| “ | ” |
Finch is a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's Fear the Walking Dead. He is a former resident of PADRE, the son of Dwight and Sherry, and a member of Morgan's Group.
Quick Answers
Who are Finch's parents in Fear the Walking Dead?
How does Finch demonstrate his bravery in Fear the Walking Dead?
What is the significance of PADRE in Finch's story?
What is Finch's relationship with Morgan's Group in Fear the Walking Dead?
How does Finch's illness impact his character in Fear the Walking Dead?
Overview
Finch is shown to be an intelligent and brave young boy with a strong bond with his father, although Finch is unaware that Dwight is actually his father. Despite being ill, Finch risks his own life to help save Dwight and Sherry, using Dwight's training to take out a walker, much to his father's pride. Finch can't wait to inform Padre of his actions afterwards and is confused when Dwight and Sherry reveal that they're his parents, but he appears to accept it fairly quickly despite the brainwashing that the children of PADRE are given against family.
Finch is shown to be compassionate, asking for Shrike to be mercy-killed rather than being allowed to suffer despite her causing his death and suffering.
Post-Apocalypse
Georgia
Finch was born in 2015, several months after Dwight and Sherry arrived in Georgia on the rafts and were captured by PADRE. After his birth, PADRE assigns him the name "Finch".
Season 8
"Blue Jay"
June tranquilizes three people in a passing PADRE boat near her hideout. However, one falls overboard and drowns, forcing June to stab him in the head to keep him from reanimating after checking the man's pulse. As June goes to cut off the fingers of the other two, she notices that one's face is scarred and is shocked to discover that they're actually Dwight and Sherry. Armed with June's tranquilizer rifle, a young boy confronts her, and June apologizes as she didn't know that there were kids on board. The boy explains that he hid under the tarp when June shot the adults and takes Sherry's radio to call the attack in, revealing his name to be Finch. Finch reports that June killed Whistler, while Red Kite and Starling have only been knocked out. As Finch goes to report their location, June grabs the gun and the radio from him, but the gun goes off in the process, puncturing the rubber hull of the boat.
Finch sits down, holding his side in obvious pain, as Dwight and Sherry regain consciousness and recognize their old friend. Finch explains that June had shot them with the darts and was trying to steal the boat, while Sherry is shocked that June is the one who has been cutting people's fingers off. Dwight takes June's kit from her and questions her actions, while Finch is confused by the use of Dwight's real name and that June used to work for PADRE. However, June refuses to answer their questions. Stating that they don't have time for another boat, Dwight asks June for help, revealing that they think that Finch has appendicitis and he needs surgery. June tells Dwight and Sherry to take the boy to the clinic, but Sherry states that they were doing that when June ambushed them.
Over the radio, a man reports to Finch that they've sent a patrol out, and Finch tells Dwight to tell PADRE where they are. As Sherry tends to the boy, Dwight refuses, telling him that June will do the surgery as she is a nurse. June refuses, ordering them to go to the clinic where someone can help them, but Sherry points out that the clinic is 20 miles away and Finch's appendix could burst by the time they arrive on foot. However, June doesn't have what she needs in her kit to do an appendectomy. Dwight threatens to tell Padre, who has been cutting off all of his Collectors' fingers if she doesn't, but June just wants to leave, as it's not safe for her here. With Finch experiencing more pain, Sherry has him move away so that June and Dwight can talk to each other alone, and Dwight hands the boy an oar with a sharpened handle, reminding Finch how he taught the boy to aim for the eyes if he encounters any walkers.
Left alone, June questions why the couple is forcing her to do this, while they want to know why they have to force her to help them in the first place, and what happened to her. Sherry offers June a deal: do the surgery, and she and Dwight will get June a boat, and she can go wherever she wants, and Dwight and Sherry will keep her secret. Looking at Finch, June finally puts the pieces together. "That's your kid, isn't it? The one you were pregnant with when they found us on the rafts." Their reaction confirms June's suspicion, and Sherry admits that June's right, explaining that Padre doesn't know that Dwight's the father. Dwight now teaches all of the kids combat training, while Sherry works in the nursery, and Finch has no idea that they're his parents. Although Padre would never let her spend time with her own kid, Sherry got in the boat by lying and getting herself reassigned. Dwight and Sherry have been following Padre's rules and, as a result, they haven't spent time together in years. The couple wanted to make sure that their son would be alright before taking Finch back, with no one ever knowing what they did. Sympathetic, June finally agrees to do the surgery, admitting that she knows a place. However, she will not answer their questions, and they must hold up their end of the deal and get her a boat, which they promise to do.
