‘Fear’ finally connects with original show

From left: Frank Dillane, Kim Dickens and Alycia Debnam-Carey

Initially a prequel series, “Fear the Walking Dead” is a spinoff of the hugely successful “The Walking Dead,” happening years before the full-blown zombie apocalypse in the latter show.

It took some time for “Fear” to become a more distinct series from its predecessor, and by its third season, the core characters had their own harrowing take on survival during the breakdown of society.

But the line between the shows has blurred. It seemed an improbable occurrence before, as prior showrunners declared the difficulty of executing a crossover. But, lo and behold—a character from “The Walking Dead” is now appearing in the spinoff. And “Fear” isn’t a prequel anymore—it has caught up with the timeline of the seminal show.

Spoiler alert: Details from both shows will be discussed.

In the Season 4 premiere, Morgan (Lennie James), the hermit-like combatant who avoids killing human enemies, eventually leaves his friends’ territory and attempts to move on. An unspecified amount of time later, he meets new characters—the gunslinger John (Garret Dillahunt) and the post-apocalyptic journalist, Althea (Maggie Grace).

The small alliance is confronted by the original characters of “Fear”—the siblings Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) and Nick (Frank Dillane), the conman Victor (Colman Domingo)—and the long-missing Luciana (Danay Garcia).

Noticeably absent are the elder survivors—the siblings’ mother Madison (Kim Dickens), and the ex-soldier Daniel (Ruben Blades). There’s also Naomi (Jenna Elfman), a survivor connected to both groups.

Time jump

The time jump between the third and fourth seasons is also unclear, but flashbacks reveal that the “originals,” including Madison, settled in a sports stadium. They were relatively safer in this more peaceful setting, after their time at a disputed farmland last season ended tragically, with many of their once-warring community members decimated by a horde of zombies.

The stadium dwellers, guided by Madison, were visited by a large convoy belonging to the so-called Vultures, a group led by the suave Melvin (Kevin Zegers), who “planted” a spy, a young girl named Charlie (Alexa Nisenson), in the peace-loving group.

“Fear the Walking Dead” is nearly unrecognizable with the merging of the small groups of survivors. Nick’s sudden and unexpected death at the hands of Charlie will also leave a void in the group dynamics.

The actor, Dillane, opted to be written out. “Fear” isn’t an adaptation of the comic books, so while the loss stings, it’s a more “acceptable” death than some from the first “Walking Dead.”

There are appearances by Jesus (Tom Payne), Carol (Melissa McBride) and Rick (Andrew Lincoln), in the season opener, but the fates of the formidable Madison and the merciless Daniel are uncertain.

They’re the most intriguing survivalists, no doubt. If a bigger crossover with the older show is imminent, these two should be there to represent this unrelenting “tribe.”