Morgan Jones' Got The Sendoff He Deserved On Fear The Walking Dead

In its last few seasons, Fear the Walking Dead had its fair share of storytelling and writing issues. Granted, that's to be expected with any series that runs for an extended time, but this was especially bad when Alycia Debnam-Carey's Alicia Clark unexpectedly left the series at the end of Season 7. It was a confusing episode that left fans unsatisfied, and her character's fate completely up in the air.

Something similar happened in "All I See Is Red." At the end of the episode, Lennie James' Morgan Jones sailed off into the sunset with his daughter Mo. After the episode, James confirmed it was Morgan's final episode on Fear the Walking Dead and, barring some incredible story, his last appearance in the TWD universe. But unlike Alicia's final episode, "All I See Is Red" was a worthy sendoff for Morgan.

Updated on September 14, 2024, by Katie Doll: Death is par for the course in The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead. Morgan Jones was a tremendous representation of those who dealt with the weight of immense grief. This article has been updated to expand on Morgan's journey of grief on Fear TWD, his appropriate farewell compared to other Fear TWD characters and his future in the TWD franchise.

Dr. Eastman Helped Morgan Jones Find Himself In FTWD

Morgan Jones is one of the original characters from the main series. Rick Grimes met him during the mothership Walking Dead series' pilot episode. After that, Morgan appeared in one episode in Season 3 and three episodes in Season 5 before joining Alexandria and becoming a series regular in Season 6. He was a major player in the Savior War against Negan, but after the war, he decided to leave everything behind and find himself. That allowed for his crossover to Fear the Walking Dead, where he took on more of a leadership role. However, the most interesting part about Morgan's character started off-screen.

While he was separated from Rick, he lost his son, Duane. Losing his wife during the outbreak was bad enough, but losing Duane was too much. Grief-stricken, Morgan lost himself, and he couldn't do anything but "clear" the living and the dead as a way to redeem himself. He lived like that for a long time until he met Dr. Eastman. The latter had killed the man who killed Morgan's family just before the apocalypse, but it didn't grant him peace. Since then, he had become a pacifist and vowed never to kill another human being. Using his skills as a psychiatrist and his newfound Aikido-based pacifism, he helped Morgan find himself.

• Morgan's first appearance on Fear the Walking Dead was Season 4, Episode 1, "What's Your Story?"

Lennie James joined Fear the Walking Dead in its fourth season as Morgan, who left Virginia to avoid war and other human-on-human conflicts. He wanted to stay committed to Eastman's teachings of peace and pacifism, which he abandoned during the war against the Saviors in The Walking Dead Season 8. However, upon arriving in Texas, he realized that war wasn't easily avoidable in the apocalypse.

Morgan is immediately met with hostility in Texas by Alicia Clark's group, who suffered major losses at the baseball stadium, including Madison Clark. While Morgan formed a companionship with them, especially Nick before his death, his alliance with Alicia's group made him an enemy to the Vultures. He admitted that he was wrong about avoiding people; no matter how many people walkers will kill, there are still enough to cause war and destruction. He makes it his mission to return to Alexandria since his mission failed, but he's hit with repeated setbacks.

Morgan ultimately becomes a tested leader among his new friends. He becomes a mentor for Alicia as he passes down Eastman's teachings and comes into conflict with Victor Strand over their clashing philosophies. Morgan's purpose in the series was to show that pacifism can be a tool used for good and bad. The series had its faults in later seasons, but Morgan's inner struggles to stay on the right path were a clear metaphor for humanity's innate desire to destroy itself.

What Happened To Morgan On Fear The Walking Dead?

For most of his time on Fear the Walking Dead, Morgan practiced Eastman's teachings, but that was threatened in "More Time Than You Know," when Morgan's wife, Grace, succumbed to a walker bite. It got even worse in "All I See Is Red," when PADRE forced Mo to clear a massive horde of walkers. Convinced that he was going to lose his family again, Morgan regressed and started "clearing" everything in sight.

On The Walking Dead, Morgan explained that when he "cleared," he only saw red. So, Fear the Walking Dead's "All I See Is Red" literally did that. Whenever it shot from Morgan's perspective, there was a red filter around everything. It also showed how everything that he saw circled back to the awful things he experienced in his life. Luckily, he was able to overcome that by the end of the episode. With the help of Madison Clark, he realized that he had never really lost anyone. Even when people died, Morgan still carried their memories with him.

