In this week's "Fear the Walking Dead," we get more insight on John Dorie’s (Garret Dillahunt) life. The zombie apocalypse usually brings out the worst in people. John Dorie portrays someone different: An honorable man.
John Dorie’s secluded life at his cabin was intriguing. Dorie uses a clock radio with a singing fish. He doesn't sleep much, yet he still uses an alarm clock. We see him brushing his teeth and making his bed. He's keeping a little part of the old world alive through these ordinary tasks.
John Dorie: Intelligent and lonely
He plays Scrabble by himself.
He's keeping his brain active by trying to figure out the perfect word. Despite being lonely, he hasn't given up being alive. Dorie's intelligence is evident in the moat he built in front of his cabin. The moat prevents zombies from overcrowding his cabin when they wash ashore.
Fear the Walking Dead Q&A — Garret Dillahunt (John Dorie) #FearTWDhttps://t.co/pqyLeIBp26
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He was living a normal lifestyle, despite his daily chore of killing zombies in his yard. There's this quiet way that Dorie kills the zombies at his cabin. It's like he was killing a snake that slithered in his yard. This episode of "Fear the Walking Dead" often felt like there was no apocalypse outside his cabin since he lived his life, albeit a lonely one.
Laura's Skittish Behavior
After John Dorie finds Laura (Jenna Elfman) wounded in the river outside his cabin, he patches her up without any questions. As soon as Laura wakes up, she's trying to start his vehicle up. When he comes looking for her, she yells at him to stay away from her like she doesn't want him anywhere near her.
She's so skittish around this man who saved her from bleeding out in the river. Her behavior implies that someone in her past didn't treat her right. She doesn’t know how to trust.
'Fear The Walking Dead' Season 4, Episode 5 Review: A Good Man Is Hard To Find https://t.co/NKaLRT7O3f #yycwalks
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Dorie gradually breaks down Laura's walls by being nice to her even when she tries to take his vehicle.
He helps her stitch up her wound and makes fish stew. Dorie portrays his quirkiness by saying, “Soup is the blanket of food,” which seemed to relax her a little more.
Dorie's excuse for not carrying a gun is it will attract more zombies. In reality, he's afraid of using them again after killing a robber. According to Entertainment Weekly, Ian Goldberg states, "He’s kind, he’s compassionate, he’s in many ways a gentle soul." Dorie’s guilt in killing that man represents his softhearted side. He doesn’t like killing people, even the bad ones. It’s not something that’s in him, but it doesn’t mean it’s a weakness. Dorie proves his gun skills when he shoots those zombies in the dark to prevent Laura from getting bit.
Fear the Walking Dead 4.05 Review – ‘Laura’ #FearTWD #FearTheWalkingDead https://t.co/NF03d9wo5f pic.twitter.com/JJkBY84ck0
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Laura portrays similar qualities of being a considerate person. She was a nurse before the zombie apocalypse. When they go to the store, she gathers supplies for splints and leaves them grouped together. She wants to put some of her nursing knowledge to good use.
John Dorie: Making brittle
Laura smiles at Dorie when he talks about making brittle for her. He said he would melt butterscotch and caramel candies on the popcorn. She becomes excited about watching a movie and having this man make brittle for her. It starts to break down more of her walls.
She lets her guard down for a bit. With watery eyes, Laura tells him she lost her child and walks away. This moment is gut-wrenching for her to open up, and we get a glimpse of how much pain she’s in.
As the world ends, a romance begins. Learn John Dorie and Naomi’s ill-fated love story in the latest episode of #FearTWD. https://t.co/fsqx7A7Iqk pic.twitter.com/OT3c685o93
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Confession
John Dorie confesses he is in love with Laura at the end of the episode. He tells her that he would rather she stay at the cabin and live, rather than let her go out there. He doesn't want her to die. She just kisses him.
Laura flees from the cabin before he wakes up, but she leaves a message that’s heartbreaking and amazing.
She wrote in Scrabble letters, “I love you, too. I’m sorry.” She leaves him because she doesn’t want to lose him. She can’t go through any more pain like she did when she lost her child. Dorie is such an exceptional man that it would be too hard to watch him die, which is almost inescapable in "Fear the Walking Dead."
John wins. And also loses. #FearTWD pic.twitter.com/FN3xQr9aU5
— FearTWD (@FearTWD) May 14, 2018
John Dorie embodies what the future could be like, one without so much war. He's the new moral compass in this dark phase in what Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) and her people are going through. Question is, will he persuade them to be better people or end up a casualty in this heartless new world?