That night, June leads Dwight, Sherry, and Finch to an abandoned lab set on a train. All of the equipment is covered in dust, there are notes on radiation safety, and a severed walker head is mounted on an extension device. Dwight and Sherry are skeptical of the lab's safety, but June simply puts down the head and states that it's safe now. June powers up the lab and preps Finch for surgery as his parents reassure Finch and joke with him. As Sherry retrieves supplies for June, she notices an open file documenting experiments upon bite victims that were performed on the train with at least 78 trials. The notes one particular patient talks about increased aggression, biting off his own tongue, seizures, loss of hair and teeth, paralysis, and eventually death, and turning into a walker, while the pictures show the bite marks, hair loss, and lesions forming on his back near the bite mark. Calling June and Dwight over, Sherry demands answers from her, and although June reiterates her refusal to answer any questions, both Dwight and Sherry refuse to proceed without her giving them something.
Adrian enters the train and holds the three at gunpoint, mistaking their intentions with Finch and, believing Dwight and Sherry to be Collectors, demanding answers from them about Hannah. Dwight and Sherry offer to help Adrian, and Dwight tells the desperate father that PADRE hasn't lost a kid yet and, as the person who trains them to protect themselves, Dwight might be able to tell him something if Adrian can tell Dwight what his daughter looks like. A man calls Adrian for his location, and Dwight takes advantage of the distraction to disarm him. However, the gun goes off in the process, knocking out power to the train and drawing in a nearby herd. As Sherry tends to a worsening Finch, Dwight smashes Adrian's radio as Adrian warns him that there are a lot of people in Adrian's group and they will do anything to keep PADRE from hurting any more kids. Dwight angrily explains that they brought Finch here to save his life, while June reveals that the control panel has been hit and she can't do the surgery without power. Dwight agrees to hit an emergency override located at the back of the train to restore power while Sherry covers Adrian.
June stops Dwight from passing through the train itself to get to the back, revealing that it's full of the undead. June finally reveals that she used to work there and that it was an off-the-books operation, as Padre didn't want anyone to know about it. Shrike was performing experiments to try to find a way to stop the infection from the walker bites. Although it's supposedly impossible, Shrike thought that it could be done, and her idea was to use radiation, which is slow, painful, and worse than dying from the bites. Shrike tried to force June to administer treatment, but June refused, so she ran. As Finch cries out in increasing agony, Sherry states that they have no choice but to get to the back of the train, and they can't go around with the herd outside. However, Dwight comes up with the idea of climbing over the roof of the train instead.
June holds Adrian at gunpoint as Dwight and Sherry go to hit the override, and he apologizes for his actions. June reminds Adrian that she had warned him away, but Adrian is glad that he didn't listen, as he wouldn't have seen the lab otherwise, which has shown Adrian that June knows even more about PADRE than she let on before. June insists that she can't help Adrian, but Adrian thinks that she just won't and informs June that her attacks are barely even slowing PADRE down, let alone stopping them. Adrian urges June to do something by helping him find his daughter or by getting Finch out before Dwight and Sherry come back and take Finch back to PADRE. June again refuses, and Adrian points out that she's afraid and reminds June that she had told him that PADRE uses the people that you care about against you, and you can't run away from that. Adrian is truly sorry for whatever PADRE did to her, but if June lets that stop her from getting close to people again, he wonders what June is living for. Dwight and Sherry succeed in restoring the power before she can answer him, and June warns Dwight that, while Finch is still asleep, the medication won't last for much longer.
Dwight and Sherry begin making their way back across the train, but Sherry admits that, having been reunited with her husband and son, she's having trouble returning to the way that things used to be. Dwight wants to make the most of the short time that they have left, but Sherry suggests that they do something different. Although Dwight and Sherry had agreed to play by Padre's rules when they were brought in because they thought that it was safer for their son, everything that they've seen now makes it feel more like the Sanctuary to her, which Dwight agrees with. Sherry wants to use June's knowledge of Padre's collecting routes and all of the places that he would look to leave. Once they find a place to go, Dwight and Sherry can find a way to let everyone inside know the truth about PADRE. Dwight is hesitant, but Sherry believes that they can be a family together, having seen Dwight's potential as a father during his earlier interactions with Finch. Dwight finally agrees, and the couple kisses.
