"Everybody Wins a Prize" was written by showrunner, Eli Jorné, and was directed by Kevin Dowling who is familiar with TWD as he directed two episodes of Season Eleven. For this episode, both the writing and direction is quite great, mostly the direction and acting. I'm so happy the writing and dialogue haven't changed since the first episode, consistent writing and great writing at that. The whole production is impressive and I'm glad AMC brought them the budget needed, everything looks great, even the VFX. Sound design and the musical score was great, which brought suspense and tension to every scene. This episode was beautifully shot, great cinematography! The editing deserves some praise too, especially the pacing which is perfect.
Maggie and Negan carry out an attack, but not everything unfolds according to plan; Ginny and Armstrong each make unexpected contact with others.
We are now on episode four of The Walking Dead: Dead City. The direction in this episode is truly terrific, Kevin Dowling is super talented and has worked on countless projects on television. The more I see Zeljko Ivanek as "The Croat", the more I like him, he plays the character perfectly. Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are once again terrific. Loved the flashback scenes with Negan at the Sanctuary, so happy and surprised that Simon which is once again played by Steven Ogg, a phenomenal actor and character. The episode was suspenseful from start to finish, each scene inside the Croat's base has you sitting on the edge of your seat. It's nice to see some good old zombie action, great action, with Maggie even using some old tricks from previous seasons. I'm glad Eli Jorné incorporated it into the episode, showing how skillful Maggie truly are after all these years surviving. The confrontation between Negan and The Croat was a great scene, of great acting and writing, brilliant direction by Kevin Dowling. This had to be the best episode of the first four, all the build up was worth it in this episode full of suspense and memorable moments. This episode met my expectations and went above them, it was brilliant, just like the golden era of The Walking Dead. Dead City is up there.