5 Reasons Fear the Walking Dead Is Getting as Good as The Walking Dead 

Yes, you read that headline correctly. And, judging from the comments that you’ve been leaving beneath our

recaps, we’re gonna guess that right about now you’re scoffing and rolling your eyes.

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Nonetheless, there is a case — a strong case, in fact — to be made that the

prequel has gotten good, is getting better and is showing signs that it will eventually become every bit as gripping as the monster smash off of which it was spun.

From the moment we met Victor last season in “Cobalt,” it was clear that the smooth operator wasn’t exactly Mr. Nice Guy. But since he (literally) cut loose poor Alex and Jake in this week’s “Ouroboros,” we’ve begun to wonder if he won’t turn out to be a villain who’s just as heartless — if twice as classy — as

4 | It’s dead — or would that be Dead? — funny

Whether the show has Daniel referring to el capitán as “Ahab,” Nick defending “geriatric chic” as a valid style choice or Ofelia questioning how her father plans to score more antibiotics when she’s “pretty sure [Walgreens is] closed,” it manages to make room in the zombie apocalypse for zingers that are (at least almost) as memorable as an Abraham turd joke.

We’ve been high on Frank Dillane’s portrayal of impish junkie Nick since the pilot last summer. This week, as Chris mercy-killed a survivor of Flight 462, Lorenzo James Henrie did some work that was so visceral, it was nearly Andrew Lincoln caliber. And between Ruben Bladés (who plays Daniel like a cynical, dangerous Hershel) and Colman Domingo (Strand), the series has gravitas to spare.

2 | It’s gotten hard to tell the friends from foes

In your comments, you often suggest that none of the characters seem to like each other (though sibs Nick and Alicia are tight, and he’s often reached out to Chris). Yet isn’t it more interesting to watch Madison align herself with Daniel, who doesn’t trust her, and Strand, whom she doesn’t trust? (It’s like the Alexandria/Hilltop alliance, only on a smaller scale.) Plus, you know there’s gonna come a day when, along with us, Nick learns the price he’ll pay for the “safe” passage that was bought by his alliance with Strand.

Just as we’re making a little progress toward an unexpected Nick/Ofelia romance, we’re also anticipating finding out why Strand really wants to get to Mexico (and certain that it isn’t just a walker-proof hideout), nervously waiting to meet Alicia’s “radio crush” (who left her with an ominous “See you soon” in “Monster”) and dying for Alex to come back with a vengeance (and she has to come back, right?).

What do you think? Is anybody else loving the show — or at least its potential? Hit the comments… gently.

That is some damning praise. The Walking Dead has always been three or four steps below the top tier of television programming. To say something is “getting as good as” it isn’t very promising.

IMDb rates it second only to Game of Thrones.

I think the show should aspire to be more than just crap.

Yeah, none of these five reasons are any I agree with. There’s good elements to the show, but they’re just not coming together in an interesting or compelling way. The plotting is boring, the pacing is slow, the characters have very little meaningful interaction or chemistry with each other. It’s just not gelling. That said, if they execute some more interesting ideas and pick up the pace, I think the actors can and will “find their characters,” so to speak. I know from seeing many of them in other projects that they’re all great and really talented. There COULD still be a show here . . . but right now there isn’t, and I’m just not seeing any promising signs like this article wants to.

I’m hoping it gets better, because i’m a fan of the original. I like the actors, and I think they are all great, but their characters just annoy me or bore me.

I agree. There’s not one character on that show that I find myself rooting for. Any one of them could die I wouldn’t care.

I’m trying to find a reason to keep watching.

Nick, Chris and Daniel’s daughter are my favorites so far. Liked Chris’s mother a lot better than Maddie. Have never felt any chemistry between Travis and Maddie as a couple. Just watch it to fill in that time slot on tv for me. lol

I can see Maddie and Travis as a couple pre-apocalypse, but now that polite society is over, I don’t see them lasting too long. I could even see her doing something cold-blooded but necessary that causes him to cut ties with her.

I keep hoping the Abigail hits an iceberg and sinks so my OCD will no longer compel me to watch this boring show. The characters are sooooooooooooooooo boring.

I think Strand works for a cartel. He uses Abigal to run drugs, explains his wealth, the guns and maps, and why he knows about a big fortified compound in Mexico.

