Fear the Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 11 Review: Ofelia
Paul Dailly
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Fear the Walking Dead has been straddling the fine line between good and bad throughout Fear the Walking Dead Season 7, but Fear the Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 11 was a step in the right direction.
If there's been one complaint about the series, it's that the characters who matter and deserve storylines are regularly sidelined or forgotten about entirely.
If you watch Fear the Walking Dead online, you know Daniel and Luciana are some of the longest-serving cast members, so their return to the forefront felt more like a way of appeasing the complaining fans.
Daniel's health has been declining for a while now, and titling the episode "Ofelia" reiterated that this outing would be a deep dive into some of the better characters.
The complicated dynamic between Daniel and Luciana has been exciting, to say the least, but it was obvious that, at times, he thought Luciana was his deceased daughter.
Characters in this universe work much better when they play in the gray area, and let's face it, who wouldn't have a darkness inside them if they were traversing a nuclear wasteland filled with zombies?
It makes for great TV when Daniel flies off the handle at every turn. He's so freaking unpredictable that it really elevated this outing to be the best of the season.
Arno's death took me by surprise because I genuinely thought he would be present during the battle for the tower.
He had a cause for being on the show, unlike some of the other characters, and I figured his drive would push him into complicated situations as he pondered what was the best foot forward.
Luciana: Arno told me something before he died.
Daniel: What?
Luciana: Ofelia's alive and he told me where she is.
Daniel: You told me she was dead.
Luciana: I know, because that's what I thought. But he knew where she was.
Daniel: Where?
Luciana: Strand has her in the Tower.
Daniel: Why didn't you tell me before?
Luciana: Because I was afraid that you would go there alone and get yourself killed trying to get in.
Daniel: And why are you telling me now?
Luciana: Because of what you did here, Daniel. If knowing Ofelia's alive gives you clarity, then you can lead all these people and take the Tower from Strand.
As easy as it is to deem him a villain, he was affected by Teddy's reign of terror and attempt to restart the world.
The only negative about Arno's shocking demise was that Alicia wasn't around to watch it all play out. Surely, she would have gotten a bit of satisfaction from knowing the thorn in her side was gone.
Alicia can breathe a sigh of relief with one more of her opposition gone.
When there's a looming war, that's a big thing. You need to whittle down your list of enemies for the best chance of success.
Why did Luciana lie to Daniel? What a savage development. It was handled with such vigor that I almost forgot some of the truly terrible storytelling choices that have dragged the series down of late.
Daniel needed a purpose and accepting his daughter's fate was too much for him to process. He's declining, and Rubén Blades turned in another nuanced performance.
One of my biggest criticisms of the show is how it fails to honor the past, so it was a refreshing change of pace to have Daniel at the center of the action.
Luciana's lie will undoubtedly come back to haunt her when Daniel inevitably makes it to the tower as this war gathers steam, but I'm not sure Daniel will be forgiving.
Daniel, you need to accept the truth. Ofelia died in Mexico. You told me you buried her yourself. I'm sorry. She's gone.
Luciana
Depending on how lucid he is, he might understand that the ends justified the means to give him hope to defeat the tower in this desperate battle to the death.
Another shocking development came from Wes cutting ties with Luciana, but it was not as shocking as turning his back on Morgan and Alicia to work with the tower.
Wes is one of the better-written characters because we don't know that much about him, but his betrayal will come back to haunt him.
He pushed away Alicia, Morgan, and all the people he worked with because of a lie during what could have been a life-and-death scenario.
Fear the Walking Dead Season 8 will be in Atlanta, so there's a good chance many characters will not survive the battle.
I had questions about whether the show's budget would allow us to watch the battle, but I'm confident now that the showrunners are getting the ducks in a row to say goodbye to many people.
My hope is that Daniel and Luciana make it out alive and are rewarded with better storylines. Madison's return makes it the perfect opportunity to regain focus.
Madison will undoubtedly be changed when she returns because of the time away from the people she loves, and I'm not sure she'll be able to handle Nick's death initially.
We need the weapons to get in the Tower. And we're gonna need Daniel to get in there, too. He knows how Victor thinks better than any of us.
Morgan
Having familiar faces around her and her daughter might be the best way to reintroduce the former leader of the show.
"Ofelia" proved that there's still some life left in this spinoff, but it also proved that the show has been focusing on the wrong characters.
Alycia Debnam-Carey's direction was an excellent effort, but I would have liked Alicia on-screen during Arno's demise.
There's no telling how all of these developments will play out, but for the first time in a while, I'm excited about what comes next.
What are your thoughts on Luciana's lie?
Do you think she went too far?
What do you think Alicia will say about Arno's death?
Is Wes tricking Strand?
Hit the comments below.
Fear the Walking Dead continues Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
