Episode 5 of Dead City reveals a lot of information about our main characters: everyone is lying. The good news: there are still musicals going on, albeit bad ones and we meet Croat’s boss. Yes, my little walker snacks… there is such a thing as a Frankenstein walker.
Stories We Tell Ourselves
We only have one more episode to go on Dead City before the season finale, but like I’ve said before, having Team Negan in New York is the best scenario for us loyal fans who were getting a wee bit bored with TWD. I mean, after eleven seasons, we needed a change. While Maggie (Lauren Cohan), Tommaso (Jonathan Higginbotham), Amaia (Karina Ortiz) and Ginny (Mahina Napoleon) make their way through the walker-packed sewers, they must deal with the methane gas.
Maggie doesn’t trust Tommaso and rightfully so, as we learn early on in the episode. When Ginny tries to run away, Maggie tells the girl to never trust Negan. Ginny might not be able to speak, but this kid is observant, and she knows who is telling the truth. Due to the methane gas, Maggie is dealing with some repetitive flashbacks, (how many times do we have to rewatch Glenn’s brutal death?)
We learn that Perlie is intent on taking Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) back to New Babylon to stand trial. Croat has destroyed every boat, but Perlie (Gaius Charles), who has worked the docks with his brother, knows that the Chelsea Piers are able to float. Outnumbered by walkers, Perlie and Negan hide out at a school where they see some very strange artwork. Negan is constantly saving Perlie’s butt, but when they come upon a person with an axe sticking out of its head, Perlie opens up to Negan. After seeking shelter inside a bus, Perlie talks about his brother. Was Perlie’s brother, who was a drug addict, as bad as Perlie wanted to believe or was his brother a victim of circumstances? Perlie is now reevaluating his opinion about his brother and Negan, especially after learning that Negan was a gym teacher, and that Negan killed those men because of what they did to his wife.
While Negan and Maggie deal with their situations, we follow Croat as he drives through this once magnificent city. Moving the series to New York gives us fresh blood. There are so many places to hide in a big city, and the sense of isolation and despair is also much more striking. The skyscrapers are not only refuge, but tombstones. In one of the most bizarre scenes, the Croat (Zeljko Ivanek) enters a theatre where a motley group of survivors are putting on a performance, giving new meaning to “The show must go on.”
Dama
So, it seems that strong women are the staple element of an apocalyptic world and that even the Croat has to answer to someone. We are introduced to a very interesting character. Dama (Lisa Emery) is very upset with the Croat allowing Negan to slip through his fingers. She doesn’t want Negan dead. She wants Negan to be part of their team. I don’t think they want Perlie’s world messing with their kingdom. I hope we will be seeing more of her in the second season, and I am very curious about her backstory, especially after we see the Croat groveling for her forgiveness.
Conclusion
Everyone lies. Was I really shocked that Tommaso was the mole who alerted the Burazi? Not really. His story about his escape never did ring true, but that is because he was promised a boat and a safe place for him, Amaia and their team. Maggie caught on as soon as he “found” those oxygen tanks. Unfortunately, Tommaso and Amaia are attacked by sewer walkers before Amaia considers Maggie’s offer of living in her community. I was shocked to learn that Maggie has been lying to Negan. Ginny knows! The Croat was not stealing food. Hershel is insurance for Negan.
In one of the foulest and rewarding scenes of this episode, Maggie had to fight a Frankenstein walker. This walker is what happens when several walkers become attached to each other. It is a nightmare of arms, legs, and heads. Ginny escapes and fires a flare that both Negan and Maggie see. Who will reach the child, first? All in all, it was an awesome episode and I can’t wait until next week’s review.