I agree with this! Plus his initial fascination with Nick is because he knew he could manipulate him.

Also, every black character on the show ended up a hoodlum. Why would Strand be any different, right? (Who’s writing this stuff, and which black man killed their parents?)

Hi, I honestly preferred the first season , I don’t know if this was because of the novelty of it , but this season is hella difficult to watch without sleeping through it. am waiting for something to happen , so I will probably stick around.

As for how the franchise treats its minorities , we all know in Atlanta where TWD is set there is only 0,001% of minorities.

The very first un-dead in this LA based spin off ,was a black male . And the one that own the yacht , we could safely assume that it is implied that he stole it, he is a one dimensional stock character . So far every white character has had a integral family life and ties beyond them. Hell even the Guerra family had hers, the minor white characters whose arc was short had 3 generations of living relatives, a big home etc..and they’ve had more structured dialogue than the sole minority in the show.

I don’t know why it is implied/assumed that minorities do not have families , close friends or no life prior to the scene they are depicting as if they came out of Mars. Because unless their specific story line intersects with one of white characters, they are rendered useless .

Sadly, yes the black guy is always the bad guy. They keep wanting to save the world by adding to his boat and cant ever respect he doesn’t need them in any way. I would have dumped them by now.

Wow , some libtard has to bring race in here too ! You need a life !

plus the cartel or whomever has kidnapped/is holding someone important to him. His behavior only makes sense if there is a valuable he is retrieving and in this world and situation it has to be a person.

I agree that he is a drug dealer but considering what’s going on in the world, does anyone care about the latest shipment of crack? Doesn’t make sense to me.

I’ve been thinking that same thing.

I wouldn’t say it’s on par with TWD, but it’s for sure getting much stronger. I see it more as a filler piece, but it’s an entertaining filler piece none-the-less.

I’ll correct to: 5 Reasons Fear the Walking Dead Is Getting as Good as Z-Nation… we have Zombie swimmers, exploding Zombies and so on

Don’t forget the little girl who turned into a zombie and killed her mom

Not having a character like Rick who is always right is, IMHO, one reason why this show is proving to be more interesting this season.

It’s definitely getting better with each episode. It still has a way to go but if they can keep improving on each ep, it can be a great.

Was about to say the same thing…I want whatever they’re on because it is NOWHERE not even a little bit close to regular TWD quality wise.

I’m liking it more and more. And about Alex – I’m guessing she offed the third passenger in the boat so she’s probably as ruthless as Strand. I’m enjoying the complex characters.

I’m beginning to like fear the dead…it’s different from twd… which is refreshing!

The latest episode was really good. It’s getting better and better. Some forget that this show is only 9 episodes in so it’s still finding it’s footing. Previous episode was good, the latest one is even better.

I’m guessing she “offed” him, too, and I think he’s the guy who got sucked up into the Abigail’s intake (I need to double-check the clothing to be sure).

Nice article Andy and I agree. I’m enjoying watching because I know that all of this will come together like you said and it will be great!!

I enjoy this show, and I do think it gets better every episode. And since Walking Dead has been going downhill in past seasons, I suppose Fear is getting on par with its current state. But my issue with this show is the characters. There’s a huge difference between “scared, confused survivors in the new apocalypse” and downright stupid and insufferable. Once they either A) kill half of them off or B) start making them step up and be even remotely intelligent, I will start to respect this show a lot more.

I agree. I like this show and Nick has been my favorite from the beginning.

Same although I do wish he’d find a comb. But at least he changed out of those old man clothes from last season, lol. Alicia and Chris are growing on me. I’ve always enjoyed Daniel and Strand also. The only character that I don’t really care for is Madison. For me she’s the Andrea of this group :-)

Yes. The yacht must have a comb somewhere lol! Yeah Madison just kinda runs around confronting people or trying to order around her kids who never listen to her lol. I’ve tried with her but she doesn’t get it. Nick even had to remind her last night that things aren’t going to settle. My husband is convinced that crucifix they kept passing around was the one Carol had but I’m not so sure…. It would have to really take a long journey to make it to TWD group but who knows.

I think Nick’s hair is meant to be in the beginning stages of dreads. Look the actor up in images and you see he also has messy hair. LOL

We are spoiled by outstanding TV drama such as the Sopranos The Wire Fargo Seasons1 of True Detective that it becomes difficult to praise a watchable but not mind blowing show like those of the Dead franchise. Last night’s episode while not must watch . Was the best in the series so far and fun to watch.

