Fear the Walking Dead - Season 5 Rewrite - Episode 16

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Episode 16 – Face to Face

Plot: Madison Clark faces off with a dangerous foe to get the people she cares about back.

Synopsis:

The start of our season finale begins with Madison in the lab basement, inspecting everything for what feels like the umpteenth time as she peruses over the documents for “Project Votus”. Looking back and forth from the documents to the equipment, she whispers to herself that if she hadn’t lost those scientists this would be a lot easier, adding that she’ll need to bring June back again to see if they can figure it out. We’ll linger on her studying the lab for a while longer until she decides she’s had enough and steps up the stairs into the school.

After she reaches ground level, Madison will place the folder into her office desk and heads outside, running directly into Strand. He’ll ask how it went and Madison will shake her head and inform her friend that all this information and she’s barely found a thing. Nothing new, that’s for sure. Strand will comfort Madison, reminding her it’s just been a few days. And all lab stuff ain’t from a school lab, it won’t be easy to figure out. Madison will nod at this before Strand asks why she’s so intent on finding out what it means. Our leader will reply that Peter was willing to give up the whole settlement for this information because the CRM needs it. For what… that’s the question. Strand will then ask if she thinks the CRM will come back for this information and she immediately replies that she feels they will. And when they do… they need to be ready.

Here their walkies go off as John urgently calls for somebody to pick up. Madison does so, but before she can answer he begins to relay everything that he saw of Alicia and June’s capture. Madison’s face quickly turns from shock to anger, and she demands to know what direction Martha and Paul’s group went. After he tells her they went east, she’ll tell him to get ready because they’re going after them. But as she’s saying this a new voice interrupts her on the walkie: Martha. Madison immediately begins to demand for them to give back Alicia and June, but John interrupts first and demands to know what happened to June. Martha tells them to quiet down and informs them both that they’re perfectly safe and will continue to be so. Gripping her walkie tight, Madison threatens her former ally that whatever she’s done, she must give both of them back or there will be hell.

On the other side, Martha warns both to calm down and that the deal is simple: All they want is Madison. Just Madison. One of their number wants to talk to her. Madison will question whether a woman who just kidnapped two of their own is worth trusting, to which the former English teacher will explain that this is how it must be. Martha will then give a location and remind her to come alone. Once that’s done… the rest can go. From their walkies they hear Martha’s stolen walkie turn off and Madison and John (on their ends) are both stunned by the statement. We’ll then focus on John Dorie gripping the bottle of the flavored vodka he was hoping to share with June that night. Then with a hard slam onto the table, John angrily sets the bottle down and screams his anger. With that we cut to the intro!

When we return we see a person loading shells into a shotgun. A camera cut will show that it’s Daniel, a serious look on his face as he keeps loading shells into the gun and all around him we see others loading and checking weapons. We’ll then see more people loading weapons as well, preparing to head out to rescue Alicia and June. John will be anxious, looking over the guns and asking people if they’re ready. Daniel will try and reassure John that a calmer head will get June back easier, but John is too panicked over June to listen as he paces about, thinking. Daniel will hand the shotgun to somebody who groups up with others as Daniel starts inspecting a rifle. John’s pacing gets to Daniel as he looks over the rifle and reiterates to John that they’ll get June back, they just need to keep calm and not panic.

“These people are trying to throw us off… we’re not going to let that happen.”

Daniel’s more serious tone gets to John and he attempts to seriously calm down, though looks out towards the eastern wall, worrying for his love all over his face. John then says to himself that this might be his fault. He helped these people and let them into their home… Daniel will tell John that he helps people, he’s a good man. Martha and Paul were clearly playing them and they did so well. Anybody would have been fooled. But John counters that Daniel had a feeling… right? Daniel is more on edge than everyone else and he looked at them oddly since they first came in. But the former mercenary stays silent, not wanting to say anything as a sudden, slight dizziness sweeps him. Nothing major, but something that makes him think he cannot trust himself. To answer John, Daniel lies and says that yeah, they even fooled him.

As we watch him finishing filling up the rifle magazine and reach for another we’ll switch back to Madison, who is hurriedly gathering people to come with her to get her friends back. Strand tries to be the voice of reason and tells her that they need a plan. Madison rebuttals that if this just happened, they can counterattack quickly, but Strand spouts back that it’s clear a trap, stating that this wasn’t a simple kidnapping.

” They (Martha and Paul) got into our homes and studied us… this was prepared. And they’ll be ready when we come.”

Madison bursts out in anger, demanding if Strand is saying they should leave Alicia and June behind. Strand will stand his ground and reiterate of course not, but they need a plan first if they’re going to get both back safely. He’ll then ask where this meetup is and Madison answers, indicating the location is east, close to the high, mountainous hills. Strand will mention that most likely there is no way to sneak around them since the enemy will have a wall at their backs. But Strand will say they’ll need a map so they can plan out the best rescue. Though urgency is what Madison is focusing on, Strand’s words do calm her down a bit. But only a bit as Madison announces to everyone she’s gathered that they’ll be going out in a bit. Madison will then lean close to Strand and ask him if he thinks they’re ready. Strand will nod and say they’re ready in case things go wrong. He was hoping not to have to do this so soon, but… I guess this isn’t their lucky day. Sighing, Madison will agree, then she’ll return to the school with Strand following, telling him to man the communication room in the meanwhile.

