TWD Dead City
- Thread starter ELCHawk
- Start date
BTW, for anyone waiting to watch the Sunday night broadcast of this on AMC, it'll be on in the 9PM EST timeslot, with Fear's midseason finale airing right after it.
If this next episode is as good as the last 2, the moved time slot will benefit Fear.
Not super excited about the Maggie/Negan show, but my wife actually is willing to try it
The Walking Dead: Dead City
Season premiere - Episode 1: "Old Acquaintances"
Maggie / Hershel: Maggie sits at a harbor, using a spotting scope to scan Manhattan Island, where she sees the decaying remnants of familiar buildings...and thousands of walkers spilling over on every street. She's almost bitten by a walker, but manages to escape. Later, she arrives at a bar / brothel, her questions to the the bartender & owner raise enough suspicion for the staff to attempt to kill her, but Maggie--now more lethal than ever--turns the bar owner's knife on herself & uses spring-loaded shoe blades to attack another. As the attempted murder fails, in walks Negan with a teenaged girl. Negan meets Maggie's stare and bolts from the bar.
Negan / Ginny: Negan and Ginny--on foot--are overtaken by Maggie's truck; Negan tries to crowbar her, but she blocks the swing, bringing her knife to Negan's throat. Later, Negan (sustaining a cut to his leg) grins at a wanted poster--his wanted poster from the "New Babylon Marshals" by order of a "New Babylon Federation -Tranquillitas Ordinis". Negan guesses Maggie is after him because of Hershel; as it turns out, Maggie's recent encampment (called the Bricks) has been forced to pay tribute to a large, Manhattan-based group led by someone called "The Croat", who used Negan's infamous whistle before every raid. Eventually, supplies ran low, so The Croat's group took hostages for ransom--Hershel among their number.
Maggie concluded The Croat's whistle was no coincidence, so she needed to find Negan in the hope of doing what she did not want to do: ask him for help. Negan admits The Croat was a member of the Sanctuary in it early years, but this man was unhinged. Negan knows Maggie believes he owes her--pretty much a life debt--and he needs some sort of protection, as he's running out of places to go. Maggie makes him an offer: the Hilltop is well-stocked and has a functioning school, so if he helps, she can move to the location, but Negan is another matter.
Maggie / Negan: On the road, Maggie passes by the New Babylon city limits sign, where two reanimated victims of an execution are hanging. Maggie observes how attentive Negan is to Ginny, but she's curious about the girl never saying a word; Negan recalls Ginny was a member of a farming community, and when her father left unexpectedly, Ginny tracked him, only to discover he had turned into a walker, which shocked her into silence ever since.
Marshal Perlie Armstrong: NBF marshals--led by Perlie Armstrong--visit the bar, asking its patrons about Negan, accusing the wanted man of murdering a magistrate and four others by hanging them upside down and cutting them from their groin to the head. He continues, filling them in on Negan's reign over the Sanctuary...and his practice of beating the heads of victims, referencing Glenn's murder in front of Maggie.
Armstrong--fond of his harsh law and order job--often quotes penal codes for various infractions, and acts a judge and jury when he faces any resistance. Disbelieving the bar owner, the marshal takes her outside, pressing her against a fence to attract walkers to her. The bar owner admits to seeing Negan and Maggie, but does not know anything else. Appearing to accept her answer, Armstrong then accuses her of aiding & abetting a fugitive, then shoves the woman through the gates into a waiting group of walkers. As the woman is devoured, Armstrong tells his young deputy Jano (who seems more worried about the woman leaving a lot of broken bones in her wake)--that he did not want to kill the woman, but needed to.
Maggie / Negan II: Ginny is dropped off in the care of Maggie's group. Maggie deals with nightmares of Negan beating Glenn to death. Never the fool, Negan knows Maggie might have an urge to kill him (she threatens as much--a reply to his casual threat to kill her), but she, as he points out, needs him. Maggie preps a boat for a trip to Manhattan to investigate a high rise which pumps out smoke every morning and evening on schedule, leading her to believe it not only houses people living there, but Croat's base.
The duo take cover as Armstrong's truck stops to sweep the area (SEE NOTES); While Armstrong and Gritz (the third member of the marshal unit) head in one direction, Jano moves off alone, and is taken prisoner by Maggie. Before the marshals can intervene, Negan & Maggie motor away--using Jano as their human shield. Not to be robbed of his prize criminal, Armstrong readies their own boat...
Negan wants to throw Jano overboard, feeling he's a liability to the mission; Maggie argues he's insurance and does not care what Negan's opinion is. Negan understands how Hershel's kidnapping is motivating part of her behavior, but he's had enough, accusing Maggie of bringing up old memories and feelings he thought she buried long ago, and it taking it out on him at every turn. In his view, there are no bad guys anymore, asking Maggie in all of the years of the ZA, how many husbands and fathers has she killed (SEE NOTES), but Maggie only relies that Negan's signature murder cannot be put to bed.
Reaching Manhattan, Negan asks Maggie to take care of Ginny after this is all over--with Maggie assuming he's not going back to her for some reason (implied death during the rescue mission). As the trio make their way to the smoking building, they're taken aback by tossed bodies slamming into cars; wherever they go, bodies are dropped with the obvious intention of killing them. They see a music-blasting truck leading a horde of walkers down a street, but several break off, heading toward the trio. Hiding behind piles of trash bags, the trio are plagued with another problem: armies of cockroaches crawling all over them (SEE NOTES). Not being able to tolerate that, the trio has no choice but to face the walkers, until the creatures are shot down by Armstrong and Gritz; the trio breaks into a clothing manufacturing building, followed by the marshals--Armstrong ordering Gritz to kill everyone in the building.
The building: Armstrong calls out to Maggie, trying to put her at ease with personal information, and a promise to hear her out. Negan--seeing Armstrong is moving in on his position--tells Jano to move, but the man is slow to respond, just in time for a walker to pounce on the screaming, inexperienced Jano. Negan kills the walker, grilling the man about moving when told, but the junior marshal is shot in the head by his superior.
Gritz guards the exit, which is compromised by a horde of walkers; the marshal is piled on and devoured.
Armstrong spots Negan breaking into another exit and takes aim, but has to fight a knife-wielding Maggie; Armstrong overpowers her, attempting to crush her windpipe with his rifle, even after she chokes out her need for Negan to help her rescue her son. Maggie whips her chain necklace at Armstrong's face, and takes the opportunity to knock him out with his rifle, but she has to stop herself from beating his head in...all observed by Negan. The two make their way up to another room by match light--until its blown out by a crazed old woman...
The Croat and Hershel: Elsewhere, teenaged Hershel sits tied to a chair. A bald man with a mutilated ear--the Croat Maggie's referred to--enters and begins asking Hershel about Negan--if he ever met the man who killed his father. Hershel stills himself, not allowing Croat to play this particular mind game, letting the man know he will not provide information. Clearly psychotic, The Croat selects a weapon and places it on the teen's leg, crumbling his pretense of appearing strong. Whatever torture The Croat had in mind is brought to a halt by one of his lieutenants, who informs him that someone has escaped.
