‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ Review: Gritty in the City

The Walking Dead universe has explored an array of areas, but there’s something about a rundown city that’s incredibly appealing. Horror that takes place in a city usually has a feeling of grittiness and unease. Throw zombies into the mix and you’ve got a big bowl of terror. Of course, no The Walking Dead series is perfect (repetition and tired tropes are easy to fall into) in the slightest. Where does The Walking Dead: Dead City fall, in terms of quality? Somewhere in the middle, leaning towards not that bad!

Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) working together is very much a recipe for disaster. Fans saw as much during The Walking Dead, and we’re never allowed to forget that Negan killed Glenn (Steven Yeun). It’s like a constant opening of the wound, and at this point it’s exhausting. In Dead City, Maggie requesting Negan’s assistance, in order to save her son from a deranged man, is portrayed in a complicated light. She holds so much disdain for him and yet needs him. It’s very much a conundrum, right? And I doubt any of us watching season 7 all those years ago would have thought this series would ever happen.

The premiere establishes a tone that remains consistent throughout the whole season. The Walking Dead: Dead City is certainly more cinematic in how it’s shot, and there’s something fresh about it. Of course, random characters (that aren’t all that interesting) are sprinkled in and serve their purpose. The main characters outside of Maggie and Negan are a mixed bag. However, if you’re watching this series then you’re here for well … Maggie and Negan. And also the great gore, as well as the walker designs that are straight out of your nightmares.

Years have gone by (in universe) since the series finale of The Walking Dead. What happened during that time is explored at a decent enough pace. We get new flashbacks of Negan when he was leader of the Saviors, and interesting details are explored. Throughout the season, we get to see the bubbling tension between Negan and Maggie. There’s nothing out of character about how Maggie sees Negan (and vice versa). We’re continuously reminded why she feels the way she does.

There are plenty of shocking turns that will keep you interested until the season finale. If you think you have the series pinned down already, you could easily be wrong. It’s best not to step into The Walking Dead: Dead City with expectations either way. There’s no point in ruining your own experience with the episodes, and yes, some are stronger than others. None of the episodes are bad per se, but the final two episodes are the best and do make a case for a second season.

The Walking Dead: Dead City will satisfy The Walking Dead fans that enjoy horror set in the city, miss the old Negan, enjoy seeing Maggie be a badass, and are craving something a bit ominous. It might be the best of the spinoffs (we’ll see how the others play out), especially if the season finale leads to another season. I say give it a chance on June 18th on AMC and AMC+ if any of what I’ve said sparks any interest.

(featured image: AMC)