Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet watched Fear the Walking Dead's episode titled "Another Day in the Diamond."
Fear the Walking Dead kicked off the quasi-rebooted Season 4 with its big Walking Dead crossover, which introduced Lennie James' Morgan to this universe, along with other newcomers. Episode 2, however, shifted into a dread-filled high gear by showing fans some of what happened to Madison & Co. after the Season 3 cliffhanger and subsequent time jump. It also introduced the new, complicated and extremely patient villains, dubbed the Vultures, as led by Mel and his RV-sized ego. When CinemaBlend recently spoke with star Maggie Grace, she made it sound like they're not quite as universally villainous as we might expect.
Yeah, that's the interesting thing about the show, is no one is pure, and depending on your perspective, no villain thinks of themselves as a villain. They're justified from their point of view. So I think jumping on with perspective and circumstance and motivation is interesting. . . . I guess by villainous, their moral code changed very probably. You know, each character has a different moral code on their own, and sometimes makes compromises even beyond that. I think my character certainly explores some choices like that.
To their credit, the Vulture didn't visibly prove themselves to be as lethally dangerous as we would all expect them to be, by the very nature of appearing on this show. For the time being, there's the slightest amount of leeway to grant them, at least as far as Maggie Grace's answer is concerned. I mean, people can argue that The Walking Dead's Negan and the Saviors were just trying to survive like everybody else, but we all know what the deal was. Grace seems to be implying that by revealing certain motivations and circumstances that have affected the paths and choices the Vultures took, viewers may see them from a less judgmental perspective. Personally, I kind of want to side with whatever group uses bicycles and classical music to ward off walkers.
Of course, it's hard to tell how we could possibly find any ground on which to side with the Vultures. Episode 2 ended in the moments after the premiere's ending, with the O.G. group finding the "51" flag and suspecting Morgan, John and Althea of being with the frighteningly organized group. We know that's (probably) not the case, but we don't know exactly what the Vultures are doing in their conquered locations. And I just can't possibly believe Mel's thinly glorified sincerity in his tale of trying to help others out. It's gotta be more nefarious, but possibly with moral wiggle room?
While Maggie Grace's Althea certain has intelligence and other factors keeping herself safe in this world -- with her choice of vehicle also being a winner -- she doesn't yet seem like the kind of person who would align herself with Mel's somewhat theatrical crew. I'm sure she'd love to get those shenanigans on camera, though, to show future generations what more modern wild west outlaws looked like. In any case, Maggie Grace also made it sound like Althea might have issues with not only the Vultures, but also the show's so-called good guys. Head to the next page to see what else she told us.
Things got off to a pretty awkward start for Althea's relationship with Alicia, Nick, Strand, Lucy and Madison. With her camera and her "51" flag, she looked a little more high-tech and Vulture-esque than the normal straggling survivors left in the world. We shouldn't expect the combined groups connection to implode immediately, but Maggie Grace did tell me that the season peels back some layers on each of the characters, which will change up the dynamics and relationships. In her words:
I think clearly, the writers are having fun playing with time in different ways. And Season 4 opens on a pivotal moment for the new and old characters. I would say that the surprises don't stop there, but just when you think you know who's who, there's definitely more reveals. The journey definitely changes with who the characters are, and who they are to each other. . . . [The protagonists] definitely fight for and against each other, as well as against the undead. Yeah, they've gotta figure out a way to cobble a life together. Whoever's gonna survive has to figure out how to do it together. And we see that pop up quite a lot.
Viewers still aren't quite aware of what went down in the immediate aftermath from the dam's explosion, and we also aren't sure how the situation at the Diamond concluded. Obviously all the main protagonists survived, but did that double-crossing little girl end up reading The Little Prince?!? Okay, so that's pretty far down the list of questions we have. But we do want to know how those experiences have reformed Alicia and Nick's attitudes towards new people, and how far the new characters get on Madison's shit-list, which usually ends with people getting killed. What do you guys think?
Fear the Walking Dead Season 4 airs on AMC on Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET. Check out what Maggie Grace told us about Althea, and how the walkers will be a little different this year. Then head to our summer premiere schedule to see what other new and returning shows are on the way.
