TWD Dead City

[The Wormhole]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the episode did end with a will she/won't she moment regarding Maggie burning the dinosaur stuffy. As for Maggie would want to burn it, perhaps fearing the dinosaur being abandoned indicates Ginny could be dead, Maggie want's to get rid of the "evidence" before it can distract Negan?

The Croat forcing Armstrong to fight walkers in the arena sure was a cool bit. And it is a neat idea, the Croat finding a way to use the walkers to provide energy.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

1. Is the fuel bio-fuel or something? Without an industrial complex, it seems weird/impossible to me that gas is back for vehicles to run this late in the apocalypse, on one isolated island. But i saw in the after-segment that the Croat is something of a scientist, so maybe he made it? We will see... are there a lot of car mantainence places on Manhattan? If it is like Downtown Chicago and the other 3 sides of Chicago, it seems unlikely there is much.

At this point, I try not to think to much about food and fuel or even the zombies with TWD. Just sit back and enjoy the zip lines lol.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Did Maggie actually burn it? I mean it is obviously her intention but we end the episode with her holding the flame.... but not dropping it in yet. ANd if she did, it surely would have been a trigger for Ginny to expose herself, if not scream altogether.... which looks like from the previews is not the case.

Unless Ginny believes Maggie attempting to burn the toy means she cannot trust her, after all, she only met Maggie a couple of days earlier, and its clear Ginny has trust issues with the exception of Negan.

As for Maggie would want to burn it, perhaps fearing the dinosaur being abandoned indicates Ginny could be dead, Maggie want's to get rid of the "evidence" before it can distract Negan?

Not a bad guess. Maggie won't take "no" for an answer where Hershel 's rescue is concerned, so she would have no problem keeping her "point man" around as long as The Croat is alive.

The Croat forcing Armstrong to fight walkers in the arena sure was a cool bit.

Now we know Perlie is very resourceful beyond using a gun. The Croat seemed impressed with him during the arena fight.

And it is a neat idea, the Croat finding a way to use the walkers to provide energy.

It the most logical development in the use of walkers so far. Assuming there will never be a day when the virus is cured, thus structured society will not return anytime soon (if ever), the only way to extend the use of the old world's comforts would be the biggest energy source in history--people. That said, i'm wondering if The Croat has punished his own people by turning them into fuel?

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The Walking Dead: Dead City
Season 1 - Episode 4: "Everybody Wins a Prize"

Manhattan Tribespeople / Tommaso / Amaia I: The group prepares to leave on their rescue / assassination mission; Amaia wonders where Luther is, but Tommaso writes it off as Luther being his own man--deciding not to join the mission. Negan adds to Tommaso's theory by reminding everyone of Luther's utter rejection of the operation. Maggie studies Negan while he says this, as if she knows Luther simply did not walk off, leaving the last of his companions behind.
Negan: Negan's mind reels back to a far different time--when he was riding high as the leader of the Saviors. Simon informs Negan that the girl The Croat was supposed to set free is still on site; when entering The Croat's torture chamber, where the young woman in question sits dead--cuffed to a chair in with blood running down her face.
Maggie / Negan I: Maggie continues to observe Negan suspiciously. In turn, Negan does not necessarily believe Maggie when she denies seeing his matches. Later, as Maggie, Negan and the Tribespeople take to the subway, they are watched and followed by Ginny...

Manhattan Tribespeople / Tommaso / Amaia II: Tommaso leads the group along walker-covered subway tunnels, and into the service areas of the stadium, where various rooms have been used for torture. Maggie discovers a teen-sized male tied to a chair, and shakes, believing it is Hershel. Negan lifts the head to see the male is some random victim, now a walker. Although Maggie is relieved, the look on her face reads as if she's still expecting to discover her son is dead.

Amaia lays out the entire plan: Negan will bait and isolate The Croat, while the others attempt to find Hershel, and rendezvous to kill The Croat. Maggie finds Luther's Beeswax container in Negan's bag, leading her to hint she believes Negan killed Luther, but does not wish to discuss the matter.

In the stadium's control room, The Croat explains a lights and sound job to a very nervous young woman; he knows the woman is afraid of him, but he compliments her growth as a protector over the years, adding that she has no reason to fear him. Suddenly, Negan's infamous whistle echoes throughout the corridors, sending an excited Croat running out to find his former leader.

