Season 7 of Fear the Walking Dead aired on Sunday night and gave viewers their first look at the post-apocalyptic nuclear landscape.
Previously, in Season 6, Teddy (John Glover) had tried to destroy the world with the missiles he had found onboard a beached submarine.
Luckily, he was foiled and only one warhead blasted off. However, this still meant that large chunks of the countryside were covered in radioactive blasts and this is what we have to look forward to in Season 7.
Along with this, AMC leaned in pretty heavy with Victor Strand (Colman Domingo) as the new bad guy. And, oh boy, didn’t Victor just relish the fact that he could go full villain in Episode 1.
So, let’s take a look at what went down in the Season 7 premiere of Fear the Walking Dead.
Say hello to Will, he’s full of secrets
Episode 1, titled “The Beacon,” introduces a new character called Will (Gus Halper). He is broody AF and living out of a blacked out van.
Will spends most of his time searching the dead for food. The only problem is that everything is covered in radiation.
Also, there’s a group out there that seem to be stripping the walkers for… well… reasons unexplained just yet.
Deciding that it is all just too hard after more than 50 days outside, he gives himself up to a wandering walker — but is promptly saved by Victor’s crew.
Taken back to meet with Victor, he quickly discovers that Victor’s group have it pretty good. There’s booze, yoga, and art classes.
However, Will can’t help but question Victor and the leader quickly decides that Will can go now, since Victor only wants people he can control.
Will is not too keen to go back outside and plonks down a medallion on the table that quickly gets Victor’s attention. It’s Alicia’s (Alycia Debnam-Carey) after all.
Not that Victor is going to ‘fess up to that just yet.
Victor goes on a mission
Instead, he demands that Will show him exactly where he found the medallion and there’s not much choice in the matter.
Things don’t go according to plan while they are out there and rain hits, which means they wind up back at Will’s van. It is here, that Victor finds a clue as to where Alicia is staying, since Will won’t let on more than is absolutely necessary.
After all, Will does know Alicia and she has told him all about Victor Strand.
He was also in the bunker before Teddy’s group turned up.
Will lived in the Franklin Hotel
It seems that Will has been shacked up in the Franklin Hotel thanks to being a PA to a senator. Things went awry, though, when Teddy’s group turned up and killed everyone.
Luckily, Will was in an air duct at the time. He then assimilated with Teddy’s group — which is now Alicia’s, after everything went to crap and the bombs exploded.
However, Will got kicked out for… reasons, and he thinks he can fix things by bringing Victor to Alicia.
Victor wants to find Alicia
Now that Victor knows where Alicia is, he wants to go there. But the pair end up at a lighthouse instead and Will uses the beacon at the top to guide the way — until the light packs in and stops working.
Finally, though, the pair make it to the hotel and discover that something big has gone down because the place is absolutely deserted.
The only thing left is a note for Will that simply reads, “Padre.”
Of course, Will is not revealing exactly what that means but gives a vague story about how it might be a person, it might be a place. Hell, it might not even exist.
Back at Strand’s headquarters
Now that they know Alicia is not at the hotel anymore, they return to Victor’s headquarters and take the huge light from the lighthouse with them. Victor tells Will that it will help attract Alicia.
The pair also have a little heart-to-heart about how they both love Alicia but in different ways. Will is also sure that Victor can be changed and that should Alicia turn up she could help him return to begin the man he once was.
Victor responds by pushing Will off the top of the building and I hate him even more now.
No one even cares what Strand just did, so I hate the lot of them also.
When Howard (Omid Abtahi) points out that a lot of walkers are turning up, Victor reveals that’s just fine. It’s here, that his plan becomes apparent: the walkers are protection against the likes of his past, against all of those who wanted him to choose the good path and not the bad.
Season 7 of Fear the Walking Dead is currently airing every Sunday night on AMC.