Our nation is currently divided on their feelings about Mexican immigration into the United States, so it is not much of a surprise that viewers of Fear the Walking Dead would likewise be divided over an episode that aired almost entirely in Spanish with English subtitles. From a storytelling standpoint, it made perfect sense, as showrunner Davie Erickson explained to Entertainment Weekly:
I hope that people don’t get frustrated by the subtitles, but creatively, it just made sense. That was not something that I was concerned with and it’s not something that the network ever expressed any worry over either, so it’s just what it is. I mean, if you’re telling a story that’s set in Mexico and the characters are all Spanish-speaking characters, there’s no reason to play it in English. If we had thrown in a character who was English-speaking just to make sure we had some balance between the languages, that would have felt a little bit cheesy, a little bit forced.
A lot of twitter users gave the series props for daring to air the episode mostly in Spanish.
I really enjoyed the all Spanish episode! #FearTWD
— Rachel (@HollywoodRache) June 19, 2017
https://twitter.com/SGrayban/status/876619373422694400
This #FearTWD episode is so good I haven't minded at all that most of it is in Spanish with subtitles. Totally worth watching & reading it.
— 𝚂𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕🌻 (@Fawn_Liebowitz) June 19, 2017
The first ever English speaking show to spend damn near a whole episode speaking Spanish #FearTWD pic.twitter.com/twLUkyRQo4
— Sixx (@KingArinSummers) June 19, 2017
https://twitter.com/dmt1196/status/876616976877182977
Wish these subs would actually capture the actual/colorful Spanish dialogue. Props to #FearTWD for taking a risk & doing something so unique
— genuinely awkward. (@Genuinely_Awk) June 19, 2017
They're cursing in Spanish but not translating it for the viewer.. I love it. #FearTWD #FreshBuzz
— 👑 David 🇵🇷 (@DFM2099) June 19, 2017
@GunnerGale @rubenblades @colmandomingo Thank you for using Spanish and subtitles on #feartwd Es mucho mejor así. It's so intense!!
— Susan Graham (@frecklesgraham) June 19, 2017
However, there were just as many on Twitter who expressed their frustration with all the subtitles in the episode, even if it made total sense creatively.
https://twitter.com/alycified/status/876621539587661824
I'm perfectly fine with some Spanish in Tv shows but this whole episode has been in Spanish! ENGLISH please. #FearTWD
— Dustin Wade Cordell (@Coach_DCordell) June 19, 2017
@FearTWD do i really have to watch this whole episode in subtitles #FearTWD #gettingannoyed #stupidsubtitles
— Angela (@theschenkstir) June 19, 2017
Tonight's #FearTWD makes me feel like I'm watching a bad foreign film with English subtitles…
— ⚡️ stefanie (@ItsStefJ) June 19, 2017
https://twitter.com/thekat0711/status/876612951628754944
https://twitter.com/Billytech/status/876611838078849024
@FearTWD making me read subtitles for an entire episode is a HUGE turn off. #FearTWD
— Stacey Lynn (@lilamour) June 19, 2017
I can't even watch the actors' performance b/c I have to read subtitles the whole damn episode of #FearTWD Losing interest in this show.
— Angela (@CrazieDogLadie) June 19, 2017
Agree or disagree with the decision, the use of subtitles is not likely to go away anytime soon. The series features a number of Spanish-speaking characters, its set both in Mexico and on the Mexican-American border, and the series has attracted a huge following in Mexico and Latin America. At the very least, it is something one thing that definitely separates Fear the Walking Dead from its parent series, The Walking Dead.