Maggie / Negan II: Close to prepping a car (one would assume for a speedy escape), Maggie spots Ginny, who runs off. Maggie catches up to the girl

The Croat's trap: Bombs are set off at the stadium's two main entrances--packed over two dozen deep with walkers. Obviously, the blast kills some of the creatures, but the rest pour into the building. Maggie catches up with Ginny and meets the Tribespeople in the arena--just in time for the planned loud music and spotlights to act as a dinner bell for an endless pack of walkers entering from every door of the facility. The group fight off the creatures, but it would not be the TWD without some Tribespeople redshirts overwhelmed by walkers--including Tommaso.

Ginny wastes no time taking refuge in the caged ring, which gives Maggie and the others the "what-took-you-so-long-to-retreat-to-a-defensible-structure" inspiration to join the girl. Good plan, but the walkers' sheer numbers threaten to tear the cage down. Acting quickly, Maggie directs the others to use the turn the PU foam backrests into shields, and form a ring as they make their escape. The female scavenger is taken down just as an apparently unharmed Tommaso reemerges to lead the survivors (at the point, Maggie, Amaia & Ginny) into the service halls outside of the arena.

The Croat / Negan and Perlie : The Croat follows Negan's whistle, which leads him to the parking area; accompanied by his men, who begin their evacuation plan. The Croat holds back, sensing Negan is close, finally zeroing in on a cab he believes Negan is using for cover. Negan snakes his way past the walker / methane tanks, but is spotted and chased by The Croat and his men.

Negan makes his way to the service walkways above the arena, where he gets the jump on an uncharacteristically elated Croat. Negan does not shoot, choosing to listen to his enemy's questions (e.g. the whereabouts of the Lucille bat) and being fully aware of the battles leading to the Sanctuary's fall, placing the blame for that on the destructive Simon, who never really listened to Negan's commands (SEE NOTES). Negan isn't one for reminiscing, only interested in Hershel's release.

Pretending to be in a forgiving mood, The Croat offers Negan the chance to join up and build "a new world" on Manhattan Island, but before they discuss the future, he brings out Perlie, assuming he was the one Negan tracked there. The Croat "earns" Negan's trust by tossing Perlie over a railing, but the marshal catches the rail next to Negan. As Negan helps Perlie (much to The Croat's puzzlement), The Croat shoots the nail gun / grappling hook into Perlie's thigh, attempting to reel in the cable enough to yank Perlie away from the railing. Perlie knows where The Croat is going with this, so he digs the hook out of his flesh, as he's pulled to the walkway, making his escape with Negan.

Hiding in an abandoned store, Negan only needed to turn his back on Perlie for a moment to find himself held at nail-gunpoint by the penal code quoting marshal, who is not too grateful to a man he considers a murderer. Negan's only reaction is to call Perlie a "dick".

Manhattan Tribespeople / Tommaso / Amaia III: The survivors race though corridors, until they stumble across the interior entrance to the sewers. Despite the danger posed by a walker population, they climb down into the darkness--Ginny looking for reassuring looks from Maggie...

NOTES:

Simon returns! ...well, in a flashback, but it was a nice surprise. Hypocrisy was oozing out of Simon's ears when confronting The Croat about his methods, after all, it was Simon who slaughtered all of Jadis' junkyard group (against Negan's orders) and was instrumental in murdering all of the males at Oceanside (among other crimes). Once again, Simon's appearance--and recalling all of his butchery--alongside The Croat serves to water down Negan a bit in the larger scheme of things. Some might say Negan was the one who established Lucille-ing, killing random members of other groups to establish dominance, etc., so he's as much of a monster as Simon and The Croat, but retconning the actions of long-gone characters rarely works well, and ends up taking the teeth out of all Negan has been built up to be (before and after the fall of the Sanctuary).

So Negan managed to haul a very large corpse out of the building without anyone hearing the result of such physical effort?

Perlie turned on his...savior. Not too shocking, but you know they will need to bury the hatchet in order to escape. Moreover, he's aware of Maggie's habit of "breaking bones" of late, but its unclear if he has a warrant for her arrest.

