"The only way to survive a mad world is to embrace the madness." - Victor Strand
And if you walk up to the Fabulous Forum, the dead are awake, literally.
Finally, it appears as though Maddie and Travis finally get the magnitude of the situation, with Alicia and Chris arriving back from trashing the rich house. Alicia and Chris, being out past curfew, could have gotten into a lot of trouble with the troops. However, they report that they saw them leaving. Travis and Maddie, knowing what they know about Operation Cobalt, say they are retreating.
They are packing their shit, and Travis announces they are going to retrieve Liza, Griselda and Nick (keep in mind, they don't know that Griselda has passed yet, only we, the audience, knows).
Daniel arrives back at the house, and he has determined that Adams has told everything he knows. Since Adams has served his usefulness, in Daniel's eyes, Salazar planned to leave him behind in the house. However, Adams convinces Daniel that he can help them. After all, once he gets to the military hospital and triage, the team won't know where to go. He can get them there. Provide protection. Et cetera, et cetera.
Speaking of protection, though, Ofelia is livid with Daniel. She feels she hasn't known his true character, that she though *he* was the victim, in leaving El Salvador. He is not who she thinks he is. Daniel says everything he has done has been to protect her.
Adams, meanwhile, is working Travis to cut him loose. Out of the group, Travis seems to be the most impressionable at this point. He still truly believes in the inherent good in people, even in a situation like this. Adams is playing him like a violin.
In the cover of night, Daniel, Ofelia, Travis, Chris, Maddie, Alicia and Adams leave, while we see other families blissfully unaware that the entire world they know is going to be abandoned. Daniel cuts open the fences, then they all drive through to the other side. It's evident now that the National Guard has abandoned their posts. No one stops the families from leaving.
After a brief interlude, Daniel arrives at the military hospital command post. The soldiers draw their weapons, announce, "This is a restricted area!" Daniel, in his very calm and cool manner, tells the troops that they should save their ammunition.
And then the arena infected arrive, created a mass havoc and panic amongst the guards. Literally, this is hell, and it has broken the fuck loose. Also, the unstated factor is Daniel. He has a military background. He knows the tactics. He knows exactly what the fuck is up. He can play their game. (Also, I will mention this about 8 million times between now and whenever, that Ruben Blades is a renaissance fucking entertainer. He just brings something to the table that no other character can in this show).
Obviously, Daniel has released the infected as a diversion. Now the Clarks, Manawas and Salazars can go in and save their loved ones and make their escape. However, Daniel realizes that Adams is now gone. Travis has let him go, as a mercy escape. Travis says that Adams has given all he could. Maddie agreed with letting him go. Daniel now gives a grave warning, that sometimes doing the "right thing" isn't the "best thing." Travis says he knows where to go in the hospital, and that's that.
I think most of the viewers agreed with Daniel. Adams not only could've been collateral, or useful down the road. But I think we all just know his part of the story isn't over...yet...
We finally get inside to the lock up. Nick is starting to get antsy. Strand warns him, doesn't want any negative attention. Meanwhile, they see the Guard is losing their grip on control on the outside. Strand decides it's time to make their move...only, he no longer can find the key to the lock up that he had taken from the soldier. Nick, with a shit eating grin, holds it out for him. Nick had it all along. It's clear these two were made for one another.
They make their escape. Exnor and Liza, meanwhile, were trying to evac the unsick from the compound. Now that the compound has been compromised by infected on the outside, they cannot get their job done. Exnor radios into the helicopters, tells them they can still make their move, that the compromised situation is outside the walls. The evac helicopters bolt though. They are once again on their own.
Maddie, Travis, Danuel and Ofelia now get into the building. Chris and Alicia, it was decided, would wait at the SUV for their return. However, shortly after the adults leave, Chris and Alicia are accosted by soldiers, who want their vehicle. A fight ensues.
Until the point when Daniel released the infected the arena, the controlled chaos is now becoming uncontrolled within the prison. The prisoners are now losing their minds, knowing if they are locked in, they will all die. Nick and Strand leave. Prisoners are begging them to let them out. Strand refuses (this is a common response with him, by the way). Strand tells Nick they are going to "Abigail." We still do not know what Abigail is. Abigail is almost what Washington represented to the Abraham and Eugene crew -- a beacon of hope in this chaotic world.
Soldiers are now getting bit and infected. One soldier runs deliberately into the propeller of the helicopter. They all know their fate at this point. Once you are bitten, it's all over.
Strand and Nick find another bitten soldier; the same soldier who Strand gave his watch to in episode five (and presumably stole the key from). I didn't talk about Strand giving his watch to him in Episode five synopsis; quite frankly, I didn't think it was important or that it would come back. Strand had given him an expensive watch instead of the soldier taking Nick. Now Strand was taking his watch back, plus cuff links he had given him. Strand and Nick, unbeknownst to them, had made their way through a secured lock down area. They were able to get in without a code or card. Now they had no way of getting in or out without a key themselves. Infected infiltrate the area. They now try to escape.
However, the family has now found Nick, who is on the other side of the glass door. Maddie sees Nick as the infected are approaching. This was an especially poignant moment. Nick truly believes he and Strand are going to die. He tells Maddie to go. This was touching to me, at least. I know several people who have struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. One common thread they would tell me is that they just tried to kill themselves with whatever vice they used. Nick now realized his time was up...and he was ready.
...Except, it wasn't time. The power is flickering on and off, and Liza arrives to see everyone there. She manages to get the door open and gets Nick and Strand out of there. The rest of them flee, but some of the infected have gotten through the doors. They're followed into the kitchen, and they start killing the infected. They grab tools and weapons on the way out. Though the outbreak is still very primitive, the group is very swift in getting out of harm's way together.
