In AMC‘s Fear the Walking Dead Episode 210, we open on a flashback to a wedding, the same one Madison’s group found the remnants of at the hotel. Oscar and Jessica are celebrating their special day when Jessica’s father has a heart attack and drops dead in the middle of their father-daughter dance. It doesn’t take long before he turns and takes a big bite out of Jessica’s face. Elena, the hotel manager, and her nephew, Hector rush from the ballroom – and lock the door behind them.
Alicia is locked inside one of the hotel rooms, monitoring the zombies outside. She finally picks her moment and slips out into the hall. She turns on her heel when she sees a few zombies at one end of the hall. Hearing a bang, she rushes towards it, hoping to find Ofelia. Nope, just more zombies. With few options, she pries open the elevator doors and jumps onto the elevator cables. A couple zombies lemming into the hole, leaving the only safe exit up. I feel like this scene was written by a high school gym teacher, trying to prove that the rope climb is a worthwhile activity. Elena is a couple floors up and she helps bring Alicia to safety. Then she promptly throws her against the wall with an axe to her throat. Elena brings Alicia to her room, demanding to know where Hector is. She is panicked and angry. Alicia promises she is not there to hurt her; she is just looking for her mom. Elena calms down when she realizes Alicia isn’t one of the wedding guests. A dozen or so survived, and now they have Hector hostage and want Elena dead. Alicia promises they will find Hector, and Elena will help her get to her mom.
Elena and Alicia team up to lure the zombies into an empty room, then Alicia uses a bedsheet to climb into the adjoining balcony, making it just as the walkers break through the sliding glass door. The pair make it down to the ballroom, where Elena admits what she did. She feels guilty and cries over it. Alicia tells her she has seen worse, and promises she won’t let anyone hurt her. They make it to the bar, where the doors are barricaded from the outside. Before Alicia can get too panicked over her mother’s fate, a handful of wedding guests – including the mother of the bride and the groom – have Hector hostage, and will give him back in exchange for the keys to the hotel. They also want Elena to leave the hotel. After some encouragement from Alicia, Elena hands over the keys, and the survivors give back Hector. On their way outside, Alicia opens the bar doors, letting a flood of zombies out.
Alicia, Elena, and Hector move into the bowels of the hotel. They hit a dead end, and without Elena’s magic keys, they are stuck. Hector starts trying to break down the door, when the door opens suddenly. Madison and Victor are inside, safe and sound. They take in Alicia and her new friends.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Mexico….
Travis and Chris are traveling on foot. Travis’ foot is in bad shape and he is starting to have a hard time walking, but he is insistent that they keep moving. They come to a small commercial area and Travis breaks into a car while Chris (after much arguing with his father) checks a restaurant for supplies. He finds some beans and bottled water and scoops them into his bag, while noticing a pair of people dead behind the counter – looks like they were shot. A few zombies wander in. Chris kills one, and a trio of humans make themselves known. Chris runs from the restaurant and the other dudes have to decide to give chase or fight the zombies. They opt for the zombies, and Travis and Chris make a hasty getaway. One of the guys does see them drive away.
Night falls. Travis is having a hard time driving with his mangled foot and finally decides to teach Chris how to drive. Travis believes the world will come back around to where it was before; he refuses to believe this is the end of the world. The car runs out of gas, so they pull over to the side of the road, light a campfire, and split the can of beans. Travis thinks it would be safer for them to go to the mountains. There would be fewer dead, and they could hunt and fish. Someplace high up so Travis could keep an eye out for trouble. Chris doesn’t like this isolationist way of thinking and suggests they go to the border. Travis thinks it would be too dangerous.
Headlights appear and Chris panics. He stomps out the fire and drags Travis into the brush to hide. Chris finally admits that he stole the supplies of the men who are now coming for them. Brandon, the leader, calls for them to come out, promising not to hurt them. He compliments Chris on his “major badassery” and they finally come out of hiding. Chris tries to play macho and point out that he saved Brandon’s life; he owes him. Brandon points out that Chris stole his sh*t.
The five men sit in an awkward circle around a new campfire, sharing some of Brandon’s supplies. Brandon says that Travis and Chris are the first Americans they have met since the outbreak, and they have to stick together and “remain loyal.” They were down here partying (they are total “bros”) and have been trying to get home to San Diego ever since the outbreak. Travis reveals that Los Angeles and San Diego are both gone, burned down. He saw it with his own eyes. This drops a sober tone on the evening, but Brandon maintains his bravado. He asks Travis and Chris about how many they have killed. Travis doesn’t keep count; but Chris does. Seventeen. Brandon is suitably impressed and suggests the men team up with them. Travis declines, saying they are going to carve out a life for themselves here. Brandon can’t spare any gasoline, but does offer to give them a ride to the next town. Chris wants to join up with the bros, but Travis doesn’t trust them. Chris thinks his dad wants to stay in the area in case he can find Madison and work things out with her.
Chris sits with Derek and Baby James in the truck cabin, laughing and goofing off, while Travis sits in the truck bed, quietly, with Brandon. Brandon thinks this is awesome. “No speed limits, no cops, no bills, no work, no nothing. We were nothing before this. The end times made us gods!” Travis is worried by this megalomaniacal rant but Chris interrupts things when he spots a farm. The group checks it out. The cabinets are bare, but there is fertile ground and a water well. Travis wants to make this their home, but Chris wants to continue on with the bros – safety in numbers. Chris goes on ahead to check out the barn with the bros. Travis stays behind, and spots three graves beneath a tree. Two children and their mother. Someone living had to be around to bury them and make their grave markers.
Up at the barn, the boys hear noises. Just chickens. They are excited and have fun scrambling about, trying to catch them. Travis tries to warn them, but is interrupted by the homeowner, brandishing a shotgun and warning them away from his property. Chris and the bros stand their ground. He wants to take this place; Travis just wants to leave. One of the bros snaps the neck of a chicken in his arms; the homeowner shoots him. Without another shot, Chris shoots the homeowner. He almost smiles. Travis can’t look at his son. He realizes he has lost him for good. Instead, he watches the poor homeowner take his last human breath.
You can watch a preview for next week’s episode, titled “Pablo & Jessica,” using the player below.
