In flashbacks, Negan bonds with Ginny as they search for her missing toy. In the present, Ginny makes her way to Manhattan. The Croat holds Perlie prisoner in the revamped Madison Square Garden where he tests the marshal's abilities in a ring fight against walkers and questions his motives. Perlie eventually reveals that he's in Manhattan hunting for Negan, much to the Croat's shock who in turn reveals that he had lost his family to cannibals near the start of the apocalypse. The tribespeople tell Maggie and Negan about the Burazi's operation which they recognize as a twisted version of the Saviors and, using the story of Negan's defeat by the Militia, inspire the tribespeople to help them. Tommaso reveals that he had been captured and tortured, but he had managed to escape using the old framework of Penn Station and the subway system which they can use to get in. Maggie opens up to Negan about the loss of Hershel and her family and Negan in turn reveals that he had sent Annie and his son Joshua to safety in Missouri after killing five men who had robbed, beaten and raped Annie in revenge, which is why he's a wanted man. Luther discovers Negan's wanted poster, leading to a fight in which Negan gives in to his darker instincts and kills Luther. After finding Ginny's toy, Maggie contemplates burning it, secretly observed by Ginny.
The episode begins with flashbacks of Negan and Ginny that extend throughout the chapter, being of great value for the development of their relationship and giving Negan a reason to fight. The series uses an interesting resource to strengthen their relationship, the stuffed dinosaur, a very symbolic element for the character. The way they communicate through whistling is also a creative shortcut of the script, since Ginny does not speak due to the trauma she suffered when she lost her father. It is almost certain that this resource introduced here must be used again, since Ginny will probably face some dangerous situation in Manhattan and will need Negan's help.
The episode's script, written by Keith Staskiewicz, gives greater importance and development time to Tomasso and Amaia's group, showing and explaining some of their moments on the island, especially Tomasso's traumas fleeing from the Croata through the sewers. Even though they don't have much screen time, it's noticeable that the group is creating bonds with the protagonists and, from what we were used to with the main series, some of the group members may die in the upcoming episodes. This becomes more likely when the characters put the plan to attack the stadium into action. Speaking of the stadium, another highlight is the Croata, the series' antagonist. His insanity and sadism are high points here, and it is clear how Negan's worldview has influenced the character, who is trying to build a kind of Sanctuary where any survivor can join. This embeds the issue of protecting people and lives up to the episode's title "people are a resource." After a long time trapped in Alexandria, Negan's perception of the world and people has changed, and an ideological conflict between the two characters will be sensational when this encounter occurs.
The test the Croata performs on Armstrong is very reminiscent of the sick spectacle that was done in Woodbury, which was the group's entertainment. Here, the series clearly references the sadistic spectacles that the Governor promoted in the third season of the main series. Despite introducing new elements, in each episode the writers bet on references to remind us that The Walking Dead will always be alive. After winning the confrontation against the walker, Armstrong finally reveals that the reason he is there is to kill Negan. Thus, the Croata now discovers that he is in Manhattan and will do everything to have his revenge.
Fortunately, Kevin Dowling's direction is very efficient and different from anything shown in the franchise so far, with less expository dialogue and more focus on the characters' drama to move the story forward. The way the two co-protagonists are written in the episode is interesting, especially in the dialogue where they share their latest traumatic experiences. The fact that Maggie argued with Hershel moments before he was kidnapped makes the character feel a guilt that we didn't know about until then and adds an extra element for her to save her son. On the other hand, Negan finally reveals that he taught a lesson to those responsible for attacking his wife, and this is why he is being sought by the Marshals - for committing this crime.
The highlight of the episode is the confrontation between Negan and Luther, which has been built since the beginning of the episode and ends here. Luther discovers that Negan is being sought and prefers to expel him to defend his group. In contrast, Negan seems to want to resolve the situation peacefully, but shows that when necessary, he unleashes his inner monster mercilessly to get rid of the situation. The old Negan needs to return in risky situations, but it is clear that the character is progressing and his development built before Dead City was not thrown away. It is clear that the story could increase the volume of madness a la Mad Max and Carpenter, but I doubt that will happen, as it is a shame how the plot has been moving at a glacial pace in the last two episodes, with more dragging than necessary with Ginny's flashback insertions, still disconnected in the story and without much purpose beyond humanizing Negan, and also the core of the group found by Maggie and Negan that is doing overtime. It will be interesting, however, how the survivors' relationship with Negan will be after Luther's death at the end of the episode.
This third episode of Dead City creates new elements for the plot and sets up the board for the final three episodes that promise to be explosive. The relationship between Negan and Maggie gains new elements in each episode, which are softening the conflicting situation between them. Many resources presented so far are increasing the scale of The Walking Dead Universe, both in settings and in deep dialogues, which have not been explored much in the last seasons of the main series. I feel that many innovations will still be introduced in this spin-off and I can hardly wait for the next episodes.
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