Fear The Walking Dead airs on AMC tonight with all its gory goodness with an all new Sunday August 23, Season 1 premiere episode called “Pilot” and we have your weekly recap below. On tonight’s episode, in the opener of this “The Walking Dead” spin-off, a dysfunctional blended family is forced together.
‘Fear the Walking Dead’ is the widely-anticipated companion series to AMC’s hit – ‘The Walking Dead.’ Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his gang of jaded survivors aren’t a part of this series that explores the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. The timing covers the period Rick was in his coma as the world around him turned into a walker-infested challenge of survival and airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
The new Walking Dead series begins with a focus on a family that is trying to blend into one household. Madison Clark (Kim Dickens), a high school guidance counselor, and Travis Manawa (Cliff Curtis) an English teacher, are struggling with the trials of moving in together and creating a solid family unit. Madison’s son, Nick (Frank Dillane), is a drug addict whom she struggles to protect from his own demons. Madison’s seemingly perfect but angsty daughter, Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) wants little to do with the family she feels brings her down. Travis’ family has a similar setup; Liza (Elizabeth Rodriguez) is the single mother of Travis’ bitter son, Chris (Lorenzo Jame Henrie).
Another focus is the Salazar family. (As a Harry Potter fan, I can’t help but mentally add Slytherin every time the name Salazar comes up. Fun fact – Frank Dillane played the 16-year-old Tom Riddle/ Voldemort.) The head of the supporting branch of the show, Daniel Salazar (Ruben Blades) is a barber who has paved a way for his wife, who isn’t named in the featurette which suggests she quickly becomes zombie-chow, and over-protected daughter, Ofelia (Mercedes Mason).
Tonight’s episode begins now – Refresh Page often to get the most current updates!
#FearTWD begins with Nick waking in a church that’s serving as a crack house. He staggers downstairs and calls for Gloria. He hears screaming and banging. He goes looking around and sees a dead guy with a chunk missing out of his neck. He’s horrified. He grans up a metal poker to use as a weapon and heads into the sanctuary whispering Gloria’s name. He spots her with dead eyes eating someone. He falls back in shock and she comes for him.
He finally gets it together enough to run and he runs and runs (if you saw the trailer, this was the scene where his pants were falling down and he was running flat out in terror). He gets away and then slows to gasp for air and is struck by a car. Sirens sound and people rush to check on him. The city looks busy and chaotic. A woman says he just ran out in front of the car.
Madison tells Alicia they have 5 minutes to go. She yells because they’re late. Travis is trying to fix the sink as she makes breakfast. Travis says he fixed it and saved them $300. He kisses on Madison as the phone rings. She tells him to get it. They head to the hospital to check on Nick. The doc says he ran into traffic and is delusional. Madison says he was likely high on heroin.
He tells the cops that he was just out for a run and they ask where he scored and he laughs. They tell him he could have died. He says coulda woulda shoulda. They want to know why he was running. Madison kicks them out and says to come back when he’s healed. She asks what happened and Nick tells his mom that LA is not pedestrian friendly. She asks why he’s restrained and if he hurt himself.
Nick says he won’t go back to rehab and tells Travis he can’t do anything for him. Nick says to leave him alone. Travis calls for a moment of peace then his phone rings. Alicia asks Travis if he’s glad he moved in. Liza, he ex, calls and he says they found him. She asks if he can still take Christopher and he says yeah but his son says he doesn’t want to come to her dad.
Liza makes Chris take the phone. Travis says it’s his weekend and Christopher says he’s forcing him. Chris says Nick is not his friend or brother. He gives the phone to his mom who says she can keep him and ends the call. Travis is upset. He goes back inside and Madison comes out of Nick’s room. She says she has college counseling today and says she needs to find Nick a new facility.
Travis says he’ll stay with Nick at the hospital. He says he loves her and she says he’s stupid and didn’t sign up for this. He reassures her. They hug and she and Alicia leave. Travis goes back into Nick’s room. Alicia plugs in her headphones on the drive as Madison says her brother will be okay. Alicia says at least while he’s restrained and says she can’t send him away like when he was younger.
