Recap / Fear the Walking Dead S03 E01 "Eye of the Beholder"

RECAP:
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Season 3, Episode 01:

Eye of the Beholder

"I want my family back."

Written by Dave Erickson
Directed by Andrew Bernstein

"I need to know where you came from and who you came with. And if someone else is joining, I need to know who and how many and what direction."

— Troy Otto

Travis, Madison and Alicia are captured by an armed group and taken to a military compound, where Travis is separated from them and is taken to a basement while Madison and Alicia are taken to an office.

In the basement, Travis finds himself with Nick, an injured Luciana and other captives. The captives are shot to see how long it takes for them to turn. Travis, Luciana, and Nick attempt to escape, Travis and Luciana descending into a sewer but Travis is re-captured and made to fight the dead in a pit.

Meanwhile, Madison and Alicia attack Troy, impaling one of his eyes with a spoon and taking him hostage. Madison demands her family released. Nick finds a horde of walkers at the end of the sewer and makes his way back.

The family is reunited but the compound is overrun with walkers, forcing everyone to leave. Travis, Luciana and Alicia escape aboard a helicopter while Madison and Nick leave in a truck with Troy.

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Tropes:

• Eye Scream: It's downplayed when Madison rams a teaspoon into Troy's eye, but makes sure she doesn't cause lasting damage to it.
• Improvised Weapon: When Madison ends up in a scuffle against Troy, she loses the butterfly knife that Alicia gave her. She opts for a nearby teaspoon instead.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Troy's group. They're an all white military unit that shoots anyone who crosses the US-Mexico border and needlessly executes non-white survivors in the basement. That Troy specifically separates Madison & Alicia from this, insisting they "have different criteria" for survival, helps to drive the point home.
• Red Herring: When Willy hears bumping inside a wall, he eventually comes across a nearby vent. The viewer is preparing themselves for a Jump Scare in the form of a walker when he decides to open the vent, but instead, we see a swarm of rats rushing out of this hole. And then, a walker really grabs Willy for his next meal, only mere seconds later.
• Shout-Out: While Travis fights an army of walkers in a pit, Willy mocks him by saying "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!"

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"They're safe! They made it! They're clear."