"The Dama [Is] a Motherly Figure To Him”: ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ Season 2 Star Explains Why Hershel's Loyalty Is Torn

The second season of The Walking Dead: Dead City has brought with it new challenges for Maggie (Lauren Cohan). It is fair to say that the character has endured her fair share of woe throughout her time on the franchise. Her closest family: her father, Hershel (Scott Wilson), her husband, Glenn (Steven Yeun), and her sister, Beth (Emily Kinney), have all perished before her eyes. At the time Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) was acquainting his barbed-wire baseball bat, Lucille, with Glenn's head, Maggie was pregnant with their son, Hershel (Logan Kim). Maggie and Negan have since had to share the spotlight in Dead City, and it's been clear that she hasn't forgiven him for his actions. It is a pain that has strained Maggie's relations with her son, and seen his loyalties torn.

While Hershel might not have had the broadest impact on The Walking Dead, his role in this spin-off is far more pivotal. From his ordeal at the hands of the Croat (Željko Ivanek) in Season 1, to a teenage boy with split loyalties in Season 2. Despite the Dama (Lisa Emery) being responsible for having one of Hershel's toes cut, the Dama's corruption and manipulation of the teenage boy runs so deep he still remains loyal to her. Over his own mother. "Well, that's the big conflict, right? Because he's got to choose somebody," Kim explains to ScreenRant regarding young Hershel's dilemma. "His mom has been opening up more and listening to him more. At the same time, the Dama got in his head already, and so he is getting pulled one way or the other, and he doesn't even know how to deal with that, really."

The impact of the Dama on the teenage boy is highlighted clearly in Dead City Season 2, Episode 2, where the fire at the docks, started by Hershel, alerted the Dama to the New Babylon Federation forces' imminent arrival. His split loyalties remain unknown to Maggie for now, but for how long? While some blame might be directed towards Hershel for his actions in the present day, he is ultimately suffering from a past he wasn't even present for. Negan's horrific murder of Glenn in the flagship series left Maggie wounded and traumatized, seeing Glenn and his fate when she looks at their son. Kim explains that this lack of motherly affection is what the Dama has exploited, saying:

"I think the Dama becomes a motherly figure to him. She's very gentle - and very manipulative, but he doesn't really see that. She really listens to him, and he starts trusting her. I do think there's definitely a motherly dynamic there."

Hershel Will Have to Make a Decision Between His Mother and the Dama Soon

In the seasons following Glenn's murder, Negan has gone from being a hated antagonist to being a beloved character of the franchise. In Dead City, he has worked strenuously to try to make amends for his actions towards Maggie, helping her save her son on a number of occasions. Negan is trying to change course and Kim reveals that the same will happen for Hershel where his relationships with the Dama and Maggie are concerned. Exactly which direction the pendulum swings for the teenager remains to be seen.

"I think we've seen a little bit of this already, but Hershel's relationship with both the Dama and Maggie changes drastically this season. Whether they improve or decrease, I just think there's such a big shift there. It's really exciting, and that's something to look forward to, for sure."