As every Walking Dead fan knows, there are tons of communities that formed after the apocalypse. The Otto ranch on Fear the Walking Dead was founded before the end of the world, as Jeremiah Otto and his family have been preparing for years for TEOTWAWKI — or, rather, The End of the World As We Know It. In this episode, titled “TEOTWAWKI,” the Clarks try to adjust to life on the ranch while trying to figure out a way to fit in. Meanwhile, Strand runs into a bit of trouble after leaving the Mexican resort.
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Build a Better Future
At a memorial for the woman who died after the helicopter crashed, tensions are high as the residents of the ranch are not only leery of the Clarks but also of whoever brought down the chopper. Jake, Troy and Jeremiah assure the residents that justice will be served once they investigate further. Jake ends the service with his father’s mantra: plan for the future, plan for a better one.
During lunch service, some of the residents call Madison and Alicia freeloaders. Alicia’s gut reaction is to retaliate, but instead Madison tells her to walk away. In line for food, they meet Gretchen, who invites Alicia to a Bible study group. Madison encourages Alicia to attend. In fact, Madison encourages both her children to fit into the community, despite Nick wanting to leave.
Troy is Trouble
Nick and Alicia express their concerns about Troy to Madison. Later, Troy tells Madison that he’s happy she’s there but is concerned about Nick. Madison assures Troy that everyone will earn their keep at the ranch. But she’s still worried about Troy, so she goes to see Jeremiah and Jake. She asks for assistance in keeping Troy away from her family as well as with the ranch’s residents. She explains that there’s skepticism among the group, and she wants assurance that her family will be welcome.
While Jeremiah acknowledges Troy’s issues, he tells Madison that getting the group to like her family is on her. He then tells Jake to play the tapes for Madison. The tapes are old videos of Jeremiah’s video series for TEOTWAWKI. Madison gets a glimpse into why Troy is the way he is when she sees extra footage of his drunk mother and a stern Jeremiah.
After viewing some of the footage, Jeremiah brings Madison down into the bunker below his house, which is filled with supplies and weapons. He says he wants to build something better than before and asks Madison if she and her family are up for the challenge.
Meet Geoff
At Bible study, Alicia is skeptical at first until she realizes it’s just a bunch of kids drinking and smoking and wondering what life is like outside the ranch. Gretchen then introduces Alicia to Geoff, a walker head they keep in a cage.
Gretchen and her friends ask Alicia a lot of questions about where she’s from and stuff she’s seen out in the real world, as they’ve been on the ranch from the beginning of the end. The group does express concerns about Troy but thinks he and his group are doing good since that’s what’s been told to them. They are also fascinated that Alicia has killed to survive.
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Now We’re Friends
Despite Jake asking Troy to stay away from the Clarks, Troy seeks out Nick and asks if he wants to go on a hunt, which is just a way to get rid of walkers before they can threaten the community. While Nick is skeptical, he does join Troy for the hunt.
While in the woods, Nick jumps Troy and threatens him. He gets his chance at killing Troy but doesn’t take advantage. As his life is threatened by Nick, he tells him to pull the trigger and time how long it takes for him to turn into a walker. Nick gets frustrated with him and fires one off next to Troy’s head. After they wrestle a bit, Troy seems pretty confident he and Nick will be friends.
After everyone gets back, Jeremiah asks for volunteers to go on a run to an outpost. Madison joins in and then sits next to Troy at lunch. This is definitely a move by Madison to work the system and get what she wants.
A Guardian Angel
Down in Mexico, Strand seeks out an old friend, Dante. And despite having a great catch-up conversation, Dante threatens to kill Strand by dropping him into a pile of walkers. In the end, he doesn’t kill Strand, but he locks him up in a cell.
As Strand drinks some water, it’s clear he’s hallucinating, as he spies Daniel in between the window bars.
How Long Will They Make It?
The Clarks aren’t likable people. It’s only a matter of time on Fear the Walking Dead before Madison and her family aren’t welcome on the ranch anymore. Something does seem off about the place. I’d definitely like to see the Clarks stay there for a bit of time, as they need some sort of stability.
What’s up with Strand? He almost lost his life and now he’s having hallucinations. Even though he’s a sketchy dude, I’d definitely like to find out more about him.
How long do you think the Clarks will be staying at the ranch? And what is going on with Strand? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Fear the Walking Dead season 3 airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC. Want more news? Like our Facebook page.
(Image courtesy of AMC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
