There have been some slower episodes in season 2 that focused more on character development than big explosions in action sequences with walkers. However, episode 5 shows signs that season 2 is starting to ramp up, and I hope Dead City season 2's remaining three episodes manage to maintain that same pacing. We know who these characters are and their motivations, so it is now time to escalate that into an all-out war and see who is left standing by the end of the season. Episode 5 sets it up through two big storylines.
Lauren Cohan's Maggie Narrowly Escapes A Horrific Death
Ginny Is Forced To Change Her Mind Amid A Dire Situation
As soon as they got to where the Central Park group lived, I knew there was going to be trouble between the pacifists and New Babylon. While Armstrong had managed to keep Major Narvaez's wishes to take over the Central Park group and fold them into the New Babylon Federation, his leave of absence allowed her to take control of the situation before Armstrong, Maggie, and Hershel returned. The show has really made Narvaez an easy-to-hate character, as I have never wavered in my desire to see her die.
Well, I would see that wish come true near the end of episode 5, but before that, Dead City made me tense up with Maggie's storyline. While I can understand why Ginny wants to kill Negan for having murdered her father and then caring for her while keeping what he did a secret, I never expected her to put Maggie and Hershel's lives in danger to do it. I was clearly wrong, as Ginny pointed a gun at Hershel so that Maggie would not hurt Narvaez.
Thankfully, Ginny would see the mistake she made later in the episode. I knew Maggie was never going to die; if that was meant to happen, it would undoubtedly be in The Walking Dead: Dead City's series finale or a crossover event that brought characters like Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Maggie, Negan, and more together again. That said, episode 5 did manage to build enough tension with Maggie's almost hanging. In the end, walkers crashed the party and killed the New Babylon and Central Park groups, with walker Roksana — the leader of the pacifists — poetically killing Narvaez, which I loved.
Negan's Master Plan Works & It Should Completely Change Dead City
A Major Character Is Seemingly Dead After A Fiery Ending
Negan would channel his hate for the Croat and the Dama into a master plan.
All the "bad guy" attitude Christos and his group were putting on was to make sure that others would not mess with them and find all the women and children the group was keeping safe. I liked that new look into Christos' life and how he and Negan seemed to genuinely bond. However, that was shockingly cut short when the Croat arrived and unceremoniously gassed all the men of Christos' group and killed them for having cut the power to 6th Avenue. Negan would channel his hate for the Croat and the Dama into a master plan.
Bruegel has now found Maggie, Hershel, Ginny, and Armstrong.
I loved how episode 5 focused on Negan's ability to manipulate others, which we saw quite a few times on The Walking Dead. It was clear that the Croat was not feeling good about how much the Dama had been looking down at him, and Negan using that to sow division was smart. What I didn't expect was that it would seemingly culminate with the Dama's death, as the Croat left her trapped under furniture as the room burned down. If the Dama is truly dead, I wonder how the Croat and Negan's dynamic will shift moving forward.
