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This article is about the Fear character. For other pages with the same name, see: Victor

I was ruthless. Even to Alicia. I betrayed her, Madison. And when the Tower fell, we all washed up on these shores and we got separated. Some were taken to PADRE. Others were -- were struggling to survive out here. I tried to help them, but they wouldn't let me. They couldn't forgive me. I tried to help them find food. To make amends. When I came back... they were dead, just like them. I hated being Victor Strand. So, I killed him. As far as I was concerned, he died with everyone else that day. (...) The last time I saw Alicia... she told me that she loved me. I didn't think anyone could. I met Frank and Klaus and they changed everything. I could be the person that Alicia thought I could be. But I could only do it as someone else. As Anton.
―Strand explains his change to Madison.[src]

Victor Strand, more commonly referred to as simply Strand and later going by the fake identity of Anton, is the current deuteragonist and a former antagonist, as well as a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's Fear the Walking Dead. Prior to the outbreak, he was a conman who met and fell in love with Thomas Abigail. Following the fall of society, Strand is imprisoned by the National Guard and makes an unlikely friend in Nicholas Clark. Upon the two escaping the compound, Strand offers his family and friends a chance to survive aboard his personal yacht, the Abigail.

During his time with Madison's group, Strand acts selfish and secretive, ultimately with the plan of getting to Mexico to reunite with Thomas. After Thomas succumbs to the infection, a depressed Strand continues with the group until coming across the Rosarito Beach Hotel, where he ultimately abandons Madison and the others to become a medic.

Later on, after being told to leave the hotel, Strand reunites with Daniel Salazar, but his selfish ways remain unchanged as he plays a large part in the destruction of the Gonzalez Dam. Sometime after, Strand decides to change his selfish ways and becomes a resident of the Dell Diamond Baseball Stadium community until its fall. He was a member of Morgan's group until the caravan was forcibly split up and resettled into Virginia's various settlements where he became the leader of the Pioneers after Virginia was exposed. Following Teddy's launching of the nuclear warheads, Strand encounters Howard in a tower on the outskirts of the blast and starts a thriving new community, but he becomes a tyrannical dictator in the process, putting Strand at odds with many of his old friends.

Following his reunion with Alicia and Wes' betrayal, the tower is destroyed, and the survivors are forced to evacuate Texas for good. However, Strand vanishes before the group is found by PADRE and he isn't seen again over the next seven years. Under the name Anton, Strand forms a new community with a group of German tourists who were stranded in the United States and adopts Klaus as his son and marries Frank. Remorseful for his past, Strand becomes a benevolent and beloved leader before the return of Madison and Troy Otto upends his new life. Following the Fall of PADRE, Strand seeks to uphold Madison and Alicia's legacy while enjoying his life with his new family. Although everyone is left believing that Madison and Alicia are dead, Strand's old friends briefly show themselves to him, allowing Strand to move forward with peace of mind. He served as the primary antagonist of Season 7.

Overview[]

Victor is a mysterious character who has acquired great personal wealth as immediately indicated by his suit and jewelry, then later by his gated coast-side estate, Aston Martin and luxury yacht. He appears to already have some knowledge of the outbreak and how it manifests itself in humans. It is unknown how long he was imprisoned at the temporary hospital set up in Raynard Community College before Nick arrived. He is calm and does not panic when confronting the walkers, even when he was trapped at the end of a locked corridor as a herd approached. He appears to have adapted quickly to the new world, telling Nicholas Clark that the only way to survive a mad world is to embrace the madness.

Victor has a good sense of judgement, dismissing Douglas Thompson quickly as weak, yet believing that Nick has the skills to survive, identifying his heroin addiction as a precursor to the behavior necessary for survival.

He appears to have some elements of a sociopath, such as lack of empathy when he refused to release the other hospital prisoners, when he mockingly upset Douglas further by making taunts regarding his wife with another man, and leaving Melvin Allen, who was being devoured, to die, telling him to keep the watch he used as a bribe. This is elaborated on as he seems very controlling on board of the ship, refusing to take in survivors he encounters at sea, claiming that his mercy quota has been filled and that it is his ship. Despite this and refusing to help with Travis' plight, Victor intervenes to save Madison, Alicia and Travis' lives when he didn't have to and helps them escape.

Following the events at Gonzalez Dam, Victor shows a change in personality for the better. He openly admits to wanting to change from who he once was and though tempted to revert to his old ways when things get bad, Victor chooses to do the right thing, and goes along with Morgan Jones' philosophy of redemption for the past. He joins Morgan's group and embarks on their mission to help survivors out in the world.

After the group is separated and forced to integrate with Virginia and the The Pioneers amongst their various settlements, Victor reverts back to his old ways by sacrificing Sanjay to walkers and later becoming one of Virginia's rangers. This proves that no matter what changes he makes to better himself, Victor will always choose self preservation. His weak spot is Alicia Clark, as she reminds him of the man he used to be. After Virginia's defeat and death, Victor becomes the leader of the Pioneers and becomes co-leader of the North Texas Alliance, alongside Morgan and Sherry.

The alliance embarks on a mission together to step the psychotic cult leader Teddy Maddox and his plan to destroy half of Texas with a nuclear missile. They also try to rescue Alicia, who was kidnapped by Teddy, and causes Victor's jealousy towards Morgan to emerge, bitter for being the father figure to Alicia that he strived so hard to be. This results in Victor trying to kill Morgan to prove to Alicia that he is the hero and not Morgan. However, when Teddy's plot to launch the missiles succeeds, Victor takes cover in an office building and meets Howard. Believing he has very little time left due to the missile launch, Victor introduces himself as Morgan Jones, wanting to die looking like the hero. When the missile miraculously misses the building, Victor fully decides to embrace the man he is instead of consistently apologizing for his actions and expresses to Howard his desire for a brand new beginning in their new building.

Some time later, Victor becomes a dictatorial leader of the building, which is now a thriving new community called The Tower. Victor has completely spiraled down a path of tyranny and ruthlessness, punishing or killing anyone who either crosses him or reminds him of the man he used to be. He openly invites everyone in Morgan's group to join him, except for Morgan himself. His bitterness towards Morgan even causes him to go as far as adopt Morgan's surrogate daughter, Mo, simply to hold leverage over him. Victor's evil and ruthless ways of leadership remind Sherry and Dwight of Negan, a tyrannical dictator whom they and Morgan were at war with back in Virginia.

Alicia remains Victor's one true weakness and his descent to madness has put them at odds with one another. After discovering that Victor murdered her friend, Will in cold blood, Alicia declares war on The Tower. When the war finally comes to a head, Victor has a change of heart upon discovering that Alicia is dying due to an infection and wants to save the closest thing he has to a daughter. This causes Wes to launch a mutiny within The Tower and an all out war breaks out, ending with Victor killing Wes to save his and Alicia's life, although it causes further friction and Victor to turn on Alicia again as she saw Wes' death as unnecessary and Victor realized that she was likely never going to forgive him for what he'd done. When the Tower is destroyed, Victor becomes depressed to the point of refusing to leave until Alicia comes back for him and convinces Victor to go with her. When Alicia is about to die from her infection, she persuades Morgan's group to take Victor back as her final wish and the two bid one another farewell before Victor leaves with Morgan's group, determined to make a fresh start.

Following his departure from Texas, Strand is overcome with remorse for his tyrannical actions and tries to help the members of Morgan's group that he gets washed up with, only to have them reject his help and ultimately die. Seeking to honor Alicia's legacy and become the man that she believed him to be, Strand reinvents himself as Anton, finding love in Frank and a son in Klaus. With his new family, Strand becomes the leader of a new community, but one that is welcoming to all outsiders, truly becoming the man that Alicia had believed Strand could be. While the return of Madison causes Strand to revert back into his old ways out of fear, he helps his old friend at Klaus' request and explains himself to her, later admitting the truth about his identity to Frank who had promised to forgive Strand if he really was Victor Strand rather than Anton like everyone was claiming.

Strand later tells Madison that he had kept convincing himself that Strand just had to do one more bad thing to protect his Tower until Strand became the thing that needed to be stopped, something that he is deeply remorseful for. Although Strand is accepted back into the fold, his friends remain wary of trusting him again, afraid that Strand will revert back to his old ways. However, Strand genuinely tries to make up for his past, despite his somewhat questionable methods of kidnapping Tracy Otto and then showing her where PADRE is in an effort to keep Tracy from being returned to her father as Strand seeks to keep Tracy from being forced back into that life. Strand tries to live up to Alicia's legacy and what she asked of him while working to keep Madison from straying too far in the conflict with Troy.

After the Fall of PADRE, Strand is devastated by Madison's apparent death, but he remains determined to uphold the legacy of both Madison and Alicia. Strand appears to have finally earned redemption and forgiveness in his friends' eyes, sharing warm goodbyes with them. Strand also finally makes peace with Daniel who admits that his constant distrust of Strand comes from the fact that Strand reminds Daniel too much of the worst parts of himself. When Daniel thanks Strand for saving Daniel and his family with The Abigail when the world fell apart, Strand tells Daniel that he doesn't have to thank him for something that people should do for one another, joking that Daniel just caught him on a good day. The two men acknowledge that they need to try to change for the better, although Strand thinks that he already has. Before departing, Strand is given some peace of mind when he finds the gift of a blue bonnet - a favorite flower of Nick's - and he sees Madison and Alicia in the mirror, leaving Strand with the knowledge that both of his friends are still alive and have reunited with each other at last even if Strand will never see them again.

Pre-Apocalypse[]

New Orleans, Louisiana[]

Early on in his childhood, Strand's mother had abandoned him and his father. His father was barely able to hold a roof over their heads due to making a living out of preaching at local strip-malls. Strand eventually worked his way through college to become a businessman where he was able to build his fortune through real estate investment and debt buying.

He ended up suffering a massive financial blow after a large portion of his local investments in New Orleans were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. This led him to resort to money-theft schemes on random strangers. One of the victims of his money-theft was a powerful businessman like himself named Thomas Abigail. Thomas was impressed by Strand's scheme and, rather than turning him in, began a partnership and eventual romance with him.

Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California[]

Victor Strand became Tom's life partner and the two lived together in Valle de Guadalupe of Baja California, overseeing various housing projects. Luis Flores was sent to Los Angeles, California to close a deal, but Victor Strand decided to attend there as well to fasten the deal. However, riots were breaking out in Los Angeles and various other cities in the United States due to police brutality and a strange new virus that caused violence and instead opted to go into hiding. Victor assured him it would be quick and departed.

Post-Apocalypse[]

Los Angeles, California[]

Whether or not Strand was able to close the deal, Tom was right and the epidemic grew worse. The strange new virus began resurrecting the dead and causing them to attack and kill the living. Riots caused Los Angeles to fall into chaos as the electrical grid failed. Martial law was enacted and the border to Mexico closed, cutting Strand off from Tom.

The National Guard then arrived to quell the riots and secure safe-zones in the greater Los Angeles area. The National Guard held their fort at a local community college. Strand then managed to bribe certain military personnel of his belongings in exchange for entry and other particular services of protection. Joining him were other survivors found that were being quarantined and tested for the virus. Brought into his cage, from the El Sereno safe-zone were Douglas Thompson, who was having a nervous breakdown, and Nick Clark, a heroin addict.

Season 1[]

"Cobalt"[]

Victor Strand is seen talking to Douglas Thompson, feeding into his paranoia in order to get taken out of the cage, and suggested that his wife is beautiful enough to be taken care of and protected by another stronger man. Agitated, Doug wrestles with the fence, forcing the soldiers to take him out. Strand later turns to Nick Clark and asks about who he is.

Later on, the soldiers check the temperatures of the people in the cages. Strand's temperature is at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit while Nick is at 101.6. The soldiers try to remove Nick from the cage fearing that he might be turning. While Nick struggles, Strand talks to the commanding officer and asks him about the watch he gave him, which the officer likes. Strand then offers him a diamond cuff-link so that they'll leave Nick in the cage, the officer agrees but only if he gives him the second matching cuff-link. It is revealed by Strand at the end of the episode that he saved Nick because he needs his skills to help him escape. He shows Nick a key that he has acquired that will help them get out.

"The Good Man"[]

Victor and Nick make their escape with the soldiers are distracted taking down the captive walkers that Daniel Salazar has released and led to the entrance as a diversion. Running down the hallway, they are unable to escape the corridor due to the doors being electrically locked, but are found by Madison Clark, Travis Manawa, Daniel, and Ofelia Salazar. They are saved by Liza Ortiz, who finds them and uses her card to open the door. Successfully escaping the facility, Victor has plans to find "Abigail" and leads the group back to his ocean front home where they can tend to the injured Ofelia. Nick talks to Victor, who is packing up a briefcase and preparing to leave, saying the group cannot stay there when he leaves. Victor gazes through binoculars at the ocean and motions Nick to look also. As Nick sees a yacht in the ocean, Victor indicates that Abigail is his boat.

Season 2[]

"Monster"[]

Victor takes command of the ship Abigail and offers it as temporary residence for the survivors as they hurriedly leave the coast, carrying Liza's body with them. He offers to take the group to San Diego and insists that the ship is his to do as he wants. He becomes agitated when he learns that Alicia has been keeping radio contact with strangers. His stance is that people can't be trusted in the current situation.

At the end of the episode he notices another ship approaching (presumably the one Alicia had contacted previously) and feels certain that they can not outrun it.

His communication with the other survivors is generally tense, to the point that he seems to avoid sleeping entirely. The only exception seems to be Nick, who he pays some attention to.

"We All Fall Down"[]

Strand monitors the unknown ship on the Abigail's radar. He speeds up the boat and they lose it.

Travis informs Strand that, according to the log, the military has already burned San Diego to the ground. Strand proposes they hide from the fast-approaching ship by retreating to the coastline. Travis suggests Catrina Island, which has a ranger station that may offer supplies and a short-wave radio.

In the wheelhouse, Daniel accuses Strand of wanting to offload members of the group to conserve his resources. Strand deflects Daniel's accusations.

While on the boat, Strand makes a phone call to someone promising to "be there" soon.

When Madison and Travis bring Harry Geary onto the boat, he is against it and wants him off the boat as he states children are the definition of dead weight. However, the boy's brother comes back to retrieve him.

"Ouroboros"[]

On the Abigail, Strand tries to call his contact via satellite phone to confirm that he is coming. The phone cuts out. The boat creaks to a stop. Travis determines that the engine malfunctioned due to a blocked water intake. He says the problem will require him to look under the boat. Madison urges him to wait until sunrise, but Strand and Travis agree that they cannot waste time.

Later in the engine room, Travis begins removing backed-up sludge from the filtration system and informs Strand that the repairs may take all day. Strand snaps that they cannot wait this long.

Madison confronts Strand about his secret plans and demands to know what is in Baja. Strand reveals that he has a safehouse with food, water, and concrete walls in Rosarito, Baja California, but explains that he has precious little time to get there. She demands that he take the entire group with him. They cautiously make a pact to trust each other. With this new information, the couple realize they have no choice but to trust Strand.

Back at The Abigail, Madison informs the group that Strand has invited them to join him at a compound in Baja with food, power, and water. Strand refuses to let Alex and Jake board the ship. Travis insists that they at least tow Alex's raft to San Diego and the group gives them provisions.

Inside the boat, Strand paces up and down. Eventually, he dashes outside and cuts the raft loose despite Madison's objections. Strand returns to the wheelhouse in silence.

"Blood in the Streets"[]

Strand instructs Nick to swim ashore to meet a colleague that will help give everyone passage into Mexico.

Travis condemns Strand for cutting Alex's raft loose, but claims he was in the right.

When Reed and his group invade the boat, he rushes to the wheelhouse to get his MP5, only finding the magazine removed by Daniel. Out of ideas, Strand jumps ship on a raft and attempts to row away from the yacht. However, Reed sees him escape and shoots. He misses Strands but manages to shoot holes in the raft which will make it sink and Strand risks drowning for hypothermia.

While on the ocean hypothermia and fatigue take their toll on Strand as the raft slowly deflates. He tries to dry his satellite phone by blowing on it but later, Strand accidentally drops the phone.

As he drifts on the ocean remembers his encounters with Thomas Abigail. The first time they met was at a bar in Baton Rouge soon after Hurricane Katrina. Thomas tells Strand that he's in town to buy property. Strand explains that everything he owns is underwater. Strand assists Thomas to his hotel room, where Thomas passes out. Strand borrows Thomas' credit cards.

The next day, Thomas and a companion, Luis Flores, confront Strand about the credit cards. Instead of calling the cops, Thomas tells Strand to meet him at the bar to discuss how Strand can rectify the situation. Strand says he always intended to pay him back — with interest.

Strand and Tom sunbathe at the Baja house. Tom urges Strand to put off his work trip to L.A. but Strand says it's too important to their business. They hold hands.

As the outbreak begins to occur, Thomas tries to dissuade Strand from going to L.A., given reports of its severity. Strand promises to return in two days. They kiss.

Strand cannot stay afloat any longer and begins to sink. Madison grabs him just in time and hoists him aboard the Zodiac.

"Captive"[]

Strand recovers in the wheelhouse. Daniel tells Madison that they can use Reed's relationship to Connor as leverage over Connor. They locate Connor's base by scanning the radar for a cluster of five boats. Strand allows the group to recover Travis and Alicia with their word that they go straight to Mexico and Madison steers the Abigail north.

In Spanish, Luis tells Strand someone is waiting for them and they need to go, but Strand says "he" would understand. Luis counters that he only has enough money for two people to cross the border. "Everything is a negotiation," replies Strand, as Daniel listens in.

Strand begins to move about. Madison forbids Strand from sending Nick on any more errands. Strand argues that Nick knows how to survive and that he saw Nick's potential within minutes of meeting him. Madison says Strand has never seen Nick in the throes of addiction and worries that Nick is using again.

Strand spots a cluster of five boats docked along the shore and tells Daniel that they've arrived at Connor's base. He and Nick monitor the pier through binoculars during the exchange.

"Sicut Cervus"[]

In the wheelhouse, Luis prepares to meet with his military contact on the flotilla and pay for their passage. Strand sees military officers approaching in a boat. Concerned that a second officer is coming along with Luis' contact, he orders Madison to hide everyone below deck.

From the engine room, Madison's group listens to the conversation between Strand, Luis and two military officers. Gunfire erupts after the officers insist on searching the boat to make sure no Infected are aboard. Luis is killed during the shootout. The military don't bother with them and Strand steers the Abigail toward the Mexico coastline. When asked by Madison on what went wrong, he says, "Someone said asshole in Spanish."

Once on shore, they make their way to a church. Strand begins to panic and calls out for Thomas before going into the church. Zombies begin to appear and he assists in fighting them.

Strand drives the group to Thomas' gated estate where Celia, Luis' mother, greets them. Strand informs her that Luis is dead. "He's one of them now," Strand says. "Then he'll find his way back," she replies. Strand rushes to Thomas' bedroom, a blood-soaked bandage on his bitten arm. Strand helps him into bed.

Madison brings food to Thomas and Strand in their room. Thomas asks Madison to look after Strand when he dies.

Alone together, Strand urges Thomas to end the suffering and let go of life. "I could go with you," Strand says, offering to kill himself so that they can remain together after death. Thomas, however, gives the impression that he doesn't want to live like an Infected.

Celia brings the wafers to Strand and Thomas and commends Strand for deciding to die with Thomas. She leaves the room and locks it. Thomas stops breathing and Strand kisses him. Strand searches Thomas' bedroom drawers. Strand picks up the gun and shoots his lover with a pillow covering Thomas' face. Strand sits next to Thomas with a gun.

"Shiva"[]

Everyone runs to Thomas' room, where Strand has just shot Thomas in the head. Celia screams at Strand for shooting Thomas instead of allowing him to turn. Celia forbids Strand from burying Thomas and attacks Strand when he declares that Thomas wasn’t her son. Celia orders Strand and those he brought along with him to leave by the next day.

Strand digs a grave for Thomas. Daniel urges him not to bury Thomas in such an unholy place. Strand notices Daniel's unusual behavior and asks what's wrong with him but the old man does not answer.

Madison tells Strand that she's worried about Nick. Strand is unsurprised that Celia was able to indoctrinate a young and vulnerable addict. He invites Madison to join him on the Abigail but she refuses to leave without Travis.

When night falls, Strand with the estate as promised despite Madison's pleas to Celia to allow him to stay. However when a fire suddenly consumes the estate, Strand sneaks back in and steals a pick-up truck. He picks up Madison, Alicia, and Ofelia. Strand forces Madison into the truck as Nick refuses go with them. They watch a blood-slathered Nick walk away untouched among the Infected as they flee.

"Los Muertos"[]

After driving around north and south of the compound for days with Madison, Alicia, and Ofelia, searching for the others especially Nick. Victor suggest that the ground needs to go back to the Abigail for shelter and resources like water, telling Madison they can't just keep scavenging. Once Madison agrees and the group heads back to the boat, Victor is distraught that the Abigail is no longer docked where they left it believing the Mexican military took the boat after they docked.

Following Alicia's suggestion the group goes to a abandoned hotel and Alicia and Ofelia go off to scavenge supplies. Victor offers to make an upset Madison a vodka martini at the hotel bar. Over martinis they talk about Madison's past and she reveals she used to bartender to put herself through college. She calls out Strand's martinis as "bullshit" and starts to pour tequila shots for both Victor and herself.

Once intoxicated Victor talks with Madison about their past lovers, and also scenarios where Madison and him could have met in the real world before the apocalypse. He freely admits he would have hit on Madison if he saw her sitting at the bar and told her nothing of his partner - much to Madison's shock. Victor admits to Madison he is simply "a seducer of people" and he would have with her if the world was still the world before everything happened.

After Madison smashes glasses against the wall, Strand begins playing on the piano and ultimately the noise begins to attract the undead to them. Victor stands on the bar kicking many of the undead in the face while fighting them off with Madison. He ends up trapped behind the bar with Madison with the infected swarming him.

"Do Not Disturb"[]

After being feared dead in the overrun ballroom, Strand and Madison suddenly appear to save Alicia, Elena and Hector from an underground tunnel they are trapped in. As Alicia and Madison embrace, Strand joins Elena and Hector in blocking the door.

"Pablo & Jessica"[]

In the bar of the Rosarito Beach Hotel, Strand and Madison fight off an Infected herd. Madison hears Alicia calling for her. She kills an Infected and opens its belly. She and Strand cover themselves in the Infected's blood.

Strand and Madison walk unnoticed among the Infected. They exit the bar and barricade the door behind them. Outside, they find the truck missing. Strand presumes Alicia and Ofelia fled together. they both take refuge inside the hotel's spa building. Madison tells Strand that Alicia would never abandon them. Madison and Strand hear a loud knocking sound. They follow the sound to a locked door and hear Alicia screaming for help on the other side. Madison breaks the lock with a fire extinguisher. Alicia, Elena and Hector pile out.

Strand stands in front of the hotel with Madison and call for Oscar, the groom. Oscar appears on a balcony and allows them inside after they drop their weapons. Madison and Strand meet with Oscar and Ilene, the mother of the bride. Madison proposes they join forces to make the hotel their home and secure it against Infected and enemies.

After the meeting, Madison and Strand predict that they will have trouble convincing Ilene. Hector, Alicia and Strand begin their sweep of the hotel. Hector opens the door to a hotel room, releasing an Infected. Alicia stabs it in the head. Meanwhile, Strand and Elena open all the doors to the hotel rooms, releasing the trapped Infected.

As the Infected are let out, Madison bangs on a metal bowl, using the sound to lead them to the connecting foyer. She's joined by Strand, Elena, Alicia and Hector, all leading herds from different sections of the hotel. When the herds meet, Madison leads the unified pack of Infected out onto the pier.

Strand finds Oscar guarding the honeymoon suite. Oscar admits that his undead bride, Jessica, is inside. Strand tells Oscar that the infected Jessica is not his wife anymore. "Death parted you," he says. "Let me help you."

"Pillar of Salt"[]

In Elena's room, Strand, Madison, Alicia, and Elena decide to run the generator for just a few hours a week, enough to make ice and boil water. Strand answers a knock at the door. Ilene stabs him. "You took my daughter from me," she says and runs. Madison tends to Strand's wound in bed. Oscar brings over Andrés, a medical school student. Andrés examines Strand's wound and says he needs a suture kit, antibiotics, and erythropoietin. Elena suggests a place that might have such medicine.

At the hotel, Alicia lays a blanket over Strand and compresses his wound. She explains that she helped Nick through his detox withdrawals and says that Madison still doesn't fully see her. "Then make her," Strand suggests.

"Wrath"[]

After recovering from his wounds, Strand is inform by Madison that Brandon and Derek are in the parking garage and that she suspects Chris is dead. Strand discourages her from telling Travis, as it would destroy the only thing that keeps him going. It's the same hope Strand lost when Thomas died. Madison agrees that the news about Chris would break Travis.

"North"[]

After Travis beats Brandon and Derek to death, Madison insists they need to leave the hotel with him but Strand refuses to have anything to do with the plan. Later, after the residents try to kill Travis when Oscar Diaz dies of his injuries, Alicia kills Andrés and Strand appears to help them and forces Hector and the residents to leave Madison, Alicia and Travis alone at gunpoint. Strand helps the three escape, but insisted staying at the hotel.

Season 3[]

"The New Frontier"[]

Strand is with Elena and Hector outside the refugees clamor at the gate of the Rosarito Beach Hotel, demanding to see the doctor. Elena denies them entry, insisting that she can't help them. Strand sees this all unfortunately. He delegates a plan in Spanish, telling everyone he is a doctor. The group calms and listen to him. He shows them he is injured, as well, and gains their trust. He insists they let people in and accommodate them, as well as an upgrade to his own room. Elena and Hector are angry at Strand, but he tells them that he just saved them, the refugees would have killed them all if he didn't let them in.

At the hotel, Strand treats a child with minor wounds, as he removes a bullet from a young man's leg. Later, he sits on his own, looking out the window. As he rests, Elena urgently summons him to treat someone in dire need of a doctor. She brings Strand to the medical tent, where a woman is about to give birth. Strand insists he is not that kind of doctor, but he agrees to assist when the patient's husband threatens him with a knife.

Having delivered the baby, Strand is handed a bottle of liquor and he's covered in blood. The people with him are ready to help him continue the lie about being a doctor in an effort to protect themselves, but because of this, Strand is told by Elena that he must leave immediately, sending him out on foot, but Hector tells Strand there is another patient in need of his services before he goes. He brings Strand to Ilene's room and asks him to convince her to eat. She has been holed up there since she stabbed Strand.

Strand enters a room with a sandwich. It smells horrible. He calls out for her but hears no response. Walking further into the room, he finds a mannequin but is caught from behind by Ilene. She apologizes for stabbing him. He opens the door to let some air into the room. He preaches stories of hope to her and she comes around to it. He is going to leave this place and has somewhere in mind. She offers him a box which was supposed to be a wedding gift. He thanks her before, she does the same for him, and walks off the balcony to her death. Strand is surprised.

Strand finds that the key Ilene gave him operates a car in the hotel's parking garage, and he swiftly sneaks out in a Maserati. "My style and my color," he says before driving away in it.

"TEOTWAWKI"[]

Strand drives to a water depot at Gonzalez Dam, where he finds a long line of thirsty Tijuanans trading for water. He cuts to the front of the line and asks to speak with Dante. A guard orders him to wait in line and shoves him to the ground. Dante Esquivel, Strand's former business associate, emerges and greets Strand, indirectly saving him from being executed by his own men. A while later, Dante sits down and invites Strand to chat about the old days, back when they were both fierce businessmen that controlled the market with a fierce hand. As the discussion progresses Dante eventually brings up Victor's business associate and lover, Thomas, asking Strand if he knows his status in this new world to which Victor simply stands in silence, Dante understanding that means he probably didn't make it.

Dante leads Strand to a walkway on the dam and surprises him by double-crossing him. Strand watches as Dante's men push a prisoner over the edge into a pit of Infected. Dante makes it clear that he didn't consider him a friend and that the whole drink they they shared earlier was just a ruse so that Dante could get Strand's guard down. He expresses his wish to feed Strand to the walkers down below, because he considers Strand a thief that can't be trusted, he almost gives the order for him to be dropped before Victor states that if he doesn't spare him, he will regret it.

In an attempt to make himself indispensable, Strand tells Dante that people will turn against him if he keeps serving water too close to his source. He offers to help organize an off-site water depot. Dante agrees to spare his life, and in exchange, Victor will become a worker for him: "You will feel just like the people you have taken from. You will feel powerless," he tells Strand.

Strand sits in a cell. Someone hands him water through a window. He chugs it, then looks through the window to see that the offering was given to him by Daniel Salazar, who survived the fire estate.

