SPOILER ALERT: Warning, this article contains spoilers from the Season 4, Episode 4 of Fear the Walking Dead entitled ‘Buried.’ Proceed at your own risk.
Fear the Walking Dead’s fourth season is beginning to feel more and more like a hybrid of some of the stronger seasons of its sister show, The Walking Dead. A revenge plot – a la the All Out War storyline – has become the fuel for the present timeline, while the flashbacks at the Diamond feel reminiscent of Season 3 and 4 of The Walking Dead and the survivor’s refusal to give up the prison.
In the wake of Nick’s sudden death, the group of survivors pile into Al’s vehicle to head to a place to bury him. While they drive, they burn time by telling the ever-curious Al how they ended up in each other’s company.
“There was one day we could have stopped all of this from happening,” Luci says into the camera.
This week’s flashbacks follow three groups — Strand and Cole, Alicia and Naomi, and Nick and Luci — going out to scavenge less conventional places for food. The big decision that could have changed everything isn’t that they chose to run while the Vultures held the Diamond under siege, but that they all make the decision to come back and fight for their home.
Strand finally opens up to Cole. He explains he carries around a small piece of the dam (from Season 3) to remember not to be who he was back then. “I keep this to remind me I don’t want to become that man again.” It doesn’t seem to be working well because shortly after he reveals to Cole he’s been siphoning provisions into a car as a sort of life raft to escape. Cole refuses to leave with him and eventually Strand chooses to return to The Diamond with all his contraband.
Alicia and Naomi bond on their excursion too. They head to a water park – it’s always fun when the show apocalypsifies something your mind wouldn’t jump too – and find food of their own as well as medical supplies.
After nearly bailing to head out on her own, Alicia convinces Naomi to come back to The Diamond as well. She does, and informs Madison she wants to set up an infirmary.
After seeing his death last week — and knowing Charlie kills him – it hurts to see Nick heading to a library with Luci to look for books for her. When the timelines finally converge it’ll be sad again to see Frank Dillane go. After some arguing about whether or not things like books should be as essential as food – Nick thinks people need something to fight for – the two stumble across an atlas. Luci is losing faith in The Diamond and wants to run with Nick. They agree to open book to a random page and head there. It isn’t revealed what the location is, aside from north, but it gives Nick a new idea. They also choose to return to The Diamond, and Nick pitches to his mom that they travel far north – outside of the Vultures reach –- to get seed to replant all their crops.
After their stories, Alicia, Strand, and Luci all agree that staying and convincing Madison to fight for The Diamond was their mistake. They all blame themselves for Nick’s death.
Nick’s burial spot is actually a hidden cache of weapons. The three load up with the intent of tracking down the remaining Vultures and wiping them out. Al agrees to go with them because she wants to hear more of their story. They bury Nick under a nearby tree and prepare to head out.
The biggest shock of the episode came at the end when — after recognizing a backpack, and the gun inside — John learns that Naomi is actually is long lost love Laura. He asks the three where she is, and they let him know that she didn’t make it out of The Stadium without going into detail. John refuses to believe it and walks off into the night with Morgan following him while the remaining four saddle up for the Vulture hunt.
