Fear the Walking Dead Season 2 - Preview
Season 1 of Fear the Walking Dead was received in various different ways, and though there were those who saw it as a refreshing new take on the zombie apocalypse, it's hard to deny that the show's flaws lie very much in its DNA as it threatens to become no different to its parent show.
Season 2 will kick off from where season 1 ended, or shortly thereafter, where a minor union of three different peoples come together and hitch a ride on the mysterious Strand's boat, the Abigail, to try and fight the apocalypse out at sea. If early reviews are to go by, there's more of the same but with a closer resemblance to The Walking Dead proper, but reviews, again, have been mixed. Some feel the show is wasted potential, while others praise it for its attempt to show a unique new side of the fall of civilization.
There's been an almost strained marketing campaign leading up to this season. Much like The Walking Dead itself, Fear last year debuted an extended trailer at ComicCon which drove anticipation, and plenty of noise was being made about the upcoming spin-off. This year, maybe the timing has hindered the show's ability to drive home its return. We've had various short teasers, as well as a behind-the-scenes featurette, and a creative if not original poster to ring in the new year, but perhaps enough of these teasers being pandered on AMC during showings of The Walking Dead will have done enough.
As for what we can expect from season 2, well the first thing is obvious. It will kick off with Strand's Yatch. Kim Dickens, who stars as Madison, has spoken previously however that the season will open where we last left off, with the group trying to hold down the fort at Strand's mansion. The military's cobalt strategy is still in motion, so they won't stay on home soil for very long. Greg Nicotero has stated in an interview that this season will see the group sea-faring for more or less its 15-episode entirety. "They go to a couple ports here and there. They're going to deal with other people who have had the same idea of getting on a boat and going out into the ocean to survive."
The ocean offers plenty, as this has been a long-running suggestion from fans alike regarding the safety of the sea and lack of on the land. Producer Gale Anne Hurd has stated that this season will address that particular topic. While it's been teased that zombies will have a role even in the water, we can expect The Walking Dead universe's version of pirates as the group no doubt comes across some morally ambiguous survivors. While walkers won't be swimming any time soon, the show has figured out a way to make them a genuine threat, which is the most important thing and not just because its The Walking Dead. Its because of the first word in the title.
The show's attempt at setting itself apart from the parent series is to show the beginning of the apocalypse. While the concept behind the franchise is that the humans are the walking dead, that isn't the case and can't be the case for Fear. It seems as though it's only a matter of time before it becomes just another version of its parent show, and while that's been successful it will just fast-forward the oncoming zombie fatigue (which may or may not exist).
Daniel Zovatto (It Follows), Arturo del Puerto (Ride Along 2) and Dougray Scott (Hemlock Grove) have all been announced as new characters on the show. In addition to that, fans may have noticed Flight 462 airing during ad breaks during the sixth season of The Walking Dead. While the series of shorts ended in anti-climax, it has been revealed that a survivor from the doomed plane will be joining the cast this season. You can watch the web-series in full below.
Aesthetically, the show has been rather bland in its primary 6 episodes. Its been very suburban, which is obviously the intent, but in comparison to the grainy, western look of The Walking Dead, this one doesn't quite inspire the same kind of visual quality. Season 2, from early glimpses, looks to balance the bright sunny outdoors and the darkness of home turf, and hopefully it can create tension in its visuals, and rely less on its soundtrack (though it should by no means replace it).
While the series has promise, it also feels like a ticking time bomb. How does it maintain its premise the longer it lives? At what point do we chop off the 'Fear' and continue watching the same show, different cast, as the one that airs October-March? The ocean is promising, and drives plenty of curiosity. I want to see what life is like on the high-seas, but unfortunately I want to see it with a different cast of characters. There's been a valiant attempt to create a family dynamic that's broken but has some hope in this grim new world, but the choices they make at times and the overall lack of common sense exhibited makes it generally hard to put up with them. Some early reviews have suggested that nothing changes and the character's continue to come second to the plot, but we'll have to wait and see if we agree on that front.
Either way, AMC continues to put out fascinating work even in the wake of some of TV's greats departing us over the past few years. With Preacher debuting next month, and Better Call Saul still going strong, hopefully Fear can find its sea-legs and continue to offer fascinating drama on the network, which hasn't seen any recent failures fall through its doorway. Fear the Walking Dead returns Sunday, April 10 U.S. on AMC.
