Fear the Walking Dead Recap: It's the End of the World as They Know It 

, and already, the City of Angels has gone to hell. Which was great news for those of you who were hoping that the series would be grosser and more action-packed. Not only did the hour deliver our first beaned walker, but things weren’t looking so hot for…

On second thought, keep reading. We’ll get to the soon-to-be-deceased-and-reanimated when we get to him. We’re gonna recap “So Close, Yet So Far” from beginning to the end of the world.

Fear the Walking Dead Runs Off With Record Opening

FAMILY MATTERS | Reeling from their run-in with Calvin, Travis and Maddie were anxious to locate Chris and Alicia, and get their blended family the hell outta Dodge. But of course, that was easier said than done. The former wouldn’t answer his dad’s calls, and the latter refused to leave her ailing boyfriend’s side. Luckily, even burning up with fever after being bitten, Matt had more sense than Alicia and insisted that she split with her mom. Once home, Travis took off again, this time to find Chris, and Maddie ran out to score some drugs to help wean Nick off of the hard stuff. And where

 Chris? Downtown. He’d just happened to be in the right place at the right time to get swept up in a protest over a police shooting.

THE EX FACTOR | Since Liza had been too busy studying to have seen any of the news stories about dead people not staying dead, she at first assumed that Travis was just hassling her to change the weekend that Chris was to spend with him. Once Travis had used her phone to trick Chris into picking up and they realized where he was, she then joined her ex in retrieving the boy from the protest just as it turned into a riot. Before you could say

, the violence around them escalated to the point that they were forced to seek refuge in the barber shop/home of reluctant good Samaritan Daniel (Rubén Blades) and his family.

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HIGH STAKES | Though Nick warned Alicia that if she went back to check on Matt, he’d hurt her or worse, she wouldn’t listen. In the end, only Nick’s collapse from a grand mal seizure kept his sister at home. Meanwhile, Tobias caught Maddie breaking into the police locker at school to look for drugs. Under the circumstances, she could hardly say no when he asked, “Can I get my knife back?” As it turned out, she returned the weapon just in time, because on their way out, they ran into a zombified Principal Costa. When he attacked Maddie, Tobias stabbed him. Then, Maddie bludgeoned the walker with a fire extinguisher to save Tobias.

SEPARATION ANXIETY | Once Maddie finally got home, Nick tattled on his sister but said that he’d kept her from leaving. (He cracks me up, that one!) Travis managed to reach Maddie by cell just long enough to tell her the last thing she wanted to hear — that she should take her kids and go to the desert without him, and he’d catch up with them later. As if Maddie’s day couldn’t get worse, Alicia heard screams coming from across the street — an infected neighbor was attacking an uninfected neighbor — and wanted to intervene. To make sure that that didn’t happen, Maddie shut the door and blocked it. And in that moment, it felt like she’d also shut the door on life as they knew it.

What did you think of the episode? Didn’t it seem much zippier than the premiere? The comments section is open for business — hit it!

Maddie is the next Lori. I’m already annoyed with the facial expressions and the fact she looks like she’s about to crack up laughing in every scene. Empty eyes.

You and I were watching completely different shows. Kim Dickens has been phenomenal in this, and Maddie is nothing like Lori.

OT ~ are you doing a Fall calendar for new and returning shows?? Please say yes :-) :-)

Already been done. It won’t let me leave a link, so check the top of the page for the calendar button

Oh cool. I clearly missed it being posted. I thought it was odd that I hadn’t seen one. Thanks for letting me know :-)

I thought it was a decent episode. Little confused, though. So they bashed in principal Artie’s head with a fire extinguisher. Did he get bit while patrolling the halls? Where’s the walker that bit him? Travis and Maddies next door neighbor, Mr Dawson looked visibly ill while packing his car. Was he bit? Later he attacked the lady taking down the party decorations. My point is, on the show people are panicking about the “flu” going around. Does the zombie virus make some people sick without being bit? Others just carry it and reanimate when they die of other things? TWD never showed the initial outbreak so I guess we don’t know. Either way, I liked the ending. Madly shut the door on helping her neighbor. That seemed to signify when things Changed. I hope these people wise up quick. They all strike me as folks who’ve never even held a real gun, much less own or shoot one.

Well we saw that the principal had been bitten on his back… thats how he turned I guess? and we need to stretch disbelief with the neighbor? maybe he got bit coming back from work and realized he needed to leave pronto but he got so sick he never had a chance too? again i don’t know but I want to help the show succeed

My bad. I didn’t see the bite mark on his back. I want this show to succeed too. I started watching TWD three seasons in. This time it’s nice to follow a show from the beginning…

Nice to see the spinoff is following in its predecessors footsteps by continually killing off men of colour in alarming rates. Good work AMC

I bet you’re one of those people that when a dog poops in your yard or you get a flat tire – it’s all because somebody is doing it to you, right? Grow up troll and quit trying to stir the pot. And from what I can remember the first “infected” person on this show, who was shot and killed numerous times was white. I’ve seen numerous races being shot in both of the episodes, so don’t even try to race bait. It’s a t.v. show, try to relax – it’s ok /sarcasm

Feel free to write a letter to the POC who have been on the show about how they should be angry about being killed off. Be sure you don’t accidentally send it to Steven Yuen, Danai Gurira, Lennie James or half the cast of the new show. And pretend the dead white people don’t exist either.

I’m very conflicted with this show so far and this episode is a good example of why. the premise really interests me the idea of focusing on a family that is experiencing the onslaught of the Zombie Outbreak. But what I have a very hard time stomaching is yet another show that shoves an annoying rebellious teen that doesn’t listen to anything her parent says down my throat, nor can I stomach another ignorant character that literally walks up to a zombie and says I’m going to help you. even if you hadn’t already run over one or never heard the word zombie before why on earth would you do that it could of been your best friend and still the logical response for most people should be run or trying to kill it. I’ll keep watching because the story is intriguing but they need to tighten up some of these characters quick IMO.

That’s just it about Maddie.. She is a counselor and wants to help others.. She’s naïve about the entire situation as seen in episode 1 and when she was trying to “help” Principal Corta. She doesn’t know what the heck is going on and is ignorant on the matter. Don’t worry, they’ll have to wise up soon or face to consequences.

Two episodes in and we’re still deeply entrenched among characters who are incredulously annoyed about the so-called “enlightened” people who oddly won’t even talk about the danger they’re trying to save everyone from. This episode felt especially cheap, with people and police clashing with zombies in between, but outside and completely out of view. Reminds me of Poochy preventing Itchy & Scratchy from arriving at the fireworks factory. Also, who the hell holds a smartphone in one hand and a camcorder in the other? Probably the first time in history that’s ever happened.

MUCH better episode than the premiere, with a great sense of tension throughout and a thankfully faster pace.

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