Previously on ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ 2A:

Misleadingly ‘slow’, ‘Fear the Walking Dead‘ 2A offered us a world of characterisation and insight. Truly, it depended on what you sought from the show, and this was applicable for season one, too. Did you want fast-paced gore ala ‘The Walking Dead‘? Or a more intimate poke into characterisation as per its spin-off?

Certainly for Strand (Colman Domingo), the breakthrough of his shroud of mystery came in ‘Blood in the Streets‘. For a character who, in season one, had been regularly touted as enigmatic or vague, episode four’s flashbacks and consequential story-line for Strand kick-started his much-needed humanisation.

Further developments came as Alicia’s (Alycia Debnam-Carey) loneliness attacked her—literally—led by Jesse McCartney’s vile Reed. Meanwhile, Chris (Lorenzo Henrie) inched further away from his Travis’ (Cliff Curtis) morals as the potent mix of blood-lust and unresolved turmoil over his mother’s (Elizabeth Rodriguez) death culminated in Chris’ inevitable free-fall into violence.

As for the Salazars, Ophelia (Mercedes Mason) grew into her own as her father, Daniel (Ruben Blades) sealed his cliff-hanger fate by burning the mansion they were residing in, down. Additionally, Kim Dickens’ Madison remained, the baddest badass of all mothers there ever was. Most heartbreaking was the willing departure and loss in faith of humanity in Nick (Frank Dillane) as he abandoned his family in the mid-season finale.

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Where our motley crew are (or were…) right now:

STRAND: Cast out of his lover’s, Thomas’ (Dougray Scott), mansion, Strand returned in ‘Shiva‘. With his Jeep, he escorted Madison, Ophelia and Alicia away from the mansion fire Daniel had started. We’re not entirely sure what Strand’s end-goal henceforth is, without Thomas—but we wonder how Thomas’ death will affect him moving forward.

MADISON: Ferociously faithful to her family, Madison will do anything to protect them. She’s begged Strand to find Travis and Chris. She watched as her ex-junkie son walked away from her…again. There’s a lot of baggage on Madison’s shoulders. And how she handles it in 2B is exciting to anticipate as we ponder the clash of power between her and Strand.

TRAVIS & CHRIS: We last saw the duo locked in a fight as Travis tried to calm and understand his wayward son better. But is it a lost cause? Chris’ philosophy seems the polar opposite of Travis—and they’re not anywhere near Strand’s Jeep of safety…

NICK: After leaving his family, Nick’s future is unclear. Most heavily touted for survival, Nick can swindle his way through life but can he do the same in amidst a zombie apocalypse? Of all of them—perhaps Nick is in the most danger.

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ALICIA: Fans of ‘The 100‘ will have been pleased to watch Debnam-Carey’s expanded role in 2A, and promises of further greatness in 2B. Memorably, she shone in ‘Captive‘ in which she not only rescued Travis, but also gave the ‘girl falls for the bad boy’ cliché a solid stomping. We’re not sure if Debnam-Carey will be wielding any dual swords yet, but she’d proclaimed she’d learned how to use a switch-blade…so further peril may lay ahead for Alicia!

OPHELIA & DANIEL: Ophelia’s biggest throughout the seasons has been adjusting to a life free of her parents’ protective control. Her chemistry with Nick has been sparkling to watch evolve. As Ophelia’s independence grew, her father’s grip on faith and reality slipped. While Ophelia escaped with Strand, Daniel’s fate remains uncertain as he burned down Thomas’ mansion—with him still inside. Will the ex-military man find his way out? We can’t lose Ruben Blades!

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Who’s jumping on the bandwagon? Happily hop on! And who’s sadly hopping off?

At San Diego Comic Con, the producers announced a new (and perhaps familiar) face: Danay Garcia. Of ‘Prison Break‘ fame, Garcia will portray Luciana, as revealed by show-runner Dave Erickson at the comic-con panel. Garcia even surprised fans with an unannounced guest appearance! It’ll be Luciana who runs into Nick, as revealed at SDCC, in the first half of 2B. Described as a ‘bad-ass soldier’—yup, we’re sold.

Unfortunately, there were casualties too. We suppose it’s to be expected of a zombie apocalypse but from hereon we waved a fond farewell to Dougray Scott (Thomas) and Marlene Forté (Celia Flores). Thomas suffered an ill-fated Walker infection as Strand desperately lived out his last days before tragically shooting him in the head, to save him from the grasp of the undead.

Also, whilst Celia may not have been the friendliest chick on the block, Forté’s portrayal of the almost militantly faithful antagonist Celia was captivating. Celia certainly seemed to change Nick’s way of thinking. We wonder what further antagonists lay ahead in 2B…

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Some questions we may find the answers to in 2B:

In this interview from AMC, Alycia Debnam-Carey talks of Season 2B and what to expect. We can certainly expect Alicia stepping up to the mantle now that Nick’s gone. This was reiterated by Debnam-Carey herself at the comic-con panel, but also in this interview:

She’s a teenager becoming a young woman, and that’s really hard for Madison, who’s trying to keep a sheltered teenager in a world that is so far from being normal. Alicia knows that if she keeps being treated like a child, it’s going to get them in trouble

RELATED l AMC’s 2B Photo Gallery

As for Ruben Blades’ fan-favourite Daniel Salazar, the future remains scarily overcast. Blades wasn’t present with his cast at San Diego, which makes our nails even more tempting to bite as the premiere date of August 21 nears! Hopefully, Daniel will make it through. Though he essentially felt as if he was reuniting with his beloved, lost wife—is our war-veteran destined to survive?

For further scoop on Nick (and Daniel!) we need to look no further than EW in a spoilery interview with Dave Erickson. From what we’ve gained from San Diego plus the post mid-season finale interviews, we’ll shakily place ‘hazard’ stickers on two of our beloved favourites!

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD returns Sunday, August 21 9l8c on AMC.