Posted in: AMC, Fear The Walking Dead, Review, TV | Tagged: amc, episode 9, fear the walking dead, fear twd, FTWD, Review, season 8

Fear the Walking Dead S08E09 Does Right by Dwight & Sherry (Review)

AMC's Fear the Walking Dead S08E09: "Sanctuary" offered Dwight & Sherry some much-needed closure from their pasts with Negan and the Saviors.

Three episodes into the final six-episode run of AMC's Fear the Walking Dead, it's become crystal clear that my thoughts on this end-run are going to be very "Jekyll/Hyde." Because with all of the problems that I had with last week's episode, I wasn't expecting S08E09: "Sanctuary" (directed by Phil McLaughlin and written by Justin Boyd & David Johnson) to swing my review pendulum as far to the other side as it did. Dwight (Austin Amelio) finds himself in some unfortunately all-too-familiar stomping grounds, dragging him back to his days with Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and the Saviors at the Sanctuary. Unfortunately, Sherry (Christine Evangelista), June (Jenna Elfman), and Dove (Jayla Walton) pick exactly the wrong time to go looking for Dwight to convince him to help them save PADRE. Why is it a bad time? Because after a rather crispy run-in with a member of the group that now controls the Saviors' old stomping grounds, Dwight had a whole bunch of big bads after his ass – and that means Sherry, June, and Dove, too. But don't think for one second that we forgot about Strand (Colman Domingo), who makes an appearance at the end in a scene just long enough to set the stage for the final three episodes. And to prove once again that when things get crazy? Well… Victor's gonna "Victor"… With that in mind, we're throwing on the "MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD" sign and throwing down an image spoiler before deep-diving into "Sanctuary" and how it offered Dwight, Sherry, and June the respect they deserved.

Dwight & Sherry: In previous reviews, I've discussed how my feelings about Dwight & Sherry – as individual characters & as a couple – have evolved over the course of The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead. At first, I found myself arching an eyebrow a few too many times over all of the issues the two continued to keep having. But over time, I came to realize that they are probably the most realistic representation of how two people trying to make love & family work in a zombie apocalypse would actually act. They weren't "The Sexy Badasses" or "The Heroic Duo" – they were two people with flawed pasts who fell in love and just wanted things to work out for them finally. There's something very heartbreakingly noble in that – a spark that you can't help but want to see become something more.

That said, after what happened last week with Charlie (Alexa Nisenson)? I was expecting more "fan-service sacrificing" to appease the OG fans who returned to for the final run because of Madison's (Kim Dickens) return. Instead, what McLaughlin, Boyd & Johnson offered was some much-deserved closure for the couple – giving them a chance to close the chapter on the Saviors by having it represent the "bad thing" that something good came out of. Aside from a bit of heavy-handed dialogue near the end – and the finch appearing was 10 pounds of symbolism in a 5-pound scene – Amelio & Evangelista were on their A-game when it came to presenting the struggles they were still having rectifying the past with the here-and-now. Also, serious bonus points for the effective use of flashback footage to demonstrate the PTSD that Dwight & Sherry were still dealing with – just enough to get the point across without it becoming a distraction. Also, serious props to Amelio in that scene where he screams about wishing that Daryl (Norman Reedus) had killed him instead of letting him go. That moment shows us exactly how much Dwight sees himself as this "curse" that everyone else around him ends up paying the price for.

Did You Really Think Victor Wasn't Gonna' "Victor"? Full confession – did not see Victor being the one who kidnapped Troy's (Daniel Sharman) daughter. That said? Victor being the one to do it isn't surprising because… well… it's Victor. He's going to do the things that need to be done to keep himself and those he loves safe – even when those he loves aren't buying into the things he does. Or worse, going to war with him over it. But in this instance, we have Victor being thrust into a leadership role he never wanted by Madison after the latter decided to go on a "walker walkabout" to find Alicia (or "Walker Alicia") – but not before cluster-f***ing Victor's new life and family. You know, pretty much not giving Victor a whole lot of options other than to dip back into some of his "old habits." But if our heroes want to save PADRE – and the future – Victor might just be the kind of "morally gray" leader that they need – for now.

And Let's Not Forget…: Elfman and Walton shouldn't be left out of the "praise-fest," either. Two big highlights for me. First, when Elfman's June is opening up to Walton's Dove about how she lost her child. It's a soul-crushing performance from Elfman, who has truly made the character her own. As for Walton, that "primal rage" scene where Dove pretty much laid a thematic smackdown on the TWD universe by calling out those who have failed to "save the day" in the past because they can't move beyond their old baggage. In a number of ways, Walton's righteous anger spoke for a number of fans out there who've found themselves shouting that very thing at their screens on more than one occasion.

Fear the Walking Dead Season 8 Episode 9 "Sanctuary"

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Review by Ray Flook

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8.5/10

Three episodes into the final six-episode run of AMC's Fear the Walking Dead, it's become crystal clear that my thoughts on this end-run are going to be very "Jekyll/Hyde." Because with all of the problems that I had with last week's episode, I wasn't expecting S08E09: "Sanctuary" (directed by Phil McLaughlin and written by Justin Boyd & David Johnson) to swing my review pendulum as far to the other side as it did. Dwight (Austin Amelio) finds himself in some unfortunately all-too-familiar stomping grounds, dragging him back to his days with Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and the Saviors at the Sanctuary. Unfortunately, Sherry (Christine Evangelista), June (Jenna Elfman), and Dove (Jayla Walton) pick exactly the wrong time to go looking for Dwight to convince him to help them save PADRE. Why is it a bad time? Because after a rather crispy run-in with a member of the group that now controls the Saviors' old stomping grounds, Dwight had a whole bunch of big bads after his ass - and that means Sherry, June, and Dove, too. But don't think for one second that we forgot about Strand (Colman Domingo), who makes an appearance at the end in a scene just long enough to set the stage for the final three episodes. And to prove once again that when things get crazy? Well... Victor's gonna "Victor"... With that in mind, here's a deep-dive into "Sanctuary" and how it offered Dwight, Sherry, and June the respect they deserved.

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