Colman Domingo as Strand, Rubén Blades as Daniel Salazar
“Fear the Walking Dead” showrunner Dave Erickson thinks that “it is really cool” to explore Daniel Salazar (Rubén Blades) and Victor Strand’s (Colman Domingo) “interesting odd couple chemistry.” AMC

Daniel Salazar (Rubén Blades) is back! The former soldier of the Salvadoran Junta reappeared in the final scene of Season 3, episode 3 of “Fear the Walking Dead,” in which he was reunited with his old mate Victor Strand (Colman Domingo).

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Dave Erickson explained why Strand was the first character from the show’s original core group to cross paths with Daniel. “Colman and Rubén just have an interesting odd couple chemistry, which I think is really cool [to explore],” Erickson said.

In last night’s episode, Strand managed to track the whereabouts of his former colleague, Dante Esquivel (Jason Manuel Olazabal), who now runs a dam. Strand and Dante — who were both businessmen — did work together prior to the apocalypse, so Strand expected that he was going to pick up where he left off with Dante. Unfortunately for Strand, Dante doesn’t trust him.

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Threatened that Strand might eventually take over the dam, Dante locked him up in a cell, and just when Strand thought that he was doomed, Daniel appeared in front of him in the flesh, offering him a canteen of water.

Daniel was last seen in Season 2, episode 7, in which he set Thomas Abigail’s (Dougray Scott) compound on fire. He did not make it out in time to reunite with his daughter Ofelia (Mercedes Mason), so she, together with the Clarks and Strand, thought that he died in the fire.

“Most of the explanation of where Daniel was and how he survived is going to come as the story evolves, but it made sense that we would find him in our story south of the border just because that’s where we last left him,” Erickson said. “And we’ll come to find out how he has become part of this dam environment and why he’s crucial to it, and then how important he’s going to be to Strand.”

Erickson added that next week’s Season 3, episode 4 is a “very, very big Daniel Salazar episode.” The synopsis and trailer for the episode suggest that the installment will tell how Daniel survived the fire last season and where he had been before finding himself in the dam.

“Fear the Walking Dead” Season 3, episode 4, titled “100,” airs on Sunday, June 18 at 9 p.m. EDT on AMC. Watch the trailer for the episode below:

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