Posted in: AMC, Fear The Walking Dead, Review, TV | Tagged: amc, episode 10, fear the walking dead, FTWD, Review, season 7

Fear the Walking Dead Season 7 E10 Review: Romeo & Juliet & Walkers

Okay, before we go any further with our review of AMC's Fear the Walking Dead S07E10 "Mourning Cloak" (directed by Lennie James aka Morgan Jones, and written by Nazrin Choudhury & Calaya Michelle Stallworth), a quick note to The Walking Dead Universe CCO Scott M. Gimple. From this point forward, alumni from the franchise must direct at least two episodes of every season of every TWD-related series coming out from this point forward. After last week's stumble (more on that in our review here), this week's chapter was a return to earlier-episodes form in a big way. Shifting the focus back to the tower, the spotlight shines on Charlie (Alexa Nisenson) and the young Tower Ranger-in-training Ali (Ashton Arbab). When Charlie ends up at the Tower looking for a fresh start, Howard (Omid Abtahi) charges Ali to find out the real reason why she's there- and what Morgan has to do with it. Meanwhile, June (Jenna Elfman) and Dorie (Keith Carradine) realize all too clearly that Howard isn't exactly the "voice of reason" they thought he was. So with that in mind, we're throwing on the "MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!" sign and throwing down an image spoiler buffer as we do a deep dive into "Mourning Cloak":

Romeo & Juliet & Walkers: Maybe it has to do with having the Shakespeare play forced on us over the course of years of public schooling (we were always Hamlet, Macbeth & King Lear fans, personally), but my feelings have always run pretty cold when it comes to Romeo & Juliet. So I say this as the highest compliment possible that James' directing, Choudhury & Stallworth's writing, and Nisenson & Arbab's heartbreaking performances combined to give us the kind of newfound appreciation for the story & themes in much the same way as Baz Luhrmann's film 1996 film take. Though I will always have huge storyline question marks attached to Shakespeare's original as well as the adaptations that came after, what "Mourning Cloak" did that Luhrmann was able to execute was allow me to forget about asking questions and just feel the emotions of their moments together- in this case, Charlie & Ali's moment where they lived in a world of their own making that wasn't Morgan or Strand's (Colman Domingo) vision.

Except this ain't their world yet. Unfortunately, it's still a war between Morgan, Strand & Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) that will determine the future. And all of the freed butterflies and promises of a better future aren't enough to survive that fact, and it was the way that was presented that elevated this episode in so many ways. Because the reality of their reality isn't something they can run from or put on pause. Much like the seemingly endless waves of walkers with each episode, there was an inevitability to their dreams dying. Yet even though we've seen that happen so many other times in the past so we knew what was coming, Nisenson & Arbab forced us to root for them despite the nagging dread that continued to build. And yet, even in the face of horror, tragedy, and heartbreak, we're left with a sliver of hope in the form of a stray butterfly. And that's when the episode came into much clearer focus for us, allowing us to see it for what it truly was: a "love letter" to the franchise's long-running philosophy that even in the face of loss, there's always a chance for something better tomorrow if you can just make it through the night.

Random Thoughts: So wait a minute… how old are Charlie and Ali supposed to be again? So what are June and Dorie going to do now that they know Howard and Strand are the most stable leaders in the world? And should we have reason to be arching an eyebrow at Dorie? Is he that good of an actor or is he beginning to believe his own shtick? While the concept of "hot walkers" was already disturbing, seeing the irradiated living dead completely wipe out those Stalkers and the radiation burns they leave behind takes things to a whole new level. Could there be any better symbolism behind what TWD universe is all about than the caterpillars/butterflies one? And some serious "badass points" to Elfman's June and the way she broke Howard's ego with some "tough love" about the realities of how the pecking order really works in Strand's tower.

So welcome back to form, Fear the Walking Dead. And we'll see all of you next week with our review of the Daniel Salazar (Rubén Blades)-focused S07E11 "Ofelia," directed by none other than Debnam-Carey and written by Alex Delyle & David Johnson.

Fear the Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 10 "Mourning Cloak"

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Review by Ray Flook

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9/10

Okay, before we go any further with our review of AMC's Fear the Walking Dead S07E10 "Mourning Cloak" (directed by Lennie James aka Morgan Jones, and written by Nazrin Choudhury & Calaya Michelle Stallworth), a quick note to The Walking Dead Universe CCO Scott M. Gimple. From this point forward, alumni from the franchise must direct at least two episodes of every season of every TWD-related series coming out from this point forward. After last week's stumble (more on that in our review here), this week's chapter was a return to earlier-episodes form in a big way. Shifting the focus back to the tower, the spotlight shines on Charlie (Alexa Nisenson) and the young Tower Ranger-in-training Ali (Ashton Arbab). When Charlie ends up at the Tower looking for a fresh start, Howard (Omid Abtahi) charges Ali to find out the real reason why she's there- and what Morgan has to do with it. Meanwhile, June (Jenna Elfman) and Dorie (Keith Carradine) realize all too clearly that Howard isn't exactly the "voice of reason" they thought he was.

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