As they’re walking there though one of their people calls out that they found something. Both adults go towards the call and finds a hole near the ground at the woman’s tent. When Strand asks whose bed is next to that hole, the man, after some calculations, says it was Martha’s. Both Madison and Strand look at each other, then thank the man before hurrying to the school. Once there they reach the communications room and Strand looks over the radio some to see if something is off. He’ll then nod, confirming to himself and Madison that Martha was using their equipment to message her group. Madison will then think she’s probably with The Family, there’s nobody else out there, not after they killed Lomasi’s group. Strand will nod, theorizing that the CRM probably wouldn’t be so sneaky and trust a pair of “civilians” to do their work. But he’ll also theorize that this might be just a distraction, to get people away from the oil fields and lab (if it is the CRM). Madison will say that whatever the case, their group needs to switch up how they communicate. Strand will suggest a different number for future calls and Madison will agree.

With this solved, Madison tells Strand to just be ready in case anything goes wrong and begins to walk off. Just as she is about to leave Strand will call to her and she’ll stop halfway through the door. Both will look each other in the eye and Strand will tell Madison to be careful. Nodding silently, Madison heads out and we linger on Strand as he sits down at the machine, puts on the headphones laying on the table, and begins to keep an ear open for anything on the previous channel. Following Madison, we’ll see her gathered with just over a dozen people. As she inspects everyone she’ll notice Farah on the side, asking what’s going on. Madison will inform her that Martha and Paul kidnapped Alicia and June and Farah will be stunned, trying to deny that they could have done it.

“But… they were one of us.”

Madison will shake her head and reply:

“They never were.”

Farah looks distraught at the idea that Martha and Paul were traitors. She shake her head and sits down. Madison goes to her and tries to reassure her that she’ll get Alicia back. Farah nods and Madison tells her to keep an eye out while she’s gone. Reassuring Madison she will, Farah watches her leader join the others she has gathered and tells them all they’re going to San Juan and getting the rest. She’ll then go straight to the point on their adventure, about people taking their own and how this cannot stand. No grand speech to follow, just keeping it simple:

“These people will probably be armed. Be ready to fight… they took some of ours and we’re going to get them back!”

The party cheers and Madison leads them to their vehicles. As she does, she’ll pass by Ian, who was observing, and orders him to have whoever else be on the walls and on guard. Ian will nod, but asks if she thinks it’s wise to go out like this. Madison will say she has to, these are important people that have been taken. There’s a little hesitancy in Ian as he agrees, but he’ll tell Madison that he won’t let her down. Madison will thank Ian before getting in and starting her car. With guns, ammo, and a few grenades, they all get in their vehicles and head out the open gates towards the San Juan River Community.

We’ll cut here back to the river community, where Daniel has finished inspecting a pistol and hands it to a woman. Yoana will walk in then and, having heard of what’s happened, asks if she can help as well. Daniel will ask if she’s capable of fighting and the rabbi will reply that these are her people… she needs to be there for them. Seeing the determination in her voice, Daniel hands her a rifle. She’ll look over the rifle some, aim down the sights to look it over. Curious, Daniel will ask how she knows how to use weapons. The rabbi will answer that her father used to hunt and since he never had a son, he took her instead. Wasn’t something she entirely liked, but she remembers how to use a gun. Noticing something, she’ll look at Daniel and ask him if something is wrong. He’ll deny it, but Yoana, remembering how he was when she met him, asks him if he’s sure. Again, Daniel will say he’s fine and the rabbi will have a long pause before reminding him that he can talk to her about anything if he needs somebody. Daniel will only acknowledge her but is distracted by his own thoughts. Here a guard on the west wall will call out that the others are coming and both Daniel and Yoana, along with John, head over the gates as they open.

As the gates open and the vehicles come in, we cut to a break and upon return we’ll see Madison’s group getting out of their vehicles. All three supervisors of the river community come see Madison, who immediately tells them to get together. She’ll ask about guns and volunteers and Daneil responds that they’ve got plenty of both. As everyone follows Madison, we’ll cut to her opening up a map on a table and points out the meeting location indicated by Martha. Her walkie will be on so Strand can comment as well. Daniel will voice that it’s a trap. Madison will reply that that’s what Strand also told her, to which Daniel will say that for once that they’re in agreement. Strand comes in and says that they need to be careful because Martha was using their communication room without them knowing and must have messaged her people for when to make their move. Our leader will then tell everyone to switch to a different channel for further communications, like she’s done with Strand.

Madison will then ask John for any information he can get from his encounter with Martha’s group. John tries his best to remember the swift capture, noting that they were fast and organized, had guns, there was a group in the distance that met up with the vehicle containing June and Alicia, and Martha was clearly dangerous while Paul was shocked at the kidnapping. Madison will inquire if John thinks that they were a part of The Family, was there any indication that it was them? Thinking hard, John will say he can’t say other than the fact that Martha was trying not to kill June. No armor or holy stuff, so no clue. Strand will wonder why The Family, if it’s really them, have turned on them? They’ve been nothing but helpful towards them since the first contact. Daniel will say that they were probably spying for weaknesses and they must have seen Alicia and June as important figures.

“They want you, Madison, because both saw how important your daughter is. As for June… she’s our only doctor. Not many others in this part of the country now.”

