The unlikely duo of Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is back for the third season of The Walking Dead: Dead City. After two seasons of the two facing off against each other on opposite sides of the conflict, the season three premiere, “Trillium,” acts as a sort of reset for both the characters and the story.
With so many emotional moments from the season two finale and the mounting tension, this season looks to follow the “what comes next.” In season three, Maggie and Negan realize they are safer together against the pending storm of New Babylon. There might even be a new peace treaty brewing between them.
The end of season two saw many drastic decisions. Maggie spares Negan, Ginny is put down, and the Dama and Hershel leave as the New Babylon forces enter NYC. Season three begins with Maggie burying Ginny in Central Park as an emotional Negan arrives upset about not being the one to bury her. Negan is also upset that Maggie – literally – stabbed him in the back. The two continue to argue until Maggie offers to let Negan stab her in the back to “clear the air”.
New characters inject the series with a new energy.
As this fight comes to a head, two new characters named Renata and Luis surprise them with guns drawn. The siblings explain they heard Maggie say Negan’s name and they want to use him to locate the methane that The Croat has. As they begin walking into the city, Hershel appears just as an explosion goes off, sending everyone flying in a cloud of smoke.
As the smoke clears, Maggie and Negan are fighting off walkers with their hands bound and the siblings come across The Croat who has been bit and is slowly dying. The siblings find Maggie, Negan, and Hershel and explain that they need the methane from The Croat to power medical equipment for a loved one of theirs who is about to give birth early.
We then learn that months ago the Croat showed up to the sibling’s home and killed the father of the baby about to be born. As everyone makes a plan, Negan wanders off and finds a bar with a strange man named Dillard, who “runs” it with walkers as patrons who have been made harmless by him. Dillard then shows Negan that he has used the above apartment building to create his own personal food chain including turkey’s, frogs, and maggots.
An important shift in the central relationship.
Maggie goes to find Negan to explain the plan to get the methane and tells him she genuinely needs him this time and can’t do it without him. This moment begins a shift in the relationship between Maggie and Negan. While the mission ends up being a disaster because of the methane being destroyed, they manage to find the supplies needed to restart the methane-making process as the Croat succumbs to his wounds and dies in Negan’s arms.
The baby is born, and Maggie and Negan part ways for now, but on much better ground than they began the premiere with. The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 Episode 1 promises more tension; however, it ends as the Dama begins her plan to regain power.
Maggie has understandably hated Negan ever since he swung Lucielle at Glenn’s head in The Walking Dead. Negan is responsible for the brutal death of the love of her life. Throughout the rest of that series and in the first two seasons of Dead City, we’ve seen as Maggie still doesn’t trust or necessarily like Negan even in his reformed new state that has been slowly improving over years. The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 Episode 1 is the first time where Maggie and Negan come to an understanding and it doesn’t immediately fail.
The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 Episode 1 carves a new path ahead for the series.
Who knows whether this peace between them will last. For fans of the original series, this is either intriguing or very upsetting. Along with the returning cast of solid actors, the addition of the siblings, played by Aimee Garcia and Raul Castillo, is a welcome change to the show’s structure.
They brought with them a new group and new situation that Maggie and Negan see an ability to help. And of course, the addition of Jimmi Simpson’s Dillard as the questionable bar owner gives Negan an unlikely friend in a moment where he was feeling his loneliest.
The writing for the premiere is strong and offers a refreshingly approach. The repetitive storyline about the Croat and Dama was growing stale. This shift in focus to the city opening up is an exciting direction for the story to take. New York City has always been a character in this series and the creators once again do a great job of using the city to create exciting and new situations for our favorite characters to survive. The path ahead looks promising, with more of Maggie and Negan working together to come.
The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 Episode 1 is available now on AMC+.
Image courtesy of AMC.
REVIEW RATING
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The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 Episode 1 - 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!
