Unpopular opinion: I like Fear the Walking Dead. Popular opinion: I can’t stand the characters.
If you’re a big Walking Dead fan, you probably checked out the spinoff, Fear the Walking Dead, when it premiered last fall. If you did, you also probably had a lot of complaints about it. Poor writing seemed to be the popular response, a slow story and stupid characters.
But many of us stuck with it. We hoped it was just getting its legs, that the action would pick up and the characters would learn. Unfortunately, only one of those happened.
In season 2, the action certainly picked up (though it still pales to its predecessor), but the characters remained frustratingly slow-witted and unable to adapt. There were few we could get behind, but after this week’s finale, even those characters garnered eye rolls and more than a few exasperated outcries.
A subpar story could be forgivable if there were characters we actually cared about. Fear‘s biggest problem isn’t a lack of action scenes or gore; it’s a lack of relatable characters, the absence of a group we want to see survive. If we cared for this group, if their survival mattered to us, if we just enjoyed watching them, a weak plot would be less problematic.
Listen, I hate being negative about a show when I could easily stop watching, but why doesn't everyone on #FearTWD just die already?
— Shelby Dockery (@evol_annabellee) May 26, 2016
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#FearTheWalkingDead does a really great job at making me hate all the main characters. Enough with their denial about everything #FearTWD
— Kevin (@KevinKevkev2484) May 25, 2016
Take Chris. Everybody hates Chris. Right from the start he was difficult to care about. He was impertinent, stubborn, and quite frankly, a dick. It makes his current breakdown feel more like an annoyance and an added reason to want him dead, than a reason to care for his well-being and actually discuss the trauma he’s going through. He ran away? Good, let him go. Nobody wants him around anyway.
I really don't get Chris… I would have sacrificed him eons ago #FearTWD
— Ned Stark's secret (@MsPerrett) May 24, 2016
His father, Travis, is almost as hated for the exact opposite reasons. While Chris is adapting to this world too easily and killing everyone, Travis refuses to adapt at all, and won’t kill anyone. Maybe it’s commendable that he’s steadfast in holding onto his humanity, but unless you’re going to always be with someone who’s comfortable with killing, you’ll end up dead.
Will Travis ever be an interesting character? He's dull from head to toe. #FearTWD
— Jamie Moriarty (@JamieMoriarty13) May 16, 2016
There’s also the ridiculous theme of the adults not telling their kids what’s going on. Just because they’re your children, that doesn’t make them children. They’re plenty old enough to understand whatever plan or concept that’s being devised, and simply telling them what to do without explanation is idiotic. Take season 1, when Matt was sick and dying. Madison kept yelling at Alicia to stay away from him, but never told her why. Of course Alicia isn’t going to listen; she has zero idea what kind of danger she’s in since no one has told her what could happen.
I feel Madison COULD be such a good character (strong willed) but they write her so unlikable & stuck up. Why?!! #FearTWD #badwriters
— Schrödinger's Kat (@PinkLillyKat) May 16, 2016
That said, Alicia is no saint in this show. Or rather, that’s exactly what she is, and that’s exactly the problem. She seems intelligent enough, but her street smarts are severely lacking. Alicia is far too trusting of strangers, and doesn’t ask enough questions. In a decaying world, nobody should be trusted automatically, and new places should be investigated instead of readily accepted as a new home. It’s okay to make a mistake in the beginning, normal even, but by continually accepting everyone and everything without keeping one eye open, there’s no growth. Mistakes will be repeated and we’ll see the same problems over again.
Alycia Debnam-Carey is a beaut, but dang Alicia is annoying and weak as heck. She's gonna end up pulling a Carol. I just know it. #FearTWD
— tulip (@chodofaggins) May 17, 2016
Ofelia has a different problem entirely, and it can be summed up in two words: Ofelia who? It seems like she’s only there to look cutely concerned and beautifully bewildered when we need reaction shots. A possibly worse argument could be made that she’s really only there for Daniel’s arc.
WTF So u keep the most boring character (Ofelia) and kill 1 of the three most interesting ones (Daniel)? Adios #FTWD pic.twitter.com/301BslY8DE
— Nicolina Torres (@NicolinaTorres) May 23, 2016
When it comes to Daniel, he definitely falls into the ‘keeps too many secrets from his daughter’ category, but he’s also one of the only characters on this show who gets it. His wits and proaction easily made him become a favorite. That is, until he lost his marbles in this week’s finale and maybe died.
Oh, Daniel I hope you're ok..You're one of the best fighters/thinkers the group has! @FearTWD_UK #FearFamily
— Gina Lane (@GinaAlanaLane) May 16, 2016
The other doe-eyed cutie was largely a fan favorite until recent episodes. It’s been said many times that Nick’s addict lifestyle prepared him for this world, that he has good instincts and he’s adaptable. He had a good mind and body, but he wasn’t perfect. His flaws made him relatable, and we were easily endeared to him. But apparently with Fear the Walking Dead, nothing good can stay, and now his character is also annoying. Falling pray to Celia’s ideals is probably in keeping with his character, but it’s hard to see it that way when he was one of the only characters we cared about, and now he’s behaving in a way we deem stupid.
also, what the fuck is this you're doing to Nick, show? I don't want him to be a some kind of zealot. #FearTWD
— 1, 2.. 1, 2, 3, 4 (@SapphiresOfWest) May 24, 2016
If you’ve been keeping count, you know we’ve only one character left: Victor Strand. Victor was saved for last for an important reason. Victor is a perfectly imperfect badass and he’s our only hope for this show.
Victor Strand stays or no deal.#FearTWD
— TheWalkingDead World (@TWalkingDWorld) May 23, 2016
#FearTWD is so devoid of any common sense that Strand is the only one I want to watch. They have butchered this franchise.
— Mandy Fisher (@mandykmfisher) May 24, 2016
Strand is still alive and the best character on #FearTWD. pic.twitter.com/R97tIIS0s8
— 45™✨▪️ (@xLosingFaith) May 23, 2016
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