The back-biting in Los Angeles just got a lot worse. The face-biting, too. But that's to be expected as Fear The Walking Dead begins to reveal the untold story of the undead apocalypse.
The show is a companion series to The Walking Dead, America's most popular television hit, the fifth season of which attracted 17 million viewers. With figures like that, it's no surprise that makers AMC would want a spin-off.
"Fear The Walking Dead is an apocalyptic education," says David Erickson, the showrunner and executive producer. "It's essentially covering the time frame in which Rick Grimes – from the original show, from the comic – is in a coma. In that version, Rick is shot, falls into a coma, wakes up four to five weeks later and the world is over.
“What it gives us the opportunity to do is to show the audience what happens in that window of time.”
The first season of six episodes, which begins tomorrow with a special 90-minute premiere, will trace the collapse of civilisation as seen through the eyes of a dysfunctional family – a teacher, a guidance counsellor, a drug addict and a high-school student – who have no clue what is going on as things turn weird and terrifying in their city of 14 million souls.
“Our characters haven’t gone through Zombie 101,” says Erickson. “We have a group of people who are completely ill-prepared for the onset of the apocalypse.”
Single mother Madison Clark is played by Kim Dickens, an American actress best known for her roles in acclaimed HBO series Deadwood and Treme.
Her son Nick (played by Frank Dillane, who will soon be seen in director Ron Howard's historical drama In the Heart of the Sea) is a college dropout and a drug addict. Her daughter Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey; star of Into the Storm and the CW TV series The 100) is an overachieving high-school student often at odds with her slacker brother.
Hoping to start a new life, Madison moves in with her fiance, Travis Manawa, played by Cliff Curtis, an actor from New Zealand best known for his roles in the films Whale Rider and Blow, and as the star of ABC's short-lived mystery thriller TV series Missing. Travis's rebellious son Chris (Lorenzo James Henrie) resents his Dad for divorcing his mother.
“They’re a family on the brink of falling apart,” says series producer Dave Alpert. “They’re barely keeping things together as it is now – and we add the apocalypse. “
Rounding out the main cast are: Elizabeth Rodriguez (Orange Is the New Black) as the free-spirited Liza Ortiz, Travis's ex-wife; salsa musician and actor Rubén Blades as Daniel Salazar, an immigrant barber; Mercedes Mason (Chuck) as his protective daughter Ofelia; and Patricia Reyes Spíndola (Bleak Street) as his ultrareligious wife Griselda, who views the undead catastrophe as punishment for the sins of the world.
“I think that the fact that the audience knows more than our characters is part of the fun of telling this story,” says Erickson, “and part of the chip that we had in terms of how we could play with audience tension and expectations.
“For me, it’s equivalent to when you go and see a horror film and everybody knows that the bad guy’s hiding behind the closet and up comes the innocent blonde not knowing he’s there and there’s this great excitement and thrill and titillation to like, ‘no, no, please, don’t go in there’.”
The monsters in this chilling family drama won't be called "walkers", as they are in The Walking Dead – instead, meet the "infected", as those who have the "virus" will become known.
What gives this series a fresh dimension of dread is that many of these newly dead infected look normal.
“These are fresh ‘turns’,” says co-executive producer and make-up effects wizard Greg Nicotero, already well known to fans for his work on the original series. “We’re not constantly surrounded by hundreds of walkers. They don’t have the same decomposed-for-a-year-and-a-half look.”
“The reality is this,” says Erickson. “We’re so early in the apocalypse that when people are infected and walkers turn, they seem, for all intents and purposes, human … So we’re dealing with people who are confronted with their friends, their family, their colleagues – people they have a cup of coffee with the day before – and they have to process: ’Is this person on something? Is this person sick?’
“Their go-to is not: ‘This is a zombie and I have to put this person down.’ It’s to try to wrap their brains around what’s going on.
“What’s interesting to me and, I think, interesting for our [characters], is processing this level of paranoia. This level of tension. This anxiety. What happens if the people we know are no longer the people we know?”
"With Fear the Walking Dead, [the] family is growing even more," says Robert Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead comic book and co-creator of the original television series, "and I know we're all going to open our hearts – and guts – to give these new additions a warm welcome."
AMC has already ordered a second season of 15 episodes, to be broadcast next year.
The early buzz
Orlando Sentinel
"Fear the Walking Dead feels like a worthy extension because it gives another perspective, from Los Angeles, on a global crisis. There are stories beyond Rick Grimes and his fearless, tested band."
Collider.com
"Legitimately scary. Not just the artful gore that The Walking Dead has become known for, not just jump scares or 'humans are the worst' psychological horror, but genuine tension. A can't-sit-still-in-your-seat, nerve-racking, skin-crawling fear that earns the series its title."
New York Daily News
“Nothing serves a horror story like a good build. Or, in the case of LA itself, a slow crumble.”
Variety
“The 90-minute premiere … initially feels too much like a snore, narrowly following a single, not-terribly- interesting family, and leaning heavily on musical cues to stoke a sense of suspense.”
Yahoo! TV
"If The Walking Dead is a horror story, Fear the Walking Dead is a mood piece, more artful than the original series."
Spot the differences
Family comes first
Unlike The Walking Dead, which features a battle-weary, ever-changing group of strangers thrown together and struggling to survive, Fear The Walking Dead focuses on the changing dynamic of a dysfunctional family – dad, mum and teenage kids – that finds itself blindsided by the zombie apocalypse.
A city without pity
We leave the forests of rural Georgia behind to explore the densely-populated concrete jungle of Los Angeles, where it doesn’t take much for a spark of infection to ignite a riot of undead slaughter among 14 million Angelinos.
Fresh dead & dying
Don’t expect the oozing, putrescent skeletal “walkers” of The Walking Dead. In this spin-off, the newly “infected” in LA look relatively normal until they are mere inches from your face – and then it’s too late.
Fear the Walking Dead is on at 5.10am and 10pm on Monday, August 24 on AMC
artslife@thenational.ae
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Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
READ MORE ABOUT CORONAVIRUS
Racecard
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah Group Two (PA) US$55,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm: Meydan Trophy (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,900m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,200m
8.15pm: Balanchine Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,000m
9.25pm: Firebreak Stakes Group Three (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
The National selections: 6.30pm: RM Lam Tara, 7.05pm: Al Mukhtar Star, 7.40pm: Bochart, 8.15pm: Magic Lily, 8.50pm: Roulston Scar, 9.25pm: Quip, 10pm: Jalmoud
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 275hp at 6,600rpm
Torque: 353Nm from 1,450-4,700rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Top speed: 250kph
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: Dh146,999
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
Results
2pm Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,800m
Winner AF Al Baher, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner Alla Mahlak, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
3pm Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner Davy Lamp, Adrie de Vries, Rashed Bouresly.
3.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 1,400m
Winner Ode To Autumn, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
4pm Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner Arch Gold, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
4.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,800m
Winner Meqdam, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
5pm Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner Native Appeal, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
5.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner Amani Pico, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
More on animal trafficking
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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'Nightmare Alley'
Director:Guillermo del Toro
Stars:Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara
Rating: 3/5
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
