'Fear the Walking Dead' Season 6 Episode 5 Review: Who must Dwight become to get his happy ending with Sherry?
Spoilers for 'Fear the Walking Dead' Season 6, Episode 5 - 'Honey'
Episode after episode, Season 6 of 'Fear the Walking Dead' is proving that there are still powerful stories to be told in the post-apocalypse, and that there are still new ways of telling them. It's an episode that makes great use of the franchise's long history, as Dwight (Austin Amelio) is finally reunited with his long-lost wife, Sherry (Christine Evangelista), but he has to make a hard choice about what kind of man he's going to need to become in order to secure a safe future for the both of them.
A happily-ever-after is not something that gets to happen on a series as seemingly endless as shows from 'The Walking Dead' seem to be, and good storytelling comes from creating a believable reason for that happy ending to be delayed. The majority of this episode in establishing why Sherry and Dwight can't quite be together just yet, set against the backdrop of the first steps towards taking Virgina (Colby Minifie) down once and for all. That's not all that happens in this episode, introducing a new set of players to the game, a van heist, the return of Morgan (Leslie Jones) and the beginnings of a plan for what comes after Virginia's fall - finally balancing smaller scale storytelling with the larger.
While Virginia might not be the strongest of villains, the tyrannical reign she has over her own slice of post-apocalyptic civilization is very reminiscent of Negan's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), and the shadow of Negan's rule hangs heavy over the episode. Dwight and Sherry both bear their own unique scars from their time with him, but the situation they find themselves in now is different in a few key ways. One of which is that Dwight has spent a lot of time becoming a better man than he used to be. The other key factor - the one that ultimately tears the couple apart from now - is that Sherry has the power to do something, power she didn't have before, and she can't just walk away from that no matter what it does to her soul.
The story of Dwight and Sherry this episode is well misdirected - as Dwight resorts to more and more extreme measures to take out Virginia as quickly as possible, it starts to look like this is the fall of Dwight. Ultimately, it's Sherry who is falling - surrounded by the violent outcasts from the Pioneers, looking for revenge while ignoring how many people they might have to hurt to get it. By the end of the episode, we find it's Sherry who needs to find peace, and her way back to Dwight, and the tale is well told.
In the meanwhile, we see Morgan finally start to take a more active hand in events, and a glimpse of what his long-term plan is. Sowing the seeds for life after Virginia, Morgan is building a safe zone and urging a delay in the war against Virginia - though it's notable that while he's in no hurry for war, he show's no compunctions about seeing Virigina dead eventually, either. After a very entertaining heist of Althea's (Maggie Grace) van that makes this episode the most Wild West yet, the rebels have a significant tool in their upcoming war - though how much restraint they have in using it is in quesiton, and make these new players a very volatile factor for the episodes to come.
Season 6 has shown a marked uptick in quality for 'Fear the Walking Dead', and part of that has been because its strong focus on smaller, character-driven stories. With this episode, the series shows that it can have its cake and eat it too, without losing out on the quality that's been upheld through the season. Dwight and Sherry's story is beautifully done, and it doesn't get in the way of the larger story being told in what feels like an inevitable war. If the show keeps up this quality of storytelling, Season 6 is shaping up to be one of the best seasons yet.
The next episode of 'Fear the Walking Dead' airs Sunday, November 15, on AMC.
