| “ | He said that "Men do these things not because of evil. They do evil things because of fear." And at that moment, I knew my father is a fool for believing there was a difference. | ” |
— Daniel Salazar to Madison, Fear, Season 1, "Not Fade Away" |
Daniel Salazar is a refugee from El Salvador who owns a barbershop. He takes great pride in his business but mostly keeps to himself within the community. Some of Daniel’s regulars have been going to Salazar’s Cuts for years, but they barely know the man who cuts their hair. When people begin rising from the dead, Salazar reverts to the man he once was, a man who will do anything to ensure the survival of his family. [1]
Biography
Background
He is described as being born in El Salvador. He escaped the 80's civil war and moved to Los Angeles with his wife where he owns and operates a barber shop. They have raised one daughter in America. A humble man who keeps to himself and shelters his family.
Daniel lives quietly in the US, owning and running a barbershop, until the apocalypse. He moved there because of troubles in his original country and has done his best to leave all of that behind him. He takes great pride in his business but remains a very private man, people who have known him for years actually know very little about him.
The start of the troubles brings out facets to Daniel's character that have been long hidden. He reverts to the man he once was, a man who will do anything to ensure the survival of his family
Season 1
"So Close, Yet So Far"
Daniel Salazar is just finishing up with a customer, seeing him out of the door and closing up his shop because of the disturbances. He's already pulling the metal shutters down when the Manawas arrive at his door. They ask to go in until it's over, Daniel wants to refuse and tries to but his wife, Griselda Salazar his wife, tells him, in Spanish, to let them in and shut the door. He doesn't look happy, but he does as his wife asks and lets them in and locks up, as he does so some young men kick at the shutters - the street is chaotic now.
Travis is agitated and wants to know: Is there a back way out? Is there roof access so that they can see? Daniel wants him to slow down and to stay in the front, in the shop, and not go in the back which looks to be their home. Travis strides through followed by Daniel who tells them firmly to go back into the front, Travis is worried it won't be safe there. It's all starting to get tense when Ofelia Salazar enters from the back from her room. Daniel tells her to go back but she calms things nicely and invites the Manawas to "have a seat" in the front.
Things settle down and the power has flickered back on for a short while and then off again. Travis comes to the curtain that separates shop from home and thanks Daniel. He gets a "Thank my wife" from Daniel, without even a glance, in reply. Daniel continues to look through some papers.
"The Dog"
Chris sees an Infected man looking directly at him through the shutters of Salazar's Cuts.
Travis talks to Liza in Salazar's Cuts, saying that as soon as things settle down they'll go to Madison's. Chris wants just the Manawa family to leave and for them to be together. Liza starts to answer him but the noise outside suddenly escalates and Ofelia enters from the back of the shop saying that they are breaking in next door. Travis insists that they are safe and then offends Daniel by implying that there's nothing in the shop worth breaking in for. Daniel doesn't say anything right away, though he does tell Chris to put back an open razor that he'd picked up. Daniel gets up to tell Travis that there's "more than combs here", and then dismisses Travis' reply as him just trying to deceive Chris into thinking everything will be OK.
Chris notices that the wall in Salazar's Cuts is much too hot
Chris interrupts what is turning into a tense conversation by calling his dad - telling him that the wall is hot. The two men check the wall, it's blistering with the heat, and immediately make arrangements to leave. They all group together by the door and Daniel unlocks it. Some young men rush in as soon as the door opens, forcing the group by the door to step back. As the rioters push their way in, the group leaves. Daniel is reluctant to leave with the rioters destroying his shop but Griselda pulls him, and he goes.
Chris sees this immediately they leave the shop.
Outside a policeman is being attacked by another policeman, a sergeant, who is biting his throat under his protective vizor. Liza and Travis pull him away. The Manawas hurry through the crowd followed by the Salazars, the Infected are mixed in with the crowd, attacking people; the riot police are advancing down the street but to no apparent effect.
