Fear the Walking Dead showrunner responds to criticism – Looper

Of the many criticisms that were lobbed at season 5 of Fear the Walking Dead, one of the most persistent was the choice of narrative framing. The season mostly focused on the group trying to help other survivors under the guidance of Morgan (Lennie James) and his controversial philosophy of pacifism and altruism. When the group wasn't going out of their way to help those in need, they were also filming interviews extolling their virtues.

It's all very morally upstanding behavior, but many viewers found it dull and rote. In a scathing retrospective of the season for Forbes, Erik Kain wrote, "Fear The Walking Dead went from a show about the Clark family to a show about Morgan and his team helping people while making cheesy PSA documentaries in their spare time."

The season's Morgan influenced humanitarianism may have annoyed some viewers, but according to Goldberg, the intention was always to keep the show feeling revitalized and emotionally grounded. He told Entertainment Weekly, "Season 5 was an unusually bright and optimistic and kind of benevolent vibe ... [the characters] were uniting behind this shared philosophy of helping people out in the world ... And whether that was something that spoke to you as an audience member, that was very much the intention there, was to tell a story that was hopeful and optimistic."

That spirit of optimism was squashed considerably when Virginia (Colby Minifie, who may go on to be one of the franchise's best-loved villains) and her rangers came across the group toward the end of the season. According to Goldberg, the contrast between the shared mission of season 5 and the fact that most of the characters are now separated and having trouble finding their footing in season 6 was intentional.

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Fear the Walking Dead showrunner responds to criticism - Looper