Who run the Fear the Walking Dead world? Girls.
The season premiere of Fear the Walking Dead aired this past Sunday on AMC and boy (or should I say girl), it did not disappoint.
Let me backpedal a little bit first. I’ve been a fan of The Walking Dead franchise for quite some time now. I love the action, the gore, and the showcase of family relationships in the midst of a disaster. Then, it has a perfect little sci-fi cherry to top it all off. It’s no wonder the original show is going into its eighth season with no sign of stopping anytime soon.
When AMC announced that the franchise was introducing a spin off show, telling the tale of what happened before Rick Grimes became King of the Walker World, I was ecstatic. But not because this new spin off would be backtracking to the beginning of the apocalypse. It was because the token “Rick ‘this isn’t a democracy anymore’ Grimes” character would be replaced with something much more intriguing to me. It was because a woman was taking his place. It was because the King who protected his Kingdom was being replaced with a Queen, and better yet, in the season 3 opener of Fear the Walking Dead, we’re reminded that a Queen doesn’t need her King to rule.
RIP Travis.
(I guess this would be a good place to say that major spoilers lie ahead, so buckle up.)
The two hour long, season 3 premiere did not disappoint — spoons through the eyes, helicopter crashes, walker pits, and all the blood you could ever ask for. So without further a due, here’s my review of why Fear the Walking Dead is quickly becoming every feminist’s dream.
Relationships
Female relationships are pretty boring when they’re portrayed on screen. I think that’s why I’m so attracted to shows that are filled with action and usually have a sci-fi element. Because there’s always more to the story than just the relationship. But it’s how the writers handle these interactions between two females when placed in a difficult situation. This is what intrigues me.
My favorite, by far, is the dynamic between Madison (Kim Dickens) and Alicia Clark (Alycia Debnam Carey). They’ve certainly had a bumpy ride through season 1 and 2 (as any teenage daughter would with their mother) but adding an apocalypse to the equation is how this show goes one step further in peeling back the layers between a mother and daughter.
The Clark women have differed immensely when it comes to leadership styles — Alicia being more forgiving and accepting while Madison has trust issues and feels an obvious duty to protect her family over everything. All of these traits have gotten them both into trouble, but after every episode, you can tell how both mother and daughter are affected by each other, and how each one is changing for the better.
I hate to keep comparing Fear the Walking Dead with The Walking Dead but if you think about it, there is absolutely no significant mother-daughter dynamic on the original show. Of course, the relationship between Rick and Carl continues to take the lead over others, and there’s absolutely a place for that in TV, but to see this role reversal where the women are the ones in power is astounding, rare, and meaningful.
A deep dive into Ofelia Salazar’s character development.
Season 2 has already proved where the show wants Mercedes Mason’s character Ofelia Salazar to go, and it’s going down a road that I’m looking forward to. When we first met Ofelia in “So Close, Yet So Far,” it was everyone’s guess that she’d be dead by the season’s end, that she didn’t have what it takes to survive what was coming next. It seemed as though she used her beauty and charm to get her out of most situations and how could that possibly get her through an apocalypse?
We were proven wrong. So wrong. At least I was.
Season 1 Ofelia Salazar, who was coddled and suffocated by her parents, quickly became an entirely new person by the end of season 2. She became a strong yet vulnerable woman who was filled with grief and rage and had the primal instinct of survival kick in. I live for that kind of character development.
Her story is going down a road where a young woman is faced with a catastrophe, but needs to pull through anyway. It’s going down a road where a young woman is finally realizing what’s important to her, and it’s been a pleasure to watch that unfold.
Dealing with her own internal battles after losing everyone she loved, Ofelia set off on her own journey near the end of season 2. Last time we saw her, she was in the middle of the desert getting captured by some sort of Army man but if we’ve learned anything about her- it’s that she’ll do anything to survive. The question now becomes where and how she’ll pop up next.
Girl Power
Even the smaller female characters of this show are stepping up to the plate to take on some major roles with intense and difficult scenes. Danay Garcia as Luci, Karen Bethzabe as Elena, and Brenda Strong as Ilene have shown strength, fearlessness, and authority when faced with danger, horror, and loss.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not sidelining any of the male characters. They all have their place in this series. I’m just saying that it’s a damn treat to watch women in the spotlight of a show that reaches millions of viewers every week.
I am strictly here for the female empowerment that Fear the Walking Dead offers. When the apocalypse hits, some of us won’t have a Rick Grimes to save us. We won’t even need one, because maybe the whole point is that we can save ourselves.
Next: Wonder Woman breaks $100 million at the domestic box office and we are all so proud
Fear the Walking Dead airs every Sunday on AMC at 9/8c, followed by an episode of The Talking Dead. Check out our reviews of each episode right here on Culturess.