On a rooftop, a shirtless, butchered man frantically climbs toward railings, fire escapes--anything offering a chance for freedom. The Croat and two lieutenants casually follow the man, telling him he will be set free if he tells them what he wants to know. The escapee refuses, finding his way to a cable running across two buildings. Using a pulley on the cable, the man swings past his tormentors, heading to the roof of the adjacent building...until The Croat cuts the cable, sending the man screaming to his death. The Croat mentions that the twenty stories the man fell is "..a new record."
NOTES:
The first of the post-TWD limited series makes its debut, showing longtime viewers a glimpse of how overrun and decayed a major city would be some 10+ years into the zombie apocalypse...
There's been another time jump, as evidenced by Hershel now appearing to be an older teenager. Maggie and her son left Alexandria for a new community called the "Bricks". We will have to wait to learn why she parted ways with her longtime friends, and perhaps get a few hints about their fate.
What happened to Negan's wife Annie, and the child they were expecting? Perhaps Negan saying he's "paid a price" was a reference to his new family.
Perlie Armstrong gives a little backstory on the government's response to the outbreak in New York, which consisted of blowing up bridges and other access routes in the hope of containing the walkers. The head marshal was not too impressed with the military's act. The Armstrong character is a series regular, and quite ruthless (I believe he deliberately murdered his own deputy) so that obviously heightens the danger to Negan, since The Croat will be hunting for him as well.
Regarding the new Big Bad The Croat--good start. Like the Governor before him, he too has a Rhee tied to a chair, only the son has not been tortured yet.
Overall, its a strong start for the series, and since Maggie has tossed her borderline acceptance of Negan (as depicted in TWD series finale) out of the window, one wonders if the showrunners will have the guts to push the Maggie / Negan relationship toward a fatal conclusion.
Season premiere - Episode 1: "Old Acquaintances"
Maggie / Hershel: Maggie sits at a harbor, using a spotting scope to scan Manhattan Island, where she sees the decaying remnants of familiar buildings...and thousands of walkers spilling over on every street. She's almost bitten by a walker, but manages to escape. Later, she arrives at a bar / brothel, her questions to the the bartender & owner raise enough suspicion for the staff to attempt to kill her, but Maggie--now more lethal than ever--turns the bar owner's knife on herself & uses spring-loaded shoe blades to attack another. As the attempted murder fails, in walks Negan with a teenaged girl. Negan meets Maggie's stare and bolts from the bar.
Negan / Ginny: Negan and Ginny--on foot--are overtaken by Maggie's truck; Negan tries to crowbar her, but she blocks the swing, bringing her knife to Negan's throat. Later, Negan (sustaining a cut to his leg) grins at a wanted poster--his wanted poster from the "New Babylon Marshals" by order of a "New Babylon Federation -Tranquillitas Ordinis". Negan guesses Maggie is after him because of Hershel; as it turns out, Maggie's recent encampment (called the Bricks) has been forced to pay tribute to a large, Manhattan-based group led by someone called "The Croat", who used Negan's infamous whistle before every raid. Eventually, supplies ran low, so The Croat's group took hostages for ransom--Hershel among their number.
Maggie concluded The Croat's whistle was no coincidence, so she needed to find Negan in the hope of doing what she did not want to do: ask him for help. Negan admits The Croat was a member of the Sanctuary in it early years, but this man was unhinged. Negan knows Maggie believes he owes her--pretty much a life debt--and he needs some sort of protection, as he's running out of places to go. Maggie makes him an offer: the Hilltop is well-stocked and has a functioning school, so if he helps, she can move to the location, but Negan is another matter.
Maggie / Negan: On the road, Maggie passes by the New Babylon city limits sign, where two reanimated victims of an execution are hanging. Maggie observes how attentive Negan is to Ginny, but she's curious about the girl never saying a word; Negan recalls Ginny was a member of a farming community, and when her father left unexpectedly, Ginny tracked him, only to discover he had turned into a walker, which shocked her into silence ever since.
Marshal Perlie Armstrong: NBF marshals--led by Perlie Armstrong--visit the bar, asking its patrons about Negan, accusing the wanted man of murdering a magistrate and four others by hanging them upside down and cutting them from their groin to the head. He continues, filling them in on Negan's reign over the Sanctuary...and his practice of beating the heads of victims, referencing Glenn's murder in front of Maggie.
Armstrong--fond of his harsh law and order job--often quotes penal codes for various infractions, and acts a judge and jury when he faces any resistance. Disbelieving the bar owner, the marshal takes her outside, pressing her against a fence to attract walkers to her. The bar owner admits to seeing Negan and Maggie, but does not know anything else. Appearing to accept her answer, Armstrong then accuses her of aiding & abetting a fugitive, then shoves the woman through the gates into a waiting group of walkers. As the woman is devoured, Armstrong tells his young deputy Jano (who seems more worried about the woman leaving a lot of broken bones in her wake)--that he did not want to kill the woman, but needed to.
Maggie / Negan II: Ginny is dropped off in the care of Maggie's group. Maggie deals with nightmares of Negan beating Glenn to death. Never the fool, Negan knows Maggie might have an urge to kill him (she threatens as much--a reply to his casual threat to kill her), but she, as he points out, needs him. Maggie preps a boat for a trip to Manhattan to investigate a high rise which pumps out smoke every morning and evening on schedule, leading her to believe it not only houses people living there, but Croat's base.
The duo take cover as Armstrong's truck stops to sweep the area (SEE NOTES); While Armstrong and Gritz (the third member of the marshal unit) head in one direction, Jano moves off alone, and is taken prisoner by Maggie. Before the marshals can intervene, Negan & Maggie motor away--using Jano as their human shield. Not to be robbed of his prize criminal, Armstrong readies their own boat...
Negan wants to throw Jano overboard, feeling he's a liability to the mission; Maggie argues he's insurance and does not care what Negan's opinion is. Negan understands how Hershel's kidnapping is motivating part of her behavior, but he's had enough, accusing Maggie of bringing up old memories and feelings he thought she buried long ago, and it taking it out on him at every turn. In his view, there are no bad guys anymore, asking Maggie in all of the years of the ZA, how many husbands and fathers has she killed (SEE NOTES), but Maggie only relies that Negan's signature murder cannot be put to bed.
Reaching Manhattan, Negan asks Maggie to take care of Ginny after this is all over--with Maggie assuming he's not going back to her for some reason (implied death during the rescue mission). As the trio make their way to the smoking building, they're taken aback by tossed bodies slamming into cars; wherever they go, bodies are dropped with the obvious intention of killing them. They see a music-blasting truck leading a horde of walkers down a street, but several break off, heading toward the trio. Hiding behind piles of trash bags, the trio are plagued with another problem: armies of cockroaches crawling all over them (SEE NOTES). Not being able to tolerate that, the trio has no choice but to face the walkers, until the creatures are shot down by Armstrong and Gritz; the trio breaks into a clothing manufacturing building, followed by the marshals--Armstrong ordering Gritz to kill everyone in the building.
