Fear the Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 9 review: A stranger helps Alicia discover herself

Fear the Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 9 strays from the traditional formula of an all-guns-blazing mid-season premiere. There are two good reasons for this.

As we have seen in the past, the spinoff thrives when it tells intimate short stories. But more importantly, to reach the point where Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) can lead her cohorts to war with her former ally Victor Strand (Colman Domingo), she has to come to terms with her demons.

In Fear the Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 9, Alicia is rescued by a stranger named Paul, who is struggling with demons of his own. A musician who has lost both his wife and his hearing, he extends a helping hand in hiding Alicia from Arno and The Stalkers. He asks the same question that viewers are thinking- if Alicia is not turning after getting bit, why is she running a high fever?

While there is zombie gore galore, Fear the Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 9 is more about the battle that is raging within Alicia Clark. What do her dreams mean? How can she lead everyone she loves to PADRE? There's also the mystery of the mysterious little girl who's looked out for her whenever she's in need of a hand (Apologies for the unintentional pun).

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Fear the Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 9: The final verdict

While the episode is a definite building block for the ones to follow and an important stepping stone in Alicia's journey, one has to question whether it was the right choice for a mid-season premiere. The subsequent episode (Stay tuned for that review) may have been a better choice.

Debnam-Carey is in top form, and the supporting cast is just as good. The final scene is terrifying and sets the mood for the remaining episodes.

Fear the Walking Dead is scheduled to return for the second half of its seventh season on Sunday, April 17 at 9.00 pm ET.