It’s that time of week, Grue-Believers. It is time for your Fear the Walking Dead spoiler filled review. This week, season 2 episode 5 titled “Captive.”
This season has been leaps and bounds over the inaugural effort. There have been some interesting story lines along with some interesting character development, but Travis (Cliff Curtis) is still a twit. Let’s roll into this week’s episode and see if it captivated me.
When we left off last week, Travis and Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) were taken captive by Connor (Mark Kelly) as he left his younger brother Reed (Jesse McCartney) to bring the Abigail to their hideout. Well, the hideout is a big old shipyard and they’re in the largest ship there that is up, out of the water. Honestly, it is a pretty safe place. It’s right next to the water and the walkers/swimmers have no way to access it. Connor seems to be fairly accommodating as he makes one of his famous steaks for Alicia. Jack (Daniel Zovatto) confirms this by saying Connor doesn’t do that for just anyone.
Meanwhile, Travis is being kept in a makeshift cell below deck, and who does he run into that’s now working for Connor? You guessed it, Alex (Michelle Ang), and yes, my friends, she is a little pissed at being made to stay in the raft that Strand (Colman Domingo) cut loose from the Abigail. Turns out she had to put her burnt friend out of his misery by choking the life out of him and dumping him overboard. She tells Travis that Connor found her afloat and asked her what she could do for him. Any guesses as to what her response was? If you said she gave up the Abigail, you win something awesome from Doc Rotten. Just email him and ask him what it is.
As a whole, the episode was pretty “blah” with Madison (Kim Dickens) taking charge of the Abigail as Strand recovers. Luis (Arturo Del Puerto) and Madison are in a pissing match because they were supposed to be heading to Mexico and he “only has money to get two extra people in.” We still don’t know what is going on in Mexico, only that whoever they are to rendezvous with is supposed to keep them safe. In a surprising statement, Strand sticks up for the crew saying he will negotiate to get everyone else in. We also find out why Strand took to Nick (Frank Dillane) right away; he saw his usefulness within the first ten minutes of meeting him, even while he was going through withdrawal.
Daniel (Reuben Blades), Chris (Lorenzo Henrie) and Ofelia (Mercedes Mason) are charged with getting intel from the captured Reed. This is no easy task as he is quite wily and just threatens Ofelia and chastises Chris. Eventually, they leave him tied up, and we later hear a gunshot. Everyone rushes down to find that Chris has shot Reed in the face. This puts a little damper on the plan that Madison negotiated to return Reed in exchange for Travis and Alicia. Apparently, Chris said that Reed was going to turn, and that is why he made the kill shot. I’m thinking the trash talk Reed was doing got to Chris and broke him.
As they are figuring out what to do, Reed “zombifies,” so much for the kill shot. Instead of dispatching him, Daniel’s wheels start turning and he decides to place a sack over Reed’s head and bind his hands. Something strange happens here. Daniel hears a voice inside his head that takes him out of his normally stoic character, and as he is about to remove the sack, everyone else comes in to get the plan in motion. Interestingly, we may finally get some back story on Daniel. He has been very secretive and cryptic with his past thus far, so this may fall under the good character development I mentioned earlier.
Reed is loaded onto the motor boat with Madison to go make the exchange. On the dock are Travis, Connor and two thugs, who are there to make the exchange. As Madison releases zombie Reed, she cuts the ties off his hands. When Connor takes the sack off, his own brother begins to munch on him. One thug tries to save Connor, but Reed viciously tears into his throat. In an unlikely move, Travis head-butts the other thug, runs with Madison and a struggle ensues. Eventually, with Madison’s help, Travis overcomes the thug and they get on the boat. Alicia is watching this unfold from the deck of the ship as Jack pleads with her not to go; he’s in love. Alicia peaces out and slides down the ship and into the ocean as Madison and Travis pull her on board the motor boat and she and Jack exchange glances for perhaps the last time, but I kind of doubt it.
As I stated earlier, “Captive” was mostly “meh” save the last 15 minutes, which brought my review up one full point. This season, for the most part, has been “not terrible”. It is still not The Walking Dead but seems to be finding its own niche.
Fear the Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 5 “Captive” 
(2.5 / 5) on the Thug Meter
