The Walking Dead: Dead City – Season 2 Episode 8 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

The Review Geek

23-06-2025

Episode 8
Episode 8 of The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 begins with the Dama holding Maggie captive. Cue the big evil monologue as Dama confesses that she is using them all to create a better world. But since Negan failed her, she wants Maggie to kill him and take his place as the leader.
She points out that Maggie can get Hershel back and set herself free after killing Negan. Hershel too promises her that killing Negan will help them start over. Maggie finally agrees.
Was Benjamin ever loyal to Negan?
Negan sits by Ginny's side but she doesn't get better. Despite Bruegel's ambush, Benjamin refuses to leave as he doesn't have anywhere to go. He promises to be by Negan's side. But when Negan confronts Bruegel, Benjamin hangs out on the roof with a Burazi guard.
The guard sees through his cowardice and how he only cares about staying alive. Suddenly, several boats pop up. A New Babylon sheriff arrives and kills the guard. To save himself, Benjamin states that he is with New Babylon. In the end, he even leads them all to the methane supply.
How does Bruegel's ambush end?
Perlie learns that Bruegel sent Ginny to kill Negan. He rants about putting her in danger and unknowingly reveals that Ginny and Negan care for each other. He is further upset on learning that Bruegel has no qualms in using her to control Negan.
However, he still joins the ambush, but in disguise. Negan is one step ahead as he traps the Silk Stockings, sets the church on fire and sends walkers after them.
He is furious when he spots Perlie helping Bruegel and his men get the upper hand. Bruegel gets a flamethrower and goes after Negan. He reaches the dungeons and finds Ginny's cell. Before he can kill her, Perlie stops him. The two men scuffle till Negan and some Burazis corner them.
Maggie reaches the same time and hides as Bruegel once again tries to ally with Negan. He spins a story that Perlie is using them and Ginny. Negan has had enough. He makes the men kneel and plays his eeny, meeny, miney, mo game. While Perlie and Bruegel are confused, Maggie gets PTSD as Negan had killed Glenn the same way.
Perlie loses but Negan kills Bruegel first. Perlie uses this chance to run. As Negan goes after him, Maggie kills the Burazi guards. Perlie tries to explain that he cares for Ginny but Negan doesn't buy it. He is about to kill Perlie when Maggie stabs him in the back. Negan crawls towards Ginny while Maggie goes after him with Lucille 2.0.
Why doesn't Maggie kill Negan?
The trio stops in shock on seeing that Ginny has died and turned into a walker. Maggie gives a knife to a crying Negan who kills Walker Ginny.
Maggie and Perlie then take him to an abandoned apartment and fix his wound. Negan is upset that while trying to protect Ginny, he failed her. She died alone, just like Lucille.
Having made up her mind, Maggie goes to Hershel who is upset that she didn't kill Negan. She insists that killing is not the way forward. But unlike before, she promises to be there for him but he doesn't trust her anymore. He decides to leave her and rebuild the island alone with Dama. She understands his anger and promises to wait for him regardless. In the end, Hershel is by Dama's side as she angrily watches the New Babylon invasion.
How do Maggie, Negan and Perlie react to the invasion?
At the end of The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 8, Maggie, Negan and Perlie wonder what to do next. From the windows, they see tons of New Babylon soldiers arriving. Perlie tells them about Roksana's road not taken story. Negan and Maggie realise that they need to resolve their past together to move on. Which is neither New Babylon's old world nor the Dama's new world, but a better world.
The Episode Review
We were so close, Maggie! But we do understand where she is coming from. She stabs Negan and finally has the chance to kill him. But she doesn't feel any different; she doesn't feel better about it. She only does it to save Perlie and get back Hershel. It isn't revenge anymore since she has seen Negan's humanity over the last 2 seasons. He has redeemed himself.
But even though we are all fans of Negan now and don't want him dead, we do miss Glenn. And it was extremely satisfying watching Maggie go after him with Lucille 2.0. It also wraps up the will-they-won't-they revenge storyline between the duo since Maggie is finally free of her resentment towards Negan.
Season 2 Episode 8 also does a brilliant job of wrapping up Hershel's storyline. After two seasons of being given false promises and being let down by his mother, it is only understandable that he cannot trust her to have moved on from her obsession with Negan. It also makes it clear that his problem is not with Negan, it never has been. It is his mother's absence because of it. And now that he has found a replacement in Dama, it is time for his villain era.
All in all, the finale is crisp, tightly packed with action and emotional confrontations. However, the only letdown is Ginny's storyline which has been a disappointment this whole season. She had more depth in the previous season than in this one, where she could finally talk again. Instead of exploring her new complicated feelings for Negan, she is just a bystander with a few obligatory set-ups here and there. Doubt her death will move any viewers which is a shame, as she had a lot of potential.
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