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This article is about the first season of Fear the Walking Dead. For other pages with the same name, see: Season 1

Season 1 of AMC's Fear the Walking Dead premiered on August 23, 2015, and concluded on October 4, 2015, consisting of 6 episodes. The series is a companion series and prequel to The Walking Dead, which is based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. It was executive produced by Kirkman, David Alpert, Greg Nicotero, Gale Anne Hurd, and Dave Erickson, with Erickson assuming the role of showrunner.

The season follows a dysfunctional, blended family composed of Madison Clark (Kim Dickens), her husband Travis Manawa (Cliff Curtis), her daughter Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey), her drug-addicted son Nick (Frank Dillane) and Travis' son Chris (Lorenzo Henrie) from a previous marriage to Liza Ortiz (Elizabeth Rodriguez). At the onset of the zombie apocalypse, their group is joined by Daniel Salazar (Rubén Blades), his wife Griselda (Patricia Reyes Spíndola), and their daughter Ofelia (Mercedes Mason). The families navigate through Los Angeles in search of a safe haven.

The pilot episode received a total of 10.1 million viewers during its initial broadcast with 6.3 million in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic, making Fear the Walking Dead the most-watched series premiere in basic cable television history.[1][2]

Plot[]

"Pilot"[]

Drug addict Nick Clark awakes in an abandoned church where he finds his girlfriend, who appears dead, eating another person before running into the street and getting hit by a car. His mother, Madison, and stepfather, Travis Manawa, arrive and don’t believe his story, convinced it was hallucinogenic. They eventually go to the church and find no girlfriend but a dead, eaten, corpse. Later on, Nick escapes the hospital and calls his friend and dealer Calvin.

Madison goes to work as a guidance counselor and one of the students, Tobias, brings a knife to school and shares his fears of the virus; and how it's apparently making people kill and the government is trying cover it up. More students end up not showing up the next day and Madison beings wondering if Tobias was right.

After explaining his problem to Calvin, Nick wonders if the drugs made him see things. Fearing Nick will sell him out, Calvin takes him to an underpass intending to kill him but Nick shoots him in the middle of a scuffle. Madison and Travis arrive and witness Calvin’s body rise up and snarl and attempt to bite at them. Despite Nick running him over again and again, Calvin continues to come at them.

"So Close, Yet So Far"[]

Fleeing the site of their run-in with Calvin, Travis, Madison and Nick speed home in the truck. They hurriedly decide they should evacuate to the desert. They pick Alicia up at Matt's house, her boyfriend, who has a high fever and a large bite on his neck. After calling 911, Alicia's convinced to come home. Shortly after arriving, Nick goes through withdrawal and Madison goes to the school to find pills to help Nick's symptoms. She encounters Tobias who helps her find supplies and kill a now zombified principal Art before dropping him off home and getting the pills to Nick.

Chris boards a busy city bus that runs into traffic and encounters a mob, who are shouting at police for shooting a homeless man. He is found by Travis and Liza while the mob turns violent and, in midst of the chaos, the trio find shelter in Daniel Salazar's barbershop, who's convinced at the insistence of the man's wife Griselda and daughter Ofelia to take them in. Travis and Daniel's families wait out the night as the power begins to fail.

"The Dog"[]

In the Salazar's barber shop, Travis, Liza and Chris are waiting for the riot outside to disperse; yet are forced to leave when a fire break outs. Both families make their way through the streets but Griselda's leg is heavily injured in the process. Unable to go to the hospital, they head back to Madison’s house where they discover an infected neighbor named Peter whom is killed by Daniel.

Still in shock over what happened last night, Travis and Madison bury Peter's body while the Salazar's attempt to find their own route to escape despite Griselda's injury. Daniel sees Travis and Madison as good people, yet believes they are always the first to die. Later, the National Guard arrives in the suburb and they begin sweeping the houses for infected and kill them on site. Travis believes things will now get better while Daniel shares an opposite opinion.

"Not Fade Away"[]

Chris sits on the roof of the Clark residence, videotaping and narrating events that have transpired in the nine days since the National Guard took over: a perimeter fence has been erected around the neighborhood, creating a "Safe Zone" with a strict curfew in effect. Travis serves as a liaison between the people and military much to Madison's annoyance. After being told by Chris that someone might be outside the walls signaling for help, he asks the officer in charge if anyone is still out only to be brushed off.

Madison, having sneaked out of the safe-zone, finds bodies that are not Infected but people who were simply shot and her and Daniel grow mistrustful of the military.

