Brother's Keeper (Fear the Walking Dead)


"Brother's Keeper" is the twelfth episode of the third season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series Fear the Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on September 24, 2017.

Plot

Troy lives off the land while continuing to write in his journal. He revisits the scene of the helicopter crash, finds a grenade launcher and buries the rancher Walker had disfigured. Troy visits Nick in the night and warns him that the ranch will be destroyed. Jake asks Alicia to leave with him and questions their relationship when she refuses. Nick and Jake set out to find Troy and discover him using the grenade launcher to guide a herd of walking dead toward the ranch. Troy explains that the herd will force the people into the desert, as he was, and only the fittest will survive. Jake holds Troy at gunpoint but hesitates on learning that Nick killed their father and Alicia kept it secret. Jake is bitten and dies following an amputation, and Troy mourns his brother, saying he brought the herd to regain their legacy. A wall of trailers and RVs is hoped to turn the herd, but it fails and the ranchers and natives evacuate to the bunker-like pantry.

Reception

"Brother's Keeper" received critical acclaim from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, "Brother's Keeper" garnered a perfect 100% rating, with an average score of 8.00/10 based on 5 reviews.
David S.E Zapanta of Den of Geek gave "Brother's Keeper" a positive review, with a 4/5 rating, stating; "As I watched "Brother's Keeper" I couldn't help but think that if Fear the Walking Dead's third season were a Choose Your Own Adventure book, every plot choice would hinge on the Clark family making a bad situation worse."
Steve Ford of TV Fanatic also gave "Brother's Keeper" a positive review, with a 3/5 rating, stating; "I'm torn because this episode could have been so much more than it was. It had a lot going for it, but the retreading of what The Walking Dead did with the same material is still too fresh in our minds for this episode to have had the impact it wanted."

Ratings

"Brother's Keeper" was seen by 2.08 million viewers in the United States on its original air date, above the previous episodes rating of 1.99 million.