SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you haven’t seen season two, episode four of “Fear the Walking Dead,” titled “Blood in the Streets.”
The fourth episode of season two of “Fear the Walking Dead” opens with the first real “what the hell is going on” moment of the season. Nick is seen struggling to shore with some debris (maybe the Abigail?) and upon making landfall sees a helicopter fly overhead and head out toward the water where there are many more ships, most of which seem to be manned and operational. Nick heads deeper inland and finds a startlingly large, and unshockingly empty, camp. It doesn’t take long for a walker to start tailing him but with the help of a tent, it is easily taken care of. The trusted “cover yourself in zombie guts” strategy Nick learned about in last week’s episode is utilized and once he’s sufficiently covered, he heads out. The question is, how far in the future is this taking place?
After the title card, the episode jumps back to shortly after the end of last week’s episode. Travis and Madison are discussing Strand and his decision to cut the people they were towing loose from the boat. Travis thinks they can survive without their mysterious benefactor, but Madison isn’t so sure.
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Out on the deck, Chris and Ofelia are getting to know each other a bit better. They talk about relationships and Ofelia assures the teen there are probably still other girls on the planet for him to meet, which is quite possibly the worst “plenty of fish in the sea” talk you can get. Their bonding doesn’t last long due to yet another small boat rowing toward the Abigail. It’s understandable that they are sticking close to land on their journey to Mexico, but the ocean is a big place, so how many people can they really stumble upon before it gets ridiculous?
The arrival wakes everyone up. Apparently the three castaways had been floating for days. The woman is in pain and bleeding so most of the residents of the Abigail move to help. Strand, never having proven to be the best host, doesn’t say anything and opts to run straight for the big gun in his locked chest.
Madison takes the woman whose baby is in distress below deck while Travis and Salazar interrogate the two men. Alicia hears voices and heads up. The voice is familiar. It’s Jack, the man she was talking to when they first got on the ship. That causes the boarders to move for weapons while below deck, the woman slams Madison’s head into the mirror.
The boarders tie Travis, Chris and Salazar up in the main room and force Alicia to help do it. Mysteriously, they know the names of everyone on the ship even though Alicia says she never told Jack any of that. Strand tries to escape the Abigail, but his raft catches a few bullets and begins to lose air.
It’s finally time to learn a bit about Strand’s past. A flashback shows the man having a chat and drinks with a man who claims he’s in town as a “buyer.” Strand reveals to the man that Hurricane Katrina contributed to his bankruptcy and that he is looking to start again. The two tie one on at the bar and Strand helps his new friend to his hotel room. After courteously removing the man’s shoes and jacket and getting him some water, Strand takes all the cards in the drunk man’s wallet before walking out.
Back on the boat, the new arrivals want the key and threaten Chris’ life for it. Travis says Strand has the key, but he can start the boat without it. He heads off to do so while Jack takes Alicia with him. He loosens her bindings and lets her know that when a man named Connor shows up he’ll be able to control the situation. Alicia also reveals that Nick wasn’t in her room. It’s looking less and less like the opening scene was a flash-forward, but rather he just hopped off the ship looking for something or someone.
Yep, Nick just jumped off the ship to look for something and didn’t tell anyone. With nothing but an address, he’s made his way to a fancy gated community.
Strand’s flashback continues with the man he ripped off and an associate turning up at his fancy hotel. The man, whose name is Thomas Abigail, confronts Strand about the $36,000 cash withdrawal he took using the cards that were stolen. Their meeting is surprisingly cordial and Abigail tells Strand to meet him at the bar downstairs. Strand thanks him for the pardon.
“I didn’t pardon you,” Abigail says. “I obligated you.”
While Travis heads below deck to work on hot-wiring the boat and figuring a way out of his predicament and Madison distracts the pregnant woman with stories of childbirth so Salazar can attempt to cut his binding, Alicia and Jack have more chance to talk. Clearly the mysterious Connor the boarders keep mentioning has a motto of “proving your worth,” because it has come up multiple times. Jack says that after Connor saved him, he owed the guy even if he doesn’t love what he has to do. Alicia admits that she and the members of the Abigail have done worse.
Back on land, Nick finds the house he was looking for and is greeted at gunpoint by Luis, the associate that accompanied Thomas in Strand’s flashback. Strand apparently sent Nick on this mission from the jump. Apparently Luis is going to help get the members of the Abigail to Mexico, though he doesn’t seem to know how many people he’ll be helping. He only secured passage for two.
Another flashback shows Strand and Abigail soaking up sun and a great view. Strand wants to talk business about land they are moving to acquire (most likely what will become the housing development where Nick met Luis) but Abigail says he doesn’t want to talk business. He wants to enjoy their time out there where they can escape the real world before it pulls them back in. The two share a drink and hold hands. Clearly the two became more than just business partners.
Connor arrives as Travis starts the boat. He says he only wants Travis and Alicia to come with them but agrees to give the rest a ride to shore before departing. The rest of the boarders don’t think Connor understands the way the world is. They won’t be taking the remaining members to shore. This is about the time Luis and Nick show up. Luis is packing some serious heat and takes out a shooter from a distance just as Salazar breaks free. He and Madison take out who is left on the boat.
Luis says they don’t get into Mexico without Strand. Though his raft finally sank, Strand manages to live and it somehow doesn’t take Madison long to find him. With Strand back on board, the members of the Abigail will have a choice of whether to go after Travis and Alicia or head to Mexico without them.