For all of The Croat's talk of building Manhattan, he's certainly wasteful, exemplified by destroying the stadium entrance and flooding it with walkers. For a ZA that's run for 12 - 15 years, anyone thinking of rebuilding in a major city should know that unattended (i.e. no structural maintenance) high rises (or any structure above three stories) would be deteriorating to the point of becoming too dangerous to live in, yet The Croat and his people occupy a few such buildings. Not wise.

The Maggie's revealed so much about herself to Negan, that one would think she's come around to the level of acceptance she reached in TWD's series finale, but I feel the showrunners might throw the viewers with an unexpected twist in their relationship.

Tommaso was swarmed by walkers, but made his surprise return with no visible bite marks. There was a moment when Tommaso and Amaia exchanged a look that was a bit more emotional than normal (just before they entered the sewer), and it made me wonder if he said he was bitten (off camera).


GRADE: A.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The Walking Dead: Dead City
Season 1 - Episode 5: "Stories We Tell Ourselves"

Manhattan Tribespeople / Maggie / Ginny / Tommaso / Amaia I: The quartet move through the sewers, plowing through one pile of walkers after another. Ginny noticed part of her toy in Maggie's bag, leading her to take a suspicious look at the woman. When Ginny tries to run off to find Negan, Maggie angrily wars the girl that she does not know the real Negan, but she sticks around, she will.

Perlie / Negan I: The marshal still holds Negan at nailgun point. Negan reminds Perlie that he saved his life, only to be countered by Perlie listing Negan's murder of the magistrate and four other men. Negan defends himself, using their assault of Annie as justification for his killings.

Perlie's goal is to reach Chelsea Pier, where he plans to disconnect one of its floating docks as a means to return to the mainland. Negan assumes Perlie is from New York, with the marshal clarifying that he was from the Bronx and worked for the state. Negan jokingly says he worked for the state too--as a gym teacher. This unlikely paring race to find shelter as armies of walkers close in. Once inside of a building, they discover a bizarre display of toy doll parts, leading the men to wonder about the mental state of its creator.

They discover the remains of a person who died by a rigged axe suicide device, triggering Perlie's discovery of his brother. Negan shoves a walker at Perlie and tries to make his escape through a boarded up wall--which is pulled off by Perlie with his nail/grappling gun. Negan argues that he's saved Perlie's life, so the marshal should drop his desire to take him back to New Babylon; Perlie rejects Negan's pleas for clemency, prodding Negan to ask why Perlie is so Hell-bent on taking him back. Before the marshal can answer, Negan helps the man to his feet...

Manhattan Tribespeople / Tommaso / Amaia II: The methane gas begins to affect everyone, until Tommaso conveniently discovers two oxygen tanks with masks. Amaia gives one to Ginny, suggesting the three adults share a single tank. Maggie refuses, as she studies Tommaso, listening to his theories about who tipped off The Croat, including using the missing Luther as a possible suspect. Maggie accuses Tommaso of being the mole--from knowing how to get in and out of the complex, to noticing how he had the oxygen tanks all along--supplied by The Croat. Tommaso knows he's been exposed, so he confesses to Amaia that the Tribespeople's goal to reclaim the island was a dream that was never going to work, and his helping The Croat would save them--her. Amaia is devastated, marching off with Ginny, leaving Tommaso and Maggie alone. As he picks up his weapon, Maggie reaches for the handle of her knife, but the man passes by without incident.

While clearing off another pile of walkers, Maggie suggests Amaia relocate to the Bricks with Ginny as her guide. While Amaia considers the offer, Maggie suffers from brief flashbacks (Hershel's abduction, Glenn's murder, etc.) induced by the methane gas. Tommaso tries to explain why he worked with The Croat, and learns that the villain used the Bricks as a carrot if he cooperated. Before he can continue, walkers rise to attack and gut Amaia, with Tommaso's rescue attempt only ending with a lethal bite to his throat. Maggie puts him out his misery.

The Croat / The Dama: Driving up to the King Francis theatre, The Croat screams out in anger, then takes a contemplative moment to stares at himself in the rear view mirror, carefully pulling his hat over the missing ear. Passing through the noisy theatre of survivors, The Croat reaches the door to an aged woman named The Dama, where a burly female guard disrespects him by calling him a "bitch". The Croat--acting as if he's a subordinate to the woman--reports the threat from New Babylon has been neutralized...and that Negan is on the island. The Croat echoes The Dama's perception that there are survivors who will come to take what they've built, in an attempt to rebuild the old world, with its laws--and law enforcement.

