Things are falling apart, fast and furious in this 5th episode of Fear The Walking Dead. Once I saw the military take control of the neighborhood, I knew it wouldn’t be long. Wow! I had a feeling that the military would talk culling, extermination, “get rid of everyone” theme would pop up here, but wow! And who is this mystery man Strand? Street smart ,sassy and a sexy voice in a package. What are his plans? I know we are all trying to figure out who this guy is and where he came from, but with the introduction of this new character, it only adds some spice to the pot! We see him play some kind of mind game with poor old weepy Doug, that appears to drive Doug a little crazy.
Fire. Earthquake. Flood. You bought it all, didn’t you? That’s not a question. I’m not asking. I’m telling you. I look at a person like you and I know. You are a buyer. How do I know? Because I am a closer. I can sell anything — everything — ask anyone. Except… insurance. Can’t stomach it. Praying on people so weak, so frightened of the future that they entrust the protection of their family to a piece of paper, to some promise of a corporation. What kind of man does that? Puts his wife and children in the hands of strangers? People he’s never even met? Then, one day, that man is gone. His family is alone. The wolf comes to the door, and… well, no one’s covered for that.”
Did I hear him mention a WOLF? Doug is taken away by the guards to some other unknown location. Then he turns his eyes to Nick. Who is he and why does he want Nick to help him? Nick could be an asset. He calls himself a closer, a salesman, and says Nick will come in handy! The man behind Strand is actor, Colman Domingo. Accomplished, especially on stage, starring in musicals like, Chicago and Guys and Dolls. He’s appeared in plenty of movies, too, like last year’s Selma, the year earlier in 42, and one year earlier still in Lincoln.
Ofelia is at the gate, trying to insight a small riot, maybe. What I think she is doing here, is trying to get the attention of the horny young guard. She succeeds, and he tells her he will take her home. Boy, does he have an awakening coming! Meanwhile, Chris is a little taken aback, when he walks in on Madison and Travis having a little meeting without him. There is some surefire jealousy going on here between them as he vies for attention from his dad. He wants to be included in any plans to get his mom back. He refuses to apologize to Madison for being a little spoiled brat.
Shawn Hatosy as Corporal Andrew Adams and Mercedes Mason as Ofelia – Fear The Walking Dead _ Season 1, Episode 5 – Photo Credit: Justina Mintz/AMC
Travis goes and tried to talk some sense into Lt. Moyers. All he wants to do is see his ex-wife and find out where the others were taken. You can almost see that the soldiers, just kids really, are not wanting to be there. Dissension arises when one young soldier say he doesn’t want to “do this anymore”. What they have seen already is unnerving to them. They want to cut tails and run. When Travis demands to go see the missing Griselda and Nick, and ex wife Liza, he gets more than he bargained for. “I can do anything I want, I’ve got guns,” Moyers explains to Travis, as he makes him get in the truck. Sure, take him into the city, let him see for himself. Poor guy, I almost felt a bit sorry for him . When the little group comes upon an infected, they want Travis to do the dirty work. Of course he can’t pull the trigger on “Donut Darling”, Kimberly. He still considers her a human. Get with the program Travis! There are things that have to be done here and killing the infected is just one step. Puss!
Madison is hunting around, looking for Ofelia and Alicia. She heads into Susan’s house and finds the note she left. Then she hears a noise and goes to investigate. Grabbing a knife, (smart woman), she finds Ofelia and Daniel are holding the young Corporal hostage. Daniel explains that this is the only way to “get them back”. Madison doesn’t really agree, but makes Daniel promise not to hurt the guy. Well what wicked ways we have. Daniel continues to question Cpl, Adams and isn’t satisfied with what he is hearing. “What is Cobalt”? We have already learned that the Salazar family came from, war torn El Salvador. We know that he has told the story to his daughter Ofelia many times, but he didn’t let her know what kind of man he was in the war. But now we find out! He very slowly tortures Adams, by flaying his skin with a razor. Daniel tells Andrew the story about when he was a little boy. He was faced with a powerful decision in a situation not unlike this one: Did he want to be the man tied up in the chair being tortured, or the man with the blade? During the torture, Daniel finds out what the military is planning. Cobalt is a command code to initiate evacuation from the Los Angeles command base, but only of military personnel. Cobalt also includes procedures for “humane termination”! And it’s planned for 9 a.m. tomorrow. So now the truth is out there.
Shawn Hatosy as Corporal Andrew Adams and Ruben Blades as Daniel Salazar – Fear The Walking Dead _ Season 1, Episode 5 – Photo Credit: Justina Mintz/AMC
When Travis returns home and finds out about Cobalt, his mind is swimming with what to do. Can he get Liza, Nick and Griselda out? The National Guard is falling apart and time is fleeting. Can they do it?
Dr. Exner is keeping Liza busy. The scene at the hospital is all telling. The minor injuries and the “treatable” are taken care of, while the bitten or infected are carted off to a different area. Liza insists on seeing Griselda, especially after finding that the took her injured foot off. Liza takes off to find her. Griselda is in a room alone. “She’s in septic shock,” says Exner, who appears moments after Liza does. Griselda is confused with fever and she starts rattling on. (This what she said from translation posted in fan based, Fear The Walking Dead Facebook group by Admin. Maria Ibarra ) Thank you!
I am sure she is speaking of Daniel. He has 2 faces. The good and the evil. He has seen and done things. But all of these things, he did for his family to save them from the ravages of war. Do you consider him a good guy or a bad guy? My opinion is that he is and has done, what he needs to do!
Fear The Walking Dead _ Season 1, Episode 5 _ BTS – Photo Credit: Justina Mintz/AMC
Sadly, Griselda passes away and then it is put to Liza to take an animal gun, which shoots bolts, and shoot her in the head so that she doesn’t come back. This is really sad, knowing that her family may never know what has become of her. Even more, that Liza was the one to pull the trigger. Now Liza needs to find Nick!
Alicia finds Chris pouting after his little episode with Travis and Madison and she tries to cheer him up. They take a bike ride and go into a home that was surely owned by someone of affluence. They look around and talk. They trash and destroy the inside of the home, maybe taking out their frustrations about the chaos in their world, but not before we get a glimpse of a not so shy Chris, longingly looking at his almost step-sister with a little more than admiration. This is kind of strange, but I get it. When they return home, they see military vehicles, speeding down the street. The military isn’t on patrol though, which allows Daniel to sneak off to the arena that Adams told him about, which is bolted shut from the outside and full of the “infected”!
Talked about scene Episode 5 Cobalt