‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Season 4 Episode 11: “The Code”

Fear the Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 11
Aaron Stanford as Jim and Lennie James as Morgan Jones in ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ season 4 episode 11 (Photo Credit: Ryan Green / AMC)

AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead season four episode 10 spent the entire hour focusing on Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) and Charlie (Alexa Nisenson). By the end of episode 10, Alicia and Charlie had formed an uneasy alliance despite the fact Alicia holds Charlie responsible for the deaths of her mom, her brother, and the innocent people attempting to establish a new community at the stadium.

Season four episode 11 “The Code” concentrates on Morgan’s journey and introduces four new characters. The episode begins with Morgan (Lennie James) calling out for Alicia as the storm rages. He finds a moving truck and takes shelter in the back. Inside is a box with a note that reads: “Take what you need. Leave what you don’t. See you further up the road.”

Morgan looks through the box and finds a knife, a MRE, and a protein bar. He settles in to wait out the storm.

The wind has stopped howling when he wakes the following morning with a walker right outside the truck’s rear doors. Dispatching him quickly, he emerges to find the sky is clear and that somehow he’s made it to The Flip-Flop Truck Stop in Mississippi. No one answers when he calls out inside the truck stop, but there’s a fresh pot of coffee and the lights are working. There’s also a fair amount of supplies on the shelves.

A woman speaks over the radio, asking after someone named Polar Bear. Morgan explains to the friendly voice that he must have accidentally hitched a ride in the back of a semi. She tells him to take what he needs and leave what he doesn’t. Morgan wants more information, but she stops communicating after issuing those instructions.

Morgan takes the supplies he needs, including a walkie-talkie, water, and a thermos of hot coffee. He’s pleasantly surprised the water works and even enjoys a bathroom break until his time on the toilet’s interrupted by a stranger.


It turns out the man’s in a wheelchair and he’s angry Morgan used the handicap stall. Morgan, hands raised since the stranger’s got a shotgun, explains he always thought the handicap stall seemed like a little apartment.

The man, who it turns out is named Wendell (Daryl “Chill” Mitchell), questions him about why he felt free to take items, and Morgan explains the woman on the radio told him it was okay. Just then Sarah (Mo Collins) enters the truck stop and she apologizes for her brother’s behavior.

They take him around back and show him the trucks packed with supplies. They explain they’re just continuing the work they did before the zombie apocalypse. They travel around, leaving supplies where they’re needed. They have water and power, and Morgan seems stunned to learn this is their current mission in life.

When they ask his plans, he says he’s heading back east to Virginia to be with his friends who are busy creating a safe community. Morgan didn’t realize he escaped a hurricane, and he quickly figures out he left Alicia and the others in danger. The helpful strangers believe his friends are probably dead, and Wendell reveals he just lost his beloved Bichon Frise. They can’t drive him back because their truck won’t make it, but they load him up with supplies in a car that still runs and has gas.

They’re determined to help others and explain they live by the code: “Keep on truckin’.” (These people are too good to be true, but Morgan doesn’t see that.)

On Morgan’s journey back to Alicia he finds one of the special “Take what you need…” boxes and smiles. A little further down the road Morgan suddenly stops his trip back to Alicia when the voices in his head return. He radios Sarah and Wendell and asks if they can take him to Virginia because the bridge back to his friends is out. (It’s not.)

Morgan makes it back to the truck stop but Wendell and Sarah aren’t back from finishing up a supply drop. Sarah calls Morgan “MoMo” and says she’s sorry he wasn’t able to help his friends.

Morgan heads out and waits for them at the new rendezvous point. He sees a person in the distance being chased by walkers and gets out to help. The zombie bait has his hands tied behind his back and a burlap bag over his head as he tries to stay away from becoming zombie chow. He stumbles and the walkers are close to biting him when Morgan takes them all out and saves the day.

