FEAR THE WALKING DEAD Recap (S06E11): The Holding

Noetta Harjo

Looks like the Virginia chapter is closed on Fear the Walking Dead. A new chapter begins in “The Holding,” as Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) leads a group to investigate an underground community. Yep, you guessed it … things turn bad real quick.

This group, the people who spray paint “The End is the Beginning” all over the area are a mystery. All we know about them is they are tagging their message everywhere and they are looking for a key. A key that Morgan (Lennie James) possesses. These are also the people that destroyed Tank Town. Let’s meet them shall we? 

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THE HOLDING

A narrator opens the episode, talking about how the world is breaking down. At this new place, the residents break down and grind up the walkers. They use the remnants as soil. The soil grows food, the food is for the people and the livestock that live there. The narrator is heard throughout the community, talking about the truth that they see. They have to help others be unafraid of what’s to come. 

One of the workers grabs a bite to eat and stops to look at a walker, fused with a tree. A man named Riley (Nick Stahl) approaches her and reminds her that they have newbies coming. She says she was trying to see like Teddy, but hasn’t yet. Riley promises that she will see.

Luciana (Danay Garcia) and Wes (Colby Hollman) caught up with Alycia and Al (Maggie Grace) and the four of them met members of the underground community. Riley greets the “new recruits” and promises them that they are safe. He calls the place, the Holding. Alicia slowly steps out of the elevator and looks around. There are people everywhere and they appear to be enjoying themselves. The others step out and look around. Wes asks if this is the place they are looking for and she says yes. When they turn the corner, there is a painting of a large tree and the catchphrase, “The End is the Beginning.” 

20 QUESTIONS
Riley gives Alicia and Al a tour of the Holding on Fear the Walking Dead
Maggie Grace as Althea, Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia Clark, Nick Stahl as Riley – Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 6, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Ryan Green/AMC

One by one Riley interviews the newbies, recording their answers for Teddy. He gives them a tour of the facility and how they use the posters…the dead to grow food. They also have clean water and power. Al is impressed but says they look like they are preparing for something. Riley admits that they are closing the doors for good. This is their new way of life and there’s no reason for them to go topside ever again. They are giving Alicia and her group the opportunity to leave if they wish to. 

During the interviews, the group answers Riley’s questions, but he won’t answer theirs. He takes them to the tree and asks what they see. There’s no wrong answer, but eventually, they will see what Teddy sees. All he asks is that they are honest. The group also revealed that they all had brothers. Wes also asks about the paintings. He says he started painting by copying his brother. Riley is very interested in Alicia. Alicia talks about how her mom sacrificed herself so her children could live. Riley says her ending was Alicia’s beginning. 

The group tries talking to the residents but everyone is very tight lipped about the place. In order to gain trust, they need to earn Teddy’s trust, but he’s not there. Until he returns, they will continue to find out everything about the place and why Virginia was terrified. People start running to the elevators, signaling that someone is coming. Everyone thinks it’s Teddy but when the doors open, Teddy is nowhere to be found. Instead Wes sees his brother Derek (Chinaza Uche). 

OH BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?

As the two brothers catch up, Wes finds out that Derek was cornered by some walkers and fell asleep trying not to get eaten. When he woke up, he was at the Holding. Derek went to look for Wes, but Wes was already gone. Wes inquires about the paintings and the message. Derek says what they were doing topside meant nothing. Everything he learned in the Holding means something. Wes doesn’t understand. Derek says he will understand when he sees like Derek does. Derek leaves for a shift at the garden. 

Wes looks at the painting again and Luciana joins him. She reminds him to be careful getting close to his brother after what the group did to Tank Town. Wes doesn’t believe Derek would be involved in that. Luciana says when people are desperate they start doing things they never thought they would. Wes says Derek is different.

CONDENSED MILK
Al and Wes find evidence of attacks on Fear the Walking Dead
Maggie Grace as Althea, Colby Hollman as Wes – Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 6, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Ryan Green/AMC

The group sits down for food and Al wants to know what Derek said about the place. Again, Derek won’t tell Wes until he sees. Wes suggests that these people are as bad as Virginia thought. Maybe they were trying to kill Virginia like Morgan’s group was. Or maybe Virginia was trying to make them paranoid. Al reminds him that these people also attacked Nora’s people by setting off the Bubonic plague in the tower. Wes says the only way to find out the truth is to ask his brother.

Derek joins the group and thanks Alicia for helping Wes. Alicia says Wes helped her too. Riley stops by and whispers something in Derek’s ear. Derek looks worried but says it’s nothing. He has to go topside and tells them to try the rhubarb pie. After Derek leaves, Al suggests they go through his bunker for answers.

Wes and Al search Derek’s room, but only find paint cans and brushes. Wes finds a can labeled ‘condensed milk.’ He looks inside and finds maps … CRM maps among them. There are multiple drawings of communities and buildings where people are staying. Al says it was more than about Virginia. They are trying to do as much damage as possible. They find a map of Tank Town and a log of when Virginia sent people there. Al doesn’t think Derek knew Wes was at Tank Town, but he knew they were destroying it. Wes thinks Derek is just confused and wants to get him out of the Holding.

LOST AND AFRAID

Wes approaches Derek about the attacks. Derek was doing what Teddy wanted him to do, but Wes doesn’t understand how he thinks killing people is okay. Derek says they have to start over and they can’t do that until everything and everyone topside is dead. And does that include Wes? Wes says he was at the oilfield and almost died. Derek didn’t know that

Wes asks Derek to leave with them. Derek likes his life underground. It’s when Wes mentions Morgan’s name that Derek is interested in this new community. He asks about Virginia and Wes says she’s dead. Derek asks where the new community is, but Wes will only show him. He asks Derek to trust him and start a new life with him. Derek says they will kill him if they catch him trying to leave. So Wes suggests that they don’t get caught.

