Maggie and Negan are officially trapped in Manhattan, looking for Hershel, but they must find their way around this strange city while avoiding zombies. Yes, that is the eternal question inside of everyone’s mind in this terrible universe, but for these two, it’s a major hurdle to jump over unless they can find some help or a “safe” spot to develop a new game plan. Episode two of this new series, The Walking Dead: Dead City, continues with the action with “Who’s There?”
1. New Yorkers
We couldn’t have a TWD spin-off without some of the real unknown variables in this wild world, humans. After being “robbed” by a pigeon lady named Negan, she leads them to a large group of people held up in a building. They, of course, take Negan and Maggie as prisoners and strip them of their little weapons until they can figure out if they can trust them. It’s funny because Maggie starts lying to them from the jump about why they are in the city, and once they’re behind closed doors, Negan is the one trying to understand why she couldn’t just tell the truth. You’d think she’d appreciate the power of honesty and, if not asking for help, to show they’re not here to mess anything up for this group of people. It doesn’t take long for this situation to go their way once the Croat’s Burazi soldiers break into the building, and our two protagonists show their worth in times of crisis.
2. Negan’s Past
Maggie knew Negan had a past with the Croat but didn’t know how it ended. Negan reveals that the two met from the jump when the world went to hell, and Negan was seen as a guardian to him for a time. The Croat soon became the head torturer for Negan and his crew when it came to protecting their people, but after he’d killed a young woman who later “admitted” to being a spy for The Kingdom, Negan knew it was time for him to go. Negan’s shot at taking him out only ends with a missing ear for the Croat. After hearing all this, Maggie is kicking herself in the ass for thinking the man who was supposed to be the middle man has become “kill on site.” Of course, it would never be a straight shot for this type of mission, but knowing Negan and his silver tongue-like attitude, he could hold his own long enough for Maggie to do some groundwork, but that’s a problem for the future.
3. Just Ginny
As Negan tries to survive in Manhattan, his former traveling companion, Ginny, tries to find her place in New Hilltop City. She has someone that introduces her to a classroom of similar-aged students, almost like a makeshift high school setting that feels like a chance at some teenage storylines. I.E., romance, drama over small things, and bullying by some random characters. However, she goes off alone in the middle of the night after one day of seeing how things are. In the first episode, Negan mentions that she hasn’t spoken since she watched her father turn into a zombie, so we, as the audience, can only interpret things through body language and the faces she makes. Overall, it seems like she has the ‘stranger in a strange land vibe where she’s just uncertain of this new world and, rather than give it a chance, would try to figure stuff out on her own.
4. Old Habits
So far, one of the best moments in this new show is getting a glimpse of old-school Negan. I’m talking about when he was wheeling and dealing with his crew of saviors. Yes, it was bad that he killed Glenn and Abraham, but his confidence and quick wit were something to be appreciated. When talking to Maggie about Crout, he mentions that he only “acted like a monster” when it meant protecting his people. To a certain extent, he had some truth to it because he had a sort of good heart and understood people’s strengths and weaknesses, so his intelligence was a major factor. Either way, once the pigeon lady that led him and Maggie was killed, he grabbed one of the burglars and slit his throat to shower the floor with blood and send a message. All the while he’s doing this, he’s laughing and making jokes and giving an eerie glimpse into the power he still has. The heart-wrenching part of this is Maggie watching this with her eyes wide open and confirming all her bad thoughts about him. Negan may have changed in certain ways, but she knows he might take it if he wants or gets an opportunity to return.
5. Lonesome Marshall
Marshall Armstrong is on his own after losing both men he brought along to hunt for Negan. (One of them he accidentally shot, and a horde of zombies took the other) On his own and trying to find a safe place to devise a new plan, we see him look at a letter. Initially, it’s thought to be a driving force to keep going for his, supposedly, wife and daughters, but it turns out to be an apartment where he once lived with his parents and brother. Nothing is said throughout the entire scene, but he does his best to pay respect to the bodies in the apartment of his loved ones by covering them up with blankets around the apartment. Upon doing so, we’re reminded of the zombies, and they breach the apartment, and he’s forced out, only to end up in a trap by the Croat and his Burazi soldiers.
