Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 9 Review: Channel 4

at .

That was a change of pace!

Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 9 mostly took the form of a documentary, thanks in large part to Althea's decision to film everything to make a video to leave at certain outposts to lure potential survivors into the denim factory. 

One of the many criticisms of Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 is that the characters talk about their feelings instead of showing the audience them through their actions. 

Doubling Down - Fear the Walking Dead

In a sense "Channel 4" was the first time these long tangents of dialog felt warranted because our characters were breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the audience. 

For that reason alone, this installment was successful in setting up the conflicts for the second half of Fear the Walking Dead Season 5, but it's hard not feel robbed in some aspects. 

Logan Makes His Move  - Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 9

Jumping ahead and showing us that the gang successfully managed to steal the oil from Logan was a bit too much to take seriously.

The cliffhanger at the end of Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 8 needed to be addressed. 

There needed to be some more hurdles for the characters before we got to the point in which they double-crossed Logan.

Related: Enjoy UNLIMITED access to thousands of Movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video. WATCH ANYWHERE. CANCEL ANYTIME!

From a storytelling standpoint, it would have been more successful in setting up the villains for these final episodes. 

The big issue is that neither Logan or the group he's working with seem scary. They look weak, and it didn't help matters that they left the man looking for a safe haven alive at the close of the hour. 

June Searches for John - Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 7

If Logan wanted to send a meaningful message that was supposed to scare everyone shitless, he should have killed the man and delivered his head to the factory with the videotape and the radio. 

John: This was by far the ugliest mustard I'd ever seen.
[Althea laughs]
John: What?
Althea: Where did that phrase come from?
John: It's something my grandpa used to say. He worked in a delicatessen.

It's difficult to look at Logan as a villain when he's one of the dumbest characters on the show. On top of that, letting the young man know they had a lot of firepower wasn't the best idea. 

Related: Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 8 Review: Is Anybody Out There?

When the man inevitably makes it to the denim factory or one of the outposts, he's going to alert everyone. By my calculations, the element of surprise is a lot better in this type of setting. 

Now, everyone will be expecting an attack of some sort. Where's the fun in that?

Fighting For Change - Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 2

Does Logan want to give our heroes a chance to fight and potentially lose some of his own people? His motives are certainly murky, but time will tell what the heck he has planned. 

The strongest parts of the episode were the confessionals from the characters. They were telling about what could be coming for everyone. 

Related: The Walking Dead Casts Comic Character Dante

It's surprising, but Grace's resonated with me the most. She may be a new character, but she's already emerging as one of the best on the series. 

Althea's interview with Grace was well-executed in that we got confirmation that Grace checked her lymph nodes every single morning expecting to finally get sick as a result of the radiation poisoning. 

Althea, the Filmmaker - Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 9

That's a harrowing thought, but it makes sense that she would want to devote the time she has left to save every single person she can. 

Other people are traveling the post-apocalyptic world expecting to be eaten alive by a zombie, and then there's Grace who is just waiting for the radiation to end her life. 

It's scary, and when it inevitably does catch up with her, but I'm starting to get the feeling that Alicia will be the one to care for her when it happens. 

If you watch Fear the Walking Dead online, you know that Alicia was exposed to radiation, albeit not as much as Grace, but still, the show is probably going to make Alicia suffer like the rest of the Clark family. 

Alicia's Moment of Reflection - Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 9

The show is in a strange state right now. With people coming to join the heroes, they should be able to make an army in the event that anyone tries to take them out. 

But it's hard to believe that there's this much unity in the people they are helping. There should be more squabbles. My criticism actually harkens back to the way Alpha laughed at the communities on The Walking Dead Season 9. 

Related: Fear the Walking Dead Future Confirmed

More than anything, Morgan and Alicia's community seems so one-dimensional that they can be taken down with ease. 

While a lot of things are difficult to take seriously, the mother holed up in the home with her asthmatic son surrounded with landmines was a solid B plot. 

Althea Salvages the Plane - Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 7

There were genuine stakes there because our heroes could have easily been wiped out if they made the wrong move. 

On top of that, walkers were being signaled from miles away because of the blasts. It's a shame that Tessa's husband had to die in the process, but if Tessa emerges as another decent character, then I'm all for it. 

Related: The Walking Dead "Already Working" on Bringing Lauren Cohan Back

The fundamental issue with this spinoff is the inconsistent writing that is not true to the characters.

It's difficult to be excited by a series like that, but we need to remember that Fear was stronger than the regular series at times, and it could be again. 

What are your thoughts on the direction things are going in?

Hit the comments below. 

Fear the Walking Dead continues Sundays on AMC. 

Channel 4 Review

Editor Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
  • 3.0 / 5.0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
User Rating:

Rating: 2.5 / 5.0 (4 Votes)

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.

Show Comments
Tags: ,

Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 9 Quotes

See, somebody helped me. That's what this is all about.

Morgan

I started filming our stories so we would have it, but it became about so much more.

Althea