Fear TWD’s CRM Teases Sets Up A Bigger Battle Than Strand
Morgan finds the guns needed to fight Victor Strand in Fear The Walking Dead season 7... but has he accidentally set up a battle against the CRM further down the road? Fear The Walking Dead's "Ofelia" episode begins with Lennie James' Morgan plotting a risky mission to retrieve a stash of guns discovered by Dwight. The dream team from the submarine need firepower if they stand any hope of defeating Strand and claiming The Tower for themselves and, sure enough, Morgan Jones returns in the episode's closing scenes carrying several large black bags filled to the brim with firearms. Facing this amount of heat, Strand will be quaking in his perfectly-polished boots - but alarm bells should be ringing for Morgan also...
This far into The Walking Dead's zombie apocalypse, there's precious little left to scavenge, so two big duffel bags packed with semi-automatic weapons is a pretty conspicuous discovery. During this very episode, in fact, Arno reveals his Stalkers are completely out of bullets. Morgan's gun haul isn't some leftover supply of canned haggis no one else wanted - these weapons evidently belong to someone, and that someone isn't likely to be pleased upon discovering Morgan's Fear The Walking Dead survivors swiped their stash.
Fear The Walking Dead season 7's "Ofelia" poses a big question - who did these guns belong to before Morgan commandeered them? Considering all options (and there aren't a whole bunch), the CRM is the most likely original owner. Led by Major General Beale, the Civic Republic Military is one of precious few active groups in The Walking Dead who possess a stock of guns this large and would leave it unattended. Thanks to Isabella's activities in Fear The Walking Dead season 6, we know CRM helicopters leave supply drops at strategic locations, and Dwight found these guns in a building surrounded by approximately 100 zombies. The CRM probably believed these undead guards would keep their guns safe from looters, not accounting for someone with the skills and determination of Morgan Jones.
From the glimpses of CRM seen in The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead, as well as the more-than-a-glimpse from Walking Dead: World Beyond, it's hard to imagine Morgan's theft being treated like a friendly misunderstanding. The CRM would trample an entire community over a single can of beans, so two missing bags of guns will undoubtedly attract a swift, sharp reaction. Morgan's people could find themselves in a sticky situation whereby they successfully invade and occupy Victor Strand's Tower, but promptly come under attack from the CRM before victory celebrations are even over. Taking The Tower would be a cake-walk compared to facing the formidable, well-armed CRM.
Though the field is narrow, two other groups might've owned the guns from Fear The Walking Dead season 7's "Ofelia" episode. There's the mysterious PADRE, of which very little is known, and the even more enigmatic community currently keeping Madison Clark captive (seen in Fear The Walking Dead trailer footage). Given what we know so far, the CRM, PADRE, and Madison's captors could feasibly be one single group, but if all three are separate entities, Morgan's gun heist could either bring PADRE into focus, or pave the way for Madison's glorious return.
Wherever these guns might come from, stealing them betrays Morgan Jones' risky, bloody-minded attitude toward defeating Strand in Fear The Walking Dead season 7. A man of Morgan's post-apocalypse experience should surely know two deliberately stored bags of weapons belong to someone well-armed, and taking said weapons would inevitably place his people in danger further down the line. Through his sheer desperation to beat Strand, Morgan has ignored this massive red flag, and could soon regret his rashness if the CRM come knocking. There is, of course, a possibility Morgan's guns belonged to no one in particular, and Dwight really did hit the jackpot by coming across a stockpile of unattended heavy firearms. That explanation would feel a little too convenient, and waste the potential setup for an even bigger battle than Morgan vs Strand in Fear The Walking Dead.
Fear The Walking Dead continues Sunday on AMC.