The penultimate episode of the final series of Fear, the opening instalment of the closing two-parter, has to carry a huge weight of expectation. The key questions driving the narrative of Fear’s last-ever story arc all need to be answered and decisively settled in these two remaining stories. The fate of PADRE, the battle between Madison’s disparate allies and Troy’s resentful militia, and Madison’s determination to lay the corpse of her daughter Alicia to rest – all these concerns require resolution.
Unfortunately, Fighting Like You buckles under the pressure to deliver. Instead, the showrunners revert to what have become Fear’s storytelling signatures: nonsensical and inattentive plotting, wild lurches in character motivation, and random and ridiculous pivots in almost everyone’s behaviour. This makes for frustrating viewing, which offers precious little return for those who have stuck with Fear to the bitter end, watching every other spin-off from the original series leave it for dead.
Troy’s troops have thawed out his frozen walker army and are rallying the herd for a final decisive assault on PADRE’s defences. When Troy is badly injured after his truck is smashed off the road, he persuades a reluctant Tracy to abandon him and find help. Madison discovers Tracy hiding in her armoured car and cuffs her to the vehicle while she sets off to kill Troy. Strand tries to convince Madison to show mercy and forgiveness, but she insists her vengeance will cleanse them of their rage and allow them to build PADRE in the way that Alicia would have wanted.
To his horror, Madison dispatches Troy’s zombified wife Serena, but relents from taking Troy’s life in return for the promises he makes to bring her peace and allow PADRE to survive. While neither fully trusts the other, they agree to intercept Troy’s right-hand man, Russell and halt the walker herd.
The three writers credited on Fighting Like You (Nick Bernardone, Jacob Pinion and Kelly Jane Costello) set aside a lot of time for one-on-one dialogue, much of it focused on the antagonism between Madison and Troy. One of the heavy-handed themes dominating the second half of series eight is redemption and the question of which survivors deserve a second (and, to be strictly accurate, a third, fourth or fifth) chance to make amends for past crimes.
When a seemingly penitent Troy reveals to Madison the reason behind his loathing for Alicia, he shares the story of his unfortunate wife’s demise. Inspired by Alicia, it was, he suggests, altruism and a belief in the decency of others that sealed her fate. It’s this 180-degree turn in Troy’s account of himself to which everyone else has to respond. Throughout the episode, characters take sides on the issue of whether Troy’s recognition of his own failings is sufficient to win him a ‘do-over’. But this gimmick is not just an unconvincing evolution for Troy, its introduction also means that the threat he poses to PADRE evaporates in his remorse. That’s a pretty odd choice for a show looking for an impressive final showdown.
Yet, the writers cannot keep focused on the issue. Instead, they waste time shoe-horning in the unnecessary return of ex-PADRE boss Crane, who captures Madison and Troy. Crane narrates a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it season four flashback, which is intended to explain Madison’s survival back at the stadium. It’s the answer to a question that, by this point, few viewers are still concerned about, and feels like tick-box scriptwriting. This, in turn, leads to a dismally executed sequence involving a rope bridge over a swamp, which ends with Madison and Troy at risk of drowning in the waterlogged mud beneath. It’s only inserted into the plot to clumsily reinforce the idea that Troy is truly remorseful after Crane’s pointless reinsertion is brought to an abrupt end.
All of which and more is upended in the fumbled final moments, which contain a dubious revelation that will surprise almost no one and a single notable killing. It’s a death robbed of its impact by its flip-a-coin justification and by the fact that it sucks the air out of the plot’s preoccupation with the idea that the guilty are not doomed to re-offend. This is all dismal stuff, like watching a once favourite band blow it on their much-hyped farewell tour. With Fighting Like You grinding through the show’s most well-known riffs, there’s now only the guessable closing number to endure.
New episodes of FEAR THE WALKING DEAD – SEASON 8 premiered on Mondays on AMC in the UK
Read our previous reviews of FEAR THE WALKING DEAD below:
Season 8, Episode 1, REMEMBER WHAT THEY TOOK FROM YOU
Season 8, Episode 2, BLUE JAY
Season 8, Episode 3, ODESSA
Season 8, Episode 4, KING COUNTY
Season 8, Episode 5, MORE TIME THAN YOU KNOW
Season 8, Episode 6, ALL I SEE IS RED
Season 8, Episode 7, ANTON
Season 8, Episode 8, IRON TIGER
Season 8, Episode 9, SANCTUARY
Season 8, Episode 10, KEEPING HER ALIVE