"100"[]

Strand is brought water by Daniel and asks if Ofelia is alive. Strand tells him Ofelia is waiting for him at a hotel down the coast. He begs Daniel to help him escape so that they can go to Ofelia. "She's waiting for you," says Strand. Daniel calls Strand's bluff: Ofelia wouldn’t be waiting for him if she believed he was dead. Daniel leaves Strand to rot in the cell. Strand angrily calls him out, saying he owes him for saving his life.

Dante and J.C. take Efraín, Lola, Strand and Pablito to the dam catwalk for execution. Dante pushes Pablito over the edge despite his pleas of innocence. Lola is next up to be executed, but Daniel has a different plan. He head-butts J.C., shoots him, then kills Dante, saving Strand's life.

"Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame"[]

Strand and Daniel sit in Strand's car as a herd crosses the road ahead. Strand warns Daniel to prepare himself in case Ofelia is no longer at the hotel when they arrive. Daniel's suspicion of Strand grows, as he orders him to drive through the herd.

At a pit stop on the way to the Rosarito Beach Hotel, Daniel asks Strand why he left the hotel. Strand explains that he wanted to broker a deal with Dante for water. Daniel doubts Strand's story, causing Strand to lash out.

Daniel and Strand arrive at the hotel only to find the entrance abandoned. Strand assumes that the hotel must have been taken by the Dead. He warns Daniel not to go inside, but he insists they look for Ofelia.

Daniel and Strand enter the hotel and find blood all over the ground. Daniel points his gun at Strand and rings a bell, bringing the Dead upon them. With the dead closing in, Daniel pressures Strand to tell the truth about where Ofelia is. Strand finally admits that she left the hotel while he was still there. He leaves Victor behind and his words echo as Victor watches him speed away: "Let's see how you get out of this one."

The Infected attack Strand. Daniel drives off in the car, abandoning Strand. Strand then runs away from the dead.

"Children of Wrath"[]

Strand is first shown scavenging for food and is dodging walker threats. In the distance, he sees the Abigail yacht, still afloat. He is ecstatic to see it, quickly going out to it across the water. Once aboard, he finds multiple dead officers, so he backs away slowly to look for a weapon. The best he has is a harpoon gun and knife. He kills one walker then an officer and uses his gun to take out the rest. Strand searches the yacht for supplies. He comes across empty bottles before heading to the top of the ship. The yacht is out of order and not going to work. He searches every crack but finds nothing. Atop the ship, he puts on a white suit jacket, pops champagne, and calls out, "It's good to be home!"

Stand is drunk, messing with his radio. He makes contact with a Russian cosmonaut who’s stuck in space. The Russian mocks Strand's curiosity about if this virus has effected the rest of the world. The man says he is speaking to Strand from space. They begin quoting literature in their conversation, agreeing that champagne and vodka are what they need. "Last words are for fools, they are not said enough," Mr. Vaschanko said. The signal begins to cut out. "The world is dead," Strand tells him. "The world will not die until you die," the astronaut tells him. "Do not wait until your death bed to enjoy your champagne." The signal is lost and Strand breaks down. He talks to the sky.

Strand prepares himself on the boat. He pours alcohol all over it on the way out and grabs his sunglasses before lighting it on fire. He walks along the beach with a smile as it burns. He starts to make his way north.

"The Diviner"[]

After making it to El Bazar, Strand is shown getting roughed up by a gang of men who work for Proctor, the man who runs the trading post. Madison witness this and rushes to his aid. Maria Lu calls off the deal once she realizes that Madison is friends with Strand, who owes a debt to Proctor. Madison uses a shovel to start a fight and free Strand. The men end up getting the upper hand but Walker comes to their rescue. Strand gets them to a safe place. Strand leads Madison and Walker to a hideout. Strand tells Madison that he is trapped here until his debts are paid. He starts trying to smooth things over with flattering words to Walker. He reveals that he plans to reconnect with a friend who controls a dam near Tijuana and reveals the dam's existence and tells Walker there is a good reason he has survived this far.

Madison wakes up in Strand's place. He gives her water and sits beside her. They catch up with each other. He asks about her, then about Nick. Madison reveals she found him before telling him Alicia is north. "My children are alive," Madison said. Strand is relieved and learning of Travis' death, He embraces Madison. Guards barge in with Walker as their captive. Walker says the guards had threatened to kill them. A guard tells Madison that Strand must pay off his debt to Proctor by defending the front gate from Infected while chained up. Strand urges Madison to leave him and return to Nick and Alicia. "The whole world is lost," Strand tells her. "My mother named me Victor because she knew I'd always win. I'll be fine." Strand is escorted out with the rest of the prisoners. "Don't worry your pretty blonde head," he tells her.

Outside the stadium, Strand is escorted to the gate. A man shoots down an infected and uses its chain to keep Victor on the post. He removes Victor's handcuffs and leaves him there with a pipe for a weapon. Strand will have to spend the night here defending the location. Strand grabs a hammer as a group of Infected approaches. Meanwhile, Strand has become surrounded, He uses a hammer to take them down. He is surrounded just as Madison and the men who put him out there gun down the undead and help him up. "Your debt is paid," Madison tells him. Walker confronts Madison about using his gold to pay off Strand’s debt. She reasons that the water tanker was just a short-term solution and that Strand can lead them to a longer-term solution: a dam.

"La Serpiente"[]

Strand, Madison and Walker cruise down a highway in their truck. They are 30 kilometers from Tijuana. Walker insists they won't go there and Strand promises they are not. After a while, they come upon a herd of walkers blocking the road near abandoned cars. Strand, however, has a plan. He tosses a beeping key on the side of the road and the noise attracts the infected. Slowly, Walker pushes the truck forward and literally through the cars.

Strand leads Madison and Walker through sewage tunnels but appears to lose his way. Strand tells Madison and Walker that he's looking for a symbol that Proctor's scouts used to mark the tunnel that leads to the dam. Walker decides to head back to the surface and leaves them. Strand tells Madison that Daniel is at the dam but that Daniel is angry with him for misleading him on Ofelia's whereabouts. Strand breathes a sigh of relief when Madison informs him that Ofelia is alive and safe at the ranch. As they head down the tunnel they run into Walker who is fleeing from a group of Infected.

Strand finds the symbol and points out the pipe that leads to the dam. As they crawl to their destination, they run into an Infected blocking the way. Madison kills the Infected with a hatchet then hacks its body into pieces to unplug the pipe, but as she does so the blocked up sewage is released and gushes over them.

Strand emerges from the sewers, to see Daniel and his group. He is not happy to see him but Madison emerges and asks Daniel to lower the gun. Walker lowers his first. Madison is surprised to see Daniel is alive. He tells her he is better now before asking about Ofelia. "She's alive, Daniel," Madison tells him. He is reluctant to trust her because of Strand, but Madison reveals Walker helped her and now they need Daniel's help. They need water. Daniel takes Madison's group to see Lola, who is the leader of Gonzalez Dam. They wait outside as Daniel speaks to Lola. Madison assures Walker, Daniel will help them. Madison asks Lola for water in exchange for resources such as cattle or guns. Lola refuses to make a deal and orders Madison to leave the next morning.

Elsewhere, Walker tells Strand that he intends to kick Madison, Alicia, Nick and the ranchers off the ranch since Madison has ruined their chance to replenish the water supply. Strand offers to help Efraín treat Everardo's wound. He doesn't want to trust Strand, though, because Daniel calls him "the snake." Strand starts getting to know them, though. They debate different outlooks of the world. Strand rules, "Uneasy lays the head that wears the crown."

In their rooms, Madison and Strand have a moment together. Strand suggests she leaves the Ranch. Madison, however, insists the dam is not safe because Lola refuses to defend it. They open up more deeply. Madison reveals how much she has done for the kids and how much they have seen. Strand wants her to remove the kids from the picture for a moment and think about what she wants. Madison says that she wants to keep living at the ranch, saying it has problems, but it's the closest thing to what she know. It's where she wants to be. She asks Strand what future he sees. "One where I don't fail my friends," Strand said.

Strand carefully watches Lola's crew prepare a tanker for the water run. Daniel senses that Strand is plotting something and offers to look the other way if his scheme benefits them both. Madison joins Strand at the gate to head back to the ranch. Strand tells Madison to stay away from the water tanker. Moments later it explodes, blowing open the gate. Infected, burning in flames, stumble towards the dam. Strand and Madison look on. Lola’s men kill the Infected with help from Madison and Strand. They walk past the wreckage of the truck putting down infected. Daniel aids their efforts. Lola is down there, now. Daniel says all but, "I told you so." People are heard chanting at the dam as they approach. Daniel calls Strand and Madison over so the crew can fix the fence.

Inside, Lola is finally will to bargain. She is going to trade water for guns and ammo. Daniel writes down exactly what they need. Madison can deliver the demands and asks for 10,000 gallons of water per week and a truck full now. Madison rules the trading post Bazar will be the meeting point. Lola says Ofelia must attend the meeting.

Daniel sends off Madison and Strand in a water tanker provided by Lola. As they drive back to the ranch, Strand admits he rigged the explosion. Madison asks how Strand pulled off making the truck explode. "Trick I saw in an old movie," he said. "I had my doubts!" She thanks him. "You would've done the same for me," he insists. Madison and Strand spot Walker on the road. Walker smiles and gets inside the cab.

"This Land Is Your Land"[]

Strand arrives back at the ranch with Madison and Walker to find it overrun by walkers. After Ofelia and Crazy Dog blow up the ranch's fuel reserve to destroy the horde, Strand joins Madison, Walker, Nick and Troy in rescuing Alicia from the pantry. However, they are too late to save the majority of the ranch's residents and Natives who either died in the walker attack or suffocated in the pantry. Strand and Madison gazes upon the decimated ranch. With Broke Jaw Ranch destroyed, Madison decides to return to the dam accompanied by Strand, Ofelia, Walker and Crazy Dog while Alicia goes her own way followed by Nick and Troy to ensure her safety. Everyone heads off in their own directions as Strand is shown driving the truck with Madison, Ofelia, Walker and Crazy Dog in it.

"El Matadero"[]

Strand, Madison and Walker drive a tanker to the trading outpost to meet with Lola and Daniel. Strand worries that things might go south when they show up to the trade empty-handed. Madison is confident that handing over what they have will be enough to convince Daniel to continue helping them, even after the attack on the Ranch cost them so many supplies. If Daniel refuses, Madison argues that they at least have Ofelia.

While on the back of the truck, Ofelia grows weak and and falls off the truck. Strand and the group notices a bite mark on Ofelia's collar bone. She got bitten while clearing the vents. She begs Madison to take her to her father, and Madison says she will make it happen. Madison's group arrives at the outpost a day early. Strand tells Madison that the outpost guards will kill Ofelia if they think she’s sick, but Madison insists they must enter to get Ofelia a bed and medicine. Madison's group hands over their weapons at the checkpoint. Ofelia steadies herself, and a guard waves her through. Madison sells part of their rifle stash to pay for entry. They're allowed entrance even though the exchange rates have gone up, much to Strand's frustration. Madison sets up Ofelia inside a room then goes to find painkillers. Walker stands guard over Ofelia.

Strand confronts Madison and says that they just gave away their bartering tools for Ofelia to say goodbye. Strand tells her she is giving up all of their resources without thinking of the consequences. Madison asks if he's afraid of Daniel, but Strand says that she shouldn't assume and that he’s going to help them when they show up with no weapons and a dead daughter and he walks away.

Elsewhere in the Bazar, Strand explores various corridors. People are heard having sex, others are gambling, and other inappropriate acts are being carried out. As Strand tries to head to a locked area, he is approached by the men who were holding him earlier. He wants to talk to Proctor John, but the men insist he'll just have to stay with them until Strand says he has something that John will want.

The next day, the group heads to the trucks, splitting up from Nick and Troy, and Madison asks Strand if he's ready. He says he is "always" ready, looking back at the security guards who he may or may not have worked out some sort of deal with.

"Things Bad Begun"[]

Strand joins Madison at the dam and tries to comfort her about Alicia and Nick's departures. She recalls old holiday memories with her kids and reveals she thought she would have that at the Ranch. Strand insists they can have that here and they'll build such a paradise here that her kids will want to come home. He offers her some scotch.

Madison and Strand drink heavily together. Strand tells Madison that he's never killed a living person. Madison says that it's just a matter of time. Daniel informs Madison that Nick has arrived at the dam.

Troy and Nick are quick to reveal to Strand, Lola and the others that the Proctors are going to attack the dam. Daniel reveals there are three entry ways. They come up with a plan to defend the dam which calls for C4 and teamwork. Strand urges Madison to leave with Nick, but Madison insists on staying to help. Troy volunteers to help set up the explosives.

Strand orders Nick to take his mother and leave. He is going to stay behind because he has "obligations" here. Nick calls him out for sweating, and forces Strand to confess that he made a deal with Proctor John to facilitate a takeover of the dam in exchange for a role as steward of the dam. Strand explains that Proctor John agreed to spare Madison and Nick as part of the deal but worries that once Daniel and Lola resist the attack, the deal will no longer be honored by the Proctors. At the dam, Daniel talks with Strand. He is unhappy about how the water is pumping in the wrong direction. Strand insists Lola has it taken care of.

Strand approaches Daniel and Lola with a gun when Lola was to fix the levers and orders her to step away. She realizes the entrance in unprotected. Strand reveals his plans and turns the gun to Daniel who eventually attacks him and they fight for the gun. Strand shoots Daniel in the chin in front of Lola. Daniel slowly rises up with a bullet hole in his cheek, spitting blood and teeth from his mouth. Strand escapes, while Lola escorts him out of the room.

The Proctors infiltrate the dam through the unguarded tunnels. Daniel's men ambush the Proctors. Gunfire breaks out, killing Efrain. A Proctor brother confronts Strand about the ambush. Strand assures him that Lola and Daniel are dead.

Strand brings Madison and Nick to a remote room and promises to try and keep them safe. He takes the detonator, locks their door and leaves.

"Sleigh Ride"[]

Strand is at the bottom of the dock, greeting Proctor John arriving with Alicia and his men. Strand exchanges quick glances with Alicia. John admonishes Strand for the unanticipated resistance from dam guards. Strand quietly assures Alicia that Madison and Nick are alive and in hiding. He vows to help them escape if she agrees to work with him.

Strand checks in on Madison and Nick. Madison holds him at gunpoint and accuses him of ratting out Daniel and Lola, but releases him when he reveals that Alicia is at the dam with John. He instructs Madison and Nick to change into worker uniforms so that he can sneak them out. He admits that he shot Daniel but didn't kill him. Without other options, Madison and Nick reluctantly acquiesce to his plan. Nick tells Strand there's "hope" for him since he didn't kill Lola.

Strand walks Madison and Nick across a bridge on top of the dam. John's men kill Lola's guards and throw them over the bridge. Strand tells John's men that their boss asked him to kill Madison and Nick personally. The escape is short-lived as Lola attacks the group and guns down several of John's men. John shoots her dead and discovers Strand trying to smuggle Madison and Nick. Strand is terrified to see him, as Lola's ambush exposes his lies and he and his group are taken captive.

Moments later, John has brought Strand, Madison and Nick into an office. He pistol whips Strand as he tries to explain his lies. Alicia tries to calm him but is ordered to be silent. Strand doubles down on Daniel being dead despite John discovering Lola having been alive. Madison vouches for him and introduces herself. John orders Alicia to her mother. One of John's men recognizes Nick from the trading post and recalls that he was with another man. John decides to kill Nick, who he deems untrustworthy, and must therefore also kill Madison and Alicia, knowing they'll seek revenge for Nick's murder.

Strand, Madison, Nick and Alicia walk across the dam bridge together. Nick hugs Strand goodbye then gets in position for his execution. Strand tells John that the dam is rigged with explosives and reaches into his pocket to pull out the detonator, but comes up empty. Nick reveals that he took the detonator while hugging Strand.

Nick threatens to detonate the explosives unless John allows Madison, Alicia and Strand to escape. Alicia urges Nick to come with them, but John points out that Nick cannot leave the detonator's range. Nick calls the negotiations his "suicide note." John agrees to his conditions. Strand, Madison and Alicia run from the dam and they reach the Zodiac and launch into the water. Strand, Madison and Alicia fix the motor and power ahead.

Nick flips the switch and detonates the explosives. The dam breaks apart as John and his men flee. Madison, Alicia and Strand struggle to escape the current created by the imploding dam. The boat is sucked into the dam.

Season 4[]

After the events of the dam, Madison found Strand near death and nurse him back to health.

"What's Your Story?"[]

After surviving the Gonzalez Dam explosion and somehow reuniting with Nick and his group, Strand appears, alongside Nick, Alicia and Luciana, ambushing Morgan, John and Althea on the road.

"Another Day in the Diamond"[]

In the past, Strand, Nick, Alicia and Luciana wake up at their new home in a baseball stadium. They begin their daily routine and then start working on projects around the stadium. Strand joins Nick and Alicia for breakfast, talking about celebrating the day. Cole, a resident at the stadium, sits with them.

When Strand and the others go on a search mission, Cole tries to join them, but Strand tells him to stay behind for watch duty. Strand, Madison, Alicia and Luciana leave without Nick. On the road, Madison jokes with Strand about Cole's crush on him. Nick contacts them via walkie and informs them that weevils are destroying the turnips, just before losing connection.

Strand's crew arrives in a deserted town. They split up to find Charlie's family. Strand and Luciana enter a store that has been picked clean. Luciana predicts that Madison won't go back until she has performed a thorough search. Strand points out that he would not be alive if it weren't for Madison's determination. To this day, he's not sure why she saved him after he betrayed her at the dam. Strand and Luciana receive three static bursts and realize that Madison is in trouble.

Strand, Luciana and Alicia stop a survivor named Naomi, who snatches Madison's keys and starts to leave, before they cut her off. She runs to the top of an oil tank and falls through the roof. Madison jumps in after her and helps Naomi fight Infected in a pool of oil. Strand and Alicia pry open the hatch to the tank and kill the remaining Infected. Alicia rescues Madison from an Infected. Strand's crew returns to the stadium and rams into the Infected with their truck, saving Nick in time.

Strand, Douglas and Cole push Nick's truck back toward the stadium. Luciana sees something in the distance and yells at them to ditch the car and get back inside. A convoy of trucks pulls up behind them. Luciana sees something in the distance and yells at them to ditch the car and get back inside. An army of trucks and a group called the Vultures parks in the lot, refusing to leave until they give them all of their supplies.

The next day, Strand, Alicia and Cole stare at the newcomers outside. They hear Madison hammering in the dugout and decide to join her.

On the road, Strand, Nick, Alicia and Luciana hold Morgan, John, and Althea at gunpoint. Luciana finds a white "51" flag in the SWAT vehicle and accuses them of belonging to Mel's group. Al insists she doesn't know the significance of the flag, but Alicia orders them to show them where they found the flag. They get on the SWAT truck and drive.

"Good Out Here"[]

Strand, Luciana, Nick and Alicia hold Morgan, Althea, and John prisoner in the SWAT truck. Al reveals that she only gave them partial directions to the location with the numbered flag. She agrees to provide the rest of the directions on the condition that they tell her their stories. She escapes from her bonds and attacks Nick, causing him to jostle Luciana in the driver's seat. Luciana swerves off the road and crashes.

John and Althea hold Strand and his group hostage. They unsuccessfully try to extract the SWAT truck from the mud. Luciana offers to locate a tow truck, but demands that she and her friends be released. Al cuts their bonds but holds Nick hostage. Morgan offers to stay with Nick while the others find the tow truck.

Strand, Alicia and Luciana set out with John and Althea. Strand asks Althea why she collects people's stories. She attempts to not answer, but Strand tells her not to change the subject and asks again why. Althea declares that the truth matters and again offers to disclose the location of the flag in exchange for everyone's stories.

Strand's group returns to the SWAT truck and finds it swarming with Infected. John spots an arrow left by Morgan to indicate the direction that he and Nick went. Alicia offers to help tow the truck while Luciana and John look for Morgan and Nick. Strand agrees to tell their stories to Althea if she takes them to the location of the flag. Alicia fights off Infected as she attaches the tow truck cable to the SWAT truck. Strand pulls the truck out of the mud. Afterwords, Strand and his group catch up with Morgan and Nick.

Later, Nick gets shot in the chest by Charlie, who runs away. Strand, Alicia, and Luciana try to revive Nick, but he dies. Strand, Alicia and Luciana mourn over Nick's death.

"Buried"[]

Strand, Alicia, Luciana, Morgan, Althea and John ride in the SWAT van with Nick's body. In a flashback, Althea videotapes Luciana as she plunges a knife into Nick's head to keep him from turning. She films Alicia killing an Infected Ennis, and Strand covering Nick's body with his jacket.

In the SWAT van, Strand informs Althea that his group is ready to tell their stories. Althea turns on her video camera and asks the group how they ended up in their current situation. Luciana explains that everything traces back to one particular day. In the past,

Strand, Nick, Alicia, Luciana and Cole eat breakfast at the stadium. Strand wants to enhance people's meals by putting their precious syrup on it. They reject it, insisting he save it for when things get better. Naomi seems skeptical and sits just far enough away for it to be obvious. They're going to go out on a supply run. Madison distributes maps of potential supply locations that the Vultures might have missed.

In the SWAT van, Strand tells Al that their first misstep that day was to go on runs. Strand leads Cole through a greenhouse. Cole pries Strand for details about his life as they search a nursery for plants. Cole asks Strand why he's afraid of him. They kill a group of Infected together. Strand and Cole continue their run elsewhere. Strand warns Cole that he has done questionable things in the past.

Strand brings Cole to a secret car and reveals a stash of provisions that he has been stocking for himself as evidence of his duplicity and they begin arguing about how people make it or don't. Strand tells him he does what it takes to survive. He proposes they run off together. Cole rejects Strand's offer and drives back to the stadium alone.

In the SWAT van, Althea questions whether Strand thinks this is his fault. Alicia defends him, saying it's not his fault, and he wasn't the only one who thought about leaving. Strand sits in the driver's seat of his escape car.

Everyone returns to the stadium. Strand follows in his SUV and reveals he brought all of the supplies back because he "got a little reminder of what he stood to lose." In the SWAT van, Strand tells Althea that he never told anyone that he'd hidden the supplies only for himself. Strand tells Althea he should have kept the car a secret. Luciana tells Althea that they should have left the stadium for a new destination. They declare that Nick is dead because they wanted to believe the stadium would work out and they should have convinced Madison to leave or found a different place to go.

At night, Strand and the group parks the truck in a field. They come across a cache of weapons. Rather than burying Nick, they had Al bring them to the spot to dig up a cache of guns. They're planning to kill the Vultures. Althea is not happy about the group's deception. Strand has a map to their location. Alicia questions whether or not Althea will drive them. Strand convinces her to come see how this ends for herself.

John finds the Colt in the backpack and realizes that Naomi is Laura. Alicia tells him that Naomi died at the stadium. John chooses to remain behind as Althea takes Alicia and her friends after the Vultures. Morgan stays behind with John as Strand and everyone else leaves in the van.

"Just in Case"[]

Strand, Alicia, Luciana and Althea speed toward the Vultures' next meeting spot. Alicia interrogates Althea about the SWAT vehicle's firepower, but Althea makes it clear that she only records events and will not participate in their fight.

In the past, Strand, Nick and Luciana consult the road atlas to find a location that might yield seeds and fertilizer. Luciana asks Strand where he found the car with food. Strand concocts a story and sees Cole glaring at him.

Strand thanks Cole for keeping his escape car a secret. Cole explains that he’s merely keeping quiet because he's worried Strand might harm him if he talks. Madison checks in with Strand and suggests they share some liquor that she found. Strand and Madison take swigs straight out of the bottle. Strand asks Madison why she saved him after the dam explosion, despite his treachery. Madison explains that she knows Strand is a decent person. "That and I really like drinking with you." she says. They're interrupted by the sound of a car honking.

Viv stands in the way as Naomi tries to leave the stadium in a car. Viv tells Madison that Naomi was trying to run off with one of their cars. Naomi says that she was merely driving to a location that might have seeds and fertilizer. Strand and Madison join her. Strand, Madison and Naomi pull over at a motel and kill Infected in the front office. Madison deduces that the people killed each other over a can of baked beans. Strand finds a stash of snacks.

Over dinner, Naomi explains that she's taking Strand and Strand to an abandoned FEMA shelter. She admits that she had been planning to flee the stadium when Viv caught her, but that she had intended to leave them with a map to the FEMA shelter. Strand orders her to hand over the car keys, and everyone gets some sleep.

In the morning, Strand and Madison finds out Naomi is gone. Strand and Madison look at the FEMA map to catch up with Naomi. Strand admits to Madison that the car with supplies had been his escape car. He warns Madison that some people, such as himself and Naomi, never change.

Strand and Madison enter the FEMA shelter and spot Naomi on the scaffolding. Naomi tosses them the "JIC" keys and tells them there's a truck outside with supplies, but Strand refuses to leave her behind. Madison distracts Infected while Strand strings up some rope. Naomi shimmies across the rope and escapes with Strand and Madison

Strand, Madison and Naomi rest in the lobby. Naomi explains that she and her daughter, Rose, had stayed at the shelter, where a woman named Ellen taught "Just in Case" survival skill classes. Naomi says that she left the shelter to find antibiotics after Rose caught pneumonia. When she returned, Rose had died, turned and infected everyone else. Naomi takes Strand and Madison to a well-stocked "Just in Case" truck that Ellen had prepared in the event of an emergency. After putting down the reanimated Ellen and removing her body, they prepare to return to the stadium.

Strand assures Naomi that anyone can start over. Strand, Madison and Naomi return to the stadium with plants and fertilizer. Cole congratulates Strand on helping accomplish their mission. Strand, however, dishes credit to Madison and says he didn't actually tell him who he is. Strand tries to talk to Madison, but she ends the conversation in a distracted mood.

In the present, Strand, Alicia and Luciana wait for the Vultures at their designated meeting spot. They see a van approach.

Morgan and John get out of the van. Alicia's group forces them to their knees. Morgan explains that they warned the Vultures to stay away. A moment later, Melvin and his Vultures arrive in their vehicles and face off with Strand's group. On Mel's walkie, a woman asks where everyone is. A Land Rover pulls up, and Naomi steps out, revealed to be alive. John walks toward her. Alicia shoots at Naomi, but accidentally hits John. He falls to the ground.

"The Wrong Side of Where You Are Now"[]

Strand and his group exchange gunfire with the Vultures. They kill all the Vultures and Morgan, John, Althea, Naomi and Charlie escapes. Strand, Alicia and Luciana fire at their truck as it leaves. Strand, Alicia and Luciana predict that Naomi is heading for the stadium. They all come up with a plan in the truck before Alicia heads out to finish off Melvin.

In the past, Strand informs Madison that the Vultures removed all of the Infected that they had trapped in storage tanks. He shows her a stack of white number flags that the Vultures had used to tally up the Infected. The total indicates that Ennis is amassing a vast army of Infected. Strand later witness Madison exiling Mel out of their home.

At the gate, Strand and Cole fortify the walls. Alicia approaches, though, and she and Nick are leaving to find Melvin. Strand questions whether or not Madison knows they're leaving. Nick acknowledges that she doesn't. "Your mother did the same thing for me," Strand says. "Far be it for me to stop you." and allows them to leave. They find Melvin and spot Ennis' convoy heading toward the stadium and Alicia warns Strand that the Vultures are coming.

Strand asks Cole to alert Madison to the approaching convoy. Strand and Madison see an ice cream truck drive up to the stadium gate, leaving behind a trail of oil. Ennis and the Vultures open the trucks and release the Infected. A massive herd makes its way toward the stadium gates. A Vulture lights the trail of oil. Strand notices that the Infected are covered in oil and will start a fire if they get close. Madison orders someone to get the irrigation truck then runs toward the gate to help Nick and Alicia. Strand and Luciana join her.

"No One's Gone"[]

Strand, Luciana and Alicia catch up to Althea's group, with their intentions to kill Naomi and Charlie to avenge Madison and Nick. They open fire on Althea, who fires back. Strand suggests they head toward the infirmary. Alicia hatches a different plan. Alicia takes Charlie hostage and orders Althea to tell Naomi that it's safe to come out of the tunnel.

Strand and Luciana aim their guns at the tunnel exit. Althea distracts Alicia while John quietly presses the transmission button on the walkie, allowing Naomi and Morgan to overhear Alicia and realize they're walking into a trap. Strand informs Alicia that Naomi has not emerged from the tunnel. Alicia sees the walkie next to John and realizes what happened. A fight breaks out and Althea attacks Alicia. After a while, Morgan convinces Alicia not to kill Naomi and relinquishes the weapon. Alicia breaks down in tears, finally bring peace between the two group.

In the past, Madison tracks down Strand, Alicia, Nick and Luciana at a motel. Strand sees the ramen in her truck. Madison brings Strand and the others to the stadium. She vows to build a new community and bring in survivors.

