Blood in the Streets


"Blood in the Streets" is the fourth episode of the second season, and the 10th episode overall of the post-apocalyptic horror television series Fear the Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on May 1, 2016.

Plot

Nick goes ashore to find Strand's contact in Mexico. The group allows a family in distress to board, and they turn out to be allied with Jack, the boy Alicia had communicated with on the radio. The newcomers end up taking over the ship, and Strand tries to leave by raft, but the raft is shot while he's escaping and it begins to slowly sink. When the leader of the group arrives, he takes Alicia and Travis with him and leaves other members of his pirate group behind, to bring the yacht to shore. Through flashbacks, we learn more about Strand and his reason for going to Baja. When Nick and Luis, Strand's contact, head back to the Abigail, they are able to help the group get free, and they take one hostage, who is gravely injured. Madison is able to rescue Strand from the water and takes him back to the Abigail.

Reception

"Blood in the Streets" received critical acclaim from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it garnered a 91% rating with an average score of 7.22/10 based on 11 reviews. The site consensus reads: "'Blood in the Streets' finally sheds some light on the enigmatic Victor Strand as it ups the interpersonal stakes and high seas thrills."
Matt Fowler of IGN gave "Blood in the Streets" an 8.3/10 rating stating: "'Blood in the Streets' brought our main characters together in a time of cramped, confined crisis. And with no room for squabbling between them, they came out in full force, both physically and psychologically to win the day. And in the show's first ever experiment with flashbacks, Strand was given a great background arc."
Simon Abrams of Vulture praised of development of Domingo and wrote: "Series writer Kate Erickson handles the Jack problem in an admirably curt fashion in "Blood on the Streets," an episode that juxtaposes his group of business-minded pirates with Victor Strand and his mysterious patron, Thomas Abigail".
Danette Chavez writing for The A.V. Club praised the episode with a qualification of B and in her review said: "Blood In The Streets" "reveals almost all about Victor Strand, except of course, his fate".

Ratings

"Blood in the Streets" was seen by 4.80 million viewers in the United States on its original air date, slightly above the previous episodes rating of 4.73 million.