The building: Armstrong calls out to Maggie, trying to put her at ease with personal information, and a promise to hear her out. Negan--seeing Armstrong is moving in on his position--tells Jano to move, but the man is slow to respond, just in time for a walker to pounce on the screaming, inexperienced Jano. Negan kills the walker, grilling the man about moving when told, but the junior marshal is shot in the head by his superior.
Gritz guards the exit, which is compromised by a horde of walkers; the marshal is piled on and devoured.
Armstrong spots Negan breaking into another exit and takes aim, but has to fight a knife-wielding Maggie; Armstrong overpowers her, attempting to crush her windpipe with his rifle, even after she chokes out her need for Negan to help her rescue her son. Maggie whips her chain necklace at Armstrong's face, and takes the opportunity to knock him out with his rifle, but she has to stop herself from beating his head in...all observed by Negan. The two make their way up to another room by match light--until its blown out by a crazed old woman...
The Croat and Hershel: Elsewhere, teenaged Hershel sits tied to a chair. A bald man with a mutilated ear--the Croat Maggie's referred to--enters and begins asking Hershel about Negan--if he ever met the man who killed his father. Hershel stills himself, not allowing Croat to play this particular mind game, letting the man know he will not provide information. Clearly psychotic, The Croat selects a weapon and places it on the teen's leg, crumbling his pretense of appearing strong. Whatever torture The Croat had in mind is brought to a halt by one of his lieutenants, who informs him that someone has escaped.
On a rooftop, a shirtless, butchered man frantically climbs toward railings, fire escapes--anything offering a chance for freedom. The Croat and two lieutenants casually follow the man, telling him he will be set free if he tells them what he wants to know. The escapee refuses, finding his way to a cable running across two buildings. Using a pulley on the cable, the man swings past his tormentors, heading to the roof of the adjacent building...until The Croat cuts the cable, sending the man screaming to his death. The Croat mentions that the twenty stories the man fell is "..a new record."
NOTES:
The first of the post-TWD limited series makes its debut, showing longtime viewers a glimpse of how overrun and decayed a major city would be some 10+ years into the zombie apocalypse...
There's been another time jump, as evidenced by Hershel now appearing to be an older teenager. Maggie and her son left Alexandria for a new community called the "Bricks". We will have to wait to learn why she parted ways with her longtime friends, and perhaps get a few hints about their fate.
What happened to Negan's wife Annie, and the child they were expecting? Perhaps Negan saying he's "paid a price" was a reference to his new family.
Perlie Armstrong gives a little backstory on the government's response to the outbreak in New York, which consisted of blowing up bridges and other access routes in the hope of containing the walkers. The head marshal was not too impressed with the military's act. The Armstrong character is a series regular, and quite ruthless (I believe he deliberately murdered his own deputy) so that obviously heightens the danger to Negan, since The Croat will be hunting for him as well.
Regarding the new Big Bad The Croat--good start. Like the Governor before him, he too has a Rhee tied to a chair, only the son has not been tortured yet.
Overall, its a strong start for the series, and since Maggie has tossed her borderline acceptance of Negan (as depicted in TWD series finale) out of the window, one wonders if the showrunners will have the guts to push the Maggie / Negan relationship toward a fatal conclusion.
Damn, this was amazing. Seeing New York in the Walking Dead apocalypse was really cool, Negan and Maggie reuniting was a treat. The Croat seems to be an interesting if purely Evil villain.
I really like the worldbuilding they've set up concerning this New Babylon community which apparently will be central for this show. Though not quite as advanced as the Civic Republic or the Commonwealth, it's still step up from the communities we've seen of Walking Dead and Fear and appears to have some manner of modernish law enforcement capabilities with its Marshal service, though as we've seen with Armstrong, they are operating within wild west sort of values. Armstrong himself seems somewhat of a gray-area antagonist. Though not against dirtying his hands for his own perceived greater good, he does appear to have his own code of values he's trying to uphold.
Interesting start anyway.
I really like the worldbuilding they've set up concerning this New Babylon community which apparently will be central for this show. Though not quite as advanced as the Civic Republic or the Commonwealth, it's still step up from the communities we've seen of Walking Dead and Fear and appears to have some manner of modernish law enforcement capabilities with its Marshal service, though as we've seen with Armstrong, they are operating within wild west sort of values. Armstrong himself seems somewhat of a gray-area antagonist. Though not against dirtying his hands for his own perceived greater good, he does appear to have his own code of values he's trying to uphold.
Interesting start anyway.
Exactly - i clocked out sometime during the Negan "war" when they came to his place, had a dozen guns pointed at him and none of them blasted the fucker right then and there. Settle the score once and for all.
It's a TV show of course and Negan is an awesome villain / Jeffrey Morgan an awesome actor so they can't waste them on a small skirmish but then again don't write yourself into such a situation that blows all credibility ( in a zombie show
).I only read up about the show after i stopped and when i read that Maggie didn't immediately blast his head off when they met just shows i made the right decision to leave the show then.
Wow...impressive... huge jump from Fear...i see why it made sense for them to show it first and push Fear midseason finale till later
The Walking Dead: Dead City
Season 1 - Episode 2: "Who's There?"
Maggie / Negan / Hershel: Esther--aka the crazed old woman--leads Maggie & Negan to her sanctuary via guide lines across buildings. Once in the target building, Esther leads the pair to a number of survivors armed with some rather unique weapons. Esther tries to clam the situation down, but Tommaso and Amaia--the most aggressive of the bunch--do not trust the strangers at all. Escorted through the building, Maggie & Negan see a large group of fairly organized people, indoor gardens, etc. The duo are locked in a restroom, where Negan begins sharpening a broken piece of time. Maggie challenges Negan and the new group's usefulness, and discuss The Croat:
"Right around the time that the world turned into shit soup, The Croat showed up at my door, so to speak. He had been through...let's just say...some really bad shit. Worst shit imaginable. So I took him in...kept him from brain-painting the walls, and soon he was callin' me his brother. He said that I made him feel safe.
I guess at that point, everybody was lookin' for sanctuary from the Hellfire we'd all been damned to--I mean we'd lost...everything. The thing is, I uh--I really thought I was helping him."
"It takes a monster to make one, I guess."
"No. No..y'see, I was only a monster when I absolutely had to be. When I had to put on a show to protect my people. But anyway, the..The Croat had a way of readin' people, and then toying with them. And pulling them apart. When a threat needed to be handled, it was a skillset that I found very useful."
"He was your torturer."
"I took it too far. It was um...during one of our skirmishes with The Kingdom--before your time. A person holed up in a car a couple of miles from The Sanctuary. It seemed to me she was a drifter...nothin' to do with us or anything we were up to. So, I gave him a direct order: let her walk. The Croat...he uh, he saw it differently. Thought that she had beans to spill. And he was right. She was a--a scout. At least that's what she copped to before uh...ah..before he...she was just a kid.
