The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2, Episode 6 Review - I'm Thrilled Dead City Flipped Negan's Situation During A Major Turning Point

Warning! This review contains SPOILERS for The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2, episode 6.The Walking Dead: Dead City will never be the same after last week's episode killed off the Dama. The Croat and the Dama fought, with him leaving her pinned down by furniture to burn to death. It seemed like the Dama was not going to escape, and that was confirmed at the start of episode 6, with Negan and the Croat standing over her scorched remains. That was a brutal way for the Dama to go, and I think the show handled it just as it should have.

We have seen just how ruthless the Dama was during her time on the show. Her killing Negan's violin-playing friend earlier in the season cemented that she had to go, and now there is no one left to keep influencing Hershel. However, what I did not expect following the Dama's death was that Negan's situation would change so drastically and so quickly. Episode 6 brings major changes to Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character, while Lauren Cohan's Maggie has emotional moments with Hershel (Logan Kim) and encounters a danger I could never have seen coming.

Negan's Story In New York City Is Completely Flipped After Dama's Death

The Anti-Hero Now Has Power Again After A Long Time

Episode 6 should be divided into two parts. The first half was slower than I wanted, and I thought it would be an uneventful episode, which started to feel disappointing this late into season 2. After all, there are only two episodes left before the season 2 of The Walking Dead spinoff concludes. However, the last 20 minutes of the episode kicked things into high gear, both in terms of action and how it sets up the final episodes to be quite exciting.

I did not expect the Croat to find out that Negan had killed the Dama's rat and pitted them against one another so fast. That turned things around, leading to a confrontation that would completely change Negan's story. Morgan's performance as Negan never fails to impress, and I'm having a great time seeing the character fall back into a leadership role. It's much different than what we had seen previously from him as the leader of the Saviors.

Negan essentially exiles the Croat in this episode after a fight that involves Lucille switching hands. With the Dama dead and the Croat kicked out, Negan is now the leader of their group, becoming the most powerful person in New York City. However, he is no longer the crazed killer he once was, and Negan opens up to the historian about how he used to rule by fear.

One poignant line stayed with me, as Negan said, "Maybe the thing they needed saving from was me." That connects to Negan's decision to send his family back as soon as they arrived on the island, without ever talking to his wife and child. Being away from him keeps them safe, which is incredibly tragic. Negan has been a changed man for years, but he does not believe that he is good enough for his family.

Maggie Fights A Bear & Has An Emotional Conversation With Hershel

Bruegel's Plan Becomes Clear & Sets Up The Final Episodes

There is no way to comment on Maggie's storyline without addressing the elephant (I mean the bear) in the room. The Walking Dead and its spinoffs have used animals before for different reasons. Rick Grimes and his group had to fight rabid dogs at one point, with Andrew Lincoln's character later meeting a deer that had special meaning. The franchise's latest use of animals comes in the form of a formidable threat that I was shocked to see included in The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2.

In all fairness, when a woman was mauled to death at the start of the episode, my brain went directly to a bear, but I thought they wouldn't go there. Well, they sure did, and the beast showed up at the perfect time. After seeing little of Hershel in season 1, I'm enjoying his extended role this time around and the deep conversations we get between him and Maggie. She spent years hating Negan, but is now desperate to warn him about Bruegel's plan to kill him and take the methane.

On the other hand, Hershel is fully entranced by the Dama's words and feels Maggie has neglected him for a long time. That culminates in him attempting to walk away and even forcefully shoving his mom, which threw me off. But when Hershel steps out, there is the bear. What follows is a nerve-wracking sequence that convinced me Maggie could lose a limb to the bear in the best Rick Grimes style. Thankfully, she came out unscathed, but I wasn't ready for Maggie to be fighting a bear.

Finally, I enjoyed seeing Negan and Maggie reunite later and exchange key information, with a team-up looking likely to happen soon.