Madison’s signal – turning on the lights of the hotel – didn’t draw out Nick, but it did draw out about 50 humans, desperate for food and safety. Madison and her crew stand at the gates, apologizing but not relenting. Then Travis appears, and fights his way to the front of the gate. Madison lets him in and they have a grateful reunion. Once in the hotel, Travis is sullen, but finally, finally opens up to Madison.
Back at the farm, in the immediate aftermath of Chris’ murder, Travis focuses on the living first. He rushes to stitch up James’ gunshot wound. James screams a lot, but Travis assures him he will get better. Then he buries the homeowner beside the rest of his family. He makes a grave marker to match, but doesn’t know the man’s name.
Evening falls, and the boys sit around a BBQ pit, drinking and cooking chickens. Travis suggests they eat eggs, not the chickens; the boys ignore him. James assures Travis that his pain level is at a three – maybe four. Travis thinks there is something else going on, but James won’t say anything. Next, he pulls Chris away to talk for a minute. He is shocked at the lack of remorse Chris shows for killing the homeowner. Chris defends himself by pointing out the homeowner shot his friend (a boy he has known all of two days) and insists things are different now. “You saved James. You proved your worth,” Chris assures his dad. “We need them. I need them.” He goes back to the other boys.
About a week has gone by, and Travis wakes to find Brandon, Derek, and Chris packing up the truck, ready to move out: they ate all the chickens, so it is time to leave. They plan to go to San Diego, despite Travis swearing that San Diego doesn’t exist anymore. Chris takes Brandon’s side, not his father’s. While the boys pack the truck, Travis goes into the house and finds the homeowner’s identification. Elias. He adds the name to the grave marker, then helps the guys transfer a still-immobile James into the truck. They drive off, and James is in obvious pain. Travis wants Brandon to stop; James wants them to keep going. Then James passes out and they go back to the farm.
The boys are ready to kill James – he is dead weight – and Travis confronts them. He suggests the boys go on, leave James at the farm house with him. They are not interested in logic, and Travis grabs Chris’ gun. They don’t think he has the balls to kill them, so he shoots at their feet, and Brandon pulls his own gun. Travis retreats back to the barn with James, who admits what happened back at the Sea of Cortez. Their friend, Troy, was bitten, and they knew he would turn. Troy made them promise to kill him before he turned, but at the last minute he changed his mind and begged his friends not to kill him. Brandon was tasked with the job, but he couldn’t do it, so James did it. Travis tells James that was different, but James knows the deal. “They think I’m dying. I’m dead weight.”
Travis sleeps with James in the barn, the door tightly locked. Morning comes and Chris wakes them with a knock, offering food and wanting to talk to his dad. Travis lets him in, but doesn’t quite trust him – he actually pats his son down. Chris assures his dad that he gets what he was trying to teach him. “You are trying to save James because his life still matters. They have known James since he was six. Imagine what they would do if it were me.” Travis hugs him closely, relieved that he has finally reached his son. But he hasn’t. Chris tackles Travis to the ground, and calls in Brandon and Derek. While Derek and Chris hold Travis down, Brandon shoots James dead.
With the dead weight gone, the guys pack up the truck and plan to move out for real this time. Brandon makes it clear that Travis is not going with them, which is fine. Travis doesn’t want to go with them. But Travis wants Chris to stay. “Your way doesn’t work, not anymore,” Chris tells his dad coolly. “You won’t do what needs to be done. I’m better off without you. I’m not broken; I’m adapting.” As the guys roll out, Travis chases them, begging Chris to stay. Chris ignores him.
Travis adds another grave to the growing graveyard at the farmhouse: one for James. Then he walks away, without supplies, heading to the ocean.
Now, back with Madison, Travis is consumed with guilt for leaving his son. “I failed him and I failed her.” His ex-wife. He does apologize for their last night at the vineyard, where he didn’t believe Chris was going to attack Alicia. “Our first responsibility is as parents,” he says. He wishes he remembered to tell Chris he loves him as he drove away. Travis is spiraling, and Madison leaves him, having to find Alicia.
Andreas has set up a makeshift triage center in the parking structure for the people at the gate. She finds Alicia helping out, and takes her out to the pier to talk. It is there that she admits to Alicia that her father didn’t die in an accident; he killed himself. She also admits he left a note, but is reticent to tell her what it said. But she does: “I love you all, but enough’s enough.” Madison didn’t tell the kids – especially Nick – because she was afraid Nick would end up like his dad. “I never loved you any less,” Madison insists. “I just thought you were all right.” The two hug. It’s very sweet.
In the night, a new group of people approach the hotel. Brandon and Derek seemed to have picked up some new friends… but Chris is nowhere to be seen.
You can watch a preview for next week’s episode, titled “Wrath,” using the player below.
