Fear The Walking Dead 2x02 "We All Fall Down" episode discussion...*SPOILERS WITHIN*

[MinionZombie]

Please keep all talk of episode 2x02 "We All Fall Down" specifically inside this thread.

If you have a theory for a following episode, please use the "spoiler tags" (visit the HPOTD FAQ to find out how to use them if you don't already know).

Enjoy!

Directed by: Adam Davidson
Written by: Brett C. Leonard & Kate Barnow (Story), Kate Barnow (Teleplay)

By the way - FTWD has been renewed for a third season consisting of sixteen episodes.

[Zombie Snack]

If I was Travis I would crack his pouting kid Chris upside his head, swear to god I would. Salazar is on to Strand like white on rice.

[facestabber]

I am struggling to connect to this show. I am fine with a boat, the ocean, an Island visit etc. But the characters just aren't cutting it. I don't care about them and that's a problem. The world is potentially ending and the emotions you see from these people is to 'chat' on a radio with a stranger. I hope that girl is killed off violently soon. And the Hispanic boy has zero depth. He can die too.

Its end of the world zombie story so I have some interest but it is fading fast.

[MinionZombie]

Even on Talking Dead they're struggling a bit to find enough to talk about, and with Fear being in its infancy we don't have a wealth of backstory to refer to and read-back-into like we do with TWD (nor do we have source material to ponder).

There's various ideas in the episode that I like, various moments, but on the whole it feels in need of more material - or a faster pace (i.e. fewer episodes). I enjoyed the set up of the island itself, the fenced-off beach, clearing the washed up walkers (or "floaters" as one guest referred to them as on Talking Dead :lol:), indeed the opening was very creepy with those fresh walkers stumbling out of the crashing waves.

Yeah - Alicia and Chris generally just do my head in. You can understand that Chris has just lost his mother, but I feel like his grief could be written differently ... the trouble with being a viewer is we're already so far more advanced than the characters because of TWD. We know where this is all going, so our tolerance for people getting to grips with this world is lacking. Alicia just annoys me, moping around like a living, breathing, filler machine just there to use up some running time.

Now, Nick on the other hand is far more interesting. Great performance from Frank Dillane, too. I really dug his scenes in this episode - I like the juxtaposition of how well he's coping in this world compared to the others.

Strand continues to intrigue, but I'll need some more concrete info soon or I'll tire of the subterfuge. I'm wondering if he's some sort of guns/drugs runner or some kind of government agent of some sort.

I continue to like Travis as a character, and Maddie, and of course Salazar. Interesting that Ophelia is finally beginning to understand her father a little more now, why he's been able to do the things he has in the past (distant and recent). Although, again, I'm not especially drawn to her character. Salazar, yes; Ophelia, not that interested.

The main problem the show has is finding it's own relevance. Viewers will be coming from TWD land already - we know where it's going, as I've already said - and so, seeing another group of civilians journey through this world seems rather samey with inevitable lessons learned and encounters experienced along the way. The boat aspect gives us a new dimension on it, but again, it's only a location - we need stronger material to go along with it. It would have been much more interesting, looking at it now, to have seen the series from a governmental perspective - you could have people at different tiers of the hierarchy, from a grunt on the ground with a family to protect (so you can include some civilians) all the way up to, heck, the President. That would have provided quite a different perspective on the whole thing! That would have also made it easier to write in much more material in the early days (i.e. avoiding the 9 day time jump).

As a side note, I wrote a script a couple of years ago that included some of those aspects - the government side of a 'zombie' apocalypse - in addition to the civilian side. It was only a spec script, the first episode of a planned-out six, but there was a wealth of material offered up by covering the government's side as well.

I'm fearing (pun intended?) that FTWD is turning into The Walking Dead: West Coast, like a CSI spin-off doing the same stuff in a different location and not much more. Hopefully there'll be something to spice things up soon, because I can't see FTWD catching on beyond its current level if things continue as-is. We've got some strong characters in there, but also some rather weak ones, so we could do with a bit of an oomph to the whole thing. Season 1 was much more compelling.

I like FTWD, but ... hmmm.

[Moon Knight]

This episode reminded me of a Telltale episode of TWD. Beginning to end.

Chris was never likeable; even before the ZA started he was already treating Travis like shit. Alecia can improve. Why not. I really do like Travis. His character can go a long way; Maddie too. Nick is fantastic and a joy to watch. Strand and Daniel are probably the strongest characters right now along with Travis. Daniel is pretty fascinating. Ophelia has nothing going on. I just wish this show would focus more on family and strangers working together in this early version of the Apocalypse rather than moping around and hating eachother. It's way too early for that and it's pretty hard to root for anyone. This show just got green lit for season 3 but unless they change the structure of this group viewers just won't care for that long.