In the present, Althea drives the SWAT van with Strand's group on board. Althea asks what happened to Madison. Alicia tells her to pull over. Strand, Alicia, Luciana, Althea, Morgan, John, Charlie and Naomi, who's real name is June, sit around a campfire. Althea begins filming and asks what happened at the stadium.

In a flashback, Strand, Madison and Luciana kill Infected to clear a path between the vehicle and the stadium. The stadium residents flee, but the Infected overcome the stadium residents as they try to escape. Madison lights a flare and leads hundreds of Infected inside the stadium. Unable to escape through the tunnels as there are still too many Infected outside, she locks the gate and lights the oil-soaked herd on fire. Nick and Alicia sob as they drive away from the inferno with Luciana and Strand.

In the present, Strand's group tells Althea that Madison killed herself to save them, causing everyone to break down in tears over the story. Althea lowers her camera and writes "Madison" on the interview tape. The group eats ramen around the campfire.

"People Like Us"[]

As Morgan ventures onto the property where the mansion Strand is staying is located on, he encounters a lone zombie. As he attempts to take it out, Strand shoots it as he hangs from a second story window, holding a bottle of wine. Strand has been spending his days raiding the mansion's wine cellar and getting drunk while Luciana listens to music in the other room. He rejects Morgan's offer to travel to Alexandria. Later, he saves Luciana from a zombie that made its way inside the mansion. When John Dorie shows up at the house, he recruits Strand to help search for Charlie, who has gone missing just as a storm begins to roll into the area.

"Close Your Eyes"[]

As Alicia points a gun at Charlie's head when the basement floods, Strand appears briefly in a flashback to when he held down on Nick's chest when he was dying, and grabbed a walker that was on fire when the stadium fell.

"The Code"[]

While Morgan is on a bridge heading back to Texas to find the others, he hears Strand's voice saying to enjoy his trip, remembering his last encounter with him before he was heading back to Virginia.

"Blackjack"[]

Somehow after the storm, Strand and John are marooned on a small island. Strand wakes up at a ranger station. He uses binoculars to scout the area. It's surrounded by water. Nearby, John is chopping wood with his gun belt hanging on a tree. He is forced to put down a walker, still recovering from his bullet wound. He and Strand realize a bird has been attracting the dead with its noise.

Strand rules that if he had alcohol this place would be paradise, which he had until he agreed to go with John and he definitely won't board the raft John is building. "It's time to stop being foolish," Strand rules.

Later on, John prepares to depart on his raft. Strand watches him struggle. An alligator starts to approach John so he shoots at it, forcing it to scamper off. Strand jokes that they are still roommates.

John spots a walker walk into the river only to get mauled by the gator. Strand walks up and tells John his efforts to find June are useless but John tells him they'll get off the island if they try hard enough. They end up arguing about how far they've come and how different they are from the past.

After John finds an overturned pick-up truck at the top of the hill , Strand climbs on it and wrestles with a walker for a bottle of scotch. The movement causes the truck to roll down the hill, which impales the walkers with a branch while Strand miraculously survives. John scolds him for his decision, but Strand ignores him and walks off.

A while later, John confronts Strand on his drinking, who tells him he drinks to forget and he has no one left to drink with. He laments that he only has things to look back on compared to John, who has something to look forward to. John tells him he can drink with him on the boat, which is even outfitted with a truck horn. Impressed, Strand finally agrees to come with him. John uses the truck horn to lure a walker into the water, so the gator can devour it and give them time to escape.

Strand and John paddle halfway down the river until the radio horn cuts out. The walkers roam away as their boat gets attacked by the gator and quickly fills with water. Strand fires his gun to distract the walkers while they sadly swim back to the island. Strand takes a swig from his bottle and holes up in the cabin while John eats one of his candies.

"I Lose People..."[]

On the island, Strand and John notice Alicia and Charlie waving at them from across the pond and regain their hope of getting rescued.

After a while, Strand and John hear a vehicle nearby and discover it's the SWAT truck. Alicia plows it through the lake to rescue them as the two men take a swig from their bottle in celebration. Charlie returns John's hat and he commends her for talking again. Strand notices Martha zip-tied in the back and asks who she is.

In the SWAT truck, John radios Morgan to give him the all-clear on speaking freely on the walkies and June responds immediately. They're both elated to talk to one another. June gives him her location and he says they’re on their way.

After reuniting with the rest of the group, Strand and the others contact Morgan on the radio, telling him they're going to save him. Morgan looks down and sees their plan: a fire truck.

While Morgan tosses his stick down and gingerly begins climbing down the building, Alicia, June and Luciana draw a herd of walkers and barely make it back to the fire truck alive, only to find Martha missing.

As the group gets surrounded by walkers, Jim decides to sacrifice himself to save them. Before he does, he radios Sarah the recipe for his beer. She writes it down, Jim takes a deep breath, and throws himself off the ledge and onto a car, attracting the walkers away from the fire truck.

On the road, Sarah decides they should name the beer "Jimbo's Beerbos" in his memory. Morgan proposes they find Althea and then travel to Alexandria together.

"... I Lose Myself"[]

After the group finds Al, they sit around a campfire and Morgan describes his plan to pick up more boxes at the truck stop to distribute them en route to Alexandria.

The next day, the group arrives at the truck stop and stocks up on supplies from the store. Outside, Althea loads the van when some walkers approach. Al jumps down to fight them, but is too weak and passes out. Alicia shoots at the herd and then instructs everyone to get inside as the noise will attract more.

Inside, everyone doubles over in pain as more walkers scrape at the windows. June realizes that someone opened the water bottles in the store and poisoned the water. Al deduces it was Martha.

Finally able to communicate, Morgan tells them it's anti-freeze. June tells them the antidote is ethanol and the group hatches a plan to get it from one of the trucks outside.

June and Charlie create a distraction while Strand and Luciana make it to the truck. The walkers turn their attention to them but Althea jumps in her SWAT truck and machine guns the walkers, while accidentally putting holes into the tank and causing the ethanol to drain out.

June updates Morgan on their problem and he tells them he can't lose them. John encourages him and says he's strong with or without them.

Suddenly, Morgan shows up and reveals that he brought a truck of Jim's Augie's Ale, saving the day. The group drinks the beer and suddenly regain their strength. Strand tells Alicia he thought he'd never have anyone to drink with again since Madison and Alicia says he has her.

Morgan then brings Strand and the group back to the place he left Martha. He finds her severed arm attached to the police car and sees her turned, walking on the road. He stabs her in the head and then buries her.

Morgan tells everyone he's no longer going to Alexandria. He says that Martha became the person she was because nobody helped her when she needed it and that more people need help.

The group arrives at Clayton's supply factory and Morgan says they should follow his path and help others. Alicia says it can't just be about boxes, they need to build something like Madison would want. Strand, however, questions where they will find people. Althea suggests they can start with the people she interviewed.

Shortly after, Strand and the group mobilizes a convoy of vehicles outside the factory. They load up on ammo and head out. Morgan gets on his walkie and broadcasts that they are coming to help anyone who might be in need.

Season 5[]

Four months after using the denim factory as a headquarters to distribute the supply boxes, Strand and the group have had poor luck in finding or recruiting other survivors, with many of the people interviewed on Althea's tapes dead or missing.

"Here to Help"[]

On the road, Strand and Charlie ride in Al's armored truck side by side with Sarah and Wendell's truck towards the factory following Althea's distress call asking him to find a man with a second plane using a tape labeled "Skidmark".

At the factory, Strand and the others discover Logan and his crew has taken over the place and are forced to leave at gunpoint. That night, Sarah and Wendell drink outside the factory and lament their failure. Charlie says she can find a way in and Strand vows to get the mill back. He wishes he was on the plane but vows to get on the next one and reunite with the rest of the group.

A while later, Strand watches one of Al's tapes and discovers the man with the second plane is Daniel. He pauses the frame and stares in disbelief at his old acquaintance.

"The Hurt That Will Happen"[]

Inside Althea's truck, Strand makes a tape where he tells the others that if they're watching it then he didn't make it. He grabs a few supplies and a beer before heading down a road onto El Paso.

Sometime later, he arrives at the entrance of some compound with rebar sticking out of the road. An orange cat greets him before a walker impales itself on the rebar. Suddenly, a gun cocks and Victor puts his hands up, asking Daniel to act calm and reasonably. Daniel orders him to turn around slowly. He tells him that his cat, Skidmark, likes him. Daniel then shoots a walker behind Strand before inviting him inside.

Daniel guides Strand through a warehouse full of cars and trucks, demanding he not touch anything and saying he inherited this place. Strand asks if he could borrow his plane to find his friends. Daniel asks if it's for Madison and Strand breaks the news about her and Nick to Daniel's visible sorrow. However, Daniel doesn't believe him and claims Strand just wants the plane for himself because he is always self-serving. He reminds Strand that he once shot him in the face and left him for dead on a dam which he rigged with explosives. Strand desperately explains people can change and gets Daniel to help him better tune the radio.

That night, Strand makes contract with Luciana and informs her that the man with the plane is going to help them, but the radio feed cuts out. Daniel believes that the others need help and tells Strand to follow him. However, Strand is escorted off of his property. Daniel is confident the group will survive just fine and that Strand's interference will only make the situation worse for them based on their past history with each other. Daniel fires a couple of shots into the air, insisting Strand to leave now. "If you come back, the next one will be in your face," he tells him. Strand leaves furiously and smashes the head of some walker with a rock before heading off into the moonlight.

"Skidmark"[]

At night, Strand sends Charlie to check out Daniel's plane. She finds it and radios him, Sarah, and Wendell so Strand instructs her to open the gate. However, Skidmark finds Charlie and meows at her, causing Daniel to investigate. Charlie hides in Daniel's new car but Skidmark follows her as he approaches and loads up the truck with guns. Strand wants Charlie to run but she insists on staying as Daniel leaves in the truck.

The next day, Strand and Sarah are loading up the plane at Salazar's compound. He realizes some of the gages from the cockpit are missing and then sees a note that says "I already said no! Channel 8". Strand turns his walkie to the channel and radios Daniel, who assures him he's far from the warehouse, but when he gets back he'll kill him. Sarah radios Daniel next and he advises her to stay away from Strand. He then tells Charlie to show herself, which she does. "I am going to save her from you," Daniel tells Strand. He tries to plan his next moves and Sarah suggests they search the warehouse for the plane parts.

Later, Strand radios Daniel and begs him to bring the instruments back and he says he will, but they’re bringing a herd of walkers with them. He gives him instructions about returning but Sarah says she broke their fence down to free the plane. A while later, Charlie returns to the warehouse and gives Strand the plane instruments. Suspicious, Strand radios Daniel to ask if he's putting him in danger. Daniel tells him he wants to get back at him for lying to him about Ofelia, confusing the others. Strand explains how he lied about Ofelia's whereabouts and prevented him from saying goodbye before she died. Charlie says that despite their past, they need to save Daniel.

On the road, Sarah and Wendell arrive in Al's van to help Daniel, but the machine gun lever doesn't shoot, so Daniel hides underneath. Strand and Charlie then arrive in a truck with the plane in the back. Strand leads the walkers towards him, turns on the propellers, and watches as the walkers kill themselves until the plane engines stop. Strand confronts Daniel, who tells him he won't shoot him after all.

At the warehouse, Strand looks at Daniel and nods at him in appreciation as he leaves. Afterward, he radios Luciana to tell her about the broken plane.

"The Little Prince"[]

Strand, Charlie, and Sarah work to relay instructions to the group via radio on rebuilding the crashed plane by examining Daniel's wrecked plane. However, due to the threat of a second power plant meltdown, Morgan and the others are forced to give up the truck stop's generator, leaving them without the ability to communicate with the others.

Strand and the others are left with a plane with working propellers but no working engine while Morgan and the others have working engines but no propellers. Staring at an old advertisement for Jim Brauer's brewery, Strand notes that at least Jim had the advantage of self-sacrifice, causing Sarah to sharply rebuke him for his disrespect towards Jim's sacrifice. Charlie stares at the advertisement and asks Sarah if she and Wendell had gotten everything from the brewery. After Sarah states they took all of the bottles, Charlie draws their attention to something on the advertisement.

Later, Strand contacts the others to reveal that he and Charlie are coming with the propellers using Jim's beer-themed hot air balloon while Sarah and Wendell clear a runway for their return. However, the balloon runs out of fuel and crashes in a field in the radioactive zone caused by the power plant meltdown. Morgan warns the two against killing any walkers as they could become contaminated themselves. As Strand and Charlie assess their situation, a herd appears with at least two radioactive walkers, worrying them due to Morgan's warning.

"Still Standing"[]

Strand and Charlie stave off walkers at the crash site. He finally frees the propeller as Charlie uses the balloon as a walker barricade. He then tells Charlie they'll have to wait until help arrives. A while later, Strand reveals to Charlie he could have been on the first plane and promises he won't hesitate again. Suddenly, Morgan pulls up in a truck wearing a hazmat suit. He kills the walkers and reunites with them.

Strand then listens as Morgan radios Grace to convince her to come with them to no avail. However, Morgan tells Strand and Charlie to get the truck and he'll meet them at the truck stop later.

At night, Strand and Charlie arrive at the truck stop and update Luciana on the situation. They then finish repairing the plane with the propellers. A while later, Annie and the kids arrive. Luciana introduces them to Strand and Annie tells him Alicia's still out there in the woods, worrying him.

"Is Anybody Out There?"[]

In a flashback, Strand and the group takes turns on the radio trying to reach out to strangers who might need help, to no avail. In the present, he and the group wait on the airfield for the rest to arrive.

Strand then witness the nuclear plant explosion in awe, making him and the group proceed to get the plane ready to leave. When Alicia gets inside the cabin, Strand tells her that Madison would be proud of them. After everyone makes it on the plane safely, he and Al steer through the wall of smoke from the reactor filling the runway and make it into the open air. That night, the plane roars toward the dark runway as Wendell fixes the lights at the last second, allowing the plane to finally land.

Strand approaches Daniel as he admits he was wrong. "We all are sometimes," Strand says happily. Suddenly, a woman contacts Morgan on the radio, asking if that was his plane flying overhead. She's seen his boxes and wants his help. The communication cuts out as Logan interrupts the signal and says they need to chat. He pulls up in an old truck as everyone focuses their guns on him.

Logan tells Strand and the group the gasoline is going bad and that Clayton wrote down an oil rig location. He says if they hand over his journal he'll help them find it. They're skeptical, but he makes the case they won't be able to help anyone without it and suggests they should find it first before his former crew.

"Channel 4"[]

Sometime later, Strand and the group formed a convoy to travel throughout Texas to help others and invite them to join their community, while establishing additional outposts to recruit the survivors reaching out to them over the radio.

In an interview by Althea, Strand explains that their mission is a test the universe has planned for them to prove their strength as survivors. He is also revealed to be part of the lead vehicle on supply missions, alongside Alicia and Luciana. They map out the roads for the group.

Strand then accompanies Alicia and June search supplies from the pharmacy that Tess said her husband was at. They don't find him so they split up to look. Suddenly, he saves Alicia from a walker. They then discover that the walker is Tess' husband.

Strand, Alicia, and June arrive at the house with the inhaler as Morgan is stepping on a landmine with the group looking on. He watches as Morgan radios Tess to get outside and get the medicine to no avail. Morgan promises the group they will have dinner together, when Tess finally emerges from her house and admits her husband isn't coming back. She hands him a clothespin to use as Morgan tells Strand and the others to back up. He successfully takes his foot off of the mine and once out of range, it explodes. Morgan returns to give Tess and her son the inhaler. Strand and the group then confess they are proud that the woman stepped out for the first time in two years to help them and they were there to help her.

That night, Strand and the caravan dine together. Al then asks the group what each want, with Strand wanting to make the most of his second chance. The tape concludes with everyone pleading with future survivors to help others.

"You're Still Here"[]

Strand accompanies Alicia on her mission to find the person painting the trees. As a walker appears and she hesitates killing it, Strand saves her at the last second. Alicia apologizes but he tells her he should have been closer. She looks back at the tree's message and asks Strand, "You ever get the feeling the universe is trying to tell you something?". Alicia claims the message gives her hope.

Suddenly, Wes radios them and asks for help, saying he has seen the tapes. They quickly locate him and load his motorcycle on their truck. Wes explains he had encountered a hostile group and Strand quickly deduces it's Logan. Wes tells them he needs to get back to his brother and they decide to help him.

On the road, Wes tells Alicia she's probably wasting her time searching for the painted trees. She says she wants to meet the person responsible, but Wes is dubious. As walkers eat a dead bull, Strand and Alicia drop Wes off at the police station he's residing at and promise to load him up on gas. Suddenly, gunshots ring out from inside and an injured man sprints out, steals their truck, and drives away. Wes shoots at him and quickly runs out of ammo, which attracts nearby walkers.

They grab weapons from the police car and quickly realize they only shoot rubber bullets. Strand accidentally shoots tear gas at a walker, forcing everyone to flee inside. Alicia pours water on Strand's eyes and gives him a wet towel when his eyesight doesn't improve. He then proceeds to rest as Alicia tells him she wants to maintain her no kill rule for now and goes to confront Wes.

After a while, the group plan to find the man and escape the station. When Alicia finally gets the keys to a cruiser, a walker walks through the glass on the front door. Alicia nearly kills it with a police baton but Strand kills it with her pipe. Wes then kills the rest and the group leaves. Later, they find the truck crashed into a fence and the man walking down the road, presumably reanimated.

Strand and Alicia follow Wes as he approaches the man, who is revealed to still be alive and attacks him. Strand runs and watches as Wes kills him and retrieves his manuscript. Alicia questions his decision to kill over a book. He tells her "people are people" and the man should keep the manuscript. "He died for it. He can keep it", Wes says sarcastically before walking away.

A while later, Strand says to Alicia he's sorry Madison wasn't the person who was painting the trees as she had hoped. He then watches as she paints a bird on a tree and writes "No one's gone until they're gone," in honor of mother's last words and as a signal of moving on.

"Leave What You Don't"[]

Strand watches as Alicia finishes painting on another tree. He then informs her that she left the radio on and they're almost out of gas. She says that Wes might hear it, but Strand doesn't think Wes is worth it due to his "people are people" philosophy. Suddenly, Janis radios asking for help. Alicia calls John and June and tells them that someone might need help, but they're on the way to the oil fields to deal with Logan. Alicia decides they will help Janis and they set off.

On the road, the car runs out of gas and they're forced to run. Janis who refuses to say her name, says there are too many walkers to fight off. Alicia tells her to stay safe, and she sends a message to Morgan and Al before taking off on foot. The next morning, Strand and Alicia arrive at the station and reunite with Wes and Janis. Strand is surprised that Wes has changed his view on people after their encounter. Janis then warns them they have to leave before the people she ran away from find her. Alicia assures her she's safe with them now.

"Channel 5"[]

Strand and the rest of the caravan keep traveling in search of a permanent home. At night, Strand and the group camp as 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. Later on, Morgan decides the group should leave in the morning.

The next day, the convoy stops their truck because they realize its 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. However, no one listens to Virginia and she orders 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.

Strand, Morgan, and Althea handle the walkers as everyone works hastily to move the resources across the bridge while. 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. 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.

Sometime later, the group finds a billboard for the Gulch. 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 Al 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.

"End of the Line"[]

Strand and the rest of the caravan survivors rest along the outskirts of Humbug's Gulch as Morgan contacts with Virginia for help. After a while, Dwight arrives with some horses and explains if they're alive then there must be water nearby. They argue over whether to stay or not and eventually decide to stay, where they'll deal with the walkers and Virginia. Strand and a group break open the fence and use the horses to lead the massive herd to ambush Virginia and take their supplies while the rest moves into the gulch.

On the road, Strand and Daniel leave to find water while the rest continue to lead the walkers down the road. In the woods, Strand tells Daniel they should consider joining Virginia, but Daniel reminds him she's not giving them a choice and that's all they need to know. Suddenly, they spot Luciana among Virginia's people so Daniel radios the group to abandon the plan while Strand goes to talk to Virginia.

That night, the group gets separated and driven away. Strand promises Alicia they can do more damage to the pioneers from the inside. He is then thrown into a car and taken away.

Season 6[]

"Welcome to the Club"[]

Strand and Alicia are tasked with cleaning out the town's latrines. Right after they light the barrels of waste on fire, a couple of rangers drive up in Althea's MRAP. One of them, Marcus, demands that they move the barrels, as the wind is blowing the smell to the cafeteria. The pair refuse, prompting Marcus to threaten them. Despite this, Strand remains unintimidated, and even throws his waste bucket at Marcus' feet, provoking the ranger into holding him at gunpoint. A young girl from behind the fence yells at Marcus to leave Strand and Alicia alone. The ranger complies, but after Hill arrives to inquire, Strand and Alicia are taken into custody so Virginia can judge them. As they're being escorted through Lawton, Alicia spots the girl from earlier and thanks her for saving them, but the latter tells her to think nothing of it, and introduces herself as Dakota before departing. The pair are brought before Virginia, who is receiving a haircut from Daniel. They try to greet their friend, but to their shock, he doesn't recognize them. Virginia explains that Daniel was hellbent on getting Skidmark back, and lost his memory in the resulting altercation. Virginia then reprimands Strand for assaulting a ranger, and decrees that they will be assigned to a job that better suits their talents, pulling Alicia's sharpened gun mount out of the drawer. She hands it over to Hill, and warns Victor to not squander another opportunity, before leaving. Alicia asks Strand what Virginia meant by that, but he claims to not know. Strand then tries to communicate with Daniel in Spanish to get him to drop the act, but his comrade still doesn't recognize him, but offers him a religious medallion to help him bare his burden, since Daniel senses that Strand lost someone.

On the road, Alicia asks if Strand really believes Daniel doesn't remember anything, but Victor notes that Daniel never flinched before, not even when shot by the former in the face. He looks around the S.W.A.T van and bitterly muses how he gave it to Virginia, but Alicia is certain she would have gotten it sooner or later. Upon their arrival to the sugar plant, Hill tells them to get out, as the two grow concerned over the sound of walkers. Alicia asks Hill what's behind the door besides the dead, but he nonchalantly tells her they will find out when they clear it. Strand presses for more info, but Hill simply tells them that whatever is behind the door is the key to the future Virginia is trying to build and, if they survive, they will get to be a part of that future. One of the workers tries to make a run for it past them, but is quickly gunned down by a ranger. When Hill hands Alicia her weapon. She protests that they need more efficient weapons to clear that many walkers, so Hill says he will send a truck with supplies. Strand wonders why they can't just use the MRAP to clear the plant, but Hill says that would destroy what Virginia wants to obtain. He then leaves them to their mission. Alicia notes that the Pioneers don't trust them, but Strand points out it's with good reason. As Strand and Alicia inspect the gate, they are reunited with Charlie, who reveals that she's being punished for trying to run away. They are also joined by Janis. When asked who's in charge, Janis replies that the rangers are, but they keep their distance after what happened to the night team. She also reveals that there are 9 rangers guarding them. Strand then inquires about the trustworthiness of the other prisoners, before putting forth his plan: killing the rangers and escaping.

While cleaning the floor, Sanjay explains to Strand that one of the molasses tanks burst, and that the walkers are covered in it, so when they grab you, it's nearly impossible to break free. He also reveals that this is how the night team died. When questioned about how he made it out, Sanjay says that he stayed back, although he admits he could have done more to help. Sanjay also expresses his admiration of Strand for standing up to Marcus. Strand and Alicia are then summoned by two rangers to pick up their delivery. The promised supply truck is loaded with spears. Alicia doesn't believe their plan will work. Strand protests that they outnumber the rangers three to one, but Alicia points out the rangers have guns. Despite this, Strand is adamant that this is their only move, but Alicia senses that Strand is doing this for some other reason. Strand asserts that they've been listening to other people for long enough, and that it's time they start making the calls themselves. Just then, Charlie discovers Dakota hiding in the back of the truck. She pleads with them not to alert her to the rangers, as she heard their conversation, and knows what Virginia will do if they try to kill them. When asked how she knows this, she reveals that she is Virginia's sister.

Continuing their conversation in a tent, Dakota explains that others have tried to escape before, and that Virginia will either hunt them down or, if she can't find them, kill the people they love. Strand realizes that Virginia is going to come looking for her sister, and Dakota acknowledges this, but claims that she wanted to get away from her sister and find people that could help her do that. She picked them since she saw the tapes they left. Strand asks how they're supposed to help her escape if they can't. Dakota claims that there is a weapon in the warehouse they're supposed to clear, and Virginia wants to use it against someone she's been trying to kill. Dakota doesn't know anything more about the weapon, but believes that they can use it against Virginia if they recover it. Strand asks why they should believe her, to which Dakota replies that she hears everything that goes on in Virginia's house since she lives with her. As an example, she cites the deal Strand made with Virginia. Puzzled, Alicia asks Strand about this deal, before angrily storming off. He rushes after her, and explains that he gave her the S.W.A.T van so Ginny wouldn't separate them. Alicia protests that she can take care of herself, but Strand admits that he did it for himself, since he needs her to survive "the way it should be done". When asked to elaborate, he recounts how Daniel told him to remember who he was, and that being with her helps him do that. Alicia smiles at that, but goes on to state that they shouldn't go through with their plan, dubbing it too risky, and thinks they should get the weapon instead. Strand thinks that could get them killed, but Alicia points out his way could as well. She reminds him of what he said about making their own decisions, and thinks they should make this one. Strand reluctantly accepts her plan.

They construct a makeshift corridor to corral the walkers. After Janis reassures him the structure is sound, he asks Sanjay if he is sure he is ready, but Sanjay claims he wants to escape as much as they do. Before they start, Strand asks Alicia if she is having second thoughts, but she is certain the plan will work. With that, they get into position, as Sanjay raises the door and the walkers come pouring out. At the end of the corridor, the workers quickly dispatch the approaching walkers and drag them away. As the walkers begin to pile up, however, the structure begins to give way. Strand orders Sanjay to close the door, but the latter is nowhere to be found. Strand instructs Charlie to close the corridor gate instead, while Janis and some others rush to reinforce the corridor wall. In the commotion, Charlie is grabbed by the walkers and pulled in. Although the other are able to kill most of the walkers attacking her, Charlie is unable to free herself due to the molasses. Just as a walker is about to bite her, Dakota saves Charlie in the nick of time by killing it. The workers are able to close the gate, and Charlie thanks Dakota for saving her. Just then, two rangers arrive and discover Dakota. They alert Hill to her location, and order the workers to drop their weapons. Strand and the others comply after some hesitation. As the rangers try to apprehend Dakota, Janis yells that the barricade they're holding up is about to break. Alicia quietly tells Strand they need to finish this, and he agrees, ordering the others to pick up their weapons and Janis and her group to let go of the barricade. The walkers come tumbling out, as the rangers radio their collogues to prepare for evacuation. Strand jokingly asks Alicia to reaffirm that this is better than "cleaning up shit", but she replies to ask her again when it's all over.

As the rangers attempt to contain the breach, Strand and the others open the gate once more and start killing the walkers, using the pellets as makeshift shields. The rangers try to drag Dakota away, but she wriggles out of their grasp and escapes. While trying to apprehend her, the rangers are grabbed and devoured by the walkers. Alicia signals Strand that there are too many walkers, and that they need guns. Strand yells that he thinks he can get them, before running with Dakota to the a nearby RV. They find Sanjay cowering inside, too afraid to face the walkers. Strand tries to distract the herd by honking the horn, but the walkers ignore it. Sanjay says that isn't going to work, as walkers choose fresh meat over anything else. Strand orders Sanjay to hand him the knife and follow him. Outside, Strand regrets his decisions, and tells Sanjay that they should have just killed the rangers like he planned. When asked why he didn't, Stand dubs it a good question, before pinning Sanjay and stabbing him in the leg while covering his mouth. He tells the panicked Sanjay that this is his chance to stand up to them like he wanted, before shoving him towards the walkers and onto the floor. Both Strand's and Sanjay's yells get the walkers' attention, as they creep their way towards the helpless Sanjay writhing in pain. The distraction allows Alicia and Janis to grab the deceased ranger's guns and mow down the rest of the walkers, as Strand watches Sanjay get devoured. After it's done, Alicia notices Sanjay dead, and Strand claims he sacrificed himself for them. The group then hears Virginia radio one of the rangers, and note that they don't have much time. Strand thinks they have enough, and invites the others to come retrieve what they came for.

Inside, however, they find no trace of the promised weapon. They grill Dakota over this, despite her insistence that she wasn't lying. As they hear Virginia arrive, Alicia cautions Strand that they can't fight her off, which he agrees with, telling the others it's over. They meet Virginia and her escort outside. After the sisters are reunited, Strand tells Ginny that the others were acting on his behest, so she should only punish him. Virginia questions why she would do that, since he accomplished his mission and cleared the sugar plant. When Strand points out there was nothing in the plant, Ginny explains that what she wanted wasn't in the plant after all, but was him all along, i.e. a true leader. She congratulates him and the others on a job well done, and exemplifies this as how they survive. She also tells Strand that he just formed them an army. When asked what the army is for, she says that she will reveal it in time. Strand asks how she expects the workers to follow her, since she isn't very popular among them, but Ginny says that is his job, and hands him a key that authorizes him to use his soldiers however he sees fit, but that they need to be ready for when she calls upon them.

