‘Fear The Walking Dead’ Recap With Spoilers: El Matadero

Madison, Strand, and Qaletaca drive down an empty street. Strand warns Madison about what they’re about to walk into but she is confident that handing over what they have will be enough to convince Daniel to continue helping them, even after the attack on the Ranch cost them so many supplies. If Daniel refuses, Madison is still confident because they have Ofelia.

Meanwhile, on the back of the truck, Ofelia is falling unconscious. She falls off the truck. The group notices a bite mark on Ofelia’s collar bone. Madison wants to talk to her but Ofelia just wants to see her father.

The Fear the Walking Dead logo takes the screen.

At night, Alicia sits alone by a fire eating. She hears a car pulling up and pours water on her fire as the headlights arrive. She arms herself and investigates. She fires up at the ceiling and tells the stranger to get in their car and leave but finds Nick and Troy.

“Alicia, this is crazy,” Nick starts. “You have no idea what it’s like being out here.” She is confident, however, because Nick survived on his own. She thinks groups are no better than solo.

“Surviving is killing me,” Alicia said. She claims Nick is trying to atone but she promises he doesn’t owe anyone and deserves to carve what he can out of this life.

Continued

Madison’s group arrives at the Bazar. She insists Ofelia play it cool and work her way in with everyone. A man checks Ofelia, who is struggling to stand, and doesn’t find the bite. Meanwhile, Strand and Madison accept a lower trade rate and everyone heads inside. 

Where Strand was being kept, Qaletaca lays Ofelia down and tells Madison she is burning up. Before heading out to find pain medicine for Ofelia, Madison hands Qaletaca a knife to put Ofelia down if necessary. Outside the room, Strand and Madison argue over handing over weapons just to try to get Ofelia to her father. “You expect charity from a butcher,” Strand points out. 

Elsewhere, Alicia and Nick say goodbye to one another. Alicia promises Nick she won’t die. He gets in the truck with Troy and they head off, with Troy questioning why anyone would hate him with how much of a treat he was in the past.

Nick explains that he stayed at the Ranch for his mom who lost Travis and because Luciana was sick. “You stayed at the Ranch because you love me,” Troy claims. “You and me we’re more alike than you think.”

At the Bazar, Ofelia is fading. Madison gives her water and hopes to give Ofelia peace before dying. “Maybe Strand’s right,” Madison said. “Maybe Daniel’s gonna kill us all.” Qaletaca begins talking about how he lost everyone yesterday at the Ranch. He was raised on loss and thought he was good at it. 

“Ofelia asked to see her father one last time,” Qaletaca said. “You’re honoring her wish. That’s all you can do. Return her to his father so he can bury his daughter. Put an end to this even if it gets us all killed.”

Continued

Alicia heads into an On-The-Go Burger. There is old food on the tables. The parking lot is empty. A man sits dead, face down in food at one table. Quickly, Alicia puts her gun down and uses objects to reach for a bucket on the ceiling. It is filled with instant potato mix. When she walks back into the restaurant, she has to drop the mix to put down a walker, and quickly notices a small group approaching from outside. 

She rushes to the play area of the fast food spot and takes cover in the ball pit. As she watches the door, she is pulled under by a walker which was dormant in the pit. After a fight, Alicia manages to put it down with her knife and turn her attention back to the incoming herd. She hides under the balls when she can’t find her gun.

Suddenly, a woman with an pick axe bursts into the restaurant and starts putting down the walkers. After laying waste to the walkers, she cuts off a finger to take a ring and removes a tooth from one walker before taking the potato mix and leaving in her blue station wagon. 

At the Bazar, Nick reunites with Madison who is struggling to stay awake beside Ofelia. Nick tells Madison that Alicia knows where to find them but Troy did come back with them, even though he is “freaked out” by all the Mexicans here. Madison is glad to hear he came because she believes they are safer in numbers. She thanks Nick and heads out for fresh air as he stays back to watch Ofelia. He finds painkillers beside her and decides to take one himself as he sits.

Continued

Alicia journeys abandoned market areas and finds walkers missing fingers. The other woman has been here. She comes upon the car and finds the potato mix.

“B—, you touch my s—, I will crack you open like a coconut,” the woman said from a distance. Alicia claims the potatoes belong to her. The woman approaches and says they have a conflict of interest.

“Why you gotta make trouble when there isn’t any?” Alicia asks. “We can share them. I’m tired and hungry and I’d really prefer not to kill you.”

At the Bazar, Troy is fed and questions the food with the waitress. Nick asks for two drinks as he comes to sit down and Troy insists he doesn’t drink. Nick says he has a head start. The waitress brings drinks back and Nick is handsy with her. She shuts him down but offers information about where he can find the man he’s looking for. Nick takes a pill and downs it with a shot and insists Troy take his shot, too.

