Date of Death
Directed by Christoph Schrewe
The episode opens on the hotel crew yelling out apologies to a group of refugees. They're banging at the gates of the hotel wanting to be let in after being attracted by the hotel sign being lit up by Madison an episode prior.
The group keeps apologizing to the group of people after a small heated exchange between Alicia, Hector and Madison ensues about the previous night's incident. Something catches Madison's eye however.
Travis is clamoring to the gate to say hi to Madison sans Chris. Cue a flashback to where we last saw the two, in the barn of the Baja farm after Chris shot the farmer there.
James is still in pain after the dead farmer has shot him and Travis is horrified at the situation. Eventually snapping out of it, he orders Brandon, Derek and Chris to help him out as he tries to help save James' leg. He realizes he needs supplies to stitch up his leg and goes rummaging through the house for them. Travis finds them and soon enough, James' leg is fine, for now.
That night, while Brandon, Derek and Chris sit around a campfire and laugh and eat chicken, Travis checks on James, who assures him that he's alright, though he's very hesitant to really reveal how bad he's hurting around the other three boys. After urging James to let him know if he feels any worse, Travis pulls Chris aside to confront him about killing the farmer.
Chris warns his dad that they should just go along with Brandon, Derek and James so nothing happens to them. When questioned if he feels any remorse about killing the farmer, Chris says nothing.
Back in the present, Travis is looking out at the beach from the balcony of the hotel, very emotionally despondent. He asks Madison where Nick is and all she can say is that she believes he's in Tijuana. She asks where Chris is and all Travis can say is:
Back at the farm, a week has passed since James has been shot and Derek and Brandon are ready to head towards San Diego like they originally planned to. Travis reminds them that there's no San Diego to go back to because it's been burned down and asks Chris to back him up, but he refuses to.
The four of them load James into the back of the truck and take off for San Diego, but the short ride proves too much for him as he passes out shortly after they get down the road. Later that night, the boys discuss what to do with James while Travis watches over him. The decision is eventually made to kill James, but Travis won't let them and takes Chris' gun in order to prevent it.
While Travis watches over James, the latter tells Travis about Troy, a friend that had been traveling with them since the outbreak. Troy got infected and made them promise to kill them before he turned, which ultimately didn't happen. James had to put him down and while Travis argues that what's happened to him is different, James says it doesn't matter since the rest of the boys believe he's dying.
The next morning, Chris brings Travis and James food inside of the barn. Chris admits that he's afraid of Brandon and Derek and while Travis goes in to comfort him, Chris tackles and pins his father down. While Travis is down, Brandon shoots James dead, despite the boy begging for his life.
This is the last straw for both the group and Travis as they part ways. Travis begs Chris to go with him instead of Brandon and Derek, Chris refuses and hops in the back of the truck. Travis calls after Chris and eventually stops but not before yelling out one more thing:
Back in the present, Travis goes on to explain that he spent two days searching for the ocean when he saw the sign at the hotel lit up and headed towards it. He tells Madison that he regrets not telling Chris that he loved him before they parted ways. Madison replies by saying that he didn't have a choice in the matter and that Chris is still out there, alive.
Later, Madison heads down to the parking garage of the hotel where it's revealed that they let in the survivors begging to be let in at the beginning of the episode. While Alicia is checking one of them for walker bites, Madison asks her to take a walk. On the pier, she reveals that Alicia's dad actually committed suicide, and wasn't in a car accident.
Alicia starts crying and demands to know what the suicide note Madison found in the glove department said.
Madison apologizes to Alicia for paying more attention to Nick rather than her over the years because she thought that Alicia could handle it. Madison never told them the truth because she was afraid that Nick would end up just like her husband. The two then hug.
As the episode ends, we see that Brandon and Derek arrive at the gates of the hotel in the middle of the night.
Without Chris.
Tropes:
- Flashback: This episode goes back and forth between present day and flashbacks revealing the fallout after Chris shoots the farmer.
- Foreshadowing: There are lines that hint at events in the next episode:
- When Travis takes Chris' gun as a way to defend James, Derek and Brandon mock this tactic. This is because they think that Travis cannot have the balls to take the two's lives, something that he fatally challenges.
- In his fake acceptance of the pacifistic route Travis has taken, Chris claims that Derek and Brandon could do anything to him if something bad happens. When he finally leaves, he causes a car accident that ruins his leg, causing Brandon to put a bullet in his head.
- I Choose to Stay: After fighting with his father for multiple episodes, Chris ultimately decides to go with Brandon and Derek rather than stay with his father or go back to be with Madison and the others.
- I Did What I Had to Do: How Travis feels about letting Chris go with Brandon and Derek for most of the episode.
- Idiot Ball: Chris deciding to go with Brandon and Derek, two total strangers whom he's only spent maybe a week or two with, instead of staying with his father whom he's known way longer.
- Parting-Words Regret: Travis does not use kind words to say goodbye to Chris, and he clearly regrets every minute of that. Just look at what he says to Madison when he finds her."The whole way walking here, you know what I thought? I forgot to tell him I loved him. The second he was too far away, I realized the last thing I said to him was, 'God damn you'. That's the last thing his father said to him. That's the last thing he'll remember."
- Put on a Bus: Chris until the next episode, that is.
- Wham Shot: At the end of the episode, a couple of survivors arrive at the hotel's gates. Two of these people are shown to be Brandon and Derek, with a noticeable absence of Chris.
