All hope of a stable life went up in flames in the 'Fear the Walking Dead' midseason finale

Warning: This story contains spoilers about the Fear the Walking Dead midseason finale. 

The gang's hope of putting down roots at Celia's safe haven went up in flames in the midseason finale of Fear the Walking Dead -- literally.

We have Daniel to thank for that, but we'll come back to that. The point is Madison, Strand, Ophelia and Alicia will go into Season 2B seeking out the next phase of their survival journey because they watched their former hopes for peace burn to the ground in the Season 2 ender. Notice here that I make no mention of Chris, Travis or Nick. That's not a mistake. 

No, they're not dead, but as far as Nick goes, his family is sort of dead to him. His decision to not to follow his mother and sister into Strand's getaway pick-up truck was motivated by the very thing that's kept Nick covered in walker blood much of the last few episodes -- a belief that he is different from his family. He's fearless.

Earlier in the episode, before Nick essentially rejected his group, Nick went out on a limb to vouch for his family when Celia wanted to cast them out. He and Celia shared a bond from the moment they all stepped onto the island, but in this episode, he made an effort to get back into her good graces following the death of her son. To do so, he covered himself in blood and went out to bring her other son, Luis, now a little growlier than she recalled him to be, back to the compound. 

Celia accepted the gift and told Nick that he and his family could stay, but he'd be responsible for their actions while they were there. But she cautioned him: They weren't like the two of them. They didn't see things the way Celia and Nick did: "This is not apocalypse; this is our beginning," she told Nick. 

With the end of death itself, she said, life was now "eternal." 

To a former addict like Nick, such a concept was no doubt appealing because Celia was essentially telling him that the recklessness he craves now has no consequences. 

"Nothing will touch me," he told Madison, recalling how he felt when face-to-face with the walkers. "I move among them, mom. Invisible ... I will not die."

Surprisingly, Nick didn't jinx himself. He lived to see the end of the episode, but it's unclear what his next move will be now that he's rejected his family and Celia is gone. 

Oh, right: Celia is probably dead. 

The last we saw her, she was trying to explain to Madison the community's way of thinking by taking her into the cellar full of walkers. Seeing her chance, Madison made a slick move and instead of following Celia into the room, she backed out, locked the door and took the key. 

Via Giphy

Celia's reaction to this move was as understated as they come, probably because of her whole "eternal life" outlook on things. Still, that couldn't have been a pleasant end. 

Speaking of endings: Daniel is probably dead. 

Poor guy spent the entire episode reliving childhood trauma, seeing ghosts and getting trolled by the voices in his heads. He and Chris must've been drinking from the same well because poor Daniel was 10 miles past the entrance gate to Crazy Town this entire episode. 

In the end, when he'd fully snapped, he decided to burn everything -- including his internal demons -- to the ground. 

Via Giphy

The fire got out of control pretty quickly -- who knew shattered hopes were so flammable -- so it can be assumed that Daniel went down with it. That said, we saw no body so...

'I'm no good'

Elsewhere, things got meta when Chris went on the run after becoming the family reject only to claim, upon being tracked down by Travis, that he was "no good." 

Travis' dad heart of gold melted upon seeing his crazy son be so upfront about his struggles. Instead of telling his damaged goods to look at the flowers, Travis decided to be Dad of the Apocalypse and stay with him. 

"He needs his father. I owe him that, don't I?" he told Nick when Nick tracked them down. 

What about Madison? 

"Tell her you never saw us," he told Nick. "Chris can't come back. Not now. I can't come back." 

So where will Travis and Chris go next? TBD, but hopefully it involves a visit to Dr. Scholls.

Via Giphy

In all, this isn't the midseason finale I expected, but that's a good thing. The Walking Dead has at times suffered from its predictability -- who doesn't look forward to a death or two around midseason? -- and Fear has put great effort this season into subverting expectations. 

Also, we just so happened to end the season with some of my favorite characters in a pick-up truck together, so I look forward to seeing those dynamics grow. Watching Strand and Madison's friendship -- yes, Strand, friendship -- solidify was a highlight of this midseason ender and I won't complain about them being on a road (or sea) adventure together with two other badass ladies. 

My only advice for that group: Drive forward and don't look back. 

Spare parts:

• Why wasn't Alicia bothered by Nick's refusal to come with them?
  

• Why didn't Travis bother to grab some shoes before running after his spawn? 
  

• Anyone else wish Nick's storyline had been given a slightly clearer direction at the end? I guess it's rather fitting, considering the character himself is in a rather aimless state of mind. 
  

• Can we talk about Strand's incredible ability to hold onto his dry humor, despite his grief? "Don't worry about me; I'll hail a cab." 

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