Fear the Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 5 Review: Laura
Steve Ford
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Just when you think you have everyone figured out, new information comes to light.
John Dorie has been one of the most intriguing new characters introduced in Season 4, and someone that I have been extremely eager to learn more about ever since his arrival. Thankfully, Fear the Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 5 provided an exceptional hour of insight into John's life before meeting up with Morgan.
Fortunately, John wasn't the only person we began to scratch the surface on, as learning more about Naomi AKA Laura was merely an added bonus!
Following John's life before his introduction on Fear the Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 1 was an enthralling and a welcome respite from the happenings at The Diamond, and their ongoing situation with The Vultures.
It was incredibly sad seeing how lonely John was living in complete solitude and cut off from the rest of the world -- not that there was much left of it anyway -- but learning the reasons behind John's self-isolation was even more heartbreaking.
Before Naomi washing up on his front yard, it was very obvious that it had been quite a while since John had any contact with another person, and the disconnect was evident.
Was anyone else elated when John came up with "Platypus" to play on the Scrabble board? I think he even hit the triple word score, which is easily 45 points right there!
It's just a shame no one else was there to witness that well-played hand. Don't you just hate those moments?
John had been yearning for human contact for God knows how long, and when Naomi finally showed up, it was the best thing that could have happened to both of them.
Naturally, Naomi was initially very apprehensive of John. As we have seen from her interactions with Alicia and Madison, Naomi has always appeared to be on the run from something, but we never really understood from what or who she'd been running.
I'm not sure about you, but I was surprised to learn that it was John who gave Naomi the alias of Laura, and not the other way around. Regardless, it was fun seeing John readjust to conversing with another human being, and John's comment about soup being the "blanket of food" had me in stitches.
John: Soup is the blanket of food.
Naomi: What?
John: Yeah, it's been a while since I had company.
Speaking of which, John made a key observation about Naomi being in the medical field by her willingness to sew herself up.
Another bit of information that was touched upon was John's eagerness to avoid violence and using his guns at all costs. Since we first met John, it's obvious that there was some deep-rooted and underlying issue as to why John refused to use guns -- aside from the fact of attracting walkers, that is.
We already learned that John was a police officer, but once John made a comment about guns causing more problems than they solve, my initial thought was that he must have done something while on the job such as accidentally shooting a kid or someone who didn't warrant it.
As it turns out, I wasn't too far off as John ended up wounding a perp in the leg, only for him to bleed out before help arrived.
Naomi related to John's situation of self-blame, and there was something from Naomi's past that had a lasting effect on her.
Were you surprised as I was to learn that Naomi had a child? I'm surprised that her child's death was never touched upon again, as the topic was discarded as quickly as it presented itself.
That is if her daughter is dead. When someone says that they "lost" someone -- especially in this world -- one would assume she died. But what if she didn't die, and Naomi only believes her child to be dead.
Which leads me to suggest a theory: Could Charlie be Naomi's daughter?
Chew on that one for a little while. Sure, it's a stretch, but crazier things have happened.
Regardless, it won't be the last we hear about Naomi's past. I'm sure more information will be shared now that she decided to stay with Madison's group.
Related: AMC launches ad-free streaming service
As much as I loved this episode, it wasn't without its share of issues. My biggest gripe was with the walkers herding around the truck on the bridge. What even lured all of those walkers to the truck in the first place? It's not like the horn was going off or anything to attract attention.
I know the rules on walkers have been known to change depending on particular situations, but that whole bridge scene left me scratching my head. Are walkers drawn to flowing water now?
Don't even get me started on the truck being moved, that was just silly.
Perhaps the writers needed an excuse to get the horde to John's love shack so that there could be an action piece for the episode.
The trenches that were dug around the perimeter of the house was brilliant, and sure came in handy to trap most of the walkers that fell in, but why in the blue hell did John jump into the trench to fight the walkers? You need to keep the high ground in that situation, and it was a very foolish decision that could have been costly.
The walker bridge that formed to aid the rest of the walkers to bypass the trench was neat. It kind of reminded me of something out of World War Z.
Naomi: How'd you know I was a nurse?
John: Well, I don't know of too many people who can stick a needle in their side.
This entire time I had been under the impression that Naomi stole John's revolver, which is what prompted him to track her down. But learning that he willingly gave it to her was an interesting turn of events. John wasn't just trying to track down his gun, he's been trying to find the woman he fell in love with, and that completely changes things.
It was sweet how John kept the " I Love You Too" tiles with him during his journey. It's all he has to remember Naomi.
Related: Fear the Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 4 Review
It would be great to learn what transpired between Naomi leaving John and meeting up with Madison on Fear the Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 2. Maybe we'll be treated to another episode following Naomi's post-John encounter.
Naomi: Why'd you move up here?
John: Those people thought I was a hero.
Naomi: Doesn't matter how many people say it's not your fault, the only thing that matters is if you believe it.
One thing that I would like to point out is how relieved I am that Morgan hasn't taken over as the main focus of Fear the Walking Dead Season 4. There was a bit of concern on my part that Fear the Walking Dead would turn into The Late Night Walker Show with Morgan Jones, but the character has been utilized sparingly and exceptionally well thus far.
If I may be so bold, with the introduction of all the exciting new characters such as John, Althea, and Naomi, Fear the Walking Dead Season 4 could stand on its own without Morgan right now.
That is by no way a knock to Morgan's character, but rather I find it very comforting that this series hasn't relied so heavily on Morgan's popularity to tell its story.
Fear the Walking Dead continues to impress, and I can't wait to see what comes next.
Now it's time to hear from you, TV Fanatics.
What did you think of "Laura"? Where you surprised to learn that Naomi had a child whom she lost? Could her child actually be Charlie? Do you think Naomi could be dead? If she is alive, will John ever find her?
Sound off below and let me know your thoughts!
Don't forget that you can watch Fear the Walking Dead online right here at TV Fanatic.
Fear the Walking Dead returns with a new episode on Sunday, May 20th at 9/8c on AMC.