It's at this point that Daniel and Ofelia ask about Griselda, and Liza tells them that she's sorry, they did everything they could. Daniel wants to see her. Liza hesitates to bring them to the triage, but they insist.
The group goes into the infirmary, where they learn the patients have all been humanely killed. Dr. Exnor is still in the infirmary ward. Any hope of her being evacuated off the premises has been dashed. Travis tells her that she can come with them. Exnor tells him that you can get out. But there is no place to go. Exnor was acting like the CDC guy in the first season of TWD. Now, I freely admit that I 'hate watch" the parent show. But the only episode I loved was the episode with the CDC in the first season. If the series had started with that episode, I would have been a fan. Exnor, unfortunately, knows what she is up against. She opts to take herself out, to not see the ending. Meanwhile, the ever-resourceful Maddie takes any medications she can get her hands on. I guess she figured, no one else is going to use them, and they will make a run for it together.
As the new group leaves with Strand, Maddie tells him they have cars and plan to "go east." Strand says that east is not safe. They should "Go West." He has a house on the water. It will be safe there.
The family is reunited with Chris and Alicia in the garage, where they see the truck had been commandeered by the military personnel. However, at this point, Adams returns with a gun in his hands, pointing it at Daniel. Ofelia pleads with him, to put the gun down, tries persuade him to not do anything harsh. However, he then quickly points the gun at Ofelia and shoots her in the shoulder.
Travis goes apeshit and starts beating the dog piss out of Adams. That whole Nature/Nurture argument or Good/Evil vs Fear thing they all take about? Yeah, it's gone. I'm sure Travis never thought himself to be a violent person. However, as Daniel said earlier, sometimes doing the right thing isn't the best thing. Especially when letting him go directly led to Ofelia being shot. Of course Adams wasn't going to hurt Daniel physically; he wanted to take something away that he cared about.
Give points to the cinematographer on this scene. Travis' hands are covered in Adams' blood. The symbolism and reality are very clear; Travis now has his hands dirty. Sometimes the right thing isn't the good thing. But it needed to be done.
The remaining families and Strand get in the cars they have left. Strand was right; the freeways are jammed with everyone going east, at a standstill. Shitloads of infected probably too.
Strand, in my opinion, is the most interesting character of the group (well, outside of Daniel Salazar, whom I just love). Probably because we know the least about him. I called him the "man who sold the world" before I knew his name, since he called himself a "closer" in his opening monologue. We have no idea why he was in lock up to begin with. The consensus from fans is that Strand could be a drug dealer. But I feel like he could be like one of those corrupt preachers; like a Joel Osteen controversial character who takes money from his followers, lives on a compound while he contemplates a life of humility and modesty for the people who give him his living.
Right now, as he told Nick earlier, he is "obligating" them. As Daniel said, sometimes doing the "right" thing isn't the "best" thing. Right now, Strand is all they have. They're lucky he suggested to keep going west. There's no way they'd have made it alive to this point.
They make it to Strand's house, and people start to relax, even if it's for a short time which is implied. Liza attends to Ofelia, bandages her up and tells her she will be fine. Turns out, the shot was just a flesh wound. They have enough meds to keep her going. Liza then finds Chris, and tells him she loves him, then goes outside to the waterfront. Maddie follows her.
Nick makes a speech about how the world is catching up to the life he was leading. "I never knew where I was going. I've been living this for a long time. And now everyone is catching up to me. It's strange."
Nick and Strand start talking. Strand says that no one is staying at the house. Making it clear that this is a temporary station. This is another common theme in this new universe; you can't stand still for too long. Being complacent is a death wish. The living need to keep moving, keep "walking" in order to stay alive. Strand mentions "Abigail" again. Nick asks where Abigail is. Strand says, "Not here." Strand is almost like a Michonne type character: will only give you enough information, on as needed basis. Yet, he grabs a pair of binoculars and looks out to the water. There is a humongous ass boat in the distance. Abigail, it's implied, is the yacht.
Maddie then starts talking to Liza about everything that has gone down. Liza is distracted; she lifts up her shirt to show that while they were in the kitchen at the hospital, fighting off the infected, she got bitten or scratched. (I watched this scene numerous to find out when -- it could've been anytime). Liza asks Maddie to finish her; that there is no cure. Liza didn't want Travis to do it; it will "break him," she says again. Maddie agrees and takes her gun. However, Travis has followed them down to the water. Maddie informs him that she was bitten; Liza is now infected.
Travis is incredulous. He refuses to believe that she will die. They have medicine. She's worked at the hospital; there must be a cure. Liza says, there is no cure. The meds they have won't help. It is inevitable. She will not only die, she'll need to be shot in the head so that she's *dead* dead.
This is what was so cool about this first season of Fear...we know right away that each human is a carrier of the disease. You either need to be bitten by an infected to get it out of dormancy, or simply die. Either way, it is a death sentence. Liza has seen it first hand. She knows what her fate is. In the parent show, we don't find this out till much later (Though I think the audience suspected it, it isn't confirmed until later).
Back at the house, everyone hears the gunshot. Maddie and Travis sit at the shoreline, disconsolate, unsure of their future. But know now, they are all in this together, for better or for worse.
The season and episode ended with the camera panning out to the ocean. The ocean holds a lot of secrets. The ocean can also represent a pure and new beginning. It also shows the contrast of the chaos that's going on with the land right now. The ocean looks serene and peaceful; antithetical to the shitstorm that is occurring on land.
Of course, nature. As Travis told us in the first episode, in the battle of man versus nature, nature will always win. And so, we go to the water for season two. Man will ride out nature, till he can't anymore.
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