Ponder out loud, Madison will ask why her… why not food, medicine, weapons, or fuel? The last they have a lot of and both Martha and Paul saw that. Lomasi wanted all that, but they just want her? Strand will propose that they think to break the leadership by taking her away, seeing as she led the attack on Lomasi and organized trips out of the bases. There will be a bit of silence until Madison asks everyone how they could feel if she just turned herself in? Daniel will instantly shut Madison down, telling her if she does this, then these new people will think they can take whatever they want. That would then put everyone at risk. It’s best to be ready for a fight at least.

John will cut in then and ask what Daniel thinks about June being captive. The way he speaks is a little threatening, mixed with worry. Daniel, looking right at John, will say that John told them that June was only taken when Martha was pinned in a corner, so that means she’s not high on their list. John will blurt out that she is still a hostage and Daniel will say that if they wanted to scare them then Martha would have said something on the lines of, “Do this, or they’ll die.” The former mercenary will then reiterate that he’s not saying that her life is not in jeopardy too, but the fact they are not threatening to kill their captives like Lomasi did indicates they are not in to take their stuff. This is something else…

Strand will come in here and ask how defended the San Juan River community is. Daniel and John will back up that they have the people to defend it in case of an attack. The former conman will continue that this also could be a diversion, get people out and away for these people to take their places or resources, adding that Martha saw their oil field and it’s probably one of, if not the only, operational one left in the southwest. Madison will nod and say she left Ian and plenty of guards at Bloomfield in case of this kind of situation and that the SJR should be protected before they leave. John will say they have what they need to keep the people safe and that they were literally checking and filling guns before the others arrived.

With defenses and theorizing out of the way, Madison will then continue in the planning, pointing that the location is close to the high hills, indicating some spots of elevated ground on the map, so there is only the road east to west that’ll allow the enemy to escape or them to retreat. John will point out some hills and cover that they can use and marks a location where they should park their vehicles before making the march to the rendezvous as backup. Everyone will try and discuss if they want specific locations for anybody, how much ammo and guns they’ll need, how many Martha’s group will bring, and other topics of interest for the upcoming meeting.

Here we’ll cut to outside, where Yoana is walking and viewing the bustling soldiers in the attack group. Still holding the rifle she picked up, she’ll move among the people, trying to calm those that look nervous and scared. Through her wanderings she’ll notice Tobias and Annie among those who are volunteering from the SJR. Immediately she tells them that they’re too young to out, but Tobias will rebuttal her, saying they were surviving on the road for weeks. Yoana will ask them both if they’re ready to kill. She can tell that Tobias can, but can tell that Annie is not so willing to do so. Like she suspects, Annie looks uncomfortable with the idea killing living people and Yoana tells them both that they’ll need to talk with Madison.

Yoana will then ask why both of them want to go out and fight. Annie will explain that Alicia and June are her friends, they need help. Tobias is silent at first, but explains that it was he who helped Paul and Martha into their lives and he feels responsible for letting them take Alicia and June. Yoana nods, saying that the others in charge think they are a part of The Family, so she too feels at fault for letting Jason into the SJRC. The rabbi will comment that it might not be The Family, it might be somebody else, but no matter what Martha has done them was wrong and they need to find out why she’s done this. I don’t know any Jewish sermons at all (especially for this moment), but I feel like here would be a good spot for one of them.

Here Madison, Daniel, and John all come out of their meeting and Madison addresses everyone, informing them all to gather up and they’re going to get back Alicia and June. It’ll be very short, mostly Madison telling them they’ve been informed about the situation and adding that hopefully it won’t come to violence. But they need to be ready for if it comes because these people deceived them and there needs to be answers. As the crowd disperses, Madison will notice Tobias and Annie among the group and goes to them, immediately telling both that they’re not to come. When both protest she’ll explain that even though they’ve experienced a lot, this isn’t the moment for them. They’ve suffered enough… It’s better they stay here where it’s safer. Tobias is reluctant to listen, saying that kids stuff is not something they can live with anymore. This world will come for them no matter.

Madison nods at this, but adds that she left people at Bloomfield in case this was just a distraction. That’s why she needs Tobias here because he was able to get people out when the CRM came for him and his group. That might be needed again soon. She’ll then put a hand on Tobias’s shoulder and tell him that she’ll need him here in case things go wrong. She’s going to be relying on him. On both Tobias and Annie. Seeing the serious look on Madison’s face and after a long pause, both will nod and Annie will tell Madison that they won’t let her down. Nodding, Madison will straighten herself and tell them to inform the people around the community of any exit plans before she leaves.

As Madison is walking off, we’ll cut to Daniel, who is about to sit in a vehicle about to head off, rifle in hand. He’ll notice John’s worried expression and attempts to talk with John as he walk, trying to reassure him that they’ll get June safely out. He’ll get partway through this until he starts to feel lightheaded and his head begins to wobble. Voices begin to blur as he stops moving and stands there, holding his head unable to hear John as he asks if he’s alright. The world around him suddenly feels alien as he looks about, people unrecognizable. Then he starts to feel weak and Madison catches him as he starts to fall to a knee. Those around him begin to ask what’s wrong and groggily Daniel tries, and fails, to brush this sudden weariness off.

