Last week Morgan Jones (Lennie James) entered the world of Fear the Walking Dead.  Morgan didn’t meet the original Fear cast until the end of the episode. That introduction left fans wondering what happened to make the Clarks and company so distraught.  And how did they survive the dam explosion from season three? Did everyone survive? For the Clark family, season four is just “Another Day in the Diamond.”

RELATED: Check out The Walking Dead -Fear the Walking Dead Crossover Event,  “What’s Your Story?”

BEFORE

If there’s one thing we know about Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) is that she is a survivor. And she will do anything to protect her children, Nick (Frank Dillane) and Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey).  Seriously, you don’t mess with Madison. The Clarks and Victor Strand (Colman Domingo) survived the dam explosion. Madison forgave Strand for putting them in a dangerous situation at the dam. Life goes on.  They made their way north and picked up Luciana Galvez (Danay Garcia), though it’s not really clear where they found her.

When we catch up with the group, they are living in a baseball park.  They have been there for a year and there are others living with them; including Strand’s new friend Cole (Sebastian Sozzi) and a young girl named Charlie (Alexa Nisenson).  Everyone has pitched in to make the baseball park livable. They have a makeshift school, running water, growing crops, and of course weapons. It’s a save place that works for the people who live there.  

Charlie came to them the day. Charlie is a little apprehensive to talk.  Madison thinks it’s because she’s scared. She says she wants Charlie to feel like she’s at home, but she needs Charlie’s help.  While everyone eats breakfast, Madison is building a room for Charlie. Alicia worries that Madison isn’t getting enough sleep.  They are heading out for a run that day, but Madison says she’s survived on no sleep. Alicia gives her coffee anyway.

Life is pretty quiet in the diamond.  Nick takes Charlie under his wing as they check on their crops. The turnips have gone bad because of weevils.  Charlie asks how much food they have. Nick reassures her that they have plenty and soon they won’t have to go out to look for food anymore. Later he finds her fiddling with a radio and takes it as she’s worried about Madison’s group.  How cute!

Madison wants to look for Charlie’s family.  Alicia, Luciana and Strand go with her. Nick is perfectly happy staying behind the walls.  On the way, Luciana asks if Nick will ever leave the walls. Nick was in a bad place when Madison found him and needs time to feel safe.

ROAD TRIP

Fear the Walking Dead

Colman Domingo as Victor Strand, Danay Garcia as Luciana – Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 4, Episode 2 – Photo Credit: Richard Foreman, Jr/AMC

Madison lets Luciana and Strand out of the truck to search a small town while she and Alicia head for the silos on the other side.  They don’t find any survivors or any supplies. What’s really strange is that there are no infected roaming around. Alicia and Madison find a flag with a number on it at the silos and a burned encampment.  

Madison encounters a woman…holding a gun to Madison’s head asking for the car keys.  Madison uses radio clicks to signal for help. The mystery woman takes Madison’s keys and turns to run, but Alicia is there.  She turns again, but Strand and Luciana are in her way. She runs past Madison and climbs on top of a silo. Madison and Alicia follow her, trying to calm her down.  She takes one bad step and falls through the roof of the silo. Madison tells Alicia to open the hatch before jumping in after the woman.

There is a good amount of dirty water in the silo and a bunch of infected.  Madison helps the woman fight off the dead, while Strand works to get the hatch open.  Once the door opens, the infected and the mystery woman spill out of the silo. Luciana, Alicia and Strand take care of the infected as the woman watches.

Afterward, Madison learns the woman’s name is Naomi (Jenna Elfman). She apologizes to Madison saying she wouldn’t have hurt her.  She says she was just passing through and doesn’t know who put the infected in the silos. They take her with them to the ballpark.

RELATED: Refresh Your Memory, Read the Season Three Recaps Here!

At the ballpark, Nick hears music playing in the distance.  He decides to inspect what is going on, but freaks out with flashbacks of the dam explosion.  He crashes his car and has to get out to run back into the park. Cole helps him by sniping the dead.  Madison and crew drive up just in time to save Nick.

