Final Thoughts from the Fear the Walking Dead Episode “So Close, Yet So Far”

1. I know I’ve said this before. But, my biggest pet peeve with shows (and movies) like this is the fact nobody on them apparently has ever seen a zombie apocalypse movie. That’s the only explanation for the characters to stare at the zombies and let them attack before making any sort of move to protect themselves. Plus, they never aim for the head.
2. And, let’s face it, if the characters would simply understand what it happening, it would be much easier to get their friends and family to leave with them. It’s much easier to just say the words “zombie apocalypse” than it is to explain, in detail, what you’ve seen.
3. Of course, the exception to this has to be Tobias (Lincoln A. Castellanos). Is he the only high school student with access to the internet?

4. I’m not sure why Tobias is choosing to go home though. Knowing what he knows, you would think he would be smarter securing himself inside the school which, as he pointed out, has things like food and medical supplies and would be less likely, at least in the short term, to attract looters.

5. On this same subject, I can’t help but wonder why Madison is choosing to avoid explaining the situation to her daughter, Alicia (Alyssa Debnam-Carey). It’s not like the girl is 5. She’s old enough to learn the truth, especially since her boyfriend (Maestro Harrell) is infected.

6. I’m still undecided about this show, in general, because I’m waiting for it to separate itself and show us something unique. However, I have to admit I liked the way the writers decided to have the government keep quiet about the zombie apocalypse and, as a result, make things worse. I could see how shooting an infected homeless fan could be misunderstood by an uninformed general public and lead to riots. It does, in many ways, explain why there’s so much destruction to the various buildings.

7. One thing I think the looting and traffic jams will do is prevent them from fleeing the city like they plan. Instead, I think the show is going to force them to seek shelter inside the city. And, I have doubts about whether or not they are going to even be able to get back together before the end of this first season.

As I mentioned, I'm still withholding judgment on this series until I see a bit more and am able to determine whether it really offers anything overly unique. However, this episode was, admittedly, somewhat interesting because it did demonstrate some of the difficulties people would face early on in a zombie apocalypse. And, because of that, I did think it was entertaining despite some tired cliches.

My Grade: B