Fear the Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 3 Recap: Alaska

In episode 6.03 of Fear the Walking Dead titled “Alaska,” Al and Dwight go rogue on a recon mission for Virginia to follow a lead thought lost, but Al must choose between what she has now and what she’s chasing.

Someone on the Inside

At the beginning of the episode, Morgan brings Rachel and Baby Morgan some supplies and is sporting a fresh new look, seemingly thanks to Daniel’s barber skills. Morgan tells Rachel he has someone on the inside he can trust, reassuring Rachel that he won’t reveal their location, not even to Daniel, until they’re ready to get everyone else out. Rachel asks Morgan if he wants to hold the baby, but Morgan, carrying his trusty new ax, says his injured arm is not quite up to it yet. As Morgan modifies the ax with a newly formed staff attached, he tells Rachel he knows what he has to do in order to save his family from Virginia and bring them back here to rebuild, and he’s scared they won’t recognize the man he is now. Rachel says maybe he’s changed, but he’s still the man they know.

Meanwhile, we finally catch up with Al and Dwight who are on Day 4 of their own mission tasked by Virginia, involving clearing out locations like the funeral home as they document the dead on cameras. After saving Al from an embalmed walker, Dwight radios to let the rangers know their status and about the 15 people who died inside of the funeral home. The ranger tells them to continue investigating, so whatever happened to the dead doesn’t happen to the ones still living. Al tells Dwight what they’re doing is bullshit, but Dwight is happy that at the very least they’re not stuck in one of the settlements. Over a couple of beers, Dwight tries to ask Al about “beer lady” but Al isn’t interested in speaking about Isabelle, instead offering a cheers to Dwight’s still missing wife, Sherry.

In perfect timing, Al and Dwight overhear Isabelle, aka Ground 17, radioing to someone else about an upcoming drop off and Al admits to Dwight that she’s caught their chatter a few times and has been trying to track their movements. Dwight thinks they should go find her, but Al says that Isabelle has protocols and Al isn’t even supposed to know she exists, also reminding Dwight that they have their own protocols under Virginia. Dwight says “screw protocol,” believing Al should be there when the helicopter lands, encouraging Al to run off with Isabelle. If Al goes AWOL, though, Virginia will kill them or their friends, she argues. Dwight says they could fake her death using a recently turned walker with a similar build and messed up face and Dwight could film it on camera for “proof,” which has secretly been Dwight’s plan to escape Virginia if he ever finds Sherry. Al calls the plan crazy, but Dwight is determined to help Al find the beer lady.

Lee & Nora

When Al and Dwight arrive at the office building where Isabelle is expected to land, they find “The End Is the Beginning” graffiti, calling back to the men from the first episode of the season. They then find cages full of rats as well as a stairwell full of the undead, filming everything on their body cams. After getting by the group of walkers, Dwight and Al run into two armed strangers named Lee and Nora. Dwight and Al explain they’re just trying to get to the roof, but the two newcomers warn that the last guy who went up there for help was shot and killed by the people on the helicopter. After being locked in a room, Dwight questions Al about Isabelle, realizing the beer lady and the people she’s involved with are dangerous. Al says she never intended on Isabelle seeing Dwight and reminds him that the beer lady has her protocols.

Lee and Nora ask about the cameras and Dwight says it’s so they can stop bad things from happening to the people that are still alive. Nora gives them back their cameras and tells them they need their help. Al and Dwight are led through a room full of sick people; Al realizes they’re ailing from the bubonic plague and switches their cameras off, telling Dwight they need to leave. Dwight wants to help find antibiotics for the sick, but Al says Virginia will kill them for going off map.

Dwight follows Al out of the room and into the stairwell, watching as she uses an ax to jam the door shut behind them. Dwight doesn’t want to leave the people behind to die and has doubts about Al heading up to the roof, worried now that Isabelle might shoot her on sight. Al says that the last time she felt alive was with her and she wants to feel it again, even if that means taking the risk that it’s just for a moment. Dwight, who has spent a long time searching for Sherry, gets it and follows Al up the stairs.

Plague

The duo continues their way up the building, clearing out walkers as the hours count down to when Isabelle’s helicopter is expected to land. They eventually tear through a wall to climb up some pipes before crawling along with plague-filled rats through a passageway. They finally find their way out of the small space and into a nearby bathroom where Al notices a bump on Dwight’s neck, realizing Dwight is sick. Dwight says it’s not Al’s fault, that there was a rat in his sleeping bag a couple of days ago that could have given it to him. Al feels guilty and is beginning to rethink the plan, wanting to get him antibiotics, namely Cipro, but Dwight is determined to get her to the roof.

Nora catches up with the pair, demanding they contact Virginia so she can bring them antibiotics. Dwight and Al try to explain that Virginia will never help her people. Instead, Dwight offers to use his truck to find a pharmacy. The three work together to take care of a group of walkers, which leaves Nora in tears as the undead were people she knew and used to work with. She asks Dwight and Al not to record them like this, that this isn’t how they should be remembered. Dwight and Al have been collecting driver’s licenses, and Al gives Nora the one for Mark Smith, Nora’s friend from Alaska who was shot and killed so she can remember how he looked when he was alive.

Nora takes Al to the roof access door as the three prepare to split up. Al tells Dwight to hit every pharmacy he can and asks Nora to take care of him. Dwight wishes Al well for her reunion with the beer lady and says he filmed a message on her camera for the helicopter ride. The two share a goodbye hug before Al continues up the two flights of stairs, leaving Dwight and Nora behind.

Unexpected Reunion

Al makes it to the roof with a couple of minutes to spare and decides to watch the sweet farewell video Dwight filmed for her as she waits. As the helicopter nears, Al shoots off a flare gun and then gets on her walkie, telling Ground 17 to reverse course. Isabelle demands to know who is talking on their channel, and Al says it’s someone who wants to help. She informs Isabelle that the building is full of the dead as well as the bubonic plague. Isabelle asks if Al has been infected, and Al says she doesn’t know. Isabelle thanks her for the warning and tells Al that there’s some beer in nearby crates they previously left on the roof. Al takes the chance to say it was really good to hear Isabelle’s voice as there’s not a lot of people left out there. Isabelle copies and tells her to stay off this channel before confirming with ground command that the site has been burned and they’re proceeding to drop site Delta.

When Al opens the crates, she finds the beer plus bottles of Cipro and eagerly radios Dwight, telling him to stay where he is and that she’s coming back down to him. While Lee and Nora distribute the antibiotics, Dwight asked Al what happened on the roof. Al says that she lost her brother and tapes are all she has left of him and she didn’t want that to happen again. The two share another hug before Dwight goes to take some Cipro. Al later tells Nora that they’ll find a better place for them all to live.

After everyone has taken the meds, Al and Dwight follow the survivors down the stairs to leave the building. Al tells Dwight that she doesn’t think the rats and the plague were an accident, thinking someone outside of Virginia’s territory intentionally made people sick. She sees a can of spray paint and assumes the people who left the graffiti behind might be responsible. When Al turns back on her radio, they hear a woman saying she saw the flare from the roof. Dwight recognizes Sherry’s voice and after briefly speaking to her on the walkie races out of the building in search of his wife. Dwight and Sherry spot each other outside of the building and have a beautiful reunion as a happy Al and Nora watch on.

What did you think of Fear the Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 3? Sound off in the comments below!