Dwight (Austin Amelio) and Sherry’s (Christine Evangelista) relationship takes centre-stage in this week’s episode of the zombie-stuffed spinoff. Despite their sweet reunion on the show last week, the writers are already working double time to split them up again. Here are the standout moments from Fear The Walking Dead season 6 episode 5, ‘Honey’.
What has Sherry been up to this whole time? Find out on a new #FearTWD this Sunday at 9/8c. pic.twitter.com/or22YXQOnj
— FearTWD (@FearTWD) November 7, 2020
Most surprising moment: Dwight and Sherry go their separate ways
Dwight and Sherry have been reunited, but now what? After the rekindled romance fades, we’re left exploring the cracks that have grown to chasms between them. Dwight has largely reformed himself from big bad Negan’s right-hand man, while Sherry is struggling to forgive herself for failing to act when she was one of Negan’s ‘wives’.
She’s keen to act against Virginia (Colby Minifie) so she doesn’t make the same mistake twice. Dwight initially sides with his wife against Morgan (Lennie James), who wants the masked crew to hold off their attack until he can ensure the safety of others. It’s Sherry, however, who pushes Dwight aside, concerned he’ll revert back to his old, violent ways.
Dwight, realising he was going along with Sherry’s plan to stay with her, puts his faith in Morgan to wait and rebuild a community. He’s told to leave by Sherry who is clearly on her own redemption path – which he surprisingly obliges with little arguments.
This felt like one of many convenient narrative leaps within this episode – alongside the easy retrieval of Althea’s SWAT vehicle and Morgan’s sudden appearance at the masked camp. Dwight might realise Sherry cannot be who she once was without scratching her vengeance itch, but it’s hard to believe he’d happily leave her behind this quickly after spending so long searching for her.
Biggest waste of a creepy introduction: the masked rejects
Recommended
After teases of a serial killer cult on Virginia’s periphery, ‘Honey’ opened with what seemed like wish fulfilment. In a well-executed horror sequence, Dwight is faced with multiple beings wearing hockey masks, clearly inspired by Friday the 13th’s iconic villain Jason Voorhees.
For the second time this season, however, a potentially terrifying new villain is wasted. It turns out that these masked individuals are actually outcasts from Virginia’s territory, who (somehow) have a wealthy supply of Halloween masks. This group has been Sherry’s home, and even houses Rollie (Cory Hart) – a changed man since Dwight spared his life in season five.
By the end of the episode, any terror from the opening is diffused when you realise it’s another batch of drab, semi-rational human beings. While there’s still another dangerous group out there, Fear The Walking Dead needs a visceral, new threat to jumpstart the plot once again.
This week’s biggest question: with everyone breaking bad, will we become sympathetic to Virginia?
The recurring theme of season six is good characters adapting to bad situations. Morgan has switched to axe-wielding violence, Victor Strand (Colman Domingo) is making abrupt decisions at the expense of innocent lives, while Sherry happily pushes aside husband Dwight to satisfy her thirst for redemption.
It’s building towards a climactic battle against authoritarian leader Virginia, but maybe she isn’t the villain here. We know little about how she came to lead the group, or if her brand of leadership is also a product of adapting to survive. What is Virginia’s backstory?
The key to this might be sister Dakota (Zoe Colletti), who has been actively working against her for unknown reasons. Could Virginia have been forced to become more cut-throat to keep her sister alive? Has she simply lost all sense of who she is? With a threat looming beyond Virginia’s borders, all these troubled characters may have to come together to fight something even more dangerous.
Most ominous quote: “We all want our own lives under our own rules, so there’s a fight and somebody’s got to lose” – Dwight
Fear The Walking Dead season 6 episode 5 airs November 9 at 9pm on AMC