After they return to Lawton, Alicia walks Charlie to the truck, but is surprised Janis isn't coming, as Strand has her staying in Lawton. Strand soon comes to see them off. Alicia notices he's wearing a key to the city, and asks if his newfound privileges afford him the right to determine where they go next. He confirms this, and reveals that he's reassigned her to somewhere far away from him. He recounts how they almost died today, and how Sanjay did die. Strand does not believe this had to happen, but claims that it did because he hesitated and didn't trust his instincts. Despite Alicia's protests, Strand reiterates that she makes him remember the person that he is, and in order to do what needs to be done, he needs to forget that person. He also tells Alicia that he doesn't want to drag her down with him, as while he might have to forget who he is, she doesn't. He urges her to never forget, as he hands her the medallion Daniel gave him earlier. With that, they part ways. Wiping the tears from his face, Strand catches Cameron preparing to take Daniel back to Paradise Ridge. He muses how he felt sorry for Daniel because he couldn't remember, but now he envies him.

"The Key"[]

Strand drives up and greets John with a hug. Happy to see his friend, John notices Strand's golden key. He then asks the reason for Strand's visit, to which he replies that he is going to an inter-settlement council meeting. John informs him of Cameron's death, and also that he doubts that it was an accident. Strand asks if there is anything he can do, but John says that he doesn't need his help for now, but will notify him if that changes.

In the morning, John takes Strand to Cameron's grave to show him his findings. Regrettably, Cameron's throat was chewed up by the walkers while they were attacking John, destroying the evidence. John, however, also shows the shard he found in Cameron's hand, which he believes is a broken off piece from a knife handle. John asserts that Janis couldn't have gotten a knife from the armory without them knowing about it. He then asks Strand if he has access to the armory.

In the aforementioned armory, John searches the drawers, and finds a knife missing. He lists through the weapons catalogue and discovers the missing knife that matches his description of the murder weapon, but when he checks the log for the person that took the knife, he finds the page torn out. Strand doesn't find any of this surprising, and cautions John that someone doesn't want him to find anything, but the latter remains undeterred. John wishes to search for the knife, believing that if he finds it, Virginia will have no choice but to commute Janis' sentence. Strand advises John to take some time off to think about his course of action, warning him that he won't be able to go back if he persists in his investigation.

After Janis' execution, John marches down the street with a pistol in his hand, but is intercepted by Strand and Jacob. When he realizes Strand was the one who pushed the execution ahead of schedule, John pistol whips him. A fight ensues between the two men. When John gets the upper hand, he accuses Strand of killing Janis. Strand defends his actions by pointing out Janis was dead anyway, but John didn't have to die with her. John asserts that he could have gotten Janis out, but Strand is certain Ginny would have hunted them both down. John backs off, but furiously proclaims how Janis was right about Lawton, as it does destroy everything.

"Damage From the Inside"[]

Strand, with several rangers as escorts, travels with Dakota to a safehouse. Dakota asks him when he will make a move against Virginia, though Strand denies knowing what she means. When the convoy is stopped by a horse with no ranger, Strand steps out of the car and takes Samuels with him to scout ahead to check for a herd. While ahead, they find a cut tree blocking the road, attempting to radio back to the convoy. When he receives no response, he spots multiple lone horses riding up from behind, realizing the convoy has been attacked. In a hurry, Strand and Samuels return to the convoy to find the rangers dead and Dakota missing.

Strand attempts to make contact with Alicia and Charlie over walkie-talkie. After insisting it is an emergency, Alicia answers, with Strand asking to meet in person. The two meet Strand and Samuels by the road. Strand explains that Dakota has gone missing. Alicia taunts Strand in response, telling him he's "screwed" for losing Virginia's sister. Alicia and Charlie reluctantly take the mission.

Later, Strand arrives at Ed's house, seeing how it was overrun. He approaches the entrance and is happy to see Alicia and Charlie with Dakota. Strand tells Alicia he will take Dakota back to Lawton, but is stopped when Morgan reveals himself and rejects his plan. When Strand tries to take Dakota, Alicia and Morgan aim their weapons at him. Strand withdraws a pistol and holds them at gunpoint. Morgan tells Strand they, "will do what they have to". Strand backs off as they leave with Dakota.

Returning to Lawton, Strand is found by Virginia and asked where Dakota is. Strand tells her Dakota is with Morgan. Virginia angrily pulls Strand close, asking him which side he is on, to which he replies "yours". Virginia lets go of Strand and brings him into a small, guarded building. She reminds him that he has to be ready for the "big show" and brings him into a hidden room, where he is surprised to find a pregnant Grace being held.

"The Door"[]

Strand is standing by the Lawton town jail where Virginia has Daniel, Grace, Sarah, Luciana, June, and Wes rounded up by the rangers and held in the cell as bargaining chips for Virginia as she attempts to get her sister back.

"Things Left to Do"[]

Strand rounds up Luciana, Sarah, Daniel and Grace. A ranger forces June to kneel with the group. Virginia aims her gun at their heads and demands to know where Morgan is. When no one answers, she radios Morgan and threatens to kill Grace. Morgan shows up on horseback and reveals to the rangers that Dakota killed Cameron and that Virginia covered it up. Strand backs up Morgan and says that the rangers will die like Cameron if they follow Virginia. Virginia whips out her gun. Strand shoots her in the shoulder, triggering a gun battle. Hill escapes with Daniel and Grace as hostages. Morgan orders Virginia to call Hill back but Virginia refuses. Strand tells Morgan to hand Virginia over, but Morgan and Virginia get into a van and drive off together.

Strand arrives with his rangers at Morgan's community. Strand tells Al that the rangers want custody of Virginia. Sherry and her group arrive in the SWAT truck. Al radios Morgan that everyone outside wants to get their hands on Virginia. Morgan says Grace and Daniel will die if they turn Virginia over. Strand vows to take her by force. Virginia offers to release Daniel and Grace and surrender to the rangers, on the condition that Dakota gets to live in Morgan's community.

It is decided that Virginia would be executed in front of the three communities as a means of ending her reign of brutality on everyone. However, Morgan has a change of heart and brings Virginia back into the dam community, much to the anger of Strand, Sherry, and their followers. Alicia implores Strand to join the community. Strand refuses and says they need to protect themselves from the enemy that Virginia was concerned about. Alicia wonders if the threat is even real. Strand offers to show her.

"Handle With Care"[]

Strand and Sarah arrive on horseback and reveal empty spray paint canisters that they found in the area. Strand worries that the people who destroyed Tank Town are still on the loose. Morgan proposes they work together to track down the enemy. Strand and Sherry's groups hand their weapons to Daniel at the weapons depot. In a voiceover, Daniel explains that each weapon was logged and locked away, and that only he and Morgan had keys. Strand brings Skidmark to Daniel and says they found him in Lawton.

Walkers begin showing up outside Valley Town's walls, drawn by the sound of the explosion. Strand and Sherry demand their guns back, but Daniel insists they wait until Morgan returns with the SWAT truck and other guns. Walkers infiltrate Valley Town. Strand guns them down. Daniel admits he let some walkers inside to force the weapons thief to use one of the guns. He accuses Strand of stealing all the weapons.

Daniel locks Strand in a cell and demands to know where the other weapons are. Strand admits he secretly kept a gun but insists he didn't take the other weapons. Daniel doesn't believe him. He threatens Strand. Walkers reach the inner gate. Everyone argues over a course of action and begins to turn on each other. Daniel guesses Strand had an accomplice. Daniel threatens to torture Strand if he doesn't reveal where the weapons are. Strand insists he doesn't know. They hear gunfire outside. From his cell, Strand asks Daniel why he is so intent on protecting Valley Town.

Daniel tells his interrogator that he wanted to make Valley Town the kind of home that he had wanted for Ofelia in Los Angeles. Strand's group and Sherry's group start to leave Valley Town. Dakota runs up and says she recalls Virginia saying that the enemy went underground. She describes the last location that Virginia sent scouts to look for the enemy. Lucy volunteers to scout the area with Wes, Alicia and Al. Daniel decides to leave Valley Town, worried about the harm he will bring to others. Strand invites Daniel to join him in Lawton. Morgan doubts him and asks if Strand really plans to keep Daniel safe after he put a gun to his face. Strand thinks Daniel is safer with him than with Morgan. Daniel hugs Charlie good-bye and rides off with Strand.

"In Dreams"[]

In Grace's dream, Strand is in Valley Town getting a haircut by Daniel Salazar, his close friend.

"Mother"[]

Cole is revealed to still be alive and he and Alicia mention Strand several times, although Cole now appears to be bitter towards him.

After Teddy reveals his plan to launch a nuclear missile from the USS Pennsylvania to destroy everything, Alicia snatches his radio at gunpoint and attempts to make contact with her friends. Alicia manages to reach Strand and with the cultists closing in, asks if she can trust him which he confirms. Alicia informs Strand that he needs to get to Morgan as she now knows where the keys are and what they're for. Alicia instructs Strand to find a beached submarine near Galveston, Texas before Riley snatches the radio from her. However, Dakota is unconcerned, figuring that Strand will simply try to get as far away as possible rather than pass on Alicia's warning.

"USS Pennsylvania"[]

Strand is among the residents to evacuate Valley Town and drive down to Galveston, Texas in an attempt to stop the impending missile launch. He is among the group of survivors to arrive on a hillside overseeing the beached submarine. Strand joins with the group to head down to the submarine to stop Teddy and the cult, As the group debate on what to do, Morgan prepares to go in and instructs them to kill anything that slips by him. June is against the idea of Morgan going inside alone, but he asserts that no one else needs to get hurt. Strand asks if this is about the note Morgan read, revealing that he picked it up after Morgan dropped it. He assures Morgan that he doesn't owe anyone just because Dakota saved his life, but Morgan claims it isn't about that. He says that he was halfway dead once, so he knows how to slip by the walkers.

Strand adamantly says that they will still back him up, as Alicia asked him to take care of the situation, so that's what he's going to do. John Sr. also says that he's coming, since he gave up his family to bring Teddy to justice, so he isn't about to let him succeed now. After the rest of the group enters the room, John Sr. locks the door behind them, as they wouldn't want Teddy's followers to surprise them. A few walkers follow the tapping, while the group decides to investigate as well. They come across more dead and undead crewmembers. Morgan reaches the hatch to the next room and opens it. Before he can close it behind him, Strand grabs the door, and tells Morgan the situation isn't on him. With walkers approaching, Morgan reluctantly lets Strand inside and closes the door.

Morgan then chastises Strand for coming after him, since he doesn't want anybody else to die. Strand retorts that no one has to, but Morgan exclaims that they might. Strand remembers Dakota's note said Morgan had "things left to do", and wonders if Morgan thinks this is what she meant. Morgan despairs that he'd been leading his people from one dead end to another, all the while promising them that things would get better, so he wants to make sure of it this time. Strand points out that Dakota is a sociopath, and that she wanted Morgan to kill her mother, not this. Morgan acknowledges this, but maintains that he has to be sure. Strand assures Morgan that people follow him because they want to, not because he owes them something. Morgan says that he doesn't know why Strand is still here, to which the latter recounts how Alicia asked him a difficult question at the lodge; if he was doing this for everyone or for himself. Strand concluded that he's doing it for everyone, and he needs Alicia to know that. Morgan accepts this answer, and supposes they better stop Teddy so Strand himself could tell this to Alicia.

At that point, the men notice the dosimeter clicking away, and observe the radiation steeply rising. It isn't long before they are approached by one of Teddy's undead followers that clearly died due to radiation poisoning. Strand prepares to kill it, but Morgan stops him from touching the irradiated walker. They manage to kill the walker with a knife wrapped in a rag. Morgan then scans the next hatch with his dosimeter, and sees the radiation levels in the next room are several times over the limit Grace gave him. They hear the diesel generators turning on. Morgan contacts Grace and tells her about the radiation levels in the next room, and she confirms that levels like that would kill him. Morgan asks how long he will have, to which Grace replies that it would be days. Morgan supposes that might be enough, and cuts the comms before Grace can inquire further. As walkers from the upper deck begin crashing down the hatch to the deck below them, Morgan prepares to go into the irradiated room, believing it to be the only way. Strand disagrees, as he notices that the radiation on the upper deck is a lot lower. Morgan doesn't believe they have enough time, but Strand urges him to listen to his own advice and "live". Morgan reluctantly agrees and follows Strand up the ladder.

On the upper deck, they find a bunch of walkers trapped behind a barricade, as well as an open hatch. Strand is pleased that he was right about there being another way. Suddenly the power comes back on, with Morgan noting that they must be getting closer to launch. Unfortunately, a large number of walkers come tumbling out of the open hatch, forcing the part to retreat to the bunks. While the crew quarters prove to be a dead end, Morgan discovers Riley's photo on one of the lockers, and realizes that this was how Teddy managed to commandeer the submarine. Morgan goes on to observe they have no way out. Strand is certain they'll find a way through, but Morgan points out they had one downstairs, and tells Strand that he'd proved whatever he had to prove. As the two argue, the barricade collapses, and another large group of walkers begins to converge on their location. Strand admits that Alicia's message wasn't meant for him but Morgan, and realizes now that the reason for this is because Morgan will do things Strand won't. Suddenly, Strand betrays Morgan and grabs his weapon and wrestles him to the ground, then breaks off the axe part. Strand tells Morgan that he will get his wish of no one else dying, then kicks him into the approaching herd of walkers. As Morgan wrestles with them, Strand scurries past them and through the hatch.

As Strand carefully approaches the control room, he is held at gunpoint by Dakota, who orders him to disarm. Strand observes Dakota is with Teddy now, and she confirms that he gave her something they never could. Strand implores her not to make the same mistake with him she made with John, but Dakota doesn't believe it was a mistake, and tells Strand that he won't change her mind, especially after what he just did. Strand acts puzzled, which prompts Dakota to open the comm system on the wall and make an announcement to the rest of Morgan's group, since she needs them to understand why they won't stop what's coming. Dakota says that she saved Morgan so that he could free her from her sister and give her a fresh start. And while June did the first part, the second part required something else. If she lived with them, Dakota says that she'd have to be a whole different person and fall into the ways of what Morgan wants, like all of them did. She, however, claims that Morgan's way doesn't work, as none of them even believe it. Strand asserts that isn't true, but Dakota asks if he really wants to be the person Morgan wants him to be. When Strand doesn't answer, Dakota supposes that he doesn't, and this is why he killed him.

The revelation horrifies Grace. Dakota goes on to say that it is because of people like him that the world needs to end. Strand implores the others not to listen to Dakota, while the latter laments how, right before she shot him, John told her it wasn't too late and that the world still had to have meaning. She morbidly notes that he was right, as she will make it mean something, just not the way he thought. Strand tries to appeal to Dakota once more, saying that Teddy is going to kill everyone. Dakota denies this, as she reveals that Alicia will be spared since she is a "beginning", while Strand and Dakota are "endings", so when things start again, it won't be with assholes like him. Just as Dakota is about to shoot Strand, Morgan suddenly attacks her, so the bullet only grazes Strand's arm. Morgan swiftly disarms Dakota and knocks her out. He recounts how Strand said this wasn't on him, but points out he gave them the key, and how he did it to save Grace and her baby. He exclaims that he can't let it be for nothing. He grabs the comms and lets Grace know he is alright, much to her relief, and then prepares to confront Teddy. Strand tries to talk to him, but Morgan cuts him off, and says that they will deal with what he did later, since he already cost them enough time. Morgan, however, hands him back the axe he broke off.

Morgan is trying to open the door with various keycards he took off dead officers where Strand left him. Strand supposes that his instincts were correct, since Morgan wouldn't have the cards if Strand hadn't left him, but Morgan angrily tells him to stop. Back in the control room, Teddy and Riley are ready to turn the keys and launch the missiles, while Morgan and Strand are down to their last keycard. Fortunately, it works, and they open the door just as Teddy and Riley turn their keys. Noticing the hatch is open, Riley yells for Teddy to pull the trigger, and the latter does just that. Morgan pins Teddy to the wall while Strand holds Riley at gunpoint, but the sub begins to shake violently as the launch has already commenced. Morgan orders Teddy to stop the launch, but Teddy claims that they can't, with Riley reiterating that it's inevitable.

Riley tries to grab the trigger, but is stopped by Strand. He tells Teddy that they only launched one missile, but the latter assures him it is enough to get them started. Strand asks how much time they have, to which Riley replies that it isn't enough. Strand then asks where the missile is going, to which Riley reveals that there are ten warheads on the missile, but refuses to divulge where they will land. Likewise, Teddy says the warheads will land everywhere, even the town Morgan had built. He goes on to say that he's been where Morgan is right now, and that a long time ago he was going to change everything. While a prison sentence put an end to that, Teddy didn't realize at the time that it didn't end anything. While Teddy understands this isn't what Morgan wanted, he advises him not to look at the launch as an ending, as the world will be a better place, only Morgan won't get to see it himself.

Morgan briefly considers killing him, but ultimately decides to let Teddy and Riley go. Strand says that it could have been worse, as they could have fired more missiles, but Morgan angrily blames him for their failure, saying if he'd gotten there sooner, they wouldn't have launched any missiles. Strand asserts that he did what he did to save lives, but Morgan thinks he did it for himself, so he could tell Alicia what a big hero he was. He then tells Strand to leave, and the latter obliges him, leaving Morgan to brood over his failures alone.

"The Beginning"[]

Strand is seen taking shelter in a building, where he notices walkers surrounding the building. Knowing that there is no way out and the explosion is imminent, Strand screams in horror and sadness at the fact that he may be doomed to die. Sitting down, Strand decides to accept his fate. However, he hears music coming from another room and goes to check, only to be confronted by a stranger, with the man asking about the bombs. Strand answers that soon, the bombs will hit and unless he has a safe place to hide underground, there is nothing more they could do. The stranger then lowers his gun and the two conversate. The two introduce themselves, with the stranger revealing his name as Howard, but Strand lies about his identity, telling him that his name is Morgan Jones.

Sometime later, the two look over the city and await their fates. Then, the bombs finally hit the Earth and sends a massive shockwave, which then, Strand and Howard brace themselves for the inevitable. But then, it shows that Strand and Howard are still alive and the building still intact, with the two slowly recovering from the shockwave. Strand then starts laughing due to the fact that he is alive. Strand finally reveals his true identity and how he was a conman and did whatever was necessary to survive and after all he did, he is still alive and claims this to be that Strand knows how to survive, while also mentioning that he was forced to change for better for people. Looking out, he sees this as a new opportunity to start anew and asks Howard what he thinks, but Howard remains silent, shocked at Strand's true identity.

Season 7[]

After the events of the nuclear warheads, Strand becomes the new leader of the Tower, with Howard becoming Strand's right-hand man.

"The Beacon"[]

Upon being escorted to the top floor of the building, Will manages to break free from his captors and lock a gate to prevent them from coming after him. Finding himself in a room filled with antiques, he picks up a sword to defend himself when Strand appears from behind and holds him at gunpoint. Strand and Howard interrogate Will as he devours a plate of spaghetti. Will says he was a senator's aide before the fall, and that he used to belong to a settlement. He says the only people he has seen have been the Stalkers who kill and strip the dead.

Strand takes Will on a tour of his tower, which he has developed into a community. Will sees a wall of dead walker photos. Strand says some tower residents have lost loved ones, and that his rangers track them down and photograph them to give his residents closure. Strand shows Will the rooftop garden, and says he built the community using his instincts. Will comments on Strand's brazen confidence. Strand decides not to admit Will into his community, because he does not share Strand's vision. Will gives Strand a medallion as a parting gift. Strand recognizes it as the medallion he gave to Alicia, and offers to let Will stay at the tower if he shows Strand where he found the medallion.

Strand, Will, and a posse of rangers head out to find Alicia. Strand asks why Will hasn't returned to his settlement. Will says he was kicked out, but that he's been trying to find a way to make it up to his people. It starts to rain. Will tells everyone to put their masks back on, since rain pulls contaminants out of the air. Will takes the posse to his van, which is under a sheltered overpass. Will asks Strand why he left his safe tower to look for her. Strand says he never mentioned the medallion's owner was a woman, and realizes Will has been lying to him.

Stalkers attack the posse. Strand and Will hide in the van. Strand asks Will where Alicia is, but Will insists he doesn't know Alicia. Strand sees a business card for the Franklin Hotel, and guesses that's where Teddy took Alicia. Will finally admits that he knows Alicia. Strand says he wants to find Alicia to show her that she was wrong. He jumps out of the van and rides off on his horse.

Strand reaches the lighthouse. Inside he finds a map to the Franklin Hotel. Will corners Strand at the lighthouse. Strand says he wants to find Alicia to show her that his instincts can be right. Will observes that the tower residents fear Strand, and that he can't lead a community on his own. Strand tackles Will, but Will escapes and goes outside. He finds the lighthouse surrounded by walkers, and recognizes the walkers as residents of Alicia's bunker. Strand grabs an axe to kill the walkers. Will pours fuel into a generator to power the lighthouse beacon, providing light to fight the walkers.

Strand starts killing walkers. The generator loses power, leaving Strand to fight in the darkness. Will joins Strand and helps slaughter all the walkers. Strand says Alicia was not among the walkers. Strand and Will ride to the Franklin and find a pile of rubble. They enter the bunker, but it's long deserted. Will guesses the bunker was not destroyed by Stalkers, since the place has not been looted. He reads a note that Alicia left for him. "Padre," it says. Will tells Strand that "padre" represents the possibility of something better. He says he'd hoped he would find it first, so that Alicia would not have to. Strand realizes that Will loved Alicia and says that maybe Alicia will find her way to them.

Strand and Will bring the lighthouse beacon to the tower. A walker sees the beacon and heads toward it. Strand, Howard, and Will stand on the tower roof, where the beacon is shining. Walkers gather in the parking lot below, attracted to the light. Will predicts Alicia will follow the light and find them. Strand remarks that leaders fail when they are too attached to people.

Upon setting it up, Strand reveals it's to keep Alicia away, and Will says it will do the opposite, to which Strand disagrees and throws him off the building, claiming that Alicia will want nothing to do with him after this. Howard asks if he should send a ranger to photograph Will, but Strand says no one is looking for him. Howard says the light may draw Strand's old friends. Strand says they will have to get through the walkers.

"Cindy Hawkins"[]

John wakes up in a bedroom at Strand's tower. June says they were rescued after someone heard his radio messages. Strand checks in on John. John refuses to join Strand after he tried to kill Morgan. Strand says they don't have a choice. John asks who the strangers in the gas masks were. Strand says John can help him figure that out. He pours drinks and toasts to their future. John declines his drink. After Strand leaves, June shows John a large horde of walkers surrounding the tower. She says that escaping isn't even an option.

When Morgan arrives at the bunker searching for his friends, Strand contacts him on the radio, revealing that June and John are safely with him. He says Morgan failed as a leader and that he intends to build the kind of world that Morgan couldn't, which Morgan encourages him to. However, Morgan vows to kill Strand if he finds out that Strand is hurting his friends. Strand is unconcerned by his threats, telling him to "bring it".

"Breathe With Me"[]

Strand and Howard ambush Morgan, Sarah and Josiah when they arrive at a platform on the outskirts of Strand's tower. Strand confirms that Wendell is living at the tower, but refuses to allow Sarah, Morgan or Josiah into his community. He offers to let Wendell come out to see Sarah, but warns that he would not allow Wendell to return. Worried that Wendell would leave the tower if he knew she had been there, Sarah begs Strand not to tell Wendell that she came for him. Strand agrees, then leaves.

"Till Death"[]

When Dwight and Sherry respond to a distress call, they are ambushed and held at gunpoint by Howard and his men. Howard tells them he was sent to look for them, before his group bags their heads and takes them to the Tower. At the Tower, Strand enjoys leisure time by hitting golf balls into the outside horde of walkers. Howard approaches him with Dwight and Sherry, presenting them as the "Dark Horses". Strand hysterically laughs in response. Taking the two through the Tower, he shows them a wall of polaroid images of corpses and walkers, meant to give closure to anyone looking for lost family. He tells them he has been retrieving members of the group, such as Dorie Sr, June, and Wendell, and offers them residency in the tower if they find a lost member of the tower, Mickey, saying she left looking for her husband. Initially denying the quest, Dwight and Sherry and forced out of the Tower.

Later, Dwight, Sherry, and Mickey return to the Larson family's cellar, finding them all dead. After separating, Dwight encounters Eli, and after overpowering him, finds polaroid images on him of the deceased Larson family, identical to the pictures on Strand's wall. Dwight attempts to question if Strand paid him to kill the Larsons before allowing him to be devoured by walkers. Later, when Sherry and Mickey are encircled by walkers, the two prepare to call Strand for assistance until Dwight arrives and tells them that Strand had the Larson family killed, perhaps to convince them that the only way to survive was to join him, and that he would rather die fighting than join Strand.

"The Portrait"[]

Strand sits still while a woman paints his portrait at the tower. He orders the artist to paint him the way he sees himself, not the way she sees him. Howard brings Strand the intake phone to speak with Arno, a prospective resident who offers his carpentry skills. Strand says they already have someone with Arno's skill set, then hangs up on him. Throughout the week, Strand takes calls from prospective residents while he sits for his portrait. He rejects everyone. Howard suggests Strand at least meet some of the people, but Strand says he's following his instincts. One day, Howard tells Strand they have a caller that Strand will want to see with his own eyes.

From the roof, Strand sees Morgan and Mo at the intake platform. Morgan tells Strand that Mo is sick and begs for medical help. Strand sends him away. The painter finally finishes Strand's portrait. Strand stares at it and hears walker sounds in his head. Strand hurls the portrait off the roof. He orders Howard to find Morgan and grant him entry into the tower.

Inside the tower, Strand asks Morgan why he came. Morgan says he had no choice when Mo fell ill. Strand pours a drink for himself and Morgan and starts to demand a favor. They're interrupted when a walker slams into the window. Strand sees a group of assailants flinging walkers at the building with a catapult. Another walker is catapulted through the window, followed by a large explosion that rocks the building. Howard runs in and says their assailants, the "Stalkers", want to talk to Strand.

Strand gets on the intake phone and speaks to the leader of the Stalkers: it's Arno. Arno says that he stuffed pieces of a leaking nuclear warhead into some of the walkers. He threatens to fling contaminated walkers at the tower unless Strand grants his group residency. He gives Strand an hour to decide. After hanging up, Strand doubles over in pain and gasps for breath. Strand wakes up in bed and insists he was poisoned. Howard radios John Sr. for a status update from the roof.

John Sr. aims his rifle at the Stalkers, but warns that shooting them would cause a massive explosion. Morgan offers to radio Grace for help, but Strand says there are no radios in the tower. Morgan implores Strand to relay a message to the armory, where the walkies are located. Strand reluctantly agrees. Howard tries to radio the armory, but the line has been severed. Arno flings another walker at the tower as a warning after spotting John Sr.'s gun. Strand vomits blue liquid. June realizes he was indeed poisoned.

Strand tells Howard and John Sr. that there's a traitor in the tower and insists on going to the armory himself to radio Grace. He lets slip that he turned Sarah away from the tower, much to Wendell's surprise. Strand takes Mo and refuses to give her back unless Morgan accompanies him to the armory. Morgan shimmies down the cable of an elevator shaft to reach the armory. Strand comforts Mo as she cries, then lowers her down to Morgan. Strand asks Morgan to find Alicia and says that he didn't personally look for her because he doesn't think Alicia wants to be found by him.

Strand wakes up almost fully recovered from the poisoning and finds June and Morgan at his side. Morgan says Grace and Sarah helped overtake the Stalkers. Strand realizes Morgan could have left him for dead and says maybe they'll find Alicia together. Morgan holds out his hand to help Strand up. Strand sees a blue stain on Morgan's thumb and realizes that Morgan poisoned his drink with methylene blue. He attacks Morgan. Morgan holds Strand over the edge of the elevator shaft, but Howard shows up and abducts Morgan at gunpoint.

Rangers hold Morgan over the edge of the roof. Grace calls to warn Strand that some of the radioactive walkers joined the herd around the tower and will either explode or leak radiation. She offers to remove the irradiated walkers in exchange for Morgan's life. Strand agrees but says she and Mo must live at the tower. He orders rangers to retrieve his painting. Strand stares at the salvaged painting, now darkened with dirt and grime, and says this is the way people need to see him. He orders Howard to bring Mo so that she can get used to her new father and has Morgan leave the tower.