Alicia says he’s an adult and he’s worse but Madison says he just needs the junk out of his system. They pull up at the high school and go inside. Artie, her boss, greets her and asks if she’s okay since she was running late. She fills him in on Nick and says Stacy will take Travis’ classes. The metal detector goes off and Artie goes to stop Tobias and she asks if things are okay at home.
Madison pulls him into a private room and asks him to hand it over – he’s got a knife in his hand. She asks what’s up and he says it’s nothing. He says it’s just for whittling. She asks if Dominic is bothering him and he says no, he’s tutoring Dominic now. She asks again about the knife and threatens to expel him. He says it’s safer in numbers and she asks from what.
Tobias says no one is going to college or doing anything they think they are. She asks what he means and he asks for his knife back. She locks it in her desk. Tobias says there are reports in five states – a virus or a microbe and it’s spreading and people are killing. Madison says the authorities would tell them if it was a real problem. He sort of laughs and says sure.
He asks if he can go to class and she tells him to go on. Alicia heads outside to where some guys are airbrushing art on a wall – the senior project. She flirts with a guy and then heads back to class. Nick wakes from a nightmare to find Travis sitting by his bed. He asks about what Nick says he saw and if it was a hallucination. Nick says he’d like to think so but it’s never happened to him before.
Nick says maybe he’s losing it and Travis says that’s what a psych eval does. He asks Travis to untie him and he says the doctors are worried. Nick says he wasn’t running into traffic but was running from what he saw. He says Gloria, a girl he knows, was… He stops. He tells Travis the church is a junkie communion and says you buy then go there to shoot.
He says Glo was with him when he scored and was with him then he woke and went down, everyone was dead and there was blood all over her mouth. Nick says she came at him and says she was eating them. Travis tells Nick that’s the drugs talking and Nick says he’s not so sure. He says if it didn’t come from the H, it came from his mind and says he’s insane if it did.
Travis rolls to the church later and looks around. He’s alone and sees the fence is chained shut. He finds a way in through a window and takes his flashlight since it’s after dark. Madison comes to see Nick later and hears raspy breathing from the old guy sharing his room. Nick is sound asleep. Travis works his way through the church room by room.
No one seems to be moving around. He goes into another room and finds a scared junkie that screams – don’t kill me, don’t kill me. Travis asks what happened but the guy has locked himself in a bathroom so Travis moves on, still looking around. Madison sits crying by Nick’s bed. Travis sees a splash of blood on a wall and then yells to see if anyone is there.
He trips and then slips in a huge pile of blood. He’s icked out and runs out – but there’s no one there. There are no bodies – you know what that means… Travis and Alicia find Madison tucked in the bed sleeping beside Nick. Travis says they brought her clothes and school is in an hour. He tells Nick they’ll be back and he and Maddy step out.
Alicia tells Nick that Mom seems to like the new step but she’s used to disappointment. She wheels Nick’s food tray over to him and sits his bed up. He says she thinks she’s perfect and he’s not. She feed him Jello and she says she doesn’t compare herself. He says he’s not crazy and says it won’t be like this anymore and says he’s ending it by choice. She says okay but doesn’t believe him.
Travis waits outside for Maddy and she says the shoes are a bad choice. He says he went to the place where Nick was getting high and says bad things happened there. He says Nick needs to know if what he saw was real but Maddy says of course it wasn’t and says Travis can’t enable him and he says he doesn’t think Nick was lying. She says no one ate anyone then asks why he’s doing this.
Travis says he wants to help but she says helping Nick won’t fix things with Chris then says they’ll help them both. She kisses him goodbye and she and Alicia take off. Travis comes back upstairs to check on Nick and asks if he needs anything then says the shrink will come see him today. He tells Nick he’s sorry and Nick says it’s nothing new.
Nick says he wants to get clean. Travis asks if he means it and he says he always does. Alicia skips class to hang out with Matt and they talk about missing each other when they go off to college. He draws on her arm in Sharpie and asks if she saw her brother and if he’s better. She says better than he was two days ago. She says once he’s out, no.
