A new threat rises on Fear the Walking Dead 3×05 “Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame”

Last week we got Daniel Salazar (Rubén Blades) back in an hour in complete Spanish – which was a nice change of pace and felt right with this series being in Mexico and all. Daniel’s return is what we the fans have been waiting for. He’s such an interesting, layered character and last week’s episode pulled back some of those layers when Daniel confided in Efrain (Jesse Borrego) about all the people he had killed. We saw the emotion he had about having escaped death more times than he felt he deserved. We also learned he was part of the Sombra Negra, which after arriving at the Dam, helped him rise in rank with King of the Dam, Dante (Jason Manuel Olazabal) – who pulled him in and made him part of his security team – his own interrogator/torturer.

RELATED | Fear the Walking Dead 3×04 “100” Roundtable

Daniel isn’t somone who can take orders from anyone – especially someone like Dante. And that became clear when Daniel had to use his skills and beat Efrain for information on who was helping him steal water from the Dam. By the end of the episode Dante and his security team were showing what happened when you steal from him – you get tossed over the Dam and into the pit of hungry walkers, but before Daniel was forced to throw anyone else off the Dam he pulled a gun, killed the other security guards before finally turning the gun on Dante and killing him.

We still haven’t gotten any answers on where Ofelia (Mercedes Mason) is, but even still Fear the Walking Dead is at it’s strongest right now with great storylines, interesting new characters and well deserved character develpoment. So with all that said, I think we should dive right into this weeks roundtable:

Sara (@writtenbysara) – Walking Dead Fan & Writer For The Amazing Nerd Blog

Maria (@curiousmaroon) – An enthusiast of TWD universe because of its examination of humanity

Jonathan (@jonathanjstone0) – Co-host of the Geek Soul Brother and the Nerdy Venoms podcast and host of the monthly ComiGamAni podcast.

Kevin (@KelvinBelmont) – Video Game and Walking Dead Fan

Jill (@sparkle4meplz) – Cat Mom of 2, TWD and FearTWD addict, and all around silly

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1. Why do you think Strand lied to Daniel about everyone still being at the hotel?

Sara (@writtenbysara) – I think that Strand lied to Daniel because one, Strand wanted to get out of the dam, & two, maybe he didn’t want to tell Daniel about Ofelia leaving because then he knew that Daniel wouldn’t help him out anymore.

Maria (@curiousmaroon) – Strand will do and say anything to remain alive. He is a fast thinker and can perceive what people want to hear. Daniel is desperate to reunite with Ofelia, and Strand can see that. Strand knows that Daniel will help him stay alive as long as he thinks that Strand can lead him to his daughter.

Jonathan (@jonathanjstone0) – As Daniel said, Strand will do anything to save his own ass and get his way. It’s his way to find control in his life. And even though he has lost everything, he is still trying to exert that control.

Kevin (@KelvinBelmont) – Strand is simply looking for himself and he’s been doing that since his introduction. He only allowed the group in Mexico because he had enough money to pay for their ticket. Strand is also afraid of Daniel after seeing what he is capable of when he essentially took over the Dam.

Jill (@sparkle4meplz) – My first thought after this episode was that this was going to be a hard episode to analyze. I think we can agree that Strand is a con-artist. With that being said, I really cannot understand why he would lie to Daniel. When Strand left the hotel, he knew that Ofelia had already left. He had been separated from Madison, Alicia, and Travis. He opted to stay at the hotel and lie about being a doctor. Strand had no idea what condition the hotel would be in when he returned, so why he lied to Daniel leaves more questions than answers.

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2. Do you think it was fair for Luciana to ask Nick to leave the Ranch and his family behind? Are you surprised she left him by the end of the hour?

Sara: It was completely unfair of Luciana to ask Nick to leave his family behind. Especially since they just finally reunited after so long! How can you ask someone to choose between their family & you? That is extremely selfish! I’m not surprised that she left by herself, Nick is way better off without her anyway!

Maria: It was not at all fair. Luciana has not seen how bad things were outside The Colonia. She naively thinks that something better is out there. I was not surprised that she left, and I doubt that she will stay alive very long on her own. I also do not like that she left after Nick’s grand romantic gesture.

Jonathan: I don’t necessarily think it’s a scenario of “fair,” per say. They are in two separate mindsets right now. Nick just wants to settle down and find some sort of normalcy, whereas Luciana is looking for her own way… her own people.

Kevin: Luciana being unable to trust the residents of the Broke Jaw Ranch is completely fair because they shot her first, and were going to kill her when they arrived at the Ranch. I was a bit surprised to see her leave by the end of the episode because of the romantic night she had with Nick but that might oh been like a farewell present from her to Nick.

