‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Season Finale Recap: ‘Wrath’ and ‘North’
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read on unless you’ve seen Season 2, episode 14 and Season 2, episode 15 of “Fear the Walking Dead,” titled “Wrath” and “North.”
“Fear the Walking Dead” capped off its second season with back-to-back episodes that saw the survivors coping with loss and searching to reunite.
“Wrath,” the first episode in the two-part finale, mainly focused on Travis, his grief and the sudden appearance of a Chris-less Brandon and Derek at the hotel. Madison tries to comfort Travis, telling him leaving Chris was the right thing to do. Later she admits to Strand that she’s not sure she believes that and Strand agrees, saying they both got up every morning because of their kids.
Ever since Madison powered up the hotel at night, the place has been bringing in more and more survivors to sleep in the parking garage. Brandon and Derek are two of those people. They draw Madison’s attention even before she knows who they are because they’re being their terrible selves in a corner of the garage. She heads over and sees Brandon is pretty banged up (bruises, dislocated shoulder) and learns the two were in a pretty bad car crash. Their young driver fell asleep at the wheel and rolled the vehicle, not surviving. They drop a few hints and Madison pieces together that these are the same people Travis told her about.
Her and Strand agree Travis can’t find out, that learning Chris isn’t out there somewhere would kill him. Madison tries to sneak them out, telling them they’re getting a room to deal with their injuries but really giving them the boot out of the hotel, and the rest of the survivors in the garage throw a fit. They follow them outside, making quite a racket, which draws Travis’ attention. He catches up to Madison before she can get rid of the two and drags them off to talk.
Over in Tijuana, Nick sneaks off to deliver the Oxy to the superstore crew. When he arrives, Marco reveals he’s made some new friends, ones with drug connections so they don’t need to rely on the Colonia. He also tells Nick that his men found where he has been staying and they’re coming for it soon.
Nick hurries back to warn Alejandro. Their hushed argument about what to do is interrupted when a dead man reanimates in Alejandro’s clinic. After a struggle and some eye-gouging, three people end up with bites, including Alejandro. The Colonia has their creepy ritual where they send off their bitten to join the ranks of the Walker Wall that protects the entrance to their home. Alejandro doesn’t join them because he’s immune. Right.
Nick tells Luci they have to leave before Marco and his men show up to take the place. Luci says they need to stay and have fun but Nick smartly points out faith doesn’t matter much once the bullets start flying. Alejandro shows up and drops a bomb that shocks no one: he’s not actually immune to the infected. No way!
He lied to the people of the Colonia, including Luci, and when they rallied around him he thought they could build a place to keep them safe. Nick says he did it so they would build a place to protect Alejandro. Despite this, Luci still refuses to leave.
Ofelia is the first member of group to step back onto U.S. soil. Despite some zombie-related mishaps, she crosses the border without too much trouble. It’s unclear how far she gets from the border before she starts taking fire. She runs for cover but is discovered by the shooter.
Back at the hotel, Travis tosses Brandon and Derek into a room and asks them what happened. They explain how Chris crashed the truck and was dead when they came to. Their story changes a bit and Travis locks everyone out of the room and beats the ever-loving crap out of the two. It’s the most satisfying thing to happen all season.
His pummeling earns him the truth. Chris was still alive after the crash but couldn’t walk. This earned him the same fate James had. Brandon shot Chris for being dead weight. This truth earns the two what they truly deserve. Travis kills them both, throwing Derek through a window and crushing Brandon’s head with his boot, while Madison watches.
“North,” the final episode of Season 2, picks up post-Travis Hulk out. In the process of beating Brandon and Derek into oblivion, Travis also hit Oscar, one of the men from the hotel. He’s hurt badly and Travis gets dragged off for killing two people and seriously hurting a third. Madison’s rule of no violence in hotel is coming back to haunt her.
Madison and Alicia decide that Travis has to go and they’re going with him. Strand says there’s no way he’ll be joining them. Madison talks Elena into letting them stay the night and leave in the morning and she agrees. Unfortunately later in the night, Oscar dies from his wounds and people show up wanting Travis dead. Andres holds him at gunpoint, but before he can shoot, Alicia stabs him in the heart. There’s a scuffle that’s broken up when Strand shows up with a gun. Clearly their time at the hotel has come to an end. The four run to a pickup but when it’s time to leave, Strand sticks to his word. He gives Madison the gun and tells her he’s staying.
At the Colonia, Nick leaves just as the rest of the community is getting ready for a fight with Marco and the superstore men. Alejandro is succumbing to his bite but manages to give a rousing speech to his people. Nick doesn’t make it far before he sees something in the distance, a helicopter, that makes him turn back. He gets back after dark and speaks with Alejandro. He tells the dying leader about the helicopter and that all these people, especially Luci, aren’t staying because they thought he was immune but because he was a good person. Nick tells Alejandro to give the people his permission to leave and have a death that means something.
With the hotel in their rearview, Madison decides the hunt for Nick can ramp back up. She heads to the superstore and finds it empty except for the bodies of the family she saw getting interrogated a few episodes back. Travis finds an address to the Colonia and they’re off.
The superstore was empty because Marco and his men were already at the Colonia. They make it past the walker wall and through the bus that serves as the entrance with no trouble and when they arrive in town everyone is gone. Everyone except Alejandro. He’s definitely on his last legs but manages to sneak to the bus and pull it forward, away from the fence, letting in all the walkers and pinning Marco and his men.
Madison, Travis and Alicia arrive at the Colonia later. The adults head up into the community while Alicia hangs back. They find the place overrun. Marco and his men have already been killed and turned and Nick is nowhere in sight. Alicia, ignore her mom as usual, checks out the bus and finds Alejandro still alive. Madison and Travis show up and ask about Nick. He lets them know Nick is heading north toward the border.
Nick, Luci and the rest of the Colonia survivors are a few hours walk from the border when they see the helicopter again. The joy and relief from the sight of it doesn’t last long though because a group of armed men come out of nowhere and open fire. The Colonia residents either fight back or scatter. Luci pushes Nick out of the way and gets hit. The two pull each other to the side of the battle but aren’t safe for long. A couple of soldiers find them and throw them to the ground. The each earn a couple kicks to the ribs before the men’s guns go up and they get ready to shoot.
And that’s how Season 2 ends. Weigh in with your thoughts of the finale below.
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