Fear The Walking Dead is set to return from its winter break on April 17. With the show's return, the stories of numerous characters and their relationships with Victor Strand (Coleman Domingo) make up a huge component of the upcoming episodes. Though The Walking Dead itself is coming to an end, Fear The Walking Dead is set to keep going for an upcoming season 8.
Alicia Clark (Alycia Debnam-Carey) has a big score to settle with Strand and is determined to bring down his armada after his broken promise of leadership for her people. It'll still be a challenge to do so with Strand heavily supported by forces like his associate Howard (Omid Abtahi). Meanwhile, Charlie (Alexa Nisenson) will make her full return in the latter half of season 7 as one of the survivors of the nuclear blast initiated by Teddy (John Glover).
Screen Rant participated in a roundtable discussion alongside several other outlets with stars Alycia Debnam-Carey, Alexa Nisenson and Omid Abtahi. The actors discussed the return of Fear The Walking Dead season 7 and what fans of the series can expect from the upcoming episodes.
Things can change at any moment in the world they’re in. Alycia, is there a place where [Alicia Clark] could ever co-exist with Strand again, or would it be kind of too late? (Jamie Ruby, Sci-fi Vision)
Alycia Debnam-Carey: For Alicia and Strand, it is such a unique dynamic. The two of them have both really known each other for the longest in this journey, and I think one of the unique characteristics is Alicia has seen Strand for who he is at the very beginning before everything started, and knew he was a con-man to begin with, knew he had that kind of manipulation aspect to him, that he’s someone who will do anything to win and survive, and that’s one of the reasons why he’s been able to go so long.
I do think they finally reached a crossroads where she now is seeing for who he really is, despite the camaraderie and the family that they built with each other. She’s always known that manipulation and con-artistry is in him, and she’s now seeing it in full force and the danger it brings everyone and the selfishness that is so inherently within him. I think it has come to a crossroads that she can’t really accept that anymore; she can’t go along with that ride. And so, it’s not just a diversion of ideas, it’s a diversion of complete ethics and morals.
For a while - with Madison, with Nick - there was sort of a belief that, "No, he’s all there. There’s a part of him that will continue to grow and change." But I think she’s seeing the bare bones of it, and it’s just not something that she can really go along with anymore. So, I don’t know that she’s in a place to forgive and let go when there’s so much damage that’s happened.
And then for [Alexa and Omid], what would it take for Strand to push them too far?
Alexa Nisenson: I would say one of my favorite things about Charlie is that even though she’s young, she’s very aware of what’s going on and very aware of the reality of all the different situations and everyone’s true intentions and personalities. But I think she has really great bonds and relationships with a lot of different characters, and they’re all very different.
I think her relationship with Strand definitely evolved from their first time meeting until now. We’ve seen them kind of have their moments, but I think she is very aware of what he’s doing and who he is. I think she’s strong, and I don’t think she’s willing to put up with a lot right now, or much at all.
Omid Abtahi: It’s a very good question, and a question I asked myself every time I got a new script. It becomes very clear in the second half of the season what Howard’s motivation is - and I think if there’s anything to push him to press back against Strand, [it's] to see this power thrive; to see the start of this new civilization thrive. I think anything that endangers that vision, you’ll see pushback from Howard. But at the same time, he sees Strand as the vehicle to realize this vision that they both have together.
So, they don’t always see eye-to-eye, but Howard has his own reasons as to why he’s an ‘enabler’.
What would you say has been the most challenging scene you’ve had to play in the first half of this season? (Tony Tellado, Sci-Fi Talk)
Alycia Debnam-Carey: I’ve had a lot! Mine definitely was in the tunnel - specifically, cutting off my arm. I think that was, for a multitude of reasons, tricky. Kind of logistically, we had a bunch of obstacles, in terms of the mechanics of the tunnel, which meant we actually had to shoot it about three times. I remember after the first time, Mike came up to me and said, "We have to shoot it again." I was ready to absolutely explode. I was like, "Are you kidding me right now?!" It took so long. It’s a really hard emotional scene to be in, that entire episode.
7.08 was actually was really intense. That was a really extreme episode; it was hard, and it was just a huge emotional journey for Alicia. It was a really big, pivotal space. But just that sequence in particular was just very challenging. We were in a small space, it was very confined, there was a lot of movie debris and dust, and it was all just being thrown in the tube. I was in there and just having to use all of these different kind of special effects tools to make that gag really work. And you realize very quickly when it’s just you having to do a lot of that in there, because you only have so many people who can come in and out and change it and make it exactly how they want; frame it the way they need it to. But there’s only a limited space, like a square in the top of the tube, that people can reach down and try to start fiddling with things. You realize very quickly that, "Oh, God, it’s really hard to do these things just by yourself and on your own."
