Alicia, Al, Luciana and Wes infiltrate a subterranean settlement called The Holding, pretending to be new recruits. There they find Walkers being turned into compost to grow food, a mural saying THE END IS THE BEGINNING and Teddy, who is going to change all their lives forever.

It’s a mark of the show’s comfort with itself that at this relatively late stage in the season, it should simultaneously answer some questions and introduce some major new players. John Glover, beloved genre character actor that he is, is a massively welcome presence here as Teddy. Somewhere between Lionel Luthor and a cult leader, his gentle manner and benevolent tone is terrifying precisely because it’s so at odds with what he’s saying. Likewise, Nick Stahl is superb as Riley who is both a little broken and very, very loyal.

Teddy’s idea, and the scope of it, unfolds over the next few episodes but this one focuses on the almost banal normality. People eat under working lights, they work in shifts, they have jobs. The ghost of the old life haunts this facility and it’s only when it becomes apparent that Teddy is planning on sealing everything up that you realize how little that matters. The world has still ended, the dead still walk. But… the lights are on. For now. And at a cost.

That cost lies ultimately with Alicia and Wes. Wes in particular gets some welcome expansion here as he discovers his brother Derek is part of Teddy’s group. The joy of that is soon tempered by the realization that Teddy’s group are attacking the others, and they were behind the attack on Tank Town. One of the final puzzle pieces for the season locks in, Wes makes a terrible call and suddenly we’re sprinting towards the end game. Colby Hollman is great this episode and the human cost of the season defines the episode for Wes.

Alicia meanwhile takes a leaf from her mother’s playbook and sacrifices herself to get the others out. However, this turns out to be part of the plan. The depths of Teddy’s nihilism are such that someone like Alicia is very useful to him…

Verdict: The end result of this is an episode that sets up the final act of the season, is powered entirely by human drama and is defined by some excellent performances. Different, yet again, from what’s gone before and just as impressive, this latest fork in the road is one that Fear The Walking Dead takes beautifully. 910

Alasdair Stuart