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- The First Three Seasons of Fear the Walking Dead
- Nick’s Death and Where Things Went Wrong in Fear TWD
- Fear the Walking Dead Became All About Morgan
As a long-time fan of The Walking Dead franchise, I must admit that I was initially excited about Fear the Walking Dead when it first premiered. However, as the series progressed, particularly from Season 4 onwards, it seems to have lost its way – at least for me.
The universe depicted in “The Walking Dead” has continued to grow ever since its initial debut in 2010, giving birth to numerous spin-offs such as “The Walking Dead: World Beyond,” “Tales of the Walking Dead,” and more recently, “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon,” “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” and “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.” Additionally, a web series has also been produced. However, the first spin-off was introduced in 2015 with the premiere of “Fear the Walking Dead,” which offered a unique viewpoint on the outbreak that took place five years after the events shown in the original series.
Fear the Walking Dead started strong with a fresh location, new characters, and an opportunity to explore the initial stages of the outbreak instead of just its aftermath. However, the show’s quality started to decline prematurely. The series continued for eight seasons, wrapping up in 2023, but it appears that Season 3 marked a significant change for the worse.
The First Three Seasons of Fear the Walking Dead
As a film enthusiast, I can’t help but appreciate how Fear the Walking Dead seized an exceptional chance to portray the chaos prior to the outbreak’s onset, contrasting starkly with what we witness on The Walking Dead. On The Walking Dead, viewers are thrown six weeks into the chaos, where communities in Georgia have already crumbled, their streets overrun by the shambling undead. Survivors have banded together, fighting tooth and nail for essentials like food, shelter, and safety. The series presents the aftermath from the eyes of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who wakes up from a coma to find that in the span of a month and a half, the world has transformed dramatically around him.
Instead, let’s say: In contrast, the series Fear the Walking Dead unfolds in California. Strange occurrences are taking place, yet people struggle to comprehend what is going on. Officials perceive some individuals as a threat to society, only to be astonished when they shoot them, finding that these people rise again and continue their violent attacks, biting into bodies and feeding on the flesh. The first season moves at a gradual pace, spanning only six episodes. However, this initial season offers essential background information and helps viewers grasp how an outbreak of this nature might have gone unnoticed and underreacted to initially.
The early seasons of Fear the Walking Dead also convey a more profound narrative. One of the characters who initially perceives and adapts to the situation is Nick Clark, played by Frank Dillane. Initially, Nick, a young drug addict, assumes his hallucinations are due to his substance abuse. However, he quickly adjusts to the new world, symbolizing that he was already a kind of “living dead” in the world prior. Interestingly, fans notice that Nick uses walker gore to camouflage himself much earlier than Rick and Glenn (Steven Yeun) do in the primary series.
The second series finds the group embarking on a water voyage, offering a fresh and distinctive backdrop for their journey across an unusual part of America. An assortment of characters join forces, venture to Mexico, and encounter new people. Viewers gain further insights into personalities such as Victor Strand (Colman Domingo) and Daniel (Rubén Blades). Simultaneously, one of the main adversaries is unveiled as a teenager: Chris (Lorenzo James Henrie), son of Travis (Cliff Curtis).
In these brief periods, there’s a wealth of insights into human nature, much like the early seasons of “The Walking Dead” reveal. The plot unfolds to demonstrate how varied situations impact people. Chris appears to have instantly forfeited all human compassion, focusing instead on seeking peers with whom he can connect. This instantaneously earns him disdain, yet it also delves into how a typical teenager navigating adolescent struggles and angst might react in this scenario. Conversely, Travis, a virtuous and fair individual, encounters an anger within himself that he may have been unaware of before.
As a passionate film buff, let me share my thoughts on the third season of this gripping series. In this installment, we’re introduced to Troy (played by Daniel Sharman), a young man living off the grid with his family on a ranch, prepping for an impending apocalypse. The intrigue deepens as Daniel Sharman reappears, stirring up conflict between him and Strand. However, the season takes a surprising turn when Travis meets his untimely end – not in a dramatic shootout, but rather, he falls from a helicopter to his tragic demise. Quite an anticlimactic farewell for such a vital character, wouldn’t you agree?
