‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Recap ‘Blood in the Streets’

When this show aired its first season, never did I think that Nick would become the most trustworthy character. However, after this past episode of
‘Fear’ I can say with absolute certainty that I would want Nick Clark on my ZA team.

As the episode opens, Nick is washing up on the shore with a bag tied to his ankle ‘Andy Dufrane’ style. He makes his way through a sea of abandoned tents (which, by the way, was super creepy), and finds a walker to take down for camouflage purposes. His ability to adapt to the world around him
is pretty remarkable given that they are only a week or so deep into the outbreak.

I don’t know about you, but I initially assumed Nick had jumped ship to swim ashore to try and find drugs. That wasn’t the case, which we will learn later on, but first, you have to get to know Strand and his back story.

 

The Mysterious Victor Strand

Peppered throughout ‘Blood in the Streets’ was the backstory to the very charming, mysterious and territorial Victor Strand. A flashback to a bar in 2005 told us that Victor, the son of a preacher and absentee mother, had lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. Sitting at this bar he chats up a man by the name of Thomas. What starts out as commiserating over a lot of drinks, ends with Strand helping Thomas back to his room, and helping himself to all of Thomas’ credit cards.

Thomas eventually locates Strand, and instead of turning him over to the police as Thomas’ friend Louis suggests, he tells Strand that he will get a return on the money stolen and even possibly utilize Strand and his silver tongue in future endeavors. Flashbacks continue on through the years and eventually we learn Strand and Thomas are living together in a remote compound in Mexico. The very last flashback for the duo is Strand preparing
for his trip to Los Angeles at the very reports of the outbreak, and promising his partner that he will “be right back”. Leaving us with the impression that Thomas Abigail is waiting for him back home in Mexico.

 

 

Trouble on the High Seas

 

 

While Nick is on his bloody walking tour of Baja, the ship is boarded by a bunch of people pretending to be in distress. Surprise, Surprise it is
really Alicia’s CB boyfriend Jack and his merry band of pirates. They quickly get all of the Abigail’s passengers, except Strand, tied up and in the main room. Strand watches from the shadows and when he sees the firepower their captures have, he decides to take the liferaft and bail on them and the boat. The hijackers hear the motor of the raft and take a few shots, hitting and sinking the raft. Strand is left to hold on for dear life. Seems like a karmic fate after Strand leaving not one, but two groups of people in trouble behind.

The leader of the group, Jessie, threatens Chris’ life unless they get the boat started. Travis uses his Mr. Fix-it title to buy some time by promising to hot wire the boat. In the meantime Jack makes Alicia take him to the CB so they can signal their boss, Connor. Alicia tries to
convince Jack that she’ll go with him if they can just let her family go. He agrees to talk to Connor about it and cuts her restraints loose. I can only hope that Alicia is finding her inner Carol and putting on the con of her life. I mean, they are there because of her after all, she’s got to at least try.

Connor arrives just as Travis gets the boat started. Even though he is quiet and not exactly what you picture a villain to be, he decrees that Travis and Alicia will join them, and his gang is to drop the others off on the shore and take the boat. Jack, Alicia and Travis leave with Connor, while Jessie and two other no names stick around.

 

Nick’s Mission

 

So, while I thought Nick was out trying to score, he was really out on a mission for Strand. Apparently the detour to Baja had a purpose – to
pick up Strand and Thomas’ friend Louis. Louis is an integral part of the plan to get back to the compound in Mexico, and Strand trusted Nick to go ashore and retrieve him.

As their zodiac approaches the Abigail, Nick gets a glimpse of the strangers aboard the boat through the binoculars. Luckily Louis was packing a rifle and when he took the shot, it gave the gang on the boat the opportunity they needed to regain control of their situation. Two of the no-name pirates were killed from Louis’ rifle, and Daniel managed to get a jump on Jessie, while Madison stabbed him through the belly.

They were smart enough to keep Jessie alive so they could get intel on where Connor took Alicia and Travis. However, I can’t imagine keeping him alive is going to last very long, especially when Strand gets back on the boat. Who, by the way, was eventually saved by Madison once the captures on the boat were no more.

 

This episode of ‘Fear’ was one of my favorite so far. Getting to know Strand’s backstory definitely helps to understand his motives and what drives him to be so ruthless in his attempt to keep moving forward. Whether he is truly in love with Thomas, or he is just taking advantage of a fortuitous situation is yet to be known, but I am enjoying getting to know Victor Strand.

Do you think he’ll resist going after Alicia and Travis? Will Madison be able to find the rest of her family? ‘Fear the
Walking Dead‘ airs again on Sunday, May 8 at 9/8C on AMC.