John and Madison help him to sit down and they try to inspect him, John calling out for Wallace, June’s assistant (who I have not fully introduced because there hasn’t been many medical scenes this season (might have to go back later and add more)). He’s not as trained as June, so he’s not able to diagnose him. Madison asks him to look over Daniel while they’re gone, the mercenary trying to push it off and say he’s fine. But Madison nails it home that he’s not ready to go out and fight. Daniel is fervently stubborn, but accept this with bad grace. Our leader will then turn to Wallace and tell him to watch him and then allow him on the wall when he looks good. She’ll then turn to Daniel and tell him that once June is back, she’ll look over him immediately. The former merc will sigh and tell Madison to be safe out there, to which Madison will nod and tell everyone to get ready. We’ll cut to the squad all revving their engines and Madison contacting Strand that they’re about to head out. Strand confirms back and the vehicles start flowing out of the eastern gates into the hills, cutting to black midway through the caravan’s departure.

When we come back, we’ll be in Madison’s leading truck. Our squad is around the same size, maybe a little bigger, than the Governor’s group at the end of season 3 of the main show. While they’re driving, Madison calls Strand and asks how everything is going on his end and he’ll respond there’s nothing of note so far. Without even being asked, Daniel gives a similar response at the SJRC. Madison will then tell them to just keep an eye out just in case. She will then contact Yoana and the drivers of the other vehicles, asking if they’ve seen anything on the drive. All of them say no and Madison will be silent, turning a corner as she attempts to think over her plan. As if he can read her mind, Strand reminds Madison that Alicia is strong and June is tougher than she seems.

Madison will be silent, trying to think of something to say, as everyone starts arriving at the rallying point. Once everyone parks and gets out, Madison will take out the map used in the meeting and point people to where they’re to go and which ones are to stay and guard the vehicles. After that she will explain the signal to come out to help her if things go wrong, patting her shotgun at her side. She’ll reassure everyone who seems a little nervous after some more dialogue, mentioning that they are all her people, her responsibility, so she’d be ready to rescue them in this situation if they were captured. The plan goes into motion here, with Madison heading out first so everyone can get into position. As she starts walking off she’ll message Strand and tell him she’s about to meet Martha and Strand will remind her to be wary and be careful.

Affirming her, Strand is suddenly interrupted as his radio starts picking up an odd signal. He stays silent while he hears the garbled transmission, messing with the dials to try and obtain a clearer voice. Madison will inquire, asking what’s up, to which Strand will mutter that he’s hearing something odd and tells her he’ll keep an eye on it. As he fiddles with the equipment, we hear garbled words from what could be a soldier or some type of military. Strand will narrow his eyes as he tries to listen more, multitasking now on this new signal and his duties to Bloomfield. Madison will confirm back but reminds him to stay focused as slips her walkie back onto her belt. The former conman will acknowledge, his face curious as a few understandable words slip in.

We’ll go back to the others, especially John, as they get into position. They follow the trails that lead to the hill behind the meeting area, marching in a thin, quiet line. Following the path, Yoana will be behind John, confessing to him she has never killed a person before, and she hopes not to today. Turning his head, John will acknowledge that he understands Yoana, that he knows what it feels like to kill. It’s not something he wants to do… Stepping over a rock, John will continue that when was June taken away he felt a part of him being ripped away. Now he’ll do what it takes to get her back. Or… he hopes he can do whatever it takes. He’ll be watching the surrounding area for anybody, just like everyone else. Soon enough they’ll reach the hill behind the meeting area and begin to quietly make their way up it.

Returning to Madison, we’ll watch her continue her walk until the field is up in front, where three figures are standing. She’ll narrow her eyes a bit, seeing that none of them are Martha. Eyes glancing from left to right show that (so far) there is nobody else about, but this doesn’t relax her guard in the slightest. There are some rocks she can hide behind in case of a fight, but they’re pretty few. Her hand hovers close to her shotgun as her unease grows and she stops, wondering if she should go out. But after a time, seeing the three not moving and the open area being unsuitable for hiding, our leader will continue marching forward. Stepping into the open, her footsteps attract the notice of the waiting three and we will recognize the man out in front: Jason Riley. Beside him are two armored guards, both carrying guns, blades, and shields made from metal barrels.

As the man notices Madison, he’ll welcome her to meeting with them and apologizes in a friendly manner, admitting this is not the way he wanted to meet her under these unfortunate circumstances. Madison however gets straight to the point, demanding Alicia and June back. Jason replies that they’re safe and she’ll get to see them safe, but first they must talk. Glaring, Madison will listen silently as Jason once more apologizes and explains that the world is dangerous now and you can’t just make friends just like that. The Family sends out people at times to look out for other groups that need help or who they could ally with. He’ll make a comment about letting a new neighbor into your home without getting to know them and how unwise that is, relating that to her communities.

“We didn’t know you when we first met you. We didn’t know if you were murderers or thieves or worse. We had to be sure… I’m sure you’d do the same thing in my position.”

Madison says nothing, not really able to deny she would. Jason will then elaborate that The Family wants to bring order back to the world. But to do that they need people, living people, to make it possible. Riley then calls out over his shoulder and Martha comes hobbling comes out with June and another person follows her with Alicia, both of their hands bound and a bag over their heads. The bandage on Martha’s thigh is bleeding a bit, but it’s clear she can still walk some. John hears all this and silently signals everyone to get ready, everyone slowly crawling up to the top of the hill. Both captives are put on their knees and Riley will gesture at both of them.

“See? They’re fine.”

Madison, unconvinced, demands the bag off. Jason nods to both sides and the bags are taken off, revealing Alicia and June are fine but both are gagged and Alicia’s spiked prosthetic has been removed. We can see both are trying to not panic, but Alicia is shaking her head, trying to speak out to her mother through the cloth in her mouth. Her mother looks over both of her friends, seeing that there are no injuries at all. But this doesn’t ease her still as Riley continues:

“Now we’ll give June back if you come with us.”

