TV Show Review

TV Review: FEAR THE WALKING DEAD: Season 2, Episode 7: Shiva [AMC]

Ruben Blades Fear the Walking Dead Shiva

AMC‘s Fear The Walking Dead Shiva TV Show Review. Fear the Walking Dead, Season 2, Episode 7: ‘Shiva,’ was an exercise in bridging dual Worlds. Both Madison (Kim Dickens) & Daniel (Rubén Blades) had already registered some… resistance to Celia’s (Marlene Forte) Z-World view, but their concerns remained centered on their children. With Strand (Colman Domingo) having taken the death of Thomas out of Celia’s hands, however, it all came down to the children. Even as Strand burned his bridge to Celia’s world, Nick (Frank Dillane) stepped up to build one for his family, Chris (Lorenzo James Henrie) was intent on jumping off of the one between Travis’ (Cliff Curtis) two families, and Celia attempted a pathway to a world populated by the dead at Daniel’s hands.

It was a little funny when Celia mentioned it not being the apocalypse (with a pinch of The Beatles’ ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’) – what, with Nick going all Apocalypse Now to buy his family some more time at the Villa, and all. Unfortunately, that action (and his vanishing cream method – patent pending) left him stuck between Celia & Maddie. If getting between a bear & her cub is bad, I imagine having to deal with two mother bears as being… nope – that pun would be beneath even me.

Advertisement
 

Incidentally, I really need some of whatever Nick used to get the blood out of his clothes (completely – from white fabric, no less), with a patio shower.

As much as I’ve appreciated Nick’s walk on the useful side, it seems like it has all been in service to a new addiction. Nick may be the first Z-World adrenaline junkie. That, or a Crimson God, that will never die, or something of the kind – he’s either drinking the kool-aid, starting to hand it out, or both; but was still intent on bridging the worlds of Celia & Maddie.

Chris, on the other hand, couldn’t be bothered with the crack in the middle of the family blend, that he started. His latest ‘misunderstood’ moment set him off the reservation – with an upgrade from knife wielding to gun wielding (alleged) psycho-at-large. Even if it were true, that it’s all been a series of misunderstandings since the Reed execution, what he did in the name of trail breaking clearly crossed a line (so maybe not so alleged).

Always the dutiful dope (the well-meaning, always out of the loop kind), Travis had the heavy lift of trying to retrieve a self-exiled Chris, well serving as a jam to any plans Maddie had of gettin’ gone, while the gettin’ was good.

I can understand why Travis settled on his decision, regarding the family divide, but just having Nick hand Maddie a hole to her plot seemed irresponsible to me (which sort of undermined the kind of responsibility that his decision was supposed to be about).

Then things got careless.

Whether it was Celia failing to apply her own words to the mind of a rival matriarch, or a guard partially freeing a captive – who had previously slashed him – instead of just resorting to a hand feeding, all that set-up came back to plot driven carelessness, for the execution. Daniel wanted release (of two kinds), but didn’t account for what an encore (of his season one barn burner) could’ve meant for the others – including his daughter. Madison taking time they didn’t have, to get through to Nick, was almost as pointless as Nick musing his way to pulling a Travis (only without the sense of responsibility).

I’d point out that the vineyard Walkers were good about getting clear of the truck; but the regression of Nick was a bigger deal.

Bigger still was how FTWD took what only seemed like a TWD retread, and made the outcome an official retread. Fire, Walker herds, and a scattered cast. Unless evidence is presented, that the season won’t be picking up with more warmed-over plotting, is there even a reason to keep watching?

Personally, I’d just like to see what Strand & Maddie are capable of, minus any Nick-ups, Chris-costs, and Travis hand-wringing (I wanted to go with Travis-ties, but he doesn’t deserve that. Yet). I’d like to see if the girls can come into their own, without the boys sucking all the sensible air out of the room. Most of all, I want to see if the show is willing to make Nick & Chris accountable, at any point. We know they’re both killers; but to what end, and with what consequence. Will Chris ever go full Shane, or Nick grow a Rick beard – questions likely doomed to disappointment; but I guess I’ll be finding that out first hand.

For more Fear The Walking Dead photos, videos, and reviews, visit our Fear The Walking Dead Page, our Fear The Walking Dead Google+ Page, subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, or “like” us on Facebook for quick updates.

Advertisement
 

FilmBook's Newsletter

Subscribe to FilmBook’s Daily Newsletter for the latest news!

Thank you for subscribing.

Something went wrong.

Sam Joseph

Sam is an Avid consumer/observer of Geek culture, and collector of Fanboy media from earliest memory. Armchair sociologist and futurist. Honest critic with satirical if not absurdist­­ wit with some experience in comics/ animation production.
Back to top button
Share via
Send this to a friend