What’s next for Fear the Walking Dead survivor John Dorie?
By Jamie Brewer
John Dorie’s good nature is a refreshing addition to Season 4 of Fear the Walking Dead. Unfortunately, a sunny disposition offers no protection from the dangers of new-world survival.
That is not to say that John isn’t capable of protecting himself or those around him. John used to be a police officer and still is a uniquely gifted marksman. His abilities with a six-shooter are so exceptional that before the outbreak, he performed off-duty trick shooting at rodeos and wild west exhibitions. But John has no appetite for gun violence. After intervening in a botched robbery, he was forced to fire on a suspect who later died. The lingering guilt from those unintended consequences led him to pack up his guns and retreat from society altogether.
Laura
The apocalypse made a solitary life for John his best means of survival. He was able to easily defend his tiny stronghold by dispatching the wandering dead who occasionally infiltrated his property. It was in a nearby stream, among the infected, that he found Laura, alive and injured. He brought her to the cabin, tended to her wound, and quickly fell in love with her. Sadly, despite developing mutual feelings of affection, she left him as soon as she was well enough to do so.
For the next year, John searched for Laura. Leaving the security of his cabin behind, he lived in his truck and continued to avoid all human contact. Then he met Morgan. Morgan Jones would mark the beginning of a new chapter for John’s story. It would also be the most dangerous part of his journey since the walker outbreak began.
But don’t blame Morgan
Morgan didn’t exactly invite John into his own unfortunate set of circumstances. A self-professed “designated witness” to the tragedies of others, Morgan was trying to avoid people too. In Morgan’s view, surviving among others meant eventually seeing all those around him fall victim to an unending cycle of violence and death. And he was right. Soon after encountering others, they became entangled as unwitting players in a lopsided conflict with the Vultures. From a survival perspective, both John and Morgan would have been better off remaining alone, but that’s just not the way Fear the Walking Dead works.
Naomi, is it?
John did wind up finding Laura, only to find out that her name wasn’t actually Laura. It was “Naomi” (for now). Naomi had also spent a year alone until eventually meeting Madison and joining her community at the Stadium. After the Stadium fell, Naomi took refuge among the Vultures as a last resort for her own survival. Not surprisingly, this did not sit well with Alicia. When everyone finally came face to face in Episode 6, things took a near-fatal turn for John. Alicia’s hastily fired bullet missed Naomi, critically wounding John and jeopardizing his survival.
Actually, it’s “June”
Fortunately for John, Naomi’s feelings about him hadn’t changed. Furthermore, she also has plenty of experience treating traumatic injuries thanks to her pre-apocalypse life as an ICU nurse. After a tense standoff with Alicia’s group at the Stadium, Naomi was able to finally tend to his wound. She also revealed that her true identity was not Laura or Naomi, but June. If that’s her real name, it could signal good news for fans of a John and June union. June’s trust issues remain the biggest barrier to those trying to foster a relationship with her. It seems that John though has gained her confidence and is someone she can trust moving forward.
What’s next?
The Episode 9 teaser video shows everyone still together…sort of. The group is still connected but appears to have fanned out in smaller clusters. June is briefly shown with Althea and John is only shown interacting with Strand. In a season that has already straddled multiple timelines, it’s reasonable to assume that 4B will employ more of the same past-tense storytelling. If so, perhaps it will be revealed that John and June remained together immediately after the events of Episode 8 and later separated. Why? Well, for one, John may be dealing with his own trust issues surrounding June’s past identities. While his love for her served as a beacon of hope for viewers, the fact remains that she was never honest or forthright with him. There’s also no guarantee that she is who she now claims to be.
We do see that they are all keeping in touch by radio and are watching out for each other when a dangerous storm approaches. John also appears to have recovered from his gunshot wound, so we know some significant healing time has passed since the midseason finale.
Next: What's next for FTWD survivor Luciana?
John Dorie 2.0
Regardless of the current state of affairs, John has been transformed by his post-apocalyptic journey, transitioning from a positive-minded loner to a reality-worn survivor. In his short exposure to other survivors, he has been threatened, deceived and nearly killed by all of them.
In Season 4B, expect to see a much warier John Dorie. Now that he’s had time to acclimate to the harsh reality that surrounds him, he may even be less reluctant to make use of his gunslinging talents. His conversational gifts probably won’t change though. They are a fundamental part of his character and bring much-needed levity to a difficult survivors’ reality. No longer alone, hopefully, there will be no need for John to go silent again.
Fear the Walking Dead returns to AMC on Sunday, August 12.