This review may contain spoilers, you’ve been warned.
AMC’s eighth season of The Walking Dead spin-off series Fear the Walking Dead is here, with this instalment to the series being confirmed to be the final season, closing the chapter once and for all, however, fans still have some time left before the door closes shut.
Related: ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Season 8, Episode 1 Full Spoiler Recap
Season 8, Episode 1 (Remember What They Took From You) starts in a mysterious PADRE room, the group that Kim Dickens’ Maddison Clark was shown in Season 7 to be a part of, who all seem to kidnap children from their parents, a detail that this episode provides much further context toward.
Something that The Walking Dead has been known to do in the past, many times, is to feature a sudden time jump, some ranging from months with others being many years, and the premiere of Fear the Walking Dead‘s final season continues the tradition, rapidly.
The time jump feels a little rushed at first, but it dawns on you that it adds to the mystery, plus it should be noted that without a significant time jump, the show’s final season may have been a little dry as far as storytelling goes, not to mention the fact that this spin-off is now working its way closer to the main show’s timeline, which will now carry over into the Rick Grimes and Michonne spin-off in 2024.
As far as acting goes, the cast of Episode 1 hit all the right notes with their lines, expression, and chemistry between each other, especially with newcomer Zoey Merchant who stars as the adopted daughter of Lennie James’ Morgan Jones – brilliant acting all around.
One thing that may be noticed by music lovers is the score of this episode, the subtle score plays perfectly throughout the whole episode and really lifts some moments off of the ground, something that has not been executed as well in some other seasons of the series.
Mysterious reveals, intense talking scenes and gory zombie action are three elements that this franchise never seems to forget when crafting these episodes, and that’s because elements like these, when done well, truly captivate and keep you from zoning out – this episode does it well, very well.
When a story is presented similar to an incomplete puzzle, it can sometimes be tedious, however, Remember What They Took From You seems to have done it just fine as each new detail revealed throughout the episode keeps you interested to find out more, with the ending of the episode itself even making you want to jump straight into the second episode, which is always a good sign, of course.
So, to wrap this all up into one quick thought, Remember What They Took From You rushes you at the start, then makes it up to you throughout the runtime by explaining why, the episode is by far the most interesting episode since Season 7’s eighth episode (Padre), as it consistently keeps you genuinely curious while you invest your time into its characters.
4 out of 5 stars.
Fear The Walking Dead Season 8, Episode 1 is now available to watch on AMC+
