Pocket Full of Posies

Allison Schonter

Ring-a-round the rosie,
A pocket full of posies,
Ashes! Ashes!
We all fall down

 It started with a plague. People became sick. They died. 17th century Europe. The Bubonic Plague. Except, much of the same thing can be said about the world of Fear The Walking Dead. People became sick. They died. And only a few remain standing. History has a way of repeating itself, after all.

“We All Fall Down” opens with a scene on the beach, that, if it wasn’t for the walkers on the beach, you might consider to be a lighthearted moment of play for two children. A little girl and a little boy are collecting seashells and flowers, arranging them on a mat, completely oblivious to the zombies washing ashore. Thankfully there is a fence keeping the walkers from getting any further than the beach, and after setting the mat of their collections near the fence, the children run away.

We later come to learn that these children, Harry, and Willa, are part of a survivalist family living on Catrina Island, which our group just so happens to venture to. Seeking a place to hide in an attempt to lose the boat that is following them, the Abigail docks on the island, and Madison, Travis, Nick, Alicia, and Chris get off to investigate. Daniel and Ofelia stay behind with Strand; Daniel not trusting that Strand won’t leave while the others are gone.

Hoping to garner more information, the group of five approaches the house that they had seen a light coming from. After assuring whoever is inside that they aren’t a threat and are only looking for help, the door opens and Harry runs outside. Once inside, Travis speaks to George, the father, who tells him that the bombs being dropped on L.A. were napalm bombs. He has been checking with the other ranger stations along the coast, and it’s the same thing everywhere. All of the cities have fallen. San Diego has been burned. The border was shut down and there is no way in and out of the country. Colorado is gone. Utah is gone. As far as George knows, more than half of the country is affected by the outbreak. No place is safe.

Meanwhile, Madison talks to Melissa, the mother, who asks Madison about her job as a high school guidance counselor. According to Melissa, she has an MSW and used to work with kids. She had a whole different life before George. In the living room, Nick is playing a game with Harry. Willa, the daughter, is singing ring around the rosie as Alicia watches, seeming almost distant from what is happening until Willa asks her what the rhyme is about. The posies didn’t keep the people safe, Alicia admits. Harry takes Nick to his room, where Nick makes an unsettling discovery. Harry has a collection of action figures, each representing somebody. The neighbors, the Colby’s, Uncle Kyle, and each has a wound on their forehead. According to Harry, it’s what has to happen when people get sick, and when Nick reassures him that that won’t happen to Harry, Harry says that he knows because he has power pills.

Finally making it back to the boat, Nick and Alicia have an almost heart-to-heart moment, neither being able to sleep. The most underrated perk of the apocalypse according to Nick? “No planes. No noise pollution. No smog. Just stars.” But something has been bothering Nick; it’s why he’s still awake. The kids, Harry and Willa, they’ve already seen more than they should see at such a young age. Things will never be normal for them, and Nick doesn’t think it’s fair. Alicia, however, thinks that they’re lucky because at least they’ll be prepared for this new world, as Alicia herself wasn’t. But still something is nagging at Nick…something is off on this island, with this family.

In the morning, Chris ventures off of the boat and onto the island, without telling anyone. He follows Seth, the eldest son, and watches him killing walkers along the fence. Seth ends up teaching Chris how to kill them, handing him the pickaxe and telling him where in the head to hit them to kill them. Chris, it turns out, is a pro at this. Travis, however, finds this disturbing when he finally finds his son and sees what he’s doing. He doesn’t like what this world is forcing people to turn into. George, however, assures Travis that this is how they manage now, it’s how it has to be.

As Travis helps George mend some of the fences on the island, he comes to the realization that there are more walkers on Catrina Island than he had initially thought, and he wonders why George would stay here. George tells him that they all die; it’s only a question of surrender or survival, acceptance or denial. Travis chooses survival, and so does George, that’s why he’s mending the fences.   While Travis and George are talking, Madison finds Melissa in the garden. Madison knows that Melissa had turned on the light for a reason; she had wanted them to come ashore. Although Melissa initially denies it, she eventually admits that seeing the Abigail gave her hope that Harry and Willa could survive, that they could have the kind of chance that they won’t have on this island. She has MS, and George refuses to leave the island, Seth is the same way. Melissa asks Madison to take Harry and Willa.

Alicia wanders around the island by herself (why is everyone walking around alone in the zombie apocalypse?!) and comes across a souvenir shop. There is a sign up sheet for a bird watching tour, and she draws the heart that Matt had drawn on her arm, the one that is now a tattoo. She’s still struggling. Meanwhile, Nick goes back to the house in search of drugs. He finds a baggie full of pills hidden in a globe, but quickly puts them away when Willa comes in and asks him to draw.

On the boat, Daniel hovers over Strand like the specter of death. He’s trying to find out what Strand would be hiding, and when Strand leaves Daniel alone in the captain’s room, Daniel takes the chance to snoop. He finds a locked compartment under a seat and picks the lock. There is a gun hidden there as well as maps. Strand has a plan already. Strand already knows where they’re going.

As Madison tells Travis about Melissa’s request, Nick walks back onto the boat. He tells Madison and Travis that he thinks that George is planning on killing his family. He tells them that he found pills, and he knows his pharmaceuticals. The pills he found aren’t recreational, they’re poison. This revelation is enough of a push for Travis to decide that taking Harry and Willa is their only option, so they rush back to the house. Melissa packs Harry and Willa’s suitcases and gives them to Travis, and Madison assures Melissa that they’ll keep them safe.

Before they can leave, however, George comes inside and sees what is happening. Things only get worse when Harry comes downstairs and says that something is wrong with Willa. Willa took her pill, and now she is dead. Melissa rushes to her side, and before anyone can pull her away, a zombified Willa wakes up and bites her neck. George tells Travis to take Harry and go, so they do.

Strand being Strand is upset with Madison for bringing another passenger aboard the Abigail, Strand believes that children are the definition of dead weight. Strand ultimately gets his way, though, when an angry Seth comes aboard with a gun, threatening to shoot anyone if they don’t give him Harry back. Despite their attempts at convincing Seth that this is what George had wanted, Seth is determined to take Harry with him and stay on the island. As Seth and George step back onto the dock, a zombified Melissa is walking down it, and Harry waves goodbye to the Abigail as Seth shoots zombie Melissa.

Just as posies couldn’t keep those living in Europe in the 17th-century safe, there is nothing that the group can do to keep themselves safe. They tried to keep Harry and Willa safe, but they couldn’t. They all carry the virus. Each day is a fight for survival, but death will always be lurking.

 

Best Zombie Kill: Chris at the fence. He killed those walkers with ease.

Bullets:

 

Don’t miss an all-new episode of Fear The Walking Dead Sunday at 9 EST on AMC…trust me, you’re not going to want to miss it!

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