Travis picks up Griselda
The two families press on trying to find a way out of the fighting. Young people are climbing up scaffolding and jumping up and down at the top. The families, with some others who are caught up in the riot, work their way through the scaffolding below as quickly as then can. The Manawas and then the Salazars with Griselda at the back. The Fire Dept are using a high pressure hose pipe to try and control the crowd. The water jet knocks over the scaffolding with several people on it, and traps Griselda underneath it. Both families turn back to help, Daniel and Chris with the help of some in the crowd lift the debris and Travis picks up Griselda, as you would a child, and puts her in the back of his pickup. Chris and Travis get in the front with the others in the back. They accelerates away, rioters banging on the truck as it gets out of reach. Griselda is being cared for in the back of the truck by Liza as her husband holds her and Ofelia speaks to her. She has a nasty wound on her right foot and Liza calls out to Travis that they "need a Doctor". They head to a hospital.
An abandoned ambulance, all doors open and on fire.
In the pickup the radio is telling Travis and Chris that "eleven states have declared a State of Emergency and have requested the assistance of the National Guard". As they approach the Sisters of Mercy Hospital they pass an abandoned ambulance at the side of the road, back doors open and trolley half out. The Infected are wandering around, one still wearing his white Doctor's coat. People are running and yelling, sirens wailing and lights flashing. It's a chaotic scene that stuns the two families. They hear screams and drive slowly past a policeman running with the crowd carrying an assault rifle and talking into his personal radio.
A policeman, running with the crowd and carrying his rifle
Another policeman waves them on, they pass more men with weapons, policemen. They're shooting and killing what look like some patients from the hospital who are in night clothing and gowns. In the back they crouch down and take what cover they can, Travis drives on and they leave the Hospital behind, smoke is coming from the roof of the building as it goes out of sight. Travis asks Liza where to next and Daniel says that all of the hospitals "will be the same", he asks Travis to take them home with him and that he will call his cousin - and that they will be gone in the morning. He and Travis bicker, both keeping score about who is indebted to who; each blaming the other.
Travis tries to fend him off
Travis and the others arrive back at the Clark home and Travis goes into the dark house, calling for Maddy. Liza and Chris follow him in. Travis goes in the lounge and sees Peter Dawson eating what is left of the dog. He tells Liza and Chris to get out as the lights come back on. Infected Peter hears them, gets up and walks towards them. Travis tries to talks to him and fend him off but falls backwards. Infected Peter is on him at once and Travis has to fight to keep Peter from biting him.
Travis manages to get out from underneath Peter just as
Daniel doesn't hesitate
Madison comes in with the shotgun and shouts to Travis to get out of the way. Travis continues to fight Peter, telling Madison to put the gun down. Madison hesitates, Daniel doesn't. He takes the weapon from her and shoots Infected Peter in the face from about 2 metres. Peter keeps on coming, his face a ruin. Daniel steps up close to Peter and fires again with his last shell at point blank range blowing away half of Peter's head and, finally, putting him down. Daniel calmly hands the shotgun back to Maddy without a word. Travis and Madison are speechless with shock, Liza is watching from the back of the room and is just as shocked, Chris goes outside to vomit.
A little while later, Liza is looking after Griselda's foot injury and asks for pain killers. Travis replies that they only have aspirin and tells Daniel that the phone is in the kitchen if Daniel needs to call his cousin. Daniel says that he's already called and that he will pick them up in the morning. Ofelia and her mother exchange glances as he says this, Griselda shakes her head slightly and Ofelia leaves it.
With a glance, Griselda tells her daughter not to say anything for the moment.
Travis rolls Peter's body up in the rug and drags it out the back, watched but not helped by Daniel. Daniel wants Travis to burn the body to stop the infection from spreading. Travis refuses, saying that they don't know that, and that Peter deserved better.
Ofelia tries to persuade her father to accept more help from Travis
The Salazars are in Alicia's room. Griselda is on the bed with her foot on a pillow. Ofelia wants to go with the Manawas and Clarks. Daniel disagrees, saying that it is not a time to be in someone else's debt if they're not family. Ofelia reminds him that she knows he doesn't have a cousin in the US and Griselda tries to shut it down by asking her to sleep. Ofelia doesn't let that happen and presses on, she tells him that she thinks they should leave tomorrow with the others but neither of her parents give an inch. Ofelia leaves the room and her parents smile, not in an unkindly way, at one another as they speak about their daughter's poor command of their native language. "It was your idea not to teach her Spanish." he says.
