Sunday’s episode of Fear the Walking Dead felt like old times — really old times. It gave Morgan visions of late wife Jenny as he sought to put down their son Duane after all these years. (Better very late than never?) Needless to say, what with a whole hour needing to be filled, things did not go smoothly.
Early on in “King County,” Morgan discovered that he couldn’t enter his old house and lay Duane to rest; too painful. Further complicating matters was the arrival on the scene of Grace and Mo, the latter of whom turned out to be a child prodigy who’d added two and two off intel from Madison, guessed where her father was going and sent her mother a fake message so that she could stow away on the ride.
Soon, Dwight and Sherry showed up in full PADRE mode. They had to take Morgan back in order to win from Shrike their own and son Finch’s freedom. Naturally, the former Saviors weren’t able to accomplish their goal any more easily than Morgan was his own. He, Grace and Mo wound up hiding in the house where he and Duane had laid low post-apocalypse. Only then did Grace wonder, “What have we been doing these last seven years?” (Again, better very late than never?)
Upstairs, Morgan found the rifle that Rick Grimes gave him way back in the first episode of The Walking Dead. Morgan could use it to save his family — if only he didn’t keep seeing a zombified Jenny where regular carrion stood. Although Dwight and Sherry threatened to burn Morgan & Co. out of the house, they didn’t. Instead, they asked to see Duane so that they could prove to PADRE somehow that he was the real reason that Nightingale had flown the coop.
Alas, the dead kid was not where his father expected him to be. Jenny’s dead-dead body was there… but Duane’s ambulatory one? Nope. Ultimately, Dwight and Sherry helped Morgan escape the execution that Shrike ordered. What’s more, the couple was able to radio with Finch, who was now right as rain, for long enough to tell him to use the “chimney sweep” move on Shrike and make a beeline for a boat leaving in 20 minutes; they’d meet him on the other side.
Before we could say, “Yay! Reunited!” Grace revealed to Morgan that she’d known for months that she was dying of radiation poisoning. (D’oh!) Desperate to save her and Mo, Morgan used Rick’s rifle to gun down walkers and save his daughter from a house fire — and from Duane, whom he’d forgotten chaining in the attic. The following morning, as the gang prepared to leave to help Madison and Daniel reunite all of PADRE’s kids with their parents, Grace was bitten by a walker. (Again, d’oh! First radiation poisoning, then this?!?)
More desperate than ever to save his family, Morgan raced them to the dock where Dwight and Sherry were rendezvousing with Finch. June’s treatment had saved the boy; now, Morgan hoped, it would save Grace, too. Um, but would it also cure radiation poisoning? What do you think? Is Grace a goner? This being the final season, she’s gotta be, right?
This story originally appeared on TVLine
