Fear The Walking Dead Recap With Spoilers: The Key

The episode begins with John writing a letter to June and prepping for a day in a house. He tells her that he has been thinking about his dad a lot. He has a cavity and toothache. He doesn’t like being separated from her. “Truth be told, my family wasn’t together nearly as long as I would’ve liked,” he explains. “I supposed I could say the same thing now.”” His home remedy for the toothache isn’t fixing it. He heads out into Virginia’s community, past Virginia, a church, and into another building. He checks his gun out for the day, takes up a guard post, goes through his day, and hands the gun back over. Repeat. He is happy here, working to protect people, and occasionally gets letters from June. One day, the officer he replaces is not at his shift. They find Cameron caught up in barbed wire being eaten by walkers.

The Fear the Walking Dead opening credits play.

Continued

Elsewhere, Morgan enters his rendezvous point where Daniel is leaving supplies for him. A sweatshirt is inside which gives Morgan some emotional memories, it was Grace’s. He heads back to his truck, where his dog is waiting. The dog sniffs the shirt and Morgan isn’t sure how this will work but expects the dog to hunt down the person whose shirt it was. He is nervous that Grace won’t recognize him.

At night, John is working to secure the scene of Cameron’s death. Virginia is quick to rule it as an accident where Cameron drank too much. She discourages him from investigating further but he does when they leave, finding an earring in the ground. In the town, strand and john link up. Strand is on the “intersettlement council” now. 

The next day, John explains to Janis that he has a bad feeling about what happened with Cameron. 

Continued

The next day, John approaches Virginia and tells her that he doesn’t think Cameron stumbled into the fence. He shows her the earring and thinks they should find whoever has the matching earring. She requests he keep it quiet while he investigates and gives the earring back. 

In a graveyard, the community has a funeral for Cameron. Afterwards, John hands Virginia’s sister Dakota a candy because he can’t have any. Suddenly, Rangers spot Janis trying to run off and are handcuffing her. Virginia demands they search her bag and they find the other earring. 

Later, John locks Janis up. He found a drawing of her in Cameron’s room. Janis claims Ginny is trying to set her up. 

Continued

John is summoned to Virginia’s office. She is trying to slam the case closed as it having been Janis and she knows that Janis has been delivering letters to June for John. She claims Cameron used to insist on having the letters read. “An example will need to be made,” of Virginia, she proclaims. John feels betrayed that Virginia knows so much about him. 

Outside, John is approached by Dakota who asks if he ever killed anyone. “I did but I didn’t mean to,” he explains. 

At night, John decides to dig up Cameron’s grave. Walkers close in on him and fall into the pit. He crushes their heads with his arm on a shovel and then splits the other’s head open. When things settle, he finds a piece of the grip of a knife handle lodged in Cameron’s hand. 

Continued

The next day, John brings Strand to the grave and explains his findings. The weapons are only accessible to certain people. Strand has to show him to the armory, a knife is missing, and John finds the description. The page documenting when it was ripped out. He’s now on a mission to find the knife. Strand advises John to think carefully about whether or not he wants to go down this path. 

John goes to see Janis and is surprised to see Virginia and Strand arrive. They are here to collect a confession, which they get. Janis explains she pushed Cameron into the fence. She admits to John that she is just ready to die.

Continued

John sits with Jacob for a drink. He recalls a story of his father tracking down a serial killer. His father broke the rules to get this man convicted. He was found out for it later and no one trusted him anymore. “He had to do what he did, it’s who he was,” John explained. It made things difficult for him and his family but he did it for the greater good. Jacob encourages John to find another way. He leaves a letter with Jacob for June, who says he might yet see her again. John has accepted his fate.

Later, he packs a bag, only to suddenly hear the sound of a radio playing loudly. A group of walkers are eating something. John guns them down. The bottom half of a person is there. The upper half is crawling nearby. It’s Janis. He puts her down and marches into town. Jacob tries to stop him. Strand emerges and calls for John to slow his roll. John punches strand in the face. strand fights back. John starts pounding on Strand, declaring, “You killed her!” Strand declares he saved John’s life and prevented him from going down with her. 

Continued

Later, John stand by Virginia as she sings his praises to the people of Lawton. She gives him a key and names him a Ranger. He accepts.

Later, John lays in bed. Suddenly, June arrives. He is conflicted at the cost of having her here. He remembers the music that played for Janis being killed. He looks in the mirror at his toothache. He decides to pull it out himself with a pair of pliers. 

Elsewhere, Morgan continues his journey. He is talking with the dog when suddenly his truck is hit by another. The dog is okay. He approaches the other car. Morgan questions the man who emerges from the car. This man wants to know where Emile is. They want the key Emile was delivering for them. Morgan warns them but they try to fight anyway. He kills one of them. The other sees the key around Morgan’s neck. Morgan stabs him in the heart when attacked again. He looks at the key and wonders what it unlocks.