Fear the Walking Dead Review: Teotwawki (Season 3 Episode 3)

After the shocking death of Travis on Fear the Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 2, “The New Frontier,” I expected a quieter episode and certainly no major surprises.

But yet, Fear the Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 3,“Teotwawki” manages to shock.

It’s another solid episode, but short on the walking dead. There is plenty going on, so that makes up for the lack of a zombie threat. We learn more about Jeremiah and Broke Jaw ranch, Alicia finds a new religion, and Troy and Nick may become friends.

The cold open of this episode is pretty amazing. It took me a moment to realize that I was actually watching Fear the Walking Dead. Teotwawki is the end of the world as we know it and is a set of VHS tapes to help people prepare for the end of the world back in the 1990s, courtesy of the Otto family.

The infomercial is a delight to witness and actually serves a purpose of telling us exactly who Jeremiah Otto is and what the purpose of the ranch is. The rest of the people there are fellow doomsday preppers and not all are happy that the Clarks are there.

At Charlene’s memorial, Madison gets up and introduces herself and her family. She tells them that she’s grieving too. It’s a calculated move on Madison’s part. She throws in that Southern twang just to show people how earnest she is when we know that she is just watching everything and trying to figure out the dynamics of Broke Jaw Ranch.

Later, when Jeremiah shows Madison the bunker with all the food and weapons, we can practically see her taking inventory of everything there. How long until she breaks into that bunker?

The Clarks and the Ottos have more in common than they may realize. Both Jeremiah and Madison are tough, no-nonsense people who will tell you what they think of you. They both have children–Jake and Alicia are the “good” ones and Troy and Nick are the “damaged” ones.

Madison and Nick still have a contentious relationship, proving so again as Madison blames Nick for Travis’s death.Madison has always tried to save Nick, and it looks like she may be trying to help Troy as well, or at least stay on his good side.

There is a weird energy between them. I think they’re both a bit fascinated with one another. After seeing the tape of Troy’s mom, he obviously thinks that Madison looks very much like her and Madison is happy to play the mommy card with him.

Daniel Sharman who plays Troy is doing a really good job with the role. Down the line, I can see Troy becoming more like the villains we see on The Walking Dead if he’s given the opportunity.

We know that the apocalypse is a great time for people to lose their humanity whether it’s for science, survival, or just plain sadistic fun.

Troy just has that unhinged look to him, perhaps it’s the look in his eyes or his crooked grin, but every time he’s on screen, I feel unsettled. I’m waiting for him to strike.

It’s too bad that the writers have given him a generic background of being the son of an alcoholic mother who he tried to help. Let’s hope that there is more to his background and that we find out some of the other activities Troy’s been up to.

Jake attempts to keep Troy “on a leash” and tells him to stay away from the Clarks. But really, what would be the fun in that?

The best part of the episode is when Alicia goes unwillingly to “Bible study,” only to be brought down to an underground hideout and given booze and pot.

With the bible talk earlier in the episode, I thought for sure that Alicia was going to be set up for a boring night with Christ Risen, but instead, she smoked pot and met a zombie head in a birdcage named Jeff.

Who is Jeff and what did Troy do with his body? The other teens want to know how it is on the “outside.” Alicia tells them that it’s chaotic and she confides in them that she killed a man.

Earlier in the episode, Nick is surprised at Alicia’s tough exterior. 

Nick: What happened to you out there?

We know that Alicia killed a man last season as she was protecting her family. It was the first person she killed and from her reaction, it seemed like it was a really traumatizing act. However, when the kids ask her how did it feel to kill a man, she answers:

Alicia: Easy.

Whoa. Alicia is harder than I thought. Remember in Season 1 where she was drawing hearts on her arm?

The biggest problem with Fear the Walking Dead right now is Victor Strand’s story. Strand is a pretty cool character. When he first appeared in Season 1, he was someone you just had to watch.

Strand is a difficult person to get a read on, but there has certainly been character development since his first episode. However, his story, without the Clarks, has not been compelling.

As much as I enjoyed his scene with Ilene in “The New Frontier,” it seemed strange to still see him at the hotel. It’s like, we have all moved past that point in the story. Strand had great chemistry with Nick and Madison, so it’s too bad that they’re no longer together.

On “Teotwawki,” we see Strand meet up with an old business partner, Dante. Dante wants nothing to do with him and threatens to throw him off a cliff into a pile of walkers. Strand talks his way out of it, but he seems to be in a much worse position than any of the other survivors.

That is until someone gives him some water and we see who the “guardian angel” is– Daniel Salazar!

I never truly believed that Daniel was dead, but I didn’t expect to see him on this episode, helping out Strand. If anything, I thought it would maybe be Ofelia to help.

Now that Daniel is back in the picture, perhaps we’ll see more of a storyline for Strand and maybe they’ll even make it to the ranch. Even though the main characters don’t all have to be together, they should have storylines that intersect somehow.

Overall, “Teotwawki” is a very good episode that moves the plot forward and surprises in more ways than one.

Walker Nibbles:

• So, are Troy and Nick going to be BFFs now? Awwww.
• Luciana doesn’t really have anything to do again, but Madison’s visit is a little frightening. Her words seem to have veiled meanings.
• Who are the people who shot at the helicopter? Is it Dante’s crew?
• Surely with the VCR, there have got to be better things to watch than Jeremiah’s old videos.

What did you think of this episode of Fear the Walking Dead? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Fear the Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.

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