Preppers – We’re watching a video of the bombing in Oklahoma, we see Timothy McVeigh, lots of snippets of right wing propaganda films, Bill Clinton, and it all ends with the world exploding. Then we see Jeremiah Otto on his ranch back in the day, being prepared. He tells his audience that he’s got a four part series on VHS about how to survive the world when everything goes to hell in a hand basket. We see a montage of how to live on your land, and survive the end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI). We see Jeremiah and his family standing together, building their better future. Great music too. It’s exactly the kind of music you’d hear for this kind of video package.
Credits
All of the ranch group are in their shad structure listening to speakers. A woman is speaking – it’s a memorial for Charlene, who was killed in the helicopter crash. The woman speaking is probably her mom. She’s angry because Charlene died helping of “the unprepared” – meaning Madison’s group. If “the unprepared” had been more prepared, Charlene would have survived and would be here today. Madison stands up to thank them for their hospitality. Vernon wants to know what everyone is going to do about the copter crash. Jeremiah calms him, and Troy backs him up. Jake says that if they plan for the future, plan for a better one, as his dad said in the video.
A ranch inhabitant starts hassling Alicia, and she’s having none of it. She’s back to her edgy self. Gretchen wants to know if Alicia wants to come to their bible study. Alicia says she and her family are Jewish, so Gretchen counters with “we’ll do Old Testament then”. Alicia is cornered and so agrees to go. Ha.
Nick is feeding Luciana in the infirmary. She wants to leave this place, but she’s cuffed to a hospital bed. Nick halfheartedly says he’s go. Nick says he just wants for all of them to be safe. Nick says he had a chance to kill Jeremiah, but it wouldn’t have helped. Luciana says that he’s not a killer.
Madison goes into their quarters, but Troy is waiting for her on the bed. He brings up Travis, and asks what she used to do. She says she was a guidance counselor at a high school. He says he never went to high school, because he was challenged. He’s okay with it, everything he does is in service to the ranch.
He’s happy that Madison understands him. That’s why Troy picked her. He didn’t pick Nick. Nick doesn’t deserve his place here. Madison says he’ll learn. Then she makes him remake the bed before he leaves. She’s got his number.
Meanwhile, Strand slowly drives his fancy car through a crowd of people on a gravelly road to meet Mr. Dante. There’s a bouncer type guy at the head of the line and he tells Strand he’s going to have to get in line. Strand tries to pull a “I’m with the band” kind of line, but the bouncer guy pulls a gun on Strand. Strand cries that he’s making a mistake! Then a guy who recognizes Strand tells him that Strand looks like shit.
Alicia is playing with her butterfly knife. Madison says that they have to win people over – “even Troy?”, asks Alicia. Nick wants to start all over somewhere else. Nick wants to go, and Madison says no. There isn’t anything out there – and Travis died because of it. Nick is worried that the ranch folk will force Luciana out. Madison says that if they do, then Nick will have a decision to make.
Madison goes inside Jeremiah and Jake house to see them. They comment that most people knock before they come in and she says that the door was open. They want to know what she wants. She says she wants reassurance that her family will be okay here. Jeremiah tells her that she’s a hard person to like. She then tells Jeremiah about Troy and his science experiments.
Jake and Madison then talk. Jake says he’ll take care of Troy. Madison thanks Jake for saving Alicia. Madison asks Jake if he’s worried about who fired on the helicopter. He is and isn’t – it could have been a mistake or intentional. Madison says she wants to meet him. (the helicopter shooter).
Alicia is watching horses. Nick walks up to her and wonder if she’s going to ride. She’s not, she’s waiting for Gretchen to go to bible study. Alicia doesn’t want to stay at the ranch either, but there’s nothing out there. It’s all just different circles of hell out there, why not this one?
Nick asks Alicia what happened to her out there, and she walks away without explaining.
Troy is working on a fence. Jake drives up and tells him to stay away from Madison and her family. Jake wants to protect the ranch for after when Jeremiah is gone. And Jake needs for Troy to stay away from Madison’s family because he wants for the two of them to run the ranch together.
Meanwhile, Alicia goes with the teen group to her first bible study class. They go down into a cellar a little ways away from the main buildings. They gather their ‘study’ materials – alcohol and bongs. Alicia takes a hit off of the bong. They make jokes. You said ‘sackcloth’, says Gretchen to one of the guys. Alicia wants to know where Geoff (Talking Dead says it’s spelled “G-E-O-F-F, not J-E-F-F) is. Turns out Geoff is a walker head in a bird cage. Alicia looks shocked and appalled. Then she smiles and bursts out laughing.
