Fear the Walking Dead 3×09 and 3×10: “Minotaur,” and “The Diviner,” aired September 10, 2017
Season three of Fear the Walking Dead has returned and the stakes are higher than ever. Last we saw of the Clark family, Madison brought Walker the head of Jeremiah Otto as a negotiation to let Walker’s group onto the ranch. Nick was actually the one to kill Jeremiah but he and his mother let the ranch believe that their leader sacrificed himself for a peaceful negotiation. Of course the truth begins to come out.
Biggest takeaways from 3×09:
Group tension. Walker’s group arrives on the ranch but the community is not too happy. Jake makes a speech to the group that they are “building a better future” but the ranchers seem reluctant. Walker also proclaims that the grudge died with Jeremiah despite the tension between the groups continuing to grow. The tension boils over when a rancher tries to kill a member of the Nation.
Madison in charge. Madison is clearly calling the shots now even though she is leading Jake to believe he still has the power. She is playing both sides much to the dismay of Alicia. At one point, Madison even makes Jake hand over the keys to Walker’s group so they can control the gun stockpile.
Exiling Troy. Troy has clearly been mentally unstable since his first appearance in the season three premiere episode. He is a ticking time bomb and the arrival of Walker’s group puts him over the edge. After the men came to take the weapons out of the Otto house, Troy pulled a gun and fights back. Nick is stuck in the crossfire and eventually gets Troy to stand down by explaining that he was responsible for Jeremiah’s death. As a form a punishment, Jake, Walker, and Madison agree that Troy must be banished from the ranch. Troy requests that Madison take him and in true-Troy fashion, he kills one more man before going into exile. By the end, he is basically begging Madison to kill him but she restrains.
Biggest takeaways from 3×10:
Water shortage. The community sends Nick to the hot box (a tiny metal shed) for his part in the gunfight. While he is hallucinating from severe dehydration, Madison and Walker discover the water shortage. The ranch has about six weeks of water left so they initiate rationing precautions. Madison accompanies Walker on a mission to secure more water.
Ongoing tension. The ranchers aren’t happy with the rationing rules and start to turn their backs on Jake. Alicia tells the group they need to trust his decisions as he is only trying to help them. There are strict rules at the water well but each side is accusing the other of double dipping. Alicia tries to talk to Crazy Dog and Ofelia regarding a system which would deter taking extra water but they feel it is pointless. A major fight breaks out at the well when everyone finds out the water shortage is much more severe than first thought.
A new militia. With Troy gone, the militia rejoin forces by enlisting Nick to help with their efforts. He seems unsure which side to fight for but he agrees to help them take action against the Nation. Nick receives a gun which causes more issues with Alicia and how all of the killing is changing the Clark family. Nick uses the gun to defend the well but he decides stand down during a planned sneak attack on Walker’s group. His decision leads the rest of the militia to assist Alicia and the Nation in their search for water on the property.
Madison’s mission. Madison and Walker arrive at a trading post market known as “El Bazaar.”As they are trying to make a deal with a woman named Maria, Madison spots Strand fighting off a few men so she steps in to help him escape. Strand needs to pay off his debts before he is allowed to leave the market. In order to pay off the debt, Strand is sent to the outside of the market, chained to the fence to kill the infected. Madison steals the currency that Walker was planning to use for a water deal to pay off Strand’s debt. She believes Strand will be the long-term solution for the water situation since he has connections to the dam.
Viewers were given a few short scenes with Daniel helping Lola at the dam. He continues to believe Ofelia is still out there even when Lola crushes his hope. Little does Daniel know, he will shortly be reuniting with Madison who knows exactly where Ofelia is living.
Fear the Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. on AMC!
(featured image: AMC)