So, after that, I knew he was a rabid dog that needed to be put down. I had one shot. One. I missed. Blew off his ear. The rest got away. Haven't seen--heard from him since. Until now, of course."
"...so he's gonna wanna kill you."
"He sure is."
"You didn't think to tell me this before?"
"I do know how he operates, Maggie."
"Of course you do."
The Hilltop Colony / Nina / Ginny: Ginny is introduced to the Colony's group of children, learning a few things about life at the encampment. Nina sees how pensive Ginny is since Negan's trip, but Nina does her best to make the girl feel at home...
The Hilltop Colony flashback - Maggie and Hershel: Some time ago in the same room, Maggie gently chided Hershel for missing several training sessions with his Bō staff. She stresses the importance of learning to defend himself at all times, warning the teen about what would happen if he was not prepared. Hershel bluntly states he guesses he would die. Hershel's become quite the artist, drawing some sort of superhero, but the moment his mother compliments his work, he crumples the illustration, sulking as he leaves his room. Maggie recovers the drawing, and thinks about her son (SEE NOTES).
Marshal Perlie Armstrong: The marshal wakes up to find the ground floor filled with walkers--including the now reanimate corpse of Gritz. With his rifle out of reach (laying in the path of the walkers), he pulls a note from his pocket, which reads:
Joel Armstrong
Oliver St. Apt. 505
NY, NY 10038
Sneaking out of the building, Armstrong locates and breaks into the apartment of Joel Armstrong. He assumes the level of old trash, filth and dust means Joel abandoned it long ago. Rifling through drawers, he finds a gun case, but its empty, and in that moment, he sees a body laying in a chair. It is Joel Armstrong, with a gunshot wound to the head--brain matter spattered on the wall. Perlie tries to take the gruesome sight all in, but finds his composure--and a crucifix with Rosary beads on the floor, which he holds as if he's going to keep it. Instead, he covers Joel with a sheet and carefully lays the crucifix on the body. Walkers are at the door, so Perlie takes the fire escape down to the alley, where he's caught in a net snare...
Maggie / Negan II: Tommaso retrieves Maggie and Negan as the entire group of survivors frantically collect possessions, preparing to escape from an oncoming group. Tommaso growls that their captives are responsible for whatever's happening. Failing to convince the group of his innocence, Negan grabs Tommaso, holding a sharpened piece of tile to the man's throat, but releases the man to prove they are not enemies. Satisfied Negan and Maggie's intentions were honest, all race for the exits, but are cut off by the intruders--all dressed in black gear with motorcycle helmets covered with sharp objects. The intruders attack anyone in sight, with one attempting to kill Tommaso until Amaia fires her weapon--a sort of grappling gun--into the assailant and retrieves the cable, leaving a lethal hole in the stranger. Maggie walks up to the dying man and stomps on his neck.
On the rooftop, the fleeing group is confronted by one of the attackers--holding Esther hostage. Negan tries to talk the stranger down, who ignores Negan and stabs the old woman to death. As Tommaso cradles Esther, Negan unmasks the man and struggles not to harm him.
Negan escorts the stranger back to the walkway overlooking the entrance, where an unmasked man (Negan refers to as "neck-beard") and others are called out by Negan, who uses the "knock, knock" game, punctuating each utterance by shoving the strangers head though windows. Negan resorts to his old, barbaric ways by laughing at the group while giving a weather prediction for rain--more specifically blood caused by slitting the stranger's throat, then gutting the man--his entrails falling on the intruders. He threatens them with a "hurricane" if they trouble anyone again, previewing the storm by tossing the dead man onto the neck-bearded leader, killing him. Maggie (watching from a distance) is chilled by watching the old Negan in action again. Negan turns to see a horrified Maggie, but he does not say a word to her.
The Hilltop Colony: Ginny cannot sleep and will not sit still while Negan is away. Gathering her things, she steals a motorcycle, heading toward the docks...
The Croat and Perlie: Several cars pull up to the snare net; Perlie is set free by men wearing the same modified helmets as the attackers seen earlier. One of the men is The Croat, who looks Perlie over before having his men take the marshal away...
Maggie and Negan III: Mulling over their future, the survivors admit there is not a larger group to join. Tommaso adds that anyone getting on the island never leaves, predicting Maggie's boat has been deliberately sent to the bottom of the ocean. Maggie reveals her search for Hershel, knowing The Croat has taken him prisoner. Amaia promises her group can help her reach The Croat---if Maggie is "looking to die".
NOTES:
Needless to say, the episode title--"Who's There?" is the game's question for a reply--a title from TWD's "Here's Negan" (S10 / E22), the backstory episode which laid out the origin of the transformation of Negan as loving family man to brutal, vengeful killer. That Negan has returned, but one might believe its more of a character he can use when necessary, rather than it being his true self.
Hershel--despite being born during the zombie apocalypse--is not a fighter, but an artist. Or that's what he is at the moment, which explains how quickly he was shaken by The Croat's threats. Not that any adult would not fear that, but in the premiere episode, Hershel initially tries to put up a cold, strong front, but it turned out to be just that--a front.
The practice of retconning character history in order to bolster a heretofore unknown, major player in a lead character's life is nothing new, but Negan's biography of The Croat sort of undermines all that was built up about Negan, Simon and the Sanctuary, since they were supposed to be the worst threat ever faced by TWD's heroes, but the old Negan did make a return appearance, so it will be interesting to see what The Croat will do to top that in the inevitable clash between the two.
GRADE: A.
Season 1 - Episode 2: "Who's There?"
Maggie / Negan / Hershel: Esther--aka the crazed old woman--leads Maggie & Negan to her sanctuary via guide lines across buildings. Once in the target building, Esther leads the pair to a number of survivors armed with some rather unique weapons. Esther tries to clam the situation down, but Tommaso and Amaia--the most aggressive of the bunch--do not trust the strangers at all. Escorted through the building, Maggie & Negan see a large group of fairly organized people, indoor gardens, etc. The duo are locked in a restroom, where Negan begins sharpening a broken piece of time. Maggie challenges Negan and the new group's usefulness, and discuss The Croat:
Negan:
I guess at that point, everybody was lookin' for sanctuary from the Hellfire we'd all been damned to--I mean we'd lost...everything. The thing is, I uh--I really thought I was helping him."
Maggie:
Negan:
Maggie:
Negan:
So, after that, I knew he was a rabid dog that needed to be put down. I had one shot. One. I missed. Blew off his ear. The rest got away. Haven't seen--heard from him since. Until now, of course."
Maggie:
Negan:
Maggie:
Negan:
Maggie:
The Hilltop Colony / Nina / Ginny: Ginny is introduced to the Colony's group of children, learning a few things about life at the encampment. Nina sees how pensive Ginny is since Negan's trip, but Nina does her best to make the girl feel at home...