Madison goes through the VHS library and finds the video footage from after the cameras stopped rolling on Jeremiah’s four video package. Jeremiah yells at his wife, badgers Jake and ridicules Troy. Jeremiah comes in on Madison and says “not my finest moment.” Madison wants to know what happened to his wife. She died “before”, he says. He married again but then gave up. The woman was Troy’s mom. He admits he was an alcoholic too.
Dante and Strand are talking and drinking. They’re going over stories and laughing, talking about Thomas. Dante says that he assumes that Thomas did not.. He doesn’t flat out ask if Thomas is dead.
Strand doesn’t say anything, but it’s clear to Dante that Thomas didn’t make it.
Dante asks if Strand came with anything besides his car, and he says no.
Gretchen says that Geoff wants to know where Alicia came from. She says El Sereno. They ask what it’s like out there, and Alicia says it’s chaos out there, and it changes you.
Most people have been here since it started. Most of the teens have always lived here, and so have never dealt with what’s outside of the ranch compound. They rely on Troy and the others to take care of them. Alicia says that you can’t rely on the Troys of the world anymore. She says that sometimes you have to handle your own shit. Gretchen says that Geoff is wondering what bad things she’s done out there. Alicia cops to killing a man. Gretchen asks how it felt. She replies “easy”.
Dante and Strand stand at the dam. Dante says that the guy they are currently threatening to throw over the side was part of a cartel, and that there is no room for people like him now. They then push him over the railings, where he thuds to the ground. It was a long enough drop to incapacitate him, but not enough to kill him. The pit of walkers that he landed on pull him apart and eat him as he screams.
Strand is up next. Two of Dante’s henchpeople hold him over the railing. Dante asks if Strand thought that Strand and him were friends in the old world. Strand thought they were, and tries to talk his way out. He never stole from Dante, but Dante says he stole from Thomas. Strand disagrees. The bodyguard guys go to throw him over the side. He screams that Dante needs him. Strand says Dante is begging for an attack. They’re too close to their source (water). They need guns and ammo – which Strand can help obtain. Water is the currency now. Dante wants to know how Dante can trust him. Strand says that he won’t steal from him, and that he did love Thomas. Dante relents and allows Strand to work off his debt. He’ll feel like the others – powerless.
Night time and Nick is outside watching two old people dance. Troy drives up and asks Nick if he wants to go hunting. Boar are nocturnal. Nick doesn’t really want to go, but Troy says to come on and earn your keep. Nick takes the gun and gets in the truck with Troy as the two old people dance.
Madison stands by the fence talking to Jeremiah. They discuss boar hunting. They share a cigarette. Madison says that Nick is a city kid and doesn’t hunt. She then tells Jeremiah that Nick is an addict. They discuss and bond over Nick and Troy.
Troy and Nick and the other hunters are out hunting boars.
Jeremiah takes Madison to the “pantry” under his house. It’s filled with many, many guns and buckets upon buckets of food. They can last a good long barring any kind of huge walker attack. Remember that swarm of walkers at Herchel’s farm? Anyway, Jeremiah is showing Madison that they’ll build something that is better than it was before.
Troy sees a figure in the dark, and then Nick jumps him, and points a gun at Troy’s neck. Nick asks “I wonder how long it’ll take before you turn?” Troy says 87 minutes given his height and weight. Ha! I guess he’d know! Nick wants to know what’s the matter with Troy. He shoots the gun, but aims away from Troy. Troy then tackles Nick, and Nick laughs at him. Troy says, “I think we can be friends now”. So now Crazy and Crazier are best buds.
Madison goes to see Luciana. She asks how the wound is, and Luciana thanks her for waiting for her to heal before they leave. She’s sorry about Travis. Madison says he was a good man, better than she is. Madison says that now they survive at all costs.
Dawn is breaking and Alicia’s group is walking back to the camp. Jake wants to know if they are turning water into wine and Alicia responds ‘praise Jesus’.
At camp, we see a roasting pig, meaning our boar hunters were successful, and Madison sees Jeremiah and Jake talking. Two of their people haven’t come back yet so they’re going to send a party out to look for them. Madison volunteers to go, and then goes to sit by Troy. He says your kids are over there, and says “I know”, and then puts a napkin on his lap.
Strand is in a jail cell. Someone from behind him hands him a canteen of water, which he guzzles. He turns to see his benefactor and sees Daniel! Daniel being a guardian angel, and looking well considering he survived the fire that engulfed the Abigail/Flores compound.