This post contains spoilers from The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 episode 8.
The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 concludes with several twists, including Maggie's thirst for revenge, Bruegel's defeat, and the loss of a beloved character. The war over the methane reaches its breaking point, and a cliffhanger that will carry over to season 3.
The Dama's control
Maggie awakens, tied up and seeking escape, only to find a key lodged in a filing cabinet. Shortly after accessing the key, Dama enters the room and immediately starts using the same tactics she used on Hershel.
Much to Maggie's dismay, she notices the missing key (most likely because she planted it there) and orders Maggie to hand it over. Maggie frees herself before throwing the key, willing to comply temporarily for the sake of her son.
Dama wastes no time in tormenting Maggie, reflecting on her past with Negan to the point that she orders Maggie to kill Negan. Between the Dama's influence and Hershel's plea, Maggie agrees to kill Negan.
Negan vs Bruegel
As much as Negan would rather stay with Ginny, who remains unconscious, he knows he must face Bruegel. He gives Ben permission again to leave the church.
Bruegel indeed arrives with a full crew, Perlie included (who had previously questioned Bruegel on Ginny's disappearance but receives no promise of her current state), dropping their weapons at the door. He presents to Negan a large wooden statue as a token of peace, only to find Negan and his crew making a similar peace offering with a table full of food.
Far from the trusting type, Bruegel refuses to eat, prompting Negan to do so without issue. But it doesn't take long before the two battle it out.
By flipping over the table, hidden walkers are revealed. Men emerge with flamethrowers, lighting up slick pews.
But Bruegel is just as clever, having stashed weapons on his own within the statue. As the battle rages on, Negan gets the upper hand and finds Bruegel with Perlie trying to escape beneath the church.
Lining them up with Lucille 2.0 in hand, Negan is ready to kill, but he decides to use the methane and fire to kill Bruegel. When Negan searches for Perlie, who briefly escaped, Maggie goes for the kill, stabbing Negan in the back.
As he crawls towards Ginny's room, Maggie takes Lucille, ready to deal a final blow. Simultaneously, both come to discover that Ginny had died and turned.
This moment hit just as hard as walker Sophia emerging from Hershel's barn way back in season 2 of The Walking Dead. It was completely unexpected and cruel, especially to Negan, who breaks down and cries.
Maggie gives him the honors in killing Ginny. The moment brings Maggie back, and when she returns to see Dama, her son is waiting, hoping for good news.
Maggie tries once again to reach her son, explaining why killing Negan will resolve nothing. Hershel becomes enraged and leaves the room.
The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 ending
The season 2 finale concludes with Ben keeping watch with one of Negan's henchwomen, on the rooftop, armed with walker bodies, when they discover an incoming boat on the Hudson. Another boat is already ashore and within seconds, a New Babylon Marshal arrives, killing the woman but sparing Ben, who tells him he's with New Babylon.
When Maggie rejoins Negan and Perlie, tending to Negan's wound, the three discover the second wave of New Babylon's defense has arrived for the methane. The three are once again working together, however, this time, finally, as a team, and not enemies.
Review
The season 2 finale certainly exceeded my expectations for better and worse. It was a bummer to have Bruegel killed off this early, considering he was one of the far more enjoyable TWD villains, easily beating the Wolves and Pope.
While it was exciting to see Maggie come to grips with becoming the monster Negan once was, her motivation for doing so was very rushed and unrealistic. I was hoping she was playing along to use for a bigger plan she was brewing, but nope, one conversation and she was agreeable to practically anything Dama asked of her.
It could be because she's just so mentally exhausted from having to deal with Hershel's erratic behavior, but I'm not convinced Maggie would have been so easily manipulated. Ginny's death wasn't just sad, it was downright disappointing.
Of all the ways to kick Negan when he's down, when he's been down time and time again, you still choose to do this? You chose to have him lose someone he cared dearly for in a similar manner to his own first wife?
Add to it, Ginny was relatively a kid! Seriously?
I'm guessing Governor Byrd isn't somehow dead, because how did more reinforcements arrive unless she had it planned that if they hadn't contacted back home by a certain time, they had to be deployed? Or is there someone else with power running things back home?
While I liked season 1 more than season 2, this season still had a lot of elements to it that still make Dead City my favorite spinoff of the current three. I prefer the New York location (which, again, I say that loosely as Boston looks literally nothing like NYC), I like the villains more than the CRM or Genet, and I like how the story between Maggie and Negan shifted.
A lot of fans are really missing out if all they think is happening is Maggie and Negan's endless feud. The two hardly spoke this season, going on separate journeys that eventually coincided.
I am left with a lot of questions and even higher expectations for season 3. But I also left satisfied that Dead City hadn't fallen off the deep end by remaining true to the story, characters and lore of the TWD.
Stream The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 releases on AMC.
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