Alicia’s Fear TWD Reunion Gives Strand His Most Pathetic Moment Yet

A tragic streak has always peeked out from Fear The Walking Dead’s Victor Strand from time to time, but season 7’s reunion with Alicia marks his most pathetic scene yet. Since debuting way back in Fear The Walking Dead season 1, Colman Domingo’s Victor Strand has evolved into one of the zombie apocalypse’s most nuanced figures. There’s a romantic nature bubbling between the charismatic oration and his uncanny ability to patronize, but Strand’s aloofness is tempered by a (very) sporadic morality. Fear The Walking Dead season 7 finds Strand off the deep end entirely, embracing his innate selfishness as the dictator of The Tower.

Despite going full-baddie since Teddy’s nuclear missile exploded, Victor Strand’s heart betrays one major weakness – Alicia Clark. Out of everyone still breathing, Alicia knows Strand best. She tried valiantly to bring the best out of Victor before, and though he threw that chance away in a hail of whisky and fine art, Strand still craves Alicia’s acceptance. As the only person he still cares about, Strand has been keenly anticipating he and Alicia’s post-nuke reunion – initially searching high and low for her, then stopping just in case she tried making him “nice” again, then resolving to find Alicia after all – whatever the cost – in Fear The Walking Dead season 7’s “The Portrait.”

Their reunion finally comes in “Padre.” Alicia and Morgan are hopelessly searching for the mythical salvation of PADRE by following a zombie(?), when Strand catches up. Calling out to Alicia, the emotion on his face is palpable – the mixture of emotion and excitement spilling through his expression. He’s delighted to see Alicia after so long, clearly can’t wait to show her The Tower, and is visibly frightened at the prospect of being separated once again. And Alicia… couldn’t care less. Not only does she refuse to give Strand the time of day, she jumps off a cliff just to get away. As they encounter each other throughout the episode, Strand becomes increasingly desperate for Alicia’s approval, while Alicia matches his desperation with more dismissal.

The way Victor Strand cares so deeply about Alicia – while Alicia treats Strand with a condescending mixture of contempt and coldness – is by far the villain’s most pathetic moment yet. Despite genuine moments of tenderness and courage, Strand has a semi-regular habit of making himself look pathetic. Dropping his satellite phone while floating on a deflating raft in Fear The Walking Dead season 2 (soon after abandoning his friends, no less) ranks pretty highly. Commissioning a pompous portrait at The Tower, then throwing it away because the likeness wasn’t quite right comes close also. But neither compares to Strand’s respect and love for Alicia being crumpled up and thrown away by a woman who obviously doesn’t afford him the same mental real estate he gives her in Fear The Walking Dead season 7.

The real kicker is Alicia not even trying to redeem Strand. After meeting Will, Victor stopped searching for Alicia out of fear she’d make him a good guy again. When they finally do reunite, she proves that assumption spectacularly wrong, making no effort whatsoever to talk Strand around or mend his ways. That should make Fear The Walking Dead season 7, part 2’s war between Strand and Alicia very interesting indeed. Strand could slaughter just about anyone on Morgan’s submarine without losing a wink of sleep, but when crunch time comes, will he be able to kill Alicia? Because if her reaction in “Padre” is anything to go by, she could certainly put a bullet through him.