Finally an episode worth watching! For a show about the zombie apocalypse, there has been a distinct lack of "walkers" recently, but this episode provided some redemption for the boredom of the last few. Now, I'm all for character development, I even enjoyed Season 2 of this show's predecessor, but you have to admit, its been kind of a drag with very little pay-off, but after this week it seems that the audience may finally be rewarded for their patience. Better still, it looks like we might actually see some walkers for more than just 5 seconds! Pity they waited until the mid season break to inject some excitement into the show. Oh yeah, and Chris just became the Joffrey of FTWD...
11 Reviews
The Most Unpleasant Characters of a TV Series
claudio_carvalho11 September 2016
Travis has a conversation with Chris about his attitude killing the hostage; however the group needs to hide since two Mexican marines go on board of Abigail. There is a shooting and Luis and one marine die. The group arrives at the Mexican coast and they are attacked by people from a church. Madison is attacked by a zombie and Chris does not protect her but Alicia saves her mother. Strand drives a truck with the group to Abigail's property and they have to give their weapons to the residents since the place is protected has by fence and a gate. When Alicia confronts Chris about his behavior, he threatens her and she tells Madison what happened. Strand finds that Abigail was bitten by a zombie and makes a suicide pact with him. Meanwhile Daniel finds a barn crowded of zombies kept by the mysterious Celia and she explains that they are family and friends. Is the group really safe in the real estate?
"Sicut Cervus" is one of the best episodes of this terrible series with the most unpleasant characters of a TV series. Daniel, Madison and Chris are selfish and awful characters, Travis is an asshole; Strand and Abigail are gays lost in a horror show. The drug addicted Nick; his stupid sister Alicia; and Ofelia are not charismatic enough to keep interest. Therefore nobody will miss them when they die. The title in Latin is not attractive enough and only brings curiosity to the viewers. Keeping the zombies of family and friends in a barn is a sort of "dejavu". My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Sicut Cervus"
"Sicut Cervus" is one of the best episodes of this terrible series with the most unpleasant characters of a TV series. Daniel, Madison and Chris are selfish and awful characters, Travis is an asshole; Strand and Abigail are gays lost in a horror show. The drug addicted Nick; his stupid sister Alicia; and Ofelia are not charismatic enough to keep interest. Therefore nobody will miss them when they die. The title in Latin is not attractive enough and only brings curiosity to the viewers. Keeping the zombies of family and friends in a barn is a sort of "dejavu". My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Sicut Cervus"
One of the strongest episodes
amesmonde18 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The Abigail arrives at the Mexico coastline and Strand leads the group through a town to Thomas's gated estate.
Director Kate Dennis delivers an important sixth episode of the second series. While writer Brian Buckner retreads George A. Romero's ideas and the second season of The Walking Dead with the living keeping the dead, here in a wine cellar, it breaks ground in terms of what means to die, love and loss.
The opening where parishioners take their communion and die one by one this sets up the group's action driven standoff later after an ill fated run-in with a Mexican flotilla which is guarding the border. Talking suicide notably is the emotional set up of Strand (Colman Domingo) shooting lover Thomas (Dougray Scott) in the head. But interesting there is a bit of misdirection with them at one point contemplating committing suicide with the help of Celia, Luis's mother. Both Scott and Domingo really give outstanding performances here.
In addition, you have the topic of living being more dangerous than the dead; Chris contemplates killing Madison and Alicia Clark after letting Madison almost get eaten just out of interest. There's Celia's divisive view on death and the dead saying the infected are simply "what comes next." Dennis and Buckner also give an insight into Nick's tired state of mind, as well as Kim Dickens' Madison and Cliff Curtis' Travis Manawa relationship strains.
Overall, "Sicut Cervus" is one of the standout episodes, not only does it develop the characters, including a flashback of Daniel (Rubén Blades) in the Salvadorian Junta, holistically it gets under the skin of the undead themes as well as offering a rounded story of both drama and action.