Later on, when Madison (Kim Dickens) made the selfless decision to ignite the stadium and barricade the doors to protect her children, viewers were left astonished as they believed the writers had killed off this show’s rendition of Rick Grimes. However, it was later discovered that she had survived. The seemingly fatal demise of this central character signified a significant change in the series by the midseason finale of Season 4.
Nick’s Death and Where Things Went Wrong in Fear TWD
In Season 4, Fear the Walking Dead seems to take on a new tone, which viewers notice particularly since it’s around this time that some beloved characters, like Travis and Ofelia (played by Mercedes Mason), are no longer present. This is also the season when Morgan Jones (portrayed by Lennie James) makes his appearance, having left his friends from The Walking Dead to start anew after experiencing multiple mental breakdowns.
Morgan aimed to revitalize the series, stepping into Madison’s role as the de facto leader of the group. Accompanying him were fresh faces such as Althea (played by Maggie Grace), John (Garret Dillahunt), and Naomi (Jenna Elfman). However, it seemed as though too many key characters were absent, causing a significant shift in the show’s essence. The narrative frequently jumps between flashbacks to introduce these new characters, but this often detracts from the main group and the consistent themes that fans have grown accustomed to. Regrettably, this is the season where, in episode three, Nick met a tragic end at the hands of Charlie (Alexa Nisenson), a young girl dispatched by the Vultures to spy on the stadium where the group had sought refuge.
The cast’s choice was influenced by Dillane’s wish to depart from the series. As reported by Entertainment Weekly, homesickness was the reason behind his decision, as he felt that his character had accomplished its purpose within the storyline. However, being a beloved character, his departure left a significant void in the show. Nick’s odyssey played a substantial role in the narrative, encompassing how he dealt with various challenges, took responsibility, and persevered during his most difficult times.
His tale was marked by optimism, tenacity, and meaning. He was among the bravest personalities, as he had long felt that he had been living as a mere echo of himself. With no more to lose, his unyielding spirit in striving to save others, even though he couldn’t save himself during the outbreak, represented a journey towards redemption. Such a narrative has not been seen on any shows since.
Fear the Walking Dead Became All About Morgan
It seems like the narrative of “Fear the Walking Dead” is increasingly focused on the character of Morgan, portrayed excellently by Lennie James. However, the writing has become somewhat repetitive, as Morgan continually shifts from seeking his own identity to helping others and searching for a better way, which unfortunately feels like a repeating cycle in this deteriorating plotline. The “Take what you need. Leave what you don’t” boxes serve as the foundation of Morgan’s aspiration to build a better world, a goal that, while commendable and fitting given the dire circumstances, can sometimes give the impression of a character with an overly heroic disposition.
In the show, there are instances, characters, and conflicts that seem to be mimicked from “The Walking Dead,” albeit in a watered-down form. Despite being an impassioned commander – though hesitant at times – Morgan lacks the mental fortitude displayed by figures such as Rick or even Daryl (Norman Reedus). He’s a combatant, he follows a moral compass, but he consistently makes poor choices, repeatedly endangering his group.
In the fourth season, there was a shift in the creative team that led to the significant changes you’ve observed. The role of showrunner, held by Dave Erickson from seasons 1 to 3, was passed on to Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg for seasons 4 through 8. This change likely indicates that these new creators had distinct visions for where they wanted the show to go, which resulted in the noticeable differences you’ve seen in narrative, style, and focus.
It’s important to note that the transition to Morgan as the group’s new leader and the change in showrunners aren’t the only reasons Fear the Walking Dead feels so distinct after its initial three seasons. However, these changes, coupled with the exit of two key characters (one being a standout like Nick) and the depletion of creative ideas, all played significant roles in making the show seem almost unrecognizable from its beginnings during its later episodes.
Regardless of personal preference, dedicated fans of “The Walking Dead” followed “Fear the Walking Dead” from start to finish. Those who didn’t might find little significance in terms of the larger narratives that interweave across the main series, “The Walking Dead: Dead City”, “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon”, “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live”, and even the short-lived series “The Walking Dead: World Beyond”. For the first three seasons, “Fear the Walking Dead” served as a precursor, showcasing that the hardships Rick’s group faced barely scratched the surface of the turmoil occurring across the United States and globally. You can stream all eight seasons of Fear the Walking Dead on Netflix and AMC+.
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2024-09-08 05:02