candlelight but there is the sound of occasional gunfire interrupting the otherwise cozy scene.  In the truck, the radio warns there is a “state of emergency” declared in thirteen states.  They pass by a hospital surrounded by military forces, shooting and chaos.  They have no choice but to drive on with the injured Griselda.  Daniel is uncomfortable with feeling indebted to anyone who isn’t family.

The lights go out in downtown LA.  At home Nick is becoming impatient waiting for Travis.  Shots are heard again and Nick asks his mother if she has told Alicia the true nature of the walking dead.  A German Shepard appears at their door, covered in blood but unhurt.  Nick tells his mom they should go to get their neighbor’s shotgun.  Nick knows of it because he tried to steal it before.  As the family exits, Dawson, the zombie neighbor enters their home. (You’d think people in LA would always lock their doors, sheesh!)

The family enters their neighbor’s house. (Unlocked?)  The place is quiet and the lights flicker on and off.  Nick locates the gun and Maddy searches for ammo.  Travis pulls up in his truck as Madison realizes Dawson is inside their home.  The family runs through their neighbors yard to catch Travis.  Travis spies Dawson eating the German Shepard in their living room!  Travis attempts to talk to him as Peter tries to bite him.  Next door, Mrs. Tran is discovered in the backyard, a walker.  Alicia is still there, trying to get more ammo.  Daniel takes the Tran’s gun and shoots Peter; it takes two shots in the head to kill him.  It’s a gross mess worthy of the Walking Dead.

Maddy goes to find Alicia. She explains to her daughter Mrs. Tran is not sick, she’s dead.  Nick and Chris rush to her aid to help her escape Mrs. Tran. In the scuffle, Chris is injured. Travis helps Chris after the fight.  Chris asks his father “What is wrong with that man and that woman?”  Travis doesn’t answer but says, “We’ll all be all right.” Lame!  Travis lobbies the group to not leave until morning.  Maddy disagrees but doesn’t want to split the group.

Travis has covered Dawson’s body and is dragging him outside.  Daniel implores him to burn the body, so the disease won’t spread. Travis, mad at Daniel says, “He didn’t deserve this.”

Inside, Liza speaks with Travis, “You were right, they don’t die!”  She fears Griselda is doomed because she can’t set her fractured leg and infection will set in, ultimately killing her. Liza beats herself up for not going to medical school. (As a former nurse, this fiction that all nurses are “failed doctors” is irritating. Even a top orthopedic surgeon wouldn’t be able to help Griselda much in a home setting!)

Daniel’s daughter, Ofelia, is worried about her mother.  She implores her father to go get him help.  Daniel wants to only rely on family and is stubborn about not being “indebted” to others for their help.  They are from El Salvador and don’t have close family nearby, despite Daniel telling Travis a “cousin” was coming to pick them up. Ofelia likes their new friends, calling them “good people.” Daniel wryly observes, “Good people are the first ones to die in a crisis.” Preach!

Maddy informs Nick they don’t have many pills left. (After giving some to Griselda.) Maddy speaks to Travis alone.  She says, “I thought I lost you.”  He replies, “You won’t lose me.”

Maddy and ex-wife Liza share a moment. They try to come to an understanding, especially since it seems they will be leaving together.  She tells Liza that Mrs. Tran was not just a neighbor, but also a caretaker for her children and her friend.  Maddy implores Liza to shoot her if she should turn, knowing the sensitive Travis wouldn’t be able to perform.  It seems Maddy already is a much better survivor then her boyfriend.

Travis buries Peter while Susan Tran growls from behind her fence. (Is she not a strong enough walker to break down that fragile fence?) Inside, Daniel teaches Chris how to shoot.  Travis interrupts the lesson stating his opposition to guns.  Maddy didn’t see the harm in the lesson.

Maddy approaches Susan.  Travis stops her, saying, “Don’t do something that can’t be undone.”  He seems to mirror early Hershel who thought the walkers were merely “sick” and we don’t kill sick people.  Daniel scoffs at Travis for being “weak.”

Mr. Tran arrives home, looking for his wife.  Maddy leaves.  Susan growls at her husband.  Suddenly, the military surround the neighborhood by land and air. They see Mrs. Tran and shoot her in the head in front of her husband as he cries out.  They explain to him tersely that his wife was infected.

People in HAZMAT suits load up the deceased.  The men points and questions the new grave and Maddy states, “Our dog died.”  Nick scurries to find more drugs but sees a young girl and stops to wave.

Travis observes, “The cavalry has arrived, it’s going to get better.”  Daniel shakes his head, “it’s already too late.”

It’s hard to feel any empathy for Travis, since we, as the audience knows he’s dead wrong about the crisis and the nature of walkers.  The preview shows the full-scale martial law response to the crisis.  I’m still finding it a bit hard to get excited about this cast of characters.  I think that Maddy and Daniel are most likely to survive since they’ve killed already.

Torch by Cheryl Strayed

Recently, my good friend gave me “Dear Sugar” an anthology of an advice column Cheryl anonymously wrote online for many years.  I confess I was surprised at her sledgehammer emotional responses to the queries.  I couldn’t read more then a few pages without crying so I thought I’d read her debut novel instead.  Why not, “Wild”? Because I have an allergic reaction to Oprah book picks, and I just wasn’t in the mood for it.  Now that I’ve finished Torch, I am the last person on the planet reading Wild and realized something.  Sometimes you have to write your fiction before you write your truth.

Torch is essentially a fictional rough draft of Cheryl’s autobiography.  The story focuses on a family in rural Minnesota whose matriarch is diagnosed with advanced cancer.  The family is fragmented by the mother’s abrupt exit from their lives.  Grief is messy and each family member deals with the loss in a uniquely dysfunctional way.  Bruce is the stepfather who can’t handle being alone.  Daughter Claire has left her senior year of college in the city, upon learning of her mother’s illness.  She now is trying to help her younger brother Joshua who has dropped out of high school and fallen into a criminal lifestyle.

Now knowing the Strayed’s true biography, it makes her fictional work that much more heartbreaking.  The grief is stark and relatable but ultimately each character bears the tragedy alone before they can forgive each other and move forward.  Loss is never truly healed but incorporated into the fabric of our hearts. I highly recommend this beautiful and poignant portrait of grief and healing.