Liza encounters Dr. Bethany Exner who is impressed with her work tending patients in the neighborhood and asks for her help. Liza lets slip Nick addition issues and he is rounded up along with Griselda as a potential threat and is taken to another compound. Liza goes with them despite Chris' objections. Travis retreats to the roof, distraught. He sees someone signaling from the house in the Dead Zone. A moment later gunfire erupts at the house, followed by darkness.

"Cobalt"[]

After taunting a fellow inmate, Victor Strand recognizes Nick as a heroin addict and saves him from being taken away in order to use his skills to facilitate an escape.

In the medical ward at the command post, Liza tends to a patient under Dr. Exner's supervision. Dr. Exner informs Liza that Griselda is recovering from a foot amputation, but her diagnosis does not improve and she becomes septic. After she dies, Liza is told of the nature of the infection and shoots Griselda in the to prevent reanimation.

After Ofelia fails to get answers about her mother from solider, Andrew Adams, Daniel decides to take matters into his own hands. He captures Adams and proceeds to torture him for information much to the shock of Ofelia and disgust of Madison who reluctantly agreed to it. "Cobalt" is a code they hear over and over again on the radio. Adams finally reveals that civilians are locked in a local arena and "Cobalt" is a military code for their evacuation humane disposal of surviving civilians.

"The Good Man"[]

The families prepare to leave for the arena to fetch Nick, Liza, and Griselda before fleeing LA. Daniel casually walks into the arena compound and alerts of the Infected coming through and chaos erupts. The group uses this distraction to enter the compound. Chris and Alicia are left behind with the car only to be raided by fleeing soldiers who take the car and supplies despite Chris putting up a fight.

Inside, Strand and Nick make their way through the compound and eventually meet up with Madison's group, and are all rescued by Liza before zombies can attack them. Daniel learns of Griselda's death which leaves Ofelia grief-stricken. Strand reveals an escape plan to the group after they make it back to Chris and Alicia, but are encountered by a vengeful Adams. He intends to kill Daniel but instead shoots Ofelia. Travis, who showed him mercy before, brutally attacks him before Madison stops him. Both of them are shocked with what he had done.

After making it to Strand's home, they find his escape is a yacht called the "Abigail" which he intends to use for travel and allows the group to come with him. Liza reveals to Madison that she was bit and that there's nothing that can be done. She asks Madison to shoot her in order to spare Travis of the burden, however, Travis finds out and decides to do it anyway. He and Chris are left heartbroken.

Episodes[]

Title Writer(s) Director(s) Original Air Date U.S. Viewers
1. "Pilot" Dave Erickson
Robert Kirkman
Adam Davidson August 23, 2015 10.13 million[3]
2. "So Close, Yet So Far" Marco Ramirez Adam Davidson August 30, 2015 8.18 million[4]
3. "The Dog" Jack LoGiudice Adam Davidson September 13, 2015 7.19 million[5]
4. "Not Fade Away" Meaghan Oppenheimer Kari Skogland September 20, 2015 6.62 million[6]
5. "Cobalt" David Wiener Kari Skogland September 27, 2015 6.66 million[7]
6. "The Good Man" Robert Kirkman
Dave Erickson
Stefan Schwartz October 4, 2015 6.86 million[8]

Title Screen[]

Main article: Title Screens (Fear)

Cast[]

Co-Stars

Uncredited

Deaths[]

Production[]

Development[]

In September 2013, AMC announced they were developing a companion series to The Walking Dead, which follows a different set of characters created by Robert Kirkman.[9] In September 2014, AMC ordered a pilot, which was written by Kirkman and Dave Erickson, and directed by Adam Davidson,[10] and is executive produced by Kirkman, Erickson, Gale Anne Hurd, and David Alpert, with Erickson serving as showrunner.[11] The project was originally known as Cobalt.[12]

Casting[]

In December 2014, the first four starring roles were cast: Kim Dickens as Madison, the female lead; Cliff Curtis as Travis Manawa, the male lead; Frank Dillane as Nick; and Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia.[13][14][15] In April and May, 2015, Elizabeth Rodriguez and Mercedes Mason were announced as series regulars, both in unknown roles.[16][17]

Filming[]

Production of the pilot episode began in early 2015 and ended on February 6, 2015.[18][19] The pilot episode was filmed in Los Angeles; the remaining first-season episodes were filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[20][21] Production on the remaining five first-season episodes began on May 11, 2015.[22] Adam Davidson, who directed the pilot, also directed the series' second and third episodes.[22]

Reception[]

Critical Response[]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a rating of 76%, based on 63 reviews, whose average rating is 6.75/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Fear the Walking Dead recycles elements of its predecessor, but it's still moody and engrossing enough to compete with the original."[23] On Metacritic, the season has a score of 66 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[24]