It turns out the man’s name is Jim (Aaron Stanford) and he was kidnapped because they wanted his recipe for brewing beer. They hit the road and Jim explains he’s been on his own, growing hops and brewing beer. He’s planning for the future and believes at some point everyone will want beer. Morgan confesses he doesn’t think Jim’s nuts because he’s heading someplace where people are also planning for the future.

Fear the Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 11
Mo Collins as Sarah and Daryl Mitchell as Wendell in ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ season 4 episode 11 (Photo Credit: Ryan Green / AMC)

They stop at Sarah and Wendell’s semi and it turns out they’re the ones who kidnapped Jim. (Of course they are.) Sarah and Wendell admit they stole the truck from the guy who was leaving the supply boxes, but they didn’t kill him. Instead, they just dumped him in Texas.

Morgan and Jim, who was truly kidnapped just for his beer recipes, are tied up and placed in the back of the truck. Morgan refuses to tell Sarah and Wendell anything else about the Virginia community, so they decide to just hit the road that direction believing Morgan will eventually talk.

While they’re in the back of the truck unable to leave, Jim examines the beer supplies Sarah stole from him. He’s actually fine with throwing in with them if it means he can sell his beer to the Virginia community. Morgan can’t believe this guy would be willing to work with his kidnappers and swears he’s not taking anyone near his friends in Virginia.

Jim is certain history was built on beer which is the staff of life. It changed the course of history, making people settle to grow its ingredients. He’s sure Morgan’s people need beer.

The truck comes to a sudden stop on a bridge because it’s too heavy for the road. Jim’s beer ingredients need to be tossed, but Morgan refuses to help or reveal any more details about Virginia. Jim, on the other hand, becomes Sarah and Wendell’s new best friend by forging a deal.

As they talk, Morgan falls down the slope and lands just feet from a dozen or so walkers. He makes it to the top of a car, hands still tied behind his back. The walkers gather around, reaching for him as he stands on the roof. Sarah refuses to help until he gives her the location of the Virginia group, and Morgan has no choice but to finally disclose the location.

Sarah, Wendell, and Jim debate who’s going to help Morgan. Turns out Jim can’t because he’s never killed walkers. Wendell can’t, given he’s in a wheelchair. Sarah refuses, and then informs Morgan they’re just leaving him there to fend for himself. She also reveals they know he was lying about the bridge being out.

Night falls and Morgan’s still trapped on the roof of the car surrounded by walkers. He seems to have come to a decision and uses the radio to tell Sarah and Wendell they don’t have to do this. He also admits he’s a coward and that’s why he didn’t finish looking for his friends after the hurricane. He thought he’d make things worse if he did, and now he asks for Sarah ato come back so he can do the right thing.

They don’t reply and Morgan begins kicking at the walkers. They grab for his boots and continue to reach for their trapped meal. He makes a break for it, leaping off the roof and onto the side of the embankment. He sees a scattering of supplies from one of the boxes and is able to grab a knife, free his hands, and take out a few walkers. He uses a mile marker to finish killing others so he can make his escape.

Back up on the road, he radios Sarah and Wendell and tells them they couldn’t be more wrong. The boxes they thought were just rotting in the road not doing anybody any good are indeed useful.

Morgan continues to walk down the middle of the road. Sarah and Wendell are waiting for him on his trip, having learned the exit he told them to take in Virginia does not exist. Morgan says if they want to go to Virginia, then they’ll have to pick up his other friends first. If not, he’ll just keep on walking.

The reluctant traveling companions hit the road, dropping off boxes along the way. Jim even places a bottle of beer in one as they continue their trip.

Morgan uses the walkie-talkie in hopes of connecting with the person who owns the truck. He tells him they’ll meet up on the road in Texas, but Morgan’s actually unknowingly communicating with a mysterious woman (Tonya Pinkins) who writes “Take what you need, leave what you don’t” across the face of a walker while explaining they’re hitting the road for Texas.

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