However, the train's roof gives way, and Dwight and Sherry fall into a car full of walkers. Dwight uses his last bullets to shoot five of them as he and Sherry climb to safety on top of a shelf. Dwight reports their predicament to June and refuses her help, as it's too dangerous with the number of walkers in the car. Dwight tells June that Finch needs her more and begs June to promise him that she will look after Finch if Dwight and Sherry don't survive. After looking at Finch, June decides to go and help instead, despite the objections of both Dwight and Adrian. June tells Adrian that Dwight and Sherry need to survive for Finch, but Adrian accuses her of only being afraid of being left to raise Finch. June warns Adrian not to follow her and moves deeper into the train.
June slowly passes through a car full of severed walker heads in jars and more walkers chained to the walls, the lab's test subjects. An emotional June apologizes to the walkers as she makes her way through the car. June struggles with the padlock on the door at the other end as the walkers become agitated and begin straining against their bonds. Six walkers break free, and June shoots three of them before being knocked to the ground, losing her gun in the process. As June struggles to hold back the last three walkers, Adrian appears and puts them down with a knife, saving her life. Adrian wryly notes that it's a good thing that he didn't listen to her and that they're a lot alike. The only difference is that Adrian still has someone to live for while June needs to find hers. Adrian reminds June that there are more people like them, and together, they can take down PADRE. However, June again refuses to help Adrian, but Adrian tells her that he's not doing this for himself; he's doing it for Hannah. Adrian is going to find her with or without June's help, and when he does, Adrian wants Hannah to see that her father isn't the man PADRE says he is.
Having woken up, Finch insists on coming with them over June's objections, having been taught how to handle walkers by Dwight. With Adrian's agreement, June reluctantly concedes. In the car where Dwight and Sherry are trapped, June shoots three of the walkers trying to reach the couple while Finch puts down a fourth with his oar, which Dwight praises, as June and Adrian finish off the last two. Finch is excited to tell Padre how he fought the walkers, but Dwight and Sherry explain that they're not going back to PADRE as they want what's best for him, which is not on the island, confusing the boy. Dwight finally reveals the truth that they're Finch's parents, and Sherry promises that they will figure it out as a family. Finch doubles over in pain, and June begins leading the family back to the operating room.
As the others begin to leave, Adrian notices a walker in the window of the next car and, in despair, recognizes it as his daughter Hannah. Adrian furiously attacks June, realizing that she knew all along and that that's why June wouldn't tell him. June finally admits the truth: she treated Hannah for asthma when she first came to PADRE, and she was just a scared kid who missed her dad. Hannah reminded June of her own daughter, Rose, and June wanted to take care of her and make her feel safe. June thought that she was until Hannah went on a scouting run off the island and got bitten on her back, where June couldn't amputate, but she had to do something to save her. To the shock of everyone, June reveals that the treatment wasn't Shrike's, it was June's. June explains that "I saw someone survive a bite longer than anyone I had ever seen, and she had been exposed to radiation, so I thought if it worked for her, it could work for Hannah. I gave her radiotherapy with equipment that we scavenged from a hospital. It stopped the infection. But the amount of radiation that it took... just made things worse for her and I wanted to end her suffering." However, Shrike wouldn't let June do it, as she wanted to let Hannah turn so that Shrike could continue studying her and see how long it took for her to turn. Adrian accuses June of letting Shrike do it, but June tearfully explains that she didn't have a choice: Shrike held a gun on her and told June that as long as her finger was on the trigger, June had to keep the experiments going or other people would pay the price. This whole place happened because June tried to save someone that she cares about, and PADRE made sure that other people suffered as a result, so June took Shrike's trigger finger to make sure that she couldn't do to anyone else what she did to June. June knew that PADRE couldn't do the experiments without her, meaning that as long as June stayed away from the lab and other people, no one else she cared about could get hurt.
Releasing June, Adrian tearfully tells her that Hannah is all that he has left, and he understands now why she wanted to be alone. As everyone watches, Adrian makes his way to the next car and holds his hand against the window for a moment before going inside. June tries to stop Adrian as Dwight and Sherry shield their son from view. Adrian embraces Hannah and lies down on the ground, allowing Hannah and three other walkers to devour him.
In the operating room, June finishes stitching up Finch after successfully removing his appendix. June reports that Finch is stable, and he should be awake soon. Dwight promises to uphold his end of the deal and arrange for a boat for June, but when it arrives, he and Sherry want them all to get on it together. June reminds Dwight that they agreed that she would leave alone, but Sherry tells her that things have changed, and she and Dwight want to take their son away from this place when he wakes up with Dwight adding that they're going to try and be a family. Dwight and Sherry consider June to be family, and they know what happened to her and they understand why June left and has been out here on her own, but they can't let her end up like Adrian: someone who doesn't have anybody to live for. Dwight wouldn't be here if it weren't for June and John, and he has a family because of that, and Dwight wants June to be a part of it if she wants to be. June tearfully agrees, noting that Adrian had saved her so that she could find someone to live for. First, though, June needs to go put Hannah and Adrian to rest, as they have both suffered enough already.