Daniel teaches Chris about the shotgun
The next morning Daniel is telling Chris about the shotgun and its ammunition, showing him how to load it. Daniel is smiling as he teaches Chris, Madison is there and gives Daniel coffee while he talks, she approves of Chris learning this. Travis is not pleased when he comes in and sends Chris away. Daniel says: "The more the boy knows the safer he'll be" but Travis talks to Madison "You know how I feel about guns". Daniel answers him anyway "The gun doesn't care how you feel about it." But Travis cuts him off.
Daniel delivers his verdict on Travis. "Débil"
Madison says that the car is packed, that she has one more thing to do. She takes a hammer and goes out to the back garden where the body of her friend Susan is still trying to get through the fence. She obviously things that she should Put Down the body of her friend but can't bring herself to do it. Travis comes out and persuades her that she shouldn't, that it's not her call, he takes the hammer from her. Daniel watches from the house and, talking to himself, calls Travis "weak", in Spanish. The word he uses, "Débil", could also mean "feeble", or "lame duck".
They finish loading the cars, Nick wants more pills and she gives him two. He finds out that Griselda has the rest and complains that Griselda's a stranger.
Daniel: "Good people are the first ones to die"
In Alicia's bedroom Griselda is lying on the bed as Ofelia looks out the window. She can see that the rest are about to leave and is worried about that. She argues with her Father about what to do, switching between English and Spanish. She finishes by saying in Spanish that her mother needs the nurse (Liza) and that these are good people. He answers in English (so that Griselda cannot understand?) that the "good people die first."
Travis and Madison watch as the soldiers load another body into a truck and others paint Urban Search and Rescue FEMA marks on the houses. Daniel and Griselda watch from inside the house. She asks "What's happening?" and he answers: "It's already too late."
"Not Fade Away"
Madison sees Dr Exner outside talking to Liza and she asks Daniel who it is. He tells her that it's a Dr and that she wants to take Griselda somewhere for surgery. Madison says "That's good." in a way that means she doubts it will be. Daniel looks at her for a moment and says "Tell me what you saw", so he either already knows where she's been or has guessed. She visibly decides to tell him and talks about the bodies of the infected and of the dead man she found who didn't seem to be infected but had been shot like the rest, and that there were others like that.
Men from the Government came and took people away
Daniel tells her of when he was a child and men from the Government came and took people away from his town in El Salvador. His father, a man of some importance in the community, went to the Captain and asked when they would return. The Captain called his father by name, "Miguel" and told him not to worry because "they always come home." Madison listens in silence and Daniel goes on, telling her just how all of the people had come home, that he'd been fishing in the river when the bodies were suddenly all around him. His father told home not to have hatred in his heart, and that "Men do these things not because of evil. They do evil because of fear." And Daniel said that right then he knew his father was a fool, for believing there was a difference. Madison still doesn't say anything and Daniel goes on, saying "If it happens, it will happen quickly and you must be prepared." Maddy doesn't understand him yet and asks what he means. He says that has to go with his wife and asks her to look after Ofelia if he doesn't return. Madison hesitates and he insists; Madison says she will. He thanks her and tells her to keep her son close then leaves the room.
The Salazars and Liza get Griselda ready to go
That evening, the military come for Griselda and the Salazars and Liza get her ready to go, they take Griselda out on a stretcher with Liza making sure that Griselda is safe. Daniel assumes he's going too and says goodbye to Ofelia but they don't want him, they want Nick. Nick tries to run but they catch him and tie his wrists behind him with a cable tie. There's a good deal of shouting and chaos, Madison's small house in candlelight looks very full of soldiers; increasingly frantic she tries to stop them taking her son.
Nick can't get away
Daniel is pushed to the floor as he tries to stop them taking Nick. Chris calls for his "Dad" and Travis stands between the soldiers and them, telling the guardsmen to take it easy - they calm down but take Nick anyway. Travis tries to get them to wait and to let him talk to Moyers, but they take Nick anyway.
Daniel and Ofelia see the angry exchange between Madison and Nick from Alicia's room.
Appearances
| Season 1 appearances | |||||
| Pilot | So Close, Yet So Far | The Dog | Not Fade Away | Cobalt | The Good Man |
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