The Dog (Fear the Walking Dead)

"The Dog" is the third episode of the first season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series Fear the Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on September 13, 2015 in the United States.

Plot
While a riot rages outside, a mob sets fire to the store adjoining the barbershop, forcing the Salazars and Manawas to flee. The group reaches Travis' truck and escapes, but not before Griselda is injured by a collapsing scaffold. Unable to reach a hospital, the group drives to Madison's house, where Nick, Madison, and Alicia temporarily flee when the zombified Mr. Dawson attempts to enter, attracted by the barking dog Nick had let in. Nick leads Madison and Alicia to the Trans' house next door, where they take a shotgun. Travis arrives and is attacked by Mr. Dawson, who is shot and killed by Daniel. All three families decide to stay the night and evacuate in the morning. Nurse Liza tends to Griselda's injured foot but notes that Griselda will die if not treated by a doctor. Ofelia tells Daniel they should flee with Travis, but Daniel insists his family can survive alone and will join his cousin later. The next morning, as the Clarks and Manawas start driving away, the National Guard arrives and quarantines the block. While Travis says, "It's going to get better," Daniel laments that it’s, "too late," as he watches a guardsman mark the neighboring house.

Reception
"The Dog" received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it garnered a 67% rating with an average score of 6.26/10 based on 24 reviews. The site consensus reads, "While the apocalyptic horror of Fear the Walking Dead works well in "The Dog," the attempt at character development has mixed results."

Matt Fowler of IGN gave "The Dog" a 7.8/10.0 rating, the highest of the series at that point, stating; ""The Dog" brought everyone back together so they could hash things out, brew up a little conflict, and form a new plan of escape. The military intervention right at the end felt like a huge tonal shift, so we'll have to see how it plays out in the coming episodes. Despite the sprawling cityscape, this has been a somewhat intimate show and now it's being opened up wide."

Ratings
"The Dog" was seen by 7.19 million viewers in the United States on its original air date, nearly a million less than the previous episode.