After An Infuriating Negan Moment in the Dead City Season 2 Finale, I'm Not Surprised Fans Are Quitting The Walking Dead

Shortly after the Season 2 finale of The Walking Dead: Dead City, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 3 trailer was released, revealing a glimpse of the upcoming plot and the September 7th release date. Unfortunately, the recent events of Dead City have given the audience little hope for the future of The Walking Dead franchise, convincing them that the overall storyline is becoming stagnant and unoriginal. If Maggie and Negan cannot keep viewers engaged, a continuation of other long-running character plots without growth seems pointless.

Dead City Season 2 has conflicting reviews between critics and the audience, with the viewers of the show less convinced of the storyline and the potential for an exciting next installment. Instead of exploring the ways in which Negan and Maggie can evolve, the narrative has regressed their characterization, leaving them in similar situations as they were when the spin-off aired. With the plot consistently leaning on drawn-out, tired conflicts instead of embracing new material, many viewers are ready to give up on The Walking Dead for good.

Maggie Almost Killed Negan (But Changed Her Mind)

Maggie has wanted to kill Negan since he killed Glenn in Season 7, Episode 1, "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be" of The Walking Dead, but something has always stopped or prevented her from carrying out the deed. In Dead City, she still had the urge to kill her "greatest nemesis," even though it had been well over a decade since the end of the Saviors' War, and she had seemingly gotten over her bloodlust for him to move on with her life. After the Dama and the Croat kidnapped Hershel and forced her to interact with Negan once more, old wounds were opened, and Maggie's characterization regressed back to a need for vengeance.

After two seasons of the spin-off and Maggie dancing back and forth between killing and sparing the former villain, she finally came to a choice in Season 2, Episode 8, "If History Were A Conflagration," choosing to kill him at Hershel's request. When Negan was attempting to kill Perlie Armstrong, Maggie snuck up behind him and stabbed him in the back, prepared to give the final death blow with the second "Lucille" bat. However, when he crawled to Ginny's cell, hoping to check on the girl who had been sick, and mournfully found her as a walker, Maggie had a change of heart, realizing the man must not be as evil as he once was.

This was an anti-climactic moment for both of their storylines, once again coming back to one wanting the other dead but deciding it was a bad idea. Though this seemingly ended the drawn-out narrative in which Maggie is undecided if she wants Negan dead, it also continued the frustrating storyline of Maggie not being able to overcome her past to move on with her life. Instead of trying to explain her revelation to Hershel, she chose to let him lash out and choose to stay with the Dama.

This Resulted In No Character Growth

One of the biggest fan complaints about Dead City is that Maggie hasn't gone through any character growth, with the storyline continuously teetering between her wanting to kill Negan and her wanting to move on. However, in Season 2, Maggie finally seemed to realize that she was harming her son by being so stuck in the past, and she tried to communicate more openly with Hershel, which inevitably led to her choice to kill Negan for both of them. When she went back on this promise, instead of sticking with the idea that she was more willing to communicate and fight for her relationship with Hershel, she chose to let him make his dangerous decision to stay with the Dama, whom she knows has ill intentions, instead of attempting to reason with him.

Negan's characterization in Dead City has been a point of contention among fans as well, with the former villain being forced into a leadership role once again while still hanging on to the progress he made overcoming his negative impulses. While this internal struggle makes sense given his recent circumstances and his desire to be a changed man, this has also weakened his previously strong personality, making him far more docile than his former outspoken self, which was consistent even after his downfall as a leader until he became a captive of the Dama. Before, some fans loved Negan as a villain, and others adored his bold personality once he became a hero, but now they're just frustrated with his lack of growth and inconsistent characterization.

At the end of Dead City Season 2, the two main characters haven't made any growth since they first stepped into Manhattan. Once again, Negan and Maggie find themselves reluctant allies, facing another enemy that is likely going to force them to work together to survive or protect those they love. This may give the impression that the plot has come "full circle," but, since it's only the second installment in the spin-off, it rather suggests that the storyline is going to become repetitive.

It Was a Cheap Way to Keep Them In Manhattan

In the Season 2 finale, a large force of the New Babylon Federation marches through the streets of Manhattan, suggesting that these forces are going to be the next conflict for the main characters. Unfortunately, the storyline has not done a great job of convincing the audience that something is keeping Negan and Maggie in Manhattan. Therefore, the last episode gave the two characters some unconvincing reasons for having to remain in the city, despite the fact that the New Babylon's desire for the methane will be of little concern to them now.

When Maggie left Hershel with the Dama, she did this with the promise that she would remain in the city to be there when he needed her, giving her a valid reason to stay in Manhattan. For Negan, his injury from Maggie's attack may leave him unable to travel, giving him an excuse not to leave. In addition, without Ginny or his family to defend, he could feel obligated to once again help Maggie protect Hershel.

It may be time for Dead City to follow the lead of other spin-offs and bring back other long-running characters to give the plot more substance, because fans are now unimpressed and skeptical of recent developments. Maggie remains for Hershel, but this could have easily been resolved if she had stayed consistent throughout the season and tried to communicate with him. Negan doesn't have an entirely clear reason to stay in Manhattan, but the audience can assume he'll be at the center of the action in Season 3. Unfortunately, Season 2 did a really poor job of giving these two main characters agency, seemingly grasping for anything that would require them to remain in Manhattan and not venture too far from the "Dead City" concept.

The Issues With The Walking Dead Spin-offs Are Getting Hard to Ignore

The two active Walking Dead shows, Dead City and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, had strong first seasons, but they're both now suffering from the question of "what's the point?". For Daryl Dixon, many viewers are at least excited to see Daryl and Carol working together again, with the potential of seeing these two long-running friends finally receive their own unique plot enticing the audience. In terms of Dead City, other essential Walking Dead characters might have to intervene in the current storyline, like Carol did in Season 2 of Daryl Dixon, to keep the audience interested in what comes next.

This is not promising for the future of The Walking Dead franchise, especially since previously viewers were annoyed by the spin-offs' heavy focus on long-running characters, hoping the new shows would provide fresh and intriguing characters to the expansive post-apocalyptic world. However, the creators seem uninterested in investing time in developing more character storylines, leaving every show reliant on familiar personalities. While the main characters of these series are beloved from the flagship series, a fresh plot requires them to have some growth to make the new conflicts worth the time invested.

Though the future of Dead City seems bleak, there are still various ways the creators could surprise the audience and give them a storyline that doesn't feel stagnant and pointless. With the New Babylon Federation invading Manhattan, the show could put more of an emphasis on this harmful military organization, offering new characters and a more convincing conflict that ties in with the main characters' interests and concerns. Sadly, Season 2 of Dead City has not made a good impression, leaving some viewers already giving up on the spin-off.