Jill: Luciana has lost everything. The only “family” she has left is Nick. She doesn’t feel comfortable at the ranch, so I can understand her wanting to leave and take Nick with her. I was not surprised to see that she left Nick at the end. I feel that Luciana knew she was putting Nick in an uncomfortable position to choose between her and his family. In other words, she made his decision for him.

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3. Tonight Alicia said “What’s the point?” when Jake handed her that book. Do you think that’s coming from a place of loss after Travis’ death and everything else before that, or is this her letting go of who she was to survive in the new world?

Sara: I definitely think that Alicia is trying to let go of who she was in order to survive in the new world. We saw her jump into the water at the end of the episode. This was sort of like a “re-birth” for her character.

Maria: I think a mix of both. Alicia is still mourning Travis’s death and is understandably distraught. She is also still a teenager and is still upset about not being able to go to college or have a career. She needs to shed those regrets and prepare for this harsher world. But Alicia also needs to maintain her humanity by pursuing her passions when she can.

Jonathan: Definitely letting go of what she used to be in order to survive. Since the zombiepocalypse started, she was always trying to have a sense of normalcy. She learned the hard way and because of that, has become this jaded individual. When she jumped off the cliff at the end of the episode, it was from a place of trying to reconnect… To be “alive.”

Kevin: It seems like this is Alicia trying her best to mold herself in the new world because she primarily sees it as survival of the fittest and she feels that in order to fit that mold she needs to let go of whoever she was in the previous life.

Jill: I think that Alicia is going through the stages of grief. She witnessed Travis’s death. She has lost the world as she knew it. She has seen and done horrific things. She’s young, and it is taking its toll. The residents of the ranch are somewhat protected. Jake and Troy have not left their home as Alicia had to do. I feel that Alicia is coming to terms with her circumstances. In her previous life, before the apocalypse, she could sit back and read poetry, school books, and maybe, some young adult fiction to escape her stressors. We all have things to help us escape our day-to-day stressors. However, when we are facing a stressor, it is normal to think what is the point. On a personal note, when my Mom had cancer and was in the hospital recovering from surgery, I was reading Gone With the Wind. It has been seventeen years since I read that book, and I have a hard time remembering what I read or why I even read it. I didn’t like it when I finished it, and to this day, I have no desire to reread it or watch the movie. Alicia’s feelings at this point remind me a bit of Jackie way back at the CDC in The Walking Dead. She opted to end her life probably because she did not see the point of survival.

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4. Tonight we met Walker, the Native American who shot the helicopter down and killed Travis, and he has a long-standing grievance against members of Broke Jaw Ranch. Do you think there’s more to this than just wanting the land back?

Sara: I definitely think that Walker has some other issues with the members of the ranch. It seems like he and his group went through a lot of trouble just to get their attention, I think that something bigger is brewing between these two groups.

Maria: Yes. There has to be some history between the two of them. Shooting down a helicopter is very extreme, and Walker would not do that out of spite over a land dispute. I predict a back story on this conflict next episode.

Jonathan: Personally, I had issues with this plot development being part Native American. From the whole “scalping” aspect to “we are taking our land back,” just was so blatant, ham-fisted and – most likely inadvertently – racist.

Kevin: Odds are Walker and his group were probably screwed out of a deal and received either the short end of the stick or completely lost their supplies. Plus in his dialogue he mentions how he has also lost people probably that were indirectly caused by the ranch.

Jill: I still do not trust Jeremiah. I think there is a whole lot more to the story that we have yet to see. Jeremiah has been a prepper for a long time. Walker is not the same age as Jeremiah, so I feel that perhaps the grievance may have something to do with Walker’s family.

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5. Having lied to Daniel, Strand suffered the consequences. Clearly Strand still believes he can con people, like he did before the apocalypse happened, does Strand need to realize conning in their new world won’t get him anywhere, or is he just not doing it right – it is Daniel afterall.

Sara: Strand really does need to get over his con man days. This reminds me a lot of Eugene in “The Walking Dead” when he lied and told the group that he knew the cure for the virus was in Washington, just so they would help him get by. It seems that sometimes all some people have for survival is by manipulating people into doing stuff for them. I think that this is who Strand is, but he has the potential to change as well.

Maria: I think conning others will only go so far in the apocalypse because the world gets smaller. If Strand cons someone, it is easy for that person to find him. He needs to find a more stable strategy to survive.

Jonathan: It’s definitely a mechanism to try and be in control of the situation.