Director Kate Dennis delivers an important sixth episode of the second series. While writer Brian Buckner retreads George A. Romero's ideas and the second season of The Walking Dead with the living keeping the dead, here in a wine cellar, it breaks ground in terms of what means to die, love and loss.
The opening where parishioners take their communion and die one by one this sets up the group's action driven standoff later after an ill fated run-in with a Mexican flotilla which is guarding the border. Talking suicide notably is the emotional set up of Strand (Colman Domingo) shooting lover Thomas (Dougray Scott) in the head. But interesting there is a bit of misdirection with them at one point contemplating committing suicide with the help of Celia, Luis's mother. Both Scott and Domingo really give outstanding performances here.
In addition, you have the topic of living being more dangerous than the dead; Chris contemplates killing Madison and Alicia Clark after letting Madison almost get eaten just out of interest. There's Celia's divisive view on death and the dead saying the infected are simply "what comes next." Dennis and Buckner also give an insight into Nick's tired state of mind, as well as Kim Dickens' Madison and Cliff Curtis' Travis Manawa relationship strains.
Overall, "Sicut Cervus" is one of the standout episodes, not only does it develop the characters, including a flashback of Daniel (Rubén Blades) in the Salvadorian Junta, holistically it gets under the skin of the undead themes as well as offering a rounded story of both drama and action.
good
rfgtdfgvdfg16 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
2x6 rating:
7.8/10
Storyline: At a church in Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California a priest exhorts his parishioners to fight the dead. The parishioners take their communion wafers one by one. In the town square, the parishioners arm themselves. Thomas arrives in his truck and urges the priest to stop. "Do not protect her," says the priest. Suddenly, the parishioners begin to drop on their knees in agony as blood pours out of their eyes.
The Abigail approaches a Mexican flotilla that is guarding the border. Travis checks in with Chris, who asks why everyone is mad at him. Travis says that Madison does not believe Reed was infected when Chris shot him. Chris is devastated, thinking Madison was on his side. In the wheelhouse, Luis prepares to meet with his military contact on the flotilla and pay for their passage. Strand sees military officers approaching in a boat. Concerned that a second officer is coming along with Luis' contact, he orders Madison to hide everyone below deck.
From the engine room, Madison's group overhears the conversation between Strand, Luis and the two officers. Gunfire erupts after the officers insist on searching the boat to make sure no infected are aboard. Madison's group charges upstairs to find a mortally wounded Luis lying next to two dead officers. Daniel stabs the officers to prevent them from turning. Luis begs Daniel not to stab him and hands Ofelia a medallion with an owl's face, asking that she gives it to his mother. Daniel throws the medallion into the ocean. Luis whispers to Nick as Strand steers the Abigail toward the Mexican coastline.
On land, Strand leads the group into town of Valle de Guadalupe. They find a pile of dead parishioners in front of the church. Strand spots Thomas' truck and calls his name. The group fights off a herd of infected parishioners. Daniel grabs a young infected boy and becomes paralyzed by the memory of someone clutching him as young boy by the neck. Ofelia kills the infected boy for Daniel. Nick sits stunned after killing a young infected girl. Madison is overcome by an infected and fights for her life. Chris watches her struggle from a few steps away and does nothing to help. Alicia screams at him and saves Madison herself. The group piles into Thomas' truck and flees.
Strand drives the group to Thomas' gated estate where Celia, Luis' mother, greets them. Strand informs her that Luis is dead. "He's one of them now," Strand says. "Then he'll find his way back," she replies. A maid asks the group to hand over their weapons, which Daniel is reluctant to do. Strand tends to Thomas and learns that he has been bitten. Meanwhile, Alicia accuses Chris of standing by while Madison was attacked. He insists he merely froze, but when Alicia presses him, Chris threatens to hurt her if she tells anyone what she saw. In the kitchen, Nick tells Celia that Luis asked for her when he died. Celia calmly explains that the dead have always walked among them. "The only difference is now we can see them," she says. Madison overhears their conversation and later warns Celia that Nick is impressionable.
