HOLLYWOOD—Season two, episode five, ‘Captive,’ of “Fear the Walking Dead” gave fans some snippet of hope that the cast of “Fear” may actually have the means to survive in the post-apocalyptic society that they have so significantly struggled to adapt to for the past season and a half.

Last week’s episode, ‘Blood In the Streets,’ closed upon the gang’s repossession of the Abigail and left viewers guessing what their next course of action would be: would they continue toward Baja, or re-route in an effort to rescue Alicia and Travis?

The episode opened with Alicia, who is aboard Connor’s ship, which we know very little about. Conflictingly, Connor is seemingly very nice, to Alicia at least – he prepares her a steak and they discuss Jack’s intuition about her. Connor tells her they’re picky about who they grant entrance into their community, but that Jack had a “sense” about her, and they feel she could be happy there. The electricity goes out and Connor leaves to fix it, telling Alicia to “stay put.”

Connor (Mark Kelly) serves Alicia (Alycia Debnam Carey) a steak to welcome her upon her entrance into their community.
Connor (Mark Kelly) serves Alicia (Alycia Debnam Carey) a steak to welcome her upon her entrance into their community.

Expectedly, Alicia disobeys – she wanders the ship and in her endeavors finds that the boat is actually docked on dry a pier. Jack finds her scavenging the ship and reprimands her, telling her “Connor doesn’t let new folks run free.”

Alicia tells Jack she wants to see Travis, but Jack tells her Connor is stern in his procedures, and that he likely wouldn’t allow that. Alicia demands to know if her family made it to land (the pirates that initially overthrew the Abigail were supposed to drop them at the coast before returning back with the yacht) – Jack promised to get her answers if she gave him some time.

The setting swaps to below deck of the Abigail – Reed, one of the pirates that bombarded the Abigail in last week’s episode, is bonded to a chair, still impaled by the crow bar that Madison stabbed him with upon the crew’s reclamation of the yacht at the end of last Sunday’s episode.

Salazar dresses Reed’s wound and Chris watches from the couch. Reed taunts them both – telling Salazar he would “rip that daughter [Ofelia] of his apart” and heckling Chris, asked if he was worried about his father, Travis, who was captured and being held captive on Connor’s ship. Reed boasts of Connor’s power – threatening that Connor has a dozen men and five boats. In the midst of his banter, Reed reveals to Salazar that Connor, the leader of the group that is holding Alicia and Travis captive, is his brother – a light bulb goes off and Salazar realizes: this is leverage.

Daniel Salazar (Rubén Blades, right) tends to Reed's (Jesse McCartney, left) wounds.
Daniel Salazar (Rubén Blades, right) tends to Reed’s (Jesse McCartney, left) wounds.

Above deck, Madison has rerouted and is steering the Abigail North in pursuit of Connor and his people’s headquarters with the intent to rescue Alicia and Travis – Salazar tells her to look for a cluster of five boats, and they locate what they recognize to be that.

Strand’s friend Luis, who appeared in last week’s episode and subsequently saved the day after sniping down the pirates that overthrew the Abigail, disputes Madison’s decision to reroute and insists that they turn the boat around and head South toward Baja – he looks to Strand for backup, but Strand is morally in debt to Madison after she saved him from the freezing cold water at the end of last week’s episode. Strand proposes that they will first rescue Travis and Alicia and then head south.

The scene shifts and Alicia and Jack are in the engine room of Connor’s ship where Jack is teaching Alicia to “reel in” ships – he shows her how to read the radars and assign each ship a number upon logging their time, speed, and position. Jack tells her to note specifically mid-sized vessels because they’re typically rich in supplies and ideal for hijacking, and that subsequent to documenting the information, to get the OK from Connor and then initiate contact.

Elsewhere aboard Connor’s ship, Travis is seen for the first time this episode and he’s locked in a cage – he is struggling tirelessly to find a way out and looks up mid breakdown to see none other than Charlie of ‘Flight 462,’ or ‘Alex,’ walking toward him from down the hallway. The last “Fear” viewers saw of Alex was her and her incapacitated friend, Jake, being severed from the Abigail and drifting off into sea after Strand cut the rope bonding their life boat to the yacht in episode 3, ‘Ouroboros.’

Alex begins to vividly describe her final moments with Jake following their departure from the Abigail; she says Jake was feverish, and so thirsty, but she had no water to give him; she describes how he lost his voice, and how all he could do was moan. Alex tells Travis of Jake’s breath getting shallow, and her obligation to choke him to death and push him overboard upon his dying wishes that she not let him drown. Travis tries to comfort her, assuring her that she did was she needed to do – she rejects his empathy and replies, “I did what you made me do.”

Alex (Michelle Ang) makes an appearance after being abandoned by the group in season 2, episode 3, 'Ouroboros'
Alex (Michelle Ang) makes an appearance after being abandoned by the group in season 2, episode 3, ‘Ouroboros.’

