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"Channel 5" is the fifteenth episode of the fifth season of AMC's Fear the Walking Dead. It is the sixty-eighth episode of the series overall. It premiered on September 22, 2019. It was written by Michael Alaimo & Samir Mehta and directed by David Barrett.

Plot[]

When Virginia makes a statement, Al responds in kind. Facing dire circumstances, June leads the search for a new place to call home. With Grace's condition worsening, Morgan makes a tough call.

Synopsis[]

Virginia presents a montage where people praise her actions of helping those in need. She promises to build something bigger and better, claiming she and her group hold the key to a safer future where they can help each other. "Pick up the walkie, channel 5," she tells them.

Morgan, Althea, and Tom are watching the tape and Al slams the TV onto the ground in anger. Back in the caravan, the group prepares another documentary talking about how hard things have been recently. Grace is dehydrated and having trouble keeping food down. Morgan is tending to her and admits he hasn't told her what he planned on. June is out to find some medical journals for her. Morgan feels bad about not being there for her or the group when they need him. Tom is interviewed by Althea and then is reunited with Janis.

Meanwhile, Alicia is still painting trees and say art is the only thing that makes sense to her. Wes admits he first thought the documentary was bullshit but has now come around. At night, Grace and Daniel teach Charlie how to play guitar and Grace says she hopes she'll stay alive long enough for their settlement.

Later, Dwight kills a walker from one of the original western towns and John suggests that could be the settlement they've been searching for. Suddenly, Charlie calls out for June to run over and help Grace, who has passed out. June uses an ultrasound on Grace but admits her medical knowledge is not that advanced. John thinks about how short life can be and secretly asks June to marry him once they get to the Gulch.

Meanwhile, Al and Alicia find meds at a hospital for Grace, which finally wakes her up. Grace asks Morgan what's up and he again deflects. The group then explains to the camera how each of them has become better persons thanks to helping each other.

Later, the convoy stops their truck because they realize it's too heavy to make it across a bridge. The wires start to snap so Morgan instructs everyone to cross the bridge without the cars. Suddenly, Virginia drives up and offers to help, explaining she's been following them and can't believe they used extra resources to help Grace. She turns to Dwight and tells him that one of her people broke bread with Sherry a couple of months ago and that he should trust her since he didn't reveal Sherry's name in their tape. Dwight points his gun at her but Morgan talks him down.

Virginia insists what she is doing will keep more people alive and tells Morgan's group they can join her if they want, but no one steps forward. Strand mocks her, which leads Virginia to get her people to shoot their guns in the air so a nearby herd finds them. She reminds them to give her a holler and drives away. Everyone works hastily to move the resources across the bridge while Morgan, Strand, and Al handle the walkers. When more arrive, Morgan is forced to move everyone across. Tom trips while recording as the truck falls through the bridge. He laughs at his good fortune until the bridge under him collapses too.

Later, Al edits the footage until the batteries die. In the woods, Jacob asks Janis if she wants him to say a few words about Tom, but she says not until they make it to the settlement. On the side of the road, Morgan tells the group they should continue and Janis says it's what Tom would have wanted. They ditch their trucks and make the journey on foot.

On their walk, Wes promises Alicia he'll paint with her when they reach the settlement. John then asks Jacob if he does weddings and he says he can. Morgan eavesdrops and suggests instead of making it a secret, they make a big deal out of it to give the group hope. John agrees and asks Morgan to be his best man. A while later, Daniel encourages Morgan to say things he has to say because no one knows how long they have left in this world. Morgan looks at Grace but continues his walk.

Sometime later, the group finds a billboard for the Gulch. Morgan catches up with Grace and nearly confesses his feelings but she stops him. "I don't want to make things harder," she says. Later on, they arrive at the Gulch but see that it is completely overrun with walkers. The group debates their next move. Strand calls upon Althea to do something but she doesn't want to let Virginia look good so she shuts down the cameras. When they are out of options, Morgan decides to call Virginia but Dwight decides to leave the group and travel on his own. As he leaves, Morgan apologizes to Janis and then radios Virginia for help.

Other Cast[]

Co-Stars[]

Uncredited

  • Mike Lawler as Pete
  • Luis John Soria as Philippe
  • Raja Afghani as Skidmark
  • Unknown as Shelby
  • Carl Thomas as James
  • Chris V. Brown as Ranger
  • Amanda Marie Wilkinson as Caravan Survivor
  • Daniel Cox as Caravan Survivor
  • Nerinda Pennington as Caravan Survivor
  • Andrew John as Caravan Survivor
  • McKinley Manning as Caravan Survivor
  • Allison Day as Caravan Survivor
  • Nikky Sanseeha as Caravan Survivor
  • Patty Sanseeha as Caravan Survivor
  • Theo Richard as Camp Teenager
  • Derrick Gilbert as Camp Teenager


Deaths[]

  • Shelby (Alive, Confirmed Fate; Zombified)
  • Tom

Trivia[]

  • First appearance of Ellen. (Video Tape)
  • First appearance of Cleve. (Video Tape)
  • First appearance of Kenneth. (Video Tape)
  • First appearance of Terrence. (Video Tape)
  • First (and last) appearance of Shelby. (Zombified)
  • Last appearance of Tom.
  • Last appearance of Dom. (Unknown)
  • The title of the episode, "Channel 5", refers to Virginia stating that anyone calling for help can reach her on that channel.
  • The opening credits depict a field in the distance with a cracked TV screen from the viewer's perspective and a map pinned to a nearby tree.
    • The map is possibly the one June studies during the episode or is the map of Virginia's camps seen in "Today and Tomorrow" and at the beginning of the episode.
    • The cracked TV screen is a reference to Al smashing a TV just before the opening credits after seeing Virginia's documentary.
  • The keys worn by the Pioneers are revealed to represent the fact that each person is the key to the future.
  • In Virginia's documentary, Terrence can be seen repairing Morgan's staff, something that had happened off-screen during "Today and Tomorrow".
  • Grace is revealed to be dehydrated and having trouble keeping food down. According to June, while it could be the effects of the radiation poisoning, it might also not be. Even with an ultrasound, June has trouble determining what's wrong with her. Later it's revealed her symptoms were due to pregnancy.
  • It's revealed that at Daniel's insistence, the Caravan took Bridgeview Mall's ultrasound device just in case.

Episode Highlights[]

TBA

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