Daniel gazes at photos of the dead posted at an outdoor shrine. He notices an owl carved into a tree trunk, similar to Luis' medallion. Celia posts a photo of Luis and explains that his death does not faze her because he was not shot in the head. When Madison brings food to Thomas and Strand, Thomas asks her to look after Strand when he dies. Later, Ofelia summons Daniel to dinner and finds him sitting on his bed in a daze. When Alicia tells Madison about Chris' threat, Madison confers with Travis and worries that Chris is sick. Travis defends Chris and angrily wonders why Madison won't offer the same support to Chris that he always gave Nick. Madison decides to sleep in Alicia's room for protection while Travis sleeps with Chris.
Strand urges Thomas to end the suffering and let go of life, offering to kill himself so that they can remain together after death. Nick accompanies Ofelia to the shrine, where Ofelia prays to her mother. Nick sees the owl carving and has a flashback to the drug den at the Los Angeles church. In the flashback, he sees his friend feasting on a body. Meanwhile, Daniel takes a nighttime stroll and sees a young boy, Juan, place a dog down a chute that leads to a wine cellar. Juan explains to Daniel that he's talking to his mother. Daniel enters the cellar and sees a cell full of infected. Daniel confronts Celia, who explains that they are all family members of people who work on the estate. As she prepares two communion wafers, Daniel realizes that she killed the parishioners with poisoned wafers. She urges him to make peace with his dead.
Celia brings the wafers to Strand and Thomas and commends Strand for deciding to die with Thomas. She leaves the room and locks it. Nick finds Celia drinking wine in the courtyard. "They're not really dead, are they?" he asks. She shakes her head and says the infected are simply "what comes next". Thomas finally dies, but instead of following through with his death pact, Strand searches Thomas' bedroom drawers. Meanwhile, Chris awakens and sneaks into the room where Madison and Alicia are sleeping and notices a knife on a nightstand. As he takes the knife and stands over Madison and Alicia, a gunshot rings out, waking the two. Alicia sees the knife and screams at Chris, who flees. Strand sits next to Thomas with a gun: Thomas is shot in the head.
Storyline: At a church in Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California a priest exhorts his parishioners to fight the dead. The parishioners take their communion wafers one by one. In the town square, the parishioners arm themselves. Thomas arrives in his truck and urges the priest to stop. "Do not protect her," says the priest. Suddenly, the parishioners begin to drop on their knees in agony as blood pours out of their eyes.
The Abigail approaches a Mexican flotilla that is guarding the border. Travis checks in with Chris, who asks why everyone is mad at him. Travis says that Madison does not believe Reed was infected when Chris shot him. Chris is devastated, thinking Madison was on his side. In the wheelhouse, Luis prepares to meet with his military contact on the flotilla and pay for their passage. Strand sees military officers approaching in a boat. Concerned that a second officer is coming along with Luis' contact, he orders Madison to hide everyone below deck.
From the engine room, Madison's group overhears the conversation between Strand, Luis and the two officers. Gunfire erupts after the officers insist on searching the boat to make sure no infected are aboard. Madison's group charges upstairs to find a mortally wounded Luis lying next to two dead officers. Daniel stabs the officers to prevent them from turning. Luis begs Daniel not to stab him and hands Ofelia a medallion with an owl's face, asking that she gives it to his mother. Daniel throws the medallion into the ocean. Luis whispers to Nick as Strand steers the Abigail toward the Mexican coastline.
On land, Strand leads the group into town of Valle de Guadalupe. They find a pile of dead parishioners in front of the church. Strand spots Thomas' truck and calls his name. The group fights off a herd of infected parishioners. Daniel grabs a young infected boy and becomes paralyzed by the memory of someone clutching him as young boy by the neck. Ofelia kills the infected boy for Daniel. Nick sits stunned after killing a young infected girl. Madison is overcome by an infected and fights for her life. Chris watches her struggle from a few steps away and does nothing to help. Alicia screams at him and saves Madison herself. The group piles into Thomas' truck and flees.
