A montage video sees the world burning and tragedy striking various locations. Jeremiah Otto narrates it, promising “out of the ashes, we start anew,” before taking the screen to some upbeat piano music and promising to prepare people to protect their family. He offers a video to prepare for “Teotwawki,” or, the end of the world. He will even toss in a survival bucket at no extra cost. “Don’t be a Pollyanna. If you’re gonna plan for a future, plan for a better one.”
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After the opening credits, a woman is speaking to the Broke Jaw Ranch community. She’s telling a story of an angel landing in her backyard. Alicia, Nick, Madison, Troy, and others are watching. The angel was her little girl. She recently died and blames her death on “risking her life for the unprepared.” Madison stands up to introduce herself and her family, offering condolences to the little girl. She begins telling everyone about the loss of Travis, calling him their compass, and thanking them for their generosity.
Jake tells the community everyone has lost. A man erupts and says it is more important to prepare. Jeremiah tells the man, “We are in a war time posture, here.” He has people investigating the helicopter’s crash. Troy tells him, “Payback, Vernon. That’s what my father means.” Jake assures everyone they are more than a mob and will act responsibly.
At lunch, Madison and Alicia are getting food where a man calls them freeloaders. Alicia can’t understand why people are harassing them instead of Troy. The lunch lady, Gretchen, introduces herself, eager to meet them and talk. She invites Alicia to bible study. Alicia tells them, “We’re Jewish,” trying to get out of it but the girl is open to different studies.
Luciana sits elsewhere with Nick. She wants to leave her, quickly. Nick says, “I just want us all to feel safe in one place. I had a chance to make that happen. I had a chance to kill him.” Luciana insists that wouldn’t have made them safe and says Nick is not a killer.
Madison walks into her room to find Troy sleeping in one of the beds. He says he liked her speech and how she said the name, “Travis.” He accuses her of reminding everyone that she is a victim, too. He asks what she did in the old world and she tells him she was a guidance counselor. He never attended high school. He says everything he does is in service to this place. He says her understanding of how brutal this world is is why he picked her but he did not pick Nick. She insists they are a package deal. She has him make the bed before he leaves.
UP NEXT: Is Madison Related To A The Walking Dead Character?
Continued
Elsewhere, Stand drives his car and eats candy bars. He starts riding through crowd of people who are carrying a lot of baggage near a dam. He parks and a man tells him to get in line, three blocks back. He tries to bargain, calling Dante a friend, but is rejected, again. Strand offers the car keys but the man throws them and ultimately pulls a gun on Strand. Dante arrives just in time to say, “Victor, you look like s—.”
Alicia is seen stabbing a knife into a table between her fingers. Madison unveils she has a plan. Nick wants to confront Troy or at least do something. Alicia questions what he can or will do. He wants to start over somewhere else, like a house somewhere that they can grow crops. Madison insists there is no place better and tells him, “We hauled you out of that hell hole and Travis died because of it.” Nick insists Luciana won’t be safe here and they might make her go but Madison offers no sympathy.ย
In the house, Jake gets concerned with about not hearing back from a squad that investigated the crash. Madison walks in. She wants reassurance. She tells them Troy broke into their place and threatened Nick, so she wants them to keep a leash on him. She tells Jeremiah that Troy murdered people and Jake saved them. Jake stands up for her but Jeremiah says that if peopleย don’t like her, it’s on her. Jake shows her out. Before he leaves her room, Madison says he wants to meet whoever crashed the helicopter.
Alicia and Nick watch horses trotting around. Alicia is reflecting on how their father used to take her to the equestrian center. She is staying here and will get to know people. She doesn’t want to stay but realizes there aren’t other choices. Nick is feeling the guilt of Travis’ death and notices the change in Alicia but she walks away.
Continued
Troy is farming when Jake approaches on an ATV. Jakes quickly tells him to stay away from Madison and her family. He tries to reason with Troy but resorts to telling him that the Ranch would look at him differently if they knew what he does. He is ready to lead the Ranch with him but he needs him to stay away from the Clark family.
