In the third episode of its fifth season, Fear the Walking Dead aims to mix genres up a little bit by putting its resident gunslinger, John Dorie (Garret Dillahunt), in a Wild West-style shootout. Season 5 is just getting started, but co-showrunners Ian Goldberg and Andrew Chambliss have instituted a new direction for the zombie spinoff, putting the survivors led by Lennie James’s Morgan in charge of trying to make the world a better place. While that’s a tall order for a small group of people after the world has otherwise ended, it’s at least a direction that leans more on a positive outcome than typical storylines within The Walking Dead franchise.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of the same conflicts that’ve plagued the survivors since Rick Grimes first woke up weeks into the zombie apocalypse. That means there’re plenty of survivors who still subscribe to the usual kill-or-be-killed ethos that’s so common (and popular) with the series. As a result, it’s necessary for the survivors to rely on someone like John, an old-school gunslinger who looks like he walked off the set of a Spaghetti Western. And in this exclusive clip from episode 3, John’s particular skills are put to the test against a very fitting backdrop.
The clip comes from ‘Humbug’s Gulch,’ which not only features the windblown shootout, but is also directed by series star (and still-surviving original cast member) Colman Domingo. Domingo spoke with Screen Rant about his approach to directing during a recent set visit, and now fans will be able to see what the actor has cooked up for his turn behind the camera this season. Check out an exclusive clip from ‘Humbug’s Gulch’ below:
If nothing else, the clip demonstrates the degree to which Fear the Walking Dead is pursuing different (and hopefully more entertaining) angles from which to present a zombie apocalypse. As is common with the franchise, the undead are a secondary threat to the sort of violence only the living can produce, meaning John’s concern is that the mystery shooters that have him and June (Jenna Elfman) pinned down will draw the attention of the undead herd, making things exponentially more difficult for both parties.
Domingo is clearly having fun with the premise of the scene, as he keeps his antagonists obscured — either off screen entirely, or hidden behind a mini sandstorm — while presenting only closeups up the gunslingers’ tools of the trade. In all, it’s an entertaining blend of genres that doesn’t appear to end too well for Mr. Dorie.
Fear the Walking Dead continues this Sunday with ‘Humbug's Gulch’ @9pm on AMC.