Elisabeth Vincentelli of the New York Post rated the first two episodes three out of four stars, stating that "[They] are creepily suspenseful–they're great examples of how effective a slow pace and a moody atmosphere can be."[25] Another positive review of the first episode came from Ken Tucker of Yahoo TV, who wrote, "Fear the Walking Dead is a mood piece, more artful than the original series" and that the cast is "terrific".[26] Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter gave an average review, writing, "The 90-minute first episode and the hour-long second episode are, while not actually boring, certainly less magnetic than the original."[27]

One of the harshest negative reviews came from HitFix, on Daniel Fienberg and Alan Sepinwall's podcast, where Fienberg called the premiere episode "awful, just horrible ... as bad as The Walking Dead has ever gotten at its very worst. This is that bad. I've been kind of stunned to see people being generous to it. ... I thought this was almost unwatchably bad." Sepinwall called his B- review "slightly generous".[28][29]

Ratings[]

The U.S. series premiere attracted 10.1 million total viewers, with 6.3 million in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic, both cable television records for a series premiere.[30][31] Numerous international debuts of the pilot also set ratings records.[32] The first season averaged 11.2 million viewers in "live plus-3" ratings (includes VOD and DVR viewing within three days after initial telecast) to become the highest-rated first season of any series in cable history.[33]

Home Media Releases[]

The first season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on December 1, 2015. A special edition version of the first season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 22, 2016, with new bonus features, including deleted scenes, seven featurettes, and audio commentaries by cast and crew, on all six episodes.

Videos[]

Official Trailers[]

Promos[]

Trivia[]

References[]

  1. FTWD Becomes Most-Watched Series Premiere in Cable History - Zap2it (Aug 24, 2015)
  2. "Pilot" Receives 10.13 Million Viewers - Zap2it (Aug 25, 2015)
  3. FTWD Becomes Most-Watched Series Premiere in Cable History - Zap2it (Aug 24, 2015)
  4. Fear the Walking Dead Wins Night - Zap2it (Sep 1, 2015)
  5. Fear the Walking Dead Tops Night - Zap2it (Sep 15, 2015)
  6. Fear the Walking Dead Tops Night Again - Zap2it (Sep 22, 2015)
  7. [1] - Zap2it (Sep 28, 2015)
  8. "The Good Man" Receives 6.86 Million Viewers - Zap2it (Oct 6, 2015)
  9. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/walking-dead-companion-series-works-629848
  10. https://deadline.com/2014/10/adam-davidson-direct-the-walking-dead-companion-series-pilot-859929/
  11. http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/09/05/walking-dead-companion-series/
  12. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/walking-dead-prequel-details-758378
  13. http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/12/04/walking-dead-casts/
  14. https://deadline.com/2014/12/kim-dickens-cast-the-walking-dead-spinoff-companion-series-amc-1201334014/
  15. https://deadline.com/2014/12/frank-dillane-alicia-debnam-carey-cast-the-walking-dead-companion-series-spinoff-1201305129/
  16. https://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/30/walking-dead-Elizabeth-Rodriguez
  17. https://deadline.com/2015/05/mercedes-mason-cast-fear-the-walking-dead-amc-1201422460/
  18. https://www.ew.com/article/2015/01/16/walking-dead-spinoff-robert-kirkman
  19. https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3332796/tv-hasnt-walking-dead-spinoff-picked-yet/
  20. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/03/16/walking-dead-spinoff-vancouver_n_6880808.html?
  21. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/walking-dead-spinoff-shot-exclusively-in-vancouver-1.3181028
  22. 22.0 22.1 http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2015/05/11/amcs-fear-the-walking-dead-begins-production-in-vancouver-307311/20150511amc01/
  23. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead/s01/
  24. https://www.metacritic.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead/season-1
  25. https://nypost.com/2015/08/20/walking-dead-prequel-is-creepily-suspenseful/
  26. https://www.yahoo.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-review-amc-kim-dickens-125933601030.html
  27. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/fear-walking-dead-tv-review-813209
  28. http://www.hitfix.com/the-fien-print/listen-firewall-iceberg-podcast-no-296-fear-the-walking-dead-and-more
  29. http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/review-fear-the-walking-dead-goes-back-to-the-dawn-of-the-zombie-apocalypse
  30. https://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/24/fear-walking-dead-ratings
  31. https://deadline.com/2015/08/fear-the-walking-dead-ratings-the-walking-dead-companion-series-amc-1201504381/
  32. https://variety.com/2015/tv/ratings/fear-the-walking-dead-premiere-powers-amc-global-to-record-ratings-1201580619/
  33. https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/ratings-fear-the-walking-dead-cable-record-1201610178/
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