The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2, Episode 7 Review: I Was Not At All Prepared For Maggie & The Croat's Emotional Connection

Warning! This review contains SPOILERS for The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2, episode 7.There is only one episode of The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 left, and I think the finale could be the best of the season. However, I am somewhat mixed about what episode 7 set out to do. Instead of continuing to build on episode 6's events with a more action-oriented episode or just an eventful one, we have a slower hour that instead chooses to focus on character development. There are more insular moments with Maggie and Negan — separately, as most of the season has been — and we see a surprising new connection.

I will not deny that there is some serious character work done this week, and it sets up the finale with a shocking ending that I really did not expect. Season 2's penultimate episode did a solid job in that regard, as it slowly developed its main characters through a series of complicated challenges that saw them look inside themselves and discover what makes them keep fighting on amid increasing obstacles. Negan and Maggie's journeys are strengthened by episode 7, and for that, I forgive the slow pacing and the trippy elements that did not always land.

Maggie & The Croat Go On A Mission Together

Negan Takes A Walk Down Memory Lane

The Croat is one of the most interesting figures on the show to me. There have been moments when I felt he was truly despicable; however, as the show has progressed, I've come to understand that he is another addition to the morally gray characters in The Walking Dead Universe. I never expected to be cheering for Maggie and the Croat to become allies, but episode 7 sure changed my mind in the best way. The Croat's story has taken a turn in the last few episodes with the Dama's death and Negan casting him out.

In episode 7, we see the character at the peak of his insecurities. Željko Ivanek is extremely skilled at bringing what I believe is the most vulnerable performance this season. Sure, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan also get to tap into their best dramatic work in episode 7, which tests Negan and Maggie in different ways, but Ivanek's Croat is the star of the hour. Maggie's fear of heights was unexpected, and the way the Croat helped her through it and made sure she no longer saw him as a threat was endearing to watch.

Episode 7 shows just how painful the Croat's life has been and why he seeks validation from others. His poor relationship with his mother explains a lot about his dynamic with the Dama and why he tolerated being berated by her. Croat aside, episode 7 sees Maggie do everything she can to find her son and show how her love for Hershel empowers her to conquer her fears. As for Negan, I loved the way Morgan played his reaction to hallucinating Lucille, Annie, and his son. Negan is vulnerable, full of regrets, and doesn't know if he can be better.

Dead City Sets Up The Season 2 Finale With A Climactic Ending

A Major Character Comes Back From The Dead

I truly believed that episode 7 would end with an emotional reunion between Maggie and Hershel. But I should have known that things were looking too good to be true as, out of nowhere, the Dama appeared. Just when I thought the Dama was dead, the show surprisingly pulled her back in. The Croat left her pinned down by furniture while the room burned, and we later saw a charred corpse right where she had been, so I hope The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 finale has a good explanation for her survival.

The Dama's presence sets up quite the finale. We learned in episode 7 that the Croat did not forcefully cut off Hershel's toe; Hershel was so taken by Dama's plans that he willingly let his toe be cut to help her. After seeing just how much of a pull Lisa Emery's Dama has over Hershel, I don't think Maggie will have an easy time convincing her son to turn away from the villain in the finale. If anything, I fear Hershel might already be lost, which would be a shame.

While Hershel might never switch sides, Negan gets the chance to save Ginny after she decides not to kill him. I loved how he put himself in harm's way for her and managed to come back with a ventilator that could help her recover. I'm hoping for the best, as Ginny's situation looks critical. Episode 7 ends with Maggie and Negan in very different situations. The former is knocked out by the Dama, while the latter vows to kill all of Bruegel's group to keep Ginny safe. With tensions high, the finale will bring the season to a boiling point.

The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 episodes air on AMC and AMC+ weekly every Sunday.