‘Fear The Walking Dead’ Season 6 recap: Episode 4, ‘The Key’

Fear The Walking Dead Season 6 treks forward as this week focuses on the conflicted John Dorie and an unexpected loss.

Fear The Walking Dead Season 6 has taken an interesting path with character-focused episodes. I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but I think it’s something I’m definitely warming up to. It’s giving each character’s story time to flesh out and dig deeper into their journey. I feel like I’ve come to understand these characters more in this season so far than I have collectively over all the seasons that preceded it.

There was some doubt on my end only because we’ve seen Fear The Walking Dead do the whole interview with Al (Maggie Grace) and each of the characters, and that got boring really fast. But so far, so good. And with that, this week was all about John Dorie (Garrett Dillahunt).

I’m not sure if I missed something, but there is a plot twist in this week’s episode that didn’t quite impact me the way it did everyone else. I’ll elaborate on that a bit more later in this recap, but I really honestly didn’t understand the gravity of the loss.

Perhaps one of you can explain it to me?

Fear The Walking Dead Season 6, Episode 4 recap: Death by barbed wire

Okay, so, I don’t get this whole Janis (Holly Curran) ordeal. I know we met her last season, but I didn’t and still don’t understand why she was such a big deal in this week’s episode. Of course, I understand that when the episode starts we learn that Janis has been helping John get letters to June (Jenna Elfman).

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But even with that, I’m not entirely sure why this episode revolved around her in the way it did.

Anyway, as the episode kicks off, John is explaining to June in a letter that Lawton hasn’t lost someone for a while, only for that to completely change with the death of an artist named Cameron (Noah Khyle). They find him wrapped up around barbed wire as walkers were having a go at their next meal.

Virginia (Colby Minifie) didn’t seem to care much about it, but John couldn’t quite look past it. He wanted to investigate more into how and why Cameron died, and at some point, Strand (Colman Domingo) offers to help him.

By the way, Strand is turning out to be quite shady ever since they all became Virginia’s lackeys. I don’t quite trust him anymore…

Fear The Walking Dead Season 6, Episode 4 recap: A complicated mystery

John Dorie’s intrigue into Cameron’s death gets murkier as he realizes Janis may have something to do with it. It starts off with him finding an earring near Cameron’s body and then gets more complicated when it is revealed that Janis was trying to escape out of Lawton–with the other earring in her bag.

Of course, it comes as no surprise whatsoever that Cameron and Janis were lovers. They wanted to leave Lawton together and kept their relationship a secret from Virginia. If Virginia found out, it might have ended poorly for them. And it looks like it already did with his death.

Meanwhile, John runs into Dakota, who is eager to rat out her older sister Virginia any chance she gets. She’s fairly certain Virginia is involved somehow, and that she is jumping through hoops to keep someone protected. This is why it makes sense that she intercepted John’s letters to June and read everything he had to say. Not cool, Ginny, not cool at all.

With not many options left, John decides to dig up Cameron’s body and learns that his throat was slit. But by the time he shows Strand, there isn’t much left to show him. Why would he leave the body out for the walkers to chew on?!

In any case, the whole situation gets rather messy because Janis is on the verge of giving up and essentially has as she is accused of killing Cameron. Virginia even gets a confession out of her! But John isn’t willing to let Janis take the rap for someone else’s crime.

At this point, Janis just wants him to get out of there and run away with June. I mean, he might as well, Cameron and Janis had prepared for it, so someone should use it.

Fear The Walking Dead Season 6, Episode 4 recap: Bye, Janis

Unfortunately for Janis, she doesn’t get to live very long to see what would come of John’s future. Despite trying to stop Janis’s execution, John arrives to save her too late as they go ahead and do it earlier than expected.

As I was perusing through other recaps and reviews, I noticed people really felt the loss of Janis, but I can’t say that I did. The death itself was very sad, don’t get me wrong, and how he finds her is heartbreaking. But I just wasn’t that invested in her, and I’m not sure I was supposed to be.

But it appears it did rattle fans up enough to where they felt the pain of her death.

The next day, Strand and John get into an altercation as John learns that Strand was the one to make Janis look bad to Virginia. Come on, Strand, what are you doing?! I honestly don’t know if I’m mad because by doing what he did, Strand saved John’s life and sacrificed just Janis’s. But at the same time, I’m disappointed he created any sort of situation where someone had to die.

As the episode wraps up, Virginia gifts John a key, that resembles the future of their community. Apparently, it’s a great honor, and with it comes some pretty great perks–like June transferring to Lawton to be with John. Hmmm, what is Virginia up to here?

Last but not least, the episode wraps up with Morgan learning that Grace is still alive. Unfortunately, he’s T-boned into a car accident by two men looking for the key Emile was supposed to give to them. In a completely badass manner, Morgan takes down the men, only to be left standing and wondering–what the hell does this key open?

My guess? The submarine we saw at the start of the season.

What are your thoughts on Fear the Walking Dead Season 6, Episode 4? Let us know in the comments!