‘Fear The Walking Dead,’ Season 2 Finale: Is Chris Dead?


Episode 13 of AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead dealt with the split between Travis Manawa and his son, Chris. At the very end of the episode, it was revealed the two characters Chris left with had turned up at the gates of Rosarito Beach Hotel. However, it seemed Chris was not with them. So, what has happened to Chris and will we find out in the Season 2 finale?

Spoiler alert: This article discusses the Season 2 finale of AMC’s Fear The Walking Dead. Please proceed with caution if you wish to avoid spoilers.

Episode 13 (entitled “Date of Death”) of AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead saw Travis Manawa (Cliff Curtis) and his son, Chris (Lorenzo James Henrie) part ways. Chris decided to stay with Brandon (Kelly Blatz) and Derek (Kenny Wormald), choosing to evict his father from the group rather than suffer his moral conscience any longer. Travis was then forced to travel alone, and on foot, until he chanced coming across Madison’s (Kim Dickens) group at the Rosarito Beach Hotel.

AMC’s ‘Fear the Walking Dead,’ Season 2, Episode 13, Date of Death, Travis and Madison [Image by Richard Foreman Jr/AMC]

At the very end of Episode 13, Brandon and Derek were found approaching the locked gates of the Rosarito Beach Hotel. They were not only on foot, but, apparently, minus Chris Manawa. So what has happened to Chris?

In the teaser video for the Season 2 finale of Fear the Walking Dead, Travis is seen calling out “Chris!” This could mean Chris is actually with Brandon and Derek, and just not seen at the end of Episode 13. Alternatively, perhaps Travis just thought he saw Chris in the crowd of refugees approaching the hotel. Here are some other possible ideas on what has happened to Chris.

  • Brandon and Derek killed him. We know from Episode 13 of Fear the Walking Dead that Brandon and Derek are not above killing their own. James (Israel Broussard), who had been with the group from the beginning, was injured and not healing as quickly as Brandon and Derek would have liked. As a result of this, James was killed in cold blood. So, has Chris met the same fate? Video footage from the teaser for the Season 2 finale of Fear the Walking Dead indicates something is up thanks to an image showing Brandon and Derek tied up and being led by Madison’s group. The synopses for the double episode also suggest Travis is still struggling into Episode 15, causing “turmoil” in the process. Remembering back to the episode when Ilene (Brenda Strong) stabbed Victor Strand (Colman Domingo), the group was warned that they were not allowed to attack any members of the group. Could Travis find out about what Brandon and Derek have done to Chris and attack them in return?
  • Brandon and Derek left Chris behind. While this doesn’t seem very likely, it is still a possibility. Perhaps they just left him, deciding to ditch the newest addition to their group, sneaking away while Chris slept rather than have to use a bullet on him. Alternatively, maybe they didn’t intentionally leave him but the group was separated and Brandon and Derek chose not to save him. If this is the case, it would leave the opportunity for Travis to go and attempt to retrieve his son, thus being able to also make amends with him.
AMC’s ‘Fear the Walking Dead,’ Season 2, Episode 13, Date of Death, Chris Manawa [Image by Richard Foreman Jr/AMC]
  • Chris left the group. Fear‘s showrunner, Dave Erickson, explained to Entertainment Weekly that Chris ditched his father out of kindness, rather than the very real prospect of Brandon or Derek killing Travis. Could this decision become too much for Chris, leading him to sneak off in order to return to his father?
  • Travis killed Chris. Episode 13 of Fear the Walking Dead saw Travis inconsolable at the separation between himself and his son. Many thought this grief too much, especially since, as Madison pointed out, Chris forced the decision and there was nothing Travis could have done about it. So, could his grief be so great because Travis actually killed his son and is lying to Madison about it? This Inquisitr article discusses this theory in greater detail.
  • Chris is at the hotel. Just because Chris was not seen with Brandon and Derek at the very end of Episode 13 of Fear the Walking Dead, doesn’t mean he wasn’t there. AMC may have just shown images where it appeared he wasn’t present to mislead the audience. The same could be said for the images from the teaser video where Brandon and Derek are seen without Chris.

Regardless of which scenario you chose for Chris, Dave Erickson has confirmed via Entertainment Weekly that the mystery of what happened to Chris will be revealed by the Season 2 finale of Fear the Walking Dead.

“Chris is out there. We will answer the question of ‘Where’s Chris?’ in the final two episodes, and that’s part of the story to be told.”

What do you think has happened to Chris Manawa in Fear the Walking Dead? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below.

Season 2 of AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead returns Sunday, October 2, with Episode 14, titled “Wrath,” and Episode 15, titled “North,” at 9 p.m. ET.

The official synopsis for Episode 14 of Fear the Walking Dead is below. Please note, these synopses have changed since last week when AMC published them to their schedule. The original synopses can be found at this previous Inquisitr article.

“Madison struggles with Travis’ return.”

The official synopsis for Episode 15 of Fear the Walking Dead is below.

“Travis’ actions cause turmoil at the RBH [Rosarito Beach Hotel].”

[Featured Image by Richard Foreman, Jr./AMC]

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