The Hilltop Colony flashback - Maggie and Hershel: Some time ago in the same room, Maggie gently chided Hershel for missing several training sessions with his Bō staff. She stresses the importance of learning to defend himself at all times, warning the teen about what would happen if he was not prepared. Hershel bluntly states he guesses he would die. Hershel's become quite the artist, drawing some sort of superhero, but the moment his mother compliments his work, he crumples the illustration, sulking as he leaves his room. Maggie recovers the drawing, and thinks about her son (SEE NOTES).
Marshal Perlie Armstrong: The marshal wakes up to find the ground floor filled with walkers--including the now reanimate corpse of Gritz. With his rifle out of reach (laying in the path of the walkers), he pulls a note from his pocket, which reads:
Joel Armstrong
Oliver St. Apt. 505
NY, NY 10038
On the rooftop, the fleeing group is confronted by one of the attackers--holding Esther hostage. Negan tries to talk the stranger down, who ignores Negan and stabs the old woman to death. As Tommaso cradles Esther, Negan unmasks the man and struggles not to harm him.
Negan escorts the stranger back to the walkway overlooking the entrance, where an unmasked man (Negan refers to as "neck-beard") and others are called out by Negan, who uses the "knock, knock" game, punctuating each utterance by shoving the strangers head though windows. Negan resorts to his old, barbaric ways by laughing at the group while giving a weather prediction for rain--more specifically blood caused by slitting the stranger's throat, then gutting the man--his entrails falling on the intruders. He threatens them with a "hurricane" if they trouble anyone again, previewing the storm by tossing the dead man onto the neck-bearded leader, killing him. Maggie (watching from a distance) is chilled by watching the old Negan in action again. Negan turns to see a horrified Maggie, but he does not say a word to her.
The Hilltop Colony: Ginny cannot sleep and will not sit still while Negan is away. Gathering her things, she steals a motorcycle, heading toward the docks...
The Croat and Perlie: Several cars pull up to the snare net; Perlie is set free by men wearing the same modified helmets as the attackers seen earlier. One of the men is The Croat, who looks Perlie over before having his men take the marshal away...
Maggie and Negan III: Mulling over their future, the survivors admit there is not a larger group to join. Tommaso adds that anyone getting on the island never leaves, predicting Maggie's boat has been deliberately sent to the bottom of the ocean. Maggie reveals her search for Hershel, knowing The Croat has taken him prisoner. Amaia promises her group can help her reach The Croat---if Maggie is "looking to die".
NOTES:
Needless to say, the episode title--"Who's There?" is the game's question for a reply--a title from TWD's "Here's Negan" (S10 / E22), the backstory episode which laid out the origin of the transformation of Negan as loving family man to brutal, vengeful killer. That Negan has returned, but one might believe its more of a character he can use when necessary, rather than it being his true self.
Hershel--despite being born during the zombie apocalypse--is not a fighter, but an artist. Or that's what he is at the moment, which explains how quickly he was shaken by The Croat's threats. Not that any adult would not fear that, but in the premiere episode, Hershel initially tries to put up a cold, strong front, but it turned out to be just that--a front.
The practice of retconning character history in order to bolster a heretofore unknown, major player in a lead character's life is nothing new, but Negan's biography of The Croat sort of undermines all that was built up about Negan, Simon and the Sanctuary, since they were supposed to be the worst threat ever faced by TWD's heroes, but the old Negan did make a return appearance, so it will be interesting to see what The Croat will do to top that in the inevitable clash between the two.
GRADE: A.
I have AMC+, but I only watched the first episode so far.
It's off to a fantastic start so far. Maggie & Negan are two of my favorite characters, and so I love that they've gotten their own show, and what we got with them here was fantastic.
The set up with The Croat taking Herschel and his history with Negan was a nice way to force them back together.
I haven't halfish of the last season of the original TWD, so I wasn't if New Babylon was introduced there or new to the series.
Perlie is an interesting new character, he's a ruthless SOB, but at the same time he doesn't seem to be an entirely bad guy.
The Croat on the other hand, seems like he's got potential go down with Negan 1.0 and The Governor as a great TWD villain.
Really like what we got in NYC here, seems like it'll be a really interesting and creepy setting for the series.
It's off to a fantastic start so far. Maggie & Negan are two of my favorite characters, and so I love that they've gotten their own show, and what we got with them here was fantastic.
The set up with The Croat taking Herschel and his history with Negan was a nice way to force them back together.
I haven't halfish of the last season of the original TWD, so I wasn't if New Babylon was introduced there or new to the series.
Perlie is an interesting new character, he's a ruthless SOB, but at the same time he doesn't seem to be an entirely bad guy.
The Croat on the other hand, seems like he's got potential go down with Negan 1.0 and The Governor as a great TWD villain.
Really like what we got in NYC here, seems like it'll be a really interesting and creepy setting for the series.
I don't think it really undermines Negan's rule. Yes, he was very vicious, but he had his limits and rules. He had no qualm taking out "rapey Davey" or Simon when he massacred the Heapsters.
Him trying to take out the Croat sounds like Negan, though him missing and not being able to find the Croat seems off.
If there is a retcon, it seems like how limited the Saviors really were might be one...or maybe i just imagined that the Saviors had more than 1 outpost that supervised a few fiefdoms (like they did with The Kingdom and Alexandria; and hvaing 4 lieutenants, each supervising a few each)
====
Negan reverting back gives him some great dialogue and makes him "fun"... but him struggling with having "fun" with that and being a "good guy" seems like a natural growth.
Not sure if these will be answered, but questions abound for me:
1. Is the fuel bio-fuel or something? Without an industrial complex, it seems weird/impossible to me that gas is back for vehicles to run this late in the apocalypse, on one isolated island. But i saw in the after-segment that the Croat is something of a scientist, so maybe he made it? We will see... are there a lot of car mantainence places on Manhattan? If it is like Downtown Chicago and the other 3 sides of Chicago, it seems unlikely there is much.
2. What happened to Annie & the Baby? Is Negan on the run, and left her in orer to protect her and the baby? Or were they killed?
3. It's kinda hard to be shocked by deaths that are coming from characters we barely knew. Esther and Michelle Hurd's character... kinda sad, but not enough emotional investment for me to care. (Kinda like the civil engineer who died in the very first season of TWD... Ed's death was more "emotional")
As much as many hated what Negan did to Glenn,and left the show, i think just as many really liked Negan as a character, and want to see where he goes.
We will have to see if the ratings hold up, or if they drop like a rock.
Agreed. You'd think Negan would have put the warning out in every direction (with a Saviors presence) to kill The Croat on sight.
I'm guessing the Croat--knowing that foot travel in ZA/NY was not conducive to surviving, so he was quick to find someone--or a group--to control for the purpose of making gas--sort of like Brain's strained relationship to The Duke in Escape from New York.
Negan saying nothing about them sort of suggests Annie and the baby were killed, which explains why Negan has now taken on a guardian or parental role with Ginny.
I haven't officially given up on TWD, but I'm several seasons behind. I'm kind of tempted to watch this as a bit of a fresh start, based on some of the reviews.
It kind of helps that the first ep has gotten the Joe Bob treatment on Shudder.
