Fear the Walking Dead: Just in Case there’s a zombie apocalypse

Fear the Walking Dead: Just in Case proves there were some people prepping for a potential zombie apocalypse. Is it enough to save lives?

With the back and forth between timelines, Fear the Walking Dead leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Who dies/died at the stadium? When exactly did Nick die? What in the world happened to Daniel Salazar? Are boll weevils edible?

There is also the growing issue of whether or not the new characters are willing to fight, or if they’re just along for the ride. Maybe future episodes will tie it all together, but sooner or later the Vultures have to be reckoned with, and the stadium has to be stocked with supplies.

John Dorie shoots a finger, just in case.

The episode starts with John Dorie (Garret Dillahunt) pulling the hammer back while pointing the gun at the back of a random dude’s head. John gives dude an ultimatum, and allows him to turn. The guy turns, and he’s itching to reach for the gun in his waistband. Morgan says “Don’t be stupid,” but this is a foregone conclusion.

Once John shows him a numbered flag, the dude reaches for gun, and gets his trigger finger blown off. Gangster. It hasn’t been done better since The Quick and The Dead.

Once John tosses the flag to stop the bleeding, he interrogates the guy about Naomi and the stadium. Just like others, he has a map where the group is supposed to meet up. All John really wants to know is how Naomi died, and if she suffered

The ultimate flashback ties Fear the Walking Dead together.

Things were dire at the stadium. Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) came back with injuries after finding three canned hams. The crew was still scavenging to survive. Madison (Kim Dickens) insists on more missions, and Nick (Frank Dillane) insists on the next mission being for grain and fertilizer.

So Victor and Madison stand atop the stadium walls, watching the Vultures and reminiscing about the dam. That’s when Victor asks her why she saved him. Why she nursed him back to health while finding and gathering Nick, Alicia, and Luciana (Danay Garcia).

As they are conversing, Naomi attempts to leave the stadium solo. Typical Naomi, stealing a car and bailing. That’s a huge no-no and she gains a posse of Strand and Madison. Naomi plans to lead them to a place with food, supplies, and grain, but it might be dangerous. The intimation being that she’s taking them to John’s old place, but she says it’s an abandoned FEMA shelter.

Off to get supplies.

The trio share a few stories, and Naomi tells them a bit about her past. Strand calls her a coward, and she agrees. He subsequently takes the keys. Nevertheless, she hot wires the car while they sleep and heads out to the FEMA shelter.

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Strand and Madison hot-wire their own car and follow. Before doing so, however, Strand fesses up to his contingency car, and says people don’t change. it’s a lesson about him as well as Naomi. Madison, on the other hand, appears to believe people can change, and says he is lucky she’s not like him.

As the pair head towards Naomi, she makes her way through the backdoor of the FEMA shelter as walkers crowd the front door. Upon entering she opens a locker with her personal things, including some pistols, a survival book, and some keys with “J. I. C.” on the key ring. Unfortunately she’s not able to use the keys because she sees children’s artwork on the walls and drops her flashlight in a fit of emotion. The walkers respond.

Naomi’s motives to leave are reaffirmed.

As the walkers circle around her from all sides, she pauses. She looks at several and recognizes them. She can’t pull the trigger. These are people she once knew, and her internal struggle is realized. She doesn’t see a walker; she sees Jim, the dude who snored and smelled like cheese. It’s easier to be alone than to see people get die. This is the same dilemma The Walking Dead has shown with Carol, among others.

She manages to climb scaffolding for safety, but relies on Madison and Strand for the rescue. After initial hesitation – after all, she’s a coward – she accepted their help. (Strand built a nifty zipline for her to climb along.)

Naomi’s true story is heartbreaking.

Speaking of Carol, there is another bit of similarity. It turns out Naomi’s daughter Rose needed antibiotics, and Naomi left to get them. In the meantime, however, she told her daughter to hide behind the pantry and be quiet. It took three days to return with the medication, and Rose had already died. Moreover, she infected everyone at the FEMA shelter.

Subsequent to the tears, the trio jump in the “J. I. C.” truck, that was loaded down with all the supplies they need. A doomsday prepper’s paradise vehicle. Strand and Madison want to prove to Naomi that she can start over.

The heroes return.

When the trio return with the supplies, Nick says it’s enough to keep everyone going. Strand wants to talk to Madison. She rebuffs him, “We won today. Let’s leave it at that.” By the time the truck is unloaded, The Vultures have packed up and left. This is a situation they can’t wait-out.

Madison tells Alicia to prep a truck and keep it quiet. It appears that Madison is being somewhat hypocritical.

The meetup point finally materializes.

John and Morgan (Jorgan) talked to the Vultures already and tried to stop them. As the pacifists, Jorgan serves as Sweden in the eventual Mexican standoff between protagonists and Vultures.

Only things don’t go as perfectly as everyone would have liked. A vehicle approaches from the rear and it’s Naomi. Apparently John has been lied to, and he’s shocked to see her. The post-apocalyptic Romeo and Juliet are reunited at last…until Alicia gets pissed about…

• John defecting
• Naomi playing both sides
• All of the above

Next: More details about Morgan's crossover

Is John alive? Absolutely. There is no way such an awesome character is killed off after only a few episodes. Besides, with Nick gone, there is no real couple to speak of. There needs to be some love on the show, or why go on living?

Fear the Walking Dead airs Sundays on AMC.