RECAP: Fear The Walking Dead — Pirates Ambush The Abigail [Season 2, Episode 4]

Talk about intrigue! Sunday’s episode of Fear The Walking Dead, opened with scenes of a naked Nick swimming toward land in the dead of night, dragging a waterproof bag of clothing behind him. He lands on shore with a search helicopter overhead and a seemingly empty survivor’s camp ahead of him.  He doesn’t notice the walker behind him but it doesn’t matter since he creates noise to draw the walkers’ attention. He quickly kills his pursuer and covers himself in walker blood. While Nick is bravely onshore searching the camp, Travis and Maddie are flipping out about Strand’s actions (cutting the ropes to the raft, stranding Alex and Jake in the middle of the ocean). Travis thinks he’s ready to throw Strand over, but Maddie reminds him how much they need everything Strand has. Chris and Ofelia are on deck talking about their past lives. Both had lives and loves their parents didn’t know about, of course. She reminds a solemn Chris that he will love again, there are other girls in the world.  Just as they laugh, a family of three, one being a pregnant woman, board the boat out of nowhere (didn’t Alicia’s secret stalker crush talk about a pregnant sister-in-law?).  They claim to have lost an engine and have been drifting for days. The pregnant woman is in distress, or so it seems until Alicia recognizes the voice of her crush, Jack, just as the three strangers take over the boat.  Strand knows they are all in danger as he watches from the wheelhouse.  Jack’s brother, Reed, blames Chris for the takeover and mocks him for hesitating to shoot them as they approached.  

For some reason, they know the names of all of the passengers – Alicia swears she didn’t tell them. Sadly, Strand can’t defend his boat or crew since the ammo was removed from his weapon by his paranoid passengers. He tries to escape in the raft the trio rode to the Abigail when Reed shoots the raft and, presumably, Strand. As part of his backstory, we see a pre-fall Victor Strand having a drink with a friend in a bar in New Orleans, watching the aftermath of hurricane Katrina on TV.  Strand talks about his preacher father never understanding his need to control, create, and own things. An only child, his mother abandoned the family and his father died a strip mall preacher. His drink companion, Tom (who is giving Strand serious lust eye), tells our Strand that he is in New Orleans to buy real estate – the right time to buy is when there is “blood in the streets.” The properties Strand owns are underwater and he is now bankrupt. Tom talks about himself as being an opportunist. Strand says that it’s possible that Tom is just an optimist, but Tom reaffirms that he is simply a parasite. We find out that the real opportunist is Strand, who helps his drunken bar mate back to bed, gives him a bottle of water, and steals his credit cards.

The morning after the boat takeover, we see Strand struggling while clinging to the deflated raft, and Reed is on The Abigail looking for the key to the boat.  The smug bastard hits Chris for standing up to him when he seems to be getting tough with Ofelia. He doesn’t believe her when she tells him that they shot the ship’s captain, last night, and that the captain had the keys. Reed (whose walker face I can’t wait to see) hits Chris, threatening to shoot him, but Travis offers to hot wire the boat in exchange for his son’s life.  Maddie, who was knocked out below while helping the pregnant woman, is finally dragged into the room with the other captives. All are still asking where Nick is.  We find out that Strand also took the radio, and the trio from hell want to find another one in order to radio their friend to let him know they have the boat.  Jack is tasked with taking Alicia to help him find another radio on the boat. She foolishly thinks Jack can be trusted and she can make things better. Out of sight from the group, Jack loosens Alicia’s ties and tells her he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. She comments on Reed’s actions and is told that Connor will civilize everything when he arrives.  She learns that Connor will assess and figure out who can stay, he wants her to help him find the portable to bring Connor to the boat and stop Reed.  She should be helping him find the underside of the boat and working to kill off the other two. She is no Carl Grimes. Jack feels more dangerous than Reed.  He talked about each of them having a role to play, I think his role is gaining the trust of gullible people and betraying them.

Blood soaked Nick is on land, looking for something we can’t see (a name and address on a blood stained piece of paper). He is ready to test his walker suit, and new walker style limping, feeling secure as a walker approaches and then passes him by. Back to Strand’s backstory, Tom finally finds him (bringing muscle named Luis with him).  He has taken out 36K in cash on Tom’s cards, purchased fancy suits and real estate and plans to be back to where started in the next five years. Tom looks impressed and amused, finds out that Strand was planning to pay him back, with interest, and wants to know more, Luis is not amused and seems to want to crack Strand. Back to the raft, Strand continues to struggle, even more so after his radio falls into the ocean. Travis is at the boat trying to stall for time, saying he has to go to the engine room to override things. As they pass the group on the boat, Reed taunts Chris for losing “his girl,” Chris angrily replies that she, Alicia, is his sister. Travis notices that Daniel is working himself free. Maddie keeps the (still unnamed) female companion distracted while Daniel works his ties loose.

Alicia, ever the fool, helps Jack locate the radio.  Connor tells him that he is looking forward to meeting her.  When Jack gives her his sob story, she tells him that Strand was no better than Reed (WHAAAAT?) and says that she will come back with him if he takes her family with them.   He cuts her loose, but no points for me. He still hasn’t told her, as she’s asked, how many girls came before her and where they are. On land, Nick shoots a few hoops and looks around, until he is held at gunpoint by Luis.  Back on board, Travis drops a knife to help Daniel. On land we learn from Luis that his mother has worked for the Abigails for a long time and she is already at the house in Mexico. We see Thomas and Victor at their villa, before the fall. It’s clear they are lovers.  Is Thomas still there, waiting for him?  Back on the boat, Connor and two goons join the crew. The plan is to take Alicia and Travis, only. The rest are promised a boat to get to get to shore. When Connor leaves, Reed makes it clear that Connor doesn’t understand the real world and has a weak stomach. He plans to kill them all. Just then Nick approaches and notes that the people on board with guns aren’t their people. Too bad for them, Luis is a marksman and takes Connor’s people out with one shot each.  Reed tries to make his way deck, but is stopped as Daniel grabs his gun and Maddie knifes him.  Chris twists the knife. Luis refuses to take anyone to Mexico, without Strand, though Daniel tries to convince Luis that Strand is not needed. Luis reminds him that Strand didn’t need them, either.   

Our last bit of backstory:  Despite the rioting in L.A., Strand is following Thomas’ mantra of making good while there is blood in the streets, but Thomas does not want it to be Victor’s blood, given the rioting and the outbreak. Victor was going there to close a deal, before the lovers were separated. We see him in the suit he was wearing when Nick was placed into the same cage. Lucky for everyone that Nick fell ill! The lovers believed it would be for two days as they said their final goodbyes and shared their last kiss. This is the first time I’ve really wanted to cry over this show. Bittersweet.  

Next we see Victor giving up the fight, floating on the surface, just as Maddie rescues him. He LIVES! I can finally say this without a bit of irony. I can’t wait for next week. The group takes on Connor and his group. The action FINALLY begins. There is a real reason to finally tune in, next episode! See you then!

 

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