What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

Since it was the premiere, I figured I’d throw in a quickie.

Fear the Walking Dead

Morgan made it to Padre, but not the way he wanted to. More than a place, Padre is also a dude. Morgan sat in an interrogation room, Madison leaning against the wall. Speaking over an intercom, Padre said they wanted Morgan to be a collector, and a steampunkish woman put a baby monitor on the table. A baby started crying, and Morgan wondered why the parents weren’t brought in, but Padre said, the parents didn’t want to build something better, but wanted to rebuild what they’d had, but they couldn’t. Morgan said, someone should comfort her, but Padre said, she’d do what the other children did to survive; separate herself from her emotions. Morgan said she sounded scared. Knowing it must be Mo, he said, let him take his daughter and go, but Padre said, they were doing what was best for her, not Morgan. Morgan jumped up, knocking out a guard and grabbing a gun. He accused Madison of being with Padre, but Madison joined him, saying she was going to do what she said she was. He asked if she was sure, and she said there was nothing worse they could do to her than what she was already living.

In (at?) Padre, we were introduced to Dove and Wren, who were about 15 and 8 respectively. Wren put on protective clothing and went into a ring to fight a zombie. She had some flashbacks of zombies in a swamp, and froze, the zombie getting the better of her. She called to Dove for help, and after rescuing her, Dove said Wren was too young for this. Wren insisted she just needed some training, and offered to do Dove’s chores in return. In the city, some kind of troop or scout leader shouted things like, who sustains our way of life? Who is teaching us to be strong? after which, the group said, Padre! Madison was being kept in a cell in the basement, which looked pretty bleak. The door had a dirty, round window, and one of those slots they feed prisoners through. Wren brought down an oxygen tank, and Madison called her closer. When Wren opened the slot, Madison tried to grab her, and she ran. Later, while Madison was putting lines on the wall to mark the days, steampunk woman came in, saying, it was that time of the week. She gave Madison a shot in an arm scarred with previous shots, and Madison grabbed her gun. Putting it in her mouth, Madison tried to shoot herself, but the woman said there was no ammunition in it. She sedated Madison, and said, they knew what Madison wanted was to die, but in Padre, that wasn’t going to happen.

Wren told Dove that she wanted to go to the mainland to build their future, but Dove said the only thing out there was carrion with teeth. Wren asked about Madison, lying to Dove, and saying she’d come upon Madison’s cell by accident. Dove said her name was Lark and she’d been a collector. She’d saved more kids than anyone, until she helped a guy and his kid get off the island. She took out twelve guards with a sledgehammer, and twice as many carrion. She almost killed Padre.

Wren snuck down to see Madison, and asked if Madison would teach her how to kill carrion. She needed to show Padre that she wasn’t too young to wear the mantle. Madison said she wanted something in return; she wanted the oxygen valve turned off. Wren said she knew Madison wanted to die, and Madison said she’d already done what she set out to do. Madison told her to let the weight of the hammer do the work, and after Wren made an unsuccessful attempt at a swing, Madison asked her to come closer; she’d show her. Madison grabbed the hammer through the slot and got the door open, but Wren knocked Madison back into the cell and down. Madison noticed a scar on Wren, and asked where she’d gotten it. Wren said she’d had it since she was little, and Madison asked how old she was. Wren said she was 8, and Madison said Wren’s name was Mo. She’d helped Mo and her father escape. That’s why she was locked up. She took Mo and walked out, threatening to kill Mo if the guards came closer. Madison knocked out all the guards with the sledgehammer, and told Mo that she was taking her as far away from Padre as possible.

Madison drove Mo in a boat for a while, and heard they were looking for her over the radio. She told Mo that she’d made a promise to Mo’s father, and intended to keep it. They were going to find her dad. They got out, and started hiking, and Mo pretended to get stuck in some mud. When Madison went to help, Mo knocked Madison down, and grabbed the radio. Madison followed Mo, but lost her gun, and told Mo that they had to go inland. Mo said, Madison needed oxygen, but Madison said she could handle herself. Mo wouldn’t be able to handle the dead. Zombies were coming, and Mo tried to face one, but had another swamp flashback and froze. Madison killed the zombie, and Morgan came out of the brush. Madison told Mo that he was her dad, and asked Morgan why Mo was back in Padre. How did he find them? He said he’d heard the chatter on the walkies, and this was where they’d escaped 7 years ago. He was here to take Mo back. They kept walking until they got to Pip’s World of Wonders, a deserted fairground. I love a deserted fairground.

When Padre radioed, Morgan took the radio from Madison, identified himself as Nightingale, and said he had Wren. Madison was like, what just happened? and Morgan said she’d been locked away a long time. Madison asked what they were holding over him, but Morgan said Mo was better off with them than him. Mo said she wanted to go back, and Morgan said, this was about what was best for his kid. After a brief struggle, Morgan said that Madison was only doing this to make herself feel better about the other kids she took. Morgan radioed that he had Wren, and was told, Lark (Madison) was no longer needed, and was now a liability to the settlement. Morgan told Mo to go elsewhere, and was about to shoot Madison, saying, if he didn’t do it, they might not let Mo back in, and it’s what Madison wanted anyway. Madison got Morgan down and got his gun, insisting she was going to save them, but Morgan said they didn’t need saving. Zombies started to come, and Morgan said they’d go through the swamp; the swamps were like flypaper to the zombies. They come in, but they can’t get back out. I’d say that was more of a roach motel. Who still uses flypaper? As they walked, Madison asked if they had Grace, and if that was why Morgan was doing what they wanted. She told Mo, that’s what they did. They found out what mattered and threatened to take it away. Morgan said, they could provide a way of life that works. Hearing Morgan’s name, Mo asked, what kind of a name was that? and Madison said, it was Mo’s name too. They told Madison that they’d go after her kids if she didn’t do what they wanted. Her kids were already dead, but Padre made her believe they were alive. Morgan says, when he and Mo were found, they were out of food and water, and at the mercy of a posse. It was only a matter of time before things ended. A flare went up, and Morgan asked for the radio, but Madison threw it in the swamp instead.