Not that I was on my own, but in that confined space, you’re doing a lot. And just emotionally, it was just really, really hard. It’s a very distressing, disturbing scene, and it also then was such a huge catalyst moment for Alicia of whether she chose to let go or fight. And she chooses to still hold on. So, that was a massive episode, but that scene, for me, was definitely the hardest - especially having to do it like three times. I wanted to scream at Mikey! [laughs] I love him, but he had to really sweet talk me for that one!
Alexa Nisenson: I cannot speak too well on this, because we haven’t seen a ton of Charlie in the front half of season 7. So, I would say for me, the most challenging thing I filmed is in 7.10. It’s not aired yet, so… Yeah, I would say that was the most challenging for me. Nothing in the front half, but definitely in 7.10.
Omid Abtahi: Technically, for me, I had a difficult time with the horse-riding part of it. I’m not very proficient with it, and I remember at some point in 7.05 telling Dwight and Sherry to get going. I never want to see them back again. I’m trying to be all John Wayne-ish, but with all the gear they have on us, I couldn’t get on my horse, so they had to lower the little footholds.
I was able to get up, but once I got up there, my feet were dangling like some kid in elementary school. So, it was hard to me to act all tough. I felt like a little kid, but I did it in one take. And I was so relieved, because I couldn’t get on that horse in rehearsal at all. But I happened to do it on the day, and I was relieved that’s all they needed.
And if I could just say, emotionally, the hardest part is 7.10. I would go back to that hotel, and I would scrub myself in the shower like Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura. I just wanted to scrub Howard off of me.
One of the things I’ve been fascinated with for Alycia and Alexa specifically is how much your characters have changed and grown over the series, What has one of the most fulfilling parts of season 7 and the journeys that they’ve gone into so far been? And Omid, what's it like being one of the newer members of the cast who’s starting a pretty hard journey with Strand? (Kate Sanchez, But Why Though?)
Alexa Nisenson: I would say that, like you’ve said, I have definitely grown up on the set along with Charlie. We’ve seen Charlie grow, and I started the show when I was eleven and I’m turning sixteen in a few months. It’s crazy to think back to season 4 with Charlie’s journey and evolution. She’s come such a long way, and we’ve seen her - especially in the back half of season 7 and 7.10 - mature a lot. She gets to experience some kind of normal, teenage fun things, and her journey has been crazy.
She’s been so complex, starting in season 4 and everything that happened with Charlie to now. I feel like every season, she goes through so much of a change, and she’s like a whole new Charlie every time we see her. Especially in season 7, we see that. And I think having a character grow this much has been really incredible, because I’m growing with her and getting to portray that has been amazing. But she really has matured and come into her own. She’s not super little anymore, and that’s really cool to see.
Alycia Debnam-Carey: I had a strange moment the other day. Someone had put up my first pilot episode photo with me on a bicycle in California, and then a photo of me now, and the difference was so intense. It was like, "Alicia’s really been through it. She’s just gone through the wringer." I’m wearing this dirty poncho covered in blood leading the charge to go to war, and I’m like "Who would have thought?"
It was very cool actually to see that; to see the evolution of such a character and all these iterations that we’ve gone through - similar in a way to Charlie, but obviously no to the same degree. But this was a teenager in the apocalypse and now a young woman, and I think obviously there’s something that is interesting in that, and seeing her go through the loss of family and then finally getting to a place where she’s comfortable on her own. And then now, getting to a place where I think she’s the most on her own as her own person, autonomous and leading in her own way.
I think in many seasons, we waited for her to get to that place. It’s now there and she really deserves it, but it’s still not without its chaos and mistakes and problems. But it is heartfelt for me, seeing this character having gone from that to becoming this apocalyptic warrior of sorts. Yeah, after everything that character has been through, it’s been a very intense, huge, massive evolution. And I think you don’t often get that this many seasons in - but we’ve found this really extraordinary arc, and I’m really lucky to have that, for sure.
Omid Abtahi: When I had my first episode at the end of season 6, I totally had this vision of Howard one way. Even though I was pre-emptively warned a little bit by Andrew and Ian, when I got the first episode of season 7, I was like “Whoa.” I had to go back and read the final episode of season 6 to just make sure I got everything right; if I interpreted the character right.
But I had to spend the first half of season 7 justifying this change in Howard. He seemed like such a likeable guy, he’s affable - and now he’s the second hand to Victor Strand’s desire for power. If I’m just being completely honest, I didn’t get a good pulse on who Howard really is until the second half of season 7. I think that’s a pro and con of television: these characters are constantly changing, and you don’t always know what they’re going to be in the end. Which I actually really love. Where he ends up is definitely very different than where he starts in the two seasons that I’ve been a part of.
This is a question for both Alycia and for Alexa. I just want to know what the return of Kim Dickens means to you guys. Especially for Alexa, how will the eventual confrontation between the two of you go? (Riju Dasgupta, Sportskeeda)
Alexa Nisenson: Well, at this point in the story, Charlie believes that Madison is dead. So, I don’t think it’s really even anything she has thought of at this point. I don’t think it’s even been a concern in her mind whatsoever. Obviously, I can’t talk too much about the future, but anything’s possible, and I guess everyone will have to watch to see how everything plays out with that.