Strand drives the group to Thomas' gated estate where Celia, Luis' mother, greets them. Strand informs her that Luis is dead. "He's one of them now," Strand says. "Then he'll find his way back," she replies. A maid asks the group to hand over their weapons, which Daniel is reluctant to do. Strand tends to Thomas and learns that he has been bitten. Meanwhile, Alicia accuses Chris of standing by while Madison was attacked. He insists he merely froze, but when Alicia presses him, Chris threatens to hurt her if she tells anyone what she saw. In the kitchen, Nick tells Celia that Luis asked for her when he died. Celia calmly explains that the dead have always walked among them. "The only difference is now we can see them," she says. Madison overhears their conversation and later warns Celia that Nick is impressionable.
Daniel gazes at photos of the dead posted at an outdoor shrine. He notices an owl carved into a tree trunk, similar to Luis' medallion. Celia posts a photo of Luis and explains that his death does not faze her because he was not shot in the head. When Madison brings food to Thomas and Strand, Thomas asks her to look after Strand when he dies. Later, Ofelia summons Daniel to dinner and finds him sitting on his bed in a daze. When Alicia tells Madison about Chris' threat, Madison confers with Travis and worries that Chris is sick. Travis defends Chris and angrily wonders why Madison won't offer the same support to Chris that he always gave Nick. Madison decides to sleep in Alicia's room for protection while Travis sleeps with Chris.
Strand urges Thomas to end the suffering and let go of life, offering to kill himself so that they can remain together after death. Nick accompanies Ofelia to the shrine, where Ofelia prays to her mother. Nick sees the owl carving and has a flashback to the drug den at the Los Angeles church. In the flashback, he sees his friend feasting on a body. Meanwhile, Daniel takes a nighttime stroll and sees a young boy, Juan, place a dog down a chute that leads to a wine cellar. Juan explains to Daniel that he's talking to his mother. Daniel enters the cellar and sees a cell full of infected. Daniel confronts Celia, who explains that they are all family members of people who work on the estate. As she prepares two communion wafers, Daniel realizes that she killed the parishioners with poisoned wafers. She urges him to make peace with his dead.
Celia brings the wafers to Strand and Thomas and commends Strand for deciding to die with Thomas. She leaves the room and locks it. Nick finds Celia drinking wine in the courtyard. "They're not really dead, are they?" he asks. She shakes her head and says the infected are simply "what comes next". Thomas finally dies, but instead of following through with his death pact, Strand searches Thomas' bedroom drawers. Meanwhile, Chris awakens and sneaks into the room where Madison and Alicia are sleeping and notices a knife on a nightstand. As he takes the knife and stands over Madison and Alicia, a gunshot rings out, waking the two. Alicia sees the knife and screams at Chris, who flees. Strand sits next to Thomas with a gun: Thomas is shot in the head.
"Sicut Cervis" Is A Phenomenal Slow Burn
lunasnowhehe10 June 2021
Are they Dead or Alive?
panagiotis199316 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The question is, will Chris do something dumb in this episode? I don't really see how money or gold have any value in a post-apocalyptic world. Wait is Luis dead? I liked his character. I have to admit that the zombie make up on TWD is much much better than FearTWD. Daniel: ''There is always a need for weapons'', that's my boy. Chris froze while the zombies attacked Madison, what's the big deal? What if Alicia tells everybody? Nobody would care. Alicia and Madison are overreacting. Chris didn't threaten Alicia, he begged her not to tell anything, that's different. So much unnecessary drama. Wow the local people keep walkers in a prison? They probably believe they can help them or something, really creepy. Celia is absolutely insane. Just like I predicted another dumb decision from Chris. He gets in Alicia's room in the middle of the night holding a knife? Wow. It's like the writers really want to destroy this character. Solid episode overall. My rating is 7.4/10.
