Fear The Walking Dead Midseason Finale Review: If Madison Is Gone, So Am I

The season 4 midseason finale is entitled "No One's Gone". I know the title refers to something Madison says to Alicia via walkie talkie. It's still false advertising though. Pretty much everyone IS gone from this show. But more on that later.

This year of "FTWD" is a mxed bag of positives and negatives. First the positives:

After a long walk from Virginia and "The Walking Dead", Morgan arrives. Please just give him something to do besides encouraging people to stop killing each other.
Much time is spent this season at a fortified baseball stadium. It was an OK setting. Remember we've been on a boat and to a motel, ranch and dam previously.
New characters include John Dorie, Naomi/June and Al (and her cool SWAT truck). They are interesting enough. Al is a bit irritating since she's always trying to film everyone's "story".
The baddies this time around are the Vultures. They drive around in a bunch of trucks and/or cars. They scavenge whatever they can find. At least we didnt have to listen to Negan blab on continually for a whole year. Oops, wrong show.
Daniel is MIA but presumably still alive. Remember his daughter Ofelia died last season and his wife died back in season 1.
John almost croaked but it is a red herring designed to psych us out.
Team Morgan eventually meets up with Alicia, Nick, Strand and Luciana. It's not the friendliest of introductions as they try to kill Al (and we dont know why).

Now for the negatives:

The disjointed time lines are hard to follow. I think they lost a number of viewers this season due to it's structure.
Like it's uncle "TWD", "Fear" spends WAY too much time on exposition.
Nick is eventually killed by Charlie. Frank Dillane had wanted off the show for some time so it is not much of a surprise. What I do find unbelievable is that the kid who shot him (Charlie) begins traveling with the group. Uh, no way would I let someone who shot my brother peacefully coexist (Morgan or no Morgan).
Now, to what I'm really pissed about. We suspected Madison was dead. We only show her in flashbacks this year. In the midseason finale we learn the specifics. When the Vultures released the oil soaked walkers to attack the stadium, Madison lured them inside with a flair gun so her family could escape. I would hope this was a "dumpster" moment (remember Glen under the dumpster?) but since Kim Dickens appeared on "The Talking Dead" I think it's true. She has also been quoted in various interviews as being "devastated" and "heartbroken" when she heard the news of Madison's demise. .
Why would "FTWD" kill off two main characters in one half season? I thought the show was supposed to be about a family trying to survive together during the zombie apocalypse. Instead, Chris gets killed in season two. He was a little psychopath so that's probably for the best (or they'll have to sleep with one eye open forever). His mother Liza died in season 1 when the group was trying to escape LA. Travis is killed while riding in a helicopter in season 3. This served no useful purpose whatsoever except to leave Madison alone with her offspring. She has proven time and time again that she would do anything for her kids (especially Nick who always was her favorite). Unlike Frank, Kim Dickens had not asked to leave the show. The death is done for strictly dramatic purposes. Now the only member of the Clark-Manawa family left is Alicia.