The Dama admonishes The Croat for failing to capture Negan, and when all is said and done, he's forced to kneel before her, kissing the woman's hand like a servile member of a royal court.

Maggie / Ginny: The duo make their way through the sewer tunnels, but Maggie stops to explain why she needs Negan focused only on the hunt for her son--instead of going after Ginny, hence the reason she sis not show the toy to Negan. While reaching an access ladder to the surface, Maggie's boot is caught in the cavity of a walker--the noise rousing a walker. Maggie orders Ginny to make her escape, leaving Maggie to face off with what appears to be a mutated walker with several arms, legs and three heads (SEE NOTES). The creature pins Maggie down, but she manages to stab every head, then set herself free.

Perlie / Negan II : Taking shelter in a school bus, Negan treats Perlie's thigh wound, stating that he'd be wanted by New Babylon twice as bad if it was known that Perlie died while in his company. Perhaps reconsidering his thoughts about Negan, Perlie opens up, providing the backstory of his relationship with his late brother Joel, and how that always-troubled brother descended into drug addiction--ultimately physically assaulting their mother, who would not retaliate, leaving that job up to a heartbroken Perlie.

Continuing, he recalls feeling abandoned by Joel, so he would return the mistreatment. As Perlie escaped Manhattan with his parents at the advent of the dead rising--he left a lonely Joel to die on the island, although he once held on to the hope that Perlie would rescue him. Where Perlie's view of Joel was once harsh and dismissive, it has now turned to guilt, especially after learning what Joel wrote in what would be his last letter.

Maggie / Ginny: Taking the same access ladder, Maggie finds a message from Ginny written in walker blood: "LIAR". Maggie considers the recent past, when The Croat took Hershel hostage, only agreeing to set him free when she delivers Negan...

On the surface, Ginny wanders a bit until she finds an open-aired area to fires her flare gun into the sky--the flare seen by Maggie...and Negan...

NOTES:

Dead City's showrunners really love John Carpenter; in this episode alone, The Dama's lair resembled the same kind of curio / junk / book-strewn lair used by Harold "Brain" Hellman in Escape from New York, while her headquarters is an old theatre where dirty, dressed-down residents either perform, or serve as the audience (in a similarly untrained, off-key style), mirroring the threatre where Plissken met Cabbie.

Of course, The Croat devising the means to produce energy in the apocalypse-wrecked New York is Hellman's oil rig all over again, only the energy source is obviously different.

While viewers can expect more backstory regarding The Dama, one must wonder why a violent psychopath such as The Croat would allow himself to serve as a sort of lackey to her.

After more than a dozen years, the WD franchise finally takes some direct inspiration from the Resident Evil video game franchise--specifically Resident Evil 4, with a walker that has become grafted to two other creatures to appear to be some giant, multi-headed, spider-y creature, which is not too different than the final form of the "Mendez" character (sans the extra heads).

So ends the Manhattan Tribespeople, with Amaia and Tommaso's deaths. In the grand scheme of things, they were mere vehicles to provide exposition and move Maggie into areas she could not on her own. The second the raid was botched, you could predict the couple would not have much more to offer the main plot of the series.

GRADE: A.

 

[Morpheus 02]

@TREK_GOD_1 i just don't understand how you can rate this an A...it is at best, a B for me.

I mean, the wiping out of the "Manhattan Tribespeople" is ridiculous.... these guy shave fought to survive for OVER a decade..., and they are just tossed aside like extras. I mean, i am glad that Amaia at least took 9 seconds to acknowledge the deaths of those extras...but these super survivors just get wiped out, basically for no reason. Those guys weren't sheltered kids like World Beyond... they should have had a couple of survivors.


And the Dama... this feels like an out-of-left-field thing. The Croat has scientific knowledge, that makes him valuable, and a strong reason not to be killed. But what about this Dama, and that society that looks like Murphy's little bar in Z-Nation. (and makes just as much sense)


Also, so we had the "money shot" from the commercials. Not very logical, and super brief... i guess it was fun (the producer was excited about it in the after-episode commentary)

Also, this "methane farm" seems pretty inefficient. I don't see hwo they are able to make fuel out of all that mess.