I think it’s a better show than people here like to say, and I like the more slow-burn approach of the storytelling… but I also think the characters could stand to be a bit more compelling. At the moment it’s only Nick, Daniel, and Strand that I really find all that interesting to watch.

Really, you think it’s a good show? you must like boring and uninteresting TV, you probably are the type of guy who likes sitting through Masterpiece Theatre on PBS.

and you must be a yahoo that cannot discuss or give his opinion without insults to others with whom he disagrees. The show has shown progress.

This show is painful to watch, it has a painfully slow pace, I never connected with the characters like I did with TWD and I especially can’t stand the drug addicted character…and what’s with the Members Only jacket? Is that junkie fashion? I am waiting for him to brush that weird hair and eventually get killed. I would not loose any sleep if this train wreck got cancelled.

Hmmm well it’s already been renewed for season three so I guess the choice is yours.

yep, the choice is mine and judging from the majority of people like me who find the show crap AMC better slow it’s roll before even going ahead with 3, I’d hate see AMC spend more money on a slow sinking ship.

I’ve been waiting since the first season. I’m shocked he’s lasted this long. Although if he ends up in a fortified building with a drug cartel I bet he’ll either overdose or he’ll get killed for using their stash

Need to call out #5-I don’t understand why everyone is so angry with Strand for setting Alex loose-We saw her kill people on the plane to protect Jake and kill 2 survivors on the life raft to protect Jake-Are you sure you want her on your boat before Jake is sorted out?

well,I think only Strand and maybe that torturer are the only ones cold enough to try to finish him off.

It really should be better than Walking Dead since it has no source material to stick to and they can do anything.Downside is the characters weren’t as thought out as the original.

It’s alright, but it can’t compare to the original/main series. It did get better this season. Still…How long before the show becomes a mirror image of the original tho? They can’t stay on that boat forever.

It is getting vastly better… but it started out so poorly, the only direction was up. Still, these last 2 weeks have been good TV!

Strand is the only one who seems to realize they have limited resources and can’t afford to take on every new person they meet. He’s now probably very aware that his guests are one beat from telling him what to do on his own boat.

I think it’s really not getting better tbh and that none of the characters are relatable at all.

After a real lack of zombies for a lot of season 1, this season’s fresh young walkers have been ‘nice’ to see! This latest episode was entertaining, although the premise of a group going hunting for supplies but meeting zombies is one TWD have done plenty of times.

Liked that Nick realised zombie gore keeps you hidden but those are some weedy head bashes from the kids. They need Michone’s sword!

Alicia Debnam-Carey so strong and compelling in The 100, so annoying and whiny here! Hope they give her something to do soon

While I’ve been disappointed with the material they’ve given her, I thought last night she was the only one acting like an actual human being (Alicia, I mean). Telling Madison to stop being an overprotective idiot and proposing the only productive thing they’ve ever done (a supply run) while the silly adults just keep wringing their hands and come up with no plans whatsoever. And also blasting Strand and Madison for not helping Alex. I get that they need to make tough choices, but it’s disturbing to see them all lose all traces of basic humanity this early on. So I was glad she was the only one acting like an actual human.

Hopefully it wasn’t just a one off and the writing doesn’t go back to the laconic, dialogue-less long artsy shots of previous episodes, where everyone just looks depressed instead of scared.

I was shocked when Strand came out of no where and cut loose the dingy that Alex was in. After he cut Alex lose, I thought back to the 1st episode this season when he made it clear that it was HIS boat, HIS rules.

Its not just as good as The Walking Dead, its better. The characters are more fleshed out than in TWD, because of the lack of action scenes. They have to to do it that way. Some people think its slow, but its really showing exactly when most people would do in that situation. I love the lingering camerawork, I love the conversations and how it captures everyday life, something TWD doesn’t do as well.

It is way more interesting and gripping than the original series. I love TWD, dont get me wrong, but FTWD is more drama, less zombies. At least my wife will watch this one with me..

It’s a total click bait premise. There is ZERO validity to it.

