Fear the Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 13 Review: This Land Is Your Land
Steve Ford
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Well, that settles that dispute!
Fear the Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 13 finally put an end to the long-running debate regarding who rightfully owns the land on which the ranch was built. In the end, it doesn't belong to the Ottos or to Walker.
That's because there's nothing left of it.
After the letdown that was Fear the Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 12, I was somewhat cautious going into this episode, hoping that it would light a spark and get the momentum going again. And "This Land Is Your Land" did not disappoint!
Even if that spark did end up burning down the entire ranch.
Being trapped in the pantry due to the horde of infected turned out to be the least of the ranch members' concerns. As if the situation wasn't dire enough, Ofelia found that there was no air being supplied to the bunker.
In spite of the news, Alicia continued to step up, and although she was obviously terrified, she put on a good front. The ranch looked to Alicia for leadership, and she did the role justice.
Of course, as with any leadership role, there comes a time when you need to make the tough decisions.
Right now the enemy is not what's out there, it's actually time.
Alicia
With limited air supply and the clock ticking, the best solution Alicia could come up with was to take out everyone who is infected.
Fewer people breathing, the less oxygen being used, right? And while in theory, this sounded like a logical solution, putting it into effect is a whole different story.
How do you even go about approaching the very people that expect you to protect them and look to you for guidance and tell them that they're going to be euthanized?
Unsurprisingly, there were no volunteers. Eventually, though, people reluctantly started to come forward.
Even though death was inevitable for those people, it didn't make things any easier on Alicia or those that were infected. With death imminent, most of the "volunteers" naturally began having second thoughts, and even denial.
It's one thing to kill an infected that has already turned, but taking the life of a living person is another thing entirely.
Alicia being the one to put them down left her visibly shaken, and it obviously took a toll on her. It's something that is going to stick with her for the rest of her life.
When everyone began to lose consciousness due to the lack of oxygen, you could see where things were heading.
Even though Alicia was delirious, she had enough fight left in her to fend off the freshly turned infected, which conveniently landed on her before passing out.
While it was predictable, watching the ranch members slowly rising up one by one as newly turned infected was brilliantly shot. I don't know why, but the blurred background and harrowing music really added something to that scene.
Thankfully, the infected landing on Alicia provided some camouflage and gave her enough time to recover after the air supply was restored.
And the scene that followed was epically badass.
Ofelia, your father...he's alive Ofelia.
Madison
Alicia aka Rambo loading up in the armory and coming out guns blazing was absolutely awesome! The musical cue that accompanied Alicia's barrage was also well executed.
I ate up every second of it!
Madison, Strand, and Walker coming to the rescue was also a nice surprise.
The trio made their way back to the ranch just in time and were able to take out the infected using the ranch's gas reserves, which helped save Nick and Troy after being pinned down in the helicopter.
Unfortunately, the inferno also engulfed the ranch.
Was that really the only option though? I'm not sure what else they could have done, but I'm sure they could have thought of something in order to avoid burning down the entire community they all fought so hard to keep going.
Troy: Of all the places to die Nick.
Nick: You're not gonna die here because I'm not dying here.
Alicia coming to the realization that Jake wasn't with them was heartbreaking. After everything she had just been through, the news of Jake's death was just too much to handle.
After Nick set off on his own on Fear the Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 7, now it's Alicia's turn to find herself. At least the Clark family had a nice run of staying together.
At least this time they can keep an eye on her since they know where she's going.
Although, I'm concerned with Nick lying to Alicia about Troy being behind the attack on the ranch. That could likely end up putting a strain on their relationship should she find out the truth.
So, with Broke Jaw Ranch lost, it's off to the dam we go. I wonder how long it will take until that place falls. As we've learned time and time again, no place is truly safe in this world.
My only gripe with the episode was how everyone in the community was taken out in one fell swoop. It felt like the easy way to break off from the ranch storyline. Well, killing off all the inhabitants is one way to go about it. There is literally no one left.
If Walker didn't like Troy before, just wait until he finds out that he was the one responsible for getting his people killed.
This episode actually had the feeling of a season finale. It concluded the ranch arc and set characters in new directions. Honestly, if the season ended with this episode, I'd probably be okay with it.
But we're not done yet.
With no place left to turn, it's off to the dam we go, and I'm definitely stoked for Ofelia to see Daniel again. However, with Efrain having displayed some signs of rebelling on Fear the Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 11, things at the dam may go downhill fast.
Other juicy nuggets from the episode:
- I didn't expect Crazy Dog to come out of those ducts with Ofelia. I may have actually been a bit upset by that since the character is growing on me. I hope he sticks around for a while.
- Did anyone else notice the little nod to Rick being trapped in the tank on The Walking Dead Season 1 Episode 1? The camera pan showing infected surrounding the helicopter was nicely done.
- Crazy Dog also freaking out in the ducts made for a very uneasy moment. Coming from a person that has a mild issue with claustrophobia, that scene struck all the right chords with me.
- The infected falling onto Ofelia made me gasp. With the way it landed on her and having easy access to her neck, it was miraculous that she survived.
- Nick continues to impress me with how much he has grown since we first met him. Don't believe me? Just go ahead and re-watch Seasons 1 and 2. Nick's transformation from the mope who loves dope into the legitimate leader he has become is truly amazing.
What did you think of "This Land Is Your Land"? Are you glad that we're moving on from the ranch? Were you surprised by Alicia's decision to go off on her own? What do you think will come of Troy now that he's been brought back into the fold?
You can always watch Fear the Walking Dead online right here at TV Fanatic.
Fear the Walking Dead returns with a new episode on Sunday, October 8th.
