With old faces, new faces, and a time jump, Fear the Walking Dead feels like it’s been given a second life. If you’ve never watched it before, or quit some time ago, our season 4 premiere is a great time to jump back in.
For many, The Walking Dead universe is getting stale. The Walking Dead is repetitive, and Fear the Walking Dead can’t seem to find its footing for a substantial amount of time. Not to mention both series suffer from a lack of characters to care about. Not only is there too many people, there’s also too many unlikeable people.
When it comes to Fear the Walking Dead, our core group never developed endearing qualities like Rick Grimes’ group used to have, nor did they reach the full badass charm that’s made Negan so popular. They were too frustrating to be likeable, but not evil enough to fall into the ‘love to hate’ category. The season 4 premiere of Fear the Walking Dead quickly works to rectify its character problem by adding new and old faces, neither of which you have the urge to punch.
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Among the fresh faces, we have cowboy John and journalist Althea. After only one episode, John seems like he’ll easily become a new fan favorite. He doesn’t like killing, although he’s well adept with a gun, making him a great asset to any group. He’s also so incredibly lonely and desperate for a friend, giving him a childlike endearment. Then there’s the slightly more mysterious Althea. She may not be a sharpshooter like John, but she makes up for it with determination and a big arsenal. Depending on who she’s encountered over time, she also may have important knowledge to share.
Then there’s the familiar face of Morgan Jones, one of the more complex characters from The Walking Dead. Morgan was a fan favorite after appearing on one episode of the parent series, and was later brought back as a series regular. Now he’s bringing his mojo to Fear. Throwing Morgan into the Fear the Walking Dead mix will not only put his morals and beliefs to the test, but will also challenge Madison’s group.
There’s been a large time jump since we last saw Madison and company. We’ve no idea what they’ve endured since the season 3 finale, or how any of it has affected them. Are they changed people based on their experiences? Have they developed more or less morals? How will Morgan, Althea, and John affect the group? Will it become one group vs. another, or will they somehow live together despite their differences?
The time jump also gives Fear the Walking Dead season 4 the benefit of having everyone in the group already reunited. When we last saw them, Madison, Alicia, Nick, Victor, Luci, and Daniel were all separated, namely by the explosion at the dam. It looked as if we’d have to wait at least a couple of episodes until they all reunited, a plot device Walking Dead viewers are unfortunately familiar with. But by the end of the season 4 premiere, we see that all but Daniel are together again, and we’re spared the trudging story of when and how they’ll find each other.
Whether you gave up on Fear the Walking Dead before, or never even gave it a shot, now is the time to start watching. With the time jump and introduction of new characters, it’s as if Fear is starting anew. Knowledge from previous seasons isn’t necessary this time around, so if you’re hungry for some walker content and The Walking Dead just isn’t doing it for you anymore, give Fear a try.