AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead
Season 5, Episode 14: “Today and Tomorrow”
Directed by Sydney Freeland
Written by Richard Naing & David Johnson

* For a recap & review of the previous episode, “Leave What You Don’t” – click here
* For a recap & review of the next episode, “Channel 5” – click here
We see more of Morgan’s tapes, recorded by Al. He talks about his wife, Janet, over the course of days. He goes through their entire relationship, sharing their lives with Al. He talks about his son, Dwayne: “He was the best of both of us.” And he also shares a bit of wisdom about the unpredictability of life, which is all the more resonant in a post-zombie apocalypse world. Morgan’s actually watching his own tapes right now. He and Al are near ready to get back to their convoy, running low on gas. He keeps insisting the boxes “make a difference,” not wanting to turn back just yet.

They soon discover someone’s stolen a can of gas from their truck. This puts the pair on high alert. They find a man called Tom filling his tank. He’s cagey, pulling a knife on them. Morgan gets him to drop it, right as some of Virginia’s army come trotting by, and Tom’s scared of them. The three hide in a van as the cowboys search the parking lot. An almost Jurassic Park-like moment sees one man on horseback nearly discovering them inside when his horse breathes condensation across the window.
Thankfully, he and his buddies move along. After that, Al and Morgan get to know Tom a bit. His safe community fell apart, then Virginia’s army turned up offering supposed help. In reality, she and her soldiers are merely tyrants. Tom also has a sister left back there— Janice— at a place called Paradise Ridge.
Grace continues listening to books. Right now, she’s around Chapter 8 of Don Quixote. She’s “stockpiling for the future” by checking out what’s salvageable on the roof of a building with solar panels. She and Daniel— and trusty Skidmark— soon hear word from the convoy about the oil fields. Once they get on the road, their vehicle breaks down, and it means a bit of a longer journey back to their friends. They start walking and on a dark road they’re swarmed by zombies, forcing them to move faster.

At Paradise Ridge, Al wants to go stealth mode on her own. She starts to, though Morgan follows. He refuses to let her go by herself. He’s convinced there’s someone or something else inside that community she’s going in to search for, but she won’t say a word. They’ll both go together, using a walker to get in— a cowboy comes out to clear a zombie in the road, allowing the duo access.
Inside, they see a tanker belonging to their group. This makes Morgan worry. Then Al tells him she’s heard the rhetoric of Virginia’s army before— the woman she met from the mysterious organisation, the one with the choppers and the symbol on them. They start searching and walkers cause problems, with Al winding up at the bottom of a pool fighting one off. She and Morgan make a great team, as he saves her before the thing bites her or she drowns. When they resurface, the lights come on, and Virginia’s there waiting with armed cowboys.

They’re taken to a room where Virginia sits down for a chat. She busts out homemade jam for them to try. She already knows about them, having seen the tapes. Janice isn’t around anymore, either. Al and Morgan hear about Logan’s death, as well as Virginia’s plans. The cowgirl starts asking Morgan personal questions. Al asks her about helicopters, which Ginny considers a “crazy idea.” When the chat’s over, Virginia lets them go free, hoping they’ll spread the good word about her settlements.
Grace and Daniel hole up someplace for the night. They talk about what’s keeping them “living for something beyond today.” For Daniel, things changed when Charlie showed up. He thought he’d left behind his daughter and all that meant to him before, yet the girl allowed him to still feel that part of existence. Then there’s Grace, continually attempting to find new reasons for living. At the moment, a guitar and the Traveling Wilburys keeps them both in high spirits.

Later, Morgan calls out to Grace over the radio. He gets a response from Daniel, who tells him she’s not feeling well. Grace talks to him, worried that radiation sickness is finally coming down on her. He’s determined to find them, to see her before anything bad happens. “I hope I see you,” she says over the walkie. She isn’t so sure that’ll happen. Daniel does what he can for her currently. But it could be the end for her.
What a great episode. The whole dynamic between Grace and Morgan is interesting, so it’ll be great to see what happens there. And Al’s continuing to hold out hope there’s something bigger, better out there.

“Channel 5” is next time, and it’s the penultimate episode of Season 5.