‘Fear The Walking Dead’: Everything We Learned From ‘The Walking Dead’ Spin-Off Premiere [Spoilers]
With one episode down, Fear the Walking Dead is setting itself up to be just as exciting and intense as The Walking Dead. That being said, here is everything we learned from the opening episode, along with what fans can expect moving forward.
[Editor’s Note: Be aware that spoilers for Fear the Walking Dead, Season 1, Episode 1, follow.]
Fear the Walking Dead is set in the same world as The Walking Dead, and follows a family living in Los Angeles at the outset of the zombie apocalypse. The characters include Travis Manawa (Cliff Curtis), Madison Clark (Kim Dickens), Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey), and Nick (Frank Dilane).
The episode didn’t waste any time introducing the virus, with the opening scene featuring a drug user, Nick, discovering his friend-turned-zombie in an abandoned church. Nick immediately fled the building and was subsequently hit by a vehicle.
Although the producers had previously stated that they were going to start things off slow, Dave Erickson revealed their thought process behind this initial zombie encounter.
“So, to have Nick be the one — given his addiction, given his backstory — and be our first character who witnesses an infected, it worked for us because it became a question for the pilot of, did he really see what he believes he saw?” Erickson told Entertainment Weekly.
Nick was hospitalized after the car accident, and when he awoke he tried to tell his stepfather, Travis, what had happened. Travis went to the church to see if there was any truth to Nick’s story. Inside, he discovered a good deal of blood mixed in with remains.
Meanwhile, other zombie attacks start after a car wreck victim is turned and starts attacking emergency responders. The attack was caught on video and, understandably, was met with mixture of skepticism and worry.
At the same time, the episode wrapped up with Travis and Madison encountering a zombie of their own. The two face down their first flesh eater when Nick takes them to the body of his drug dealer, who he had been forced to shoot earlier. Although Nick thought the guy was dead, the zombie attacks them and the trio barely escaped after killing the thing with their truck.
With Nick’s story now vindicated and Travis and Madison knowing that something terrible is happening, what is in store for the characters in the next episode?
“They will move forward into the second episode trying to wrap their brains around what they’ve seen and protect those who are near and dear to them, and also, try to make them understand that the world is changing,” Erickson explained.
Watch the next episode of Fear the Walking Dead Sunday night on AMC.
[Image Courtesy: AMC]
