‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ Season 2 Episode 4 review: “Feisty Friendly”

In the history of The Walking Dead there have been many memorable characters that left their mark on the universe. The villains, however, always seemed to have more fun with their introductions. Although his entrance was mentally scarring, Negan was one of those characters. And on The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 4, it’s only fitting that Negan introduces a new villain. After briefly meeting him in Season 2 Episode 2, we finally get to learn about Bruegel (Kim Coates), the madman who is one of the ruling leaders in post-apocalyptic New York City.

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 4, appropriately titled “Feisty Friendly,” deals with two stories that are on a collision course. The main story follows Negan, the Dama, the Croat and a group of their men on a trip to visit Bruegel at his home in the hopes of solidifying his allegiance in the coming war against New Babylon. They arrive at a large museum that Bruegel and his followers live in and immediately get a picture of who this man is.

He has collected all his favorite art pieces from around the city and displayed them in the halls. He has a lavish long dinner table looking over a large room which holds a walker gladiator ring for his entertainment (like the outdoor one seen in a previous episode). Bruegel is the king of his castle, and Negan can see right through his charade.

A long awaited reunion.

Meanwhile, Maggie and Hershel accompany Armstrong back into the city to see if they can find Negan and use him to find the methane. They figure out Negan is at the museum and decide to stake it out until they see him. Inside the museum, Bruegel treats his guests to a roasted rat dinner and a walker gladiator show. During the dinner it’s revealed that the Dama used to be a critic in the city where she, in a bit of irony, had an incident in which she bit someone. In her prime, she ran the city with her words. Bruegel’s show doesn’t fool anyone, especially the Croat, who accuses him of injecting his walker gladiator with performance enhancements. This gives Negan an idea, tricking Bruegel into a “friendly” gladiator battle between Bruegel’s best and a walker of Negan’s choosing.

Elsewhere in The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 4, Maggie decides it’s time to sneak into the museum and get Negan alone. Along with Hershel, she sets fire to one of Bruegel’s favorite art pieces as a distraction and manages to lure Negan away from the group (using his own signature whistle that he once used to intimidate Maggie and her friends). This leads to the Maggie and Negan reunion that we’ve been waiting for since they went their separate ways last season. This time, they’re definitely not friends, but they’re also not enemies.

There was a small amount of mutual respect and concern for the other’s safety, but nothing that would indicate a sense of forgiveness or guilt. The two go their separate ways, but not before Negan warns Maggie that Hershel might be working with the Dama.

Kim Coates makes an immediate impression.

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 4 brought the story back into high gear and that was in big part due to the introduction of Bruegel. Kim Coates is one of those actors that, although he hasn’t had a expansive career so far, what he has done has been so memorable that it feels like we’ve known him forever. Bringing his signature weird persona that made him a fan favorite on Sons of Anarchy to The Walking Dead universe was something I didn’t know I needed. The way he strolls into the room and commands everyone’s attention with his loud and strange tone is unmatched. And seeing him act with the likes of Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan, the king of hamming it up while being menacing, makes for some fun and unpredictable scenes.

The set design for Bruegel’s museum was visually interesting and a fun addition to the wide variety of new locations this season. And walker gladiator battles never get boring, especially when they have knives in their faces. The intertwining of Negan’s and Maggie’s stories made for one solid and fun episode.

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 airs new episodes every Sunday on AMC

Images courtesy of Robert Clark/AMC

Tyler Carlsen

From a young age, Tyler has been amazed by filmmaking and writing. When he’s not watching movies in theaters, he also enjoys playing video games and binging one of the numerous shows he’s watching at any given moment. Working with The Young Folks was a highlight of his writing career and he is looking forward to this new adventure with In Between Drafts!