The final episode of Fear the Walking Dead Season 6 completely changed the series. Teddy detonated the missiles from the USS Pennsylvania and turned everything into a nuclear wasteland. Given that, all of Season 7 was dealing with the literal and metaphorical fallout of that catastrophic event. It was an exciting premise, but it didn't live up to expectations. Among other issues, there were far too many anthology-style episodes, and a lot of important events happened off-screen. Luckily, Season 8 has a chance to right the ship on a number of different levels.
The Season 7 finale showed the return of Kim Dickens' Madison Clark and revealed that she had been working for the mysterious society known as PADRE. Hopefully, her return will ground the series and bring it back to its roots in Fear The Walking Dead's farewell season. Truth be told, Madison probably won't be the only familiar character that shows up from The Walking Dead universe. In fact, there's some hope that Negan could make a surprise guest appearance.
Fear the Walking Dead Teases TWD Crossovers
Fear The Walking Dead showrunners Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg recently did an interview with SFX Magazine and teased some big things for Season 8. Currently, the ensemble cast is scattered, so Chambliss made it clear that "the course of the story will bring all those characters back together." However, he added something of note. He said, "And maybe even a few other familiar faces [will show up]. We wanted to, as best we could with the real estate we have, try to give everyone a really satisfying conclusion. We wanted to try to make it feel like we weren’t leaving anyone out in the cold."
Chambliss' comments are mainly about giving the Fear The Walking Dead characters the best ending possible. Hopefully, that means that Alicia will return for a satisfying finale. It could also include the reappearance of Qaletaqa Walker and Crazy Dog, who disappeared in the Season 3 finale, even though the chances are slim. At best, it seems much more likely characters from The Walking Dead could cross over onto Fear The Walking Dead. For instance, the group could come across Daryl on one of his expeditions, especially after the trailer showed Morgan and company returning to the East coast. To some extent, that could be seen as fan service, and it could also be tricky depending on how Season 8's time jump works. However, a Negan appearance wouldn't be fan service because it would actually benefit Dwight and Sherry's characters.
Why Negan Needs to Appear on Fear the Walking Dead
Dwight and Sherry were introduced in Season 6 of Fear The Walking Dead. Dwight was one of Negan's lieutenants, and he served Negan well. He was brutal and dedicated, but there was a problem: Negan forced Dwight's wife, Sherry, into being one of his many "wives." Eventually, Sherry fled the Sanctuary, which prompted Dwight to flip sides and help Rick take out Negan. Years later, they were reunited on Fear the Walking Dead.
While Dwight and Sherry are in a pretty good place on Fear The Walking Dead, there have been moments where it's clear that Sherry hasn't totally moved on from her past. She hasn't forgiven Negan for what he did to her and what he did to her relationship with Dwight. If Fear The Walking Dead really wants to give Dwight and Sherry the "satisfying conclusion" that Chambliss talked about, then the series needs to address their conflict with Negan. The best way to do that would be to have Negan make an appearance so that Dwight and Sherry can see that he's a changed person. Confronting their resentment head on is the only way for them to really find closure before the series wraps up.
Fear the Walking Dead Season 8 debuts May 14, on AMC.