It was no surprise that season two of Fear the Walking Dead would have floating zombies in the water, highlighting the terror of realizing there's no safe place, be it on land or water. However, zombies aren't the only threats that the small group of survivors aboard the Abigail have to consider, according to showrunner Dave Erickson.
Spoiler warning! Turn back now if you haven't seen the show's season two premiere.
"Monster" starts out with everyone, both the living and the undead, on the run, pushed toward the water as the military bombs Los Angeles, thanks (or no thanks?) to the Cobalt protocol.
Season one had a relatively mild take on zombies overrunning the city but expect them to be a more frequent occurrence in season two, starting with a boatload from a sinking ship that the Abigail just happened to anchor beside to. But as immediate as the threat bobbing zombies bring, they aren't the only things that the survivors have to worry about.
For starters, Liza is dead, and this is going to come between Travis and Chris, with Travis being the one who pulled the trigger to end his wife's life. To be fair, Liza was infected and Travis only did what he did because she requested it. However, Chris only sees the fact that his father killed his mother.
Not that Travis is not affected by what he had done.
According to Erickson, Travis is in a different place now because he promised Liza that he would protect Chris at all costs, so much so that he votes not to let other survivors they found at sea on the boat. That's a stark contrast to season one's Travis who would have been the first to say that those people should be let on board.
Aside from trouble between Travis and Chris, there will also be tension between Salazar and Strand, who suggests they head for San Diego. It is unclear why he feels so strongly about the place but Salazar doesn't trust the man's reasons. It's not exactly conflict but the bond between Salazar and Madison is also murky, given their priorities are their children.
In episode two, the survivors will be forced to return to land and the showrunner said that it is where they will truly realize that things out at sea are no better than on dry ground.
"We realize that the apocalypse has spread, and it continues to spread and it's the first time I think we realize that there is no safety anywhere," said Erickson.
Fear the Walking Dead airs every Sunday on AMC.
