Warning: Fear the Walking Dead spoilers will be found below.
At the end of this week’s episode of Fear the Walking Dead, “210 Words Per Minute,” there is a heartbreaking moment in which Morgan decides, rather than rejoining the rest of the group with Grace, he will go somewhere else where he’s needed. The reality, however, is that he just can’t bring himself to go back with Grace. Why? Because Morgan has developed romantic feelings for Grace, and based on the events of this episode, Grace also has feelings for Morgan.
So, why doesn’t Morgan want to act on those feelings? Is it because he knows that Grace may soon die of radiation poisoning? Perhaps, but that’s not the whole story. The truth is, all these years later, Morgan still hasn’t been able to let go of his wife and son. Perhaps he does not want to be with someone he knows will die soon after the experience he had with his wife, particularly because he knows how difficult it is for him to let go. Recall that after his wife died, he couldn’t leave his home because he wanted to see his wife every day, even though she was a zombie. His inability to let go of his wife eventually led to the death of his son, Dwayne, who was killed by Morgan’s zombiefied wife.
The journey that Morgan is currently on is not about finding romance with Grace, although that might ultimately be the result. The real journey that Morgan is on is one toward saying goodbye to his wife and son. Here’s showrunner Andrew Chambliss, speaking to TVLine:
“When we hear him talking about Jenny and Duane, I think he’s realizing he hasn’t grieved for them, and that’s what he means when he says he hasn’t said goodbye. He knows that’s what he needs to do so he can really look toward the future,” Chambliss said.
“The journey he’s going to find himself on in the back half of the season is really grappling with what it means to say goodbye, how he can say goodbye, and whether it’s something he wants to do. That’s something we’ll be seeing a lot more of as we continue this season.”
In short, the reason why he couldn’t go with Grace is because he hasn’t yet properly grieved for his dead wife and son. In order to move forward with Grace, he has to first say goodbye to Jenny and Duane. Let’s just hope that he’s able to do so soon, because from the looks of Grace’s health, she doesn’t have a lot of time left.
Fear the Walking Dead airs Sundays on AMC.
