Spoilers
We’ll have a full accounting of the two-hour midseason finale of Fear the Walking Dead in the morning, as well as an assessment of the first half of the third season, but let’s first take a moment to reflect on that ending. Whatever else one might want to say about this series — and opinion is mixed, to say the least — that was a killer midseason finale, and not an easy one to pull off. The degree of difficulty here was high: We spent the better part of six episodes getting to know Jeremiah Otto, and while there has always been a creepy racist subtext to his motivations, the writers nevertheless had to convince us to hate him enough to not only want to see him die, but celebrate it. Midway through the finale, however, there was very little doubt among our minds that we wanted the Clarks to switch sides.
Raise your hand if you want Madison, Nick and Alicia to switch sides. #FearTWD pic.twitter.com/iUH6IklpZ8
— The Nerdeek Life (@NerdeekLife) July 10, 2017
Celebrate is exactly what I did when Nick popped out behind Madison and shot Jeremiah Otto between the eyes. Jeremiah’s death was a long-time coming, and for those of us who felt increasingly uneasy about how he came upon Broke Jaw Ranch, that ending was completely satisfying. There are a lot of moral gray areas on this show, as Madison and Walker have demonstrated, but when it comes to bigotry, there’s only good guys and racists.
Twitter could not agree more.
At first, everyone was like, ‘Is Madison gonna kill Jeremiah?’
https://twitter.com/pthalocyanine/status/884246471012478976
#FearTWD Madison going to kill Otto? I hope not. That old jackass needs to suffer a bit more.
— 🎀Leia5251977 ⭐️🔫 (@leia5251977) July 10, 2017
https://twitter.com/alycified/status/884246919517659138
And then she tried to convince Jeremiah to kill himself.
Jeremiah isn't kill himself 🙄 just kill him Madison #FearTWD @KimDickens
— Esmeralda Godinez (@EsmeChristina) July 10, 2017
But he refused, and threw his own sons under the bus.
Madison, finally, lifted her gun to pull the trigger, but out of nowhere, Nick pulls out the pistol that Otto gave him and puts a bullet square between Jeremiah’s eyes.
https://twitter.com/xadorealycia/status/884247648236179457
OMGNSHSA#FearTWD
— 𝔟𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔱 ♡ (@brittsbubbles) July 10, 2017
WHOA!!! #FearTWD
— Jon (@chiemps) July 10, 2017
https://twitter.com/Mastodon_70/status/884247352063733760
#Nick is the hero this mid-season #FearTWD
— MakeaLocke (@Amethyst_Gem) July 10, 2017
YES NICK THANK YOU #FearTWD
— dylan o'cryinღ (@wiingedgrace) July 10, 2017
YES NICK MY MAN YESSS #FearTWD
— stel (@alyciajasmim) July 10, 2017
#FearTWD damn Nick just grew a pair!
— Carolyn Friedman (@Carolynistaken) July 10, 2017
Nick! #FEARTWD pic.twitter.com/1K6yyyFzWb
— Ana (@Algaechild) July 10, 2017
NICK AND CARL WOULD BE SUCH GOOD FRIENDS THOUGH #FearTWD
— the fosters (@tvfandomss) July 10, 2017
And then the episode ends with a strange, rock/gothic version of “Stand by Me” as Madison delivers Walker Jeremiah’s head. The reception to that song was … mixed.
https://twitter.com/charmcity1973/status/884247950364463104
What a perfect fucking song to end this episode. #FearTWD
— ☘️Kerrie☘️ (@KertyKerBear) July 10, 2017
Wow, somebody really ruined Stand by Me. #FearTWD
— Daniel Fugate (@df2506) July 10, 2017
However, the reception to the midseason finale, as a whole, was very positive.
#FearTWD Good stuff.
— Alana⚜️🎮♏ (@Lanathegreat) July 10, 2017
https://twitter.com/Jessebellr/status/884248620157083650
Way to round out this crazy first 1/2 of the season!!! #fearthewalkingdead #FearTWD @FearTWD
— LuvWDW_Nancy (@LuvWDW) July 10, 2017
That was a really good midseason finale #feartwd
— BRG (@dracodormiens16) July 10, 2017