‘Fear The Walking Dead’ Showrunner Teases What to Expect in Season 2

Fans of Fear The Walking Dead who may have been anxious for more action in the series got what they asked for during the season finale.

The series kicked things up about 10 notches when Travis (Cliff Curtis), Madison (Kim Dickens) and their family and friends fled for their lives after Daniel (Ruben Blades) released an arena full of walkers into their neighborhood. By the end of the episode, everyone made it out alive and onto the mysterious Strand’s (Colman Domingo) property, but Liza (Elizabeth Rodriguez) didn’t make it out unscathed. She was bitten during their escape and by episode’s end, Travis was the one to end his ex-wife’s life.

The decisions that our characters made during the season finale will drive the plot when the show returns, with each trying to deal with loss and the ugliness that the world has become. Showrunner Dave Erickson teased what fans can expect when the show returns next year, including a faster pace, more “visceral and violent” drama and increased turmoil within the group.

On next season’s pacing

“We’ll pick up in a more accelerated pace when we go in to the season. We’ve learned a lot: our characters in their apocalyptic education have learned what walkers are. Even Travis has had to shed some of his humanity for the first time, which was his great struggle. We’ll have more of a shorthand going in to season two. There are still things for them to discover. They haven’t had the benefit of the CDC download. They know the city has fallen and know things are incredibly bad and they know that this is happening in other states and potentially other countries but they haven’t had anybody say to them, “The world is over; this is our extinction event.” That’s something they’ll have to process as they move through season two as well. If I were them, I’d be thinking that there has to be some place to go. Maybe it’s an island. I don’t know. But there’s got to be a place where this contagion hasn’t touched. But we the audience know that’s not true and that will be the next blow that they suffer.”

On the theme of season 2

“There are a number of things I’d like to explore and we set them up, to a certain degree, in season one. Exner’s question — what is family now? — we’ve seen our characters make choices that have impacted their neighborhood, other people that they’re connected to. And the choice to release the zombies had a dire impact on the National Guard service people at the base. I’m curious to explore, especially if we make it to this boat and that becomes our base camp, who — when you get to a position when somebody you love dearly is compromising the larger group — brings about this strange duality. If I’m Madison and I want to keep everyone safe and somebody is compromising that, what am I willing to do to fix it? Are we going to get to a place where our blended family will have to flee from the herd? That’s something that’s worth exploring. There’s a reference to it in the pilot, which is this question of madness, and Madison has a darker past that we have yet to fully explore. She’s worried that certain things that have afflicted people in her life are going to afflict her son (Nick) and daughter (Alycia). When Strand says the best way to survive a mad world is to embrace the madness, I’m curious to see what happens to our characters when they step into such a level of chaos — which is almost war-like. How do you maintain your sanity? In this world, where the world has gone mad, is it better to not maintain your sanity? What does that look like for Nick or Chris, who has gone through horrific trauma of losing his mother. We try to tell the story through the filter of a family drama and that element needs to become more visceral and violent as we push forward.”

On Strand’s plans

“Strand is able to look at any situation and determine the currency. What is going to have value in this new world? His boat has value because it’s something that can allow people to survive and gives him a degree of power. He sees something in Nick he’s responding to and we’ll find out more about what that is, but there’s something enigmatic about Strand. He’s not going to offer kindness unless he feels he can benefit by it. He definitely has a plan and will be figuring things out as we move deeper into season two.”

Head on over to The Hollywood Reporter to read what else Erickson had to say about Sunday’s finale and what to expect when the show returns.

Did you enjoy the season finale of Fear? Will you be back for season 2? Talk to us in the comments below!

Photo Credit: AMC

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