The group starts to leave with Derek. Al mapped out an escape route, including a pit stop for supplies that she and Dwight (Austin Amelio) hid in the city. Alicia asks what’s in Derek’s backpack. He says it’s a bunch of maps and coordinates of places they were watching. He’s bringing them so no one else gets hurt. 

When the elevator door opens, Alicia hits Derek in the face and grabs his gun. She tells everyone to get out of the elevator but Wes won’t leave his brother. Alicia says they can’t take the chance of Derek knowing where they live. And they have all the information they need to take down this group. Unfortunately, Riley and a bunch of guys are waiting for them because Derek told Riley what was going on.

MY BROTHER’S KEEPER
Derek uses his brother for information on Fear the Walking Dead
Chinaza Uche as Derek- Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 6, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Ryan Green/AMC

They take the group to a room with embalming equipment. Riley and his guys plan to embalm the group, killing them in the process. They won’t decay or be put in the grider for soil. They won’t be a part of the new beginning. But! If they can live if they tell Riley where Morgan is. They know Morgan isn’t at any of Virginia’s settlements. 

No one wants to talk so they put Wes on the table. Derek comes in the room and tells Wes to answer Riley questions. Wes is upset that Derek is playing them. Derek says Wes was playing him too and he doesn’t want to leave. He believes Wes can see the truth and takes him to the walker tree. 

Derek asks Wes what he sees. Wes asks if Derek knew he was at the oil fields. And yes, he knew. Wes says he sees someone that’s still walking even though he’s dead inside. That’s what Derek said too, but Wes isn’t talking about the walker. He’s talking about Derek.

Wes reaches for Derek’s gun and they fight. Derek is stronger than Wes and almost has the gun pointed at Wes’ face. Wes is able to push the gun away and that caused him to push Derek in the walker tree. The walker bites Derek on the neck. Wes pulls Derek away from the tree and watches him die on the ground. He stands up and shoots Derek to avoid reanimation.

LIGHT IT UP

Back in the embalming room, Riley tells his guys to start with Alicia. Wes bursts in with the gun and grabs Riley. He tells the other guys to let the ladies go. They back up to a door and get away. They walk into a room full of walkers though. Al blocks the door with an ax and assess the situation.

These walkers were embalmed members of this community. Their mouths are sewed shut and they are chained to the ceiling. Luciana sees another door and they slowly make their way through the walkers. Riley and his men are trying to break down the first door. As the group makes their way across, Al sees a walker in a CRM uniform. She checks to see if it’s Isabella (Sydney Lemmon), but it’s not. The walker breaks her mouth stitches and Al stabs her to avoid being bitten. Embalming fluid spills out.

Luciana and Wes are trying to get the other door open. Al tells Alicia that embalming fluid is flammable. They start stabbing walkers so the fluid will spill out on the floor. Al has some matches in her pocket. Alicia takes the matches and tells Al to help with the door. They get the door open and Alicia tells them to leave. They don’t want to leave her behind, but she wants to stay behind to light up the walkers. She promises that she is right behind them. Riley and his men start to open the door as Alicia spills more embalming fluid. She lights a match and throws it just as Riley removes the ax. 

RECON TURNED RESCUE MISSION

Wes, Al and Luciana make it back to Morgan and report the fire. Alicia pretty much burnt the place down but no one knows if she got out. There were several survivors though. Al says they were trying to find Morgan, but he doesn’t know why. They know that this group is planning something and they want to stop them. Morgan says they have to find Alicia first. 

Dakota (Zoe Colletti) pops in and says she wants to help. She tries to say none of them would be there without her and she owes Alicia a debt. Morgan says he appreciates what Dakota has done for them, but they don’t trust her. His plan is to start at the parking garage of the building where the Holding is located and try to find survivors. 

Dwight checks in on Al. Al says Teddy’s group wasn’t out to hurt Nora’s people, they wanted the CRM. She wants to find Isabella and warn her. Al wants to go by herself. Dwight says if he doesn’t hear from her in a couple of days, he will come looking for her.

KING OF THE CRAZIES
Teddy leads the group at the Holding on Fear the Walking Dead
John Glover as Teddy- Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 6, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Ryan Green/AMC

Alicia is alive and back in the embalming room. Riley comes in and says the decaying bodies feed the soil and the soil feeds the plants. Out of death springs new life, but not for Alicia. He leaves to get Teddy as the embalmer tells Alicia to cooperate. Of course Alicia fights back and ends up killing the embalmer with the embalming tool that sucks out the blood. 

Riley returns with the King of the Crazies, Teddy (John Glover). Teddy sticks a knife in the embalmer’s head to avoid animation. He asks to talk to Alicia alone so Riley leaves. Teddy knows who Alicia is from Riley’s tapes. He finds it amusing that her friends left her behind, but she made them go. He asks if she sacrificed herself because she is noble or following in the footsteps of her mother. Alicia doesn’t want to play games and asks what he wants. She says she won’t let him kill her. 

Teddy is upset that she destroyed his work. He says for every ending springs a new beginning. Alicia asks what he wants. He wants to save her. She says she doesn’t need saving. Teddy knows she doesn’t believe and says she will. He’s been looking for someone like her for a long time. 

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Noetta Harjo
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