Matt says this is not on her. She says one more year. Matt asks her to meet him after school and says he can make this better. She asks if he’s magic. He says his folks are still out of town and they make plans to go to the beach then back to his house. She says they really get each other and snuggles with him some more. He draws a cool rose on her arm in black.
Travis is teaching and wakes Russell who is not participating in class. Travis sits by him to engage him. He’s teaching English. He’s doing Jack London and tells Russell he did a good job and would do even better if he stayed awake. Maddy watches from the door then walks on. She stops by the front office where Artie sits slumped over. Looks zombie-esque but he’s listening to teachers on the intercom.
He tunes in to Travis’ class who’s talking about man versus nature and says nature always win. Nick hears the old guy’s raspy breathing and calls out to ask if he’s okay. The nurse comes in and Nick asks if he’s okay. She makes him get on the bed pan and he asks if she can untie one hand. He says it will be easier and less messy. She undoes his right hand and says he can have a moment to himself.
Nick thanks her and she leaves. He rapidly undoes the other hand and the metal bed pan falls and clangs just as the guy next to him codes. The nurse runs back in and they call for a crash cart. They try to defibrillate him and then wheel the old guy out. The nurse tells Nick to stay put and she’ll be back. He waits until they’re gone and undoes his restraints.
He then grabs the old guy’s clothes and puts them on in a hurry then creeps out. He tries some cabinets with no luck – likely looking for drugs. He creeps down the hall in the pilfered clothes and outside the hospital. He checks the guy’s pocket and finds a cigarette so he tucks it behind his ear. Madison and Travis are furious that Nick is not in his bed. The nurse says his roommate coded and it was chaos.
Maddy tells Travis to take her where it started. She says he might go back to try and figure out what he saw. Travis says she doesn’t want to see this but Maddy insists. There are some shady looking people loitering in the park, barely moving. They pull up at the church and she won’t wait in the truck. They head inside. Travis calls out hello and shows her there are no bodies.
Maddy says something bad happened there and says it’s a violent place. She heads upstairs and Travis says it’s not her fault but she says it’s in the genes. He reminds her that Alicia is fine and she says she’s batting 500. He says Nick isn’t there and says they should go. Madison says that’s where he slept once they get to the upstairs area. She finds a book of Nick’s there and then a heroin kit falls out of it.
She sees the blackened foil and the needle. Travis tells her to come away from this. They head back outside. He asks if they can go home but she says not yet. She says to take her to Calvin’s. They find Cal vacuuming out his mini van. She says he looks good then he asks if they’re looking for Nick. She says he ran away from the hospital. Cal says he hasn’t seen him in a while.
He says Nick moved away from them and he doesn’t know where he would be but offers to make some calls and ask around. They head inside his house. Travis calls Chris and gets voice mail. Nick found enough cash in the pockets to buy a burner phone. He makes a call and says he needs to talk to him, whoever him is. Then he goes and sits up under a freeway overpass.
Alicia texts – I’m here – she’s at the beach waiting on Matt. He doesn’t show and she texts that she’s leaving. Travis tells Maddy they’ll find Nick but she says he doesn’t want to be found and would rather sleep in that place than his own bed then says she’s not sure if she wants him home. Travis says that makes her human.
Maddy says she’s tired of waiting on a call from the morgue but Travis reassures her as they pull up into traffic on the freeway. There are sirens and a police chopper flying by. He says they should call Alicia and tell her they’re stuck – he thinks it was a high speed police chase gone bad. There’s a police loud speaker that says to stay in your vehicle. They step out to look around.
The police repeat the request. They hear gunfire. Travis says to get back in the truck and he pulls around the back up at their exit and drives down the freeway further. Artie sees only five kids got off a school bus and wonders what’s up. Then he finds the teachers watching the news – they see a guy attacking an EMT that was helping him. Looks like he’s eating the guy.
They see the cops beat him but the guy doesn’t go down, he keeps attacking people. They wonder if it’s a virus, toxin or a drug. They finally shoot the guy a bunch of times and he keeps coming. Artie says parents must have kept their kids home. Travis tells her it’s like Nick described and she asks him to call the police and report Nick missing.
