As the spin off of AMC’s “The Walking Dead”, “Fear the Walking Dead” has had a difficult road to travel. “The Walking Dead” has been a critical success because although it is adapted from Robert Kirkman’s popular post-apocalyptic comic book sears, the television series can live on its own. In a world where people turn into “zombies” and survivors have to adjust to the new normal as they continue to try to survive, the main characters continue to develop. We get attached to characters before they are killed off and we are left devastated. Yet this is why “The Walking Dead” is so beloved.
“Fear the Walking Dead” had a great premise. What would it be like to watch people adjust to the beginning of the “zombie apocalypse” unlike “The Walking Dead” where Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma and finds the world he knew is completely gone. “Fear the Walking Dead” has had a lot of promise viewing the apocalypse from the start and viewing it through one “average” Los Angeles family’s eyes. Although the series started off interesting and captivating, it seemed to take an uneven turn in Season 2.
Here are the problems with “Fear the Walking Dead” and how the show expects to improve in Season 3. (P.S. that unexpected death from the first episode is a great start).
Problems with Seasons 1 and 2
The last half of season 1 and season 2 of “Fear the Walking Dead” were difficult to view. The main characters who we got attached to in the beginning didn’t really continue to develop, and some seemed to be killed off way to soon for us to be upset. “Fear the Walking Dead” tended to write characters in the corner simply to advance the plot. “The Walking Dead” has somewhat desensitized us to the gore and violence in the show, so “Fear the Walking Dead” really needed to work on character and story development to make us care. It didn’t.
Hope for Season 3
After a difficult beginning, season 2 of “Fear the Walking Dead” started to show hope. It seems like the show could be back on track for season 2. The show is starting to return our interest in the stories about the characters we love including Nick and Alecia. The return of Travis and the way he has adjusted to the apocalyptic world is hopeful. The changes in his son and his subsequent death have helped Travis to realize there is a new normal and justice is not always based on the conscience. There is no longer right and wrong. The world is filled with grey areas. The introduction of interesting new characters is hopeful. They seem complex and we can’t wait to see them develop and get to know their pasts. Hopefully “Fear the Walking Dead” doesn’t kill them off too soon before we get to known them.
For “Fear the Walking Dead” to stand out from “The Walking Dead”, the show needs to refocus and it seems like this is the way it is going. Character development is vital to these shows. As much as we hate it when our beloved characters die in the crazy apocalyptic world, the fact that it affects us is the point. The loss of potentially complex characters on “Fear the Walking Dead” and the way we care is so important. It takes the television series so much further than a comic book could. It puts the situation in prospective and we start to relate.
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