The Beacon

The cinematography is at its peak this season with the fabulous colors & lovely directing...

The writing, however, is NOT. So weak. So forced. The dialogue is unrealistic and there's a sense of "you have to be a better person" vibes in every single line uttered.

Overall, better premiere than 401 & 501. But that's not saying much.

Honestly i had low expectations, the episode was good and thought Strand wasn't too far gone.

Until the last 5 minutes.

Strand is gone.

How bad has twd franchise become,nuclear bombs everyone's got protective gear 10 years into the apocalypse I thought the world beyond was bad but fear twd has just took on a whole new meaning in senseless story telling.it's about time this shambling monstrosity was but to sleep for it own sake.

The Walking Dead veteran, Michael E. Satrazemis returns to direct the season 7 premiere of Fear TWD. He does an amazing job at bringing an engaging episode with his great direction and visual storytelling, the camera work and cinematography are great. But honestly the sets was kind of disappointing with the unnecessary smoke making the scenes seen worse and not the visually appealing scenery that we got in the previous seasons. The bunker set was incredible though. The writing is mostly good, but some of the writing was flawed. Like I wrote in my review for the season 6 finale, this episode have both the good and bad writing from the showrunners. But I just felt like the dialogue was kind of unrealistic and not as great as the previous season. The overall writing for the aftermath wasn't what I anticipated it would be in terms of writing, with a big thing like a nuclear aftermath, you have to be careful and place logic before entertainment but the showrunners placed the latter before logic.

While most of the landscape is destroyed by nuclear warheads, Strand thrives in one of the few inhabitable places left; Strand's search for survivors uncovers a stranger with an unexpected connection to his past. It's what the episode is about and spending an entire episode with Victor Strand, one of the best characters of Fear TWD and seeing what he had accomplished during the time skip was nice to see. The performance Colman Domingo brought to the role of Victor Strand was the highlight of the episode, the writing for him is great and a nice change of who he was in season 4 and 5 that was a complete character assassination but season 6 improved immensely and brought a character arc that I like and the actor himself it seems like. Truly terrific. But having said that, I just didn't find it worthy of 40 minutes of screen time. The new character of Will made us see the nuclear aftermath from a different perspective and was enjoyable. But not showing any of the other perspectives hurt the episode, hugely. It's a season premiere after all.

But what it was worth "The Beacon" was overall a good season premiere, but it didn't meet my expectations. I was disappointed. The episode included a plenty of suspension, tension and action, thus making the episode entertaining. I just didn't find it to be a great premiere as a premiere to me is how you should grab the attention of the audience and making them want to come back. If I wouldn't have been a big fan of the TWD Universe, I would have thought hard if it's worth coming back. But luckily I think the season has promise and I'm here to stay, we can only hope the writing gets better and a more focused story. The anthology format worked for season 6 because of how big it was. They could have easily added in another perspective of for example June Dorie and John Dorie Sr. For a much better premiere. Some scenes in this episode felt unnecessary as it added next to nothing to the story or characters.

After the nuclear blast in Texas, Will, a young survivor, navigates the devastated lands while evading a mysterious group called the Stalkers, who strip the dead of their clothes. Will is eventually captured by Victor Strand's Rangers and taken to the Tower, a settlement that Strand established in the office building where he survived the nuclear blasts. Strand lives a luxurious lifestyle and only takes in survivors he feels will be of use to him. Threatened with being kicked out, Will reveals that he has the medallion that Strand had given to Alicia and agrees to lead Strand to her.

Will reveals he was part of a group that had been slaughtered by Teddy when the doomsday cult took over the bunker under the hotel, and fell in love with Alicia, who exiled him for refusing to do something for her. The pair encounter and put down a number of reanimated survivors from the bunker, concerning them as to Alicia's fate. They find the bunker abandoned and a note for Will reading "PADRE" which Will calls the dream of something better, but he doesn't know what or where it is. Deciding he needs to cut himself off from his loved ones in order to lead the Tower effectively, Strand throws Will off the Tower to his death, believing that Alicia will never forgive him for it, and uses a lighthouse beacon to draw a massive horde to the Tower to act as a moat against his enemies.

"Fear the Walking Dead" Season 7 opens with Episode 1, "The Beacon," which marks a significant shift in the series' narrative direction. The episode follows the aftermath of the missile attack on Tank Town, with survivors scattered and seeking refuge. One of the key focuses is on Alicia, who discovers a mysterious settlement called The Beacon, which promises safety and community. However, as Alicia delves deeper, she realizes that The Beacon is not what it seems, leading to a confrontation with its leader, Teddy.

The episode's standout scenes include Alicia's exploration of The Beacon, which initially presents itself as a beacon of hope but gradually reveals darker undertones. The tension builds as Alicia uncovers the truth, culminating in a dramatic confrontation with Teddy that sets the stage for future conflicts.

Thematically, "The Beacon" explores the idea of false promises and the lengths people will go to in search of safety and belonging. It also delves into the concept of leadership and the dangers of blind faith. The episode challenges the characters' beliefs and forces them to confront uncomfortable truths about themselves and the world they now inhabit.

In conclusion, "The Beacon" is a strong start to the seventh season of "Fear the Walking Dead," setting up intriguing new storylines and deepening the characters' development. With its compelling narrative and powerful themes, the episode lays a solid foundation for the season ahead.