It kind of helps that the first ep has gotten the Joe Bob treatment on Shudder.
Another great episode. Not much more to add, this show is certainly hitting all cylinders and we're only two episodes in. The Croat's people having helmets adorned with blades allowing them to headbutt walkers is a cool idea and it was certainly fun to see Negan slip into his old persona and deliver some great jabs at the attackers. "A neckbeard and a rat's tail? I get it, the whole world went to hell, why bother giving a shit? But a man should still have some standards and some lines should never be crossed."
Is @TREK_GOD_1 sick or on vacation? Missed his latest review for this week's episode.
So they definitely went back to Negan's "People are a resource" slogan... but couldn't they use old footage to have Jeffrey Dean Morgan say it, with the Croat in added footage in the background?
It seems like they could save some money by using old footage as "flashbacks"
Also, we know see the Croat having a true reason to team up with the Sherriff, and "play nice"... now, does the wanted poster say Dead or Alive?
OK...looking at the previews, Negan doesn't have any repurcussions for killing somebody??
And i take it Maggie doens't actually burn the doll, but just walks away?
This is 6 episodes, right? hmm... 1/2 through and already confronting the Croat... we shall see how it turns out.
Hopefully we actually see Annie in Eisode 6. Weird that we never saw any flashbacks actually with her.
So they definitely went back to Negan's "People are a resource" slogan... but couldn't they use old footage to have Jeffrey Dean Morgan say it, with the Croat in added footage in the background?
It seems like they could save some money by using old footage as "flashbacks"
Also, we know see the Croat having a true reason to team up with the Sherriff, and "play nice"... now, does the wanted poster say Dead or Alive?
OK...looking at the previews, Negan doesn't have any repurcussions for killing somebody??
And i take it Maggie doens't actually burn the doll, but just walks away?
This is 6 episodes, right? hmm... 1/2 through and already confronting the Croat... we shall see how it turns out.
Hopefully we actually see Annie in Eisode 6. Weird that we never saw any flashbacks actually with her.
The Walking Dead: Dead City
Season 1 - Episode 3: "People Are a Resource"
Manhattan Tribespeople / Tommaso / Amaia I: After killing a deer for food, Tommaso and Amaia bring Maggie & Negan up to speed on their backstory leading up to severing ties with The Croat, who still hunts their group, first offering protection and shelter, now hunting them as enemies.
The Tribespeople observes one of The Croat's repurposed parade float cars slowly leading hundreds of walkers toward the stadium. Tommaso admits he once broke out of The Croat's lair, but is reluctant to even show Maggie the way in, feeling The Croat's group is an insurmountable force. Negan chimes in, telling the story--his story--of how a guy from "down south" was much like The Croat, offering a sanctuary manned by psychopaths who also brought the "hammer" down those who did not join their group--until another group was fed up enough to take that hammer back. Maggie assures Tommaso and Amaia that historical reference proves defeating an evil collective can be accomplished again.
Manhattan Tribespeople / Tommaso / Amaia II: Tommaso agrees to help, illustrating a map of the stadium and its passageways to tunnels he once used to escape. Negan and Maggie notice several deep, long scars on Tommaso's back. Maggie mentions Negan's past with The Croat, which sparks Luther's interest. Even after Maggie adds that it was Negan who shot The Croat's ear off, Luther is still quite negative, assuming a rescue mission for someone (Hershel) who is already dead is not the worth the risk. Negan tries to table the conversation, but Luther has not changed his mind.
The Croat and Perlie I: Several cars race to the stadium, including an ambulance holding Perlie. He's forced out, with The Croat watching him the entire time, but refuses to say a word. As Perlie is led away, he sees workers dunk walker bodies into large, water-filled tanks connected to metal cylinders.
Soon, he's handcuffed to the railing of the stadium's still decked-out luxury box. Down on the court, several people work around a caged arena, doing everything from moving materials to fight training with staffs. A waiter walks in, setting dinner plates on the table, then positions himself near the railing. The Croat walks in, and though he's not getting a response from Perlie, he takes the time to get his prisoner up to speed, starting with having electricity. Pre-ZA, The Croat's profession was developing alternative energy sources, and as the ZA unfolded, he concluded that the most natural resource for energy was the dead--the bodies beak down, they produce methane, and its gasses can be pressurized into a liquid fuel.
The Croat tosses the handcuff key to the table, and tells Perlie that above all else, his people must remain safe, so Perlie will not be offered shelter. Cutting into his meat, The Croat violently pushes himself away from the plate when he sees a maggot burrowing into the meat. Questioning the waiter about his obvious lack of care during food inspection, and how bacterial of this kind can be lethal, The Croat takes the handcuff key, makes the waiter swallow it, then cracks the man's skull against the box railing before tossing his corpse down to the arena. More angry than shocked, Perlie stares at The Croat.
Maggie / Negan: Maggie fingers through a small metal box, staring at the last of her family mementos: a picture of herself with Hershel as an infant, the entire Greene family back at the farm, her father's pocket watch and a sketch of Glenn (SEE NOTES).
Negan walks in, trying--in his own way--to comfort her after Luther wrote off Hershel. He gives Maggie a scavenged cap similar to the one worn by Glenn as a gift for Hershel. Maggie recalls the night The Croat invaded her community, and how Hershel had become so defiant to her, he would not hide when ordered to, instead opting to grab a shovel as if that was going to do anything. Calling him "stupid" for the act, Hershel told her to get off of his "damn back for once", which were their last words to each other.
Maggie states that all she has left of the few people who ever meant anything to her are in that box.
Negan finally reveals what happened to Annie and a child named Joshua: a few years earlier, the family had been living in a cabin, and on a random trip into town for trading, Annie had been robbed, beaten and raped. Although Annie begged Negan not to "do anything stupid", he found the five assailants, and while Negan did not really want to kill them, he did. After putting his family on a wagon train to Missouri, he promised to follow--but he did not. Negan adds that he thinks of his family every day, hoping to God they're alright, and in a moment of self-reflection, says he probably has no right to hope, but they have nothing else except hope.
Maggie takes in all of Negan's story, perhaps making him harder to read than ever before. Still, she accepts the hat intended for her son.
Ginny: On the streets, Ginny runs for her life as a herd of walkers pursue her. As she dodges walkers, she drops the stuffed dinosaur toy, and while forced to hide, she watches a female scavenger find the toy. Memories of the bond she was developing with Negan (SEE NOTES) drives her to follow the woman.
Manhattan Tribespeople / Tommaso / Amaia III: The group gathers for dinner; each holds some personal object above the head before carefully setting it in front of them. Luther then leads the others some sort of a prayer chant. Maggie almost sets the sketch of Glenn in front of her, holds back, but joins in prayer.
Uninterested in participating, Negan opens his eyes, looking around at everyone.
The Croat and Perlie II: At the arena, The Croat riles up a large crowd, pointing to a tank with a "dead friend" inside, who should not be mourned because death is not an end, and people are a resource.