However, armed PADRE guards and Shrike enter through both doors to the train, having presumably either led the herd outside away or eliminated it. Greeting June as Blue Jay, Shrike has one of her men knock June unconscious. June wakes up lying on a table and, showing June her missing left index finger, Shrike explains that they had figured that June was responsible when Collectors had started showing up on the island missing their trigger fingers, as no one else could be that precise. After hearing that a transport got hit by a kid who needed surgery onboard, Shrike knew they'd come to the lab. Dwight demands to know what's going on, and Shrike guesses that June told them what the lab used to be and how much promise it had. Sherry accuses Shrike of murdering people, but Shrike insists that they never killed anyone. Rather, this place was about saving lives and protecting PADRE's future. Shrike points out that Dwight was the one who lied to Padre about what he was doing that day, but Dwight argues that he brought Finch here to keep him safe from people like Shrike.
Shrike insists that"no one wants these children safer than Padre. That is why this place is so important. What we were doing here could've protected these children from carrion. Can you imagine? But Blue Jay ran off before she could perfect the cure." June points out that whoever they tried it on died, but Shrike has faith that June will get it right this time. Shrike reveals that Padre has something big and expansive planned, and he wants the children to be as safe as possible. June has to pick up where she left off. June refuses, but Shrike states that she just needs a little motivation. As one of the guards moves June, another one carries in Adrian's severed, zombified head. As Dwight and Sherry angrily protest and plead, the guard attaches the head to the extension device, and Shrike uses it to have Adrian bite the still unconscious Finch in the left shoulder. Dwight swears that he's going to kill Shrike, but she smugly states that she and June are the only ones who can save Finch's life. Shrike has a sobbing Sherry and Dwight, who is still spewing death threats at her, dragged away. Shrike instructs June to get to work, stating that she has a lot to catch up on and they have new patients on their way at this very moment. First, in order to make sure that June can never hurt PADRE ever again, Shrike cuts off her trigger finger.
"Odessa"
Days after Finch is bitten, June reveals to Madison Clark that Finch responded to the radiation treatment, although she appears to be cautiously optimistic due to only a short time passing. Mo leads Dove to the train, concerned for Finch's safety after learning of the attack on Finch's transport boat and their friend's failure to return afterwards. Although Finch is supposedly in recovery, Mo correctly deduces that something happened to him. June reveals to Dove that Shrike was responsible for Finch getting bitten, shocking Dove. Shrike only tells Madison that Finch is somewhere where his parents can't do him harm anymore.
Later, Padre tells a cured Finch that he thinks it's time for him to tell the others where he's been. Finch asks what Padre means, and Padre explains that Finch was bitten and he's still here and healthy, and thriving. Finch asks where Red Kite and Starling are, but Padre tells the young boy that his parents have been reassigned somewhere that they can't cause him anymore harm. Finch tells Padre that they had saved him, but Padre states that it was his people who did. One of the guards receives a message that they have a situation, and Madison comes on, telling Padre that they have questions and his daughter. Madison demands that Padre order his guards to stand aside so that they can come and talk to him. Shrike asks Madison not to do this, but she simply tells Padre, "No more hiding behind the mirror. Time to tell the truth." Shrike protests that Padre doesn't have to answer for anything, but Madison tells them both that every kid deserves to know why Padre had them ripped away from their parents, while he wouldn't do the same for his own daughter.
Daniel reports that his group got away from Hawk and his friends, and he asks if Dove is still with her. When Madison confirms it, Daniel reveals that one of his people thinks that she might be Dove's mother. Taking the radio, Diane admits that she didn't think that it was possible, but a mother knows. Shrike tells Dove not to fall for it, but Diane identifies Dove as her daughter Alex, who was taken away from her years ago by a Collector at a campground outside of Baton Rouge. Diane thinks that the Collector was probably Madison, and she's sure that Dove is her daughter. An emotional Diane tells Dove that she's searched for her for a long time, and she sang "You Are My Sunshine" to her as Alex was taken away from her, and she never stopped looking. Shrike insists that Diane is not Dove's mother and that she is just trying to get into her head. Madison orders Shrike to stop lying to her, but Shrike insists that she's not lying. Madison asks Padre for Dove's file so as to find out for sure, while Shrike continues to insist that she's making a mistake. Madison threatens to tell everyone who Shrike really is, something that's overheard by all of the guards at the dock and Finch, and Padre relents and orders that Madison be brought inside and given what she wants.