"PADRE"[]

As Alicia and Morgan follow Elias Vasquez's Walker, Strand's rangers fire shots at the two, declaring they only want Morgan since he tried to murder Strand. Minutes later the two get Vasquez up to a cliff, in the background Strand shouts at his rangers to hold their fire. After Vasquez is thrown into the water, Strand dismounts his horse and takes off his mask, telling Alicia to "Not do it" in reference to her jumping into water below. Victor smugly says to Morgan "I see that you found her" and Morgan responds by saying "she really didn't want to see you", which results in Strand taking a shot at Morgan but missing as he jumps into the water below with Alicia.

Not too much longer after that Strand and his rangers locate Alicia and Morgan, Strand immediately asks about Vasquez's walker and aims his sword at the walker but puts it back into the sheath after Alicia warns him not to kill him. Alicia tells Strand that she knows about the tower, and Strand flaunts about how what he built has worked and is better than anything they've ever had before. Despite how confident he seemed moments ago. Strand tells Alicia he can't do it alone and tells her she's the only person left he can trust; however, Alicia quickly shuts him down by asking if he's sure about that, and declining Strand offer about joining. This irritates him, ending in him telling Alicia that PADRE is a myth, and telling her that many people showed up at The Tower because they almost died looking for PADRE, and Strand warns her not to make the same mistake. After Alicia once again refuses to come to the tower with Strand, he becomes angered and orders the rangers to kill Morgan and Vasquez in which causes Alicia to quickly jump in front of the walker, causing him to bite down on her prosthetic arm. Strand urgently tells the rangers to stand back which they do, his demeanor and attitude quickly change into shame and fear, apologizing and telling her he didn't want it to go down like this. After that, Strand and his rangers leave.

Later that night, Morgan and Alicia follow Vasquez's' walker which takes them to Strand's Tower. As Alicia stares in disbelief, Morgan asks if she wants to come back to the submarine with her which she declines, telling him they won't be safe in there with her infection still inside her. Not too long after, Strand comes up to the two and tells Alicia she belongs at the tower since the walker brought them both here. Strand and Alicia make a promise with each other, that he will take everyone from the group in except her. Right after they make the promise, Alicia spots Will as a walker. Alicia stares in disbelief before slowly crouching down and putting down will, slowly turning to Strand and demanding answers about how he got here and why he killed him. Strand responds by saying it was the only way the tower could be built, but Alicia asks how killing him would help, which he shouts that because he said he loved her.

Alicia declares war on Strand, threatening to take the tower from him which he replies by saying he'll protect it if he has to.

"Sonny Boy"[]

In fear of an approaching rebellion. Strand sits on top of the tower holding baby Mo while Howard and his rangers proceed to throw multiple people off of the roof after finding hidden walkies stashed away in their rooms, one of the people who have a walkie is revealed to be Howard. John uses this as an opportunity to gain Strand's trust to become his new righthand man, stepping into Strand's office and beginning to talk to him about how Strand should run the tower,

Later that night during a thunderstorm, Strand and John stands at the top of the tower while a ranger holds Howard halfway off the roof while Strand tells Howard that he no longer fits the list of people he can trust, ready to kill even his closest ally during his paranoid state. Howard convinces Strand that someone planted the walkie, although Strand doesn't believe it, he chooses to spare Howard. Before the situation escalates, the phone rings and Strand tells John to answer it, and it is revealed that baby Mo is missing from her crib.

Strand belittles Mo's nanny, saying infants can't vanish in thin air. Howard steps in and says he will find Mo, Strand states he doesn't trust Howard but gives him a chance to find her before sunrise, otherwise he will throw him off the roof. As Howard leaves the room, Victor has a word with John and entrusts him with finding Mo, telling him he's seen the dory spirit in action and references when John built a raft from a broken down truck just to get back to his wife June. Strand tells John that the tower is his future, his legacy, but John tells him that legacy can easily slip away by making one wrong move.

When Strand and Howard find John and June with baby Mo in the sewers, Strand shoots the walkers surrounding them and stays silent, listening to Howard explain how he found all of them. Howard presents Strand with baby Mo exclaiming proudly that he found her, however Strand quickly shuts him down and states that John found her instead.

Strand sits on the roof of The Tower looking at both Howard and John as rain pours down on them all, telling them that they're trying to build a civilization here and how a civilization can't stand without unified people. He asks them both of they believe in it and the two plead their case. Strand reminds John that he said he believed in this place, and to prove his loyalty he needs to throw Howard off of the edge. Howard once again tells Strand the walkie wasn't his and John admits that he planted the walkie in order to gain an audience with Strand. He is amused by this, laughing loudly and taking that as John truly being invested in the Tower, but still forces him to Howard off of the edge, and threatens to kill June and Grace if he doesn't comply. With the motivation given to him by Strand, John throws Howard off the edge of the tower, killing him instantly. As John looks down at the edge, Strand tells John that Howard's family was found dead months ago, and John questions why he didn't tell the truth. He uses this an excuse to drive Howard to be more loyal. Strand tells John he can have Howard's office before smiling and walking off with his rangers back inside The Tower

The next morning, Strand comes into John's office as he's drinking and asks him to pour a glass while setting baby Mo down in a crib. The two have a toast to their future, and after that Strand looks around the room and tells John that he can throw away all of Howard's stuff if he so pleases. Strand puts a record on, putting it loudly so no one can hear them discuss what they're about to talk about. Strand tells John that he knew John and Grace were in on John's plan and then tells him he's taking "Sole custody" of Mo. John then tells Strand that he will never receive Mo's love, reflecting on his own choices with his son John, and Strand responds by reminding him about what happened with his son. Strand looks out from the window as John comes to the conclusion that Strand was never going to listen to anything he had to say. John tells him this and Strand tells him that everybody needs something to keep them driven, once again saying that the tower will be his legacy. John pistol whips Strand and knocks him out, taking Mo out of the crib and gearing up in Howards armor he had lying around to go into a horde of walkers to get her to Morgan.

During this, Strand and Wes stand on the roof of The Tower looking at John as walkers surround him. He accepts Wes as his new partner and tells him to go get an antenna in storage and bring it to him. Strand watches John get eaten alive with a blank expression, grabbing the walkie from Wes and telling Morgan that he may have won the battle today, but the war is just beginning and he threatens to kill June and Grace, but offers anyone listening to join The Tower.

"Divine Providence"[]

In the Tower, Strand shaves his beard off as music plays in the background. The Lead Ranger brings the news that Alicia is here for him, which a pleased Strand calls divine providence. On the roof, an excited Strand tells Wes that today is one of those days where one must wipe the slate clean, and Wes warns him that Alicia didn't come alone. Through binoculars, Strand sees Morgan's Group - now including both Alicia's Group and the former Stalkers - surrounding the platform with Alicia, Daniel, Luciana, Sarah, Jacob Kessner, Dwight, Sherry and several others gathered on the platform itself.

Strand contacts Alicia, noting that although she brought company, Morgan isn't amongst them. Alicia reveals that Morgan is somewhere safe where Strand won't find him with Mo and Strand accuses Morgan of being a coward who ran for the hills. Strand tells Alicia that it's auspicious of her to show up like this as Strand was already going to call Alicia to talk. Strand invites Alicia in to have a drink with him and she asks if this is him waving the white flag. Strand simply states that they'll talk about that on the inside and he again invites Alicia in for a drink, just the two of them. With a look at her friends, Alicia accepts Strand's offer, and they hang up. Wes questions what Strand is doing, but Strand simply claims that he has it covered. Wes looks doubtful, and reminds Strand that he drove Alicia away for a reason and Strand could lose everything that he built by letting her inside of the Tower. Strand promises Wes that he won't, and he orders Wes to retrieve a bottle of wine for them from cold storage. As Wes leaves, Strand orders one of his guards to be ready when the sun goes down.

Strand greets Alicia and a struggling Daniel in the lobby, noting that Daniel wasn't invited. The Lead Ranger explains that Daniel pushed through the barrier and nearly broke Stern's neck. Alicia reassures Strand that she didn't ask Daniel to come while Daniel demands to see Ofelia. Strand is confused and Alicia admits that Daniel isn't doing well. Strand orders Daniel taken to the basement, reassuring Alicia that he won't harm Daniel because "that's what the roof is for. We're just gonna put him on a little time out." Alicia explains that Luciana had lied to Daniel and told him that Ofelia was in the Tower, but Wes reveals that he had already told Strand. Pouring them a drink, Wes tells Alicia that she can pretend to be outraged all she wants about his betrayal, but at the end of the day, Alicia, Luciana and Morgan are just like Strand, but at least Strand owns what he does. Alicia reminds her former friend that Wes wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for her, but Strand points out that he saved Wes too, causing Wes to ask which one of them he owes his life to as a result. While Strand is pleased that they're reunited at last, Wes is furious as Alicia and her friends left him to die in the Franklin Hotel bunker.

Strand dismisses Wes and offers Alicia the grand tour and to share their drinks in the comfort of his penthouse, but Alicia refuses. Strand offers a toast to new beginnings, but Alicia guesses that they have very different ideas about what that means. Strand notices that Alicia is wearing the St. Christopher medal that he gave her and Alicia explains that she took it off of Will's body when she buried him following Strand's murder of her friend. Strand notes that it still means something to Alicia regardless and Alicia reminds Strand of what he said when Strand gave it back to her at Lawton: "you said you needed to forget who you were. For you, for me, for all of us. Was it worth it?" Strand claims that it was absolutely worth it, although Strand argues that he didn't forget who he was, he embraced it.

While Strand knows what Alicia must think of him, he states that their story isn't over, but Alicia tells Strand that, in one way or another, he won't be running the Tower after today. However, Strand tells Alicia that this isn't about today, but rather tomorrow and that everything that he's done since that last night in Lawton was in hopes that it would lead them here. "To what? Me and an army of people who you pissed off, shit on and left to die?" questions an incredulous Alicia adding that they're ready to kick Strand's ass. Strand suddenly orders his men to "do it," and to cut the phone on the platform as he doesn't want anyone warning Alicia's people. While Alicia has her army, Strand has one of his own. "There's a herd of walkers trapped in one of the craters from the blast, soaking up some nasty stuff for months. I just told my Rangers to lead them here." The generator starts to power Strand's lighthouse beacon and draw the dead and kill Alicia's army. Alicia tries to escape, but she is almost instantly recaptured. Strand is sure that Alicia will come around eventually, stating that when he first lit the beacon, it was to keep Alicia out. Now, the beacon's purpose is to keep her trapped in the Tower. On the roof, one of the Rangers turns on the beacon, and another scans the horizon as the sound of walkers can be heard in the distance.

Alicia desperately bangs on the doors, calling for her people to fall back and get inside, but Strand informs Alicia that they can't hear her. Alicia demands that Strand turn off the light as he's going to kill them, but Strand refuses as the others were never a part of his vision for the Tower. Strand believes that once they build the Tower into what it can be, Alicia will understand. Strand orders Wes to take Alicia downstairs until this is all over and to take Daniel to the roof to make an example out of him. Wes is sorry that he ever doubted Strand, but Alicia removes the glove on her prosthetic arm, attacks the two Rangers guarding her, slices Wes and holds the blade on her arm to Strand before grabbing his gun. Holding Strand hostage, Alicia demands that Wes turn off the light, but Strand warns him that Alicia's army will wipe them out if he does and everything that Strand has built will be gone. Wes refuses to budge, so Alicia decides to do it herself despite Strand's warnings that he has 50 Rangers between the lobby and the light ready to do what he says to protect the Tower. However, Alicia doesn't believe that they will while she has a gun to Strand's head and she forces Strand into the elevator with her, leaving Wes and the other two Rangers behind.

In the elevator, Strand tries to convince Alicia that she's only delaying the inevitable, but she refuses to relent. The elevator stops on the third floor, having been shut down by the Rangers and Strand refuses to override it even when Alicia threatens to kill him, confident that she can't stop what's coming. Alicia questions if Strand would rather die than give the Tower up, but Strand believes that she won't kill him. Wes bangs on the doors of the elevator and Alicia hits the emergency stop button to keep him from getting in. Strand insists that he's doing this for Alicia's own good, but Alicia accuses Strand of only doing this for himself. "You're doing what Teddy did -- locking me up, while you destroy the things I care about. And I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told him. I'm not making the world the way you want it to be."

Alicia tries to escape through the celling panel, but she becomes dizzy and collapses, allowing Strand to disarm her and pull his sword on Alicia. Strand knows that Alicia feels this way right now, but he believes that they have a long future ahead of them. Alicia tells him that they don't, sarcastically asking Strand if it looks like she has a lot of time left. Strand assumes that she just has a fever, and he tells Alicia that the Tower has a fully stocked infirmary with antibiotics and other medicine. However, Alicia already knows that it won't work because she's tried everything and her illness is just getting worse. Strand desperately suggests that June will be able to figure something out, but Alicia knows that no one survives what she's been through. Alicia isn't afraid to die, but she refuses to let it end like this for everyone else. As Wes continues banging on the doors and calling out to Strand, Alicia pleads with him to turn off the light, promising that she will call off her army if he does. Looking at the medal that he gave her, a hesitant Strand states that her word isn't good enough, and Alicia questions what will be. Strand asks Alicia to spend what little time she has left in the Tower with him so that Strand can show Alicia that she's wrong about him, and Alicia allows Strand to help her to her feet, accepting the deal.

The doors open to Wes and four Rangers, but Strand orders them to stand down. Wes prepares to take Alicia downstairs, but Strand reveals that he has made a deal with Alicia: Strand will turn off the light in exchange for a ceasefire. Wes is shocked, accusing Alicia of playing Strand and telling him that Alicia's forces have them surrounded and, the second they turn off the light, they're done. However, Strand believes that Wes is wrong since Alicia has also agreed to live in the Tower with him. Wes is incredulous that Strand believes that Alicia will just accept that after all that he's done, but Strand's instincts tell him that he's right. Strand points out that listening to his instincts has made the Tower what it is and Strand won't stop listening to them now.

Pulling a gun on Strand, Wes refuses to let him do this, calling Alicia Strand's blind spot. Wes is insistent that someone has to protect what Strand has built and he will do it if Strand won't. Strand points out that Wes is outnumbered, and Wes asks the Rangers with them if they want to give all of this up and go back to living outside because of Strand's instincts, the same instincts that lost them the baby and the safety of the walker moat and told Strand to bring Alicia inside. The Rangers turn their guns on Strand and Alicia, betraying Strand in favor of Wes. "No. No, we can't trust your instincts, Strand. Not anymore. You wanna turn that light off... you gotta go through us. It's over. For the both of you."

Stating that he never should've let Wes in, Strand lowers his gun, seemingly in surrender. However, as the Rangers move to grab Strand and Alicia, Strand suddenly opens fire on Wes and a Fire Extinguisher, killing one of the Rangers and creating a smokescreen that allows Strand and Alicia to escape into a stairwell as the Rangers shoot at them and miss. Alicia tells Strand that they need to warn the others, but Strand knows that the Rangers will be guarding the doors like hawks as well as the tunnel. Alicia points out that they can't make it to the roof on their own, but Strand suggests that they may have one ally left and he leads Alicia downstairs.

Over the comms, Wes orders the Lead Ranger to kill Daniel, telling the confused man that Strand's not in charge anymore. The Ranger questions what's going on up above, but Wes states that he's got it handled and that they can't take any chances, so the man needs to take Daniel out. However, Daniel sneaks up behind the Ranger and begins strangling him with the chain of his handcuffs. Daniel mockingly tells the Ranger "do you know why this is happening to you? It's never too late to learn new things. When you handcuff a person, you put their hands in the back, not the front." Daniel digs his handcuffs into the side of the man's neck so hard that his jugular vein is ruptured before he dies. Daniel then uses the man's keys to remove his handcuffs and he takes the Ranger's gun.

Strand and Alicia enter Daniel's cell and Daniel aims his gun at Strand. Alicia tells an incredulous Daniel that Strand's helping them, but Daniel believes that Strand is lying to them. Strand warns Daniel that the beacon light is drawing a herd to the Tower and, if they can't turn it off, everyone outside is going to die. Daniel tells Strand to call off his dogs, but Strand reveals that they no longer work for him, and Alicia explains that they need Daniel's help to get past the Rangers to the roof. However, Daniel refuses to help anyone until he sees Ofelia who he believes is in the Tower. Alicia tries to remind Daniel what happened in Mexico, how Strand had helped Daniel to search for Ofelia and was going to reunite them, but Ofelia got sick and Daniel didn't get there in time. Daniel experiences flashbacks of going to Mexico with Strand and he remembers that while Ofelia was sick, Strand never reunited them, and they never found her because Strand kept lying. In his delusional state, Daniel continues to believe that Ofelia is alive and in the Tower and that Strand knows where she is. Strand finally lies that Ofelia is on the top floor, pleasing Daniel that his daughter is in the penthouse, annoying Alicia. "She's there. We just need you to help us get to her," claims Strand. Finally, Daniel lowers his gun and agrees.

As they ascend a stairwell, Daniel kills a Ranger that he encounters and continues on alone to take out anyone that heard the shot while Strand and Alicia hang back. Alicia questions what the plan is and Strand reveals that he had locked June, Grace and Wendell on the top floor after Mo's escape. Alicia asks what Strand thinks is going to happen when Daniel realizes that Ofelia isn't in the Tower, but Strand believe that it won't matter because when June, Grace and Wendell are freed and on their side, Daniel will have to relent. Strand insists that he's only finishing what Luciana started and he's willing to continue the manipulation of Daniel if it's what keep the Tower standing despite Alicia's protests that it will destroy Daniel. "Alicia, I know you must think I'm a monster, but I'm the same man I've always been. I've just stopped apologizing for it." Alicia asks if Strand actually believes that, and he insists that he does and that so will Alicia which is the reason that Strand is willing to turn off the light: Strand wants Alicia to see that everything that he's done is worth it. Daniel kills another Ranger, but Alicia nearly collapses from her illness and Strand insists upon getting her to the infirmary for treatment rather than continuing up. Although reluctant, Daniel agrees to the change in plan.

In the infirmary, Daniel exchanges fire with two Rangers as Strand treats Alicia, killing both Rangers. Strand finds epinephrine which June used when Strand was poisoned which will be helpful to Alicia. As Strand gathers medicine, Daniel notices a list of the Tower residents which doesn't have Ofelia's name on it. After a moment, Strand admits that Ofelia isn't on the top floor and that he'd only told him that because he knew that it was the only way that Daniel would help him. Claiming that he can help Daniel now and, Strand leads Daniel to Charlie, claiming that she's his daughter. However, Daniel is not fooled, and he continues to demand to know where Ofelia is.

Strand reiterates that Ofelia had died in Mexico and that Luciana had lied to Daniel for the same reason that Strand did: so that Daniel had something to fight for. Daniel is disgusted by Strand's lies, but Strand insists that "I'm trying to save the closest thing I have to a daughter. Surely you can understand that, Daniel. Ofelia's gone. But it's not as if you have nothing left. Charlie. She means something to you. She's sick. She doesn't have much time left." Angrily yelling that Charlie isn't his daughter, Daniel pistol-whips Strand and prepares to kill him. Alicia weakly calls out to Daniel to stop, suggesting that Daniel can do for Charlie what he couldn't for Ofelia and be there for her. As Daniel starts to cry, Charlie calls out to him as well and Daniel orders her to look away, not wanting this to be what she remembers of him. Strand and Alicia implore Daniel to be the man that he wanted Ofelia to see, and Daniel has several flashbacks of Ofelia, including embracing Ofelia after her death. Finally snapped out of his fugue state, Daniel relents and lowers his gun.

Strand injects Alicia with adrenaline as Daniel sits with Charlie. Strand thanks Alicia, knowing that Daniel would've killed him if Alicia hadn't appealed to his better angels. Alicia asks what happened to Charlie and Strand explains that it's radiation exposure that's worse than what Alicia was exposed to. They think that it was alpha particles from the same walkers that are on their way to the Tower. According to June and Grace, Charlie may only have a couple of weeks left to live. Strand sadly confirms that there's nothing that can be done for Charlie. Strand calls it even more reason to preserve the Tower so that Charlie can spend those weeks in here rather than outside. Strand and Alicia prepare to go, but Daniel refuses to leave Charlie's side because she needs him. Daniel asks if they can still go up to the roof, and Charlie encourages him to go, but Daniel wants to be with Charlie and Strand and Alicia leave without him. Charlie apologizes for not being Ofelia, but Daniel tells her not to be. Charlie helped him remember why Daniel wanted to find Ofelia before she died and being with Charlie is helping Daniel to think more clearly.

Strand leads Alicia to an armory, explaining that the Rangers had stashed weapons on every floor after Arno's attack so that they'd be prepared in case anyone was planning an encore. Strand gives Alicia a gun and she asks if Strand had meant what he'd said to Daniel about Alicia being the closest thing that he has to a daughter. "He and I wanted the same thing. I needed him to know that," confirms Strand. As they arm themselves, Alicia tells Strand that he did make Daniel see it and it wasn't just Alicia that had talked him down. Strand fondly recalls that they used to do this sort of thing all of the time, saving people, and Alicia sarcastically reminds Strand that Wes was one of them. While it's been a while, Strand thinks that despite everything, he and Alicia still make a pretty good team. Alicia guesses that they'll find out before hearing the sounds of searching Rangers nearby. Alicia worries that there are way more Rangers than them and that the Rangers will see them coming, but Strand pulls out tear gas grenades as a solution.

In the stairwell, Strand and Alicia deploy the tear gas while wearing gas masks. Alicia worries that they're flying blind, but Strand points out that the Rangers are even worse off than them. Strand tells Alicia that he'll clear the stairwell while Alicia stays behind to clear any stragglers, but she's doubtful that this plan is going to work although Strand states that this isn't his first time walking into the unknown. Strand charges up the stairs and, in a hail of gunfire amongst the tear gas, kills the Ranger guarding it and calls to Alicia that it's clear and to head to the 6th floor.

Strand emerges from the stairwell, where he is confronted by Wes and five Rangers who comments on Strand's use of tear gas against the Rangers. Wes recalls how on the day they first met there was tear gas involved too, but a great deal has changed since then, including the two of them and Alicia. Wes knows that Strand wants to believe the best in Alicia, admitting that he did too, but we are who we are. Wes tells Strand that he's come so far, and he urges Strand to finish what he started and protect what he's built at the Tower. "It's honest. It's real. It -- it doesn't try to be something that's not possible. Do not throw it all away for her," urges Wes. Stating that he's not, Strand rushes back into the stairwell which Alicia has yet to emerge from, much to Wes' frustration.

Inside, Strand finds a weak Alicia sitting on the stairs because the adrenaline is starting to wear off. Alicia admits that she's surprised that Strand came back for her, and Strand tells her of course he would and about how the last time he was in a fog like this, he was with Will. While Strand gave Will plenty of reasons to leave him out there, he didn't because Will knew that Strand was trying to find her. On the landing above them, Wes tells Strand and Alicia that he can't let them do this and they open fire, forcing Strand and Alicia to flee.

Strand and Alicia barricade themselves in a room, knowing that they don't have enough ammo to defeat the Rangers. The two take cover as Wes and his men shoot through the door at them, and Wes calls for them to come out. Strand apologizes to Alicia, telling her that he had just wanted to have a clean slate and for them to rebuild together, but Strand thought that they had more time to heal and mend. As Wes begins to break through the door, an emotional Strand admits that "Will made me realize something that I should've told you a long time ago. That I love you, Alicia. You're the closest thing to family that I have left. That's what this is about. That's what it was always about. I just wanted to... prove something to you. I hoped that this place would show you the -- the man that I am. Everything I've done, everything that it's cost me... that it was worth it... because if it didn't... then it was for nothing."

Wes and two Rangers break in and Strand and Alicia, with no other choice, surrender. Alicia pleads with Wes not to do this as the people outside don't deserve to die, but an unmoved Wes tells her that the people in the Tower don't deserve to die either and that while Alicia might want to save everyone, she can't. Strand tells Wes that Alicia will call off her army if they turn off the light, leaving Wes incredulous that Strand honestly still believes that. Wes remembers how he'd told Strand and Alicia on the day they met that "people are people", admitting that he'd thought that they were the exception to that rule. However, Wes now knows that no one is, and he thought that Strand understood that and that it was the reason that he had kept Alicia far away from the Tower. Strand now believes that that was a mistake and that the Tower won't be weaker if they help people outside, it will make it stronger instead.

Wes produces a transmitter that he found in Alicia's bag as proof that Strand is wrong, shocking him. Wes questions why Alicia brought that in out of all of the things that she could've brought, and Alicia admits that she brought it from the bunker to broadcast a message from the roof. There are people out there that need help, help that they thought that they could find with PADRE. Alicia is convinced that there is no PADRE out there so she thought that she could use the transmitter so that she could build PADRE at the Tower. "I told you I'm not afraid to die. But this place... will live long after I'm gone." However, Wes insists that Alicia is just lying to Strand like Luciana lied to Daniel and that the transmitter is the real reason that Alicia wants to go to the roof. Wes thinks that Alicia is just telling Strand what she needs to so that she can get what she wants. If Alicia sends that message, she will draw more people to the Tower, and they won't stand a chance. Wes prepares to have his men execute Strand and Alicia to protect the Tower against Strand's objections.

Suddenly, Daniel appears and shoots the two Rangers dead before Wes shoots Daniel in the left shoulder, causing Daniel to drop his gun, giving Alicia the chance to grab one of the Rangers' machine guns and enter into a standoff with Wes. Daniel reassures Alicia that he's fine and she tells him he has to warn the others with Strand directing Daniel to where June, Grace and Wendell are locked in an apartment on the 6th floor. Alicia orders Daniel to free their friends and then to warn the others to get away from the herd. Moving closer, Wes threatens to kill Alicia if he does it, unwilling to let Alicia stop the herd. An emotional Alicia reminds Wes that she and Strand had saved his life once before and he'd used to believe in them, and Alicia asks Wes to believe in them again. Suddenly, Strand stabs Wes through the chest with his sword, killing Wes. A shocked Alicia asks why Strand would do that and Strand tells her that it was "the same reason I built the Tower the way I did. So you wouldn't have to. He wasn't gonna stand down, and we're running out of time. Let's go turn that light off." Strand runs off and, after a last look at Wes' body, Alicia follows him, leaving Daniel behind to warn the others.

Outside, Dwight puts down a walker that is drawn to the Tower by the beacon. Dwight is worried since Alicia should've been out by now and Luciana points out that they can't wait much longer with Sarah agreeing that as long as the beacon is on, walkers will be on them. Sherry notices that someone is coming as Daniel arrives with June, Grace and Wendell. An emotional Sarah reunites with her brother for the first time in months and Dwight and Jacob question what's going on inside of the Tower and how the four got past the Rangers. Daniel tells everyone that while he doesn't have time to explain, they all need to get back inside of the Tower immediately. Grace asks about Morgan, but Sherry reassures her that Morgan had followed Grace's request and took Mo somewhere safe, but they don't know where.

Daniel warns everyone that they need to hurry as the beacon light is drawing the dead from the crater to the Tower. In Spanish, Luciana asks if he's sure and Daniel confirms it, telling Luciana rather pointedly that he's not a liar. Dwight asks how far they are, but Daniel isn't sure, revealing that Alicia and Strand are turning the light off as they speak. "Vic and AC are on the same team? What the hell did we miss?" quips Sarah. Daniel begins leading everyone inside of the Tower and brushes off June's attempts to patch him up, wanting her to tend to Charlie first. Daniel explains to a confused Luciana in Spanish that Strand had tried to convince him that Charlie is Ofelia, continuing what Luciana had started. Luciana apologizes for her actions, and a confused Daniel asks why she did it. Luciana admits that she thought that it was the only way before three Rangers open fire from the roof, killing two members of the group and sending the rest ducking for cover behind the platform. The group desperately returns fire as Wendell notices the herd approaching and he realizes that the Rangers are trying to box them out, forcing them to move out of cover.

On the roof, Strand kills two of the Rangers from behind while Alicia kills the third, ending the gunfire from the roof. Strand and Alicia notice five Rangers below charging at their friends and Strand guesses that the Rangers guarding the tunnel must've circled around. Knowing that the others are sitting ducks and seeing that the walkers are almost here, Alicia orders Strand to turn off the light while she gives the others as much cover as she can. Alicia shoots the five Rangers, but Strand hesitates to turn off the light. Strand realizes that Alicia is never going to forgive him, that even if Strand turns it off and helps Alicia to save everyone, the damage has already been done.

