All the Conspiracy Theories Are True!

EPISODE CINQO (but not de Mayo)

Looks like Doug is now in a detention camp of some kind, being interrogated by a black man with a mellifluous voice. Seriously! Rather, he’s being lectured to, and crying all the while. He seems to be taunting him, stating that Doug’s wife Maria is now nicely positioned to find a new man who will prove to be er, more manly when the s hits the fan. Mellifluous man moves on to a new “patient.”

Ophelia is none too happy that her family is gone, and she’s showing her displeasure by hurling verbal epithets and actual rocks at national guardsmen. Her boyfriend tries to calm her. One corporal expresses his disgust with the entire process.

Travis’ son Chris speaks tensely with Travis. Now they all have to deal with the niceties of maintaining a blended family! Think the Brady Bunch with a heroin addict, a film student, and a very angry Carol Brady. Chris is steamed that his mom left voluntarily with the feds.

Speaking of whom, Griselda (Liza?) is sewing up a wound quite tidily. Mrs. Blades lost her foot.

Militant mom finds the letter that Alicia read. She returns home and retrieves a flashlight. Hearing a few bumps, she explores with said flashlight. She finds an odd scene: a soldier is tied to a chair, his mouth covered with duct tape. It’s the handiwork of Ruben, apparently in an attempt to get his wife home. It may be Ophelia’s boyfriend. They ask him when Nick and the wife will be back. He’s being awfully cagey about details.

Ruben wants to make a “trade” with the army. Doesn’t sound like the best laid plan, Rubes! They will just shoot you and forget about the whole thing. At least he wants to keep Ophelia out of it, sending her back with MM.

Travis chats English lit with the military commander. Travis no balls gets spurned; civilian problems are not his concern. He does offer to take Travis downtown to the hospital. One of his men complains that they have been on duty for too long—waaah! We’re so tired! The commander hands him a hanky, presumably to cry in.

The truck that Travis is riding in stops to take down a zombie. The soldiers offer to let Travis have a go. He says, nah, I’m not a good shot. The commander then calls him out not to be soft. They debate for a while, back and forth, before Travis steps behind the very big gun, which will definitely get the job done but we know Travis is not known for his tactical skills. Uh oh, the zombie has a nametag—Kimberly! He balks, and the soldiers step in.

At the hospital, Liza and the serious doctor are keeping busy. Travis is enjoying the ride of his life, careening through the empty streets. They stop and all the soldiers get out to storm an abandoned building. Over the radio, the background sounds are not so good.

Anyhoo, Ruben draws on his knowledge of violence and his barbering background to systematically cut up the soldier with his trusty razor. He asks him about “cobalt,” a code name he has heard the soldiers use.

Alicia tools around on a bike as she chats with Chris. She takes him to an abandoned house, which looks like it belonged to wealthy people with plenty of toys and clothes for dress up.

Remember mellifluous man? He gets his temperature taken: normal. Nick is not so lucky, as his temp is elevated. Thanks to the man, however, Nick gets to stay in the cozy detention center.

Travis stays in the truck as he is told, until of course he gets out of the truck. Not all the men have returned, and it is now every man for himself. The mission to the hospital is a bust. They’ll drop Travis off close to home.

Ruben continues to ruminate on his past. He did some bad things then that he regrets, but hey, they kept him alive.

Liza does some exploring in the hospital. She finds Griselda, who is sedated. Unfortunately, she also is septic.

Alicia and Chris, both dressed to the nines, ponder the fate of the former inhabitants of the house they are plundering. Alicia downs champagne as they start breaking and destroying everything in sight, which is what teenagers are likely to do when left to their own devices.

Travis is back! He’s none too happy about Mr. Ruben’s cutting. In the meantime, the tied up, cut up soldier sadly recounts his experiences with the infected and the healthy. Travis bursts in, just as the soldier reveals the truth about cobalt. It’s the code word for evacuating the L.A. basin, but not of civilians.  They will be “humanely terminated” and the military personnel will leave. Guess what? All this is scheduled to go down tomorrow. Travis will have to postpone his morning run.

Life is bleak for Nick, whereas mellifluous man is coolly confident. He has plans for the future, and wants to include Nick and make use of his special skillz.

Griselda is hallucinating. She may be recounting the past. The doctor notes that her brain is swelling. She dies. Will she turn? Do they even know about that little trick yet? Yes. The doctor pulls out a gun normally used to kill livestock. She pulls the trigger. Whew!

Ruben climbs a flight of stairs at night. He approaches the doors of a padlocked building that are straining against the weight of many hungry zombies.  Next week: the season finale of FWD!