Every action has consequences and the truth is always eventually revealed. This was the running theme of Fear The Walking Dead’s newest episode “Captive.” The character’s past actions come back to haunt them, and the questions that have risen in the wake of the previous episodes are answered.
Partially set on the Abigail, the group has to find a way to get their family back. They have a hostage in Reed, who is terribly injured and in need of medical attention. It also just so happens that Reed is Connor’s brother, making him the perfect tool for negotiation. Unfortunately, Reed is still in the game of taunting Chris, and Chris demands that he help by staying put just outside of the door and watching him. Chris is looking for a way to help; his father and his sister are captured and this is the only thing he can do.
Chris eventually does take matters into his own hands when he shoots Reed, a mistake that puts the group’s plan to get Alicia and Travis back in jeopardy. Madison has made a deal with Connor: Reed for Alicia and Travis, but with Reed now dead, there is a kink in the plan. As Nick and Ofelia clean the mess that has been made, something that Ofelia is beginning to get used to, Reed reanimates. Quick-thinking Daniel Salazar seizes on this and turns it into an advantage; their hostage is now a weapon that can be used against Connor and his crew.
Meanwhile, Alicia is enjoying a nice steak prepared for her by Connor, who likes to get to know new members. However, Vida, the pregnant woman, quickly confiscates this steak and as Alicia is left alone, she attempts to find a way out, find Travis. She discovers that she is on a boat, but the boat is on land.
Jack had told Alicia that everyone has to pull their weight on the base, and Alicia’s job is talking to other vessels and reeling them in. Her job is to do exactly what Jack had done to her; she is bait used to garner trust. As a large vessel appears on the radar, Alicia discovers that it is MY24, or the Abigail, but it is returning too soon which means that something happened and her family wasn’t dropped safely on land. This causes her to rethink everything she has come to know about Jack, believing that he knew this would happen. The two get into a brief fight, Jack tackling her to the ground and Alicia hitting him in the head with a clipboard.
Elsewhere on the ship, Travis awakes alone and caged. Using a pin that he finds in a book, he attempts to pick the lock, but a door opens and a familiar face walks in. It’s Alex, and she is the one who told Connor about the Abigail. Jake didn’t survive, and she was forced to kill him before Connor and his crew discovered her. Alex blames Travis for Jake’s death and the blood that now coats her hands; he knew what would happen, but he still chose to keep them on the raft. Her deal with Connor included Travis being brought to her. As their discussion continues, Travis admits that he isn’t any better than the man who cut the rope, but his decisions were made in order to protect his family.
When Alicia is finally able to see Travis thanks to Jack, she tells him what she knows. She tells him about the Abigail and she tells him about the escape plan that she has devised with Jack. Travis tells her to leave him if she has a way out; she needs to save herself. Alicia refuses to leave Travis behind, but Travis is persistent, telling her that Madison wouldn’t forgive him if he didn’t let her go.
Back on the Abigail, Madison gets into the dinghy with a hooded and bound zombified Reed. As she approaches the dock, she notices that Connor has only brought one hostage with him: Travis. He informs her that she will get Alicia back once he knows that his brother is all right. So Madison pushes zombified Reed towards Connor just as Connor releases Travis. And this is where Reed becomes a weapon. As the hood is taken off of him, Reed bites into Connor’s arm before lunging at another of Reed’s men. Another of the men charges at Travis, who reacts by head-butting him.
During all of this, Alicia is on her own in the tuna boat. She has been eluding Jack, not trusting him and hoping that she can escape on her own. But she is still adamant to take Travis with her, and when she goes to get him, she encounters Vida. Vida isn’t going to let Alicia go easily, and she attempts to get Alicia into the cage. Vida’s plan doesn’t work in her favor, however, and Alicia fights back, pushing Vida into the cage and locking her in.
When Alicia manages to make her way to the top of the boat, she sees her mother and Travis, the latter of who is still fighting with one of Connor’s men. But she has another problem; Jack has found her. He’s upset. He recognizes that Alicia was trying to leave without him even though they had planned to leave together, and he once again tries to convince Alicia to stay by stating that at some point, her family will be forced to abandon her. She won’t be safe with them. But as Madison calls for Alicia, Travis and Madison now on the dingy, Alicia apologizes to Jack before sliding down the side of the boat and into the water.
“Captive” was very much about truth and consequences, and boy was there a lot of consequences. Alicia’s communication with Jack when she was seeking a connection with someone is what led to the pirates discovering the Abigail. But the truth is, Alex is partly to blame, too, along with Travis. Had Travis fought to allow Alex and Jake to remain on the Abigail, it is likely that Alicia and Travis would have never been put in the predicament that they found themselves in.
While “Captive” was about the consequences of their actions, it was equally about the consequences of this new life that they’re being forced to live and the consequences of survival. The characters are beginning to learn that if you want to survive, it means losing a part of yourself. Travis will do anything to protect his family, and that means that he now has blood on his hands. Alicia is beginning to change, too. She is beginning to realize that this new world isn’t the same as it had been, that people can’t be trusted and that at times, you have to make sacrifices in order to survive.
Bullets:
- Zombie apocalypse weapon of choice: clipboard.
- Chris killed Reed, and it was quite possibly because he wanted to, not because he needed to. Is he the new Lizzie? Should we be keeping an eye on him?
- Is anyone else enjoying the interactions between Nick and Ofelia as much as I am? I’m thinking that we definitely need more of those scenes.
- Also, what is with Daniel hearing voices? I have a feeling that this has something to do with his past…
- A hostage negotiation? Thankfully this one worked out better than the ones on The Walking Dead.
- Nick likes coming face to face with death, and Madison is beginning to realize this.
- A little hide and seek in the cupboards? You are very sneaky, Alicia.
- Mother of the Year Award goes to Madison Clark. Not only is she super protective of her kids, but she also puts herself in danger to save them. She comforts Chris. She doesn’t let Nick do the hostage exchange. She goes after Alicia.
- Blood versus bond…who do you look out for when the world ends? What does family mean? The characters are trying to figure this out, and it’s interesting to watch.
- Jack and Alex are still alive. They weren’t killed. They are alive and well and still have a tuna boat at their disposal equipped with radar. Is it possible that we could see them again?
Don’t miss an all-new episode of Fear The Walking Dead Sunday at 9 EST on AMC.