Fear the Walking Dead season 6 episode 4 review: The Key

“The Key” is another stellar episode of Fear the Walking Dead season 6

John Dorie is a beloved member of the Fear the Walking Dead family, and in “The Key” he is pushed to the limits, forced to choose between his personal belief system and getting by in Virginia’s community. The fourth episode of season 6 is another home run with dynamic performances from Garret Dillahunt, Colman Domingo, Colby Minifie and Peter Jacobson.

Fear TWD season 6 continues to deliver incredible, thought-provoking stories and “The Key” does just that. When one of Virginia’s rangers turns up dead, all eyes turn to Janis as the main suspect but John quickly realizes that there’s no way she could have killed him. Though he’s one of Virginia’s trusted rangers himself, he soon learns that she doesn’t want him digging too deep and her control reaches further than he ever could have realized.

“The Key” pushes John Dorie to confront his steadfast belief in what’s right (defending Janis) to be able to live in Virginia’s community. Over 200 days have passed for him and he has found a way to adapt to life in Lawton. He wouldn’t mind if all he had was exchanging letters with June because he knows she’s safe and he honestly believes in Virginia’s governance – until Cameron’s death turns everything upside down.

John Dorie has always been the man who lived and dies by his moral code. He was a police officer before the world fell apart and even in the apocalypse he wants to believe that he can still live by those moral standards. “The Key” blurs the edge and shows us that maybe that’s not possible anymore.

Colman Domingo delivers another sublime performance. Newly minted key-man Strand is making the most of his position of power, so when he encounters John in the middle of this mystery Strand sees that it’s a dangerous place to be in. We don’t know how much John knows about what happened with Daniel or the fact that Strand sent Alicia away to protect her, so when he sees Strand trying to go along with Virginia’s plans it immediately raises questions. And Colman Domingo is so brilliant at playing Strand that it’s hard to tell what Strand’s ultimate motivations are.

In the end, Virginia’s decision to bring June to Lawton is a brilliant flex on her part. Nothing escapes Virginia and even though it seems like she’s rewarding John, she’s actually sending him a big warning. She has placed the one person he cares most about directly in the line of fire so that John is reminded of what he has to lose.

And in keeping with the anthology format, fans checked in with Morgan as he continues his quest to find Grace with Rufus the Dog’s help. It looks like Daniel is slipping him clues from the inside, but what’s more is that Morgan had a run-in with the two men from the submarine and ended up killing him. Now he knows that the key around his neck means something bigger.

What I love about “The Key” is that it really sets up the notion that Virginia is more powerful than she lets on. She seems to know everything, even when people think they’re getting away with something. John could have been happy in Lawton if not for Cameron’s murder, and that could impact how he gets by in the future, especially because June is there, too.

I’m also intrigued by Strand’s connection to the intercommunity council. He really does seem to be working on the inside, but he’s also protecting himself. I hope we get to learn more about the council and their purpose because I have to wonder whether everyone is on board with Virginia’s plan or if there are people who question her. (There’s no question that Strand will be the one to find any dissenters)

The overarching story of the season involving the men from the submarine is intriguing, too. If they’re both dead then Morgan will have to discover the truth behind the key on his own, and I’m interested to see where this all goes. The fact that they were killed off before their story could be told makes it clear that they were part of something much bigger, but that could mean anything in this world.

“The Key” is another brilliant episode in what has been a dynamic and powerful season for Fear the Walking Dead, and it’s showing no sign of letting up any time soon.