Monster

"Monster" is the first episode of Season 2 of AMC's Fear The Walking Dead and the seventh episode overall. It aired on AMC on April 10, 2016 at 9/8c in the USA and on April 11, 2016 at 9pm in the UK exclusively on BT TV.

Plot Synopsis
Standing on the beach at Victor Strand's house, Madison watches bombs drop in the distance. Strand steers a Zodiac inflatable boat towards his yacht, the Abigail, with Nick, Alicia, Ofelia, and Daniel on board. Back on shore, Madison and Travis prepare supplies for transport to the Abigail. Chris sits by his mother Liza's corpse, catatonic.

Strand powers up the Abigail and sees refugee boats fleeing the coastline as Los Angeles erupts in flames and flashes of light illuminate the sky. He dispatches Nick to pick up the rest of the group before the Abigail is beset by refugees. Madison, Travis, and Chris fight the infected on the beach. Nick arrives in the Zodiac and they all flee the shore with Liza's body.

With everyone on board, Strand powers the Abigail forward. The group watches as the military firebombs Los Angeles and the raging inferno engulfs the land.

The next day, Strand informs the group that his yacht has enough fuel to last 3,000 miles — more, if they don't overtax the engines.

Travis checks in on Chris in his cabin, but he is still mostly unresponsive.

On deck, the group spots a small skiff overflowing with at least 20 passengers. The passengers beg for help, and Madison pleads with Strand to rescue the skiff passengers, but he refuses. Travis asks Alicia to scan the radio channels to help figure out a safe destination. Strand tells Travis and Madison that he has set a course for San Diego in the hopes of receiving help from the Navy or border patrol. Madison appeals to Travis to convince Strand to save the skiff, but Travis agrees that they cannot take on additional passengers.

Alicia listens to distress calls from survivors on the radio. The Coast Guard announces that they cannot rescue anyone by sea, land, or air.

In the wheelhouse, Strand admits to Nick that he doesn't have a back-up plan if San Diego is a bust.

Madison urges Alicia to stop listening to the radio and get some rest. Alicia refuses.

A concerned Travis tells Madison that Chris has been sitting next to Liza's body all day. Sensing Madison's anger about the skiff, he maintains that they need to take care of themselves before they help other people.

Alicia hears music on a radio channel and lingers. A man encourages listeners to respond. "I'm here," she says.

Chris kisses Liza on the head. He joins Daniel, who is fishing off the deck. Daniel, still struggling with the loss of his wife, sympathizes with Chris about Liza. Travis watches them talk.

Nick runs into Ofelia and suggests she apply ice to her gunshot wound — and also drink lots of vodka.

Alicia talks to the man on the radio. He tells her his name is Jack and that he is on a small boat, but hesitates to reveal his location.

Travis approaches Daniel to ask him how Chris is doing. "One day Chris will understand what you did for his mother was an act of mercy," Daniel assures Travis.

Madison hears Strand talking in the wheelhouse and is surprised to find him alone. He explains that he talks to himself to stay awake.

Alicia tells Jack that they have a desalinization system. Jack jokes that she must be rich, but she says that the yacht isn't hers. She hesitates to reveal more specific information.

Madison joins Daniel on deck. Daniel questions Strand's motives, pointing out that Strand was already packing his bags before the bombs started falling.

Jack tells Alicia that he is with his brother and his brother's wife. Alicia listens sympathetically as Jack talks about watching his girlfriend turn.

On deck, the group gathers around Liza's body as Travis delivers a eulogy. Chris violently pushes Liza's body into the sea and storms off.

Below deck, Chris blows up at Travis. "You shot her!", he screams, punching Travis in the face. Travis rejoins the group in the dining room, nursing a bloody lip.

Alicia tries to reach Jack on the radio and learns that his boat is sinking. She offers to rescue him and discloses her location so that they can determine how far away he is.

Alicia tells Travis and Madison that a man named Jack needs their help. Strand angrily asks what she revealed to Jack about their situation. She insists that she didn't tell him anything important. Nick tells Strand that Alicia was just trying to help people, but Strand maintains that everyone who comes on his boat must contribute in some way, or at the very least, not be a hindrance. When Nick wonders what his own contribution is, Strand says Nick's contribution is his fearlessness.

Madison comforts Chris and defends Travis, saying she would have killed Liza if Travis hadn't. "I'll never let that happen to someone I love," she says. As the group sits down for dinner, Chris goes out on deck and sees a fog rolling in. He jumps into the water, sending everyone into a panic. Nick dives in after him, but Chris explains he is just going for a swim.

Alicia tells Jack that they can't rescue him. "It's okay, Alicia, I got you. I'll see you soon," he says ominously. Meanwhile, Strand sees an incoming boat on the radar.

In the water, Nick gets attacked by an infected and narrowly escapes. As the fog dissipates, the group sees dead bodies floating all around — bodies of the skiff refugees. The skiff floats nearby, riddled with bullets. Travis picks up Chris in the Zodiac. Nick swims to the overturned skiff and finds the boat's log book.

Strand hears another radar alert. "It could be no one, it could be the ones who did that," he tells Alicia and Madison, indicating the shot-up skiff. Strand tells Madison that they need a head start if they are going to outrun the approaching boat, revealing that it is incoming at 25 knots — faster than the Abigail can manage.

Travis, Chris, and Nick return to the Abigail. As Strand powers up the boat, Madison tells Travis that whoever shot up the skiff is coming back for them.

Uncredited

 * Unknown as Jack (Voice Only)

Deaths

 * Numerous unnamed residents of Los Angeles (Off-Screen)
 * Several unnamed skiff passengers (Off-Screen)

Trivia

 * First appearance of Jack. (Voice Only)
 * Last appearance of Elizabeth Ortiz. (Corpse)
 * This episode marks the culmination of operation "Cobalt". Adams admitted in the episode "Cobalt" that the operation was to commence at 9:00 the following day. This implies that only a few hours had passed between the ending of "The Good Man" and the beginning of this episode.
 * Travis' actor, Cliff Curtis, stated that the title of this episode refers to the monsters both within and without: "In order to kill the monster you have to become the monster." This phrase is similar to what Carol told Sam in "Heads Up": "The only thing that keeps you from becoming a monster is killing."
 * The song Alicia heard Jack playing on the radio is "Five Years" by David Bowie.
 * The words that Madison said to Chris: "And it doesn't go away. The hurt stays," is similar to what Andrea said to Beth in "18 Miles Out": "The pain doesn't go away, you just make room for it."

Goofs/Errors

 * The Abigail's appearance in this episode is noticeably different to the yacht that appeared in "The Good Man", despite the fact they are the same yacht.