Fear the Walking Dead has come a long way, edging out The Walking Dead in terms of enjoyment, entertainment, and story.
“As “Fear the Walking Dead” returns for Season 3, our families will be brought together in the vibrant and violent ecotone of the U.S.-Mexican border. With the world’s end erasing international lines, our characters must attempt to rebuild not only society, but the notion of family as well. Madison has reconnected with Travis, but Alicia has been fractured by her murder of Andrés. Mere miles from his mother, Nick’s first action as a leader saw Luciana ambushed by an American militia group, and though the couple escaped death, Nick no longer feels immortal. Meanwhile, recovering both emotionally and physically, Strand has his sights set on harnessing the new world’s currency, and Ofelia’s captivity will test her ability to survive and see if she can muster the savagery of her father.”
When Fear the Walking Dead debuted, I didn’t take the time to watch because I felt AMC was just capitalizing on the popularity of The Walking Dead. While that may have been the case in the beginning, this show has grown considerably from what I remember from the little I remember of the first season. It’s smart, edgy, paced the appropriate amount from what a television show should be, everything that The Walking Dead isn’t nowadays. While I don’t intend for this to be a platform to bash TWD for what it’s become, the contrast between the two shows it what is so astonishing and what makes me excited for the future of FTWD.
What has always been my biggest issue with TWD has been about pacing. The show is absolutely horrible at it. Whether it’s the season about pigs getting sick, or the first three episodes of a new season that all take place in the same hour of time just from different points of view, TWD has a big problem with getting the story they want to tell out. Since I don’t read the comics, I don’t know if they are just buying time for big events to happen or trying to fill an entire season with a small amount of material. Whatever the reason, it’s a general consensus from everyone that I know that the show needs to just end. So what is it that is so different about TWD from FTWD? While I can’t nail it down precisely, I do know that the story moves forward consistently, even violently at times, changing the entire nature of the show in a single episode. Character arcs and interactions flow much more fluidly here, with a dynamic between them that feels so much more diverse than TWD, with not everyone trying to be the intimidating silent type. Could this be because they don’t have the outline of comics to follow and can create the show more organically? My instinct is saying yes. While having source material is great, an homage to great writing and artistry, having the freedom to move in entirely new directions seems to be paying off for the show.
Perhaps the thing I enjoy most about Fear the Walking Dead is that the world feels bigger, thus we get more interaction and information about how life is being lived after the apocalypse. From large trading outposts, small cities, and ranches, this definitely feels like it’s on a larger scale than the woods outside Atlanta. This gives so many opportunities for interesting insights, events, or characters to come into the show and it not seem out of place.
As the show progresses, my fear is that it will begin to tie in with TWD, and begin to conform to the same structure or lack thereof that the show has demonstrated recently. If you’re a fan of the show and follow any of the news about the upcoming fourth season, you know that there is already a crossover between one of the characters on TWD. Hopefully, the writers of this show will steer it in the right direction and continue to do an amazing job bringing us a much needed replacement for those frustrated with TWD.
Video
The video is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.78:1. The transfer here is beautiful on all the episodes. Taking place on the U.S. – Mexican border, everything is very bright, with a yellow hue most of the time that really encapsulates the scorching desert. Each episode is crystal clear with no defects noticed.
Audio
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. Each episode has something different in store, whether its dialogue, fierce firefights, or the moaning of the dead. It all sounds fantastic with no defects noticed.
Special Features
This set includes:
- Deleted & Extended Scenes
- Audio Commentaries
Fear the Walking Dead has transitioned into an amazing show, with the third season giving even the best seasons of The Walking Dead a run for its money. For fans of the show, or anyone becoming disillusioned with TWD and still feel the craving for some zombie-filled drama, this is a set that is definitely worth picking up.
