AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead
Season 5, Episode 15: “Channel 5”
Directed by David Barrett
Written by Michael Alaimo & Samir Mehta

* For a recap & review of the previous episode, “Today and Tomorrow” – click here
* For a recap & review of the Season 5 finale, “End of the Line” – click here
We see videos of people on the road, from Tom to other new faces. Everybody talks about Virginia and her army trying to “build something bigger” and better than what’s going on. Ginny continues with the “from today to tomorrow” rhetoric. She keeps insisting she has the way to structure everything. Her alliterative talk is a bit too hokey. Particularly when we’ve seen how she deals with people who don’t tow the line. Al and Morgan are trying to figure out what to do from here. She has a definite idea about what is or isn’t “the truth.”

Our survivors begin making a new tape, to make sure the way they do things is clear to people. They insist on living the way they know is possible. Al leads the charge, and the survivors try to go on how they always have together. Grace is feeling a bit better than before, though isn’t quite out of the woods. At least she has Morgan.
Tom’s reunited with his sister, Janis. She comes rushing down the road to him. He insists— to the video camera— this group makes “room for everyone,” not picking and choosing who’s deemed useful the way Virginia does. Alicia goes on painting those trees with her phoenix, and Wes has figured out the group isn’t bullshit like he used to think. On the road, Daniel helps map out territory for June and John. They’ve got to keep moving forward, to find what else is out there.

“This is about showing things
as they really are”

The convoy has to deal with the typical shit they always have, such as walkers. When Dwight downs a zombie they find a sheriff’s badge from Humbug’s Gulch— in fact, it’s from the “first one ever built” that’s not far off. Maybe the place could be somewhere to stay. Our cowboy knows those attractions were built to run as it was in the Wild West. Worth a shot! John’s scared to wait any longer before he and June tie the knot. He wants to do it when they reach the Gulch.

However, as usual, there’s tragedy. Grace isn’t well. She falls over nearly unconscious. She’s severely dehydrated. The worst is on everyone’s minds. June does what she can with limited resources to look after Grace. An ultrasound machine can only do so much. She’s got to find medical textbooks to determine what’s wrong with Grace. Bottom line: the sick woman needs fluids. Al and Alicia find IV bags when they go scavenging, saving the day. And so, the group get back on the road.
The fact they stopped someplace to find Grace what she needed is hope for other new recruits, like Tom, who know Ginny would never have done that for anybody. These people are the future, not an army of settlers who’ll kill to make life easier.

Doesn’t mean life is EASY. The group come upon a shitty bridge they nearly fall through. They’ll try to patch the thing up, but it’s much more precarious than they initially imagined. It doesn’t help when a vehicle pulls up carrying Ginny and her soldiers. It’s tense. The cowgirl’s “keeping an eye” on them, no matter where they go. She keeps insisting they’re only looking to help. Yet everything she offers comes with a price. Strand wants to cut through the shit. It’s only more talk from her of “good people” and expansion. Dwight gets antsy when Ginny mentions his wife. She claims someone saw her recently. Regardless, Morgan makes clear they won’t join her army. Nobody wants to go with Ginny. Before the woman and her boys leave, they fire off shots to draw zombies. This pushes the convoy to rush their plans while keeping watch on the coming horde.
Pieces of the bridge give way as the group crosses fending off the undead. They’re not going to be able to get the tanker across. Tom puts himself in harm’s way trying to videotape as much as possible. He falls, watching the bridge collapse behind him, taking the truck and the zombies with it. He survives for minute, then the whole thing collapses taking him down. Al’s left blaming herself, believing her insistence on the truthful documentary made this happen. Grace blames herself. It was hope that killed Tom— he saw what the group was doing and so badly wanted to help he led himself to his death.
Janis has to say goodbye to her brother. She wants to continue on. The survivors want to push towards the future, in the name of keeping what Tom died for alive. And Daniel gives Morgan some apocalypse advice, re: him and Grace’s relationship: “If there‘s things to say, you should say them.”

The survivors get closer to Humbug’s Gulch, retaining their hope.
When they arrive, it’s filled with walkers. Hope is slipping— fast. Unless they’re willing to call Ginny. Dwight knows the cost of falling in with people like her. He won’t accept that option, choosing to walk off into the wilderness by himself. Morgan apologises to Janis before he calls out to Virginia on the radio.
What will this ultimately mean for our survivors?

“… as long as there’s story to tell.”

The finale’s going to be intense. It’s tough to know what will happen from here. Some have rated this episode INCREDIBLY LOW. That’s ridiculous— this is leading up to a wild confrontation, because there’s a lot at stake. Let’s see how it all plays out, and just how violently it all happens.

“End of the Line” is next time.