"Sicut Cervus," challenges the survivors with new moral and physical dilemmas as they arrive in Mexico, seeking refuge but finding new conflicts instead
fernandoschiavi11 April 2024
Strand arranges for payment to the Mexican military for safe passage across the Mexican border but guns go off leaving officers and Luis dead. Before he dies, he asks them not to stab his brain which Daniel reluctantly agrees. The Abigail compound, they are greeted by Luis's mother Celia who tells them they can stay but must leave their weapons outside. Strand finds that Thomas has been bitten and is dying and agrees to a suicide pact with Celia's blessing. Daniel soon discovers that her cellar is full of zombies as she believes they are not dead. After Thomas dies, Strand backs out of the pact and shoots his lover in the head to prevent reanimation.
Chris, feeling betrayed by Madison for telling Travis of the hostage's death and nearly lets her get killed by an Infected. Alicia notices this and confronts him only to be threaten into silence. After she tells her mother, she confronts Travis on the matter. That night Chris stands over their bed at knife point but is chased out of the room when they hear the gunshot.
"Sicut Cervus," challenges the survivors with new moral and physical dilemmas as they arrive in Mexico, seeking refuge but finding new conflicts instead. The episode begins with the group landing on Mexican soil, where they are supposed to meet Luis' family and secure a safe haven. However, their entry is marked by violence and death, as they face a church full of infected during a local ceremony. This dramatic arrival sets the tone for an episode filled with both external and internal conflicts, highlighting the ongoing struggle between maintaining humanity and survival.
As the group integrates into the gated estate of Strand's boyfriend, Thomas Abigail, tensions rise with the revelation of Strand's personal motives and the estate's dark secrets. The estate, presented as a sanctuary, slowly unravels to reveal a cult-like belief system led by Celia, who views the infected as merely changed beings rather than threats. This introduces a complex dynamic between the newcomers and the existing residents, as each character grapples with differing views on what the infected represent. The philosophical divide creates a palpable tension, exploring themes of faith, death, and what it means to be truly alive in a world overrun by the dead.
The episode culminates in a confrontation that forces Madison and the others to reconsider their places in this supposed paradise. When Strand makes a drastic decision to maintain his bond with Thomas amidst the latter's illness, it sparks a series of events that lead to a violent standoff and the burning of the estate. This fiery climax not only symbolizes the destruction of a temporary sanctuary but also the inevitable disintegration of old beliefs and relationships in the face of a new, brutal reality. "Sicut Cervus" effectively uses its setting and character-driven drama to question the ethics of survival and the boundaries of human compassion in a post-apocalyptic world.
Chris, feeling betrayed by Madison for telling Travis of the hostage's death and nearly lets her get killed by an Infected. Alicia notices this and confronts him only to be threaten into silence. After she tells her mother, she confronts Travis on the matter. That night Chris stands over their bed at knife point but is chased out of the room when they hear the gunshot.
"Sicut Cervus," challenges the survivors with new moral and physical dilemmas as they arrive in Mexico, seeking refuge but finding new conflicts instead. The episode begins with the group landing on Mexican soil, where they are supposed to meet Luis' family and secure a safe haven. However, their entry is marked by violence and death, as they face a church full of infected during a local ceremony. This dramatic arrival sets the tone for an episode filled with both external and internal conflicts, highlighting the ongoing struggle between maintaining humanity and survival.
As the group integrates into the gated estate of Strand's boyfriend, Thomas Abigail, tensions rise with the revelation of Strand's personal motives and the estate's dark secrets. The estate, presented as a sanctuary, slowly unravels to reveal a cult-like belief system led by Celia, who views the infected as merely changed beings rather than threats. This introduces a complex dynamic between the newcomers and the existing residents, as each character grapples with differing views on what the infected represent. The philosophical divide creates a palpable tension, exploring themes of faith, death, and what it means to be truly alive in a world overrun by the dead.