Our leader is unmoving, staring Jason right in the eye.

“And Alicia?”

Riley will then explain she needs to stay as well for a bit. Madison’s hand twitches towards her shotgun as she denies this request, snarling that they stole her people. Out of everything that could be done, instead of talking it out, they kidnapped her daughter and her friend. So why the hell should she listen to anything more? Riley’s calm, friendly face disappears into a blank, serious look as he tells Madison that he’s trying to be peaceful. Either she comes with her daughter for a bit, or things will get nasty.

Madison will remain silent then ask why… why do they want her and Alicia? Jason will sigh and explain one of their own said they knew her before and that she did horrible things to their people. This shocks Madison, who asks who it is. Riley ignores this, inquiring that she is not denying that she’s done horrible things to people around her. Our leader replies that yes, she has done terrible things, but they’ve all done terrible things to survive. This is the world they live in now and it’s a world she wants to change. It should be one where what she did before is the norm. Riley will then inquire that she is not denying that she’d done horrible things to people around her.

Jason’s face will then turn more serious as he counters her:

“You thought about yourself and your family instead of those who around you. I get that… but what we’ve heard you do is more than just plain survival. You brought suffering to others. We lose one of ours, they get another. But they lose one of theirs, we don’t get one back. That’s why we, The Family, are here… to unite us all! To end this threat for good. When we are one, we are strong.”

We’ll have a quick shot of John aiming his rifle (the same one from Humbug Gulch that June found) to hit the man holding June. There’s sweat on his brows as the tension builds and those around him are poisoned by the stress as well. Returning to Madison, whose temper is boiling, as she shouts that Alicia and June are her family and she wouldn’t be strong without them! This doesn’t change Riley’s expression, but we see him look to the side slightly and nod. He’ll then turn back to Madison and speak firming to her:

“I understand, Madison… if my family was alive I’d do whatever I can to keep them safe. But these people are my family now. We would have liked if you could join us or at least be peaceful with us. But it seems you’re not one to listen.”

As Jason is saying this we cut to John, who notices a green dot just below him on the hill. Suddenly a shot is heard and the ground right in front of John blasts up, the dust blinding him. Then a bunch of gunfire erupts from the opposite side of the hill as many people with rifles come out and pin down the people on the hill. Madison pulls out her shotgun and fires at Jason, but both guards block the blast with their shields while Martha and the other man pull Alicia and June behind them. Both guards draw their guns and aim them at Madison, who runs for cover behind a rock. It defends her as the bullet fly above and she makes quick shots from behind cover.

Meanwhile, John orders everyone to stay under cover as he moves to another spot. After he moves, he peeks above to try and see where the enemy is aiming at and sees the emerging figures. He’s battling with himself on whether to fight back or stay in cover. The desire not to kill at odds with his desire to save June, Alicia, and Madison. Knowing in the end that their lives are more important to him than his peaceful ways, he opts for the former and yells at everyone to open fire and both sides are now in combat. We’ll have everyone with a gun shooting here, Jason’s guard slowly moving back so they’re away from the more open part of the area. We’ll see both sides take losses as John tries to find a way to get the guards holding Alicia and June hostage.

Speaking of Alicia, she, noticing that she’s being pushed away from her group, looks about wildly on for way out with June. Noticing a knife on one of the guards, she tries to reach for it, but is blocked by Martha, who gives her a cold stare that says, “Don’t try it.” Both glare at each other until Alicia kicks Martha in her damaged leg, causing the former teacher to scream in pain. Giving Alicia enough time to grab the knife, she goes for June’s holder, but Riley stops her, the two getting in a tussling match over the knife. Madison notices this and tries to run to a closer area of cover but is halted by more gunfire. Soon Alicia is pinned to the ground by Jason.

On the other side of the hill John and his group are still firing back at The Family. Suddenly though a close gunshot is heard and a man next to John is killed. As John turns around he notices a bunch of The Family have snuck up on them, led by Vince, and are aiming their firearms at them. Knowing he’s been caught, John raises his arms and the others follow. Madison hears the gunfire stop from her side and notices John being escort out by the enemy. The Family on their side stops shooting as well, then Jason shouts at Madison to surrender, that she’s been beaten. Peering out from behind cover, she notices Alicia pushed to the ground and realizes that it is over. Setting her gun down, she comes out with her hands in the air and gives up.

We cut to black and when we return for the final act of season 5 we watch Madison’s group being tied up. We’ll see a few of The Family remove any additional weapons and walkies off the captured survivors as Madison looks on. Riley will step in front of and looks upon her, silent at first until sighing that this is not how this all should have gone. Madison will scowl at Jason, reminding him that Martha stole her people and brought the horde from the lake upon them. Here Martha steps up and tells that yes, she did put her knife to June’s throat to stop any attack and to take them captive. And yes, she also drugged the guards on the eastern side so the Family could get in easily, but the horde that came from the lake was a bad coincidence.

None of this dissuades Madison though, who roughly berates her for betraying them when they gave her and Paul a home and peace. Paul, on the sidelines, will look unbothered, but there is a hint of shame in his posture. Martha on the other hand will respond that she has an important job to know people. And she didn’t want to a bunch of potential savages killing her group. Then she’ll add:

“We know what you did to those people, Madison.”

