AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead
Season 4, Episode 12: “Weak”
Directed by Colman Domingo
Written by Kalinda Vazquez

* For a recap & review of the previous episode, “The Code” – click here
* For a recap & review of the next episode, “Blackjack” – click here
June (Jenna Elfman) is watching tapes of John (Garret Dillahunt) from the collection int the SWAT truck. She and Althea (Maggie Grace) made it through the storm. It’s not that everything’s totally fine, but at least they’re alive. June calls out over to the radio to John, lamenting leaving him at the bus. Everyone’s still separated after the storm and scattered across the landscape.
Each day is the same as the last. They try to find more diesel, they conserve water and batteries, they kill the occasional walker passing by, and rinse, repeat. Things deteriorate when they’re running out of water, realising they’ve got to do something else. They get a call over the radio after a bit, though it’s unintelligible static and could be anyone.
Back on the big truck, Sarah (Mo Collins) and Wendell (Daryl Mitchell) continue their journey along with Morgan (Lennie James) and Jim (Aaron Stanford). They’re not far from Houston. Morgan tries finding his friends over the radio, unable to get anybody on the line— these are the bits of static the two women are getting elsewhere.
Things don’t look great when Al starts getting a fever. She claims it’s blood sugar at first, but she’s warm, she’s sweaty, and it’s not going to be good for either her or June at this point. They’ve got to get going and she’s about to go down hard for at least a day or two. But it hasn’t fully come on, so there’s time. The women also come upon a truck at the roadside, giving their feet a break. They look for higher ground to try the radio someplace better. Simultaneously, Morgan’s doing the same.
As they all call more across the airwaves, their radio reaches the unknown, filthy woman (Tonya Pinkins) and her zombie Pervis (Isaiah Cox). So goddamn creepy.
Al’s burning up and puking. This is when they see someone on the road stealing the SWAT truck. Al takes off after them, except they blow a tire and nearly fly off the road. And June urges to stop. Problem is, all the good drugs that could Al are in the truck. She calls it a van, but I refuse.
Along the way, Morgan finds the filthy lady at one of the boxes. He reassures her the boxes are helpful. When Morgan gets a good look at her and she talks to him, he’s weirded out. She says she’s “not weak,” so she doesn’t need the help. I’ve assumed Pervis is the original leaver of the boxes. She’s busy putting dirty water in the bottles— probably the reason why Al is sick. She terrifies me.
By the road, June changes the tire and tries to look after Al. They hear gunshots in the near distance. They’re guns belonging to Al and the truck, she wants June to go find it herself. But her friend won’t leave her in this state until she’s pleaded with, because if not the drugs, the ammo, the guns, it’ll all be lost.

“You made them weak, Pervis.”

Up the road, June locates the SWAT truck and a pile of the undead. She’s quickly held at gunpoint by a man coming from out of the woods. She tries talking him down, relating to his struggle in the post-zombie apocalypse wasteland. Dude’s just like any other trying to protect his people, or himself. All the same, humanity’s better than becoming a monster. June wrestles with the man to get the gun away. He almost has the upper hand when she gets out from under him. She lets him go instead of shoot, finding the truck’s out of gas entirely. Then she searches for the drugs, unable to find them. Al tells her later there were no drugs, she only wanted her SWAT truck back.
Back at the other truck, Al’s about ready to pass out, trying to fix the tire herself. As she does, a muddy zombie’s making its way for her brains. It crawls on top of her and she struggles for her blade. Not able to kill it that way, she drops the truck from its jack and crushes the walker’s skull. Gnar!
Al’s lie pisses June off, given she nearly killed a man for the drugs. Lucky for Ms. Fever, she does get a few pills after her friend found some on a bus. June pushes Al for the truth, not believing the bullshit. We see more all the time how those tapes and “those stories” are what drives the journalist. On there, her story exists in the people she knew and loved who are gone. She won’t leave it all behind.
At a water tower, Morgan climbs up high to try the reception. He radios to his friends, hoping they’ll hear his voice. He comes through to Al and June, who hear his broadcast. He can’t hear them, and their battery goes dead. They know the mile marker. But Al doesn’t want to abandon the SWAT truck, she won’t go. June wants to find her friends. Eventually, the former comes to her senses and they head off together.
Morgan waits to see if anyone’s coming. When he believes nobody’s headed that way, he and his new pals get ready to hit the road again. Before they pull out, the other truck appears. Al and June meet up with Morgan, happy to see each other. Only question now is, what next?
On the radio, June winds up talking to the man she nearly shot. He found more diesel, and his name’s Quinn (Charles Harrelson). There’s humanity left in the world, seeing these two strangers come together in such a way. Also nice Morgan is “helping people” along their journey.
When Quinn goes to mile marker 27, he doesn’t find June or anybody else. It’s actually a sign made from 21 into 27. That’s because the filthy lady and Pervis are out there hunting, listening to the radio transmissions. She doesn’t say a word to June, she just lets Pervis eat Quinn. She’s allowing Pervis his freedom after their time together. Now she’s also got the SWAT truck, and a name zombie to write on and use to her whims. She writes PEOPLE YOU KNOW on his face.
Lord, I love this season! Only gets better. Can’t wait to see more of that eerie, dirty woman, and I need to know what she’s been doing, what is her purpose?! It’s fucking excellent suspense.
“Blackjack” is next time.