And so next week is labeled as the season finale?? Ugh... i don't see how this can be really stretched as an ongoing series. SO between this, and i am assuming the "finale" will simply be set up for season 2. Yeah... not really looking forward to it... Darryl could have been stretched a lot more, though i assume it's going to tie-into Rick and Michonne (maybe have him join in Episode 5 or 6, and we see him help explain and better fight the new walkers)

Dead City doesn't feel like any kind of expansion on the Walking Dead World (like the way Fear became once Morgan joined in his first couple of seasons). It also feels contradictory, at least to World Beyond... didn't the CIvic Republic have significant bases in New York state? I would think the CRM would have issues with New Babylon??

I am trudging through the finale...but not gonna make my wife try to watch it. I don't think she would be excited by it.... the TWD franchise seems tobe withering away like the Walkers should at this phase.

 

[The Wormhole]

Well, that was a pretty damn good plot twist. Maggie lied about the Croat taking the grain supplies while kidnapping Herschel is part of a plan to manipulate Maggie into bringing Negan to Manhattan. Definitely looking forward to see how things pan out in the finale.

And so next week is labeled as the season finale??

IIRC, prior to the premiere one of the actors (one of the show's new actors, not Cohan or JDM) did let slip in an interview there's going to be a season 2. Granted, now with strikes it could be a while before we see a season 2.

didn't the CIvic Republic have significant bases in New York state? I would think the CRM would have issues with New Babylon??

Who is to say there isn't some sort of relationship between New Babylon and the CRM? Indeed, given they seem to have relatively modern-ish law enforcement it's possible they have support from the CRM in some form. We know from World Beyond the CRM does allow various communities to function so long as they provide services for the CRM. New Babylon could just be a similar such community under the CRM's umbrella.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

@TREK_GOD_1 i just don't understand how you can rate this an A...it is at best, a B for me.

The growing development of the two leads and Perlie, and how what was once a clear hero vs villain plot in the first episode has been completely upended. All character, with no action required.

I mean, the wiping out of the "Manhattan Tribespeople" is ridiculous.... these guy shave fought to survive for OVER a decade..., and they are just tossed aside like extras.

Come on--this is a Walking Dead series, where entire communities with similar survival years under their belts have been wiped out (no matter the time), from Woodbury, Alexandria, The Wolves and most of the Saviors. I will agree that the Manhattan Tribespeople met their maker far earlier than the aforementioned groups, but this is a limited series, so things need to move at a faster clip, including short-timer groups.

And the Dama... this feels like an out-of-left-field thing. The Croat has scientific knowledge, that makes him valuable, and a strong reason not to be killed. But what about this Dama, and that society that looks like Murphy's little bar in Z-Nation. (and makes just as much sense)

Its taking inspiration from Escape from New York, where Brain--like The Croat--has the knowledge to provide energy / fuel resources, but is subservient to a stronger leader, such as The Duke. In the case of The Dama, I imagine we will soon see why a psychopath like The Croat would bend to her will, and is generally disrespected (as in the guard referring to him as a "bitch").

Well, that was a pretty damn good plot twist. Maggie lied about the Croat taking the grain supplies while kidnapping Herschel is part of a plan to manipulate Maggie into bringing Negan to Manhattan. Definitely looking forward to see how things pan out in the finale.

Expect Negan--once he learns the truth behind Maggie's cutthroat scheme--to turn the tables on her (or attempt to, as seen with his holding a knife to her throat in the teaser for E6). This will give Negan the opportunity to pull the moral high ground rug out from under Maggie, who has--as Negan noted in E1--not truly come to terms with Negan as she claimed in TWD's series finale.

IIRC, prior to the premiere one of the actors (one of the show's new actors, not Cohan or JDM) did let slip in an interview there's going to be a season 2. Granted, now with strikes it could be a while before we see a season 2.

If we're lucky, probably the fall of 2024.

Who is to say there isn't some sort of relationship between New Babylon and the CRM? Indeed, given they seem to have relatively modern-ish law enforcement it's possible they have support from the CRM in some form. We know from World Beyond the CRM does allow various communities to function so long as they provide services for the CRM. New Babylon could just be a similar such community under the CRM's umbrella.

