Fear The Walking Dead Season 6, Episode 8 recap: The Door

Fear The Walking Dead Season 6 is back, and they do not hesitate to get right back into the action. It feels like it’s been ages since the series was on, but one of the last things you may recall is John Dorie (Garret Dillahunt) parting ways with June (Jenna Elfman). After being under the control of so many different people, John wanted to escape away to the confines of his cabin, but things didn’t go exactly as planned.

Disclaimer: The midseason premiere presents situations of a character contemplating suicide. If you are in crisis or you think you may have an emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. If you’re having suicidal thoughts, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to talk to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area at any time (National Suicide Prevention Lifeline). If you are located outside the United States, call your local emergency line immediately.

The midseason premiere is certainly a heavy watch, and the manner in which it portrays John’s decision to take his own life is difficult to process. After spending an episode trying to figure out how to do exactly that, he gets what he wants, but it happens in a manner that is unexpected for everyone.

I’ll certainly miss Dillahunt on Fear The Walking Dead, and I’m sad that John Dorie’s story has come to an end. But his legacy will live on through June and his fellow friends, and it’s safe to say, he has left a lasting impression on the series.

There’s a lot to break down from the devastating midseason premiere of Fear The Walking Dead Season 6 so let’s get right into it!

Fear The Walking Dead Season 6, Episode 8: Morgan extends an invite

We catch up with John about two weeks after he left June when the episode begins, and the first people he bumps into are Morgan (Lennie James) and Dakota (Zoe Colletti). Apparently, VHS tapes are still a thing in the apocalypse as we see the duo rummaging through the tapes at a convenience store.

Morgan asks John to join them in their plans to build a new community, but he refuses. And then he proceeds to refuse to join the fight against the Rangers, despite Virginia’s (Colby Minifie) threats. As the viewer, we know John has other plans, but it’s unknown to those around him. But that doesn’t mean he won’t help his friend get through the barrage of walkers blocking the way up north.

The journey to getting through the barricade is less than ideal and the truck is shot up by one of the Rangers. Luckily there is another truck lying around but it needs parts to get working. John and Dakota look through the cabin nearby to find some parts while Morgan discovers John’s plans to take his own life. He attempts to talk to John about it, but John has found solace in just wanting things to be over.

Morgan’s attempts to talk John out of suicide continue but they meet no success as John’s decision is final. It’s a sad realization that John has thoroughly thought this through, and not even a close friend or the thought of June can change his mind.

Fear The Walking Dead Season 6, Episode 8: The truth about Dakota

I knew I didn’t like Dakota or even trust her for that matter, but the midseason premiere solidifies that nagging feeling by tenfold. After getting through the walkers (and some of them were freaky looking!) and crashing the truck to rid themselves of walkers, Morgan continues to try and convince John to change his mind.

He even tries to appeal to him by showing John a picture of him and his father, but it doesn’t seem to work either. At this point, one would think Morgan would give up, but he even attempts to get Virginia involved in all of this too.

But in the midst of all of this, a secret Dakota had been harboring comes spilling out, by accident. While she is trying to fight off a walker, she pulls out the knife that was used to kill Cameron. Yes, it was Dakota all along! After confessing this to John, she revealed that she killed Cameron because he found out how she was leaving Lawton and told Virginia all about it.

John takes this to mean that perhaps when Morgan said John has to live for something that it could mean helping Dakota through this. But instead of taking up his offer and giving him a second chance at life, Dakota savagely kills John by shooting him right in the chest and then pushing him into the river. She doesn’t think death has to mean something, and therefore she doesn’t care what John has to say or what he thinks is worth living for.

Yikes. Yikes.

Fear The Walking Dead Season 6, Episode 8: It really was Dakota all along

After killing John in cold blood, Dakota spilled all her secrets to Morgan, including that she was the one that had patched Morgan up after Virginia shot him. Yes, it was Dakota! Seriously, this chick is everywhere!

Along with that plot twist, we see the final moments of John’s life as he floats down the river. In a twist of fate, the picture of John and his dad resurfaces and gives John the final boost to want to save his life. But at that point, it’s too late. Sigh.

Meanwhile, Virginia shows up at the cabin only to find that Morgan is not there but soon learns that John has been shot and she will likely find him floating down the river. He needs her help, and after that, they can talk about whatever it is she wants to.

In the meantime, Morgan reaches out to Dwight (Austin Amelio) and asks him to get everyone ready at the compound. The war against the Rangers could literally be coming right to them, and he needs everyone on standby.

It’s time for war! Heck yes, that’s what we love about shows like this. It’s time to face off with the villains, and finally, everyone is together again to make this as epic as can be!

Fear The Walking Dead Season 6, Episode 8: June’s painful goodbye

The midseason premiere comes to a heartbreaking end when June discovers John’s body on the shore. For a fleeting moment, it seems like he just might be alive. But instead, he’s very dead and now he’s a walker! Ugh, it’s tough to see her put it together but I must say that John as a walker is one of the coolest I’ve seen on the show. They did an amazing job with him.

Before stabbing him in the head as she had no other choice but to do, there is a moment where she just thinks about losing the love of her life like this. It’s soul-crushing, and a devastating place to end the midseason premiere.

There’s a lot to come in the episodes ahead, but I must say that Fear The Walking Dead went right into the thick of everything without hesitation, and it bodes extremely well for whatever is to come.

Welcome back Fear The Walking Dead–oh, how we’ve missed you! 

What did you think of the midseason premiere of Fear The Walking Dead Season 6? Tell us in the comments below!