AMC’s Fear The Walking Dead kicked off their second half of the sixth season last week. The ongoing season is structured as an anthology series rather than a straightforward season like how it was presented in the past. And so far, it is working.
Early on in the season, Morgan (Lennie James) survived the gunshot wound that Virginia (Colby Minifie) inflicted on him at the season 5 finale. Other key plot developments that happened in the last half is Dwight (Austin Amelio) and Sherry’s (Christine Evangelista) long-awaited reunion, Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) and Strand (Colman Domingo) figuring out if they can be on the same page, and John Dorie (Garret Dillahunt) and June’s (Jenna Elfman) differing views on what Virginia promised them.
The next half of the current season expands on these major stories while also answering long-time questions about the season 5 finale that have not been addressed yet. The stars of Fear The Walking Dead preview what is to come for the rest of the season.
Talent that are in this interview piece: Lennie James, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Colman Domingo, Mo Collins, and Karen David.
Editor’s note: The interviews took place in different blocks
The Knockturnal: Sara has been on Fear for the past few seasons, but we have not seen too much backstory on the character. Do you think that will be explored over the second half of this season?
Mo Collins: “Sara has been very busy when you don’t see her on-screen. I certainly hope that we learn more of who Sara really is. I do feel that we get a little bit of insight into Sara’s softer side later in the season. You will see her strain over if she is being tricked. Virginia brought them together and there is a lot to protect. She is busy all over trying to take care of things. Just know that she is back there working her action figure magic!”
The Knockturnal: What was your reaction to seeing Dwight and Sherry’s reunion episode?
Lennie James: “I’ve read the script before I saw it because we were shooting out of sequence. I did see the episode and I loved it. Colman did an absolutely fantastic job directing that episode. The real test of that episode was the last moment. First, he created the fantastic relationship between Al and Dwight. We found out things about them and about their personality and friendship between them that we have not seen before. I think he handled it fantastically. From my perspective, I knew it was going to happen. It was not a surprise to me. Even though I knew it was going to happen, I felt everything I was supposed to feel. It did make my heart leap when he comes out and sees her, I think it is one of the most powerful moments that we shot. The way that Colman goes with him and continues telling the story with the camera as he circles around them, I believed in their love story. I believed in them seeing each other and in love. I thought it was a proud moment for our show and it was a fantastic payoff. Bringing Dwight and Sherry from the main show to bring the climax on this show is well worth the journey.”
Karen David: “It certainly paid off. With the themes that were established in past seasons about hope, love, and endurance, that is the power of love. The power of love can transcend through any realm. To see them reunited at the end, it made my heart smile so much. It’s so wonderful to know that good things can happen to good people in challenging times.”
Mo Collins: “I balled my eyes out! At the same time, I was marveling at the talent. The performances were so good. As a student on this show, I was so moved and impressed.”
The Knockturnal: Do you believe that we will see Alicia and Strand see eye-to-eye on what is right and what is wrong on the back-half of this season?
Alycia Debnam-Carey: “It’s a hard one! She and Strand have such a unique and close bond. They’ve seen each other grow from pre-apocalypse to where they are now. Arguably, she knows him better than anyone in this group. She knows who he was before the world fell apart. Which is a conman. She sees him go through these evolutions with Madison, with Salazar, with Morgan, and with John. She’s seen him and what he is capable of and how he interacts. I think it is such a big betrayal when he chooses to make odds with her. But essentially, she has hope that she can bring him back from those characteristics that he has. I will also say that it will get worse before it gets better. And while they do have that connection, she does have to make a choice to see if it is worth keeping those connections or if it will be a detriment not only to her, but to the group.”
Colman Domingo: “I think that we heard the setup of where they want to be. Strand is taking that figuratively and literally. He is trying to figure things on his own and figure out what is best for Strand and what is best for everyone. And with Alicia, there is always a little challenge. It is a political stripe on how to do it and how to get things done. I am sure that they will have different opinions on how to get something done with each other and with the group. I just think that makes even more dynamic television. There are characters that you all know and love. But now you will see what happens when they want to do things their way.”
Lennie James: “I would like to give a shoutout to the guest actors in this season. We are telling the anthology story and the way the guest actors are coming in this stage of the show and really jumping in feet first are giving terrific performances. I think the people in episode 3 who played the office staff in the building all did a fantastic job and are a great addition to the family.”
