Season 3 of Fear the Walking Dead is unrelenting in its chaos, and this week that chaos led to losing another big life.
Fear the Walking Dead went literal in “Brother’s Keeper,” when a horde of infected trudged towards the Ranch, threatening to overwhelm the entire population. Surprisingly, it wasn’t this horde that directly caused Fear‘s latest major victim.
“Brother’s Keeper” spoilers below
Fear the Walking Dead opened strong this week, showing us just what kind of guy Troy really is. Troy is resourceful, unrelenting, unchanging, and consistent, if unstable. It should come as no surprise he was able to start a new life on his own with ease and composedness. Also as expected, Troy was not just going to move on and begin anew.
In true dramatic Troy fashion, he somehow rounded up a huge horde of infected and led them towards the Ranch. Interestingly, he chose to show Nick and Jake his master plan of obliterating the Ranch. It’s here where the nice guy finishes last.
After over two decades of overlooking Troy’s savage behavior, Jake finally took action. In a violent act more characteristic of his brother, Jake decided to kill his brother. Unfortunately for Jake, Nick had other ideas.
Nick hit Jake with the butt of his rifle, causing him to fall down a hill into a group of infected who took a chunk out of his arm. Nick then decided the best course of action was to cut Jake’s arm off. Of course, Jake bled out and died, and Fear the Walking Dead lost yet another sane, good-hearted person.
It’s easy to say Jake’s death is on Nick, since Nick is certainly the direct cause. Jake died because he bled out, he bled out because he got bit by an infected, and he got bit by an infected because Nick hit him. Nick chose to intervene in a fight that had nothing to do with him. He should have let Jake and Troy battle it out, once and for all. But because Nick cares for Troy in some capacity, he chose to save Troy, ultimately dooming Jake to his fatal end.
Then again, none of this would have happened if it weren’t for Troy. Without the need to venture out of the Ranch to witness Troy’s “reckoning,” Jake and Troy would not have had a confrontation that would result in Jake’s death.
You can, however, go a step further. What if Jake is actually to blame for his own death?
After the Ranch and Walker’s group joined together, Troy continued to kill Walker’s people, resulting in punishment. This was the opportunity for Troy to be executed, this was Jake’s chance to do what he’s been afraid to for so long. But the opportunity is wasted and instead, Troy is banished.
It’s also worth noting how frequently good people die in Fear the Walking Dead. If Jake was to have any hope of surviving, he needed to toughen up and become more ruthless. The pure of heart don’t last, and it’s a lesson that can only be learned once.