Stating that they don't have time for this, Alicia charges Strand, but he throws her into a cable, severing it and damaging the light. Strand angrily states that it was never going to be enough to make Alicia love him, but Alicia tells him that it could've been, but Strand ruined it by killing Wes. An emotional Strand insists that he didn't have a choice, but Alicia angrily accuses him of always having a choice and making the wrong ones. Although Strand tells her that he had killed Wes to save her life, Alicia believes that Strand was only trying to save himself and he didn't care who he had to kill to do it. Alicia kicks Strand backwards and struggles with him, telling Strand that "the person you used to be -- the person you said you wanted to forget -- that was never you!" In the struggle, Alicia punctures a gas can with the blades on her prosthetic arm and breaks another cable in the process, sending the antenna falling and shattering the light. The herd arrives, devouring a few members of Morgan's group as the rest rush inside of the Tower and barricade the doors against the radioactive walkers, watching them through the glass in horror.

Alicia climbs the platform holding the light with her transmitter and she hooks it up to the antenna. A despondent Strand tells Alicia that it's too late and there's no way out of here, but she ignores him. Stating that there's one, Alicia begins her broadcast. "This is Alicia Clark. If you're listening to this, you're not alone. The place you've been looking for, the place you've heard about, PADRE, it's here -- the Tower. Coordinates 29 degrees, 20 minutes, 14.1 seconds north, 94 degrees, 59 minutes, 25.7 seconds west. We're gonna build the new home you've been looking for. We can help you. But first... we're gonna need a little help from you." Sparks from the broken light suddenly set the spilled fuel on fire and it quickly spreads. Strand warns Alicia that the fire is going to spread through the whole building, but Alicia passes out as the fire spreads across the roof and Strand calls out for her.

"Amina"[]

After Strand's Tower is set on fire, the survivors are forced to evacuate it and they prepare to flee Texas on rafts as the radioactive walkers from the Crater will burn in the fire and release the radiation that they're carrying into the air. June reveals to Alicia that Strand had chosen to stay behind in the burning Tower rather than joining the rest of Morgan's Group in fleeing.

Alicia encounters a little girl who insists that she has a friend that can help save Alicia from her walker bite infection and who knows where PADRE is. Growing increasingly weaker from her illness, Alicia eventually makes her way back into the Tower through the tunnel with the help of June, Dwight, Luciana, Sarah, Daniel and Josiah LaRoux, only to find that her transmitter has been destroyed. The little girl admits that the friend that can save Alicia is Victor Strand who is still in the Tower. Enraged over his betrayal, Alicia doesn't want to save him because Strand took everything from her, but the girl encourages Alicia not to let Strand take her life too: if Alicia leaves Strand here, she'll die. Alicia collapses on the ground and, looking at the little girl mirroring her position, asks why she cares what happens to him. "It's not about Strand. It's about you," insists the little girl.

Alicia passes out and when she wakes up again, it's to the sound of the roof door opening and the little girl disappearing again. Barely even able to walk anymore, Alicia reenters the stairwell where she finds the bird again and follows it into Strand's penthouse apartment where Alicia finds a drunk Strand who thinks that Alicia is a trick of his mind. Alicia tells Strand that she's real, before collapsing on a couch. Strand tells Alicia that she's gotta get out of here, but Alicia is convinced that she can't now and that she's not gonna make it. Strand apologizes, telling Alicia that he'd wanted to give her everything, but Alicia states that Strand didn't give her anything, but rather, he took everything from her. Strand asks if this is because of his murder of Will and Alicia calls Will just another person that she's outlived, stating that so many people had to die so she could live.

Strand realizes that this is about Alicia's mother, but Alicia clarifies that "it's about so much more than that. This is about making what she gave us mean something. To do what she -- she didn't get to. To make this place... a place that would last." Strand sadly apologizes to Alicia for everything. Alicia cocks her gun, but Strand, thinking that Alicia's about to kill him, tells her not to do it as he deserves everything that she'll do to him if Alicia turns. Her voice breaking, Alicia admits that it's for herself, not Strand. Alicia prepares to commit suicide, and she has a series of flashbacks of her friends and family, including Charlie, Nick, Luciana, Daniel, Will, Morgan, and Madison.

Seeing the bird flying through the room, Alicia pleads with it to leave and goes to make it leave when it won't. Alicia suggests that this might be the last thing that she was meant to do, and she breaks a window with the girl's help and releases the bird. Alicia thanks the girl and asks why she came back, and the girl finally unmasks herself, telling a confused Alicia that she can't leave her. Alicia finally realizes who the girl is: herself as a young girl. Alicia asks why the little girl brought her here, and the girl tells Alicia that she knows why and it's on the tape and Alicia looks at the tape of Madison's interview with Al.

In a flashback, Madison tells Al in her interview that "there are certain things you always remember about your kids. My daughter -- she just decided that bird was gonna live. She lived because my kids didn't give up on her. She gave her a chance when no one else would. There's not a whole lot of that left anymore. But that light -- it's gettin' fainter every day we're out here."

In the present, the little girl tells Alicia that "you're wrong. What you told Victor before -- your mom didn't die so you could build a something like this. She died so that the part of you that didn't give up on people would live. I wasn't lying when I told you I survived the bite. I'm still in you. But you're the only one who can make sure this isn't the end for me." Alicia has been hallucinating her younger more innocent self, who has been guiding Alicia in trying to save herself by saving the part of herself that had saved the bird and had believed in saving other people, the part of Alicia that Madison had given her life for. While Alicia believes that she's going to die, the girl tells Alicia that she won't if people remember this part of her and Alicia realizes that she has to do that by saving Strand.

As everyone gets the rafts ready for departure, a deeply concerned Luciana looks towards the burning Tower for Alicia. June orders everyone not to leave anything behind as they don't know how long they're going to be out there. Charlie looks around worriedly as Daniel comforts her and Josiah throws his stuff into a raft. June tells Luciana that they're ready and they can't miss the tide, reassuring Luciana that Alicia will catch up, but they can't be here when the radioactive walkers burn. Luciana reluctantly orders everyone into the rafts as they're shoving off, before a weak Alicia suddenly radios in, needing help. Alicia reveals that they're in the SWAT van, but they need help getting the rest of the way and Luciana promises to meet them there. Alicia admits that she found the little girl, but she found someone else too.

Strand tells Alicia that the others will never take him with them, but Alicia is sure that they will if she asks them to. Strand asks Alicia why she saved him after everything that he's done, before remembering with a laugh that he'd asked Madison the same question once and she had told Strand that she did it because she knew who he was. However, Strand doesn't think that Madison really knew who he was, not like Alicia does so he asks her again why she saved him. Alicia tells Strand that "it's not about you. It's about me. So you can do what I don't have time left to do. So you can find a place for everyone to be safe." While Alicia isn't sure that Strand can do it, she thinks that he'll try.

Alicia passes out again and she wakes up in a raft on the beach. June tells Alicia not to move, that the fever's still rising, and they have her on fluids and will try to make this raft as comfortable as they can. Grace reports that they need to move now as radiation readings are spiking and the walkers must've breached the fence. Alicia asks Grace if she's heard from Morgan. Grace reveals that the current took him in a different direction, but Morgan cleared the radiation. Alicia asks Grace to give Morgan a message for her, but Grace hands Alicia a radio and tells her that she can tell Morgan herself as Morgan had wanted to talk to Alicia too.

Alicia contacts Morgan, still floating on the ocean in his life raft and holding Mo, and apologizes to him for not doing what she said with the Tower. However, Morgan tells Alicia that she got everybody onto the rafts which is what matters. Also, Morgan thinks that Alicia might be right: he's been hearing some chatter on the radio that Morgan thinks might be PADRE. Morgan thinks that PADRE is real and that they might actually have some place to go to. Concerned, Morgan asks Alicia how she's feeling. Alicia tells Morgan that, no matter what happens to her, he needs to know that he won't be doing this alone. Morgan states that he won't be doing this alone because Alicia's going to be alright, but he loses contact with Alicia. Grace promises Alicia that if Morgan didn't hear her response, she'll make sure that he knows.

As the raft that she's on is dragged by, Charlie calls for it to stop and approaches Alicia who apologizes that she wasn't able to stop this from happening to her while Charlie is sorry that she wasn't there for Alicia either. Alicia tells the dying girl that Daniel's going to look after her, and Charlie tells Alicia that it's okay because Charlie finally got to do something that she never thought that she would and they finally got to see a beach. Daniel calls Charlie back to the raft and tells Alicia that he wasn't there for Ofelia at the end, but he will be there for Charlie. Daniel tells Alicia that he will see her again and leaves before Sherry thanks Alicia for taking Sherry and Dwight in like she did as they might not have made it this far without Alicia. Luciana tells Alicia that, if she didn't have to look after everyone else, she would be in the raft with Alicia, but Alicia tells Luciana that it's too dangerous and she has to do this alone.

However, Strand joins Alicia telling her that she won't have to do it alone. Strand jokes that while the raft might not be The Abigail, they can rough it out together. Against Strand's protests, Alicia climbs out of the raft telling Strand that she doesn't know much longer she has left or how fast she'll turn. While Strand is willing to take that chance, Alicia isn't. It's now up to Strand to make sure that everything they've been through means something. An emotional Strand refuses to go, but Alicia insists that he has to while people may have heard her message and are heading to the Tower. "You did make it mean something. You saved all of them. You saved me. You did what I asked you to do back at Lawton," Strand tearfully tells Alicia. Alicia pushes Strand's raft into the water and tells her old friend that she didn't just save him so that Strand could do what Alicia couldn't, Alicia did it because she loves him too. Alicia watches as the rafts leave, sharing a final wave with Strand.

Season 8[]

"Remember What They Took From You"[]

Seven years after the destruction of Strand's Tower, Madison Clark, having somehow survived the destruction of the Dell Diamond Baseball Stadium, asks Morgan about the status of her friends, Strand in particular. Morgan reveals that Strand wasn't on the rafts when PADRE found them and he hasn't been seen since.

"All I See Is Red"[]

Troy Otto is shown to possess both Strand's old sunglasses and Alicia's Prosthetic Arm.

"Anton"[]

At the Emissary Suites hotel, the residents go about their daily lives with a soccer game. Klaus manages to score against his father Frank and win the game for his team. On the balcony of Frank and Klaus' room, Strand, now going by the name Anton, speaking only in German, and the husband of Frank and Klaus' adopted father, tends to Klaus' pet bird, explaining that he was checking on the bird who is getting stronger every day thanks to Klaus. Klaus excitedly tells Strand that he scored the winning goal with Frank adding that Klaus was the star of the game. Strand congratulates his son, teasing his husband that the other team had a weak goalie. The two men kiss, and the family prepares to sit down to dinner together. Hildy interrupts with the news that they have a new arrival, pleasing Strand.

In the Marsh Light Tours bus outside, an elderly man looks through old tour brochures and curiously checks out the walkers caught in a spike trap outside. Strand, Frank and Klaus join him, and Strand has his family switch to English when the man reveals that he doesn't speak German. The man explains that he thinks that his arm injury is infected, but he can't find any antibiotics for it. Strand tells the man that he's come to the right place, calling the hotel "an oasis for the dispossessed, the desperate, the weary" where they help people. As Strand's family shows the elderly man around, Frank explains that they were tourists when the world changed, and the bus was their tour bus. Unable to make it home, the German tourists decided to make their own home at the hotel. They got a second chance, and this place is about making sure other people get one too, a vast difference from Strand's last community. Strand adds that everyone deserves a second chance and leads the elderly man to the kitchen, which is fully functional, to eat.

Some time later, the man sits down to eat and reports to Strand that his infection is starting to clear up as Klaus arrives with the news that there's a new guest. The woman was scared and couldn't breathe, and she was found half-conscious by Hildy while he was on a supply run. However, Klaus thinks that she's okay and he put her in his room. Leaving the elderly man to eat, Klaus tells his father that Frank is getting oxygen and the first aid kit from the infirmary.

In Klaus' room, Madison Clark sits on Klaus' bed, and she and Strand are visibly shocked to see each other again for the first time since Madison's apparent death years before. Klaus is confused as to why Madison is calling his father Victor, but Strand simply instructs him to get Frank. Klaus corrects Madison that Strand's name is Anton, but Strand insistently tells his son to go which he reluctantly does. A confused Madison asks what her old friend is doing here, why Klaus was calling him Anton and why he is speaking German. Strand experiences a flashback to when he was the tyrannical leader of the Tower before silently and tearfully pulling Madison into a hug which she immediately returns, telling her old friend that she thought that she'd lost him.

Frank and Klaus arrive with oxygen for Madison, and Madison reveals to Strand's family that his real name is Victor Strand, not Anton. However, Strand denies this, claiming to have never even heard of Victor Strand. Madison insists that Strand is lying about who he is, but passes out due to her breathing issues and Frank and Klaus quickly begin tending to her while Strand just stands by in shock.

At the hotel's council meeting, Hildy and Marietta question Strand about where Madison came from and why she thinks that his name is Victor Strand. Strand insists that he doesn't know, while Klaus calls Madison confused and scared. Klaus pulls out a radio that Madison was carrying in her bag, and when he turns it on, Daniel Salazar is on the other end frantically trying to contact Madison, mentioning that he's trying to track down some people that are after her and asking where she is so that Daniel can get to her first. Strand orders his son to put it down as the man could be dangerous, but Frank, suspicious of his husband's increasingly odd behavior, answers Daniel and feeds him Madison's description. Frank introduces himself as someone who wants to help Madison, but Strand snatches the radio and shuts it off before Frank can tell Daniel where to look for her. Strand and Frank argue about Daniel, with Frank believing that Daniel could help them while Strand insists that he's protecting them by keeping him away. Strand wants Madison to go, but Frank wants her to stay, reminding Strand that they don't give up on anyone here. The other council members all side with Frank and he instructs Klaus to get Madison some soup and to make her feel at home. Strand doesn't want Klaus alone with Madison, but he refuses to explain what he's so afraid of, causing Frank to order Klaus to proceed.

Madison wakes up with her hands tied up and wearing an oxygen mask. Seeing Klaus tending to his bird, Madison gets his attention, but Klaus is reluctant to release her as Strand had said that it isn't safe. Klaus helps Madison to eat and asks why she thinks that his father is Victor Strand, telling Madison that he knows his father and "Anton" wouldn't lie. Madison tells Klaus that he doesn't know Strand, but she doesn't know why he would pretend to be someone that he's not which is really pissing her off. Seeing Madison's tattoos of Nick and Alicia's names, Klaus asks about them, and Madison reveals that they were her kids. Realizing that Nick and Alicia are dead, Klaus offers his condolences to her.

Madison fondly recalls Nick and Alicia rescuing a bird once too when they were about Klaus' age or maybe a little younger. Klaus explains that the birds get confused and fly into the hotel windows sometimes and he always helps them as everyone deserves a second chance, something that Strand had taught him. Looking at an old family picture on Klaus' bedside table, Madison asks about his mother, and Klaus reveals that his mother and father had split up when he was little. Frank brought Klaus to America on a holiday just before the world changed, but Klaus' poster board of maps, postcards, and brochures is the closest that he's gotten to seeing beyond this hotel. They got stuck at the hotel and have been here ever since and Klaus never saw his mother again. Madison is sure that Klaus' mother would be extremely proud of him, and Klaus admits that Madison seems to be cool too.

Madison doesn't think that everyone would agree with Klaus, revealing that she came to the hotel because of the people that had attacked her. However, Madison is unsure of why they're after her as the people hit them out of nowhere and stole their boats. Strand interrupts their discussion and Madison admits that she's impressed with what he's built here, even if it is all a lie. Madison asks Strand why he's hiding like this, but Strand receives a radio message that they have new unwelcome guests.

On the bus, Russell explains that he and his men are looking for a woman named Madison who they heard was hiding out in the area. However, he refuses to explain what they want with her, and Frank tells Russell that they can't help. Russell reveals that Madison used to be one of PADRE's top Collectors and has been broadcasting how she's trying to rebuild PADRE. While Frank thinks that that sounds like a good thing, Russell insists that it isn't, and that Madison doesn't change. "The people I'm with, the head of this little outfit? He knows her for who she really is." Daniel comes over the radio trying to contact Russell's people, knowing that they were monitoring the channel, but Russell turns off the radio without responding to him. Frank once again insists that Madison isn't here, but Russell is sure that she is which means that this can go one of two ways: they let Russell and his people in and hand Madison over and they walk away, or Daniel will come after Madison and he's not alone and seems to be pretty determined. Russell and his people will fight Daniel if they have to to get to Madison which is a fight that will happen at the hotel if they don't turn Madison over. Strand recalls the people that he killed at the Tower, including Wes and Will and, much to Frank's shock, admits that Madison is at the hotel.

In Klaus' room, Strand finds Madison's bonds cut and his son and old friend both missing. Russell accuses Madison of taking Klaus while Strand reminds his husband that he'd told Frank that Madison had seemed to be dangerous. Strand notices the map is torn off of the brochure for the Wymberley Jones De Renne Georgia Library and realizes that they're going to the library rather than to PADRE. At the dock, they find one of Russell's boats missing and realize that Madison must've stolen the other one. Russell demands Strand and Frank's weapons before they leave, promising to return them once they arrive at their destination. Strand turns over his gun belt, but Daniel calls for Madison again on the radio, and Russell tells him that PADRE will be better off without Madison. Daniel warns Russell that hurting Madison would be a grave mistake, but Russell states that what happens to Madison isn't up to him and things will go a lot better for Madison and Daniel if he backs off. However, it's too late for that as Daniel is approaching with two armed men in a boat of his own. Russell frantically tells Strand and Frank to get in the boat as they can still lose Daniel if they leave now, but Strand recalls Daniel trying to kill him and runs off, followed by Frank. Unwilling to get caught by Daniel, Russell and his men leave on their boat.

In the woods, Strand insists that it's not their fight and that they'll find another way to help Klaus. Although Russell and his men took the only boat, Strand knows where they can find a raft. Frank takes out a walker that they encounter that has vines and mushrooms growing out of it, and questions his husband in English why Madison has Strand so upset. Although Strand points out that Madison has their son, Frank knows that Madison got under Strand's skin from the minute that she showed up. Frank asks if he really is Victor Strand, admitting that he's always known that Strand hasn't been fully honest with him. Frank points out that he knows what it's like to live a lie, reminding his husband of all the years that he spent living with Mia and Klaus and hiding his homosexuality from them. Frank insists that Strand can tell him the truth about whatever's going on, but Strand doesn't answer him.

Strand finds the raft that he had left Texas on, admitting that he'd used it years ago before Strand and Frank found each other. Frank notes that the raft isn't in good shape and that they're going to have to walk the rest of the way, but Strand wants his husband to go back to the hotel, insisting upon doing this alone. As a small herd approaches, Frank begins putting down the walkers while Strand returns to the raft and rifling through it. After dealing with the walkers, Frank demands to know what his husband is hiding, and if he's really Victor Strand. A walker attacks a distracted Frank from behind, taking him to the ground where Frank is unable to reach his knife. As Frank struggles with the walker, Strand suddenly stabs it through the head from behind with his old sword, shocking Frank who was unaware that his husband owned such a weapon. As more walkers approach, Strand reveals that his sword was what he was looking for in the raft. Strand helps Frank up and the two men quickly leave before the herd can reach them.

At night, Strand uses his sword to dispatch a wandering walker as Strand and Frank continue to make their way towards the library. Frank tells Strand that there was nothing that they could've said that would've made Klaus stay because Madison reminds Klaus of his mother. Klaus wasn't there for his mother when the world changed as he was in America instead and Frank suggests that Madison might've made Klaus feel like he had a second chance at helping her. Strand asks Frank what happened after he told his ex-wife Mia his truth, and Frank admits that while Mia was angry and confused, in the end, the truth set them free. Frank regrets not coming clean to her sooner. Mia forgave Frank "of course", just like he would Strand about whatever secret Strand is keeping from him. If he really is Victor Strand, Frank is sure that whatever he did is forgivable. However, Strand insists that he's not that man.

Strand and Frank find the library from the tour map and the boat that Madison and Klaus had stolen. Nearby are some more rafts similar to Strand's while inside, Klaus tends to an unconscious Madison. Klaus explains to his two fathers that Madison had run out of oxygen on the boat ride over and he hasn't been able to find more for her. Klaus pleads with Strand to help her, because Madison will die if they don't. Frank points out that finding oxygen for Madison here is going to be difficult, but Strand has an idea. Searching a cooler in the wrecked raft, Strand finds an oxygen tank, claiming that he didn't know it was there, but had guessed that with this many rafts, whoever came with it must've carried a lot of supplies with them. However, Frank doesn't buy it, pointing out that it's just like how Strand happened to find a sword on the other raft.

Klaus insists that they don't have time to argue as they have to get the oxygen to Madison, but the three spot Russell's boat approaching them in the distance. Strand insists that they need to go and that there isn't time to help Madison, but Klaus refuses to abandon her even if he has to stay behind. Klaus furiously confronts his father, telling Strand that he'd defended him to Madison and told her that Strand would never abandon her to those people like that. However, maybe Strand isn't who his son thought that he was. Strand declares that he is and that he's going to prove it to him. Strand orders Frank to bring Klaus home while Strand will be right behind them after he helps Madison. Klaus accepts, but Frank is more reluctant, stating that Strand can't do this on his own. Strand emotionally tells his husband that Frank and Klaus both took a chance on him when they first met, that they saw the man that he could be. Strand asks for the chance to prove to them that he can still be that man. Accepting Strand's request, Frank kisses him goodbye and reminds Strand to be careful before leaving on the boat with Klaus.

In the library, Madison awakens after Strand gives her oxygen. Madison furiously demands to know where Klaus is, accusing her old friend of planning to throw her to the wolves again after learning that Klaus has left with Frank. While the wolves are circling, Strand came to help Madison since he promised his son that he would. Madison can either come with Strand and live, or stay here and die. Madison reluctantly agrees and, as they walk through the woods, Strand tells her that they need to get to the dock where they can take Russell's Zodiac. Madison furiously points out that Strand wouldn't even protect her at his own settlement and suggests that Strand, who continues to insist that his name is Anton, is afraid that his family will find out who he really was. While Strand states that Frank and Klaus know who he is, Madison doesn't buy it since Strand was willing to let her die to protect his secret. Madison asks if Strand is going to cut her throat with his sword and blame it on Russell and his people, but Strand again insists that he's not who Madison thinks.

Russell and his men surround the two and Strand tries to convince Russell that whatever Madison did, they can work it out. Russell realizes that Strand has no idea how far back this goes, and Madison asks why Russell is doing this as she doesn't know who he or any of the people with him are. However, Russell states that they know who Madison is and rejects Strand's attempts to convince him that Madison is no longer that person, accusing Strand and Madison of being the same, both pretending to be something that they're not, after what Strand had pulled on them earlier. Russell reveals that they want PADRE, that they have been looking for a place like it for a long time and Madison is going to show them where it is. A herd approaches and, as Russell shoots a walker, Strand uses his sword to knock Russell's gun from his hand. Grabbing Russell's gun, Madison flees with Strand. Seeing more walkers approaching, Madison and Strand realize that they're not going to make it to the boat and flee back to the library as more walkers emerge from around the building as well. Strand dispatches two walkers that get in the way with his sword as he and Madison rush inside.

Inside, Madison and Strand try to hold the door against the herd without success and there's no back way out. Instead, they rush to the back of the room and create a barricade using the bookshelves which they quickly begin reinforcing. As some walkers try to push through the barricade, Strand stabs one with his sword, but the sword gets stuck in the walker's chest and Strand loses it. Madison shoots a few of the walkers with Russell's gun, but she quickly runs out of bullets, leaving both Madison and Strand unarmed. Strand desperately tries to call Frank and Klaus for help, but he gets no response. Looking at the walkers trapping them and trying to get through and climb over the barricade, Strand apologizes to Madison, telling her that it's him, no matter what Strand calls himself.

As they hold the barricade, Madison demands to why her old friend is pretending to be someone else, and Strand explains that he had to, that he had to leave the person that he used to be behind. Strand admits that "I did what I had to do, to build a thriving Tower, a place people could be safe. I was ruthless. Even to Alicia. I betrayed her, Madison. And when the Tower fell, we all washed up on these shores and we got separated. Some were taken to PADRE. Others were -- were struggling to survive out here. I tried to help them, but they wouldn't let me. They couldn't forgive me. I tried to help them find food. To make amends. When I came back... they were dead, just like them. I hated being Victor Strand. So, I killed him. As far as I was concerned, he died with everyone else that day. The last time I saw Alicia... she told me that she loved me. I didn't think anyone could. I met Frank and Klaus and they changed everything. I could be the person that Alicia thought I could be. But I could only do it as someone else. As Anton."

Finally understanding and accepting her old friend's motives, Madison tells Strand that Klaus is a good kid, and she'd say that he did alright. Holding hands with her, Strand thanks Madison and tells her that Alicia had the chance to let him die and Strand deserved it after everything that he did, but she didn't because Madison had taught her that no one's gone until they're gone and that everyone deserves a second chance no matter what. Madison realizes that she and Strand are not so different. Madison explains that they got rid of the people who were running PADRE and Madison promised the kids that she took to the island when Madison was a Collector that she'd help them find their parents. Madison started sending out messages on long-range using Grace's Repeater Station just trying to get them as far as she could and hoping that some parents would hear her. While some did hear her, the parents weren't the only ones who were listening: the group that are currently after them heard Madison's broadcast too and it drew them right to her and now Madison has put everyone else in danger because of it. Victor reassures Madison that she was just trying to help, but Madison explains that PADRE and what she had promised those kids is all that she has left.

Klaus suddenly contacts his father with the news that the soldiers are now at the hotel and there are more of them who got inside. As the herd closes in on Madison and Strand, Russell and his men enter the library and one of them shoots all of the walkers from behind with a machine gun. As Klaus frantically calls for his father to get back to the hotel, Russell retrieves Strand's sword from where it was stuck and knocks him out with the butt of it, promising to take Strand to his people.

Strand awakens tied to a chair at the hotel and finds his people bound sitting on the floor. Russell threatens Strand with his sword when Strand kicks out at him, stating that this could've all been avoided if Strand had just handed Madison over to them. Russell reminds Madison and Strand that what happens next isn't up to him and decides to let his boss tell them himself. Russell's leader enters and Madison and Strand stare at him in shock as the man drops a duffle bag on the floor. "Hey there, Madison. Been a while. Yeah, see, I'm as surprised as you are. I mean, I knew I'd find you when I heard your radio broadcast but uh ... I didn't think you'd still be keeping the same company from Mexico," greets Troy Otto.

Frank insists that Troy is making a mistake, and that Strand isn't who Troy thinks, but Troy knows that it's Victor Strand. Troy acknowledges that his eyesight isn't what it once was, but Frank is the one who is confused about Strand and certainly about Madison. Troy decides to show everyone the truth about who Madison is and removes his sunglasses, revealing that Troy is now blind in his left eye which is visibly messed up. Troy explains that it can happen from something like a bad hit to the head from a hammer like what Madison did to him before leaving Troy for dead in Mexico. Madison flashes back to when she had bashed Troy twice in the head with a hammer at the Gonzalez Dam, apparently killing him, before dropping the hammer on the ground next to him. Troy blames the loss of his brother, his father and his family's ranch on Madison even though Troy himself was responsible for the destruction of the ranch and the death of his brother with Troy adding that Strand helped.

Troy explains that he wants the same thing that he's wanted since the day that Madison took it from him, the same thing that he's been helping all of his people find ever since Troy pulled himself out of the dam's rubble in Mexico: a home. Since Madison took Troy's home from him, he intends to take Madison's home from her. Pulling out the hammer that Madison had hit him with, Troy threatens to do to Strand what Madison did to him if Madison doesn't reveal where PADRE is to him. Troy grabs Strand from behind and raises the hammer, but Strand orders Madison not to give in and to hold onto PADRE as it's what Alicia would've wanted. Frank pleads with Madison to tell Troy what he wants to know, and Troy threatens to not stop with Strand if she doesn't. Looking at Frank, Strand finally admits that his name is Victor Strand and he'd lied to Frank about so much, but what he felt for Frank was real. Strand reaffirms his love for his husband and his son in German, prepared to meet his fate at Troy's hands.

Before Troy can swing the hammer, Daniel comes in using one of Troy's men as a human shield, ordering Troy to drop the hammer. June, Sherry and several others enter from another doorway with June reiterating Daniel's order. Troy complies and Daniel knocks out his hostage and Daniel cuts Madison and Strand loose. Strand thanks Daniel, greeting him as an old friend, but Daniel tells Strand that they're not friends. Troy comments that he'd hate to do to Daniel what he did to Daniel's daughter and Daniel finally recognizes Troy, promising to make sure that Troy really dies the next time that they meet. Troy asks if Daniel really thinks that what he's doing right now is going to stop them, pointing out that they know where the hotel is now, and they'll just keep coming back. However, Madison announces that if Troy does that, there won't be anyone left there for him to hurt. PADRE is about to expand with Madison offering to take in the hotel residents since they had helped her when Madison needed help. Troy asks how they can be sure that Madison won't do the same thing to them that she did to him, and Madison admits that she's done some things that she regrets, but the place that Madison is building is not about her, but rather about keeping something bigger alive. Troy asks what that is while Daniel warns Madison that they don't know how many people Troy has, and they have to get out. Madison tells Troy that she's going to build PADRE into what it should've always been for her kids, for Alicia.