Alycia Debnam-Carey: Yeah, as far as Alicia is concerned, I’d say it’s a Pandora’s Box she has well and truly thrown away the key from. She’s decided to push down and try to just continue and move on. I think there are elements of Madison that are part of her ethos that she travels with, like trying to find the good in things, and there are elements now that we’ve seen her grow into that are a lot more like her mother.
But I think for her to have found her own person, she’s sort of had to let the idea of it go a little bit; to embrace her new self in this world. I think that’s something [that’s] not really on her mind at all. Not on her mind in terms of any reunion; she’s convinced her mother is dead.
Was there a moment, either in the first half of season 7 or the second part, where you were just really disappointed in your character’s action? (Dana Abercrombie, The Koalition)
Alycia Debnam-Carey: Oh, good question, I’ve not heard that one before! I mean, definitely in the past, there have been moments where I’m like, "Alicia, no." I’m trying to think of one this season.
Omid Abtahi: All the time, for me!
Alexa Nisenson: I think for me, it was quite the opposite, actually. This season, in the back half, I was actually super proud of everything Charlie did and the way she acted and handled herself. So, I don’t think there was a moment this season where I went, "Oh, bad move Charlie!" I think I was really proud and excited for it.
Alycia Debnam-Carey: I feel like it’s a hard one for me, because Alicia’s become such a specific kind of person in this apocalypse, which is so different from how I would be - which is probably not existing by this point. I watch it, and there are choices that she’ll make where there’s just this will to just continue. Simply the ability to weather every single storm and still want to continue is so unique to her and so extraordinary that I’ve sort of had to embrace it as its own thing.
If I was bit, I’d be like, "Well, this is my time." I feel she’s like, "I will chop off this arm!" and I’m like, "It’s not me, it’s you, I suppose!" This is a different kind of character and, in a way, that’s what I love about it. She’s become the epitome of the fight to survive, which I think is really cool, but that of course leads itself to some interesting choices.
Actually, this season, I kind of agree with Alexa. If anything, Alicia’s sort of doubled down and committed this season. It’s like, "You know what? She’s in."
These last couple of episodes, without giving too much away, have dealt with themes of redemption and making tough decisions. How did you approach that with your respective roles? (Brad Curran, Screen Rant)
Alycia Debnam-Carey: Great question.
Omid Abtahi: That is a good question, it’s deep!
Alycia Debnam-Carey: I think Alicia’s one is an interesting one that we see further in the back half.
In the back half, things really do shift and, because of what’s happened with her, there’s a shift of focus that stops being on her and the people she’s been with this entire time. And it shifts to wanting to help anyone she can. There’s quite a big guilt that she’s holding onto, and we see it sort of express itself in this manic need to help anyone, and almost this martyr complex of sorts that starts to emerge. I think it’s a really interesting shift for her; this need, as you said, to sort of redeem herself, and the wrongs she’s done in the past. Or her inability to protect the people she loves or the damage that has been done.
It almost goes into overdrive, this need to protect and save, and we really see that flesh itself out in the second half. Definitely episode 9 is where we start to see the beginning of it, because we also start to see the unraveling that’s been happening in her own psyche that she can’t just save everyone. It doesn’t quite work that simply, as much as she’d like to try.
Alexa Nisenson: Almost all of Charlie’s arcs, through the back half of season 4 into 5 and 6, have truly been about redemption. That’s been one of Charlie’s biggest things she wants to accomplish. She wanted to be fully redeemed; she wanted everyone to forgive her and to forgive herself. And I actually think, for the first time in a while - especially in the back half of season 7 - this is where it becomes less about redemption for Charlie, and more just about her getting to live a little bit and actually experience things.
I think that’s a really interesting part of this for her. So much has been about redemption since season 4 that I think that’s what makes some of what she does in season 7 in the back half so special, because it’s really the first time where [redemption's] not part of her main focus. She kind of puts that aside to get to really experience things. And that was really special to get to play something very different, where it’s not all about redemption. Although I think that’s always part of who she is and will be - wanting to redeem herself - it wasn’t her top priority in the back half.
Omid Abtahi: Especially in the second half of the season, anytime Howard steps into Strand’s shoes, for me, there’s a lot of work in justifying why Howard makes these choices. Why to a certain extent he enables Strand and tries to replicate Strand when he’s not there. We come to find why he makes these choices - they’re very difficult choices, and I don’t think he has an easy time with them.
He doesn’t wear that skin that easily. We come to find why he does it and why, in his mind, he justifies the choices he makes.
The next episode of Fear The Walking Dead, which returns this weekend is titled "Follow Me." In it, Alicia takes refuge in the home of a mysterious stranger, where she is forced to confront the failings of her past and how she will face her future as her fevers grow worse and Arno pursues her at every turn.
Fear The Walking Dead returns Sunday, April 17 at 9 PM ET/PT on AMC.