Probably. The CRM has to be brought up at some point. In fact, the massive Commonwealth--and its partner communities--should be on the radar of The Croat's group.

 

[The Wormhole]

The CRM has to be brought up at some point.

Especially since their headquarters is supposedly in Philadelphia, which in the grand scheme of things isn't that far from New York.

 

[The Wormhole]

Dead City renewed for second season. As has the Daryll spinoff.

 

[ELCHawk]

Dead City renewed for second season. As has the Daryll spinoff.

Exciting! I still am not fully caught up with TWD so haven't watched Dead City yet. Excited though.

 

[ELCHawk]

I wonder if season 2 of Dead City and Darryl Dixon will be 6 episodes too? I kind of think that would be better.

Do we know for sure that the Rick/Michonne series is limited? What if it is really popular?

 

[The Wormhole]

I don't think anything's set in stone for the Rick/Michonne show, what has just been retitled The Ones Who Live. While I wouldn't be shocked if it were just the one season, I also wouldn't be surprised if it got a second season either.

 

[ELCHawk]

I don't think anything's set in stone for the Rick/Michonne show, what has just been retitled The Ones Who Live. While I wouldn't be shocked if it were just the one season, I also wouldn't be surprised if it got a second season either.

I think it would depend on the Michonne's actresses schedule more than Lincoln's. She is more busy right now. I don't believe Lincoln is done with TWD universe after this season either way.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The Walking Dead: Dead City
Season 1 - Episode 6: "Doma Smo" - Season one finale

Maggie / Ginny / Negan / Perlie I: Negan, Perlie and Maggie all follow the flare, leading them to Ginny. Negan is understandably angry at Ginny for breaking the plan (to stay safe at the Bricks); Perlie volunteers to take Ginny back to the Bricks, but her resistance moves Negan to admit she does not know what kind of person he is. Ginny does not like where this is going, so she begins to speak for the first time in months:

"I--want you to--"

Negan cuts her off, pissed off that she picks this time to speak after she refused to for so long, and resorts to hurting her in a most personal way: saying he murdered her father and four others--the reason he's a wanted man. Continuing, he rubs salt in Ginny's emotional wound by saying the only reason he let her tag along with him was out of debt he owed (for killing her only parent). Utterly heartbroken, Ginny, runs off with Perlie, leaving a speechless Maggie not knowing what to think of Negan's confession.

Maggie / Negan I: The next morning, Maggie & Negan watch the streets for The Croat. Maggie spots the Macy's building, bringing about memories of a story her ailing mother told her about Santa and the store, and how she wished she could visit Macy's, where Santa would be a friend to her--replacing all of her broken toys.

The Croat's car is spotted, and while Negan & Maggie make their way to the surface street, exchanging suspicious glances. Spotting a building with plumes of smoke emanating from a building, Negan notes that the presence of smoke is just as Maggie described, which seems a bit too on the nose. Entering the building, the tension between the two builds, until Maggie attempts to stab Negan. Negan repeatedly pleads for Maggie to stop, but she persists, even when its clear he had the opportunity to kill her. The struggle continues, with Maggie stabbing Negan's shoulder. Negan gains the upper hand, but drops his knife, arriving at the conclusion that the story of The Croat kidnapping Hershel in exchange for grain was a lie--Maggie's entire mission was to bring Negan to The Croat.

Maggie / Negan / The Croat: Negan regrets where their relationship ended up, assuming there's a part of Maggie that wanted to kill him all along, adding that she will never get over Negan's worst crime--and perhaps she should not (SEE NOTES ABOUT SEASON TWO). Soon, The Croat and his men arrive, placing Maggie--with a knife to Negan's throat--in the back of an ambulance. During the ride, The Croat provides the "how and why" exposition, recalling how he tried to track Negan (after the fall of the Sanctuary), and once hearing the story of "The Widow", he used her strengths and weakness[/i] against her in order to get Negan. The Croat is so focused on Negan that he reveals that for a moment (when seeing Negan on the catwalk), he thought about "having" Negan--and Hershel (SEE NOTES), a statement getting all of Maggie's attention...