Madison said they had to find shelter, and Morgan said he knew a place. They came to a slowly sinking houseboat, and Mo flashed back to being there before with zombies surrounding it, and asked if something had happened to her here. Morgan said, the less she knew, the better. They needed to stay ahead of them. When they got to the houseboat, Morgan said, Padre was going to come looking for them when they didn’t show up at the estuary. He saw Madison’s arm, and she said, they drew her blood once a week. Sometimes she didn’t cooperate. He told her that he was sorry; he didn’t know they’d locked her up. He’d given himself a set of rules. He only took kids who’d lost their parents or whose parents wanted them to have a better way of life. Madison asked what Padre thought of that, but he said, they didn’t know. She asked, who else was on the rafts? and he said he didn’t know where Daniel and Luciana ended up, and no one knew where Victor was now. Mo looked around the houseboat, picking various things up, but Morgan wouldn’t give her any information about what anything was. She found the Walkman and listened to Grace singing. Morgan said, it was nothing, just a song, but Mo said, it wasn’t. She remembered.

Mo said, the zombies were going to pull them under. She remembered. Madison shouldn’t have taken her off the island. As zombies closed in, Mo got Morgan’s gun, but Morgan promised Mo that Padre would find them before anything happened. Mo said Madison wanted to die; now she was going to get them killed. Morgan said they were going to wait for Padre; this is how they were found last time. He’d radioed and told them to come. Madison said they didn’t have a radio this time, and Morgan said, there were as many zombies in the back of the boat. Madison said she’d draw their attention, while he and Mo got away, and Mo said, this is what happened last time, isn’t it? and Morgan said, yes, and he was sorry. Madison banged the sledgehammer against the outside of the boat, bringing the zombies to her. Mo said they couldn’t leave her behind, but Madison told them to go. Mo’s foot got stuck for real in the swamp, and as Morgan fought off zombies, she flashed back to the first rescue there. Madison started banging the boat again and yelling, over here! Morgan said he didn’t think Padre was coming this time, and just as the zombies were about to overpower Madison, Grace sped up the swamp in a boat, shooting all the zombies.

Grace said she got here as fast as she could ,and Mo asked who she was. Grace said, her mother. Now let’s get the hell out of here. She’d heard the radio chatter when Madison escaped, then heard Nightingale’s message. She figured they’d go to the houseboat. Mo said, Grace was the one singing, and Grace said, it was a long time ago. Mo needed to put that out of her mind. Mo said they didn’t have to go back. Seven years ago, Morgan almost died saving her. They could do this. Padre’s been lying to her, saying Morgan was selfish and couldn’t make hard calls, but he did before and did just now. Madison could come with them. Madison said she’d only slow them down, and Mo asked, what about the other kids she’d rescued from Padre? but Madison said she couldn’t help them. Mo asked, why not, since Madison had helped her, and Grace said, it may not be that simple. They hear boats coming, and Grace said she’d radioed Padre, and they were coming. Morgan said, Padre could protect Mo in ways they couldn’t, and it wasn’t up for debate. Grace said. Mo had to go back, but Mo said she wouldn’t go back. She knew something had been missing, and it was her parents. Morgan said they weren’t her parents. Her parents were Isaac and Rachel, and they were dead. He’d made them a promise a long time ago to take care of her, and that’s why she was going back to Padre. Madison said they had a chance to be with their daughter, and they were throwing it away, but Morgan told her to run and not to make it harder than it was. Mo told her to save herself, so she could save others, but Madison said she wasn’t going to make it. Mo said, she had to try, but it was too late.

Some boats came, and Madison was grabbed by guards. Steampunk woman told Madison not to worry; she still had use for her. Madison told Mo to remember what she’d shown her, and the Padre people took Mo and Madison away. Morgan said, at least they got to see her, and Grace said, that’s what made it so hard. Grace started to leave, and Morgan asked steampunk woman what his next assignment was. She told Morgan that he was being retired as a collector. They’d invested too much in Mo. They were afraid she and Morgan might cross paths again, and now she knew he was her father. He knew what was best for her now, but that might not always be the case. She told the guards to take him away.

In Padre, Mo sat in the interrogation room, and over the intercom, Padre said, sometimes we have to learn a lesson the hard way. He was just glad she was okay. He felt she was going to play a crucial role in the next steps the settlement was about to take.

Mo told Dove that she shouldn’t have gone. She wanted to be a part of what Padre was building Lark showed her what was out there. Lark showed her how lucky she is to be here.

Padre’s voice said he was glad to hear that; they needed people like her. That’s why he was going to let this transgression slide, but future transgressions would bring harsh consequences.

Dove said she hoped Mo learned her lesson, and Mo said she did. Getting in the same arena where she faltered the last time, Mo creamed a zombie.

Padre asked if he’d have to worry about her again, but Mo said, no, sir. He asked if he had her word, and she said, yes, sir.  

In the arena, Mo smiled, but then kept it to herself.

Next time, Mo says, something bad happened in there; an army gathers to fight Padre; Morgan and Mo are reunited; Padre comes after Morgan; and lots of zombies.

To All the Moms biological or not, Stepmoms, Moms-To-Be, Mother Figures, and of course Pet Moms…

Happy Mother’s Day!