As the group prepares to move out, Troy tells Madison that she can do that, but she's making a mistake "'cause that's the same thinking that got her killed in the first place." Madison angrily demands to know how Troy would know that and Troy claims to have been the one to kill Alicia. As proof, Troy kicks his duffel bag to Madison who opens the bag while ignoring Daniel's orders to leave and not listen to Troy, finding Alicia's Prosthetic Arm inside. Although Madison doesn't recognize it, Strand, June and Sherry are visibly devastated as they realize the implications of Troy having it. Troy reveals that it belongs to Alicia, claiming that he took it off of Alicia's corpse after Troy killed her. In grief and rage, Madison grabs the fallen hammer and charges at Troy, but Strand holds her back telling Madison not to let Troy get into her head. Troy states that he would've put Alicia down, but after all of the wandering around that Troy did in Mexico, he thought that it was only right that Alicia should do the same. Troy suggests that maybe one day Alicia will find Madison or vice versa and finish the job. Cradling the duffel bag while Strand carries the hammer, Madison and her allies back out of the room. "You want a fight, Madison? We'll give you that. Oh, we'll give you a fight. My question for you is... what are you even fighting for?"

"Iron Tiger"[]

Madison, Strand, Daniel, Hawk and a few others arrive at Lowcountry Landing in a boat. As the others spread out to search, Hawk confirms that this is where PADRE's forces would pick up the gasoline tankers, but he never saw where they came from. Daniel orders one of his men to check if the tanks are empty, but Madison argues that they're wasting their time and they should be taking the fight to Troy, but Daniel points out that their fuel reserves are low, and they have to find out where PADRE got their supply. Madison worries that they're just giving Troy time to regroup, and while Daniel sympathizes with her, having lost his daughter to Troy too, they must first do what they have to do to protect the island before making Troy wish that he'd died back at the dam. One of the men reports that the fuel tanks are empty too and, seeing a herd approaching, Strand suggests that they continue their debate inside.

Inside, the group finds that the gas station has power along with shelves full of supplies and Daniel calls out for whoever is there to show themselves, ordering his men to shoot anything that moves as they spread out to search. Madison is confused by the abundance of supplies while Strand finds a sign reading "take what you need, leave what you don't!" Recognizing the sign, Strand calls it "relics of a bygone era." Daniel confirms that the truck stop is clear, and Hawk is sure that this is where PADRE was picking gas up from. Noticing the sign, Daniel recognizes it as the same one that Clayton's Group, Morgan's Group and the Caravan had used to make and wonders who would want to resurrect that.

Looking outside at the walkers surrounding the gas station, Madison notices that a female walker that is approaching is missing its left arm and bangs on the window to grab its attention. Madison pulls Alicia's Prosthetic Arm out of her bag and holds it against the walker's stump through the window, thinking that the walker could be a zombified Alicia, although Strand insists that it's not her. Madison's actions cause the herd to bang on the glass harder, smashing it. The walker that Madison was examining falls on her, but Strand stabs it in the head and orders Daniel to take care of the rest of the herd. As walkers enter, the herd is suddenly gunned down and Daniel reports that it wasn't them. A lone walker survives and attacks Madison where she's hiding behind the shelves with the others, but Luciana suddenly grabs it and shoots the walker in the head before Madison can react to the threat. Luciana is shocked to see Madison alive, believing that Madison had died a long time ago. Madison quips that she's been getting that a lot lately while Daniel excitedly greets Luciana in Spanish, having not seen her since they were taken by PADRE seven years before. Daniel tells Luciana that he's been looking for her for years and Luciana confirms that Daniel has found her at last.

Outside, Strand treats Madison's injuries while the Gearheads clean up the mess left by the herd. Looking at the dead walker that she had thought was Alicia, Madison reveals that she feels guilty for not looking for Alicia who was still alive this whole time. Strand points out that everyone had thought that Alicia was dead, but Madison feels that as her mother, she should've known and never gave up on Alicia. Strand points out that, with the shape that Alicia was in when they last saw her, no one could've known that she Alicia had actually survived. However, Strand is sure that Alicia wouldn't have wanted her mother to end up like the walker. If what Troy had said was true about Alicia now being a walker, Madison is determined to find her, lay her daughter to rest and bury all of her so that Alicia won't be stuck like that forever. Giving Madison her daughter's prosthetic arm, Strand reassures her that she will and if Alicia is out there, they'll find her. Madison apologizes to Luciana for the damage that she had caused to the gas station, but having heard about Alicia from Daniel, Luciana promises Madison that there's nothing to apologize for. The two women share a warm hug and Luciana tells Madison and Strand that there are fresh supplies in the back if they need them.

Inside, Luciana explains to Daniel that her people were the ones making gas for PADRE. When PADRE brought Luciana in seven years ago, they realized what Luciana could do thanks to her experience with making gas at Tank Town. PADRE didn't give her a choice, threatening the people that Luciana cared about to make her do their bidding, specifically Daniel. Much to Daniel's surprise, Luciana reveals that she had asked for Daniel's freedom in exchange for making gas for PADRE. Daniel realizes that Luciana's deal is why PADRE had abandoned him in the swamp rather than killing Daniel who PADRE had thought was too old to be useful to them. Daniel thanks Luciana for saving his life, but is confused as he had thought that she was on the island with the kidnapped children. Luciana explains that the deal that she had made with PADRE meant that she had to work in the shadows. PADRE had military oil reserves, but they just needed someone to refine it.

Strand questions how Luciana ended up setting up in a place like this, pointing out that she can't have fond memories of the last gas station that they had inhabited. Luciana explains that the gas station is just an outpost while the actual refinery is miles away. If PADRE was getting the fuel that Luciana was making, Luciana had to make sure that she was helping other people too. The gas station is a waystation for travelers where they can get food, water, medical supplies and even fuel if they have a working car. Madison recognizes the supplies as being from PADRE's containers and Luciana reveals that the group has 23 active locations with 2 more being set up as they speak. The Gearheads have a network of roads running clear through to Arizona and, as long as they were getting fuel, PADRE didn't ask questions about what Luciana and her people were taking from them.

Daniel and Strand tell Luciana that if she supplies them with fuel, Troy will not be a problem for them anymore, but they will need more than they have in order to defend themselves. Luciana agrees to give them gas if they think that it's going to help as long as Troy doesn't figure out where it came from which Madison promises. Luciana tells them that she'll send a tanker to the main road, and they should wait for it there, confusing Daniel that she wants them to leave. Luciana insists that she needs to keep her operation safe, but Daniel wants to catch up with her, having not seen Luciana in seven years. Luciana tells Daniel that she needs to protect the people who made this possible and, assuming that Luciana is worried about Troy's people, Daniel reassures Luciana that they didn't follow them, but Luciana isn't so sure.

One of the Gearheads brings Luciana the news that Iron Tiger is about to pull up as a tanker truck drives up to the gas station, but Luciana orders the man to have Iron Tiger wait. Luciana's behavior suddenly strangely defensive, ordering Madison and the others to leave immediately. Picking up on the fact that something is wrong, Madison questions who Iron Tiger is, but Luciana orders the three to wait in the back, claiming that it's safer this way. Strand worries that Troy might've gotten to Luciana, but Madison reminds him that Troy is the one who kicked Luciana off of the ranch and had tried to turn Nick against her. Daniel believes that Luciana wouldn't lie to him and deal with Troy, but Strand points out that Luciana knew that Daniel was alive and didn't look for him, suggesting that Luciana has moved on and would choose protecting all of this over her old friends. Daniel pointedly tells Strand that she would certainly not choose him, and heads outside with his men to show Madison and Strand how mistaken they are.

Outside, Daniel approaches Luciana, telling her that Madison and Strand think that she's up to something and he wants to show them that they're wrong. Luciana insists that Daniel is making this harder than it has to be, and Daniel realizes that something really is wrong and demands to know who is in the tanker. Luciana tells Daniel that it's not whoever he thinks it is, so Strand challenges Luciana to show them whatever is inside so that they can be on their way. Luciana refuses and an increasingly suspicious Madison approaches the tanker to see for herself, creating a standoff as the Gearheads point guns at her and Daniel, Strand, Hawk, and the two men with them point guns at the Gearheads in return before Luciana has her people lower their guns, ending the standoff.

Hearing the commotion, Iron Tiger emerges from the tanker's cab, revealing herself to be Charlie who is alive and well despite have apparently been terminally ill when Morgan's group had left Texas seven years before. Charlie is shocked to see Madison alive, having believed her to have died in the Fall of the Stadium just like everyone else. Surprised but overjoyed to see Charlie again, Daniel hugs her while Strand notes that Charlie was just weeks away from death when Morgan's group got on the rafts. Charlie explains that June didn't have what she had needed to treat Charlie's radiation poisoning at Strand's Tower, but PADRE did. Since PADRE didn't know if the treatment would work, it was too dangerous to raise her on the island with the other kids and so they gave her to Luciana and Charlie helped Luciana to build her operation.

However, Madison is confused as to why Luciana didn't want them to see Charlie, asking if it's because of Charlie's role in the destruction of the stadium by the Vultures. Luciana realizes that no one told Madison what had happened, and Strand admits that, because he thought that Charlie was dead, he didn't think that there was a reason to tell her. Madison demands answers, rejecting Strand's attempts to get her on the boat before he finally tells her. Taking responsibility for her actions, Charlie admits to a shocked Madison that "I... I shot Nick. I killed your son. I was scared, and Ennis was dead, and I... I pulled the trigger. I'm so sorry, Madison. I really am." Flying into a rage, Madison attempts to attack Charlie in revenge for her son's murder, but she is restrained by Strand who begs Madison not to do something that she'll regret as Daniel leads Charlie inside. Luciana pleads with Madison to let them explain, but she shrugs off Strand's grip and refuses their explanation, ordering her friends to get the hell away from her.

Nearby, Madison takes her grief and anger out on an old tractor and a small herd with her sledgehammer, having various flashbacks of her son as she does and hitting two that are in a marsh below so hard that they're both decapitated in just one hit. Joining her, Strand points out an approaching walker that Madison had missed, and she knocks it to the ground and smashes its head with her sledgehammer. Strand provides the out of breath Madison with her oxygen tank, and she demands to know if Strand really knew the truth about Nick's death. Strand insists that he'd thought that it didn't matter since Strand had believed that Charlie was dead. Madison angrily asks if Strand thought that it didn't matter that the girl that Madison had brought into the stadium killed her son, but Strand insists that it's not Madison's fault as she didn't know how it was going to play out and neither did anyone else. Strand acknowledges that he should've told Madison and he apologizes, but Madison smashes the dead walker's head several more times in her grief.

Strand holds Madison, attempting to comfort her but, blaming herself for her kids' deaths, Madison breaks down and tells Strand that "if I hadn't brought her in the stadium, Nick might still be here! If... if I just -- if I hit Troy harder, Alicia might be here. If I just did it differently... they both might be here." Sympathetic, Strand suggests that he take Madison back to the island and that they leave Daniel to handle getting the fuel that they need. However, unable to let it go, Madison demands to know how Charlie is still here and how Strand and the others could let her back in after what she did. Acknowledging that it might be hard to hear, Strand explains that the group gave Charlie the same thing that everyone else wants: a second chance. Madison is surprised that even Alicia gave Charlie a second chance, and Strand reveals that Alicia was the first one to forgive her, something that Madison doesn't think that she can do, but Strand reassures Madison that no one is asking her to.

Charlie approaches Madison and Strand, asking to talk to Madison who agrees over Strand's objections, wanting to hear what Charlie has to say. Charlie doesn't blame Madison for feeling the way that Madison does, admitting that she had hated herself for a long time after what Charlie did to Nick. While Charlie doesn't expect Madison to forgive her or anything, she really needs to say this because Charlie doesn't know if she's ever going to see Madison again. Madison interrupts Charlie, accusing her of only doing this so that Charlie can feel better about what she did to Nick. Charlie explains that she was 11 years old, scared and being used by people who were older than her and Charlie's truly sorry that she took Nick from Madison and the world. Charlie has tried to turn all of the hurt and pain into something more and its why Charlie spends every day doing what she's doing and it's what makes things like Luciana's operation possible. As bad as Nick's death was, at least something good came out of it, and Charlie offers to do whatever it takes to make Madison see that good. Madison declares that there is something that Charlie can do, recalling how she had snuck into the stadium and fooled everyone. Madison wants Charlie to do the same thing with Troy Otto, not to find out what he's planning, but to kill him. Strand begs Madison not to do this to Charlie, but Madison spitefully declares that after taking the stadium and Madison's son from her, this is the least that Charlie can do. After a moment's hesitation, Charlie tells Madison that she's right and Charlie will do it. Madison walks away, leaving Charlie behind.

As Charlie prepares for her mission, Daniel objects that this is too dangerous for her as they all know what Troy is capable of. Daniel asks to do this in her place, but Madison points out that Daniel won't even get close as Troy knows them, but he doesn't know Charlie and he won't see it coming. Charlie agrees with Madison that Daniel can't do this, but Daniel tells her that he'd thought that Luciana and Charlie were dead for years and Daniel doesn't want to risk losing either of them after having just found Luciana and Charlie again. Charlie promises that he won't lose her and that she knows what she's doing, asking Daniel not to make this any harder, insisting that she wants to and needs to do this. Luciana asks what Charlie's plan is and she explains that she's going to exchange fuel so that it will be less suspicious for Troy if he gets something out of the deal. However, Charlie dodges Luciana's question about her plan after that, simply stating that she's going to fix this for Madison and that none of them will have to worry about Troy Otto again once she's done. Charlie also intends to try to find out what happened to Alicia, but Madison tells Charlie that she doesn't have to do that and pretend like she cares. However, Charlie tells Madison that Alicia was her friend too and that Alicia was the one who helped Charlie to see that she could start over. While Charlie knows that Madison doesn't believe her, she really is sorry about everything. Charlie wishes that she could take back what she did to Nick who was like a brother to her, but Madison angrily tells Charlie that she wouldn't have shot him if that was true.

Charlie silently leaves in her tanker and Luciana gives Madison the keys to another tanker parked just down the road containing enough gas to last PADRE for months. Madison and Strand go to radio the island while Daniel asks if he can stay with Luciana at least until Charlie returns. However, Luciana thinks that it's best if Daniel goes back to PADRE until then, telling him that there's a reason that her people stay hidden: to keep things like this from happening. Daniel sadly acknowledges that Luciana might be right and maybe they shouldn't have come here, but Luciana stops him, admitting that she had wanted to look for Daniel every day that he was out there, but Luciana had to protect him and her people by staying away. Daniel understands and expresses his pride in Luciana for everything that she's done, stating that not everyone could've done what she has.

Inside, one of the Gearheads has Madison and Strand wait while she talks to the radio operator. Noticing Strand's displeased look, Madison promises him that they're going to win this fight and they won't let Troy take the island from them, but Strand wonders what the point of saving it is if they turn PADRE into the opposite of what Alicia had wanted them to build. However, Madison states that if Charlie really meant what she said about Nick, then she will prove it by taking care of Troy for them. The radio operator informs them that the radio is all theirs, but as Strand calls the island, Madison notices a coffee can with a note on top of it addressed to her. Surprised, Madison draws Strand's attention to her discovery: Nick's ashes.

Madison asks Luciana about the coffee can containing Nick's ashes and she explains that they were clearing roads in roads in north Texas and Charlie wanted to see where Madison's Group had buried Nick so that she could tell him that she was sorry, and Luciana didn't realize how much she missed him until she was standing over Nick's grave again. However, when Charlie heard why the group had chosen that spot, she said that Nick deserved something better, and Charlie was right, so they cremated what was left of Nick and brought him with them. Luciana and Strand admit that they had buried Nick in a field in Hill Country, but they had only buried him there so that they could get to a weapons' cache while they were in a dark place. Madison is upset that the location didn't mean anything to her friends, and she declares that Charlie is right that Nick deserves better. Luciana tells Madison that that's what both Charlie and Luciana wanted, they just didn't know where a better place for Nick was with Strand adding that Charlie thought that Madison would know instead. Touching the can containing her son's ashes, Madison asks Luciana to contact Charlie for her.

Luciana makes contact with Charlie and Madison tells the girl to come back and that she was right about Nick, and he does deserve better. If Charlie brought Nick all the way back from Texas for Madison, then she should be there when they say goodbye to him. However, Charlie tells Madison that she can't come back. Having finally realized that Charlie was telling the truth about caring about Nick and regretting killing him, Madison forgives the girl, telling Charlie that she was just a kid and doesn't have to make up for what she did to Nick and do what Madison asked her to do. However, Charlie clarifies that she physically can't come back as several members of Troy's Group stand outside of the tanker pointing guns at her. Troy bangs on the door, ordering Charlie to turn off the radio and step out of the truck, and Charlie explains that Troy and his men had found her before Charlie could get to the hotel and that they're not going to let Charlie leave. Daniel furiously slams his hand on the table and Charlie explains that her plan didn't work, that Troy's men were patrolling the road. Troy opens the tanker door and reiterates his order for Charlie to get out. Charlie offers to trade her gas with Troy, but Troy intends to just take it from her. Hearing Madison asking Charlie for her location over the radio, Troy asks why he would trust anyone who is talking to Madison Clark. Troy tells Charlie that they have a lot to talk about and knocks her out.

Luciana disconnects the radio, telling Madison that they can't give away their location, and Daniel states that Madison should've never put that idea in Charlie's head. While Madison insists that she was trying to do the right thing, Daniel asks Madison to do the right thing now by helping him to rescue Charlie. Luciana agrees with Daniel, but Strand worries about Daniel having told them earlier that they would suffer major losses if they got anywhere close to the hotel. Daniel insists that they have to try, and Madison agrees, stating that it looks like they're finally taking the fight to Troy.

At night, on the road near the hotel, Madison and the others hear an explosion and pick up radio chatter between Russell and the rest of Troy's men in which Russell expresses concern that the explosion will draw back the walkers that the group had released and the whole tanker had gone up and the fire is spreading fast. Russell orders his men to look for leaking fuel and contain it and Daniel guesses that the tanker must've exploded. Strand tells the others that the hotel is 10 minutes away by foot, but Daniel refuses to drive in as Troy's people will hear them coming and they need to find a way to get in quietly.

Troy calls Madison over the radio, explaining that her tanker had just exploded outside of his hotel, but Madison claims that she doesn't know what he's talking about. Daniel realizes that Charlie had purposefully allowed herself to be captured as a part of her plan and Troy, aiming his gun at Charlie tells Madison that he knows that she sent Charlie to kill him, and she wasn't in the truck when it exploded, much to the relief of Strand, Daniel and Luciana. Troy admits that he was wrong about Madison as he'd thought that Madison would never be able to forgive the girl who had killed Nick, but he figures that Madison must trust Charlie if she had sent Charlie to kill him or maybe Madison had just thought that Charlie would die in the explosion. Madison orders Troy not to hurt Charlie, confirming for him that Madison does care about her. Troy wonders what Nick would think about that, but Madison believes that her son would get it, stating that people change and they can do shitty things and come back from them. Holding his gun to Charlie's head, Troy tells Madison that she'll have to do something that will upset a lot of people if Madison wants Charlie back alive: Troy wants PADRE's location. Strand warns Madison that Troy is going to hit them with everything that he's got if she does it, but Daniel points out that Madison knows that Charlie doesn't deserve this fate. Charlie yells at Madison not to do it and that she knew what she was doing, causing Troy to kick her chair over. Holding the radio near the gasping Charlie, Troy threatens to kill her if Madison doesn't tell him what he wants to know. Daniel furiously swears to strangle Troy with his bare hands and Madison accepts the deal, telling Troy to meet her in front of the hotel.

Madison's group parks near the burning tanker as walkers, drawn by the fire, begin to gather on the hotel grounds. Madison notices that a burned walker is missing an arm too before Strand stabs it in the head, leaving the two confused as to where the armless walkers are coming from. Troy, Russell, and several of his heavily armed men greet the group near the hotel entrance with Troy warning Madison that there are a lot more of them inside and it had better not be a trick. Madison promises that it's not a trick, but Troy doubts her word. Troy promises to hand Charlie over once they get the location of PADRE and has one of his men put Charlie on the radio. Daniel warns Troy that if Charlie has been harmed, he'll make Troy wish that Daniel only took his other eye. Charlie reassures Madison that she's fine, but she again tells Madison not to make the trade for her.

Knowing that Charlie is only in danger because of her, Madison refuses and tells Troy to hand Charlie over and they'll give him the location of PADRE. However, Troy wants the location first and proposes having one of Madison's people take his right-hand man Russell to the location so that he can verify it at which point Troy will release Charlie. Troy tells Madison that he really doesn't care about Charlie, he just wants a safe place to live. Madison questions why Troy cares so much about PADRE, and he claims that Madison took everything from him, and Troy is just returning the favor. Madison wonders if it's about Madison's role in Jeremiah's death, but Troy makes it clear that he doesn't care about his father at all. Troy refuses to clarify his meaning, stating that PADRE is the only thing that matters and Madison orders Strand to escort Russell there. Strand insists that there must be another way to bring Charlie back, but Madison doesn't see another choice. Strand reminds Madison that there are other people to consider such as Frank and Klaus, but Troy promises that he's not interested in the people living there, just the settlement and everyone will have ample time to leave. Strand agrees and he and Russell prepare to turn over their weapons as a gesture of good faith to ensure that they won't try anything.

As Madison radios Charlie that they're getting her out of there, Charlie suddenly stabs the guard holding the radio for her in the neck with a piece of glass that she had picked up when Troy had shoved her to the floor, killing him. Grabbing the man's gun and radio, Charlie enters into a standoff with the other guard in the room, telling Madison that she took out one of Troy's men and she'll take out another. Madison tries to talk Charlie down, but Charlie refuses to let another place that Madison had built fall because of her actions. Madison promises Charlie that this is not on her, and this is not the stadium, reminding the girl that Charlie is only in this position because Madison had set her on this path. Troy tells Charlie that Madison is right and asks why she's taking the fall for Madison. However, Charlie explains that "it's not for her. This place she's building, it's what Alicia wanted. And it's how Nick's death can mean something. On the rafts, when we left the Tower, Victor told me that's what Alicia said to him when she thought she was dying -- make it mean something." Madison insists that they can do it someplace else, but Charlie points out that, since this is about Madison, Troy will just go after the next place that she finds.

Charlie knows that Troy's people won't kill her because they'll lose their leverage otherwise with Daniel pointing out that Troy will never find where PADRE is otherwise. Troy attempts to defuse the situation, telling Charlie that no one's going to shoot anybody and to just put the gun down so that they can work it out. Madison offers Troy a map to PADRE if he lets Charlie go, telling Troy to send Russell to verify it, but just don't hurt Charlie overruling Charlie's objections. However, Charlie knows that Madison won't have to give Troy PADRE if Troy doesn't have anything to trade and puts the gun to her chin, preparing to sacrifice herself to protect PADRE and Nick and Alicia's legacy. Charlie recalls several fond moments with Madison, Nick, Alicia, Daniel and Luciana ending with herself on the beach saying goodbye to Alicia. Ignoring Daniel and Madison's attempts to talk her down, Charlie shoots herself in the head, killing herself much to the shock and horror of her friends. Troy contacts the second guard to see if the shot was the man stopping Charlie, but he confirms Charlie's death instead. A heartbroken Daniel breaks down and has to be dragged away by Hawk and one of his men as he tries to attack Troy in retaliation.

Visibly affected himself by Charlie's actions, Troy promises Madison that he really didn't want things to go down like this, but he can't let her leave with the map. Madison refuses, putting the map away, and Russell interrupts with the news that Tracy's missing. Russell calls a young girl forward, shocking Madison that there's kids with the group. Troy reveals that they wanted PADRE for the same reason as Madison and the others and questions the girl who explains that Tracy had wanted to see the tanker truck as Tracy has never seen a truck running before. Troy orders his men to stay on Madison's people and frantically runs off shouting for Tracy as Madison's people and Troy's group enter an armed standoff.

Troy makes his way to the burning tanker truck through the fire and the growing herd. Troy shoots a few approaching walkers and, running out of ammo, switches to his blade as gunfire sounds from Troy's men fighting the herd that has been drawn to the hotel. Troy clears a path to the truck but is grabbed from behind by a walker that he had missed. As Troy struggles with the walker, Madison takes the walker out with her sledgehammer, saving a surprised Troy's life. Madison explains that Troy's men are overwhelmed, and that she wasn't going to let another kid die after what had just happened. Opening the cab door with a piece of metal, Troy finds it to be empty and realizes that Tracy wasn't inside, much to his relief. Russell reports that they can't hold back the dead who are everywhere, but Troy frantically orders his men to search the area for Tracy.

Madison realizes from Troy's behavior that Tracy is his own daughter which he confirms, asking why Madison thought that they wanted PADRE. Madison is confused as to why Troy didn't just tell them what they wanted instead of trying to take PADRE by force, but Troy once again accuses Madison of taking someone from him and admits that he's afraid that Madison would take Tracy from him too. Troy reveals that Madison is supposedly responsible for the death of Tracy's mother, but Madison has no idea what Troy's talking about. Troy frantically continues his search for Tracy, fighting off more walkers. Madison notices that the walkers coming from the direction of the hotel are all missing an arm, as are many of the corpses and puts the pieces together that it's Troy who has been cutting their arms off and purposefully making Madison think that she's been seeing Alicia everywhere that she looks. Madison attacks Troy with her sledgehammer, knocking him to the ground, and struggles with him, demanding once again to know who Troy thinks that Madison took from him. Troy identifies Tracy's mother as the woman who had rescued him from the dam and gave him a second chance before begging Madison to let him go to find his daughter. Madison spitefully tells Troy that he's now going to know what it's like to wonder where your kid is, but Troy points out that Tracy could still be alive. Knowing that they need to go, Strand pulls Madison off of Troy and drags her away as Troy's men rush around fighting the herd and searching for Tracy.

The next morning, the group arrives at where the Gearheads had parked the tanker for PADRE in the middle of the road. The devastated Daniel sits in the truck bed with Charlie's covered corpse as Luciana gives Madison the keys to the tanker, warning Madison to use the fuel wisely as she won't be getting any more. The Gearheads lost Charlie and Troy now knows about her people, putting them at risk because Luciana had allowed herself to get dragged into a fight that isn't hers. Luciana refuses to let anyone else end up like Charlie and Daniel asks to go with her. Daniel furiously tells Madison that she had sent Charlie to a viper's nest and there's something fundamentally wrong with her. Charlie is the second time that somebody dear to Daniel has died because of Madison and he refuses to let there be a third in Luciana. Daniel tells Madison that she doesn't need him but rather the army that he had assembled if Madison can convince the parents of the children that she had stolen that she had changed. However, Daniel can no longer defend that idea after everything that Madison has done. In Spanish, Daniel reminds Luciana that he had once told her that they were family, and he asks her to come with her so that Daniel can help Luciana and take care of her as he has wanted to for years. Luciana agrees and she and Daniel drive off together.

Left alone with Madison, Strand tells her that what Daniel said isn't true, but Madison knows that it is. Madison sent Charlie into the hotel to make Charlie pay for what she did to Nick, and it doesn't matter that Madison had changed her mind in the end because Charlie's dead. Strand asks who Madison thinks that Troy was talking about when Troy says that he thinks that Madison had killed the mother of his child, but Madison genuinely has no idea what Troy was talking about. Madison tells Strand that she can't go back to PADRE with him and that Daniel's right that Madison can't ask anyone to follow her after what she just did. Strand reminds Madison that they're building PADRE for Alicia, Nick, Frank and Klaus, not for Madison, but Madison knows that if she stays, it's not gonna happen. Strand has to do it instead and keep the promise that he had made to Alicia. Strand insists that he needs Madison and that he can't do this alone, but Madison hands him the tanker keys and tells Strand that he's gonna have to. Madison walks off alone as her old friend watches.

"Sanctuary"[]

At PADRE, Troy and Russell discuss on the radio their still unsuccessful search for Troy's daughter Tracy. Strand sets up a cell furnished for a little girl. Hildy and Marietta lead in a frightened Tracy, reporting that they'd found her like he'd asked them to do. Removing Tracy's blindfold, Strand introduces himself to Tracy, telling her that it's good thing that they found her when they did and that they're going to help each other. Tracy is going to help him to save PADRE. Hildy and Marietta exchange a look while Tracy rejects Strand's touch.