The Croat's posse arrives at a bank, where Hershel is guarded in a vault. Negan makes what he believes to be his last request--for Maggie to take care of Ginny. Despite Maggie handing Negan over to The Croat, her mind reels a bit at Negan still trusting her with Ginny's life. Hershel simply stares at his mother, showing no emotion at all, while Negan voluntarily walks to The Croat's guards, but not before telling Hershel it was good to see him. If it did not dawn on Maggie before, the possibility of Negan facing his mortal end is now real to her. Maggie slowly approaches, then hugs her son, but again, he's emotionless.

Perlie / New Babylon: Perlie delivers Ginny back to The Bricks. Perlie notices she left a shirt (presumably something she received from Negan) in the backseat of his jeep and calls out to her, but the sour expression she bears says she does not anything from Negan.

Returning to New Babylon, Perlie stops at the city entrance, staring at the executed "examples" (now walkers, obviously) hanging from nooses. His contemplative state undoubtedly centered on Negan--if Perlie had successfully captured Negan, the man who saved his life, the man who had some sort of parental relationship to Ginny-- would be executed...hanging as a walker, too.

Later, Perlie is given a hero's welcome from The New Babylon Leader, the woman led to believe he killed Negan (to the joy of the Leader's associates). Although the Leader is pleased with Perlie's account, she wishes Negan's corpse would have been retrieved to put on display--to make a statement. Perlie stiffens when the Leader mentions wanting to talk to his children.

The Leader gives Perlie a cigar, using the gesture as the segue to talking about needing energy for the central heating used on the cigar leaves. Currently, the New Babylon Federation uses ethanol produced from their corn fields, but the Leader asks Perlie to tell his Manhattan story again, only this time, fill her in on the methane production...

Maggie / Hershel I: Parked in a car on the mainland, Hershel is being quite nasty to his mother, rejecting food, and the cap gift. The teen argues that his life has been spent not being seen by Maggie--that she's always looked past him, in her obsessive vigilance regarding Negan. Once again, Maggie finds herself speechless at her son's blunt truth.

Back at the Bricks, Maggie checks on the sleeping Ginny, setting the dinosaur toy next to the girl.

Visiting Hershel, Maggie explains her struggles dealing with her difficult life, and though she does not know how to fix it, she promises to bring an end to the Negan situation.

Later that night, Maggie

Negan / The Croat / The Dama I: On the Drive to see The Dama, The Croat reminisces about Negan using Lucille to assert his authority over another group, crediting Negan for seeing the potential in him (including beating a victim's head to pulp). The Croat refers to the experiences as "beautiful", with Negan in reserved agreement.

Arriving at the theatre, Negan is brought before The Dama, who dismisses The Croat as if he were a mere servant--not a key player in her affairs. Negan takes note of this, his wheels turning. Once alone with Negan, The Dama begins working on Negan's ego, referring to The Croat's stories about Negan's "shock and awe" theatricality--and refers to Perlie's badge as a symbol of coming threat from other communities to take their energy resources. The woman continues her pitch, speaking of her need for Negan's kind of presence to unite other communities (as far north as Harlem) under one power--and it could be his for the taking--if he takes the position.

The Dama hands Negan a key and a small, wooden box. Opening it, he's taken aback by the sight of an amputated small toe--Hershel's toe. The Dama explains that Hershel opened up about Negan--the murder of his father...everything, yet Negan gave himself up in exchange for the teen. She adds that she likes to keep a piece of him with her...but she can always go back for more (SEE NOTES). Negan studies The Dama, taking in the implied threat of her group attacking the Bricks community--where Ginny lives.

At the Bricks, Maggie grows concerned with Hershel's illustrations--including one of The Dama...

NOTES:

That's a wrap for the first season of The Walking Dead: Dead City. The final frame's split screen of Negan and Maggie inspires many questions about the possible direction of the second season:

• Maggie promised Hershel that she would bring an end to the Negan matter and move on with a real life, but the moment Negan asked Maggie to take care of Ginny before handing himself over in exchange for Hershel had her question her entire view of the man. Will she attempt to recruit fellow Bricks members--or perhaps Perlie (grateful for Negan saving his life) in a rescue attempt?
• Speaking of Perlie, the New Babylon Leader is--in no surprise--untrustworthy--a schemer, and now she (as The Dama predicted) is interested in Manhattan's methane energy production. Perlie was not at all pleased with the Leader mentioning his family, suggesting the Leader only named them to remind him that their lives could be in danger if he does not give her what she desires.
• Then, there's Negan: it is not clear if his confession about Ginny's father is true, or if her father was one of Annie's attackers. If he was honest, then he was correct in pushing the girl away. If he accepts The Dama's job offer, and picks up where he left off in Virginia, will he try to turn the tables on The Dama & The Croat--losing his life in the process? Any betrayal would be a plotting go-to for Negan to suffer a loss close to him--such as Ginny, or Hershel--the latter probably a reminder of Glenn.