"King County"
Shrike uses Finch as leverage to get Dwight and Sherry to hunt down Morgan Jones, promising to give the couple their son and their freedom in exchange.
After Dwight and Sherry betray and kill Oriole and the other guard with them, Shrike calls in for a report, and Morgan warns Dwight that Padre is going to kill Finch. Dwight responds to a visibly frustrated Shrike and demands to talk to Finch so that he can know his son is okay. Shrike gives Finch the mic, and Finch tells Dwight that he thinks the treatment worked. A confused Finch asks what's going on, but Dwight instructs his son to use the Chimney Sweep move that Dwight taught him in class. Acting fast, Finch knocks Shrike headfirst into a table using a stool, knocking her unconscious. Dwight tells Finch to board a morning supply boat that leaves in 20 minutes, promising that he and Sherry will meet Finch at the dock when he lands. After Dwight reassures Finch that he and Sherry believe in him, Finch runs off to make his escape. Before leaving to meet the boat, Dwight tells Morgan that, whatever happened here, Morgan has a chance to make things different with Mo.
At the dock the next morning, Dwight and Sherry observe the supply boat, but there's no sign of Finch getting off. Much to their surprise and relief, Finch sneaks up behind his parents, who are happily reunited with their son. Hearing an engine, the three hide, fearful that the PADRE guards have found them. Instead, Morgan races up in Grace's truck, and he shoots the two guards dead. Morgan reveals to Dwight and Sherry that Grace got bitten and that he needs their help. The two confirm that June's treatment on Finch has been working, and Morgan tells them that Grace's only chance is for them to get her to June. Dwight, Sherry, Mo, Finch, Morgan, and Grace race off in the PADRE boat, and Morgan urges Grace to hold on, promising that June can fix this. Grace is doubtful, but Morgan tells her that they have to live no matter what, and Grace promises him that she will.
"More Time Than You Know"
Morgan, Mo, Dwight, Sherry, and Finch attempt to rush Grace to June. Grace is burning up while Morgan attempts to raise June on the radio. Grace wakes up on the boat, confused, and Morgan explains that Grace had gotten bitten, and Grace remembers what happened in the rubble of the house. Morgan tries to reassure Grace that everything is going to be alright because June has a way of treating bites, but Grace doesn't believe it. Mo and Sherry use Finch as an example of how the cure works, and Morgan explains that the treatment helps to stop the infection, and it stops the fever. Morgan promises Grace that they're going to get to do the things that they said and spend time together as a family.
Suddenly, shots ring out as two PADRE guards in another boat catch up to them. Dwight pushes the engine as much as he can while Morgan finally manages to raise June on the radio. Morgan tells June that Grace has been bitten on the side and they can't amputate, asking if June thinks that what she did for Finch will work on Grace. June admits that it might work, which Morgan is willing to take, but they will need equipment that PADRE has to do it. Morgan asks where she treated Finch, and June reveals that it was on a train car. The boat's engine begins to overheat, and June asks for Grace's temperature, but Morgan can only tell her that Grace is really hot.
June tells Morgan that they must treat Grace fast, and Morgan asks for the last place that she saw the train car, but Shrike cuts in to tell Morgan that the train is no longer there. "Why do you think I put it on wheels in the first place? To keep people like you from messing with it." Morgan asks what Shrike wants, and she claims that she wants to help save Grace's life. Morgan tells her to call off her men then, but Shrike wants Morgan to hear her out first. Shrike offers to tell Morgan where the train car is, have her people escort them there, and even allow June to administer the treatment, explaining that she had paid a visit to King County and saw how many walkers that Morgan had killed single-handedly aside from the one who bit Grace. Morgan demands to know what Shrike wants, and she tells him that there's a shipyard that is very important to their future. Standing next to a large machine gun, looking at the shipyard, Shrike reveals that it has thousands of walkers inside that she needs cleared out. Shrike doesn't care if Morgan gets help from Dwight, Sherry, Madison, or even Daniel's Resistance; she just wants the walkers dead. While Shrike was going to have the Prefects do it, she could risk Morgan instead of them. "That's how Grace gets a shot at living," she finishes.
