Days after the National Guard quarantines the neighborhood into a Safe Zone, residents try to live normally. Tensions build under the military rule. Madison is stressed by extra work caused by her home's being overcrowded and Travis' new role as civilian liaison. Chris shows a video to Travis and Madison of a light signaling from the Dead Zone. Travis talks Doug into getting mental help. Liza medically helps neighbors. Nick steals morphine from Hector via IV drip. Ofelia kisses Adams, who was unable to get Griselda's medicine. Madison exchanges signals with the flashing light in the Dead Zone. She sneaks outside the fence to investigate and finds evidence that the guardsmen killed civilians, even the uninfected. Travis learns that Doug has been hospitalized for his mental issues. Dr. Exner determines that Liza is not technically a nurse, but due to lack of medical staff, she needs her anyway. Daniel warns Madison of his El Salvador experience, when the sick were taken under the guise of receiving hospitalization but instead killed. Soldiers take Griselda and Nick to a hospital, but Nick's family protests his departure. Liza agrees to go to assist the medical team, despite not wanting to leave her son. Travis retreats to the roof and sees the signal from the Dead Zone. Seconds later, he sees and hears gunfire, followed by darkness.
Reception
"Not Fade Away" received very positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it garnered an 86% rating with an average score of 6.59/10 based on 24 reviews. The site consensus reads: "'Not Fade Away' presents an overall gripping look at a society staring into the abyss, even if it would benefit from characters with greater depth." Matt Fowler of IGN gave "Not Fade Away" a 7.8/10 rating stating: "Fear the Walking Dead changed things up dramatically during its first season by skipping ahead and time and placing our characters in an army-occupied neighborhood. And while the threat of a crumbling military, who may operating on orders to overreact, is a great hook, the show still gets bogged down in familial bickering. Two of the best moments in 'Not Fade Away' involved characters exploding because they couldn't take the same inane BS. Alicia actually yelled at Travis and Madison for getting caught up in petty nonsense. And then later, Madison smacked up Nick for being the same fool addict he's always been, despite the entire country falling apart. Right then, in these moments, these characters were us."
Ratings
"Not Fade Away" was seen by 6.62 million viewers in the United States on its original air date, nearly half a million less than the previous episode.
