Critic’s Rating: 4.75 / 5.0
4.75
Oh, Negan, what have you done?!
The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 Episode 5 was a pulse-pounding hour that ended with everything upended.
Negan has made selfish decisions in the past, but he wasn’t thinking about himself when he killed Fabian.
(Robert Clark/AMC)
Throughout The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3, Fabian has been critical of Maggie’s every move.
In a sense, I partly understand his resentment toward her because the Bricks seemed like a much stronger compound because it wasn’t in Manhattan.
There were fewer things that could go wrong. But I don’t get why he didn’t just leave the new community if it was that bad.
The way he went from being a doting father to stealing supplies to telling Negan that Maggie was a disease and that he was going to kill her was straight-up bizarre.
What Fabian failed to realize is that Maggie was not in control of the decisions. Renata had the final say on everything.
(Robert Clark/AMC)
Then again, he probably felt that Renata was merely a symptom of the disease Maggie was spreading, given the tension between them.
For Fabian to take this heel turn and stand staunchly against Maggie, the person who has repeatedly put herself in harm’s way to save her people, was a major slap in the face.
Had Negan allowed Fabian to return to the apartment building, there’s a good chance he would have done something to Maggie that would have fundamentally changed The Walking Dead universe forever.
The Walking Dead: Dead City Is Switching Things Up
The apocalypse changes people and all that jazz, but the world has been dead and buried for almost two decades at this point in the narrative.
It felt more like Fabian was losing the will to go on and was looking for a way out by starting this war with Maggie. But he made a grave error in judgment by taking those grievances to Negan.
(Robert Clark/AMC)
For the first time ever, Negan and Maggie are on great terms. They tolerate and even confide in each other, and that’s one of the best aspects of this latest chapter in their saga.
The writers have put in the work to craft a compelling dynamic between them. As a result, I knew Fabian was not walking out of that bar in one piece.
Anyone who threatens Maggie is a threat to Negan. That’s not a bad code to live by, particularly given this next phase of their relationship.
I couldn’t help letting out a cackle when Renata thought she could command Negan to lower his weapon and allow Fabian to live.
Negan doesn’t follow her community’s orders, and that’s a fundamental issue for her. She thought she could keep him at arm’s length and that he’d be there when the community was ever in a pinch.
(Robert Clark/AMC)
But now that he’s straight-up killed someone in front of her, someone she thought she could rehabilitate, she’s going to be on the warpath.
Will her smoking gun against Negan to Maggie expose him for killing the Dama? I’ve seen theories suggesting Maggie knew he’d kill the Dama while she was locked up in The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2.
That would make sense because Maggie wanted some form of vengeance for what the Dama did to Hershel. I just don’t know how Maggie is going to find a way to calm Renata down without having Negan locked up.
Maybe this will push Renata to realize that Maggie will always side with Negan if they’re squabbling or something.
I have to give credit to the writers because I have absolutely no clue how the aftermath will play out. If I had to guess, there will be arguments, but a big villain will emerge in New York City and force everyone to work together.
(Robert Clark/AMC)
Remember, the community has access to a whole host of electricity after what happened in the underground. Plus, Maggie and Luis have been handing out blueprints for it.
Anyone who gets wind of that will think there’s a lot more where that came from.
Speaking of Luis, he’s blossoming into one of the better characters in the sprawling The Walking Dead universe.
What’s working with The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 is that everyone on-screen has a reason for being there.
Luis is ushering in Grey’s Anatomy-esque subplots with a post-apocalyptic twist. He’s also becoming this wonderful mentor to Hershel.
(Robert Clark/AMC)
There’s a rapport between them, and I’d like to think that would continue if Luis and Maggie do become romantically linked.
Hershel revealing that he thinks about his father every day and doesn’t tell his mother because he knows it will hurt her was probably one of the biggest tearjerkers this series has given us to date.
Hershel Is Far Less Annoying Nowadays
Hershel went through the terrible teenager phase when he was easily manipulated and didn’t want to listen to anything his mother said.
That’s common for teenagers, but Hershel’s was especially terrifying because he was running around Manhattan and working with the bad guys.
Seriously, he was a pain in the ass. And now? He’s saving lives.
(Robert Clark/AMC)
He’s learning valuable skills in the medical field, and there’s no better job in a zombie apocalypse.
The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 Episode 5 was by far the series’ finest hour yet.
I cannot wait to see what comes next!
What are your thoughts on Negan and Maggie sipping moonshine and becoming good old pals?
Do you think Negan made the right call in killing Fabian, and what do you think Maggie will say when Renata inevitably wants him arrested?
Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.
Say something in the comments, share if you’re moved to, and keep reading. Independent voices need readers like you.
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On The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 Episode 5, resources are dwindling and the community takes a bold step. Read our review.
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On The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 Episode 4, Maggie contemplates a new romantic relationship as Manhattan decays. Read our review.
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On The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 Episode 2, tensions mount when two warring communities seek help. Read our review.
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