‘Fear the Walking Dead’ recap: National Guard given shoot-to-kill orders

With orders to shoot zombies on sight and seize potentially infected residents, the National Guard flexes its military might in Los Angeles on “The Dog,” Episode 103 of AMC’s “Fear the Walking Dead.”

Police officers also respond to the crisis, but they’re unable to suppress looters, anarchists and a growing number of undead “walkers” during an East LA riot.

Hiding in a barbershop to escape the violence are Travis Manawa (Cliff Curtis), his ex-wife Liza Ortiz (Elizabeth Rodriguez) and their teenage son Chris (Lorenzo James Henrie).

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Their grudging host is Daniel Salazar (Rubén Blades), an El Salvadoran refugee whose prime concern is protecting his wife, Griselda (Patricia Reyes Spindola), and adult daughter, Ofelia (Mercedes Mason).

If rioters break down the door, Daniel sternly tells Travis, “we run — in different directions.” But when a fire starts to engulf the shop, the families stay together as they make a frantic dash for Travis’ truck.

Unfortunately for Griselda, her foot is crushed by a falling scaffold. Seeking treatment at a nearby hospital is out of the question because the facility has become a warzone.

Soon it’s Travis and his girlfriend, Madison Clark (Kim Dickens), who provide shelter as they take in the Salazars and do all they can to treat Griselda.

Madison, however, is worried about the safety of her teenagers, heroin-addicted Nick (Frank Dillane) and honors student Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey). Madison wants to flee the suburbs immediately and try to survive in the desert away from strangers. But Travis insists they lock the doors and “ride it out for the night.”

Daniel quickly proves a valuable houseguest when undead neighbor Peter Dawson (Noah Beggs) nearly kills Travis, a peace-loving idealist who disapproves of gun ownership. Daniel stoically dispatches Peter with two shotgun blasts to the head.

Another neighbor-turned-zombie is Madison’s good friend Susan Tran (Cici Lau), who reaches through the backyard fence in search of human prey.

“If ever I end up like her,” Madison says to Liza, “I need you to take care of it. Don’t make Travis do it. It would break him.”

The next morning, Madison grabs a hammer and steels herself for the gruesome task of putting Susan out of her misery. But Travis objects, arguing there’s a slim chance Susan can be saved.

Ofelia, meanwhile, tries to persuade her father that they should stick with Travis, Madison, Liza and their kids when they depart for the desert. Daniel stubbornly refuses.

“This is insane, Papa. We have to go with them,” Ofelia pleads, emphasizing that their hosts are good people.

“Good people,” Daniel counters, “are the first ones to die.”

As Travis, Madison and their blended families start to leave, they see National Guard helicopters flying overhead. They also see neighbor Patrick Tran (Jim Lau) returning home, unaware that his wife, Susan, is a goner.

“Don’t touch her,” Madison screams to no avail.

Seconds later, guardsmen fire at Susan and take sobbing Patrick into custody because he’s covered with contaminated blood.

When a guardsman (Steven Allerick) asks about a fresh mound of dirt in the yard, Madison doesn’t reveal that zombie neighbor Peter is under there and that Travis could have been exposed to an infection during the burial.

“Our dog died,” Madison sadly says, referring to the grave.

As for Daniel, the sight of troops seizing control of the neighborhood no doubt evokes memories of civilians being slaughtered by military death squads during El Salvador’s long and bloody civil war.

“It’s already too late,” Daniel tells Griselda and Ofelia. He watches dejectedly from a window as soldiers carry out their grim duty of shooting the undead and trucking away their corpses.

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