Fear the Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 6, “Reclamation,” was a slower-moving episode that left me with some mixed feelings. There were elements of this episode that I truly enjoyed, but there were other parts that still left me shaking my head. Overall, I’m still enjoying Season 2 of The Walking Dead: World Beyond more that season 7 of Fear, although I did enjoy this newest episode. I guess I’d rate it maybe 6 out 0f 10?
This article is a Fear the Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 6 review of “Reclamation,” based on watching the episode as it aired on AMC+. There will be MAJOR episode spoilers.
This Was an Al-Focused Episode
This was an Al-focused episode that had a slower pace than some of the others, but also had fewer plot holes that leave me yelling at the screen every few minutes. Like I’ve said in previous reviews, I’m always going to be disappointed with how this show handles radiation. There’s just no way around it. But since this is a recurring theme, I feel like I just need to acknowledge the big issue again and then move on to the rest of the storyline.
The episode starts out with Al in a radiated wasteland, fighting zombies. Then it shows Morgan recording himself on her video camera after finding the camera in her abandoned, decked out SWAT truck. Although he’s in a radiated wasteland, it’s still somehow clear enough for him to remove his mask so he can leave a video message for her. It took me awhile to realize the time frame for this episode. But apparently after last week, everyone in Al’s group went back to Morgan and Grace’s sub. (I’m still not sure why they chose to go deeper into the radiation, but that’s for a previous week’s review.) Apparently Al’s decision not to go with them is hugely controversial for Morgan, so he and Grace go out searching for her so they can drag her back to the sub.
OK, I know I wasn’t going to say anything about radiation, but I’m sorry, I can’t stop. I just keep thinking back to the first Grace-Morgan episode, where they could only stay outside the sub for short periods of time due to radiation exposure. But now, they can go searching for Al, answering Mo’s call, and all sorts of other things without any concern. Ok…
But back to this week’s storyline.
While Morgan’s leaving Al a message on her camera, a CRM helicopter swoops down into view, on the hunt for Al’s girlfriend Isabelle. She betrayed the CRM in order to save Al and her people from the nuclear explosion, and now they’re out to kill her so knowledge of their government doesn’t spread. Al races back to her SWAT vehicle while the CRM are hunting her and Isabelle, only to realize that her video camera’s missing. Morgan shows back up, ready to use his notorious powers of persuasion to get her to return to the sub. But Al knows better — they’ve got to focus on fleeing from the CRM before they can even think about anything else. Since her SWAT vehicle is out of fuel, they’re gonna have to flee on foot.
Grace shows up with a getaway car, but Al ultimately comes up with a different idea. She can draw the CRM away and give Morgan and Grace time to refuel the SWAT vehicle with the helicopter’s fuel and gather some ammo. The helicopter doesn’t have any ammo, but Al does buy herself enough time to set up a trap for the CRM. She’ll lead them to a specific location and then kill them with a cannon.
Morgan’s Decision with Those CRM Soldiers Was Odd
There’s a weird moment where Grace and Morgan fight the two CRM soldiers, and it looks like Morgan gets the upper hand and can shoot and kill both of them. But instead, he hesitates – not wanting to kill them even though they threatened their lives. It’s so weird, because later on in the episode he shows no hesitation about killing them with a cannon. 🤷♀️ He also leaves their gun behind after fighting them, another weird decision.
Sprinkled throughout the episode are a few flashbacks to Al and Isabelle’s time together. We learn that Isabelle gave up everything for Al, but she wasn’t ready to do the same. She’d have to give up being a video journalist to truly hide from the CRM, and she didn’t want to live her life that way. So she sent Isabelle off all by herself. 🙁
Near the end of the episode, Al tells Morgan and Grace that she can figure out a “way out, clear of the fallout,” and I want to yell at the TV. If Al can figure out a way out of this, why on earth isn’t EVERYONE following her? Why are they all staying in the sub, in an irradiated world under Victor’s control, when they can just LEAVE?
In the end, they’re successful against the CRM and we’re left with Morgan, Grace, and Al parting ways yet again. The camera shows back up at some point too, though I can’t say I noticed exactly when. Did Morgan have it the whole time? Did I miss something?
Al does eventually find Isabelle to warn her that the CRM has tracked her down and she’s not safe. They have a heartfelt reunion, where she confesses that she was wrong and should have escaped with her from the beginning. The two leave together, and I’m left wondering if this is the last time we’re going to see Al on Fear the Walking Dead.
Overall, it was a good and enjoyable episode, but it wasn’t a great episode. There were just too many moments where the characters’ motivations were unclear or when something didn’t make a lot of sense. But I still enjoyed watching it, and I’ll be tuning in again next week.
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