Guards bring Perlie to the arena; The Croat asks the marshal if he has anything to say. Staying silent, Perlie is forced to breath in methane--double vision and disorientation among its effects. Shoved into the cage, Perlie is handcuffed to a pole as the waiter--now a walker--is set loose in the cage. As a very interested Croat watches, Perlie fights off the effects of methane, using his handcuff chain to saw off the walker-waiter's head.
Howling spectators throw bottles into the cage, giving Perlie the idea to use a broken bottle to dig into the waiter-walker's stomach, gutting the area enough to locate the handcuff key--just as guards push more walkers into the cage. Freeing himself, Perlie fights off each walker, then starts to unlace one of his boots--until he hesitates and switches boots, which does not go unnoticed by The Croat.
Perlie kills the walkers, and is taken back to the luxury box. To humanize himself (and ease Pelie's tense mood), The Croat talks about his own life at the beginning of the ZA--how he once hid in a post office with his wife and two girls, but they were starving, so one day, while he searched for food, others attacked his family, using them as food.
While distracted, The Croat's men forcibly remove Perlie's boot, which contains a letter from Perlie's brother--one beginning with a sense of hope (that he would be saved), and drifting to desperation explaining the scene Perlie discovered (in E2). Perlie agonizes over The Croat violating this most painful part of his life, which finally pushes the man to talk--yell in protest, then come clean about his mission to find a wanted man named Negan. Obviously, the mention of that name perks up The Croat's ear...
Negan/Luther: In the kitchen, Negan searches for anything which could be used as a weapon--only finding a cheese grater. He's confronted by Luther, who has found Negan's wanted poster. Using the poster's charges as support of his own feelings about Negan, Luther orders him to leave, taking Maggie with him. Negan flatly refuses, tries to bring down the temperature to pass. Luther stands in his way, leading Negan to swing a skillet at the man, which is met by Luther placing Negan in a bear hug (SEE NOTES). Feeling the pressure to his spine, Negan rakes the cheese grater across Luther's forehead, turning his face into a bloody mess.
Blinded by his own blood, Luther falls backward--his head landing on a pipe. In the throes of death, Luther is put out of his misery by Negan, who pushes his head down on the pipe...
Maggie / Ginny: The female scavenger drops off items for the Tribespeople--including the stuffed dinosaur. Realizing what it means, Maggie pretends it would make a nice gift, and once in her possession, she takes the toy outsode to burn it (SEE NOTES), unaware that Ginny is watching her...
NOTES:
I'm really enjoying the character studies in this series. I'll take that over zombie horror any day.
The series reveals the fate of Annie and a young son named Joshua. Annie's horrifying ordeal is a reminder that rapists will always be a threat in the ZA world, and not just one-offs from the franchise's past (e.g., the "Claimed" gang, Negan's executed thug David--aka "Rapey Davey", et al.), although some might not sympathize with Negan (despite his killing David for attempting to rape Sasha) due to his abominable practice of forcing women to be his wives--essentially sex slaves. That said, Negan's story is about Annie, and although I'd like to see more of the character, her being sent to Missouri seemed like writer-speak for a character that was written out of the franchise.
TWD franchise never runs out of ways for the walkers to be used in some inventive way. After more than a decade of the zombie apocalypse, where the living have used the dead primarily as tools for deadly forms of "entertainment" (witnessed in this episode), attacking armies (The Whisperers, et al.), guard dogs / traps (The Wolves) and practice dummies (FTWD's P.A.D.R.E.), it has finally come to the most sensible use: energy. The Croat took advantage of the walkers, but the way the military disposed of them to find the inspiration to convert the decomposing bodies into a potentially endless energy source.
Maggie burning the stuffed animal was a wee bit perplexing: did she do it to prevent Negan from finding out, logically assuming Ginny was on the island, which would remove him from her search and rescue mission? Or, did she burn it as a sin that she's severing ties between Ginny and Negan (who found the toy) because she intends to kill him after Hershel's rescue?
The Luther / Negan fight played out in a believable way; Negan was no physical match for Luther, and would've died if not for the cheese grater. Considering the teaser for E4, the rescue team seems to be moving ahead with their operation with Negan, which makes me wonder how he will explain Luther's death, when everyone knew Luther and Negan were at odds?
In one of several Ginny / Negan flashbacks, Negan repairs the dinosaur toy for the girl, while teaching her how to whistle a signal originally devised by his late wife, Lucille.
GRADE: A.
Season 1 - Episode 3: "People Are a Resource"
Manhattan Tribespeople / Tommaso / Amaia I: After killing a deer for food, Tommaso and Amaia bring Maggie & Negan up to speed on their backstory leading up to severing ties with The Croat, who still hunts their group, first offering protection and shelter, now hunting them as enemies.
The Tribespeople observes one of The Croat's repurposed parade float cars slowly leading hundreds of walkers toward the stadium. Tommaso admits he once broke out of The Croat's lair, but is reluctant to even show Maggie the way in, feeling The Croat's group is an insurmountable force. Negan chimes in, telling the story--his story--of how a guy from "down south" was much like The Croat, offering a sanctuary manned by psychopaths who also brought the "hammer" down those who did not join their group--until another group was fed up enough to take that hammer back. Maggie assures Tommaso and Amaia that historical reference proves defeating an evil collective can be accomplished again.
Manhattan Tribespeople / Tommaso / Amaia II: Tommaso agrees to help, illustrating a map of the stadium and its passageways to tunnels he once used to escape. Negan and Maggie notice several deep, long scars on Tommaso's back. Maggie mentions Negan's past with The Croat, which sparks Luther's interest. Even after Maggie adds that it was Negan who shot The Croat's ear off, Luther is still quite negative, assuming a rescue mission for someone (Hershel) who is already dead is not the worth the risk. Negan tries to table the conversation, but Luther has not changed his mind.
The Croat and Perlie I: Several cars race to the stadium, including an ambulance holding Perlie. He's forced out, with The Croat watching him the entire time, but refuses to say a word. As Perlie is led away, he sees workers dunk walker bodies into large, water-filled tanks connected to metal cylinders.
Soon, he's handcuffed to the railing of the stadium's still decked-out luxury box. Down on the court, several people work around a caged arena, doing everything from moving materials to fight training with staffs. A waiter walks in, setting dinner plates on the table, then positions himself near the railing. The Croat walks in, and though he's not getting a response from Perlie, he takes the time to get his prisoner up to speed, starting with having electricity. Pre-ZA, The Croat's profession was developing alternative energy sources, and as the ZA unfolded, he concluded that the most natural resource for energy was the dead--the bodies beak down, they produce methane, and its gasses can be pressurized into a liquid fuel.
The Croat tosses the handcuff key to the table, and tells Perlie that above all else, his people must remain safe, so Perlie will not be offered shelter. Cutting into his meat, The Croat violently pushes himself away from the plate when he sees a maggot burrowing into the meat. Questioning the waiter about his obvious lack of care during food inspection, and how bacterial of this kind can be lethal, The Croat takes the handcuff key, makes the waiter swallow it, then cracks the man's skull against the box railing before tossing his corpse down to the arena. More angry than shocked, Perlie stares at The Croat.
