Sumith Prasad
The eighth season of AMC’s post-apocalyptic series ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ revolves around PADRE‘s attempts to deal with the “internal threats,” who include Morgan Jones, who tries to retrieve his daughter Mo from the community. Morgan is joined by his partner Grace, who has raised Mo as her own daughter with the former. Grace and Mo accompany Morgan when he set out to bury Jenny and Duane, his wife and child, upon returning to King County. After burying them, Grace’s life turns around unexpectedly, making one alarmed about her fate. If you are concerned about the same, here’s what we can share about it! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Grace’s Tragic End
Yes, Grace does die. When Morgan arrives in King County to bury Jenny and Duane and to escape from his haunting past, Grace and Mo arrive in the same region to support him. Morgan finds Jenny and kills Duane, only for him to bury them in the presence of Grace and Mo. After the burial, the family shares an endearing moment, only for a walker to interrupt the same by trying to bite Mo. Grace comes in between the walker and her daughter to protect the latter, only for her to get bitten by the undead. In the fifth episode of the season, Morgan tries to save Grace by taking her to June. Morgan is hopeful that the nurse will be able to rescue his partner since she saved Dwight and Sherry‘s son Finch from a walker bite.
When Finch’s infection returns, Morgan realizes that it is futile to take Grace to June when the latter hasn’t been successful with Dwight and Sherry’s son. Grace and Morgan accept the former’s fate but Mo fails to do the same. She makes it clear that she doesn’t want to lose her mother after reuniting with her after years. Mo takes an ill Grace to June’s train car and follows her instructions to treat her. As per June’s words, Mo administers radiation to Grace’s wound and the surrounding area. Since she is already suffering from cancer, June believes that the severe amount of radiation wouldn’t do Grace any harm.
However, Grace’s fever gradually increases, forcing June to accept defeat. The nurse tells Mo that there’s nothing anyone can do to save Grace since she received the treatment late. Grace then asks Mo to kill her when she turns into a walker so that she wouldn’t hurt her daughter. Even though Mo fails to do the same, Morgan arrives at the place and kills a turned Grace before the latter could hurt Mo like Jenny hurts Duane.
Karen David Exit From the Walking Dead
Yes, Karen David did leave ‘Fear the Walking Dead.’ Karen’s exit was confirmed by showrunners Andrew Chambliss and Ian B. Goldberg while discussing the fifth episode of the eighth season in the aftershow, ‘Fear the Walking Dead: Episode Insider.’ “It’s very painful to say goodbye to Karen and to Grace. When we lose characters on this show, we want it to leave an emotional ripple. And it’s impossible to not feel devasted to see Grace die. And we are gonna miss her. And I am very grateful to Karen for being part of the journey,” Goldberg said about the actress’ exit.
Chambliss joined Goldberg in bidding adieu to Karen following Grace’s death. “When I think about saying goodbye to Karen, I think about the things we were looking for when we wanted to cast Grace. She has to be an actor who has kind of this warmth beneath the surface, and ultimately, Karen has that in spades,” Chambliss said about Karen’s exit. “I mean, it’s impossible to kind of meet Karen, to be in a room with her and not feel that warmth. And that’s always the hardest part in saying goodbye to these characters, is saying, like ‘Oh, man, I am not going to get to work with them on a daily basis,'” he added.
Since startling character deaths and astounding cast member departures are integral parts of ‘Fear the Walking Dead,’ Karen’s exit seems like the result of a creative decision. Considering the impact of Grace’s death on the lives of Morgan and Mo, it is understandable why the creative heads of the series chose to kill the character off. The admirers of Karen, however, can eagerly await for her to deliver an impressive performance in ‘Isabel’s Garden.’
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