Turns out that Naomi was a nurse so she patches up Nick.  Madison tells Charlie that they didn’t find anyone.  Madison tries to ask her questions about the people she was with, but Charlie remains quiet. So Madison invites Naomi to stay and teases her with a hot shower.

VULTURES

Fear the Walking Dead

Kim Dickens as Madison Clark, Kevin Zegers as Mel – Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 4, Episode 2 – Photo Credit: Richard Foreman, Jr/AMC

Strand, Cole and Douglas (Kenneth Wayne Bradley) go outside the wall to retrieve Nick’s car.  Luciana keeps watch from the wall and talks to Cole on the radio about Strand. It seems Strand is being elusive with Cole, so Luciana encourages Cole to make the first move.  Luciana gets serious when she sees a caravan of car lights headed their way. She tells the guys to ditch the car and run.

Alicia gathers everyone, giving them guns. They line up at the gate and wait. The caravan of cars stops.  One guy gets out, grabs a bicycle and leads the infected into an empty moving van. Then he gets a chair and an ice chest and settles in.  The gates open and Madison walks out to meet with the man.

The man’s name is Mel (Kevin Zegers) and he’s the spokesman for a group called the Vultures.  He knows everything he needs to know about Madison’s settlement. They have forty-seven people, some weapons, and Nick’s turnips have a weevil problem. Of course the mention of her son’s name puts Madison on guard.  Mel then reveals that he sent in a plant. Charlie. She fed them all the information. He says she has a knack for finding the good stuff

Madison accuses Mel of destroying the encampment at the silos, but Mel says he tried to save them. He warned them a bleeder valve would jam and it did.  They met their end, but he hopes Madison won’t suffer the same fate. He says he doesn’t take stuff from the living. He does suggest that they give up their supplies to him or join his group.  Madison says no.  Mel says he will wait until they die and take everything.  Madison stands up to him saying she has lived his life. She found a better way to which Mel says she hasn’t been tested yet.  Madison tells him that they aren’t going anywhere.

The next morning, the Vultures are still in the parking lot.  Madison continues building the extra room and the rest of the community joins her. Luciana got a book for Charlie, The Little Princess.  She takes it the parking lot and sits it on the ground by Charlie’s window.

RELATED: Recap THE WALKING DEAD Season 8 Finale to Find Out Why Morgan Left Virginia 

Fear the Walking Dead

Lennie James as Morgan Jones, Garret Dillahunt as John Dorey, Maggie Grace as Althea, Frank Dillane as Nick Clark, Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia Clark, Danay Garcia as Luciana, Colman Domingo as Victor Strand – Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 4, Episode 2 – Photo Credit: Richard Foreman, Jr/AMC

NOW

Last week, Alicia, Nick, Strand and Luciana captured Al (Maggie Grace), John (Garret Dillahunt),  and Morgan. They tied them up and went through their things. Luciana finds one of the Vulture’s flags in Al’s truck. They accuse the trio of being those people. Al assures them that she knows nothing about the flag.  She says they found it, but don’t know who put it there. To be sure, Alicia asks Al to take her where they found the flag.  

Thoughts

So many questions!  So we know that the life at the diamond occurs at least one year after the dam explosion.  Madison had to find Alicia, Nick and Strand, so I wonder how long that took her? And where did they find Luicana?  

Madison seems to have found some zen. Maybe it’s from building the community. She is determined to make it work.  Like I said before, you don’t mess with Madison.

The Vultures have an interesting strategy.  They find communities that are the brink of falling apart and take what’s left over. And the kid…Charlie…that’s brilliant. Send in a kid to scope out the place and then report back. Never underestimate a kid!

So we are three timelines going:

  1. How Madison found everyone…and where’s Daniel (Ruben Blades)?
  2. The conflict with the Vultures
  3. When Morgan finds the Clarks

Let’s hope it doesn’t get too complicated and confusing.

 

Follow me
Latest posts by Noetta Harjo (see all)