Maggie / Negan: Maggie fingers through a small metal box, staring at the last of her family mementos: a picture of herself with Hershel as an infant, the entire Greene family back at the farm, her father's pocket watch and a sketch of Glenn (SEE NOTES).
Negan walks in, trying--in his own way--to comfort her after Luther wrote off Hershel. He gives Maggie a scavenged cap similar to the one worn by Glenn as a gift for Hershel. Maggie recalls the night The Croat invaded her community, and how Hershel had become so defiant to her, he would not hide when ordered to, instead opting to grab a shovel as if that was going to do anything. Calling him "stupid" for the act, Hershel told her to get off of his "damn back for once", which were their last words to each other.
Maggie states that all she has left of the few people who ever meant anything to her are in that box.
Negan finally reveals what happened to Annie and a child named Joshua: a few years earlier, the family had been living in a cabin, and on a random trip into town for trading, Annie had been robbed, beaten and raped. Although Annie begged Negan not to "do anything stupid", he found the five assailants, and while Negan did not really want to kill them, he did. After putting his family on a wagon train to Missouri, he promised to follow--but he did not. Negan adds that he thinks of his family every day, hoping to God they're alright, and in a moment of self-reflection, says he probably has no right to hope, but they have nothing else except hope.
Maggie takes in all of Negan's story, perhaps making him harder to read than ever before. Still, she accepts the hat intended for her son.
Ginny: On the streets, Ginny runs for her life as a herd of walkers pursue her. As she dodges walkers, she drops the stuffed dinosaur toy, and while forced to hide, she watches a female scavenger find the toy. Memories of the bond she was developing with Negan (SEE NOTES) drives her to follow the woman.
Manhattan Tribespeople / Tommaso / Amaia III: The group gathers for dinner; each holds some personal object above the head before carefully setting it in front of them. Luther then leads the others some sort of a prayer chant. Maggie almost sets the sketch of Glenn in front of her, holds back, but joins in prayer.
Uninterested in participating, Negan opens his eyes, looking around at everyone.
The Croat and Perlie II: At the arena, The Croat riles up a large crowd, pointing to a tank with a "dead friend" inside, who should not be mourned because death is not an end, and people are a resource.
Guards bring Perlie to the arena; The Croat asks the marshal if he has anything to say. Staying silent, Perlie is forced to breath in methane--double vision and disorientation among its effects. Shoved into the cage, Perlie is handcuffed to a pole as the waiter--now a walker--is set loose in the cage. As a very interested Croat watches, Perlie fights off the effects of methane, using his handcuff chain to saw off the walker-waiter's head.
Howling spectators throw bottles into the cage, giving Perlie the idea to use a broken bottle to dig into the waiter-walker's stomach, gutting the area enough to locate the handcuff key--just as guards push more walkers into the cage. Freeing himself, Perlie fights off each walker, then starts to unlace one of his boots--until he hesitates and switches boots, which does not go unnoticed by The Croat.
Perlie kills the walkers, and is taken back to the luxury box. To humanize himself (and ease Pelie's tense mood), The Croat talks about his own life at the beginning of the ZA--how he once hid in a post office with his wife and two girls, but they were starving, so one day, while he searched for food, others attacked his family, using them as food.
While distracted, The Croat's men forcibly remove Perlie's boot, which contains a letter from Perlie's brother--one beginning with a sense of hope (that he would be saved), and drifting to desperation explaining the scene Perlie discovered (in E2). Perlie agonizes over The Croat violating this most painful part of his life, which finally pushes the man to talk--yell in protest, then come clean about his mission to find a wanted man named Negan. Obviously, the mention of that name perks up The Croat's ear...
Negan/Luther: In the kitchen, Negan searches for anything which could be used as a weapon--only finding a cheese grater. He's confronted by Luther, who has found Negan's wanted poster. Using the poster's charges as support of his own feelings about Negan, Luther orders him to leave, taking Maggie with him. Negan flatly refuses, tries to bring down the temperature to pass. Luther stands in his way, leading Negan to swing a skillet at the man, which is met by Luther placing Negan in a bear hug (SEE NOTES). Feeling the pressure to his spine, Negan rakes the cheese grater across Luther's forehead, turning his face into a bloody mess.
Blinded by his own blood, Luther falls backward--his head landing on a pipe. In the throes of death, Luther is put out of his misery by Negan, who pushes his head down on the pipe...
Maggie / Ginny: The female scavenger drops off items for the Tribespeople--including the stuffed dinosaur. Realizing what it means, Maggie pretends it would make a nice gift, and once in her possession, she takes the toy outsode to burn it (SEE NOTES), unaware that Ginny is watching her...
NOTES:
I'm really enjoying the character studies in this series. I'll take that over zombie horror any day.
The series reveals the fate of Annie and a young son named Joshua. Annie's horrifying ordeal is a reminder that rapists will always be a threat in the ZA world, and not just one-offs from the franchise's past (e.g., the "Claimed" gang, Negan's executed thug David--aka "Rapey Davey", et al.), although some might not sympathize with Negan (despite his killing David for attempting to rape Sasha) due to his abominable practice of forcing women to be his wives--essentially sex slaves. That said, Negan's story is about Annie, and although I'd like to see more of the character, her being sent to Missouri seemed like writer-speak for a character that was written out of the franchise.
TWD franchise never runs out of ways for the walkers to be used in some inventive way. After more than a decade of the zombie apocalypse, where the living have used the dead primarily as tools for deadly forms of "entertainment" (witnessed in this episode), attacking armies (The Whisperers, et al.), guard dogs / traps (The Wolves) and practice dummies (FTWD's P.A.D.R.E.), it has finally come to the most sensible use: energy. The Croat took advantage of the walkers, but the way the military disposed of them to find the inspiration to convert the decomposing bodies into a potentially endless energy source.
Maggie burning the stuffed animal was a wee bit perplexing: did she do it to prevent Negan from finding out, logically assuming Ginny was on the island, which would remove him from her search and rescue mission? Or, did she burn it as a sin that she's severing ties between Ginny and Negan (who found the toy) because she intends to kill him after Hershel's rescue?
The Luther / Negan fight played out in a believable way; Negan was no physical match for Luther, and would've died if not for the cheese grater. Considering the teaser for E4, the rescue team seems to be moving ahead with their operation with Negan, which makes me wonder how he will explain Luther's death, when everyone knew Luther and Negan were at odds?
In one of several Ginny / Negan flashbacks, Negan repairs the dinosaur toy for the girl, while teaching her how to whistle a signal originally devised by his late wife, Lucille.
GRADE: A.
Did Maggie actually burn it? I mean it is obviously her intention but we end the episode with her holding the flame.... but not dropping it in yet. ANd if she did, it surely would have been a trigger for Ginny to expose herself, if not scream altogether.... which looks like from the previews is not the case.
Creating tension but then deflating it from what we see in the previews isn't smart on the marketing crew
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