While Fear the Walking Dead does kill off characters, apparently it also likes to bring characters back. In this episode, titled “100,” we find out how Daniel Salazar survived the fire he set to the walkers in the basement of the home where the group was staying. And while normally I don’t care for one-off episodes on Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead, I find this one to be very interesting.
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Out on the Streets
A very injured Daniel has been roaming the streets of Tijuana since the fire. He runs from walkers and finds himself under a car waiting for safety. A man named Efrain finds him and says he can bring him to some water. They walk to a mall, where Efrain says that at 5pm every Tuesday, water comes from a fountain. He lets Daniel drink first and then fills a container to bring to his friends.
He then brings Daniel to a woman named Lola, who treats Daniel’s leg. Afterwards, he brings Daniel to his home. Daniel gives Efrain a haircut to thank him for his generosity and then explains about his past and how he’s killed 96 people while in El Salvador during the civil war. Efrain says the past doesn’t matter anymore.
A Lightning Strike
After Efrain falls asleep, Daniel leaves in search of Ofelia, who he fears might have died in the fire. He doesn’t get far in a storm when walkers come. As Daniel accepts his fate, lightning strikes a walker, which knocks both the walker and Daniel into water that’s flowing into a storm drain.
Two men clearing out storm drains of walkers find Daniel. They bring him to Lola, who is not happy. Lola brings Daniel to Gonzalez Dam, which still runs on generators. She explains that after Tijuana was taken over by walkers, Municipal President Dante took it over and now distributes the water how he pleases. Dante is also Lola’s boss. Lola also explains that Daniel cannot tell them that they know each other, as she’s been funneling the water from the damn to the people in the streets through the fountain.
A New Job
Lola tells Dante’s head of security, J.C., that Daniel is going to be working for her by clearing out storm drains. She gets assertive with J.C. so he doesn’t ask questions. As Daniel gets to work, he questions the way Dante runs the dam, but the other workers tell him that it’s better than being on the streets.
During a lunch break, Dante walks into the mess hall and Daniel doesn’t stand like the rest of the workers. J.C. doesn’t like this and starts to pull rank, picking a fight with Daniel. Dante breaks it up, and he realizes that Daniel is trained by the CIA and killed many during the civil war. He treats Daniel as an equal and says the operation could use someone like Daniel. Dante promises Daniel whatever he wants in exchange for help in finding who is stealing water from him. Daniel reluctantly agrees in hopes of getting a Jeep to go find Ofelia.
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Taking Over
Out on the streets with Dante’s men, they stumble upon the mall with the fountain. But just as they start to leave, the clock hits 5pm and Daniel realizes the water is starting. He calls the men back and leads them to Efrain.
Back at the dam, Lola is furious over what Daniel did. Daniel says he did it to protect her. As he mulls over what he’s done, he witnesses Strand arriving at the dam. He goes to visit him in his jail cell and asks him about Ofelia. Of course, Strand lies and says she’s back at the hotel waiting for him. Daniel knows Strand is lying and still fears that Ofelia is dead.
Daniel then gets called to see Dante, who is beating Efrain for information about how he’s getting the water. Dante asks Daniel to take over and do what he’s been trained to do. Daniel whispers to Efrain that if he gives up Lola, they both will die. But if he keeps his mouth shut, only he will die. Daniel adds that he will try to make Efrain’s death quick. But just as Daniel is going to take a hammer to Efrain, Lola jumps in to protect him.
Dante leads Lola, Efrain, Strand and the two storm drain cleaners to the ledge of the dam. He throws one of the storm drain cleaners over. He then asks Daniel to throw Lola over the edge to her death. Daniel hesitates, and when J.C. starts to intervene, Daniel grabs his gun and kills him, two other guards and Dante.
Daniel frees Lola, hands her his gun and begs for forgiveness, basically asking her to kill him. She offers out her hand instead.
Will He Find Ofelia?
Daniel is a very odd character. Ever since Travis and Madison found him at his barbershop in Los Angeles, he’s cared about himself and his family while also trying to hide his past. But his past has obviously come in handy, as he single-handedly took over the dam. So what is his next move? While I would hope he would stay at the compound to make sure the water is distributed the right way with Lola, I imagine he will eventually leave to find Ofelia.
But will he actually find her? We haven’t seen Ofelia since she left the hotel and was stopped trying to cross the border. Was she stopped by Otto’s crew? Perhaps she’s at the ranch and will meet up with Madison.
And what will Daniel do with Strand? He has always disliked Strand — and rightfully so. Strand lies and cheats to get what he wants. Will Daniel put him back in a cell? And if he does, does that make him just as bad as Dante? Daniel is in a good position now.
What do you think? Do you think he should take over the compound? Do you think he should search for Ofelia? Where do you think Ofelia is? Let us know in the comments section below.
Fear the Walking Dead season 3 airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC. Want more news? Like our Walking Dead Facebook page.
(Image courtesy of AMC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
