AMC's monster hit The Walking Dead spawned this spin-off, which here follows its abbreviated debut season with a more ambitious second one. The premise is pretty much a carbon copy of the original: a group of uninfected people struggle to survive as the zombie apocalypse spreads and the number of ravenous undead increases. Here the prey are a blended family: widow Madison (Kim Dickens) and divorced Travis (Cliff Curtis), along with their kids—junkie Nick (Frank Dillane), overachiever Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey), and surly teen Chris (Lorenzo James Henrie)—who are decidedly no Brady Bunch. As the sophomore season opens, the quintet board a yacht owned by a cunning businessman named Strand (Colman Domingo) to escape Los Angeles by sea, and following a rough voyage (including an encounter with pirates), they reach Mexico and meet other survivors, some more welcoming but all potentially dangerous. As with The Walking Dead, the level of violence is pretty high and anyone can meet an abrupt and untimely end (predictably, the season closes with a death). But this spin-off cannot escape a secondhand feel, and the characters are frankly not compelling enough to engage one's sympathy or even consistently hold interest. Presenting all 15 episodes from 2016, extras include audio commentaries, a Q&A with cast and crew at the 2016 PaleyFest LA, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and webisodes. Given the continuing rabid interest in all things zombie, this should still be considered a strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)
Fear the Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season
Anchor Bay, 5 discs, 648 min., not rated, DVD: $69.99, Blu-ray: $79.99 Volume 32, Issue 2
Fear the Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season
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