Kevin: So far Strand hasn’t had luck conning two people in a row and that was because Dante and Daniel knew the kind of person Strand can be. I hope this season tries to put Strand in a moment where he realizes he has to learn how to fight.

Jill: Off the top of my head, I cannot think of any successful con jobs in our Walking Dead world. I do not think that Strand has come to terms that his old ways are not going to get him as far as he wants to go. Daniel is smart and experienced in a different way than Strand. As King Ezekiel told Carol, “Never bullshit a bullshitter.”

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6. Alicia is clearly struggling right now. She’s attending “bible study” quiet frequently, her and Jake hooked up, which was clear on her end that it was just a one time thing (possibly), but when she jumped off that cliff into the water and came back up, she had this look on her face that made me think there was a deeper meaning to it, like it was cathartic for her, like she was able to breathe again. Did you get that sense, or was it just another cliff dive?

Sara: Oh that cliff jump was most definitely cathartic! I really do believe that Alicia needed a psychological awakening that she cannot control everything that is happening around her. She just needs to take it easy. She has been under a lot of stress lately with being separated from her family, losing Travis, and in times like this, it’s better to just let life flow and to go along with it.

Maria: After her talk with Jake about the role of art in the new world I think that she was reflective. I think she may have been thinking of letting go of her past and restructuring her identity for the new world. Or it may have just been a cliff dive.

Jonathan: It was definitely a cathartic moment for her.

Kevin: I feel that Alicia jumping off the cliff was the first act that she’s done in the ranch that she decided to do for herself rather than do things around the ranch for the sake of fitting in.

Jill: I have done a lot of TWD references for this roundtable. When Lori told Rick about Shane, and she said that she just wanted feel something. I believe that Alicia is in the same situation. Everything around her is so surreal. The apocalypse could be perceived as an out of body experience. She wants to connect with people her age and feel that she is truly alive. I think the jump on the cliff was to prove something to herself. It was an adrenaline rush for her. I think that she wanted to feel something.

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7. What were your thoughts at the end of the hour, when Jeremiah placed that gun down in front of Nick? What do you make of their budding relationship?

Sara: It seems that Jeremiah might have the potential to become a father figure to Nick. The way he was opening up to Nick seemed very personal, and seemed to come from a place of respect. It will be interesting to see how their bond develops later on this season!

Maria: I think that gun may represent Jeremiah bringing him into the community. He mentioned that guns are essential and complex objects. Giving Nick that gun means he cares on some level. I still do not trust him though.

Jonathan: To me, it felt like a moment of acceptance of Nick to the community, and Nick accepted that.

Kevin: Jeremiah sees the kind of survivor Nick can be if he was also trained with guns. Nick also didn’t seem to have much of a reason to fight at the moment since Luciana was still recovering so now that she’s gone; Jeremiah knows he’s going to go after her so he at least gave him something to protect himself with.

Jill: Again, I do not trust Jeremiah. Jeremiah knows that Nick is an addict. I am hoping that Jeremiah does not use Nick’s weakness against him. Nick has adverse feelings about guns, so when Jeremiah gave the gun to him, I feel that the gun was symbolic way of sealing an unspoken deal between the two of them. It is quite possible that Jeremiah will take Nick under his wing and teach him what he needs to know for survival. I just can’t bring myself to trust Jeremiah at this point.

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Final Verdict: A new threat comes into play and leaves us with even more questions than before!

With a group from the ranch not being heard from, Madison (Kim Dickens), Troy (Daniel Sharman) and a few others left to go check on them, only to find their burned bodies at the outpost and then be ambushed by Walker (played by Michael Greyeyes), the leader of a Native American group that aren’t only responsible for shooting down the helicopter and killing Travis (Cliff Curtis), but who want to take over the Ranch. After a fire and the loss of two Ranch residents, Nick (Frank Dillane) and Jeremiah (Dayton Callie) bonded on a personal level while cleaning up the wreckage left from the fire. Strand (Colman Domingo) and Daniel made their way to the hotel in search of Ofelia, but when they arrived the place was in darkness and Daniel realized Strand had been lying to him and left him behind with a group of walkers. After telling Nick it was time for them to leave the Ranch and then seeing that he wasn’t as eager as she was to leave, Luciana (Danay Garcia) left him in the middle of the night. And after hooking up with Jake (Sam Underwood), a struggling Alicia (Alycia Debnam Carey) finally had a moment of “re-birth” when she let go and jumped into the lake – soemthing she has needed to do for some time now. With a new threat on the move and new bonds being forged, we still haven’t got any answers on where Ofelia is – here’s hoping we get those answers next episode!

Fear the Walking Dead returns next Sunday, July 2nd, at 9/8c on AMC.