"Keeping Her Alive"[]

Amidst regular daily life on PADRE, Klaus, who is helping a younger boy with his math, notices the return of June, Dwight, Sherry and Odessa to the island. Panicking, Klaus warns Hildy and Marietta, who are guarding the door to the cell area, in German that the group is back and orders them to stall the others while he tells his father.

The two refuse to allow the group inside under Strand's orders before Strand rejoins them with Frank and Klaus. June demands to know where Tracy is, revealing that they'd had someone keep an eye on Strand while the group was gone, not trusting him alone due to Strand's past. Strand suggests discussing the situation in a more civilized manner and greets Dwight whom he hasn't seen in a long time. Strand instructs Frank in German to bring Klaus to their room, but Frank refuses to leave his husband so Hildy takes the boy instead.

Strand explains that he had brought Tracy to PADRE because he knew that Troy wouldn't dream of attacking the island while they had his daughter as leverage, but Dwight points out that it's also the perfect reason to attack. Strand points out that Troy doesn't know where they are, but Sherry is sure that, because they have his kid, Troy will find them. Strand sarcastically wonders how since Tracy hasn't been tagged for migratory purposes, but June angrily tells Strand that maybe he'd know how badly a parent would fight for their kid if Strand was doing more than just playing father to Klaus, forcing Strand to hold back an enraged Frank. Strand claims that June still doesn't know him after all of these years, but June states that she does and she had stood by at the Tower as Strand had made one bad decision after another, causing people to lose their lives because of his actions, including John Dorie Sr., and June won't make the same mistake again. Strand reminds June that many people lost their lives because of June when they first met and that they've all done things to build and survive and none of them are ones to throw stones. Tracy went missing while June was gone, Strand saw an opportunity, and someone had to make the call. June argues that none of them had asked him to do that while Odessa points out that there are plenty of Prefects who could've held down the fort in their absence, but Strand calls the Prefects and Odessa children. Strand insists that he's not the man that he used to be, and that June knows that because she's not the woman that she used to be either, calling June by her old alias of Naomi. Frank reveals to the group that Strand told him everything and introduces himself as Strand's husband.

June challenges Strand to prove that he's changed by returning Tracy to her father. While that might not be enough to satisfy Troy, giving him the man who kidnapped her too might. Dwight orders Strand to start walking, but he objects that it's not gonna work and they don't know Troy the way that he does. They've already lost the hotel and this island is the last chance that Strand has to do good on what he had promised to Alicia. Dwight admits that he wishes that he could believe that, while June challenges Strand to take this chance to prove that he really has changed. Strand reluctantly agrees and Sherry and Odessa go to get Tracy. Frank objects while Strand insists that he'll figure something out. Having seen what Troy did at the hotel, Frank knows that Troy is likely to kill him if Strand hands himself over, but Strand thinks that the others will kill him if he doesn't, and Strand doesn't want his husband to be caught in the crossfire. Strand asks Frank to wait for him, promising to come back to his family, and Frank reluctantly agrees.

On a boat heading for the mainland with Dwight, Sherry, Odessa, Strand and a blindfolded Tracy, June attempts to contact Troy, letting him know that they have his daughter who is safe and will be returned to him once they can agree to terms. Tracy questions if she really has to be blindfolded, but Strand tells her that they're not going to remove her blindfold so that she can see where they are as PADRE has lasted so long because it's impossible to find. Tracy tells Strand to stop trying to be her friend, reminding Strand that he's the one who had brought her in. Strand insists that no matter what Troy says, he's going to kill him and hurt Tracy. Tracy tells Strand that he doesn't know her dad who will do anything to protect her, but Strand says that he thinks that he knows Troy better than Tracy thinks he does, and that Troy is not the man that she thinks he is. June points out the hypocrisy of the idea that Strand can change but Troy can't. "He's a sociopath on a revenge tour. I have issues. There's a difference," states Strand. Strand wonders why he's the only one looking out for the girl, but Sherry implies that Strand is just looking out for himself. Strand again insists that this isn't about him, but about Tracy, and PADRE and about building the place that Alicia had wanted him to build, but no one believes Strand.

Troy finally responds, demanding to know who is calling him. June introduces herself as one of the people who had freed Madison and Strand from the hotel and allows Tracy to talk to her father who tells Troy that they're going to bring her back to him. June confirms this, but asks for Troy's assurance that he will not try to take PADRE. Troy points out that they took his daughter and asks why he would make a deal with them, but June clarifies that it was Strand who took Tracy, promising to bring both Tracy and Strand to him. Troy tells June that the one problem is that his people still need a place to live, but June tells him that Troy already has one with the hotel. June promises that they won't bother him there and reveals that Madison's no longer at PADRE anyways, meaning that whatever problem Troy had with her, he doesn't have with everyone else who is left there. Troy agrees to the deal as Strand tries to protest, instructing June to bring both Tracy and Strand to the hotel. Strand pleads with June not to do this, but Dwight tells him that it's too late. As they approach shore, a desperate Strand removes Tracy's blindfold and orders her to remember a lighthouse that they're passing. Strand informs his friends that they can't hand Tracy over now as she'll tell Troy where PADRE is. Tracy escapes over the side of the boat while Strand breaks free as well, cuts his bonds on the railing, yanks a wire out of the electrical panel and jumps overboard. Sherry orders Dwight to turn the boat around, but Strand's sabotage has disabled the power and the engines.

On shore, Tracy gets attacked by three walkers and falls. As the walkers close in on her, Strand takes them all out with a fallen tree branch. Strand promises that he's not going to hurt her, but Tracy thinks that it's only because she's not worth anything to him if she's dead. Strand notices Tracy wearing a St. Christopher's medallion, the same one that he had given to Alicia, and asks where she got it, but Tracy just asks why he's interested. Hearing the others calling for Tracy in the distance, Strand frantically tells the little girl that she doesn't want the others to find her because they're not going to take Tracy back to her father after what she just saw. Instead, Strand intends to take Tracy to the one person who can help both of them and Tracy finally agrees.

In the woods, Madison sets a boombox down next to Nick's ashes and uses loud music to draw in a herd of over a dozen walkers. Using her sledgehammer, Madison quickly and easily dispatches all of the walkers. Strand arrives with Tracy and Madison asks what he's doing here since Madison had already told Strand that she can't help him build PADRE back into what it's supposed to be. Strand agrees to disagree on that, but tells Madison that that's not why he's here. Madison confirms that she's looking for Alicia as her kids deserve to be at rest and while she can now do that with Nick, she intends to do the same with Alicia. Strand points out that Madison doesn't know where Alicia is, and she asks who Strand's friend is. Strand reveals to a shocked Madison that Tracy is Troy's daughter and claims that he'd found her wandering around the wilderness and saved her life. However, Tracy reveals that Strand had actually kidnapped her, forcing Strand to acknowledge that perhaps the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Tracy introduces herself to Madison who notes that the girl certainly has her father's eyes and promises that she won't make Tracy pay for Troy's crimes. Tracy asks what crimes and Madison tells her that Troy had killed her daughter "on top of a lot of other shit he probably didn't tell you about." Tracy states that Troy had told her everything: how Madison had killed Troy's father, turned his brother against him and had later left Troy for dead at the dam. Madison acknowledges that that's not exactly how it happened, but she denies Tracy's claims that she'd killed her mother as Madison doesn't even know who the woman is. Tracy insists that her father wouldn't make something like that up and Strand explains that he'd taken Tracy back to PADRE to use as leverage against Troy since Madison wasn't there and it was the only play that he had. However, the others had revolted because they thought that it was too risky to keep Tracy on the island which Madison agrees with.

Strand tells Madison that he brought the girl to her because Tracy might be Madison's best shot at finding Alicia, explaining that Tracy's St. Christopher's medallion had belonged to Alicia. Strand knows because he gave it to Alicia, although he doesn't explain why, stating that what matters is that Tracy might be able to lead them to her. Tracy acknowledges that she might be able to, but Madison is reluctant to get involved on a maybe. Strand suggests that Tracy might be more forthcoming once she realizes that they're the only people who can save her life from June, Dwight, Sherry and the others who are after Tracy because she knows where PADRE is. Madison is annoyed that Tracy wasn't blindfolded, but the little girl smugly informs her that Strand had pulled it off. Strand defends his actions as being necessary because the others were going to send Tracy back to her father and they can save her from that life, but Madison points out that the secret of PADRE's location is the one thing that's keeping Troy from attacking them. Strand insists that he had to make it impossible for the others to turn Tracy over to Troy, claiming that it's what Alicia would've done, but Tracy explains that Strand did it because the others were going to hand him over to Troy too. Strand tells Madison that she's the only person who knows who Strand used to be and believes that he's changed, so Strand asks her to believe him that this isn't about saving his own skin, but about saving Tracy's too. Madison asks if Tracy really knows where she can find Alicia and will take her there, and Tracy claims that she does and recognizes that she doesn't have any other choice. Madison agrees to help Strand keep Tracy safe, but they first have to find Alicia. Madison admits that she's not sure about what will happen after Tracy takes Madison to her daughter, but Strand is right that Tracy can't go back to her father.

At Lowcountry Landing, Madison hotwires one of the Gearheads' trucks, reporting to Strand that it has a full tank of gas, while Tracy looks over a map. Strand finds a gun in the glovebox and quips "thank you, Luciana" and that the sign says to take what they need when Madison wonders if Luciana is going to mind. Madison shows Tracy their location on the map and asks where they need to go while on the radio, Troy tells his men that he doesn't care how many people are at the hotel, they are to push west along the access road. Strand reports that Troy's people are nowhere near them and, while flicking through channels looking for June, Dwight and Sherry, picks up a transmission by people who are looking for Madison and who are checking out the coordinates that Madison gave. Tracy's never heard the voices before, but Strand dismisses it as they will be long gone by the time that the people catch up with them. Tracy asks to see a bigger map as Troy's fight with Alicia happened way further away than the map depicts. As Strand searches the glove compartment for a bigger map, Tracy grabs his radio and gives their location away to Troy. Madison furiously warns Tracy against doing that again and demands to know if she even knows where Alicia is. Strand reassures Madison that they still have time because Troy's people are by the hotel. After looking at the bigger map that Strand found, Tracy points out a location.

The Gearheads arrive and Strand quickly puts Tracy in the back of the truck as Daniel, Luciana and her men confront them. Having been monitoring the radio chatter, Luciana demands to know why they've brought Troy's daughter to her truck stop. Madison promises that they're just passing through, but Luciana reminds her that she's made it clear that she doesn't want to drag her people into this fight. Daniel spots Tracy in the truck and Strand promises that they'll make sure that Troy knows that Luciana and her people had nothing to do with it. Luciana knows that Troy won't believe it and will think that the Gearheads had helped them to kidnap Tracy. Madison apologizes as they hadn't meant for Tracy to send that message, but they need Luciana to let them pass. Luciana refuses, telling Madison that she has already put them in danger by stopping here and Luciana can't let her travel on their roads too. Madison explains that Tracy is helping her to find Alicia so that Madison can put her to rest with Nick, but Luciana is more worried about the people that are still living that she has to protect. Luciana asks them to step away from the truck, intending to give Tracy back to Troy even though Tracy knows where PADRE is. Strand reminds Luciana that she knows better than anyone what Troy is capable of, but Luciana insists that that's why they have to give Tracy back to Troy and demands that they step away from the truck with the Gearheads aiming guns at them.

Suddenly, Daniel tells Luciana to let Madison and Strand go, stating that Troy already knows about this place. Even if Tracy is returned to him, Troy is still going to attack them to get everything they have because that's Troy's nature. Daniel instructs Luciana to set up a defensive perimeter which they have enough people to do, and which will be easier to do without the distraction that Tracy brings. A shocked Luciana pulls Daniel aside who suggests that Strand might've already made a deal with, that Madison might be in on it and Daniel needs to get close to them to find out what's going on. As Luciana signals her people to stand down, Strand questions why Daniel would want to help them. Daniel pointedly tells Strand that he knows what a parent goes through when they lose a daughter and offers his help to find and bury Alicia. Madison agrees, stating that they need all of the help that they can get, and Strand gives Daniel the passenger's seat.

On the road, Tracy has Madison stop the truck while she tries to figure out the exact location on the map. A frustrated Daniel tells Tracy that she's been looking at the map for 15 minutes, but Strand points out that Tracy is just a child. Tracy realizes who Daniel is, having heard about him from Troy. Daniel asks if Troy had also told her why Daniel wants to kill him against Strand's objections that he's scaring her as Daniel believes that even children deserve to know the truth, that they have to understand that what we do or not do creates consequences, and that they need to learn that no one get a free pass. Tracy reveals that her father had told her that Ofelia died because she had tried to poison a lot of innocent people, but Daniel corrects a surprised Tracy that Ofelia had died "because your lunatic father led a herd of the dead to destroy his own settlement" and Ofelia died fighting to defend it because of Troy. Strand realizes that Daniel doesn't care about Tracy or whether or not Madison buries Alicia, but rather Daniel wants to use Troy's daughter to make him feel what Troy had made Daniel feel. Madison tells Daniel that there's something fundamentally wrong with him and Daniel pulls a gun on Daniel, intending to leave with Tracy. Strand wonders why he's the only one trying to do the right thing, reminding Madison and Daniel that they both know how he'll go to do what he believes is right. Before Strand can escape with Tracy, Daniel grabs him and shoves him out of the car, the gun going off in the process and hitting Daniel's headrest. Madison drives off, leaving Strand on the side of the road, with Daniel asking if she wants to find Alicia or not when Madison questions his actions.

A large herd moves in on the unarmed Strand who attempts to flee, but he quickly becomes surrounded by more and more walkers from all directions. As Strand struggles to evade them, one of the walkers takes him to the ground. Suddenly, Al's old SWAT van drives up and guns down most of the herd before Ada stabs the walker pinning Strand down with a blade attachment similar to the blades on Alicia's Prosthetic Arm. Strand asks who Ada is, having thought that she was Alicia at first, which Ada tells him she gets a lot. As the rest of the herd approaches, Ada helps Strand to his feet and he asks how many people are with her after seeing Della and Sara at the back of the SWAT van, but Ada tells him to save the introductions for inside. The four quickly leave in the SWAT van before the walkers can reach them.

On the road, Sara scans through the radio channels while Della worries that they're sitting ducks until they get the SWAT van's guns reloaded. Sara finds nothing and determines that Troy has no idea that they're here for now. In the back, Strand looks around at the equipment hanging on the van's walls and the similar clothing and weaponry to Alicia that Ada is wearing. Strand comments that the last time that he was in the SWAT van, he was with someone who Strand thought that he'd never see again. Ada reveals that she already knows, having been told by Alicia before Troy had killed her. All three women knew Alicia who had passed through all of their lives. Alicia's Group has taken up her cause, dressing like her, keeping Alicia alive and doing for other people what Alicia did for them. Della's settlement was under siege from bandits when Alicia passed through and made them regret trying to shake them down and she had found antibiotics to treat Sara's pneumonia.

Strand asks about Ada who realizes that Strand doesn't remember her. Ada explains that she had spoken to Strand years ago back in Texas when Ada was still a kid, but she guesses that Strand didn't get a look at her face because he was all the way up on the roof at the time. Strand realizes that Ada is one of the people who had interviewed to enter the Tower and were rejected by Strand. Ada confirms it, stating that she was with her dad at the time, Strand turned them away, and she thought that they were going to die because of it. Ada and her father couldn't find food or water that wasn't contaminated, and they didn't have a place to shelter when the winds brought the bad air in. However, they then received Alicia's message to come to the Tower and help to build it into something better. However, when they got to the Tower, they found it on fire and destroyed and Strand admits that he should've left it in a better state. Ada and her father were part of dozens of survivors who had responded to Alicia's message and who watched it burn thinking that they were going to die before a figure emerged on the horizon. Strand realizes that Alicia had gone back to the Tower after she had put everyone on the rafts. "She went into the Tower. She got fuel from the generators in the basement. She used this to drive us out of that wasteland, away from the radiation that was slowly killing us all. My father died a few months after that from exposure." explains Ada.

Having grown increasingly emotional throughout Ada's story, Strand apologizes for causing her father's death and asks why Ada had saved him after Strand did to her and she states that it's what Alicia would've done. Strand asks if Alicia was still sick from her walker bite when Ada had first met her, and Ada confirms that the fever had stopped, but Ada doesn't really know anything beyond that as she didn't spend much time with Alicia. Once Alicia got everyone settled, she had gone off help more people. Della and Sara explain that she had then met the two of them and didn't stay in one place for very long. However, word spread about her, and it gave people hope and they're trying to spread some hope themselves. The group wants Alicia's legacy to continue and it's better if people believe that Alicia's still out there helping, so they want people to think that Ada is actually Alicia. The group came because they had heard Madison's message on the radio, and they knew that Troy wouldn't be far behind. Ada admits that they don't why Troy had killed Alicia, but word has spread because Alicia wasn't the only person that Troy had killed. There used to be more of Alicia's group before Troy killed them.

With Ada's permission, Strand attempts to use the SWAT van's CB radio to call Madison, asking to talk to Tracy, but he is unable to reach her. As Ada adjusts the radio, Troy responds to Strand's hail, demanding to know where his daughter is and warning Strand that he'd better not have lost her. Strand tells Troy that he hasn't lost Tracy, and he knows exactly where she's going: to wherever Troy hid Alicia with Daniel and Madison. Strand promises that he can help Tracy, but Troy needs to tell him where to go to. Troy asks why he would do that, and Strand tells him that he doesn't know what's going to happen to her after they find Alicia and Strand might be his daughter's last chance. Troy points out that Strand was the one who took her, but Strand argues that he's the only one who is trying to save Tracy now and Troy will never catch up on foot. Approaching Lowcountry Landing, Troy tells Strand that his people aren't going to be on foot for much longer. However, after being surrounded by PADRE forces and the Gearheads, Troy contacts Strand and tells him that he's been held up, meaning that Strand is the only person that can help him. Strand promises to make sure that Tracy is okay, and Troy tells him where to find Madison, Daniel and Tracy.

After failing to find Alicia, Madison tries to kill Tracy for the danger that she represents to PADRE by using her sledgehammer to push a walker at the girl. Madison is interrupted by the arrival of Strand, Ada, Della and Sara, and Madison furiously reveals to her old friend that Tracy had lied about Alicia being here. Strand apologizes, telling Madison that Alicia's body might not be here, but Alicia still is through the three women who are carrying on Alicia's legacy. One of the walkers breaks free and attacks Madison from behind, giving Tracy the chance to break free of her bonds and flee as Madison, Daniel and Strand dispatch the walker. Tracy tells Strand that the group is exactly as Troy had claimed since they were gonna kill her and she escapes. Madison attempts to go after Tracy who will tell Troy where PADRE is, but Strand restrains her, knowing that Madison will only get herself killed. As more walkers begin breaking free of the frozen ground between the group and where Tracy went, Ada promises that she and the other two women will help them to protect PADRE, telling Madison that they knew Alicia and she wouldn't want her mother to die like this. Realizing that Strand and Ada are right, Madison reluctantly agrees, and the group flees from the herd.

Madison, Daniel, Strand, Ada, Della and Sara arrive at Lowcountry Landing which has been destroyed by a gunfight that has left most of both sides dead and more wounded. Tending to a wounded woman, Luciana explains to Daniel that they had Troy and his men surrounded, but it was like they didn't care whether they lived or died. Daniel reassures Luciana that Strand and Madison had no part in this and June runs over with a medical kit to tend to the woman as one of the PADRE fighters dispatches a member of Troy's group who reanimates. Strand finds Frank desperately tending to a dying Hildy who has been shot in the chest and is bleeding out fast. Frank begs his husband to get more dressings, but Hildy dies, and Strand sadly informs Frank that it's too late. Frank refuses to give up on Hildy, but he quickly reanimates, so Strand grabs Hildy's knife and stabs his friend in the head with it. The devastated Frank declares that they need to stop the man who did this to all of their friends and Strand promises his husband that they will.

Sherry dispatches another of Troy's men who had reanimated and tells Madison that Troy isn't here. Luciana explains that someone had stolen one of the Gearheads' trucks after the shooting broke out, and Madison knows that Troy is going to find his kid and PADRE. Luciana points out that Troy lost most of his men in the gunfight, wondering what it matters that Troy knows where to look, but Madison has realized that Troy isn't going to use his men to take it: Troy's going to do the exact same thing that he did at Broke Jaw Ranch 12 years before. "The dead. That's what they were for. They are his army," explains Daniel. Dwight doesn't know how many people they have left, and he and Sherry set out to do a headcount. Madison asks Luciana how far her roads are cleared, but Luciana doesn't want to get involved any further, having lost too many people already by getting involved. However, Madison is more interested in using the Gearheads' roads to reach the mansion near Fort Worth where Tracy had told her that Alicia was killed, and Luciana promises to take Madison there after this is all over.

Madison notices the awe with which Ada, Della and Sara look at her, and Ada tells Madison that she has no idea what it for them to be standing across from them right now. Della adds that until they had heard Madison's message on the repeater network, they had all thought that she was dead. Madison is confused by the fact that they know her, and Sara explains that they had watched Madison's interview with Al so many times that the tape had eventually worn out. However, Madison declares that neither Nick or Alicia are here and that nothing that she said on that tape means anything. Strand insists that it does and that she needs to hear it. When Strand came to Madison at the library, it was because he had thought that he needed Madison to face what was coming, but Strand doesn't. Instead, Strand needs Madison, pointing out that Madison had nearly killed Tracy. Madison angrily insists that it was to protect and that, unlike Strand, she doesn't have anyone left to disappoint, meaning that Madison can get her hands dirty. "Madison, I pushed Alicia away so she wouldn't get her hands dirty. That medallion, I gave it to her so she'd remember who she was because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to. I thought I was protecting her, but I was wrong, Madison. It wasn't about protecting her. It was about giving myself an excuse not to be the better man. I don't want that to happen to you. I won't let that happen to you," states Strand. Undeterred, Madison begins climbing into the back of the SWAT van, pulling a gun on Strand and stating that someone has to stop Troy. Madison refuses Strand and Daniel's requests to come with her, but Madison is worried that they'll just end up dead like everyone else. Madison declares that she can help them by finishing what she had started at the dam and, watched by Strand, Daniel, Luciana, Frank, Ada, Della and Sara, Madison drives off alone in the SWAT van to confront Troy.

"Fighting Like You"[]

Victor will appear in this episode.

"The Road Ahead"[]

Tracy gives Madison the St. Christopher's medallion, attempting to use it as a distraction to steal her gun to threaten her to leave, though Madison shows it has no ammunition. The commotion helps the group locate Luciana and Madison, with Daniel threatening Madison to stop putting the life of his loved ones at risk. Victor begs Tracy to join them at the island, deeming it safer. Enraged, Madison shoots at the sky several times and yells at Victor to get away. The noise draws in the dead, forcing the group to take shelter in the auto-shop following a brief attempt to stop them by Ada and Della.

Inside, Victor is contacted by Frank via walkie, revealing that the surviving members of Troy's group managed to capture the herd again and will release it onto the island.

Concerned about his family, Victor wants to take on the walkers outside and go help but Daniel disagrees, wanting to wait them out to negate any risk for themselves. Victor contacts Frank again who says that Russell wants to talk to Madison, offering to not release the herd if she hands Tracy over. "She's all I have left, Russell," Madison somberly says.

Russell's group releases a wave of grenades on PADRE's walls, creating an opening for the herd to get in. Scrambling to go back to help his family, Victor opens the door to the auto-shop and the group starts taking down walkers. At PADRE, Dove brings June the pistols that once belonged to John, while Dwight gives commands to the prefects. He throws Russell to the incoming herd to serve as a distraction.

With the auto-shop cleared, Daniel shouts at Victor and Madison for their egotistical behavior, putting his loved ones in danger over and over. He tells them that they are to blame for every person he cared for dying along the way. The three exchange bitter words, regretting helping each other back in Los Angeles.

Luciana presents Madison with a map and gas for her to retrieve Alicia. Daniel lashes out again, stating that they are better off without Madison, having lost her mind to rage. Victor begs Madison to help defend PADRE but she refuses to help. Before leaving, Victor asks Madison to tell Alicia he tried to be a better man if she finds her.

At PADRE, the group fails to contain the herd. When all seems lost, Victor screams that it can't end like this as an explosion erupts, blowing up the walls.

In the morning, Tracy finds her zombified father entangled in vines. She reveals she shot Madison and believes that everyone died on the island. Tracy puts down and buries her father and is found by Victor, still alive.

Victor tends to Tracy's wounds and affirms she has more left to fight for. Questioning his survival, Victor reveals Madison had been protected from Tracy's bullet due to the St. Christopher's Medallion. Believing herself too far gone, Madison then went to PADRE, seeking to do something 'monumental' to restore Tracy's faith, and lured the herd using a flare, creating an explosion and sacrificing herself for the others to survive. Victor tells Tracy that sometimes fighting for the right thing might get you killed, but the deed itself will help you live forever in the hearts of those you saved.

Daniel and Victor bid each other goodbye, realizing they are more alike than they would like to admit. Victor hugs Luciana and she heads off with Daniel. Before leaving, Daniel finds Skidmark crawling towards him and picks up his pet in tears.

Victor finds a bluebonnet in his truck. Frank and Klaus join him inside and the former promises they will look around for Tracy some more. However, Alicia, Madison, and Tracy appear in the rearview mirror for Victor. He takes a sigh of relief and asks Klaus to point on a map for where they go from here, now ready to depart with peace of mind.

Killed Victims[]

This list shows the victims Victor has killed:

Relationships[]

For a more in-depth look at Victor's relationships, read here; Victor Strand (Fear)/Relationships

Allies

Enemies


Appearances[]

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

Gallery[]

For more images of Victor, please visit Victor Strand (Fear)/Gallery.

Trivia[]

  • Victor is the first major recurring primary antagonist in Fear the Walking Dead, the second being Troy Otto.
  • The casting call for this character used the name Benjamin Booker.[2]
    • Strand was described as "40s to 50s. African American. A self-made man. Poor, blue-collar background but he's educated and polished himself. Sophisticated and smart with a mysterious past."
    • Benjamin Booker is the name of a musician.
  • The character's full name and background was revealed by then-showrunner Dave Erickson in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in September 2015.[3]
  • He is the only main character from Season 1 who is not related to any of the other main characters.
    • Strand is the second longest-living male survivor, with the third longest-living in total after Daniel and Alicia.
    • Strand, Madison and Daniel are the only Season 1 characters confirmed alive.
  • He is the first LGBT character in Fear the Walking Dead.
    • Strand implies himself to be bisexual in "Los Muertos", when he remarks to Madison that he might have hit on her before the outbreak, had he found her under the same circumstances in which he met Thomas. However, it is unclear whether he was being serious or just joking with Madison.
    • In an interview with Colman Domingo, he heavily implies Strand is pansexual and may have had romantic attraction to Madison.[4]
  • Unlike most of the main characters, Strand did not directly kill a living person for much of the show on or off-screen. His attempted killing of Daniel Salazar in "Things Bad Begun" is confirmed by Strand himself to be the first time that he even tried killing another living person.
  • The jumpsuit that he wears throughout Season 5 belonged to someone named "Mitch" as seen on the nametag.
  • Victor is one of six characters in the entire franchise to be trilingual as he knows English, Spanish, and German.
    • The other five character to be trilingual are Gabriel Stokes who speaks English, Spanish, and American Sign Language, Daniel Salazar who speaks English, Spanish, and German, Fanya who speaks English, German, and French, Eun-Chan who speaks Korean, French, and English, and Yumiko Okumura who speaks English, Japanese, and American Sign Language.
  • Victor was held captive seven times. The abductors of Victor are the members of California Army National Guard, members of Gonzalez Dam, members of El Bazar, temporarily by the members Morgan's group, members of the Pioneers, temporarily by Daniel Salazar and by the members Troy's group.
  • Victor's turn to villainy in Season 7 was possibly inspired by Dave Erickson's original plan to have Madison become a villain.
  • Victor is one of two main characters to appear in every season, the other being Alicia Clark.
  • Victor has met all the other main characters, except Jeremiah Otto and Jake Otto.
  • Victor, Madison Clark, Alicia Clark, and Daniel Salazar are the only confirmed survivors of the outbreak introduced in Season 1 to not die in Fear the Walking Dead.

International Dubbers[]

Language Dubber Other Characters Voiced
Czech Filip Švarc Guillermo
Mitch Dolgen
Carter
Bruce (6)
Dwight (TV Series)
French Lucien Jean-Baptiste N/A
German Matti Klemm Moof
Captain
Hungarian Bognár Tamás Tyreese Williams
Italian Enrico Di Troia Joe
Japanese Takaki Ōtomari N/A
Portuguese N/A N/A
Spanish (Latin America) Salvador Reyes (1-"People Like Us"; "Channel 4"-Present)
Juan Carlos Tinoco ("The Code"-5A)
N/A
Spanish (Spain) Juan Carlos Gustems N/A

References[]

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