Madison will demand to know what people she’s talking about; she was there when Lomasi attacked! Martha shakes her head and ignores Madison’s question for confirmation. The former teacher will then continue that this order was only given after she told her that they needed Madison now. She saw they were supposedly good people and even though she saw them using Sin guts to hide among them (a disgusting act of the living), she was willing to give them a chance. But seeing what they did to live, the lives that were taken… that was wrong. Looking up at Martha, anger crosses Madison’s face as she asks, “So what you told us was all a lie?”

Martha’s expression becomes a little sad as she replies: “No… It was the truth. My husband and I were left to die and he was taken from me… I hated it, hated how we were left to die and nobody wanted to help. I begged at anybody passing by for help, but none of them gave a shit. Then I was given hope… People who cared for those with none came for me and I’ve helped them make a better world.”

She then pushes Madison to her feet and orders her and the others to get moving. Nobody replies back, but everyone is wondering who this mystery person is. Could it be the leader of The Family? Are they finally going to see them? We’ll watch as the captured party is escorted from their area of defeat. As they go along the trail, more and more members of the Family are seen throughout, the size worrying Madison and her friends and causing her to realize she underestimated them. Soon they arrive in a wide, open area where more of The Family are located, all armed with guns and a plethora of hand-made armaments. A few are armored, like Vince and Jason’s guards, in a mixture of police, riot gear, and scarp plating. Soon everyone is gathered into the field while The Family, including Paul, Martha, and Riley, look down upon their prisoners. Martha clears the silence and yells at her captives to get on their knees. Most of the background characters do, as well as John, June, and Yoana. But Alicia and Madison stay standing and Martha, in a more threatening tone, tells them to get on their knees. Alicia is the first to do so and Madison follows after, but only after a long pause and a hostile glare in her eyes.

With all our group on their knees, Madison and Alicia in front of the rest. Both watch as a figure starts stepping out from The Family and towards them. Madison will talk to Alicia, trying to reassure her it’s going to be okay and that she’ll give up still if that needs to be done to protect everyone else. The footsteps grow closer as they continue to talk quietly, Alicia expressing that it might not be enough for just her now… The two will continue to talk back and forth until the a pair of foots stop right in front of Madison. Then…

“Oh shit… it really is you, Madison…”

Hearing her name, Madison freezes. Her blood runs cold. She knows that voice. Slowly, Madison, along with Alicia, raises her head and looks directly into the eyes of somebody she thought was long dead, somebody who she once knew closely, and who she thought she had slain what felt like long ago at the Tijuana dam…

It’s Troy Otto.

Smiling down at her, Troy stares directly into Madison’s face with wild excitement. It is clear that Troy has become more like a hardened survivor than ever. No longer is he the young man who wanted to be loved by his family. The blow to the side of the head that Madison gave him has left a permanent scar and what appears to be a slightly caved in head. An evil grin permeates his face as he squats down to look our leader straight in the eyes. There’s a slight laugh in his voice as he speaks straight to Madison:

“I heard your name and I needed to know if it really was you… after all this time I never thought I’d see you again…”

He’ll then see Alicia and comment in surprise on her being here as well, adding that they seem to be doing well for themselves. His face twitches a bit as he grins at the younger Clark, stating how it feels so good to see her again as well. He’ll then look at the others and ask why all these other people are here suggesting they just get rid of them as he stares at John. June cries out, lunging from her kneeling position as a guard holds her down and Troy, groaning, tells her to shut up. Martha informs Troy that June is a nurse, and they could use her. When Troy, staring straight at Martha, asks about John, to which she’ll reply that Teddy wants him. Troy go silent at this, then will lean in towards a worried John and pats his cheek in a playful, demeaning way, smiling his unsettling smile as he tells John he’s lucky today (might change wording).

Troy will then stand up and address the crowd of prisoners and The Family, exclaiming how these two (Madison and Alicia) and him go a long ways back. He, his father, and his brother used to own a ranch and let a whole bunch of people live on it when the dead began to rise. They had to fight to protect the land from the Sin and many savages who wanted to take it from them. Then one day these two (he’ll point at Madison and Alicia) were brought by my brother and me when we were out beyond the fence doing work. And these two seemed like good people. They were kind, they helped others out, they lead people and his people looked up to them. But then one day his father died of a gunshot wound to the head, like he committed suicide when the savages were trying to take over again. But then those people were let in and Madison was suddenly in charge and once she was in charge.

That’s when it all began to unravel because when he tried to say no she banished him and sent him away. Troy sulked on his, planning on how to get his home back from her. Then one day he saw a horde heading towards the ranch and he tried to go back and warn them, only to find the ranch overrun. All while this is going on Madison and Alicia stare in shock and disbelief at Troy and his lies. He’ll continue about how he sought revenge against them and was nearly killed, to which Alicia cannot stand it anymore and shouts out that Troy is a liar! Troy will turn to look at her and stare balefully her before speaking in a loud whisper:

“Liar?… You took my brother and wound him around your finger… He was head over heels for you and you used him… You call me a liar, Alicia… but you broke his heart and threw him away when he wasn’t useful anymore.”