[DayoftheZ]

This show is the equivalent of making a porno and only filming the cigarette smoking at the end.

I have suspicion that all I will be able to say each week is Daniel and Nick are great characters, I like Travis and I hope Chris and girl Chris die slow and painful.

Some of the walker action is cool for example the rising out of the waves, but we have TWD for that. So far I am finding myself hoping that the cut short FTWD and get Nick an Daniel onto the main show.

[Neil]

This show is the equivalent of making a porno and only filming the cigarette smoking at the end.

I have suspicion that all I will be able to say each week is Daniel and Nick are great characters, I like Travis and I hope Chris and girl Chris die slow and painful.

Some of the walker action is cool for example the rising out of the waves, but we have TWD for that. So far I am finding myself hoping that the cut short FTWD and get Nick an Daniel onto the main show.

That opening scene was great!



Now, two questions:-
1) Can someone explain to me why daddy was going to sooooooo much trouble to defend the family when he was planning on poisoning them?
2) I sort of missed the poisoning of the daughter? How did she get the tablets?

[MinionZombie]

1) Can someone explain to me why daddy was going to sooooooo much trouble to defend the family when he was planning on poisoning them?
2) I sort of missed the poisoning of the daughter? How did she get the tablets?

1) Hmmm ... good point. I'm not sure when he was planning to do it, it might have been planned for much later?

2) Nick found the pills in that globe thing, and the girl saw him holding that thing but dragged him away to go play. Obviously she went back to her father's office, found these pills - which the other kid described as 'power pills' or something like that (so, even weirder that the kids knew about these things beforehand, but were made to believe they were something else).

Speaking of the little girl zombie attack - did anyone else feel her biting her mother was strangely edited? It almost felt like they were missing footage, or had to cut around an effect that didn't quite work.

[Moon Knight]

1) Hmmm ... good point. I'm not sure when he was planning to do it, it might have been planned for much later?

2) Nick found the pills in that globe thing, and the girl saw him holding that thing but dragged him away to go play. Obviously she went back to her father's office, found these pills - which the other kid described as 'power pills' or something like that (so, even weirder that the kids knew about these things beforehand, but were made to believe they were something else).

Speaking of the little girl zombie attack - did anyone else feel her biting her mother was strangely edited? It almost felt like they were missing footage, or had to cut around an effect that didn't quite work.

I agree on the editing. It was a bit jarring. I've noticed this show is kinda sloppy in the editing department. Go back and watch the scene when Travis confronts Chris back in the season opener; the scene when Chris hits his dad. That was rough!

[MinionZombie]

I agree on the editing. It was a bit jarring. I've noticed this show is kinda sloppy in the editing department. Go back and watch the scene when Travis confronts Chris back in the season opener; the scene when Chris hits his dad. That was rough!

It's not too bad, but I see what you mean - it cuts too often, and essentially just back and forth between two angles. Feels like they tried to amp up the scene with quicker cuts, but a couple of edits in there are very rough. That scene could have used a little more work in the edit suite, and perhaps been staged differently to help in the cutting, too.

[kidgloves]

I was really enjoying this until the pills plot. Absolutely ridiculous.
I do see potential though so I'm going to hang on in there

[Moon Knight]

It's not too bad, but I see what you mean - it cuts too often, and essentially just back and forth between two angles. Feels like they tried to amp up the scene with quicker cuts, but a couple of edits in there are very rough. That scene could have used a little more work in the edit suite, and perhaps been staged differently to help in the cutting, too.

I really dislike how the shots are inconsistent. In one frame Chris appears to be struggling with Travis as his facial expression paints that story and the next shot he looks a bit calmer; his facial expression totally not matching. Ugh I notice little annoying things like that haha.

[Neil]

Speaking of the little girl zombie attack - did anyone else feel her biting her mother was strangely edited? It almost felt like they were missing footage, or had to cut around an effect that didn't quite work.

I was only half watching at that particular point... but I do recall feeling something felt odd at that specific moment/scene...

And christ, mum turned quick, and left the house quick!

[MinionZombie]

And christ, mum turned quick, and left the house quick!

I know, right?! And what happened to the father? He just sat down all dejected right there in the same room as his dead wife - did he get bit? If so, why wouldn't the mother just chow down on his corpse and not end up walking down the dock?

[Moon Knight]

I know, right?! And what happened to the father? He just sat down all dejected right there in the same room as his dead wife - did he get bit? If so, why wouldn't the mother just chow down on his corpse and not end up walking down the dock?

That scene should have started before the second to last commercial break. Too much of a sequence to try and fit into the last segment. That's what happens.