I’m not exactly sad to see Chris go, but ‘Wrath’ brings his story to an end that feels appropriate to his downward spiral – it’s cold, harsh and ultimately devoid of any moral, but that just speaks to how distanced Chris became from any of this show’s most straightforwardly moral characters. A lot of this rests in Cliff Curtis’ powerhouse performance, bringing a feral brutality and rage to Travis that seems just disconnected enough from reality to make Travis’ red mist convincing – Curtis is strong enough to breathe new life into a concept that, admittedly, has been done before multiple times in the Walking Dead universe. ‘Wrath’ takes its sweet time getting Travis in a room with Brandon and Derek, but the result is like a pressure cooker finally giving out and exploding: it’s one of the most visceral, powerful scenes Fear has conjured up yet. There’s a tangible sense of foreboding and momentum as the mystery builds and Travis gets closer to confronting the two bros once and for all, and the tension in the desperate quest to keep Travis away from the inevitable culminates in a pay-off that earns the lengthy build-up towards it. It’s by no means a classic episode, but it succeeds in places because of the genuinely strong story at its spine, concerning the final fate of Chris and Travis’ ensuing reaction. Of the two, it’s easily the first, ‘Wrath’, that’s the strongest. The two episodes were broadcast together, but they feel very separate in terms of quality. Its two-hour second season finale more or less encapsulated that feeling of running in place, as powerful drama gave way to a shapeless, uninspiring finish. The second outing for the ‘companion show’ has been sporadically compelling, coming up with some fascinating ideas every now and then, but capitulating all too often to its tendency to opt for tired tropes, delivered at a sluggish pace. It’s been one step forward, one step back for Fear the Walking Dead in Season 2.
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