The episode culminates in a confrontation that forces Madison and the others to reconsider their places in this supposed paradise. When Strand makes a drastic decision to maintain his bond with Thomas amidst the latter's illness, it sparks a series of events that lead to a violent standoff and the burning of the estate. This fiery climax not only symbolizes the destruction of a temporary sanctuary but also the inevitable disintegration of old beliefs and relationships in the face of a new, brutal reality. "Sicut Cervus" effectively uses its setting and character-driven drama to question the ethics of survival and the boundaries of human compassion in a post-apocalyptic world.
Where did all their guns go?
Eradan13 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
About fifteen minutes into the ep, the group is attacked by 20-30 zombies from a church. They defend themselves with improvised weapons for several minutes until they can break away. Not one of them has a firearm, not even the old soldier, Daniel Salazar. This is completely nonsensical. Over the past few episodes, they had in fact accumulated a nice little arsenal including the sidearms carried by the two Mexican marines killed on the Abigail at the start of this very episode.
When Season Two started, the group possessed one O/U (over/under) shotgun, one Beretta pistol taken by Salazar from a soldier last season, and the .22 calibre GSG5 carbine that Strand kept hidden on the bridge. After they retook the Abigail from the pirates in "Blood in the Streets" (S2Ep4), they captured Reed's snub nose .38 revolver as well as the scoped M4 carbine used by the redheaded woman, plus whatever other weapons the pirates had. Luis brought another scoped M4 on board with him, plus another pistol, both of which presumably remained on aboard after he was mortally wounded in the gunfight with the Mexican Marines. For more details on the weapons, check out the FTWD Season 2 entry on imfdb.org (internet move firearms database).
Putting it all together, this group had more firearms than they had trained people to carry them, yet no one, not even the battle-hardened Salazar, was carrying a gun when they went ashore in an area they knew was probably infested with zombies.
Stupid, lazy plotting at it's worst and, unfortunately, all too typical of the TWD/FTWD franchise
When Season Two started, the group possessed one O/U (over/under) shotgun, one Beretta pistol taken by Salazar from a soldier last season, and the .22 calibre GSG5 carbine that Strand kept hidden on the bridge. After they retook the Abigail from the pirates in "Blood in the Streets" (S2Ep4), they captured Reed's snub nose .38 revolver as well as the scoped M4 carbine used by the redheaded woman, plus whatever other weapons the pirates had. Luis brought another scoped M4 on board with him, plus another pistol, both of which presumably remained on aboard after he was mortally wounded in the gunfight with the Mexican Marines. For more details on the weapons, check out the FTWD Season 2 entry on imfdb.org (internet move firearms database).
Putting it all together, this group had more firearms than they had trained people to carry them, yet no one, not even the battle-hardened Salazar, was carrying a gun when they went ashore in an area they knew was probably infested with zombies.
Stupid, lazy plotting at it's worst and, unfortunately, all too typical of the TWD/FTWD franchise
Are you loosing you budget?
evgeniprosk6 June 2016
The Walking dead and Fear of walking dead always have been about great animation and fancy direction of all episodes. Unfortunately I can't say the same about this one. I noticed all cheap animation during this episode, no impressive camera work. The only reason why I'm writing this review to say that we notice all this. The moment when Nick was eating beans and his Mother came into the room camera was focusing back and forward in a really unpleasant way.
You don't make a 24 episodes season to make such a boring plot for the whole episode. Of course you can say that it is episode before last episode before break, but anyway... I've never been so disappointed by AMC.
Cast as always incredible! That's why I think we are watching this. In the same time I was really glad to see all this new decoration and our group of people finally on the ground.
You don't make a 24 episodes season to make such a boring plot for the whole episode. Of course you can say that it is episode before last episode before break, but anyway... I've never been so disappointed by AMC.
Cast as always incredible! That's why I think we are watching this. In the same time I was really glad to see all this new decoration and our group of people finally on the ground.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
