'Fear The Walking Dead' season 2 return date, spoilers news: Showrunner talks Daniel's fate, Madison's dark side

To say that things blew up in the midseason finale of AMC's "Fear the Walking Dead" is a gross understatement.

In "Shiva," the Clark-Manawa family essentially split up, with Nick (Frank Dillane) deciding that he wants to walk among the dead instead of escaping with the rest, Chris (Lorenzo James Henrie) taking a young boy hostage and trying to cut his father with a knife, Madison (Kim Dickens) committing murder, and Daniel (Rubén Blades) burning the hacienda to the ground and (maybe) meeting his end in the flames.

"Fear the Walking Dead" showrunner Dave Erickson recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly and answered some burning questions about the explosive midseason finale.

Asked whether or not Daniel actually perished in the fire that consumed the compound, Erickson said, "We don't see Daniel burn, and that's intentional."

"I think what's important at the end of the midseason is that it's the impact on Ofelia and the rest of the characters that Daniel's gone," he explained.

According to the "FTWD" boss, Daniel will not reappear in the back half of the second season. He could, however, return in season 3.

Daniel's fiery "death" in the midseason finale, Erickson said, was set up to set his daughter, Ofelia (Mercedes Mason), in a new direction in the next half of season 2. According to him, it is important that all the other characters believe that Ofelia's father burned along with the hacienda.

Speaking with TVLine, Erickson shed some light on Madison's sudden turn to the dark side during the midseason finale. In "Shiva," Madison locked Celia (Marlene Forte) in a cellar filled with zombies, essentially killing her.

"She has the ability to go to a violent place when the need arises," the "FTWD" showrunner explained.

According to Erickson, what Madison did to Celia previews the "darker side" of the "FTWD" protagonist.

"Madison has alluded to it before, but she's had an interesting relationship with violence," he told TVLine. "She does have a morality, and she does have good qualities, obviously. But what we'll find out [in the second half of the season] is that there's a darker side to Madison Clark."

"Fear the Walking Dead" will debut the back half of its second season on August 21 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.