In Fear The Walking Dead’s fourth episode of season 6, we get to see what John Dorie has been doing. There’s a death of a ranger named Cameron and Janis is being accused of murder. John investigates, but can he act fast enough to save Janis’ life? My name is Kent, and for Fear The Walking Dead, I only ask 5 questions and some final thoughts to make this blog a little more compact for your reading pleasure. Any comments in BOLD are written by me. I hope you enjoy it.
1. Since when did Janis become an important character? Are you glad that she will no longer be an important character?
Bob: Finally I know who Janis is… was. I thought her punishment, not accounting for her innocence, was done in a terrific manner in this episode! (The punishment was really a solid idea. I wish that had happened to John Cusack’s character in Say Anything. That would have made that film much better.)
Raylene: I was not swayed either way by her living or death in this story. (She was clearly your favorite character now that Beta has met his demise. That’s some bad luck.)
Kent: I think Janis was in 4 or 5 episodes and was never interesting. I guess I would have either ignored her or gotten to know her better. Right now, I feel like we just spent a lot of time with a character that the writers wanted me to like but I never got to know her.
2. In the end, did this all just work out well for John? He got the key, he got June, he no longer needed Janis, he’s still alive, and he’s not out there on the run with Janis.
Bob: No. Yes, he is glad for J-bug. However, he has integrity. If he allows this to continue he knows he can be bought and his word is nothing. The man is troubled now. His cleaning up and bad tooth removal may be a sign of a future rebellion. John has the option to see a Dr or dentist most likely in this community. He took care of it on his own, a sign he is still not a full owner in this community. (I read about the tooth removal and someone in some article said something really smart. I can’t find it. In lieu of giving you something intellectual, I will provide you with some integrity…..make that Tegridy.)
Raylene: Sure it looks like it has worked out good. We know damn well that this will turn pretty quickly to bad. (What?!?! No way. This show usually allows big characters to be blissfully happy for countless seasons. I’m not buying what you’re selling.)
Kent: Yeah. Technically, John is better off at the end of the episode than he was before the episode. This is why this fails. Janis’ death doesn’t feel significant, so the viewer doesn’t see this as a substantial loss. Strand totally saved John’s ass. I’m officially fearing for Strand’s life this season.
3. With John having the key and the extra privileges, John is going to try to find out who has the knife, right? He will go to great lengths and jeopardize everything because he can’t let it go, right? Also, any prediction for who actually killed Cameron?
Bob: Virginia killed or was complicit in killing Cameron. Dakota was there as a witness, that’s why she knows so much. Dakota was seen and was attempted to be apprehended and lost an earring in the process. Virginia’s surprise was simply the evidence connects it back to her. (Hmmm, interesting thought process. I feel that one of us will be saying in our proudest Russ voice “I called it!!!”.)
Raylene: John will not give up on this. I think Ginny had romantic feelings for Cameron and found out about Janis and wasn’t having that so she got rid of him. (Ginny and Cameron? Alright, interesting. That’s always a bad play trying to get romantic with the leader. Even HHH was smart enough to marry Steph and not Vince.)
Kent: Yes, getting June back is the big thing. But the plot will make a bigger point out of John investigating who has the knife. I think the killer is quite obviously Dakota. Cameron was a drunk and maybe he tried to flex his supposed power and get too friendly with Dakota. When John showed Ginny the jewelry, Ginny immediately recognized it. Dakota has a way of getting into things that she’s not supposed to. Dakota is the killer and it will be a surprise until she reveals why she did it. Or she is evil, which is my hope.
4. What is Ginny’s goal here? She knows who killed Cameron, we assume. She intentionally killed Janis early. She gave June back to John. Is this a bribe of sorts, a big public spectacle, or something more diabolic?
Bob: John has been purchased. So far. (And most people would be happy with it, I think. But he is simply not that kinda man.)
Raylene: Ginny seems to be a step ahead of all she rules over. She wants people to know you can’t get things over on her. (Rick would have been wise to have done this on the other show. Maybe Tara would have died sooner.)
Kent: Per my last response, she knows it was Dakota. For all I know, Ginny did it herself and planted the jewelry to test John. Ginny is definitely on top of things. I love how she just came out and told John that she read his letters. I think his letters made it important for her to try to appease him. She believes in her cause and she knows that she needs good people on her side. It was smart and a bit political.
5. Does Ginny realize that Strand is working her, or at the very least, trying? Are we still trusting Dakota?
Bob: Ginny knows Strand is an operator but he is also afraid for his life and losing his newfound authority. She is depending on his manipulative ways. I trust Dakota. (I’m curious how Ginny uses this knowledge of Strand and manipulates him to screw over someone in his group. I feel that is gonna happen this season.)
Raylene: As a leader of any community you just can’t be trusting of anyone. Dakota is just a nuisance. (Dakota belongs in the Midnight Society telling stories of X-ray glasses and Sardo, accent on the do, while being the star of Are You Afraid of the Dark….Zombie edition. But seriously, anybody reading this that has kids that may be curious about horror should consider this series from Nickelodeon in the 1990s.)
Kent: Ginny can’t be too trusting of anybody. I think she wants to see what Strand does with the new power. While we only see Ginny in a negative light, I do believe that she wants this to work. She’s hoping that Strand can be useful while knowing that she can dispose of him easily. I don’t trust Dakota. I’m out on the Dakota trust train.
Final Thoughts – 3 Things. 1. What was more brutal: Janis’ death or John pulling out his tooth? 2. Did you watch the preview for next week? If so, did it give you the inclination that Sherry was definitely part of a bad group? 3. What is your nominee for the GMA this week?
Bob: 1 – Janis’ death was brutal and perfect. 2 – No, sorry! 3 – I really don’t have one. (And John Dories was trying to be a Perfect Friend to Janis.)
Raylene: John’s tooth pulling made me cringe. I was hoping Sherry’s and Dwight’s reunion would be good but it seems he’s in trouble again. How did Morgan not see that car before it rammed into him? (How the hell did they manage to time it perfectly? I blame everybody, except for the dog. I also really enjoyed Morgan’s interactions with the dog.)
Kent: 1. The tooth but I also really despise seeing anything dental in horror. 2. It appears that we will learn who Sherry has been surviving with. I am guessing that they also are involved with the sub. 3. The car crash at the end. How would they know where to find him? It seems like it would require a lot of coordination for these guys to track down Morgan. It made me laugh and shake my head.
Also, I just want to let everyone know what I am listening to while writing and editing this blog. It certainly isn’t for everybody but I would encourage you to give it a shot and see if you find something that you like.
Finally, I don’t normally do this, but I want to say Rest in Peace to the amazing Alex Trebek. He is among my 3 favorite game show hosts. He had such a sharp with to him. This video sums it up for me.