FTWD Should Bring Madison Back
Hereās thing that frustrates me about the show runners of Fear the Walking Dead and the original Walking Dead... they think their bogus explanations for charactersā deaths, on and off screen, should simply be taken as gospel, when we all know itās not always the case. I love that Lennie James (Morgan) is on Fear now, because I love the actor and the character... but Iāve realized that I love the character more when heās being played alongside a strong, occasionally volatile leader, like Rick Grimes. He doesnāt cut quite the same imposing figure on his own. And his rag tag crew of misfits (though I adore John Dorie/Garret Dillahunt) are mainly an ensemble with no obvious leader these days, and Morgan seems to just blend right into them. Even the fiery Alicia had been whittled down to someone who just goes about painting things on trees. What the show needs is an infusion of badassery. It needs Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) back. She was the hard nosed, optimistic but hugely realistic, do or die type of leader that Morgan would be brilliant fighting alongside and working with. And weāre seeing a good opportunity for it to happen. Either she could be with the helicopter people, having been rescued after the undead inferno at the diamond, or maybe she was even taken in by Virginia. Regardless, with the cliffhanger they left us with this season, sheād be a reasonable means of rescue for our stranded sole survivor who was left up shitās creek without a paddle. (Trying not to spoil too much) I know the showrunners have said sheād dead, but to be fair, it was a cheap off-screen demise that we needed to be TOLD about from other characters, and were never SHOWN. No one can confirm completely that she didnāt survive. Theyāre all just assuming. (Plus the actress hasnāt taken on any real big roles outside of a movie or two since leaving Fear... which makes me wonder if sheās under contract to return if they call her...) How many times did they do this with Daniel Salazar (Ruben Blades)? He was last seen in Season 2, Episode 7 presumably burning alive with a group of walkers (sound familiar?), only to miraculously show up in Season 3, Episode 3 (8 episodes after he disappeared) at the dam, helping to control the water distribution. At the end of that same season, heās shot and again his fate is unknown. Many presume he may have died... again. After all, heās absent for the entirety of Season 4. But, much to the surprise of many (or maybe not), weāre shown in the first episode of Season 5 that Daniel has again survived. So if this character can cheat death and be absent for an entire season only to return, why couldnāt they do the same with Madison? There arenāt many opportunities in The Walking Dead franchises to backtrack on a decision that cost viewership and ratings. These things tanked when they ākilledā Madison, only to kill off Nick shortly after. But hereās a golden opportunity to bring her back into the story and try again, hopefully with a far better story arc, because Madison -- like most characters snuffed out too soon and in a unsatisfying fashion -- deserved so much better from the show runners and the writers. Iāve come to terms with the fact Iāll never have Beth back except in my own fanfictions, and thatās fine... but give us Madison, dammit! What do you think, lovelies? Do you see a possibility of Madison returning after being MIA for an entire season? Would you be stoked to see a Morgan/Madison leadership team? Do you want to see Madison deliver a brutal butt kicking to Virginia? Because I totally do!
