Fear the Walking Dead recap: Mastermind revealed on ‘Leave What You Don’t’

The true mastermind behind the push for Logan to conquer the oilfields was finally revealed on tonight’s Fear the Walking Dead and there’s lots of storyline potential.

This recap contains spoilers to Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 Episode 13.

There’s a new lead villain in town and her name is Virginia or as “folks call her, Jenny.” Just as Logan was having a change of heart and sharing some chemistry with Sarah, he was shot dead by Virginia’s people. Early on during tonight’s episode, Logan’s backstory and turn to cynical, amoral villainy was on fully display. Sarah and her brother Wendell’s theft of his partner’s rig had him scrambling for a rescue of a woman who had called in. Logan ended up being too late to make the trip on foot and witnessed the woman being devoured by walkers.

He would be greeted by Virginia right after, setting the wheels in motion to the person he became. Virginia by the way, played by actress Colby Minifie, seems like she came right out of a Westworld episode both in style and tone. Virginia related her group to being like pioneers or settlers, “settling everything and everywhere.” She told Luciana and the rest of the convoy leaders they wouldn’t suffer the same fate as Logan and his group. “We only eliminate what is non-essential.”

Despite being entirely outnumbered and outgunned, Sarah and Dwight talked back to Virginia, rejecting the offer to work together. Luciana however, saw where the standoff was heading and agreed to stay behind if they let the rest of the convoy leaders go with a tanker full of gas. Virginia agreed to the matter, seeing Luciana as essential to making fuel.

In an earlier standoff this episode between Logan’s group and the convoy leaders, Luciana and the group gave up their weapons. though they were just about evenly matched, even surrendering them willingly. It seemed a bit strange they kept their weapons up when a much larger group came into play. Nevertheless, it made for a grand introductory moment for the Pioneers.

Virginia and her group have great potential and a bit of a savior feel to them. It’s peculiar visually in some ways to see Dwight now on opposite sides. It really shows how much his character has changed since Sherry left on The Walking Dead. Even the offer by Virginia to help him “find Sherry if she’s alive” did not entice him to abandon his makeshift group.

Actor Austin Amelio mentioned during an interview in New York that he wanted to “create something deeper with Dwight.” Rejecting Virginia’s offer, even after seeing the guy he freed prior staying the same person, definitely says a lot about current Dwight. It seems like it would take a lot for Dwight to abandon his reestablished morals, even if others let him down.

Though Logan had been hinting at an upper-echelon boss for a while now behind his warnings to the convoy, it still felt a bit early to take him out. His flashback scene provided the proper backdrop diorama to better understand his convictions. On the other hand, it did bring back the feel of anyone can go at any time on the series, 24-like.

Sarah ruining multiple lives with one action showcased the domino effect omnipresent in every single move. A major part of her connection to Logan was a product of seeing herself in what she made him become.

Check out a recap of Fear the Walking Dead episode “You’re Still Here” which had some elements of inspiration from Resident Evil 2.