Fear the Walking Dead Goes Dead Calm in “Blood in the Streets”
(Be ye warned, mateys, there be spoilers ahead)
While folks were being duped over at Game of Thrones on Sunday, Fear the Walking dead was making some inroads into salvaging a weak season two.
It was only a matter of time we’d see Ophelia’s radio friend show up. How and when was a bigger question than if they’d show up. How they showed up was quite unexpected-they just walked onto the ship. In fact, they were escorted on board by Ophelia while Chris stood around confused.
Before the hijack we were actually seeing a little more of Ophelia. Ophelia has largely been a forgotten character in the series. Ophelia slides into the background by the time the hijack is in full swing. Showrunners and producers have done a decent job fleshing out the cast, but Ophelia remains the one character whose only job is to sit in the background and sometime object to her father.
Even worse than helping your would be captors is being hijacked by a group of hipster douche bags. We’re not even safe from hipsters during the the apocalypse. However, the hipsters bring a much needed tension to the series that had been seriously lacking in previous episodes.
This is the point of the story the writers can move past the stale and humdrum that we’ve been watching for more than a season. The gang won’t need Strand always telling them that things are different and people are dangerous. They all know now. I’m crossing my fingers that after Travis and Alicia are saved from the rest of the hipsters (Come on, you know they’re going to be okay) we will have seen the last of the do-gooders.
I’m not advocating murdering everyone the group meets, but the series needs to move past the we-need-to-help-everyone trend it has been on for season two. A harder, more protective, and tighter group should emerge. Basically, they should be at the point Rick was at in season four.
The biggest reveal of Sunday night (Not Jon Snow coming back from the grave) is that Strand is gay. The Walking Dead has a history of gay characters. Prior to season five internet rumors swirled The Walking Dead would have a gay character. Some people on the internet believed Daryl would come out as the gay character. It turned out the gay characters were Aaron and Tara, both bad asses in their own rights.
The reveal that Strand is gay changes the angle the spotlight has been cast on him since season one. We’d all assumed he was a shady character. The flashbacks in “Blood on the Streets” seem to support Strand’s shadiness. However, Strand isn’t as shady as we thought. He’s fighting to get back to the man he loves. He’s fighting and nothing is going to stop him. Didn’t Rick do the same thing at the beginning of The Walking Dead?
“Blood on the Streets” was the episode Fear the Walking Dead needed to advance the story. I’m laying down my next A Mind On Fire paycheck Connor, the leader of the hipsters, is a Governor clone. If I’m wrong the beer is on me. If I’m right, and Connor is copy cat Governor, “Blood on the Streets” is easily the best episode to date.
(Has anyone mentioned what great shape Nick is in for a smoker and a heroin addict?)
(So, apparently the name of the episode is “Blood in the Streets.” I goofed, made a mistake. Sure, I could have just double checked to make sure I had the title correct, but I didn’t. Blood in the streets? That didn’t sound quite right. How does blood get in the streets? Is it in the concrete when the streets are poured? I can see blood on the streets. I can see blood pouring down a storm drain. But, I digress, I made a mistake. My apologies to one and all.)