After having passed out, Grace awakens again in the back of a PADRE truck. Morgan explains that they're on their way to the shipyard, and Grace is then going to be taken to the train to meet June. Grace is shocked that Morgan surrendered to PADRE, asking how he knows that they will keep their word. Morgan reveals that they won't clear the shipyard until they're sure that Grace is safe with June, but Grace thinks that it's too dangerous despite Morgan's assurances that they've got it handled. Morgan radios Daniel, whose people are armed and ready, but they need reassurances from Shrike that they're not walking into a trap. Shrike assures Daniel that the walkers are real and that she wants them dead, revealing that the contents of the shipping containers are valuable to her. Grace asks what they're going to help her do, and Morgan tells her that they're going to help Shrike clear the shipyard, and they have the people and the weapons to do it with.
Morgan asks where the train is, but Shrike tells him that the job has to be done by hand, not with guns. The containers hold supplies that are needed to rebuild the world, such as fertilizers and munitions. "One stray bullet and PADRE's entire legacy goes up in smoke," warns Shrike. Shrike didn't tell them before because she knew that Morgan had an army, but she didn't know that he had an armory too. Daniel backs out of the plan, telling Morgan that he's already told Shrike too much and it's too dangerous for Daniel to ask his soldiers to do this. Morgan begs Daniel not to back out on this now, but Daniel tells Morgan that he's not the one that Morgan should be angry with. Agreeing with Daniel, Grace takes the radio and reassures him that it's okay, as Grace doesn't want anyone to die for her. Visibly saddened by the choice that he has to make, Daniel apologizes to his old friend as he genuinely wishes that they could help her.
Taking back the radio, Morgan is willing to do it without Daniel's help, but Grace tells Morgan that he doesn't know that he can do, and he needs to be there for Mo while Dwight and Sherry need to be there for Finch. Morgan had to watch Jenny die from a bite, and he isn't willing to do it again, but Grace tells Morgan that it's not up to them, and it's not like she has much time left anyway. As her daughter begins to cry, Grace reveals that "before the bite, I was sick. It's cancer, Mo. I've been running away from it for a long time. It's finally catching up to me." Grace only has months left to live, maybe a year at most, which Mo points out is a lot more than a day.
The truck suddenly pulls over, and Shrike tells Morgan that if he's not going to take the deal, then they need to make sure that Grace doesn't hurt Mo or Finch when she turns. Grace is dragged out of the truck, and Shrike tells Mo that this is to protect her while Morgan begs Shrike to he will do whatever she wants. Grace begs the guards not to let her daughter watch, while Mo begs them to stop. Morgan and Dwight share a look before attacking as Mo suddenly rushes in and shoves the guard's gun away as he shoots at Grace. Morgan strangles one man unconscious from behind while Dwight gets the other's gun and pistol-whips him unconscious as well. Dwight praises Mo's instincts, and Mo credits Dwight's teaching of her. Mo promises that she's going to fight for every moment that she can have with Grace while Shrike calls in, ordering Kingfisher and Magpie to kill Morgan, Dwight, and Sherry next. Grabbing a radio, Dwight informs Shrike that her men won't be able to comply with her orders, and Shrike warns him that while others have tried, no one has ever managed to steal a child from PADRE before. Before turning off the radio, Dwight tells Shrike that he thinks that Finch and Mo are going to be the first of many.
Morgan has Dwight get the map out of the truck cab in the hopes that it contains the location of the train car. However, Grace weakly warns him that even if they find its location, they won't make it there, and neither will June. However, Morgan insists that it doesn't mean that they shouldn't try. Grace hands Morgan a set of coordinates that she wants to spend whatever time she has left with her family at, but she refuses to explain what they lead to, begging to just be taken there before Grace passes out again. Morgan knows that, with Grace's fever getting worse, they don't have much time. Dwight and Mo examine the map and find the tracks that the train was on and guess that Shrike must've moved it further down the tracks. At Morgan's request, Dwight identifies Grace's coordinates as being a repeater station like the one that she serviced for PADRE, confusing Morgan as to why Grace would want to go there. Mo thinks that it's just because Grace is sick and confused, but Morgan doesn't think so, as Grace had seemed pretty clear to him. However, Mo just got her parents back, and she's not going to lose them again. Mo tells Morgan that this is no different than him and Grace sending Mo back to PADRE when they first met because it was what was best for her. Morgan finally concedes and agrees to take Grace to the train car, ordering Sherry to raise June and do everything that she can to meet them there. Shrike isn't going to make this easy, but Mo tells her father that they're fighting for someone they love, and that's why they're going to win this. Having retrieved their weapons from the truck's cab, Mo returns Morgan's latest staff to him.
