The Walking Dead: Dead City – Season 2 Episode 5 'The Bird Always Knows' Recap & Review

The Review Geek

3 days ago

Episode 5
Episode 5 of The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 begins with the Croat trying on a fancy suit when some men cut the lights in one of the avenues.
Perlie, Maggie and Hershel are making their way back to the park and worry about how to steal the methane supply with their dwindling numbers. Maggie recognises the Dama from Hershel's drawing and asks him. He deflects by asking about her conversation with Negan.
Well, Negan is busy watching Dama fawn over her pet rat. She lashes out at Croat for the blackout and takes him out of the Christos meeting. She even mocks his new outfit and he sulks.
Back in the park, Lucia has arrested the forager leader, Roksana, for not supporting their cause. She has Ginny oversee Perlie and Maggie's arrest for lying about Negan. Ginny complies as she is upset that Maggie didn't tell her about Negan. Lucia holds Hershel hostage as she has a job for Maggie. Maggie is to lead Negan and Croat into an ambush of the park walkers while the New Babylonians steal the methane.
Perlie is locked up with Roksana and he begs her to join Lucia. He points out that she is replaceable but Roksana stands strong in her defiance.
Meanwhile, Negan brings methane canisters as gifts for Christos who vehemently refuses to join the alliance. Negans spots several kids and finds common ground in what it is like to have one's family in danger. Christos is surprised but agrees to hear him out. Unfortunately, Croat barges in, having found Christos' knife near the cut wires. Christos tries to defend himself but he passes out. Turns out the methane canisters were open. The Burazi kill all the men in Christos' gang. Croat points out that he has left the women and children alive but Negan is upset.
Next, Maggie sneaks back into the park and tries to rescue Perlie and Roksana. When he disapproves of her strategy of going against Lucia, she locks him back in. She finds Lucia sitting with Hershel. The officer wonders if Negan and Maggie are exes since they are so obsessed with each other. Hershel is disturbed but spots Maggie and plays along. Maggie one-ups Lucia but Ginny pops up and points a gun at Hershel.
Maggie is forced to back down and Lucia arrests her. Perlie is upset and wishes he had stopped Maggie. Roksana tells him about the Road Not Taken story and adds a twist, that it's okay to have some help when venturing onto a new path.
At the theatre, Negan sows discord by pointing out to the Croat that the Dama treats her rat better than him. Negan even covers for him but the Dama still blames the Croat for losing Christos' gang. He rambles his defence but Dama simply considers it a kid's tantrum. Negan looks smug.
That night, the public executions of Roksana, Maggie and Perlie begin. Lucia is cruel as she hangs Roksana mid-speech. The foragers' cry attracts the park walkers. They let themselves be taken and Lucia starts killing them to shut them up. Ginny is bothered and helps Perlie escape. Maggie almost hangs but she escapes and goes after Lucia who has Hershel. But Walker Roksana kills Lucia.
Maggie and Hershel make it back in and regroup with Ginny and Perlie. Ginny had been impaled by a branch but she keeps her wound hidden. Maggie asks Hershel about the Dama again and he reveals that she understood him. But he never wanted to hurt anyone and regrets the ferry deaths. They are interrupted by Bruegel and his men.
It cuts to the rat being crushed to death. The Dama suspects the Croat and lashes out at him, she claims he is nothing without her. He has had enough and points out that the methane is all him. She is a queen with no real power. She bites him and in the scuffle, the chandelier falls on her. He tries to help but stops himself and runs off as she burns.
At the end of The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 5, we see that it is Negan who killed the rat.
The Episode Review
The one flaw with The Walking Dead spin-offs starring the original cast is that they don't invest in ensembles. Not like the parent show or Fear The Walking Dead. It is very clear that the main leads are the original characters like Daryl and Carol, Rick and Michonne, Maggie and Negan.
This means there is no actual danger to them, heavy plot armour and expected plot twists that will save our heroes right on time. Three of the supposed bad guys in Dead City Season 2 are killed before they can do any real damage. Governor Byrd doesn't even get her own death scene.
And sure, we are not watching these spin-offs for the danger and excitement TWD used to provide, killing off main characters right in the middle of the season. Remember T-Dog? Yeah, good times. These spin-offs are mostly fan service and a quick cash grab. So, give us the fan service and drama. The TWD writers have three strengths that make their scripts stand out – community politics, creative walker action and character dynamics.
Instead of putting Maggie constantly on the verge of death, this chapter literally hangs her for a second but we know she is in no danger, give us some more complex Maggie and Negan interactions. Elaborate on Hershel and Dama's weird relationship. Expand the New Babylon threat to Manhattan. TWDverse has a successful formula and the writers should rely on it. Like they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
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