La Serpiente

Cant believe this episode is only 7.5 rating. Not just this episode S3's verry underrated season.

Prob "La Serpiente"'s my favorite episode in the show. Victor relationship with Madison,Taqa,Daniel,Efrain has very well written dialogues.

I think this episode has the best dynamycs in the show. People just hate this episode because they dont like Victor.

World building,action,parallels're amazing in this episode. It's prob the last episode that has best lines for Victor Strand(maybe 3x16 or 6x2). RIP Victor we lost you in this episode. Colman Domingo made a great job with Victor. As well as S1-S3 writers.

Madison, Strand and Walker drive the tanker to Mexico and crawl through tunnels to the dam. They run into Daniel who is prevented from killing Strand after Madison tells him that Ofelia is alive at the ranch. Lola refuses to give them water but invites Madison to bring her family and work for her. Daniel thinks it better that Ofelia does not know he's alive knowing how different they both have become. Walker, displeased with the turnout, leaves on foot to force the ranchers out.

Daniel fears the dissatisfied people will rise against Lola, and sanctions Strand to act if their interests align. A water truck explodes, punching a hole in the gate, and a slogan-chanting mob soon appear. Lola is convinced to trade 10,000 gallons of water per week for weapons, with the first exchange at El Bazaar. Lola wants Ofelia to be there. Strand and Madison drive back, picking up Walker on the road.

"La Serpiente," the eleventh episode of the third season of "Fear the Walking Dead," presents a tense and strategically rich narrative as Madison, Strand, and Walker embark on a mission to secure a vital water supply from the dam controlled by Daniel Salazar. This episode effectively explores themes of reconciliation, trust, and the complexity of old relationships under the pressure of survival in a post-apocalyptic world.

The episode opens with a meticulously planned infiltration into the dam compound, highlighting the cleverness and resourcefulness of Strand. His knowledge of the dam's layout and personnel, including his complicated relationship with Daniel, plays a central role. This reunion is fraught with tension, as Daniel is wary of Strand's intentions, reflecting their past conflicts and the betrayal that severed their trust. The dynamic between Strand and Daniel adds a layer of personal drama and suspense to the negotiations, making every interaction charged with the possibility of betrayal or violence.

One of the episode's most compelling scenes is the sewer journey that Madison, Strand, and Walker undertake to reach the dam. This claustrophobic and dangerous passage serves as a metaphor for the murky and treacherous paths the characters must navigate in their interpersonal relationships as well as their physical journey. The encounter with a walker in the tight confines of the sewer pipes is not only a moment of horror but also one that forces the trio to cooperate closely, highlighting their dependence on each other despite their differences.

As negotiations with Lola, the dam's current leader, unfold, the episode delves into the politics of resource control in a post-apocalyptic society. Madison's pragmatic approach to diplomacy, where she leverages her understanding of both sides' needs, demonstrates her growing leadership capabilities and her role as a mediator. The agreement to exchange resources represents a critical turning point in the survival strategies of both the dam group and the Broke Jaw Ranch community.

After last week's brilliant episode where Madison and Walker went out to a trading center called El Bazar which was run by a motorcycle gang called The Proctors, Madison did something selfish and it was to pay off Strand's debt. But he told them off the Dam, a place where they have a huge amount of supply of water. Will this episode have the reunion of Madison and Daniel? You guessed right, now only a Salazar family reunion needs to happen. The plot of this episode has one focus and it's Madison, Walker and Strand's mission to secure the deal to get water to the Ranch to save all the people there.

Josef Kubota Wladyka, the director and the writer team really put the Fear and horror back into the show with that sewer sequence. It was suspenseful, even I who have watched this show once before was on the edge of my seat. Great camera work, the angles they used. Simply fantastic. Musical score, sound editing, makeup and special effects department were great.

The writers keeps surprising us in how great the writing are, subtle nods to The Proctors and that is actually a great way for world building. The dialogue is another thing I want to praise, every single bit of dialogue is perfect and mix that with the acting and chemistry we get some fine character interaction. The writer team and Dave Erickson have really made a superb season so far, everything is well thought out and after two seasons of character development a season and story like this works so incredibly well which makes for some great television and that's another reason why I rate this episode so high.

It's marvelous how a 3 character led episode managed to be this compelling. This episode continues the world building that was presented in the episode prior and well, the world building reaches new heights and you can see how it all ties together.

Season 3 of Fear TWD has been rather slow with the ranch setting but this episode was brilliant mainly as its set somewhere else.

A episode on the road and on the move is where Fear's far better older sibling The Walking Dead thrives best and Fear here worked far more gripping than normal because of the change of setting.

Add the fact we had a couple of characters reuniting, some true horror at the start with many zombies, a lighter tone in places(mixed with sadder moments)and some great acting by all.

Be like this every week Fear and you may get near The Walking Dead.