Nick makes another call and says he needs to know what went down at the church. Alicia tells her parents that her parents were near the incident. She texts Matt to ask where he is. The teacher threatens to take their phones as they see the guy last night get up again and again until he’s shot in the head. The teacher tries to take her phone but then Artie announces it’s a half day and school is let out.
Maddy is there and tells Alicia she wants her home and she asks about Nick and Madison says that means she’ll be there when he gets back. The students file out and Travis catches up with Maddy and says they need to go before they get blocked in. She sent Alicia home on the bus. Alicia sees Tobias on the bus and gives a little wave but he looks grim.
Nick goes into a diner and hears people coughing. He meets Calvin and says he’s sorry. Cal tells him to sit and he does. Calvin tells him his mom is looking for him and came to his parents’ house. He says he can’t have that. Nick says his mom doesn’t know what he does and Calvin asks if he’s been talking about him. Nick says Maddy is just worried about him.
He swears to Cal that he would never tell anyone what he does. Obvi he’s a drug dealer. Calvin says he needs food and Nick asks what he gave him. Nick asks if it was laced with PCP. Cal says he doesn’t want paranoid customers and asks where he heard it. Nick sighs and says the church was a blood bath and says Gloria killed two people and Calvin says that makes no sense.
Nick says he saw it and can’t get it out of his head. Cal says to contain himself and Nick sips some ice water and says he’s sorry and leaving. Calvin tells him to stay and hugs him close. He puts his arm around Nick and says he gets it – that Nick saw some bad shit. Nick cries and says he can’t get it out of his head. Calvin holds him while he cries then asks how long it’s been and Nick says a couple of days.
Nick says he’s managing and is trying. Cal asks if he’s got his works and Nick says no. Cal pulls him close and says he’s got him. Nick thanks him. They leave the diner together. Calvin says Maddy told him he was in an accident and Nick says he didn’t look both ways. Cal asks if the cops talked to him and Nick says he has a lot of questions.
Calvin takes him to an out of the way area down by a mostly empty culvert. Calvin gets something out of the trunk and tells Nick to come with him. He sees a gun and they grapple for it. Calvin punches him and Nick screams. The gun goes off and Calvin goes down. Nick backs away from him. Calvin breathes for a moment then collapses. Nick creeps closer and calls his name. He rolls him over.
There’s a bloody hole in his stomach and the stain grows larger by the moment. Nick looks at the car and gun then runs off without either, on foot. Nick sits smoking later when his mom and Travis come to pick him up. Nick is upset that Travis brought his mom when he asked him not to. Nick whispers to Travis that he did a bad thing and says – he pulled a gun on me and tried to kill me.
He says he shot Calvin and killed him. Maddy asks where he is and Nick points. They head down into the culvert to look for Calvin. Travis says it’s self-defense no matter what. They stop just outside the tunnel to the culvert and they get out of the truck. Maddy spots his car but they don’t see a body. Travis calls out for Calvin. Nick gets closer and says no then says he was there.
He insists Calvin was right there. Nick looks under the car. Travis says they’ll call Calvin and see what’s going on. Nick is faint because he thinks he’s cracking up. Maddy holds him as he collapses. They get back in the truck. Travis backs the truck through the dark tunnel. They see someone walking towards the truck. Travis tells them to stay put. It’s Calvin.
Madison gets out and goes to see even thought Nick tells them not to. Calvin tries to bite them both. Nick backs the truck into Calvin and runs him over. They see Calvin get back up off the ground. Madison and Travis watch in horror. Calvin comes for the truck and Nick runs him over again. Calvin keeps moving on the hood of the truck. Nick slams on the brakes and Calvin’s body goes flying.
He gets out and Maddy and Travis run up too. They see that his body is lying at a horrible angle on the ground. Travis says God. Then Calvin’s head turns and he snarls. Travis shakes his head. They see his dead blue eyes and mangled body. Maddy asks what the hell is happening and Travis says he has no idea.
THE END!
PLEASE HELP CDL GROW, SHARE on FACEBOOK and TWEET THIS POST!