Maggie and Negan are back for season two of The Walking Dead: Dead City, and it looks like it’s the versions of each that fans of the original series loved the most. This episode brought back the characters that we got to know well in the first season, while adding a few new ones that (in my opinion) stole the show. And with the backdrop still being post-apocalyptic New York City, this season looks to be a defining moment for the series and the universe.
Welcome back.
The episode begins with showing how efficient the survivors living in Manhattan have become turning the dead into methane which powers the city. We then catch up with Maggie and Negan and see what happened after the season one finale. Maggie is looking after Hershel and Ginny, who she promised Negan that she would look after. Things are not right between the three and things are made that much worse when Armstrong and the rest of the New Babylon officials show up in search of volunteers to go on a mission into Manhattan to begin taking it back from both the dead and the multiple factions of survivors living in it.
Meanwhile, Negan is living in a cell after surrendering himself to the Croat and The Dama in exchange for Hershel being allowed to return to Maggie. Negan is brought to meet with The Dama where she makes him agree to be “the old Negan” via threatening Ginny to bring together the surrounding groups to fend off the incoming forces of New Babylon. The Croat presents Negan with a replica of his favorite weapon Lucielle, but with the addition of a built in taser (badass). Negan and the Croat manage to gather all the surrounding groups in a church, including an intriguing new character played by Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy). We then are treated to a slightly different version of the classic Negan that we met almost a decade ago, complete with the sarcasm, showmanship and bat-wielding threats we’ve all come to expect.
Old friends, new beginnings.
What made the first season work as well as it did was taking two characters that, whether we wanted to or not, we became attached to and putting them in a completely new environment. With a vastly different setting like New York City and with the rest of the group from the original series not around, it gave Maggie and Negan the chance to grow as characters and explore their (very) complicated relationship. This season takes all these aspects and builds upon them in a refreshing way. Negan’s act of taking Hershel’s place so he could return to Maggie last season hangs heavy in this episode as you can see Maggie struggling with feeling something besides hate towards Negan. And as Negan is pushed into his old ways, he struggles with where his heart now lies in this changing world.
As far as the episode itself goes, this was a pretty solid season premiere that sets up what could be a fun season. With classic performances from Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, some shockingly good scenes from Logan Kim playing Hershel, and the intrigue behind Kim Coates’ character, this was a great character episode. With an impending war, a conflicted Negan and Maggie, and a whole city full of the dead, season two of Dead City is shaping up to be a memorable one.
All episodes of The Walking Dead: Dead City are available on AMC.
Featured image courtesy of AMC. Read more articles by Tyler Carlsen here.
REVIEW RATING
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'The Walking Dead: Dead City' Season 2 Premiere - 8/10
8/10
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!
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