Life's Too Sports

In Episode 1.07 of World Beyond , horror-struck viewers watched as a friendly game of " Truth or Dare " descended into a crime scene -- our resident magician, Tony, was found dead, with Silas and the presumed murder weapon resting helplessly nearby. Thus, this week's episode begins with Silas tied to a swing set frame as his traveling companions discuss his fate -- Iris and Elton believe that Silas may be innocent, while the others argue that frequent evidence of his violent tendencies cannot be ignored. (On a personal note, it seems rather odd that Percy, a grifter who hasn't proven his trustworthiness , is nowhere to be found. I'm hopeful that he factors into next week's season finale somehow.) Meanwhile, Huck returns with a plethora of Iris' drawings that Silas evidently plucked from Campus Colony garbage cans while performing his janitorial duties -- in Hope's mind, this revelation lands as an unforgivable offense. Nonetheless, Elton visits Silas t...

The cryptic title of this week's episode becomes immediately self-evident when Paige (a woman seeking to escape Virginia and her rangers) commits suicide rather than explaining the meaning behind her spray painted message: " The End Is the Beginning ". Subsequently, Virginia's rangers are instructed to gather any useful information and then "Bury Her Next to Jasper's Leg", an ominous request that quickly sets the tone for the remainder of this week's episode. As the title sequence wraps, viewers are quickly thrust into a high-stakes operation, as June (and her apocalyptic rescue assistant, Sarah) are forced to conduct an emergency appendectomy on a man named Malcolm. Unfortunately, Malcolm dies before June is able to do more than create a small incision, and as she refuses to accept her failure, June is nearly killed by his reanimated corpse. Nonetheless, John and June Dorie are soon reunited, with John proposing a plan for the couple to flee Lawton ...

In last week's episode , our gang expanded by two members, adding grifters Tony and Percy to the mix en route to locating Dr. Leo Bennett somewhere within the CRM headquarters in New York. Thus, "Truth or Dare" begins by adding the finishing touches to our party of eight, as Felix and company roll up in their newfound transport to collect Huck, while she struggles with military flashbacks after collecting an EGA from a fallen empty. As Felix and Huck bond over their shared affinity for Mountain Dew, Tony uses his "magical insight" to locate hidden CRM fuel caches which promise to afford our gang the ability to complete their journey by vehicle. However, Iris takes Tony's discovery a step further, using a map given to her in the series premiere  by Elizabeth Kublek to uncover her father's precise location -- it appears that Leo Bennett is (visually) stationed at a "double-helix" DNA strand in Ithaca, New York. In celebration of their recent goo...

Two weeks ago, Fear the Walking Dead reunited Dwight and Sherry in unexpected, yet incredibly genuine, fashion. However, this week's episode made it readily apparent that Negan's reign of terror did not end with Rick Grimes' epic throat-slash in the Season 8 finale of The Walking Dead . But let's rewind for a minute... Episode 6.05 begins with Dwight and Sherry sharing a tender moment of reunion, though it's quickly interrupted by a radio call from Hill, informing Dwight that he's missed his check-in. Once again, Dwight lies to Hill, insisting that he must continue scouring off-map terrain, though he's concerned about Al's unexplained disappearance. Reinvigorated, Dwight suggests that he and his wife run off together -- unfortunately, Sherry refuses his proposal, and viewers quickly learn why when Dwight is abducted by masked figures. This new, seemingly shady group is constructed primarily of Virginia's outcasts, as Sherry and company seek to end ...

This Sunday's episode connects to its title almost instantaneously, as a rather cryptic introduction features Iris narrating the world's descension into chaos, juxtaposed with a cheerful shadow puppet show. (Don't worry, it makes sense by the episode's conclusion.) But first, let's rewind to the moment in which the group first meets Percy, a potentially untrustworthy " Madman Across the Water ". Initially, Percy informs our gang that he's alone, though his story seems to possess countless variations. Courtesy of Hope's blatant mistrust, however, viewers learn that Percy's truck was hijacked by a pair of men named Mike and Tony -- Percy confesses that he wished to hide the truth as his truck carries many barrels of refined fuel, its possession the comparative equivalent of "winning the jackpot". Following a heated negotiation, Felix and the four teenagers agree to depart with Percy to recover his truck, holding him to the promise of ta...

Season 6 of Fear the Walking Dead has sought to resurrect the "bottle episode" in an unprecedented way. Our  season premiere  focused on Morgan's battle to outlast gangrene and remain alive -- viewers were then treated to a parting of the ways between Strand and Alicia before last week's emotional episode  centered around Dwight and Al. Thus, it took four episodes for the fandom to learn of John Dorie's fate -- he has become one of Virginia's most trusted rangers, stationed squarely within the fences of Lawton. While John writes frequent letters to June, he initially seems to have become well-adjusted to Virginia's way of living, doing his best to contribute to their future with his peacekeeping duties. Unfortunately, everything changes when a man named Cameron meets an untimely end -- despite Virginia's insistence that Cameron had a drinking problem and errantly stumbled into some walkers, John wants to launch a full-scale investigation. During Camer...

This Sunday's episode of The Walking Dead: World Beyond features the collision of many opposing forces, including differing opinions on whether our gang should return to the Campus Colony, their ongoing struggle to cross a river during a storm (with a horde of empties on the horizon), and Elton's relentless mental confrontation with his past. While Felix is convinced that the group should turn around (as he intends to keep his promise to Leo Bennett and protect his "sisters"), his so-called deceptive plans are foiled when Hope overhears him talking to Huck about swaying Elton to join their miniature mutiny. Eventually, Hope blows up on Felix, blaming him for allowing their father to leave with the CRM, accusing him of never acting like her (adopted) brother, and realizing that the time has come for her to grow up and care for herself. Yikes. Later, Felix tells Iris that Leo and Will have to be safe with the CRM -- evidently, Felix feels guilty, as he was supposed to a...