Fear The Walking Dead: So was episode 5

Now we have one last episode ahead of us before the first season «Fear The Walking Dead» comes to an end. In the 5th episode, «Fear The Walking Dead» takes its characters a whole lot further. The penultimate episode lays some foundations for the finale, in which the worst must be feared, and we can assume that things will go really well again!

In episode 3 of "Fear The Walking Dead" the military made its first appearance and with it new hope arose in LA. Would the soldiers finally be able to restore peace and order? But they quickly showed their true colors: they have the weapons, they have the power! In episode 4 "Not Fade Away" our series families also felt it firsthand. The supply of fresh water and electricity is no longer guaranteed, as is medical care. So it is that a doctor, Dr. Exner, who has people who are sick or injured summarily transported to an alleged hospital nearby. However, the whole thing is almost more reminiscent of a kidnapping than an ambulance. Nick and Griselda are also taken along, but Daniel, who wanted to accompany his wife, was not allowed to go. In the unadorned episode 5 called "Cobalt" we now see what the families do to save their loved ones and what the military actually intends to do.

So after the military took over the lead, despite an initially comfortable and guaranteed security from the walking dead, circumstances have turned for the worse. The population is getting restless in the face of the occupation and a lack of information, life is getting rougher again and at the latest since there has been rigorous action against possible threats, the villain in the security zones has been determined. Lieutenant Moyers gives a face to the tough line of the military. However, despite some nice sayings, it remains quite colorless and one-dimensional. And yet in his few interactions he can at least inform us about the moral status of the military. He shows little mercy with his troops. 50-hour shifts, threats of violence, an unsettling sarcasm. The soldiers know a lot more than the bystander or Travis who went with them on this intimidation tour. They can better assess the state of the fight against the smoldering apocalypse, and if they want to desert and leave the field to save their own families (possibly from the military), that speaks volumes.

Travis tries to get information from Supreme Commander Moyers and finally manages to drive off with the soldiers to get to the hospital. But on the way, the troop is stopped twice: Moyers forces Travis to look through the scope of a .50 caliber sniper rifle and kill a zombie. The hitherto gullible and naïve Travis struggles with the challenge and in the end cannot bring himself to do it. After all, he is more peace-loving and if he can avoid a violent confrontation, he will do so. What's interesting about the character is that Travis may well have come to realize by now that the waitress named Kimberley is beyond saving and probably should be redeemed. However, he simply cannot bring himself to take this step. Whether Travis' pacifism has deep roots remains to be seen. While his wife is even quick to sympathize with Daniel's methods of torture, it's reassuring that Travis, a complicated character who's not idealized as entirely innocent, is also able to grapple with the situation. The second time, the soldiers stop at a library that appears to be full of infected people. While there are violent scenes inside, with some soldiers also dying, Travis waits outside in the car until the soldiers finally return, completely horrified, and decide to drive back to the protection zone for their own safety.

Oh yes, exactly: torture. The uprising initially staged by Ofelia was merely a trap for her military friend Andrew. Daniel was able to overpower him when he got to the house and now wants to find out where his wife was taken. In addition, the word "cobalt" is mentioned again and again in the radio of the soldiers. To unravel the mystery, Daniel is ready for bloody methods, which he uses not for the first time. No, he even seems extremely experienced. One could guess quite early on that there was more behind the inconspicuous hairdresser. His zest for action became understandable in the last week. Due to the attacks in his home country of El Salvador, he knows the abysses of the human psyche all too well and will not wait until he becomes a victim himself. Of course, Soldier Andrew doesn't want to reveal his secrets. He does say where the hospital is, but nothing more. Daniel tortures him cruelly, including cutting his arm open with his razors, because he wants to find out what the code name "Cobalt" means at all costs.