Alex carries on to explain that when Connor found her just aside of death, he asked her what she had to offer – she tells Travis that she offered them the Abigail, (a huge relief for Alicia, who thinks that her confiding in Jack is what pioneered the Abigail’s invasion) and in return “asked” for Travis.

At this point, it’s evident Alex is bitter; she blames Travis for Jake’s death – telling him that he’s the one that put Alex and Jake into the raft, and that he “knew what would happen [Strand cutting the rope], and knew the right thing to do – and he chose the ‘other.’” Travis doesn’t shy from the accusations, however, telling Alex that he’s, “no better than the man that cut the rope.” In the midst of the emotional upheaval Travis and Alex come to produce some type camaraderie upon opening up to one another. Alex turns to walk away and Travis calls after her, asking what would happen to her now – she says, “Connor said he can use me” – “people don’t use me,” she adds – foreshadowing once again, this certainly won’t be the last that “Fear” fans see of Alex.

The setting shifts back to Alicia and Jack in the engine room of Connor’s ship – they’re overseeing the radars and Alicia is being trained in the art of “reeling in” ships. Alicia notes a mid-sized boat approaching and Jack’s excited by her enthusiasm until he realizes that the oncoming boat is the Abigail, and Reed could not have possibly delivered her family to shore and returned back in such a short amount of time – Alicia detects his hesitance and explodes upon realizing Jack did not keep his word in that he would ensure her family was brought to safety. Consequently, Jack admits that Reed sometimes kills the passengers after hijackings, but offers to help Alicia search for her family.

Below deck Chris is standing guard of Reed, who is still being held captive to potentially be used as leverage. Reed taunts and mocks him – alluding to his blended family and insinuating that the people he thinks are his family, aren’t – telling him “blood is all that matters now.” Nick intervenes – he shuts the door and talks Chris down about his guilt regarding his inactivity during the Abigail’s initial invasion, when Reed and his people stormed the boat in the guise of an injured pregnant woman and her distressed family.

The scene switches to aboard the Abigail, in the wheelhouse, where Madison is steaming toward Connor’s ship to rescue Travis and Alicia. Connor radios the Abigail, ordering Reed to drop anchor – Madison responds, telling him she’ll trade: Reed for her family. Connor agrees, saying “I’ll play,” and they schedule the exchange to take place in one hour. After signing off, the crew hears gunshots coming from below deck.

The setting swaps to below deck and Chris is seen backing out of the room with a smoking gun in hand – he tells Ofelia that Reed was about to turn (which the crew has a tough time buying considering Reed was alive and well moments ago). The group looks to find Reed dead in the cabin with a gunshot wound to his face.

Madison comforts Chris who is noticeably distraught – they overhear Luis complain that the trade is now dead and Chris realizes that he may have potentially shattered the only opportunity the group had in getting his father back.

Madison (Kim Dickens) comforts Chris (Lorenzo James Henrie) after he shoots and kills Reed.
Madison (Kim Dickens) comforts Chris (Lorenzo James Henrie) after he shoots and kills Reed.

Nick and Ofelia are cleaning up Reed’s blood when he turns – Nick tries to kill him but Salazar steps in, saying, “not yet;” he grabs a hold of Reed by the crowbar that is still impaling him and pushes him backward, jamming the crowbar into the wall and constricting his movement. Salazar’s quick thinking suggests that the group might not be at a standstill after all.

The commercial breaks and Reed (who is now a zombie) has his wrists bonded behind his back and a bag over his head – ready for the exchange. Salazar leads Reed into Luis’ speedboat, the Zodiac, where Madison is waiting to take him to Connor’s ship.

Madison arrives to the pier for exchange but only sees Travis – Connor tells her that she can have Alicia when he sees Reed is unharmed. They swap Travis and Reed – Connor takes off the bag over Reed’s head to find he’s been infected; Reed attacks him. Madison and Travis flee toward the Zodiac amongst the ensuing chaos.

Travis (Cliff Curtis) is held captive by Connor and his men and brought to be exchanged for Reed.
Travis (Cliff Curtis) is held captive by Connor and his men and brought to be exchanged for Reed.

Alicia escapes onto the deck of Connor’s ship – Madison sees her from the water and calls up to her but Jack simultaneously finds her and corners her. Jack begs Alicia to stay with him, asking why she would want to live with the kind of people who abandon survivors, the way they did to Alex.

Alicia says to Jack, “I’m sorry” and jumps from the ship’s deck into the water, where Travis and Madison pull her aboard the Zodiac and speed off, back toward the Abigail.

Sunday night’s episode left “Fear” fans finally feeling somewhat absolved. Next week’s episode, ‘Sicut Cervus,’ airs at 9 p.m. on AMC and will trail the group as they commence their trek toward Mexico.