Alicia tries to deny this, but something stops her, and she becomes silent as she realizes that… she does feel guilty with how she treated Jake Otto. Seeing her silence as confirmation, Troy smiles in pleasure and turns to his audience. But before he can speak Madison speaks out, telling everyone that his father was going to let his people die for pride because he couldn’t see lives were going to be lost with more fighting. And he was the one who brought the horde down upon the ranch! Troy smiles more and shakes his head, expressing how of course Madison would say anything to get people to believe her. But then as he continues to talk about Madison and Alicia worming their way into his home and taking it over Alicia shouts out that Nick was there too and he wanted to help Troy and did so much to keep him safe. If it wasn’t for Nick, Troy would have died long ago. Troy looks back at Alicia and just stares at her in silence… like there’s something ticking in his head that he can’t identify… Then:

“Nick? Who’s Nick?”

Utter shock pervades through Madison and Alicia, realizing their only way to get to Troy to side with them, or at least turn the crowd against him, is somehow, unbelievably gone. Desperate, both women begin to explain Nick to Troy, who’s face of triumph over their capture begins to fade. A mixture of confusion, discomfort, and anger begins to manifest itself on his face as Madison and Alicia try to reason with their former semi-ally. Now stiffening and shaking slightly, Troy suddenly begins to hold his head, his face a mask of pain. His outburst resumes, but this time completely full of anger as he yells at Alicia and Madison:

“You’re lying! You’re both lying! Just like you lied to my brother and father and all the people at the ranch! You snuck into our lives and destroyed it all!”

His wrath fully out, Troy pulls out a pistol and aims it at Alicia. Immediately Madison tells him to stop and not hurt her daughter. She begins to then plead to Troy that it is her that he wants, not Alicia. The younger Clark will stare at her mother and try to interrupt her, but Madison presses on that its her, that she’s the person they wanted, and she’ll go with him if they let Alicia and her people go. While she’s speaking, the panic in Madison’s voice becomes more commanding and in control as Troy furiously stares at her, his pistol still pointed at Alicia. In the background we see Riley and Paul looking nervous at Troy’s behavior while Martha has a straight face. Riley then steps up, trying to calm down Troy, but he shouts at him to shut up, giving him a look that causes the former submarine lieutenant to stop. Jason stops and watches Troy, worry on his face as Troy looks back at Alicia.

With the silence, Madison once more begins to reiterate her point to Troy that she’ll go with them and the rest can go free. Troy continues to stare and point his gun at Alicia, his wrath boiling more and more as Madison speaks. She raises her voice as she continues, trying to gain control again and let everyone else go. As she continues to plead her case though suddenly Troy aims his pistol and shoots Madison right in the heart. All our heroes cry out (Alicia especially loud), but above it all Troy is heard bellowing at Madison that she took everything from him. His family, his friends, his home, everything! He continues to unload his clip into Madison, roaring at the top of his voice about how she destroyed his whole life (dropping an F-bomb into the mix because he’s that furious). Even after the clip is emptied, he keeps yelling at her and pulling the trigger. When he finally calms down he looks at what he does, the rage dissipating some from his face, but with anger still boiling inside him. The voices heard about begin to soften and blur.

In the final moments of the episode (and the season) we slowly, ever so slowly, zoom in on Alicia’s horrified face. We hear in the background muffled noises of the Family members talking (especially Jason and Troy arguing) as the camera gets closer to her traumatized expression. Then we hear the final lines of the season, even while slightly muted, come from Troy Otto: “Bag em, we’re bringing them back!” We then hear footsteps, and a black bag is thrown onto Alicia’s head. As it falls over her head we cut to black and season 5 is over!

Final Thoughts

Well everyone, this is the end of season 5 of my Fear the Walking Dead rewrite! I know some of you have a lot of questions now, but first I’d like to thank everyone who has read my work for this season and for my previous season 4! It’s been a very long process in making these and I couldn’t have done it without you all, especially my girlfriend with her solid feedback and those who have supported me on Discord. We’re not halfway done as I still have seasons 6, 7, 8, and maybe even a 9th season to write. And I’m pumped to work on them all!

Let’s start off with the ending you just red: Yep, I’ve killed Madison Clark, the starring character of the series. I know I’ve upset a lot of people with this decision, but I have multiple reasons to this decision: First, I have always believed that Madison would never survive the full series. From what I’ve gathered in Dave Erickson’s original pitch, she would eventually be killed off before the end of the show. While her story in that version would be much darker, I see in my story that Madison’s time in the show would end abruptly and throw the group into chaos. She was the one keeping everyone together this season and without her there will be disorder among our main characters. Second, I wanted to stamp out the chance of any problems relating to her in the main show ending up in my story. She will not appear to die off-screen only to come back seasons later for nostalgia bait in my story. And third, I’ve also been craving for a moment that’ll cause readers/ the audience to scream in anguish and Madison felt like the right person for the role to make you all scream and curse my name. But more importantly I did not want to unjustly tease my audience/ readers with a fake-out death. Madison’s disappearance on the main show after season 4A is Fear’s version of Glenn hiding under the dumpster in the main show. But instead of just three episodes until revealing she was alive the whole time, it took 55 episodes. Fifty-five! That’s ridiculous!

This leads us to Alicia, who was set up early in the show as a possible leader of the future, especially in season three with episodes like 3x11, The Diviner, and 3x13, This Land is Your Land. Having somebody finally become an amputee on Fear the Walking Dead was amazing to hear, only to be disappointed to find out Alicia somehow is alive despite not removing her bitten arm until hours after the bite. The showrunners use the excuse of radiation being a miracle cure, but that’s just terrible writing. So I basically nipped that terrible idea in the bud and just chopped it off quick (pun intended) so, like Madison’s teasing reveal in the main show, that had no possibility of happening in my story. Her overcoming this loss has now strengthened her and she’ll be more of a leader-like figure than ever.