When Ofelia learns that her father is torturing the soldier despite his promise, she is very angry and disappointed. When Travis returns from his tour with the soldiers, he finds Ofelia completely distraught and immediately checks the situation. Of course he's mad at Madison for allowing the torture. Not surprising to me that Madison doesn't really care, but understands. Since the distortion of the facts that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden, torture has once again been recognized as a legitimate method of obtaining significant information. It is understandable that a mother wants to free her child from captivity. However, Madison's ability to adapt so quickly to her new environment is amazing and creates some tension in the family and in her relationship with her boyfriend. Even beyond the finale, this conflict will probably provide quite dramatic moments. But what the troops then learn from Andrew is even worse: the code "Kobalt" means the evacuation of Los Angeles. But only for the military. The remaining civilians are to be killed, and that at nine o'clock the next morning.

The mysterious "hospital" is, as we finally find out, housed in a sports hall and, to be honest, looks almost a little pathetic. All the sick and injured are crammed into a small space. dr Exner and Liza take care of a few sick people here and there, but Liza can't stop thinking about Nick and Griselda. She can take a look into the basement of the hall, but she can't find Nick. But instead she discovers Griselda, who doesn't seem to be doing very well. Her foot had to be amputated and she suffered septic shock, from which she died. dr Exner then explains to Liza that anyone who dies will automatically return to "life" as infected unless their brains are destroyed first. Liza now sees it as her duty to complete this step. She owes it to Daniel and Ofelia. But not everyone who was described as "sick" actually came to the sports hall hospital. Nick and neighbor Doug ended up somewhere in the basement, in some kind of cellar or underground parking garage, which is probably a kind of reception station. When Nick is about to be taken away by the soldiers, he is rescued by the charismatic Victor Strand, who spoke to Doug at the beginning of the episode. He apparently saved Nick and wants to gather a group of capable people to escape from the hospital.

It is gratifying that, apparently, the military actually only wants to help people and does not conduct experiments on them. That would have been a step too far. Director Kari Skogland shows the moment of Griselda's killing from a distance and later a close-up of Griselda's forehead. A dignified farewell to a character we hardly know and this scene also says a lot about the approach and future of the series. While The Walking Dead never misses an opportunity to seek one gore-esque moment after the next, the spin-off is far more layered and nuanced. Likewise, the camera doesn't linger on Kimberley's headshot for long. The carnage in the library cannot be seen either, only heard. The camera freezes on Travis. Fear isn't about the zombies, it's about the people and their reaction to this new world. Here, Liza also learns that all people become zombies - even if they weren't bitten. Alicia and Chris, who don't really get along that well, seem to be getting closer to each other through their predicament. They go together to the house of a well-heeled family in the neighborhood and really let it all out. They get drunk, take other people's stuff, dress up and then beat everyone to bits. After the two were finally able to vent their frustration and anger at their family and the situation, they seem to feel better. But not for long, because they notice that the soldiers are no longer patrolling, but are packing their stuff and getting ready to leave!

So the danger is less from the infected than from the military! What will the families do now? Will they find Nick and Liza in time? And how will Ofelia and Daniel react when they find out about Griselda's death or that Liza ended up shooting her wife and mother? Is the stadium full of zombies inside the safe zone? Where exactly was the library? Did the military kill hundreds of thousands of people in the past week? Did millions of people leave Los Angeles just like that? If yes, where is the mess? If not, where is everyone? Why is everything so empty? Some, as we saw last week, are hiding in their homes. But that doesn't explain the absence of a large part of the population. This unadorned episode with no visual highlights or highlights sets the stage for a zombie-packed, if predictable, finale as I'm assuming Daniel will open the stadium gates and take advantage of the mayhem. But the season seems to be ending just now, where things get interesting. All characters are likely to survive the chaos that is now beginning and watch the fall of the last rule in Los Angeles. The season may even end with the city being bombed, similar to the often-forgotten premiere of the original series' second season. There, the military bombards Atlanta with napalm. Maybe that's the solution to all of Los Angeles' problems as well, we'll find out next week in the final sixth episode ("The Good Man") of the first season of "Fear The Walking Dead".