Fear the Walking Dead fans have been waiting since before Thanksgiving to learn what happens next with the zombie drama's core survivors, but we should have all been more careful about what we wished for. The back half of Season 6 is set to show up on AMC on April 11, and it immediately kicks off with a very dark moment featuring Garret Dillahunt's John Dorie nearly taking himself out of the equation via Scrabble-adjacent suicide.
Check out the exclusive clip.
I can't recall many times in the Walking Dead franchise's existence where the opening minutes made me want to push my TV over as I dash away screaming, but the idea of not seeing John Dorie for months on end, only to have him put a bullet in his head immediately, is enough to send me running. It wouldn't be quite as impactful if the actor and scene weren't so effective themselves, which is to be expected from Garret Dillahunt, especially as one of this show's emotional anchors. But for real, he nearly convinced me that he would do it, despite my innate TV suspicions telling me it would be a little too wild for Fear to kill somebody off in such a manner.
Thankfully, the sharpshooting character didn't actually pull the trigger, and he's able to survive at least through the opening credit sequence. But what after that for ol' John Dorie? What happens next with those Scrabble letters and their ominous messaging? Hopefully John gets to reunite with June and apologize for leaving like a lunk, while also still convincing June to get the hell away from Virginia and the Rangers. Might as well dream big if we're dreaming at all.
I think we can all agree that the walker who creeps up out of the water and disrupts John's suicidal intentions is the GOAT of Fear the Walking Dead Season 6 so far. Obviously it was written in there specifically for that purpose, but I never look a gift zombie in the mouth. (I don't really look at zombie's mouths in any capacity if we're being honest.) Now we just need to see how John reconnects with Morgan, and what causes their dust-up.
With the pandemic having forced production hiatuses across Hollywood and beyond last year, Fear the Walking Dead was in the midst of filming Episode 8 when they had to shut everything down for a few months. Which is why the AMC drama had to bow out on a somewhat bizarre note with Episode 607 and Ed the Taxidermist. (And Grace's return!) But does that mean viewers will be getting a double dose of purposefully jarring episodes with a pseudo-finale and pseudo-premiere airing back to back like that? There's only one way to find out. Well, that and checking Wikipedia after both episodes have aired.
Fear the Walking Dead airs Sunday. nights on AMC at 9:00 p.m. ET. Here's hoping we won't be holding any fictional character vigils later that night.
