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"Fear the Walking Dead" Season 5 Episode 8 "Is Anybody Out There?": This Week's Rick Grimes/"TWD" Clues [SPOILERS]

It's not a bad time to be a fan of the Walking Dead universe – especially from the perspective of AMC's Fear the Walking Dead. Aside from having an epic appearance at this year's Comic-Con International: San Diego (or SDCC to most of us), we learned not only had the series been picked up for a sixth season, but also that the second-half will see some new survivors. Colby Minifie (Jessica Jones), Peter Jacobson (The Americans), and newcomer Colby Hollman are set to join the series when it returns August 11 – and we even got a a new trailer for the final season episodes, too (see below)!

Of course, there is the current matter of an impending nuclear meltdown heading into mideseason finale "Is Anybody Out There?." As the clock ticks towards disaster, our heroes scramble to take to the air – while Alicia's (Alycia Debnam-Carey) long-term fate was left up in the air after an atomic walker blood splash. Which leads… of course… to the obvious quesion we ask every week:

What does this have to do with the upcoming Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln)/The Walking Dead film?

Fear the Walking Dead season 5, episode 8 "Is Anybody Out There?": The group fights against the clock; Sarah and Wendell get help from an unexpected source.

First things first…

OPENING CREDIT: very cool yet disturbing visual of nuclear reactors in the background, with warning lights and a radiation warning sign closer to us. Most effective part? The nuclear alert sound going off while the theme was playing – nice job!

Okay, we will readily admit that this week was pretty much light on the hard connections, though there were some – and a lot of speculation we're pretty damn proud of, all things considered. Here's what "crossover obsessives" like us had to "feast" on this week:

● After Dorie (Garret Dillahunt) and June (Jenna Elfman) speak on the radio and Dwight (Austin Amelio) apologizes for Dorie not being able to be with June in these moments, Dorie sees a tree with "If you're reading this, you're still here" painted on it. Dorie suggests that Sherry may have left that message for Dwight – or someone left it for Dwight after finding out from Sherry what happened back on The Walking Dead?

● "It's the prettiest thing I've seen since the end of everything" – Althea (Maggie Grace), referring back to her time with CRM robo-solider/might-be-pretty-decent-after-all Isabelle (Sydney Lemmon) as she views the horizon in front of her after a successful takeoff.

● The symbolism behind the first meeting between Morgan (Lennie James) and Daniel (Ruben Blades) was lost on it – the boding of two "elder statesmen" from two different shows. Daniel's comment about Dwight needing a haircut was a nice point – and an interesting nod in a way to Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), who many joke is always in need of a haircut.

● Did someone sabotage the engine – or shoot it out? Hmmm…

● Logan (Matt Frewer) explains to our heroes that Clayton (Stephen Henderson) had a plan involving a group of people who were secretly working on a way of developing gasoline – the "Holy Grail" in the walker apocalypse. The location was in Clayton's journal – the one Luciana (Danay Garcia) has and Logan was tearing the factory apart to find. Logan offers theme a deal: give him the journal, and he'll take them to the location – otherwise, Logan's travelling act is going to realize what's going on and kill them all. Now, not only am I not buying this – but considering the combination of the CRM group this season and folks working on the equivalent of a societal "atomic bomb, and we can't help but consider a possible connection. Very slim speculation? Sure… but you never know…

● Now here's our first look (hey, it's something to tide us over for 5… 4… 3…) at the teaser for Untitled The Walking Dead Movie, where Rick Grimes returns… only in theaters, from AMC, Skybound Entertainment, and Universal Pictures:

AMC's "Fear the Walking Dead" Season 5/5b

Heading into season 5 of Fear the Walking Dead, the group's mission is clear: locate survivors and help make what's left of the world a slightly better place. With dogged determination, Morgan Jones leads the group with a philosophy rooted in benevolence, community and hope. Each character believes that helping others will allow them to make up for the wrongs of their pasts.

But trust won't be easily earned. Their mission of helping others will be put to the ultimate test when our group finds themselves in unchartered territory, one which will force them to face not just their pasts but also their fears. It is only through facing those fears that the group will discover an entirely new way to live, one that will leave them forever changed.

Earlier this year, FTWD cast member Alexa Nisenson (ex-Vulture Charlie) was promoted from recurring to series regular for the upcoming season. Joining Nisenson are Karen David (Legacies, Galavant) as series regular Grace, The Walking Dead alum Austin Amelio reprising ex-Savior Dwight, and the returning Ruben Blades as Daniel Salazar. Bailey Gavulic (Prodigal, At The End Of The Day) plays young survivor Annie, who ends up crossing paths with our crew alongside Cooper Dodson's (American Horror Story, Preacher) Dylan and Ethan Suess' (Scorpion, Henry Danger) Max. Matt Frewer (Max Headroom, The Stand) also joined the cast as shady denim factory co-owner Logan. Colby Minifie (Jessica Jones, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Peter Jacobson (House, The Americans) and newcomer Colby Hollman are set to join the series in the second-half of the season.

Nisenson, David, Blades, Amelio, Gavulic, Dodson, Suess, Frewer, Jacobson, Hollman, and Minifie join Dwight's crossover comrade Morgan (Lennie James) on the upcoming season of The Walking Dead spin-off series, which has undergone some major changes over the past year. Jenna Elfman, Garret Dillahunt, Maggie Grace, Mo Collins, and Daryl Mitchell joined James on the series last season; with Alycia Debnam-Carey, Colman Domingo, and Danay Garcia the only original cast members heading into the fifth season. Daniel Sharman is reportedly reprising his role as Troy Otto, though how his character will come into play during the upcoming season is still unknown.

AMC's Fear the Walking Dead is executive produced by showrunners Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg, as well as Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple, David Alpert, Gale Anne Hurd, and Greg Nicotero, and produced by AMC Studios.

Fear the Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT – leading into fantasy-horror series adaptation NOS4A2, based on Joe Hill's best-selling novel.

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