Remember What They Took From You  – As the episode opens, Morgan Jones (Lennie James) and Madison “Maddie” Clark/Lark (Kim Dickens) are hostages of Padre. Jones claims to know who is behind the voice. After announcing the rafts were located, Padre stresses the importance of proving he wants to be part of their “vision.” Jones assures him that he will when Shrike (Maya Eshet) enters with a baby monitor, featuring a crying infant. Padre appoints him a Collector of children. Concerned, Jones confesses to having a daughter. Padre claims the infant is being inoculated. Jones questions why the parents aren’t with the child before pleading with them to stop. He demands to know if Maddie informed them of their daughter. He grabs the Padre Guard’s (Bob Jennings) gun while Madison assists until they gain control of the situation.

Martin orders Padre to bring the infant to him, so they can leave the island on a boat. Madison agrees to stand guard over the Padre while he retrieves his daughter.

Morgan “Mo” Jones/Wren (Zoey Merchant) faces off with a walker (Stephen Branson) in a round arena. After several hits with a stick, she starts having flashbacks of a zombie. The walker gets the best of her until Dove (Jayla Walton) intervenes. Dove questions why the Padre permitted her to get in the arena because she is too young. Wren assures her that she is old enough before stressing the importance of her training. Dove tells her that she needs to prepare for her impending offshore training. Wren offers to take do her chores to keep her training ongoing. Dove relents with the condition of her taking over her chores for one month.

Wren delivers oxygen tanks to storage when one rolls down a flight of steps. Descending the steps, she hears a “hissing” noise which she follows to a locked room where Madison is being held hostage. After Shrike takes a blood sample, Lark snatches her pistol, puts the barrel in her mouth, and pulls the trigger several times. A guard takes her down while Shrike injects her with a sedative.

Wren tells Dove that a part of her is missing. Dove assures her that she won’t find it on the mainland. Wren asks why Padre a woman is locked in the cellar. Dove orders her to not go near the prisoner because she is “dangerous.” She says as a collector, Lark was successful until she aided in the escape of a father and his child. She claims Lark came close to killing Padre.

Against Dove’s advice, Wren returns to the cellar. Wren informs Lark of how the cellar is left unguarded during shift change rounds. Holding up a sledgehammer, Wren asks if she would train her to kill Carrion. Lark agrees if she closes the valve. Wren accepts the offer. Lark explains how to hold the sledgehammer properly before convincing her to put it through the slot. After breaking the window, she starts to slash her throat with a glass fragment when Wren busts through the door. Wren scolds her for lying. Lark identifies her as “Mo” by the scar on her wrist. She claims the scar is from an accident she sustained when they fled the island. A Padre guard orders Lark to let Wren go. Lark swings the sledgehammer, knocking both guards off their feet.

Padre has his guards searching for Maddie and Wren. While trekking through the woods in search of Morgan, Wren overtakes Maddie. She radios Padre but doesn’t get a response before Maddie recovers the radio. Realizing her oxygen tank is low, Wren warns that she will die in the woods as walkers approach. Wren is haunted by flashbacks that alter her ability to kill a zombie. Maddie intervenes when Morgan appears out of the brush. He informs them of his plan to return them to Padre’s sanctuary. Padre orders him to only return Wren. Morgan threatens to shoot Maddie until she attacks him and takes his gun.

Walking through the swamp, Morgan promises to return Wren to Padre’s island. Maddie tells Wren that Padre forces people to do his bidding by threatening who and what they care about. He assures her that Padre’s setup works. She claims Padre led her to believe her children were alive to force her to be a collector. A flare shoots through the air. He says it is a warning. She tosses the radio into the swamp. When they arrive at a floating house, Wren has flashbacks of something horrible happening there.

While helping Maddie with the oxygen tank, Morgan notices the abrasions in the bend of her arm. She tells him that Padre drew blood weekly. He denies any knowledge of her being Padre’s hostage. He claims his new Collector rules include children of willing and deceased parents. She says the children on Padre’s island are being trained to kill. Wren cleans the wall to reveal a message. She demands to know what he is covering up. She finds a Walkman with Grace Mukherjee (Karen David) singing. The song triggers a memory of them being attacked by the Carrion. She warns that the floating house is going under before retrieving a pistol. He grabs it away from her when a shot is fired into the ceiling. Walkers begin pulling the house down into the water. He assures them that Padre will rescue them. Maddie convinces him to seek safety.

Maddie stays behind to divert the walkers while they get away. Wren gets her foot stuck on something at the bottom of the swamp Unable to get her foot unstuck, Morgan is forced to fight off zombies. In a flashback, Morgan assures Wren that it is in her best interest to go with Padre. He orders Padre to take care of her. Back to the present, Maddie lures the walkers to her. Wren tries to go back to save her but Morgan holds her back. Grace approaches on a boat, shooting the walkers to save Maddie. She identifies herself as Wren’s mother.

Wren tries to convince Morgan to not return her to Padre. He warns of what happened the last time they tried to set out on their own. She reminds him of how Padre lied to her for years. She tells Maddie to come with them. Maddie assures her that she would slow them down. Wren asks suggests helping the children she delivered to Padre as boats approach. Grace confesses to informing Padre of their location. Wren refuses to go. Morgan claims he promised her parents, Rachel and Isaac, that he would protect her. Maddie says he is wrong. Wren pleads with her to get away, so she can help others as Padre’s boats approach. Shrike orders the guards to restrain Wren and Maddie. Grace and Morgan watch as they take Wren away.

Shrike informs Morgan that his services are no longer needed. She claims Padre fears future encounters with him and Wren before ordering him apprehended.

Wren apologizes to Dove for not listening to her. Entering the arena, she confidently takes out a zombie with a sledgehammer. She promises Padre to obey all the rules from this day forward as the episode ends.

 

Fear The Walking Dead Synopsis

Eight years ago, Maddie assists Morgan in getting off the island with Mo. Away from Padre’s sanctuary, they are on the verge of starvation and being overtaken by zombies. He returns her to Padre with the promise they will take good care of her.

By accident, Wren discovers Maddie locked in the cellar. She confides in Dove who explains how as a collector, Maddie saved more children than any other collector. Intrigued by the tale of Maddie killing Padre’s guards with a sledgehammer, Wren asks her to train her. Maddie deceives her, so she can fulfill her promise to Morgan. Morgan is adamant about Wren being returned to Padre’s sanctuary. Wren is in agreement until Grace shows up.

Grace alerts Padre of their location. Initially, Padre has no interest in recapturing Maddie who is suffering from a respiratory condition that requires oxygen. Maddie knows in her condition, she wouldn’t survive long on her own. Fearing future contact, Padre frees Morgan from his duties as a collector. Shrike orders the guards to apprehend him. Grace is permitted to leave.

Now, knowing Padre lied, Wren is more determined than ever to push her training.

 

Fear The Walking Dead Review

The season eight pilot episode of season eight is a disappointment on every angle. The acting is amateurish at best. The actors speak their lines with little to no true emotion.

Maddie’s escape is far too easy. Morgan and Grace’s appearances are perfectly time. Wren was very young when they surrendered her to Padre. It is doubtful, she would have any memory of what led up to her rescue. It would seem the parents would do whatever is necessary to keep their daughter from becoming Padre’s trained killer.

The sledgehammer appears to be weightless. Maddie, even Wren, swings it around effortlessly. Please! At least try to make it look believable.

The episode is rushed and bundled. It deserves a 4.5. Get more Fear The Walking Dead recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by donating to our platform. Learn how our onsite advertising can help your brand reach millions of consumers in America, Canada, Britain, France, and more by clicking the link.