While I love Madison and where I’ve gone with her, I feel it’s time for Alicia to take the reins as the new leader of the group. She has proven to others that she is a person worth following. And With Madison gone, there’s going to be more development out of the rest of the main cast, with Alicia, Strand, and Daniel taking more leader-like roles in the group in future seasons. Alicia will fully embrace her leadership role in season 6 and beyond, becoming a beacon of hope, strength, and integrity for others. But as I mentioned already, before then there will be some chaos as the loss of Madison will throw things into disarray for the others.

Which brings us to Troy. I’ve wanted to bring back Troy Otto ever since ending season 4A of my rewrite because while he was awesome in season three, it felt like had a little too much plot armor on him during that time and his death, while simple and effective, felt… unfulfilling. So let me tell you I was very miffed when I found out Ian and Andrew, since they can’t write anything original or good, decided to bring back Troy Otto because they don’t have any single good ideas of their own. So screw them! But if I was going to bring Troy back, there needed to be something done to him. I’m not going to do a ”Gandalf”, where Troy just dies and comes back like nothing happened in some new clothes. He had to have changed in a way that really affects him if I was to return him to the story. And what better way to bring him back than for him to take his revenge on the woman he finds responsible for the destruction of his home. Because you got to admit that, even with his amnesia, there is truth behind his words. His condition will continue to be huge in the next season.

With such a demented mind, it only felt natural to pair him with Teddy and his doomsday cult, who I’ve now turned into The Family. They almost got me back into Fear the Walking Dead when they were introduced in season 6 of the main show. I was curious, but cautious when I heard a cult would become the new villains of Fear in season six. You can do a lot with this kind of society, get weird and freaky and fucked up if you wanted. Sadly, they were underdeveloped, poorly written, not that dangerous, and a waste of epic potential. Hinted at a bit in season 6A and only on screen for 6B. You can say they’re also in season 7, but they’re now a new group and everyone we saw in the cult during season 6 is dead, so it’s a completely new faction. For my season six, I plan to greatly flesh Teddy and his community out and turn them into a much more memorable faction and foe for our protagonists.

With these changes I wanted to flip the script with our new antagonists because at this point (in terms of story) in the main show, Rick and the gang are meeting new people, most of them good with Hilltop, the Kingdom, and Oceanside, and only one bad one with the Saviors, who are so obviously super bad. But with so little life out in the southwest, I wanted it to appear that we were going to meet new friends, but instead they are our biggest threat to date. Like a real cult they tried to lure the group in with kindness and when that didn’t work the mask fell and they became incredibly hostile. And with Troy as a leading member of the community, there are definitely some bad eggs among the group. There will be conflict in season 6 over the good and bad of The Family, indicating a society that feels complex and one that I hope will keep people interested.

Changing subjects here, but I know there are some people who will be perplexed by how the first half of the season went and part of me does wish I stayed near the border and settled the group down. But I was too far into my story to turn back and I felt what I wrote, with how down the group became more tense and argumentative after the first three episodes, could not be thrown out. The conflict felt strong and with my plans to bring Tobias back, I wanted that moment to feel uplifting and make people curious about where the story was going to go. This season is the group trying to find their place in the world as a united team and maintaining it, while also introducing a new threat that doesn’t seem much right now, but will become much bigger later. All in all, I used this season to give some development to the cast, especially ones that didn’t have as much in the previous season.

This brings me to the CRM, who I don’t like as a whole because of their bad writing. Despite having some very chilling and threatening dialogue throughout the franchise, they have been unbelievably incompetent throughout to the point they are laughable at times. Seeing Morgan disarm two by slowly sliding towards them and beating them with his stick is just… pitiful. And before that seeing a bunch of teenagers outwit them was painful. But I felt while writing this season that they needed to be added so I could give them better writing since they’re going to be very important in the future of the TWDU. I hope what I’ve written will not become non-canon when the other spinoffs come out. If it does become non-canon though that’s okay, this is a fan rewrite.

I really wanted to give people a taste of the Civic Republic Military for when they really come into my story because yes, this isn’t the last time we’ll be seeing them in my story. My plans for them hint that while our main group will not become as evil as Dave Erickson’s version was going for, their actions will cause great ripple effects throughout the TWDU, including the CRM eventually turning hostile towards many people and factions due to the “meddling” of this group. Looking at the release order of The Walking Dead: World Beyond, I left clues in this season that would be answered in that show as well as later on in my story. They would also be the start of really opening up my story to the bigger world, similar to Aaron, Jesus, and “Stephanie” in the main show. This is a risky thing to do, but I’m eager to give the CRM the writing they deserve.

So, what do I have planned for season six? Well, I’ll say that it’ll be the darkest season of my story as of now. There will be a lot of negative thoughts throughout the group as The Family becomes more prominent in the plot. Some characters will be a mess of sorrow and torment while others will become manifestations of vengeance and wrath. And there will be some topics and scenes in season six that will be more graphic than any other TWDU season (official or fan-made), to the point I’ll include warnings at the start of a few episodes for these moments. And I’m not meaning gore when I mean graphic. So again, if you’ve read this far, thank you so much for reading me work! Keep an eye out for season 6 and I hope you are having a great day! And if you've read to the end, thank you again for reading!

Season 6 is Coming...