Fear the Walking Dead recap: Daniel Salazar is the standout on ‘Skidmark’

Fear the Walking Dead’s Daniel Salazar was the standout character of ‘Skidmark,’ a reminder that sometimes the original show formula works best.

This recap contains spoilers for Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 4.

Fear the Walking Dead has gone through vast changes over the last few season, practically diverting from the original formula of the series entirely. Daniel Salazar is one of the show’s true originals, debuting back on Season 1 Episode 2 with daughter Ofelia (and wife Griselda). Daniel’s part of the formula that made the spinoff series feel fresh and original back in 2015. Seems like decades ago but it was just four years ago. Sometimes, a show needs a refresher of what made it work in the first place, instead of constantly change things up.

Salazar had more chemistry as a father figure to Charlie than any other character had with her since her debut. Almost Last of Us Joel and Ellie-like. It was all reminiscent of The Governor and Meghan Chambler’s father/daughter-like chess scene on The Walking Dead. Daniel telling Charlie what he would have told Ophelia, ‘Every day is another chance to start over and get it right’ felt rewarding for both character and viewer.

It felt like a natural character pairing, well outside of Charlie providing too much veteran-like info to Daniel on how to enter a walker store. That was a bit much for a youngster, even on such a series. However, pretty much everything outside of that scene like Daniel knowing Charlie was hiding in the back of his car or listening to music together just worked. No background needed, no episodes to flesh out the overall narrative, it just worked.

Things have no doubt changed forever on Fear the Walking Dead when Charlie shot down Nick. It’s difficult to imagine now but Alicia Clark, Daniel Salazar, and Victor Strand are the only Season 1 originals left on the series. The Clark family is no longer even the central focus of the series though Alicia is still a leading character.

Victor Strand Vs. Daniel Salazar

This episode started as Fear the Walking Dead fans might expect, with Strand seemingly falling into old Strand ways. Meaning, stealing the plane that Daniel wouldn’t let him have once he vacated the premises. Daniel by the way, had a new pal, an orange Garfield-like cat named Skidmark. The cat would spot Charlie outside sneaking around, leading Charlie to get in Daniel’s car. Strand would tell Charlie to get out of there on walkie talkie, having no idea that Daniel was listening.

Strand, Sarah, and Wendell went to commandeer the aircraft, only to discover the plane’s instruments were missing. Thus, Strand would be unable to fly it. Daniel would soon reveal he was totally aware of the plan by walkie talkie and tell Charlie to stop hiding back there. Salazar would comment that once again, he’s just going to get others hurt like always. Strand pleaded with Daniel to just let him have the plane, along with Sarah to no avail. Instead Daniel warned them to get away from Strand.

When a plan to disarm trap machinery and take supplies backfired on Daniel and Charlie, they would decide to go back post-haste to the compound. Leading walkers back there to pick off one by one behind a wall instead of wasting ammo they don’t have any of to spare. The makeshift plan would fall apart when Sarah revealed she broke the fencing to get the plane out to Daniel.

Salazar would decide to let Charlie have his car and lead the walkers himself by foot. As once again in his eyes, Strand ruined everything. The Strand/Salzar dynamic seemingly always makes for great entertainment because of how much Daniel despises Strand. Colman Domingo recently mentioned in an interview, “I think he [Strand] actually thrives off of that because it’s like he’s got something to prove, in some way.” Charlie would easily convince the others to help Daniel, that they couldn’t just leave him behind. Wendell and Sarah would drive Al’s military van to drop the hammer’ on the walker herd… But it didn’t work, instead the hammer jammed!

Victor would arrive and yell at the walkers to come to him as Daniel lay beneath Al’s vehicle as he turned the plane on. He’d received the instruments to make it work from Charlie just prior. An earlier Strand would have just flew the plane away and saved himself. Yet, much like the stocked car he returned to the stadium in season 4 he used the plane’s blades to take out the walkers… Until the plane was seemingly ‘damaged beyond repair’ in Strand’s words. The info would be relayed back to Luciana and Dylan. The youngster was inspired by a book Luciana had given to him about a Prince, and thought it would still be possible to fix the plane.

The origins of Annie’s distrust revealed

Annie and Max getting in trouble this episode led Dylan to fold, he dropped the truth via walkie talkie to Alicia and Morgan. He revealed they hadn’t perished, and told them where to go to find them. Alicia and Morgan would arrive just in time to save the two siblings, again asking them to not be scared and join them. They were then surrounded by other gun-wielding teenagers and put their weapons down. Morgan understood that their parents were all gone from the original settlement, that’s why they were acting this way.

Annie the leader of the group told the rest to lower their weapons and agreed to help them find Al. A helicopter then flew overhead, sporting the same radioactive symbol and lettering as Al had found in documents before being knocked out. Max told everyone to get down as it was explained they’re the ones who took down the original settlement and their parents with it. It appears there’s more people for Alicia and Morgan to help with every episode. Will they be able ti maintain composure under pressure from all sides?

Meanwhile, Daniel left Strand, Charlie, Sarah, and Wendell his compound as he still had some ‘reckoning’ to do (yes Westworld reference). You could see how much Charlie wanted to go along with him but he wanted her to stay. It seems like a natural plot progression to have Charlie look for Daniel as the season goes on.

Missed last week’s episode? No problem! Check out a recap of last week’s Fear the Walking Dead and catch up on Season 5.