‘Fear The Walking Dead’ Season 5: The Artist Behind The Painted Trees Is Revealed

Fear the Walking Dead usually takes a while to clear up any mysteries in their post-apocalyptic series. However, Alicia’s (Alycia Debnam-Carey) mission to locate who has been painting trees has actually wound up fairly quickly.

SPOILER ALERT: This article discusses Episode 11 (titled “You’re Still Here”) of AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead Season 5. Please proceed with caution if you have not yet viewed this episode and wish to avoid spoilers.

Over the course of Season 5 of AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead, there have been a couple of occasions where painted trees were noticed by characters. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, John Dorie (Garret Dillahunt) and Dwight (Austin Amelio) saw one of these trees in the first half of Season 5. Then, more recently, Alicia came across one and was captivated not only by the beauty of it but by its message.

“If you’re reading this it means you’re still here,” the message read.

Alicia immediately decided to find out who has been painting the trees. In this episode, Victor Strand (Colman Domingo) tags along with Alicia, which is helpful considering that she has been unable to kill any of the infected since she was sprayed with the blood of a radioactive zombie recently.

Already, fans of Fear the Walking Dead had developed some theories regarding who the mystery painter might be. Most theories fell into two categories. Many believed that Dwight’s (Austin Amelio) wife, Sherry (Christine Evangelista), was the one painting trees. Others suspected it was Alicia’s mother, Madison (Kim Dickens), who is believed to have died at the Dell Stadium in Season 4 of Fear the Walking Dead.

Now, in Episode 11, Alicia’s hunt has come to an end as the discovery was made that new character, Wes (Colby Hollman), was the artist behind the messages being painted on trees. As TV Line points out, there was also a very personal reason for Wes’ artwork.

During the latest episode of Fear the Walking Dead, it is discovered that Wes is tracking down a man who has stolen something from him. By the end of Episode 11, Wes finally kills this man and it is then that Alicia and Strand discover that the man had stolen a manuscript from Wes. While an unpublished book seems a strange reason to commit murder, Alicia reads the manuscript and not only discovers that it is dedicated to Wes’ dead brother but that it also contains the line that Wes has been painting on the trees.

Alicia is then inspired by what Wes has done and creates her own painted tree.

On her tree, the message reads, “No one’s gone until they’re gone.” This is a quote from her mother, who was fond of saying it when she was alive.

Season 5 of Fear the Walking Dead returns to AMC with Episode 12, titled “Ner Tamid,” on September 2.