Sumith Prasad
The ninth episode of AMC’s post-apocalyptic series ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ season 7 depicts Alicia dealing with the realization that the dead Senator Vazquez cannot lead her and her group to PADRE. She dreams of the senator, who still insists on guiding her to the alleged haven. After waking up, she meets Paul, who brought an unconscious Alicia to his home upon encountering her in a barn. She thinks about a masked girl who had tended to her when she passed out in the street. As she sees the girl in her dream, one must be wondering about the identity of the girl and the meaning of Alicia’s dream. Well, here’s everything we know! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Who is the Masked Girl?
The masked girl is most likely Alicia’s younger self. When Paul explains that he saw her in a nearby barn, Alicia tells him that there was a masked girl who attended to her, only for him to inform her that he didn’t see anyone else. She sees the girl again when she gets passed out on her way back to her group from Paul’s house, only for Morgan to tell her that he didn’t see anyone else as well. Considering the severe fever she has been suffering from, Alicia must have dreamt of her own younger self as a comfort.
Since a small girl may not be able to help Alicia to move from one place to another while the latter is unconscious, it is unlikely that she is a real person. If a real girl happens to have helped Alicia, with the assistance of an older person or persons, it is improbable that the same girl encounters her again to extend help without anyone noticing her. On the other hand, Alicia’s sickness, possibly due to the zombie virus, explains how her mind can be seeking alternative ways to cope with the emotional and physical turmoil she suffers from.
Upon realizing that the dead Senator Vazquez cannot lead Alicia to a haven, she stoops to distress. The disappointment of not finding PADRE, the responsibility of protecting her group, and the fear of death may have caused enough agony in Alicia for her to find comfort in her own younger self’s innocence and pleasantness.
What is the Meaning of Alicia’s Dreams?
Alicia’s hope of finding a sanctuary in PADRE ends when the dead Senator Vazquez joins other walkers without leading her to the alleged haven. Since then, she starts to dream about the senator, who asks her to follow him to PADRE with another individual’s voice. She tries her best to identify the real source of the voice but fails. The dreams start to cause immense pain to Alicia, who has realized that she may never make it to PADRE for her group’s safety. However, a conversation with Paul helps her understand her dreams better, especially in a positive sense.
In Alicia’s dreams, the dead Senator Vazquez has her voice and the senator is the personification of her aspiration to lead her followers to a refuge. Since her conscious mind associates the senator with PADRE, the dead man personifies what Alicia longs for in her dreams. Even when he becomes “useless,” Alicia’s mind refrains from giving up her aspiration and frequently demands her to act on it through her dreams. For her mind, PADRE is more than an actual place that exists concretely in a material world. It is any haven that can protect her and her followers.
In other words, Alicia can turn any place into a PADRE if she succeeds in providing safety and security to her fellow survivors. Through the dreams, Alicia’s subconscious is reminding her that her aspiration can be fulfilled even without the dead Senator Vazquez and the PADRE he knows. After realizing the true meaning of her dreams, Alicia sees herself, instead of the senator, in her next dream. She confronts her own wish to create a haven for her and her group, which motivates her to enlarge her army to fight against Strand.
She sets out to the bunker to retrieve a transmitter that may help her recruit new survivors, who are in search of a secure establishment, to her army. Paul, with his wisdom, makes Alicia understands that dreams can mean more than what appears on the surface. When she comes across the real depths of her dreams, she gets motivated enough to make Strand’s Tower her PADRE.
Read More: Will Alicia Die in Fear the Walking Dead Season 7? [Theories]