Every Episode Where Morgan Sees Red

• The Walking Dead Season 3, Episode 12, "Clear"
• The Walking Dead Season 7, Episode 13, "Bury Me Here"
• The Walking Dead Season 8, Episode 13, "Do Not Send Us Astray"
• The Walking Dead Season 8, Episode 14, "Still Gotta Mean Something"
• The Walking Dead Season 8, Episode 16, "Wrath"
• Fear the Walking Dead Season 8, Episode 6, "All I See Is Red"

Armed with that knowledge, he made good with Grace's death and started a real relationship with his daughter. The two of them then went off to find Rick Grimes and the other people that Morgan had left on The Walking Dead. But Morgan had one stop before heading to Alexandria. He went to Eastman's cabin in the woods and buried Grace in his cemetery. There, Morgan saw a flash of all the people he cared about, except the red tint was gone. They were a part of him and always would be.

Morgan's ending in Fear the Walking Dead was a beautiful sendoff that represents the struggles he overcame to accept happiness. At the time, fans were convinced it wasn't the end of his story though. Rick was returning to The Ones Who Live, which aired in the spring of 2024, just months after Morgan's departure. One of the most anticipated reunions of The Ones Who Live was between Morgan and Rick, but sadly, it never came to fruition. But fans can rest easy that Rick made it back home safe and sound, so there's a high chance that the two former allies are reunited off-screen. It may not be as gratifying as an on-screen reunion, but it's enough to let these characters close the door on the TWD franchise.

Other FTWD Characters Weren't Granted The Same Type Of Sendoff

Some characters fell back into their trauma instead of growing past it. After the final episode of Fear the Walking Dead, "The Road Ahead," it's fair to say that Morgan got one of the most fitting farewells of all the characters on the series. Madison found her daughter, Alicia, after years of fans begging for a reunion, but not without sending the character down a rabbit hole of nonsensical journeys where she lost valuable friendships. Victor Strand, Daniel Salazar, and Luciana Galvez all satisfyingly survived the series, but their endings were rushed due to the cramped nature of the final two episodes. Most disappointing of all, especially compared to Morgan, Dwight, and Sherry abandoned any type of personal growth by returning to the Sanctuary.

The Sanctuary was a place of trauma for both of them. Dwight and Sherry were forced to separate as Negan forcibly gave Sherry two options: marry him or have Dwight be killed. Sherry chose the former to save her husband and was coerced into an abusive relationship without consent. Dwight became Negan's henchman in the meantime and endured a hot iron to the face as both a punishment and a warning. Finally, the pair faced their trauma together in Fear the Walking Dead Season 8, Episode 9 "Sanctuary," by returning to the Sanctuary one last time and watching it crumble to the ground.

Then, in the finale, they both agree to return to build a new community at the Sanctuary in their son's name. It's a flawed sentiment that will only revert them into a traumatic state of mind, unlike Morgan's acceptance of his past. Morgan can move forward because he accepts that death is a part of life, but doesn't condone it in any way. He doesn't stay in the place where his daughter was forced to become a soldier and instead chooses to take her somewhere where she can be safe. At the very least, Morgan was given the gift of self-awareness in his final episode, but Dwight and Sherry were refused such a thing.

Where Viewers Can Find Lennie James Outside FTWD

Many fans of Fear the Walking Dead agree that Lennie James wasn't given quality writing that stood at the level of his acting. James was a renowned actor before The Walking Dead franchise and has only grown his filmography since then. Despite being his longest-running work, Fear the Walking Dead unfortunately doesn't stand as tall as other films or television series he's appeared in.

Outside of The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, James is most known for his role as Glen Boyle in the British medical drama Critical on Sky 1. Other British shows he's celebrated for are Save Me, Line of Duty, Run, and The Met: Policing London, the latter of which he narrated. But he's also made a name for himself in American television series such as AMC's Low Winter Sun, Jericho, Hung, and Human Target.

In 2023, James guest starred in an episode of Invincible as Darkwing, joining other former Walking Dead cast members in the animated series. His most familiar films range from independent to blockbusters: Outlaw, Get On Up, Blade Runner 2049, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, and the upcoming film The End. But despite Fear the Walking Dead's critical backlash in the later seasons, Morgan Jones will always go down as one of Lennie James' most iconic roles, and at least he had the proper ending he deserved.