Fear the Walking Dead: Colman Domingo Defends Strand’s Shocking Dirty Deed

Fear the Walking Dead star Colman Domingo says Victor Strand didn’t have a single second thought about a cold-blooded kill carried out in Sunday’s “Welcome to the Club.” When Virginia (Colby Minifie) orders Pioneer prisoners Strand and Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) to clear the molasses-covered walkers in the way of a secret weapon, they get a helping hand from would-be escapee Sanjay (Satya Nikhil Polisetti). Strand plots to overthrow Virginia’s Rangers, but a risky revolt would jeopardize the captured Charlie (Alexa Nisenson) and Daniel (Ruben Blades). Instead, against his instincts, Strand goes with Alicia’s plan: clear the walkers, get the weapon — and then use that against the Rangers.

But Sanjay flees his post and lets a sticky swarm of walkers mob Alicia and Janis (Holly Curran) during the clearing, so Strand makes him useful — by stabbing Sanjay in the leg and using his screams to lure the dead towards “fresh meat.”

“Going on the attack and handling the Rangers is what he feels he must do. He also recognizes the message that it sends to Virginia as well,” Domingo told the AMC Blog. “That’s his plan, but he’s trying to go with Alicia’s plan, which is actually like, ‘Let’s do the task and see if she will take care of us then.’ I think that approach is looking for a very positive way out. And the other one’s looking at a more complicated way out — that’s Strand.”

Asked if Strand had second thoughts about sacrificing Sanjay, Domingo answered: “No, he didn’t have one second thought about that.”

“When Sanjay ran and hid like a little baby outside the camper, he realized that there was no positive to having Sanjay. Sanjay would only compromise the group,” he said. “So being the pragmatic spirit that Strand is, he realized that for Sanjay the best he could do is to be a help to his comrades — that’s why we had to feed him to the walkers. That’s the only way that he was going to be useful. Otherwise, he was just going to be chum and he was going to take us all with him. That’s someone that you can’t take along for the ride. He’s got to be sacrificed.”

Despite the dirty deed, Domingo believes Strand is “motivated by the greater good.”

Here’s what Fear fans are saying about Strand’s decision, which comes after a semi-reformed Strand spent all of last season helping Morgan (Lennie James) help strangers in need:

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