Fear the Walking Dead - S01E02 So Close, Yet So Far (2015)

Review

Travis is starting to work out what's going down and devises a plan to save his nearest and dearest. Load up the truck and head into the desert away from other people, a few others seem to have the same idea and are stocking up in preparation. Naturally Travis has to first find his son Chris, which proves harder than expected as Chris is currently demonstrating his civic rights as the Police try and contain the growing epidemic.

Meanwhile Maddie has to leave Alicia to look after the rapidly ailing Nick as she goes in search of some drugs at the High School to avoid Nick going into cold turkey and not being able to be moved. She finds Tobias in the deserted school halls and learns that Tobias like Nick knows a lot more about what is going down than everyone else. She also runs across Headmaster Artie, who has seen better days. Things are about to get real serious as a kids' party has an unwelcomed arrival.

Okay putting my hand up, got it wrong last week, Alicia's boyfriend is Matt and not Nick's drug supplier as I wrongly surmised. This either means I'm not following things closely enough, always possible, or some of the incidental characters aren't being fleshed out - no pun intended - to enough degree. Anyways moving along as Alicia's Boyfriend is a plot device anyhoo.

The second episode of Fear sees more zombies on the streets with the Police gunning them down, based on evidence presented. Naturally this leads L.A to decide to have riots, which involves damaging property, running rampant on the streets, and turning the hood into a battleground. You know people demonstrating their rights under the constitution. Naturally this isn't going to work out so well as the authorities try to hold back the zombie apocalypse. It certainly doesn't work for Travis and his ex-wife and son who are left holed up in a barber's shop as things go pretty lawless. Guess we are already seeing the introduction of the zombie trope; you have more to worry about than the shambling dead during the apocalypse.

Still not behind all the characters than hoping Tobias and Nick survive the opening season

I'm going with a few sidebars during this episode water cooler talk to try and get out ahead of a few criticisms being levelled at the new show already. On our Monday night discussions, where we try and answer a few reader questions, the issue of the word "zombie" not being used in the Walking Dead universe was raised. Rob pointed out that the universe the two shows are set in never had a zombie sub-genre, forget the evidence for this but read it as fact. Hence no Romero [i]Dead[/i] movies, no Haitian voodoo, no nothing. The characters in Fear have never heard of a zombie, hence why they have no idea what they are dealing with, how to put the shamblers down, or how the virus is transmitted. Hence the term "zombie" hasn't been used. So in effect we the viewers are way out in front of the characters when it comes to zombie lore, though Nick and Tobias are certainly joining the dots.

I really like how subtle episode two is as we continue with the fall of Los Angeles. We discover the power grid is beginning to fail, and even worse for the City's female population the mobile network is suffering drop outs! Clearly the Authorities know more than the public with the Police shooting to kill as zombies take to the streets. For mine it's interesting that more than one character remarks that the Government will keep them informed. The two fringe dwellers, Nick with his drug issues and Tobias with clear social awkwardness, have deduced that the apocalypse is going down while the more adjusted members of the cast remain blissfully unaware that things aren't going to suddenly revert to normal. Though admittedly Travis is starting to view the "virus" as something they may need to ride out, apart from other members of the public. Hey who would have thought it, the survivalists were right all along!

Some folks, and Reviewers, are attacking the character of Madison, due to her not helping the family across the road having the kids' party. Well excuse me, do people not get suggestion or shows moving their plots along without getting bogged down in details anymore? Madison clearly heads across the street in one scene to no doubt warn the folks that having a party might not be the best idea, given all the biters and dead people resurrecting. We don't know how that conversation went down as the party animals are clearly another plot device and not crucial to the overall episode. Later in So Close it's the attack of the rabid neighbour as we get the party that dripped blood, though to be honest the party is over at the time. Alicia wants to go help while Maddie wants to barricade the doors. Alicia hasn't actually seen the zombie mayhem go down yet while her Mom is pretty much a veteran at this stage. So for mine Maddie is doing exactly what any parent would do, protect their kids under clearly a dangerous situation, this is really ringing true for me.

Another item of interest popped onto the agenda Monday with one correspondent asking if we thought the first episode rocked a few winks at other zombie outings, notably one scene recalling World War Z. I'm not about to sit down and make a mountain of pancakes over this one, but I did get a hint of Romero's Diary of the Dead of all things, so yeah some nods going down folks though blink and you'll miss them.

Once again So Close highlighted that Fear is based on a real alternative world. I'm having fun times with the characters who simply don't know what's going down, and who react in believable ways. Thus far we don't have anyone showing superhuman abilities or making connections they wouldn't logically make. For example at one stage Travis thinks the virus is passed by bites, after he examines the ailing Matt, he's clearly in for a shock when he discovers everyone inherently has it in latent form. I also like the fact that no one has quite cottoned on yet to needing a head shot to take down a zombie, though Maddie might be on the way there. While Tobias performs the Crazy Ralph function, you know we're all doomed and such, everyone else is thinking about riding the virus out and not being overly concerned as the Government haven't gone national state of emergency yet. Once again a few folks are in for a few shocks. The nice thing about Fear is we all know what's coming, but it's kind of interesting to see the characters start to put the bloody pieces together, looking forward to more of that over the coming month, (first season is a mere six episodes kids).

Okay we have covered a few points doing the rounds, caught up with where Fear is at, and once again been heavily impressed with the show. Naturally we're talking high production values, decent writing, and for the main part good acting. I still get the feeling the show is trying to find its feet, but things are looking promising with four more episodes to come this season and a second season promised for next year. Highly recommended, Fear the Walking Dead could become the best horror show currently on television if they maintain the standards and plot lines without turning the main characters into reflections of Rick Grimes or Daryl.