Elsewhere in the Bazar, Strand explores various corridors. People are heard having sex, others are gambling, and other inappropriate acts are being carried out. As Strand tries to head to a locked area, he is approached by the men who were holding him earlier. He wants to talk to Proctor John but the men insist he’ll just have to stay with them until Strand says he has something he’ll want to hear.

Madison tries to wake Ofelia so they can move her. Madison wants to go alone and Ofelia endorses the suggestion. Qaletaca hugs her as a goodbye and Madison helps her out through the night. Ofelia begs Madison to put her down if necessary so her father doesn’t have to. “Tell him I was really looking forward to getting to know him,” Ofelia said.

Madison explains how parents can lie to kids to protect them but somehow they know who you are and what you did. “They know you,” Madison said. “It’s in the blood. You knew your father. Don’t think for one second you didn’t.” 

“Thank you,” Ofelia said. “Thank you, Madison.”

Just as Daniel arrives, Ofelia falls unconscious. Daniel marches toward her asking where Ofelia is. Madison begs him to stop but he doesn’t.

“Ofelia?” Daniel calls out. “Ofelia? Ofelia? Ofelia?” He embraces her and breaks down a bit. “What kind of sick joke is this? What happened? Answer me!” Daniel demands.

“The Ranch was overrun,” Madison said. “Ofelia, she saved us, but she got bit.”

Daniel is devastated. He lowers his gun. “This is the price,” he said in Spanish, before telling Madison, “Get away from us before I kill you!”

As Madison walks away, Daniel prevents Ofelia’s reanimation.

Continued

Nick is tripping at the Bazar, walking around with Troy. He approaches a group of strangers and asks for El Matadero. Troy follows him when they get directions. 

They enter a hangout area and approach a bartender. Nick asks for “the things” and says he is looking for “all the things.” The bartender offers heroin, morphine, cocaine and more to Nick.

“Do you really want up?” the man asks to a smile from Nick. Troy is uncomfortable here.

The man presents them with “a nucleus from the brain stem” which will boost their adrenaline. Troy asks whose glands they are and the man suggests they’re from pigs. Nick downs his and convulses a bit. The man offers one to Troy, too. Troy looks at the people around him. They’re all looking back at him. He downs it, as well, prompting a giggle from Nick.

Meanwhile, Alicia is sitting with her new friend. Alicia asks why she has teeth and fingers. The woman gives Alicia a ring with walker teeth in it, saying it will protect her from the dead, but Alicia doesn’t want to wear it. She asks Alicia where she’s going and says she’s not going to find anything. 

“I either find a way to do this alone or I die,” Alicia said.

“That right there is why I don’t keep company,” the woman responds. “This is the life. You ain’t gonna find a way out. Not north, not south, not anywhere else. You grow accustomed to the killing, you’ll get by.”

“If a woman sets her mind to it, she can get used to anything.”

At the Bazar, Nick and Troy’s drugs are in full effect. They climb the walls and walk outside. Troy insists he is having a heart attack but Nick insist he just walk with him. There is a herd of walkers coming, which scares Troy. Nick smashes a walker with the door of a truck and wipes its blood on himself and Troy before rushing over to join the herd. Troy meets him there, where Nick says, “I can’t go back.” He starts telling it to the walkers but Troy hugs him and insisting he be quiet.

Continued

The next day, Madison has returned to the Bazar and finds the empty bag of painkillers. Daniel enters the room where Madison is. 

“I’ve been walking all night with my daughter,” Daniel said. He buried her with his hands. 

“She saved Alicia’s life,” Madison said.

“Alicia, where is she?” Daniel asks.

“She left,” Madison tells him. “On her own now. Had enough of all this I suppose.”

“Can you blame her?” Daniel asks. “You were with Ofelia when she died. Did she say anything?”

Madison nods. “She said to tell you that she loved you,” Madison said. “She said she was looking forward to getting to know you. I told her she already did.”

“She never did know the man that brought her to the United States,” Daniel said. “She saw him once, for a moment, and it frightened her… Well, get your things ready Madison Clark. This is no place for you.”

Madison wants to bring the others. Daniel nods in approval. 

Alicia wakes up in the clothing store, grabs her rifle, and checks the potato mix. She heads out to find her friend working on her car. The woman says she is headed to do more killing because the teeth won’t pull themselves. Alicia offers to help.

At the Bazar, Nick approaches Madison who is heading back to the dam. Nick and Troy are going to stay behind, with Nick claiming it’s good to have a connection here. “Well, good for me then,” Madison said, biting her tongue about his drug use.

“You do what you need to,” Madison said. “You know where to find us.”

The group heads to the trucks, splitting up from Nick and Troy, and Strand says he is “always” ready, looking back at the security guards who he may or may not have worked out some sort of deal with.