Episode Title: Pillar of Salt
Original Airdate: 9-18-16
At the Colonia, one of the families sneaks off, upsetting Alejandro greatly. He refuses to allow Nick and Luciana to leave for supplies at the gang-run Warehouse, convinced they’re safe since no one knows where they are. Nick decides to go after dark, but before that can happen, he sees the leader of the Warehouse staring back at him through binoculars.
At the Hotel, things are going well, as Madison and the other survivors have managed to get the generator working, but decide to use it sparingly, as to not attract unwanted attention. But noting good lasts in this world, and Strand soon gets a knife to the belly from Jessica’s (aka Zombie Bride’s) distraught mother, who blames Strand for “killing” her daughter. Madison steps up and gives a very Rick Grimes-esque speech about how no one in the Hotel will harm anyone else there or they will be put on the street. A medical student helps patch up Strand, but insists they need a medicine to help replenish his red blood cells since he lost a lot of blood. Elena knows where to get it, so she and Madison set off for the Warehouse.
There they overhear the gang leader interrogating the Colonia’s runaway family. He mentions a gringo junkie with ratty hair and Madison correctly assumes he means Nick, but doesn’t get confirmation, despite putting her and Elena’s lives in danger by intervening. When they return to the Hotel, at night, Madison flips on the electric sign, hoping Nick will see it and come to her, despite Alicia’s pleas and warnings. In the far distance, Travis sees the beacon and sets off in the direction of the Hotel…alone.
Oh, Madison. What the hell? I know they’re trying to push her “mother’s love” trait, but they’re pushing it too hard, making Madison just plain stupid this week. She has now put everyone in more danger by turning on the Hotel sign, with not even the slightest evidence that Nick would have seen it. Not only that, but he’s an adult who made his own decision to leave. And she still has another child who needs her. I can’t accept the “mother’s love” excuse anymore. It’s making Madison a very unlikable character. In the beginning, I thought she was smart and resourceful, but the writing of her character has been slipping lately.
As for the Colonia, it was good to see the darker side of Alejandro. I knew he couldn’t be a cool, collected leader all the time and we got to see his mask slip a little this week. It’s only a matter of time before it comes off completely. And it was good to see Nick not just follow blindly for a change, but realize that Alejandro’s lockdown decision was stubborn and dangerous.
The ending with Travis has me intrigued once again. We haven’t seen the aftermath of Chris’s itchy trigger finger in two weeks, so catching up with them next week will hopefully be worth the wait. As for the few bits of Ofelia we got this week, meh. I’ve never been that invested in her character, so when she disappeared from the Hotel, I couldn’t have cared less. Her few small scenes of flashbacks to her previously mentioned fiance didn’t give me much either, but now she’s headed back to the US, presumably to find him. We’ll see, whether we care to or not.
Channel: Superhero 