Alicia heads into a basement with the community’s teenagers. Gretchen directs everyone to get their study materials. They grab drinks and drugs, to Alicia’s surprise. She quickly hits a bong and loosens up with everyone. The kid’s say some weird phrases and joke with her. She is slowly lowering her guard before asking, “Where is Jeff?” Gretchen reaches into a barrel and pulls out a zombie head in a bird cage. Alicia finds it funny.ย
Madison watches Jeremiah’s Teotwawkiย tapes and sees him bossing his family around, including grabbing his wife and trying to force her to cooperate. Jake and Troy are in the background, upset. A crew member suggests letting her go but he snaps back at him. Jeremiah enters the room and says, “Not my finest moment.” Madison questions what happened to their mom but it was only Troy’s mom. Jeremiah was married twice. She died before the world ended. He says booze took her (Tracy). She hated Troy for taking care of him the way he did, meanwhile, Jeremiah was selling buckets.
Strand is chatting with Dante, discussing a failed business deal between them and Thomas. The man questions whether or not Thomas survived and is saddened by the answer. Dante questions how Strand shows up with nothing but a car.ย
Alicia sits talking with the kids of Broke Jaw Ranch. She questions them about the Otto’s. They tell her everyone arrived separately and the Otto’s were prepared. The kids say Troy took Jeff’s body but these kids are okay with it because people like Troy protect them. Gretchen asks what kind of “bad stuff” Alicia has done.
She responds, “I killed a man,” before calling it, “Easy.”
Continued
Strand is escorted across a dam by Dante. Dante’s men have a man on the ledge who was a Cartel before “the fall.” The men tossย him hundreds of feet from the ledge. He survives the fall only to be eaten by the dead at the bottom. As Strand looks on, he is grabbed by the men. Dante questions whether or not he believes they were friends in the old world and is ready to toss him off the ledge. As Strand is about to be tossed from the ledge, he pleads with Dante, insisting that he needs him to help run this place. Dante ultimately decides to take Strand as a prisoner.ย
Nick stands out by himself during the night when Troy approaches him in a truck. Troy is out hunting and invites Nick along. He offers Nick a gun which is enough to convince him.ย
Alicia and Jeremiah talk about how Nick is adapting to the new world, considering he is out hunting. Jeremiah says it could take hours or all night. Madison finally opens up, revealing her kids’ history. Jeremiah does the same, ready to reveal why he tolerates Troy.
Out on the hunt, soldiers are escorted by dogs on the boar hunt. They hear screams and follow them.ย
Jeremiah escorts Madison under the house, showing her “the pantry” which is loaded with supplies. He tells her nothing heals a family better than purpose, promising to build something better than before. She assures him, her family is up for it.
Outside the Ranch, Troy sneaks up on Nick but Nick gets the jump on him. Troy encourages him to shoot him. Nick has the gun pressed to his neck. Troy asks him to time how long it takes to reanimate. He wants to know “why we spoiled” but Nick insists, “You are not a scientist.” Nick stands up and points the gun at him, ultimately shooting the ground, instead. He tears up the pages of Troy’s book, laughing the whole time. Troy wrestles him for it and concludes, “I think we can be friends now.”
Continued
Madison approaches Luciana and asks about her wound, which is getting better. Luciana thanks her for waiting for her to heal before they leave. “I’m sorry for Travis,” she said. “He saved my life.” Madison insists he was a good man who saved them all. ย
Alicia walks back to the Ranch with the teens. Jake greets her and she responds, “Praise Jesus!” She’s clearly coming around the this location.
In the cafeteria, Madison sees Jake and Jeremiah talking. They look a bit concerned, prompting her to feel the same.
Jeremiah updates the community on Outpost Alpha. He is always prepared for such things, asking for volunteers to go search for them. A number of men sign up before Madison does. Nick and Alicia question it. She marches forward with the community looking on, ultimately going to eat with Troy, instead of her kids. “Your kids are over there,” he tells her. She knows.
Strand is sitting in his jail cell, staring at the wall as footsteps signify someone approaching. There’s a knock on the window and a hand gives him water. Strand accepts it, sniffing it and then quickly drinking it. He wonders who gave it to him, looking outside now.
“I knew you would drink it all,” Daniel Salazar said. “I told you, I’d be your guardians angel.”