Grace awakens in a canoe as various status reports come in over the radio, including about Kingfisher and Magpie being found, as well as a trail. Mo and Morgan explain that Dwight and Sherry are acting as a decoy for them, and Grace manages to sit up and asks where they are. Morgan explains that he thought that they'd be hard to track in the swamp that they're passing through, even if PADRE did figure out what they're doing. Grace realizes that they're not heading for her coordinates, which are located inland, and she asks where they're taking her. Morgan points out that the coordinates were for one of PADRE's repeater stations, which Grace knows, and is distressed to learn that they're taking her to the train car instead. Morgan tells Grace that June is gonna try and meet them there, and he insists that they can stop this and give them more time. Grace points out that there's no way that PADRE will be leaving the train unguarded, but Morgan is still intent on trying. Grace is worried that they will both only get killed trying, and Morgan questions why Grace wants to go to the repeater station instead. However, Grace refuses to answer, stating that it no longer matters as the station is too far away now.
Hearing gunshots in the distance, Morgan realizes that Dwight and the others must be in trouble, and he has Mo raise Dwight for him. Dwight, Sherry, and Finch flee from PADRE guards that are shooting at them into an abandoned house. Dwight reports that they're pinned down while Sherry tells her husband that they can't stay here for long, as they're going to be flanked. Dwight warns Morgan that PADRE's forces know that they're following the wrong people, and Morgan's group may have company soon. Addressing Shrike if she's listening, Morgan tells her that it's him that she wants, and Morgan asks that Shrike let Dwight and Sherry take their kid and go. Dwight doesn't believe that Shrike will call off her people after what they've done, and he sees that Shrike has sent Prefects rather than adults after them, as Shrike knows that they won't kill them. Dwight decides to lay down suppressive fire, believing that if the Prefects do what he taught them to do, they'll fall back and regroup while Sherry takes Finch and runs. Dwight opens fire as Sherry reluctantly runs with Finch, Dwight's shots causing the Prefects to retreat as he had predicted.
In an underground area, Dwight joins his family and finds Finch out of breath. While Dwight at first thinks that it's because they've been running, Sherry tells her husband that Finch is running a fever. Sherry contacts June about Finch's condition, and when they check Finch's bite, they find it to be red and inflamed, with the skin around it being hot. A worried June admits that the bite infection could be back, but she'd have to see it in order to be sure. Dwight demands to know what June means, but June needs to see Finch in person before she can make any kind of assessment. Sherry points out that Grace's repeater station is close by, and Dwight agrees to send June the coordinates. Morgan orders June to go to Finch, who needs her, and June promises to get to the train car as soon as she can and to talk Morgan through the procedure over the radio if she has to.
Dwight and Sherry carry Finch to Grace's repeater station, confused as to why Grace wanted to go there, but deciding that it doesn't matter as June's on her way. Dwight promises Finch, who calls Dwight "Dad" for the first time, that he'll feel better soon as he lays Finch down on the bed. Looking around at the well-decorated room, Sherry realizes that Grace must've been preparing for a life after PADRE, and Dwight promises that both Grace and Finch are going to get it. Sherry tends to their son as June knocks at the door and enters with Daniel, telling the couple that Madison and some of Daniel's people are standing guard outside.
Mo helps Grace into the train car, laying her mother down on the operating table. Outside, the Prefects move Mo's car away, and Hawk shoots flares into the air to draw in walkers. Mo blocks the door, and Grace asks her daughter how she knew that the Prefects wouldn't hurt her, and Mo admits that while she didn't know, she had to take the chance. Mo contacts June for help, and she confirms that Finch's infection is back. June didn't give Finch a high enough dose of radiation to kill it, as she didn't want the radiation to kill him. However, June did come close to getting it, and if Grace already has cancer, they don't have to worry about how much radiation she gets. As a result, the cure might work on Grace and buy her the time that she wants. June promises that they're working on a solution for Finch, but Mo can't let PADRE destroy her equipment.
Under June's directions, Mo performs the radiation treatment on her mother while June observes Sherry tending to a very ill Finch. June tells Mo that it could take a while for the treatment to work, but they have to watch Grace's temperature. If it starts to fall, that's a good sign, but if it keeps going up, they'll deal with it. Dwight asks what that means for Finch, and June explains that Grace had the infection for longer than Finch did when June treated him. If this dose of radiation works on Grace, then it might work on Finch, too. Dwight is concerned by the might in June's statement, while June has Mo power down the equipment and the generator so that Mo isn't exposed to anything that she doesn't have to be. Mo notices a herd gathering outside and realizes that they won't be able to get out themselves, but Grace reassures her that Morgan is on his way. Grace asks about the Prefects, and Mo is sure that they're hanging around somewhere, Dwight having taught them not to leave themselves exposed unless they have to. Mo knows that the Prefects are likely going to try to stop Morgan from getting to them.
