It took until Fear the Walking Dead’s final batch of episodes, but the series is finally giving proper attention to a forgotten tragedy from season 4.
Warning: Spoilers for Fear the Walking Dead season 8, episode 8
Summary
- Fear the Walking Dead finally addresses Nick Clark’s death and the impact it had on the characters, including Alicia and Luciana, who have forgiven his killer, Charlie.
- The return of Madison Clark allows the show to explore her reaction to Charlie’s role in Nick’s death and her acceptance of Charlie as part of their group.
- By giving meaning to Nick’s death through Madison’s journey toward forgiveness and the show’s “second chances” theme, Fear the Walking Dead puts emphasis on Nick’s impact on multiple characters, not just Madison.
It took until Fear the Walking Dead’s final episodes, but the show is finally dealing with the tragic circumstances surrounding what happened to Nick. Despite the person who murdered him still being a main character on the show, Frank Dillane’s Fear the Walking Dead character hasn’t cast much of a shadow on the later seasons. After maintaining a strong presence on the show across three seasons, Nick Clark met an abrupt end in season 4.
Nick’s death in Fear the Walking Dead was a plot point for parts of season 4, with characters like Luciana and Alicia holding an understandable grudge against his killer, Charlie. However, both Luciana and Alicia – along with everyone else who knew Nick – found ways to get past their issues with Charlie within season 4’s story. As a result, it hasn’t been a significant factor in Fear the Walking Dead’s narrative for quite some time. Other events in the show have allowed Charlie to focus on other problems, rather than linger on the guilt she suffered from killing Nick years ago.
Charlie’s FTWD Return Delivers A Long-Awaited Madison Clark Scene
Since Alicia and Luciana already forgave Charlie for what she did, there may not have been a need for her role in Nick’s death to remain relevant – but that seemingly changed when it was revealed that Madison was on her way back to the series. But because of the twist that set Charlie up for an early demise, there was a sense that FTWD was going to avoid addressing the elephant in the room, even though Madison’s potential reaction has long been a massive topic of speculation. What’s more, the show was able to get through its entire first half of season 8 (with Madison) without having to deal with the fact that Charlie killed her son.
By defying season 7’s setup for Charlie’s death and revealing that she received treatment for radiation sickness, Fear the Walking Dead was able to facilitate a season 8 appearance. In turn, this paved the way for the series to finally show Madison learning the truth about Nick’s death. Not only that, but the show also explored Madison’s response to what came after: Alicia, Luciana, Strand, and Daniel all moving on from it and accepting Charlie as one of their own. For a long time now, there have been unanswered questions as to what Madison would do about Charlie personally, and what she’d think about Alicia and the others choosing to let Nick’s murder go unpunished.
Fear The Walking Dead Season 8 Finally Gives Nick’s Death Meaning
By giving Madison these long-awaited moments, Fear the Walking Dead was able to apply true meaning to Nick’s death. In season 4, Nick’s death happened as a spontaneous reaction from Charlie after the former killed Ennis. It was a huge tragedy, but also one that felt like it came out of nowhere. While it admittedly is reflective of how tragedies can occur in real life, it was an unceremonious end to a main character’s story. Rather than sacrifice himself for a greater purpose, Nick was gunned down by an aggrieved child, who was later welcomed into his own group. It lacked meaning then, but matters more now, especially since season 8 used it to reinforce the show’s “second chances” theme.
Fear the Walking Dead season 8 episode 8 sent Madison on a difficult journey toward forgiveness. For a portion of the story, Madison was only too happy to see Charlie sign her own death warrant by going after Troy single-handedly. But as Madison came to realize that Charlie’s remorse was sincere, while also learning a lesson from the acceptance shown by her allies, she too was able to give Charlie a second chance. This could have additional meaning later on, particularly if Madison decides to grant this same privilege to Troy, who may or may not have murdered her other child (Alicia).
Nick Feels Important Again In FTWD (Not Just Alicia)
Since Madison’s return, only one of her kids has had their loss truly felt on the show up until this episode. Despite leaving the series at the end of season 7, Alicia has been discussed quite a bit in season 8; Troy tormented Madison by claiming to have killed her, Strand and Madison bonded over their memory of her, and Madison entertained the possibility that her daughter might still be out there. In these ways, Alicia has been considerably more important than Nick, but that wasn’t the case in Fear the Walking Dead season 8, episode 8, which put emphasis on the impact Nick had on multiple characters – not just Madison.
In addition to the emotional gut punch it gave Madison, it would seem that it haunted Charlie for years. The show also made note of Nick’s role in Troy’s life. As Troy pointed out, the two were developing a brotherly relationship. The reveal that Charlie killed Nick allowed the show to provide a poignant reminder of the value Troy put on their friendship in Fear the Walking Dead season 3. While Troy may hate Madison and all of her current allies, he genuinely did care about Nick.
