So far the season has brought some radical changes to Morgan’s character — an altruistic leader left for dead who is transformed into an ax brandishing hunter looking for revenge. Morgan has often turned to violence during moments of distress — in this case, he let his people down and they’re now all suffering under Virginia’s reign because of it — but this time things are a little different. We’re not dealing with “Clear” Morgan who barely has a grasp on reality or who he is. It’s very clear that Morgan knows who he is this time around (or who he believes he needs to be to save his friends): a man with nothing left to lose who will stop at nothing to end Virginia’s reign of terror. If that means killing a few henchmen and kidnapping some siblings along the way, so be it. Morgan shows no signs of stopping in the synopsis for the second half of season 6: “As Morgan’s (Lennie James) bid to free the remaining members of the group becomes bolder, Virginia (Colby Minifie) grows increasingly desperate to find her sister and protect the settlements from forces working inside and outside her walls. The second half of Season Six reveals the impact of what living under Virginia’s control has done to each person in this group, who once saw themselves as a family. New alliances will be formed, relationships will be destroyed, and loyalties forever changed. When everyone is forced to take sides, they discover the meaning of, ‘The End is the Beginning.’” But let’s say Morgan does succeed in toppling Virginia and ending the Pioneers once and for all. Then what? Will Fear the Walking Dead give us the Morgan moment we’ve all been waiting for? That moment of course is when Morgan can put down the ax, a weapon that’s pretty uncharacteristic for a trained fighter like him anyway, and just go back to being the good guy. While Morgan has definitely had his share of dark moments, he’s always been at his best when inspiring hope in others, when dreaming of a brighter future so few others can see. You could definitely make the argument that Morgan’s plan for a new life of charity made the early post-Clark seasons of Fear the Walking Dead a bit sappier, but even those attempts at slightly more uplifting stories presented a more original direction within this universe than the much grimmer reality of season 6. In many ways, this Virginia arc is emulating the Negan era of The Walking Dead, with Morgan taking on the role of a blood-thirsty Rick Grimes on a mission to take down the bad guys and get things back to the way they were. But somewhere along the way, Rick had to learn that the old ways had to end, he couldn’t just kill all his enemies until there weren’t any left. He needed to pave a new path toward a more prosperous future. That future got him blown the fuck up in season 9 but at least he got the new world started for Alexandria and the rest of the communities. Will Morgan have a similar realization? There won’t be anything left to rebuild if he continues on a war path that alienates the people he’s trying to save. Already Alicia and Strand seem surprised by Morgan’s violent methods, and a very real rift between them could be forming. Let’s hope Morgan can step on the brake a little before he loses himself once again…or goes down a road he can’t return from. We don’t want to lose Good Morgan forever. The second half of Fear the Walking Dead season 6 will also introduce three new characters played by John Glover (The Good Wife), Nick Stahl (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines), and Keith Carradine (Fargo). Subscribe to Den of Geek magazine for FREE right here!