Grace proudly commends her daughter's bravery when the Prefects tried to stop her, and Mo admits that losing her mother had seemed scarier. Grace recalls that when she was Mo's age, she couldn't even pick up the courage to pick up the telephone when Grace's parents left her at home with her sister. Mo is confused by what a telephone is, getting a chuckle out of her mother, who forgets how different things are for her daughter. "That's what I was trying to do at the repeater station. Show you how things were. How they still could be." Grace grows increasingly weaker, and Mo discovers that her temperature is only going up. Mo discovers that Grace has a temperature of 106 degrees, which June sadly reports means that Grace didn't get the radiotherapy in time. Even though Mo got her mother to the train car as fast as she could, it's not her fault: even if Grace had gotten the treatment right after the bite, it might not have been enough, as it hasn't worked on anyone else. Mo desperately suggests giving Grace more, but both Grace and June tell her not to, knowing that Grace won't survive either way, and more radiation would just kill her outright. June admits that she can't help Mo anymore, and she instructs the young girl to enjoy the time that she has left, while Grace reassures Mo that it's alright and that she did everything that she could.
"All I See Is Red"
At the repeater station, Dwight loads a gun while Sherry tends to a worsening Finch. June reports that they're just trying to keep his temperature down, and she asks where Dwight is going, and he tells June that he wants to make sure that Shrike doesn't come back out of the swamp. June points out that killing Shrike won't save Finch, but he's determined to stop Shrike from doing to other kids what she's done to his son. June offers to do it instead, sadly admitting that there's not much that she can do for Finch now. "I wasn't there at the end for my daughter, I should've been. He needs you. So does Sherry." Crying, Dwight hands June the gun, and he goes to tend to his dying son with his wife.
June contacts Dwight and Sherry for what to do with Shrike and Finch, near death from his returned walker bite infection, tells his father, "don't make her feel this. No one should feel this." Complying with his dying son's wishes, Dwight instructs June to make it quick and painless.
With Finch having succumbed to his infection and died, Dwight and Sherry bury their son. Although Finch was the name given to him by PADRE, Sherry declares that Finch had made it his own, and no one can take that from him. Dwight tearfully decides that this has to be the end of their marriage, feeling that no matter where they go and what they do, it just stays the same. The two sadly acknowledge that it never stops, and it always just seems to get worse. Dwight guesses that, rather than being because of people like Negan or Shrike, they're just not meant to be together. Dwight thinks that he's going to go back home to start over, and while neither Dwight nor Sherry wants to hurt each other, it seems like all they do to each other when they're together. The two agree to put an end to their relationship and share one last embrace at their son's graveside.
"Sanctuary"
Finch will appear in this episode.
Death
- Killed By
- Sam Krennick (Caused)
- Adrian (Infected, Alive)
In order to compel June to find a cure for the walker bite infection, Shrike uses Adrian's zombified head to bite Finch on the left shoulder. After June's treatment, only has a temporary effect, Finch's bite infection returns and ultimately kills him.
After Finch's death, his parents prevent him from reanimating and bury him.
Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Finch has killed:
- Sam Krennick (Caused, Out of Mercy)
- 1 unnamed PADRE test subject (Zombified)
- Possibly a few zombies
Relationships
Allies
|
Enemies
|
Appearances
Fear the Walking Dead
Season 8
- "Blue Jay"
- "Odessa"
- "King County"
- "More Time Than You Know"
- "All I See Is Red"
- "Sanctuary" (Flashback)
| Episodes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Season 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Season 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Season 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Season 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| Season 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| Season 7 | ||||||||||||||||
| Season 8 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| ✔ | Appears | ✔ | Voice is heard |
| 👁 | Appears with no lines | ✔ | Appears in a flashback |
| ✔ | Appears as a walker | 🖼 | Appears in a photograph/video |
| ✔ | Appears as a corpse | ✔ | Appears in a hallucination/dream |
Trivia
- Finch's real name, if he has one, is unknown. However, his parents also refer to him as Finch, suggesting that even they have adopted that name for him.
- In "All I See Is Red", Sherry buries him under the name Finch, telling Dwight that while that was the name that PADRE gave him, Finch made it his own, and nothing can ever take that from him.
- Due to June's radiotherapy, Finch is the first character in the entire The Walking Dead franchise to survive a walker bite without amputation.
- However, as revealed in "More Time Than You Know", this cure only has a temporary effect on Finch due to June limiting the amount of radiation that she used in order to avoid killing him. As a result, Finch's bite infection eventually returns and kills him in "All I See Is Red".