'Fear The Walking Dead' Episode 5 Recap: What Is 'Cobalt'? 

\'Fear The Walking Dead\' Episode 5 Recap: What Is \'Cobalt\'?

As things in Los Angeles continued to descend into the walker apocalypse on "Fear the Walking Dead," our group learned some valuable information about a secret military operation.

Getting the information about exactly what "Cobalt" is came at a hefty price tag for many of the characters we have been following in the freshman series. Beyond learning the truth about what "Cobalt" is, the group began to pick up more valuable information about how to survive in this new world, and Nick found a new ally.

Here's what happened in Sunday's "Fear the Walking Dead" Episode 5:

Lorenzo James Henrie as Chris and Cliff Curtis as Travis in ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ (AMC)

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Doug is back! The neighbor who Travis Manawa attempted to counsel in last week's episode is alive and well and in some sort of prison situation, chained up inside a fence, as a well-dressed man named Strand (newcomer Colman Domingo) messes with his mind. While Doug cries, Strand looks at a photo of the man's wife, Maria, and sends Doug over the edge by suggesting Mrs. Doug’s figure will be "just the ticket" to find the kind of man that will help her survive in this new world. Doug starts to sob and shakes the chain link fence as guards rush in and take him away. The moment gives Strand time to turn his attention to someone else. "So then, who the hell are you?" he asks, looking at Nick.

Back inside the fences of her Los Angeles neighborhood, Ofelia is furious over not having answers about where they took her mom, Griselda. She tosses anything she can at the gates, angering the National Guard. The young man she's been getting close with, Andrew Adams, arrives just in time to stop a commanding officer from taking action against her.

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Inside Madison's home, Chris is worried about the other missing member of their group – his mom Liza -- who willingly went with Dr. Bethan Exner at the end of last week's episode. It'll be OK, Travis tries to tell his son, but the teen storms off. "When Chris comes back, tell him I've gone to get his mom," Travis says. "And Nick," Madison says, hugging her partner.

Downtown somewhere, Liza may not be a nurse, but she's doing a fine job of sewing people up just like a pro. Dr. Exner reveals that Griselda has lost the foot that was injured when they fled the riot, but she's still alive. “And Nick?” Liza asks. "He's fine," Dr. Exner replies, before ushering her on to another patient. "We have work to do, Liza."

Back at home, Madison is walking through the house when she hears a strange noise. Opening a door she finds Adams bound to a chair. "What is this?" Madison demands to know. "This is how we bring them home," Daniel explains. Madison asks what their game plan is. Ofelia thinks it's to trade Adams for the others. When she leaves, Daniel admits he knows there won't be a trade, but his daughter's friend can be used for information. "I don’t want you to hurt him," Madison says. "Do you want your boy back?" Daniel asks. "So which is it? You don't want him hurt, or you don't wanna know?" he adds, before walking out.

Outside, Travis is confronting one of the "cavalry's" leaders about his neighborhood's missing people – a total of 11. When he makes a kind of a threat (angry people worried about their relatives could rise up), the man in charge, Lt. Moyer gives in (in the most not-really-giving-in-way-possible). "Mr. Mayor here would like to go downtown," the lieutenant says, sarcastically. One of his men quickly requests another team handle the job – his people haven't slept in some time. The commanding officer shares his sympathy by handing him a used handkerchief and telling the man to share it with his group.

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Daniel had promised he wouldn't hurt Adams, but "that is not going to happen," he tells the man. Daniel then removes his button down shirt and unrolls his shaving tools, including a sharp blade.

Somewhere in Los Angeles, the men taking Travis downtown pull over after spotting one of the infected in a restaurant. "Mr. Mayor, you're up," Lt. Moyer tells Travis. But despite the rifle being poised and ready, Travis can't yet get his head around the fact that the infected are no longer living, breathing humans. "That's what I thought," the lieutenant says, stepping behind the rifle himself and gunning the infected down before the group all piles back into the Humvee.

A short while later, Travis' party hits a rough patch and the troops head in to fight. He sits inside the vehicle hearing their screams over the walkie-talkie.

Adams isn't screaming, but it's clear he is in pain as Daniel sits there with his bloody blade. "Please stop," Adams asks. Daniel asks for something too – information about a code word – "Cobalt." Daniel pulls back the bandage on the man's bloody arm, and tells him he will be going deeper.

Outside, Alicia rides a bike around while chatting with Chris. They take a moment for fun, going into some rich person's abandoned home to play dress up. She smiles when she makes Chris uncomfortable after he spots her in someone else's dress not fully zipped up.

Downtown, men come for Nick, claiming he has a temperature when he really doesn't. Strand stands up for the young man and makes a deal, offering jeweled cufflinks in exchange for the men leaving Nick alone. "Let me have the boy. I'll keep an eye on him," Strand says.

The offer the lieutenant made to Travis to take him downtown, though, is off. Back at the Humvee, just two of the men return from inside that building they went in. Now they have a new mission – getting to their own families.

In the kitchen at Madison's Daniel heads over to the sink, full of concern over how what he's done will affect his daughter. He asks Madison if she thinks Ofelia will understand what he did to survive in the past, and again, now. "Did he tell us what we need to know?" Madison asks, referring to Adams.

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Sometime later, Travis arrives home and sees Ofelia crumpled up on the lawn, crying. "Did you know what he was going to do?" he asks Madison. She won't answer him. The show quickly cuts to Daniel interviewing Adams, who finally spills all – about the infected turning, and how when they couldn't tell the difference between the infected and everyone else, they locked them all in an arena. Madison and Travis run into the room in time to learn what "Cobalt" means. Adams reveals it's the code to evacuate Los Angeles, after the "humane termination" of the people. The countdown is on. "Cobalt" launches at 9 AM tomorrow.

Strand doesn't know what "Cobalt" is, but he knows something is up. "The game has changed. We return to the old rules, and the people who won the last round with their Grande lattes and their frequent flier miles are about to become the buffet," he tells Nick. "I look at you and I see someone who knows the meaning of necessity." Nick replies by telling Strand he's an addict. "No, you're a heroin addict. That's the gold standard. Don't sell yourself short," Strand says. The soldiers are leaving he tells the young man. "I'm gonna require a man with your talents when I make my move," he says.

Alicia and Chris know something is going on too. As they walk home after trashing the empty estate, they see something strange – the National Guard isn't patrolling the neighborhood any more. "Something's wrong," Alicia says.

Back downtown, Griselda is finally awake and talking about the things she's done. After she makes her peace, she passes away, and Dr. Exner steps in to tell Liza what to do to stop Griselda from turning. A gun is placed in Liza's hand and she shoots Griselda's lifeless body before she becomes a walker.

In the final parting shot, Daniel goes to the arena Adams told him about and he finds the chained up doors and the dead inside trying their best to get out.

The "Fear the Walking Dead" Season 1 finale airs next Sunday night at 9 PM ET/PT on AMC.

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