Whatever the case may be, this was a strong, short season with wonderful character development believably building on one of the key hero/villain relationships in the WD franchise. Some theorize that this series will have some ties to the other limited series, i'm hoping this series gets to tell its story in full, not force connections between the Big Bad characters / groups of every series to set up some franchise-wide finale.

Hershel's accurate illustration of The Dama was an example of violent trauma committing the assailant to the mind of the victim. As much as he criticized Maggie for living only for her Negan obsession, he is dealing with his own form of it, thanks to the shocking reveal, and the headstrong teen is exactly the type to seek revenge against the orders/warning of everyone.

GRADE: A.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Short and sweet, I can definitely see doing a rewatch when the next season starts up. So the Croat turns out to have never been more than just a toadie all along.

Dead City's showrunners really love John Carpenter; in this episode alone, The Dama's lair resembled the same kind of curio / junk / book-strewn lair used by Harold "Brain" Hellman in Escape from New York, while her headquarters is an old theatre where dirty, dressed-down residents either perform, or serve as the audience (in a similarly untrained, off-key style), mirroring the threatre where Plissken met Cabbie.

Of course, The Croat devising the means to produce energy in the apocalypse-wrecked New York is Hellman's oil rig all over again, only the energy source is obviously different.

Will we get a scene of Herschel with a small machine gun yelling "You're the Dama! You're A-Number-1!"?

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Short and sweet, I can definitely see doing a rewatch when the next season starts up. So the Croat turns out to have never been more than just a toadie all along.

Pretty much. It is interesting that he criticized Simon (who held a higher position among the Saviours), as if he was some violent lackey, yet that's the position he currently holds in The Dama's group. One wonders if he will attempt to undermine Negan's new authority (or kill Ginny), or travel to the mainland, jumping the gun on killing off New Babylon residents posing a threat to The Dama's energy resources, only to discover the the Federation part of New Babylon's title means?

Will we get a scene of Herschel with a small machine gun yelling "You're the Dama! You're A-Number-1!"?

Sheesh--that would sink the entire series! In all seriousness, Hershel is so emotionally traumatized by his experiences with The Croat & The Dama, and now has Maggie admitting she was obsessed with Negan, that I can see the possibility of Hershel pulling a Carl and sneaking off in an attempt to kill all three...only to end up in a bad way.

 

[The Wormhole]

I really liked that moment where Negan asks Maggie if she had any idea what Ginny might have wanted to say, Maggie lies, and Negan instantly detects the lie. It's one of those moments where you can tell even though the two of them are technically enemies, they know each other almost as well as the best of friends might.

Pretty good finale, with most of the story threads resolved and new ground set for the second season to expand upon.

 

[Starbreaker]

Even though the whole first season could have been a TV movie, I enjoyed it. I should have seen the ending coming, but I didn't.

 

[Morpheus 02]

I didn;t like it too much. It felt like Bait and Switch for me...

The Croat was supposed to be the main villain... but actually just a toadie.

It was supposed to be "Isle of the Dead" --- but at the very end, they are trying to re-unite the REST of NYC?

Rebel group not really in it, other than cannon fodder, even the "main supporting actors" by episode 5

No actual flashback or anything with Annie (not necessarily of the attack....but SOMETHING other than a couple brief verbal acknowldgements... like they REALLY wanted ot write her out of the story and erase her from Negan)

And no flashbacks to Sanctuary days? Yeah, like 2 minutes with Simon.... but they could have done more...spliced in old footage to save a couple of bucks... but also remind us of Savior days, and maybe how that got built up.

It feels like just an excuse to extend the TWD franchise, as Fear and World Beyond failed.