Fear the Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 4 Review: 100
Steve Ford
at
.
Welcome back Daniel, you were sorely missed.
On Fear the Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 4, we wasted no time jumping right into Daniel Salazar's journey, as he literally fought his way back from the dead.
Now four episodes in, Fear the Walking Dead Season 3 continues to be consistently solid.
Consistency is key. As I mentioned in my review for Fear the Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 1 when it doesn't waver from a determined course of action, the potential of this show is immense.
And Fear the Walking Dead Season 3? Still not disappointing!
The Daniel-centric episode was truly a treat for the eyes.
I admit that I have the tendency to get a bit overwhelmed and lost when attempting to simultaneously read subtitles and keep up with the story. A lot of the time, the combination of those two tasks is enough to take me right out of the moment.
Even though the majority of this episode was in Spanish with English subtitles – save for Strand and Daniel's conversation – I somehow remained immersed throughout the entire hour.
Lola: So, you're a Bronco fan, huh?
Daniel: I detest them!
That was an impressive feat to accomplish.
We eventually learned how Daniel escaped the cellar fire on Fear the Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 7.
In short, Daniel said that after he had passed out, he heard a voice, woke up and fought his way out of the blazing inferno. Sure, the explanation felt convenient enough, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the story.
It would have been nice to take the easy way out with flashbacks to the incident, but then again, not knowing the specifics of Daniel's story only adds to the character's mystique.
While Daniel did escape the cellar inferno, he did not get out unscathed, as evident by the severe burns and scaring on his body.
While this episode was a slow burn that mainly focused on Daniel's journey back from the dead, it wasn't without its share of gruesome moments. Seeing Lola slicing the rotten flesh off of Daniel's leg almost brought back up the burrito I had for dinner no less than an hour before watching.
I normally have the stomach for that type of stuff, but there was something about that scene that just made it very uneasy to watch.
We also met Lola, who is apparently in charge of the water supply treatment at the dam, and Efrain, who has his unique way of dealing with the infected by hammering nails in their skulls.
The guy gets an A for creativity, that's for sure.
Once Daniel confided in Efrain as to how many people he had killed, it didn't take much to deduce why this episode was titled "100." Naturally, after that, I was kept on the edge of my seat wondering who Daniel's next four victims would be to meet that quota before the massacre ended.
Daniel: I've killed...many people.
Efrain: How many?
Daniel: 96
This show never fails to come up with new ways of dispatching the infected. Another great moment was the lightening bolt to the infected's head as Daniel sat defenselessly, praying for help.
Daniel getting pulled into Dante's group was an interesting turn of events. After recognizing Daniel's name and where he was from, Dante knew he would be a valuable asset to his team.
When you take a step back, witnessing Daniel's journey is incredible. He quickly went from being on the verge of death, to scavenging with Efrain, to getting a low-level job at the dam, to becoming a respected and feared member of Dante's group.
When Dante's men caught Efrain, it was difficult to gauge what Daniel was thinking. Surely, he must have felt conflicted giving Efrain up and then beating him, but he was also thinking about the sustainability of his current role at the dam.
This may be the apocalypse, but it's not communism.
Dante
However, Daniel appeared to feel quite comfortable being an interrogator. We know he did terrible things in the past, so beating Efrain to a bloody pulp was like a walk in the park for him, even if it was all part of feigning his allegiance to Dante.
I honestly would not have been surprised if Daniel ended up killing Efrain and Lola.
All Daniel cares about is finding Ofeila. After all, his daughter is all he has left in the world, and we see the lengths people will go to find and protect the ones they love.
It was touched upon more in Daniel's conversation with Strand, who Daniel easily caught in a lie about Ofelia's whereabouts. Daniel knows Strand is all about saving his own hide at the expense of others, and Daniel saw right through it.
However, in an awesome turn of events, Daniel ended up turning on Dante and killing him and his goons. I pumped my fist into the air when Daniel put that bullet between Dante's eyes. Goodbye Dante, it was not nice knowing you.
It now looks like Daniel is being set up to be the new leader of the community.
It's only a matter of time before Daniel continues his pursuit of Ofelia, but where is she? It was confirmed that she was picked up by Otto's men last season, but we haven't seen her at the ranch with Madison, Alicia and Nick.
My guess is that she was recruited and is at one of the outposts, likely the one that Jeremiah lost communication with on Fear the Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 3 and sent a team to investigate.
So, all signs point to Daniel eventually making his way to the ranch and subsequently meeting up with the rest of the group.
This was a rock solid, character-centric episode that kept me invested. It was a great and well-timed return for Daniel Salazar, and based on the preview, it doesn't look like the entertainment and speculation will be letting up anytime soon.
What did you think of "100"? Did you enjoy it revolving around Daniel Salazar and his return? Now that Dante's reign is over, do you think Daniel will step up as the new leader? Will there be a revolt from Dante's men?
Do you agree or disagree with my theory that Ofelia is at the outpost that lost communication with the ranch?
Let me know what you think below!
Fear the Walking Dead returns next Sunday with a new episode at 9/8c.In the meantime, if you haven't had the opportunity yet, check out our interviews from The ATX Festival with some of the cast and EPs.
Remember, you can always watch Fear the Walking Dead online right here at TV Fanatic!