I’ve always thought it was as good as the original. It covers the beginning of the outbreak so no one really knows or understands what’s going on. I do wish it wasn’t in a parallel world where people don’t know about zombies and such. If they did, it would be a little more relateable to us in our world. But that’s small complaint. Am really enjoying this and glad that Talking Dead is on afterwards. Hope this goes on as long as TWD. Would really like to see how the characters develop.

The psychological developments are getting very intense, as it seems that every character has an inner demon fighting over mercy v survival. The psych thriller is every bit as disturbing as the zombie mob scenes…. ( and the beach crabs eating the one walker ? crazy good ! )

Agree with most folks – I don’t care about any of these characters except for maybe trigger happy Ruben Blades. But, what’s really grating on me in both this series and TWD is the plot REQUIRING people to do cliché stupid things, so drama can occur.

A) Moody boy wonders off solo forcing the other to go find him.

B) Drug boy standing too close to the edge so he falls into the pit.

C) Husband who has no chemistry with wife going diving into dead-filled waters w/o a knife, so we can have the obligatory jump scare.

D) Darryl suddenly forgetting his tracking skills so 5 or 6 burly dudes can get the jump on him in the woods.

This article off mind numbing. The show is crap and I’m wishing the entire cast be killed off except Strand. He’s the only interesting character on the show. Please kill the rest and start over. The actors are weak on this show. I’ve given this show a chance and watched every episode and I still wish all but one dead.

Alicia Debnam-Carey is a good actress, proven by her role as Lexa in “The 100.” I wish they’d give her something to do, along with an interesting story line. As of now, if she died, her absence wouldn’t even be noticed.

Actually both shows stand to get more credit than they get. Fear The Walking Dead is, right now, more focussed than The Walking Dead, which slipped a bit with trickery and fake outs.

I think it’s getting better, too! I am a little disturbed by TWD as of late. Sadly, the only compelling way the writers can seem to get people to tune in is to figure out whether or not someone is going to die from week to week. Even in the apocalypse, there has to be more to writing! That show is suffering. FTWD is a bit of a relief.

Do you work for FTWD directly? This show is beyond marginal. For one thing, the whole point in even having a spinoff was to show us the deterioration of society – which was completely skipped over in the walking dead. They could have easily explored that whole thing over the course of an entire season or even two seasons, and everyone would have been thirsting for more. Instead, FTWD managed to breeze through that undervalued plot point in a matter of about 5-6 marginal episodes – and even that, society fell by episode 4.

I think each episode gets better, and yes I agree that I think he is a smuggler and this is his fort in mexico that he hides out in.

1. The Walkin Dead ain’t that good to begin with…..

Problem is I think we like the wrong people. Nick and Daniel are my favorites, the rest can be thrown into the sea, but I think the makers want us to like madison and travis.

When I can: 1) get through this show without turning to my email while the show is still on, 2) care if a character is threatened by death/walker, 3) remember the characters names, or 4) I find Fear The Talking Dead less interesting then the real show, THEN I will consider it mildly interesting.

FTWD is in no way, even close to the cailber of TWD. The storyline is garbage, I hate the characters, as in, ANY of them or all of them can get eaten and I wouldnt care. How is it possible that a show has so many unlikeable characters? They are learning things about the zombies that it took TWD cast a whole season to figure out. They are boring and have no depth, and making Strand mysterious takes away from the seriousness of the show. It feels like when Lost was jumping the shark. No one anticipated this show as much as I did, and now Im sure no one hates it as much as I do. If there was something else on in that time slot, like Ted Cruz describing the many stages of the lifeline of a tiger lily, I would be watching it instead. I guess Im reluctantly sticking around hoping it gets better. October cant get here fast enough.

Love TWD gave FTWD one season of my life and that was enough. Just didn’t care about any of the characters.

Oh yeah, and I HATE that fake Johnny Depp character, Nick. Can a zombie just eat his ass already!!??

its too hard to go back to the start. the stupid mistakes these kids make are so annoying. There so busy trying to tell the emotional side to things that real work in what the genre fans are looking for and that is zombies, escape and fighting.

Good point. Going back is hard because we think they should instinctively know A) Who to just kill already; B) Hugs during the apocalypse are not THAT important; C) People you love are going to die, so get over it; D) Have a weapon on you at all times; E) Stop wondering off or you will be left for dead!

It’s so agonizing to see them not “get” what we know is necessary to survive.

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