‘Fear The Walking Dead’: Do The Authorities Already Know Everyone Is Infected?

In Episode 4 of AMC’s latest zombie apocalypse series, Fear The Walking Dead, the military were rather heavy-handed in taking away the sick. But why? Could it be that the authorities already know everyone is infected? If so, how long will it take for everyone else to work this out?

WARNING: This article contains spoilers about season 1 of AMC’s Fear The Walking Dead. If you have not viewed all available episodes, please proceed with caution.

At first glance, Episode 4 (entitled “Not Fade Away”) of Fear The Walking Dead, seemed to involve a rather heavy-handed National Guard when it came to enforcing rules and taking away the sick from the quarantined safe zone in which Travis (played by Cliff Curtis) lives with the mixed assortment of people that have now become his extended family, including his ex-wife, his current girlfriend, a combination of children and the Salazar’s.

But what if there was a method to their madness in Fear The Walking Dead? What if the authorities already knew everyone was infected? If that was the case, then the people they were removing from the safe zone made a lot more sense.

First, there was Madison’s (Kim Dickens) sick neighbor that Travis’ ex-wife, Liza (Elizabeth Rodriguez) was caring for. He had congenital heart disease and Liza was helping him manage it with the use of morphine. Once Dr. Bethany Exner (Sandrine Holt) found out Liza was assisting him, he was taken away to be cared for in a medical facility.

After questioning Liza further, Dr. Exner also had Griselda (Patricia Reyes Spíndola) with her broken ankle that was beginning to look dangerously gangrenous, taken away for care. While, at first, they were told that Griselda’s husband, Daniel (Rubén Blades) could go with her, when it came time to go, they made Daniel stay behind and took Nick (Frank Dillane) instead, thanks to Liza informing Dr. Exner that he was a recovering junkie.

Another Fear The Walking Dead character who may have also been taken by the authorities was Madison’s neighbor, Thompson. It appeared he had tried to escape the compound after Travis managed to talk him out of a panic attack in his bathroom. However, it was later revealed he had been taken away by the military. Whether this was true is not clear yet, although one of the sneak peek videos for Episode 5 (“Cobalt”) could possibly make a reference to him.

While all of these people had legitimate reasons for medical attention, there might be a more sinister reason for rounding them all up and taking them out of the safe zone according to Uproxx. After all, Walking Dead fans know that everyone is infected in the Walking Dead universe, but, so far, the civilians of Fear The Walking Dead are still unaware. But, could the authorities already know everyone is infected? After all, a man who is possibly depressed could also be suicidal, someone with heart disease could die at any moment, a junkie could overdose, and a woman with a gangrenous foot could also die more easily than a healthy person. And we all know what happens if someone dies in the Walking Dead: they reanimate. For a safe zone, that is not an option.

Leaving Daniel behind is also another indicator of something more sinister. If they are only taking away those at risk of death and leaving behind everyone who is completely healthy, could they perhaps be culling those that are considered a threat? However, the authorities might have made their biggest mistake by leaving Daniel behind as he is the one who has absolutely no trust in the authorities and the military. As Fear The Walking Dead showrunner, Dave Erickson told Yahoo!;

“The thing about Griselda and Daniel is they lived through the war in El Salvador, and they know that when the trucks come, and when people are contained, it’s not generally a good thing. It can be under the auspices of, ‘We’re trying to protect you.’ It can also be in the auspices of, ‘We’re gathering up Communists because we want to shoot them in the head.'”

If the authorities already know about everyone being infected in Fear The Walking Dead, how long will it take the civilians to work it out? Perhaps Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) might already have a suspicion after finding the suicide note her neighbor, Susan (Cici Lau), left for her husband. For eagle-eyed viewers, an empty bottle of pills was seen twice, once in Episode 3 (“The Dog”) and then again in Episode 4. If Alicia connects the dots, she will work out that Susan turned without being bitten.

Fear The Walking Dead returns ot AMC with Episode 5 (“Cobalt”) on Sunday, September 27, 2015.

What do you think, do the authorities in Fear The Walking Dead know everyone is infected already? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!

[Image credits: AMC / Justina Mintz]