Fear The Walking Dead Season 3 premiered last week with Episodes 1 and 2 airing back-to-back. It was full of action and suspense. It even included the death of a major character. Although the death seemed random, showrunner Dave Erickson revealed that the shooting was planned. He teased that it will become part of a bigger story later in the season.
FTWD spoilers are ahead. Do not continue reading unless you are caught up with the AMC series.
During the Season 3 premiere of Fear The Walking Dead , Travis (Cliff Curtis), Madison (Kim Dickens), and Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) found themselves hostages of a militia group. Imagine Travis’ surprise when he ended up in a holding cell with Nick (Frank Dillane), who had been separated from the group for quite some time. They eventually all escaped, but as fans discovered in Episode 2, Travis had been shot and dropped out of the helicopter to prevent turning in front of Madison’s children. It was a shocking scene that nobody expected, especially since they thought they were finally safe.
In an interview with TV Line , Dave Erickson talked about Travis’ death and revealed it was not as random as viewers think. In fact, it is going to be part of a bigger story later on.
“We’ll come to find out that the bullets were fired by a specific group for a very specific reason, and that, of course, becomes part of the larger story as we move forward.”
The specific group that shot Travis probably wanted to prevent the helicopter from reaching its destination. However, there were survivors and eventually, they made it to the ranch, where Madison was waiting. Unfortunately, she had no idea that Travis died and Alicia had to give her mother the bad news. Could the shooters end up coming to the ranch to finish what they started?
Erickson also explained why the decision was made to kill Travis on Fear The Walking Dead .
“Following Chris’ death, I think [his father’s] death was inevitable. Travis’ whole trajectory at that point was to do for his surrogate son what he’d failed to do for his biological one. Coming off of Chris’ death, Travis had failed. He’d broken his promise to Liza — he hadn’t protected their boy. So for him, it becomes very much a question of atonement and redemption. And the only way to do that is to return Nick to Madison, which he does. There was a version of the story that extended deeper into the season, but ultimately, we pulled it back and did it in Episode 2, really because of what it did for the rest of the characters going forward.”
As previously reported by the Inquisitr , expect Madison to be changed by Travis’ death in future episodes of FTWD . She will not be as merciful moving forward. It will take her down a dark path and the question is, will she drag her kids down that dark path as well? As fans saw last week, she told Nick and Alicia that they were staying at the ranch. Then, she added even if they have to take it over.
Spoilers Guide released the synopsis for Fear The Walking Dead Season 3, Episode 3, titled “ Teotwawki .”
“Still finding their place, Alicia and Nick fall in with new crowds while Madison discovers Otto’s past mimics that of her own.”
What did you think of Travis’ death in FTWD ? How do you think it will factor into future episodes of Fear The Walking Dead Season 3? What can fans expect from Madison, Nick, and Alicia while staying at the ranch? How will the big character death affect Madison Clark and just how dark will she become?
[Featured Image by Peter Iovino/AMC]