Posted in: AMC, Fear The Walking Dead, Review, TV | Tagged: episode 3, fear the walking dead, fear twd, FTWD, Review, season 7, walking dead

Fear the Walking Dead Season 7 E03 Review: Fear, Faith & Redemption

With the seventh season of AMC's Fear the Walking Dead now two-for-two with opening episodes focusing on Strand (Colman Domingo) and Morgan (Lennie James) & Grace (Karen David) living very different post-fallout lives, this week's focus shifts to June (Jenna Elfman) and John Dorie, St. (Keith Carradine) as they make the best of Teddy's (John Glover) bunker while counting down the days until they can leave. But as we learn in "Cindy Hawkins" (directed by Ron Underwood and written by Nick Bernardone & Jacob Pinion), their routine is horrifically disrupted when the bunker's origin and sinister connections to Teddy's serial killer past come back to life. So with that in mind, we're throwing on the "MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!" sign and throwing down an image spoiler buffer as we take a deep dive into what this week's episode had to offer.

The combination of Halloween weekend and a new episode of Fear TWD that previewed what appeared to be a unique twist on a haunted house story would appear to be the perfect combination for an hour of some fun, guilt-free horror. Plus, there are walkers? Hello? But while "Cindy Hawkins" more than did its job bringing the creeps, this is Fear TWD that we're talking about. Supported by a strong script, an amazing apocalyptic look that made June & Dorie's world seem both epically large & intimately small, and the kind of knockout performances we've come to expect from Elfman & Carradine, viewers were presented with a story that was much more bone-chilling than what a horror story could deliver. No, this was a story about fear and how much deadlier that can be than any walker.

For Dorie, it's the fear that he won't be able to keep the final promise he made to find Teddy's last victim- fear of failing the past that keeps him from moving forward. But what I appreciated about Dorie's obsession is that we're made to understand where it comes from even if we don't necessarily agree with some of the decisions he made. We heard him reference it at the end of last season but this time around we get a deeper appreciation for the guilt Dorie feels over (as he sees it) Teddy getting pretty much everything he wanted. Essentially, the guy wearing "The Black Hat" drew faster and won their shootout. So to bring some closure to what happened to Cindy Hawkins (thus, the episode title) was the last thing left that Dorie could hold on to as a way of bringing some speck of decency & closure to a horrific situation that still leaves so many other questions unanswered.

But for June, it's a completely different kind of fear, one introduced with an unexpected twist that demonstrated Elfman's impressive ability to shift emotional perspectives in the blink of an eye. Go back and watch the moment when June finally confesses to making up the numbers when it came to how long they're supposed to stay underground. You can literally hear and see Elfman transition June from a facade of knowing confidence to someone who's also paralyzed by their fear. But while Dorie's fear is based on old ghosts from his past, June's fear is of the future & the unknown- and who can blame her. First, it's not like June's had a ton of time to truly process losing Garret Dillahunt's John Dorie, Jr. Add to that a little thing we like to call a "nuclear landscape" and having to live a Groundhog Day-like life in an underground bunker six feet underground, and it's easy to understand why June would want to stay where they're at. It brings a sense of peace & stability in an otherwise insane world, as temporary as it may be. But in the end, both Dorie and June realize that if they want to live then they have to take a chance. For Dorie, it's trusting that he can live in the moment long enough to save those he loves while doing right by a past promise. For June, it's about opening that door to the outside & taking that first step. We just didn't see their first steps taking them to Victor (Colman Domingo) at his Tower compound.

A couple of random thoughts caught our brain cells above-and-beyond the masterclass that Elfman and Carradine put on. First, "It's not too late. It's never too late," is quickly becoming my private mantra. Extra props to Carradine and the writers for the responsible way they portrayed someone dealing with alcoholism & the dangerous side effects that come from going "cold turkey." Oh, and a "holy crap" to Morgan (Lennie James) and his horrible curse of always being just a few minutes behind (though it's still impressive considering Morgan's working as a one-man show while Victor's rich with resources). Speaking of which, I also found it very telling that with Victor being in the position of having everything and Morgan barely surviving with Grace (Karen David) & Baby Mo, Morgan can still shut Victor down with a threat-promise we all know (especially Victor) he intends to keep. You're three-for-three now, Fear the Walking Dead– we're starting to feel spoiled. Just now "walker spoiled" because we're guessing that would be kinda smelly.

Fear the Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 3 "Cindy Hawkins"

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Review by Ray Flook

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9/10

With the seventh season of AMC's Fear the Walking Dead now two-for-two with opening episodes focusing on Strand (Colman Domingo) and Morgan (Lennie James) & Grace (Karen David) living very different post-fallout lives, this week's focus shifts to June (Jenna Elfman) and John Dorie, St. (Keith Carradine) as they make the best of Teddy's (John Glover) bunker while counting down the days until they can leave. But as we learn in "Cindy Hawkins" (directed by Ron Underwood and written by Nick Bernardone & Jacob Pinion), their routine is horrifically disrupted when the bunker's origin and sinister connections to Teddy's serial killer past come back to life. The combination of Halloween weekend and a new episode of Fear TWD that previewed what appeared to be a unique twist on a haunted house story would appear to be the perfect combination for an hour of some fun, guilt-free horror. Plus, there are walkers? Hello? But while "Cindy Hawkins" more than did its job bringing the creeps, this is Fear TWD that we're talking about. Supported by a strong script, an amazing apocalyptic look that made June & Dorie's world seem both epically large & intimately small, and the kind of knockout performances we've come to expect from Elfman & Carradine, viewers were presented with a story that was much more bone-chilling than what a horror story could deliver. No, this was a story about fear and how much deadlier that can be than any walker.

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