'The Walking Dead: Dead City' Episode 3 and 4 Recap: Welcome To the Arena
WARNING: Major spoilers ahead!
Now that we’re getting into the nitty gritty of Dead City, let’s do a little catching up.
We’ll start out with episode three, ironically titled “People Are a Resource.” Ginny has made it into the city and is still in search of Negan. Everyone is back at the compound discussing their next move on how they’re going to get into the sanctuary to get to The Croat and find Hershel. Maggie tells Tommaso, Amaia, and Luther that Negan has a history with The Croat and will be able to lure him out while they go in search of Hershel. Tommaso is also a key aspect of this mission because he himself had made it into the sanctuary and escaped through the tunnels. Luther seems to be the only one who isn’t giving in to all the hype.
After previously being captured by the Barazi, Perlie Armstrong now finds himself as the main attraction in the arena. We discover that The Croat is taking the walkers, putting them in air-tight chambers, and excreting the gases from their bodies as fuel. A gas mask is put on Perlie’s face and he is forced to inhale the fumes. The Croat handcuffs him to a pole in the middle of the cage ring and he must kill a newly turned walker and excavate the key to the handcuffs from his torso. He succeeds and is subjected to defending himself against more walkers. The Croat is impressed by his performance and now wants to further find out why he’s there.
Back at the compound, Negan is searching around the kitchen to find extra weapons in preparation for their embarkation into the sanctuary. He comes face to face with Luther who doesn’t seem to be too happy about Negan and Maggie running the show, and claims they are going to get them all killed. Negan tells Luther that he knows he isn’t “The President of his fan club” but he has people relying on him to get this job done. Luther claims he also has people relying on him. He pulls out a wanted poster with Negan’s face on it and tells him that he knows who he really is. Negan chuckles and tries to pass around him but he blocks him in. A fight ensues and Negan whips out the nearest weapon which happens to be a cheese grater and rakes it across Luther’s forehead. He falls back in agony and is impaled through the back of his skull by the metal bottom wheel of a table. Of course, Negan has found himself in quite a predicament.
Before heading back to everyone, Negan makes sure that he takes the coveted ointment cream that Luther reluctantly refused to share with him previously. No one seems to be too phased by Luther’s disappearance. They discuss their plan to get into the arena and Tomasso draws them up a map so that they can execute their intrusion.
Ginny is still wandering the city and mistakenly drops her most prized possession, her stuffed dinosaur. As she is hiding not to be seen by walkers, a scavenger is collecting supplies and other random items, sees the dinosaur and picks it up, and goes on their way. Ginny is devastated and discreetly follows. This person happens to be part of the Manhattan Tribespeople and makes their way back to the compound. Tomasso and Amaia ask if they found anything good and they pull out the stuffed dinosaur. Maggie immediately stares in shock and the scavenger asks if she wants it and she agrees but also says that she “Knew someone who liked stuff like that.” They all join together for a sit-down dinner to honor loved ones that were lost and prepare themselves for the next day.
Episode four titled “Everybody Wins a Prize” starts out with another flashback. This time it’s Negan and it is during his time at the sanctuary. What seems to be a feast fills the table he is sitting at as Simon (Steven Ogg) enters the room stating that they have a problem. Wonder what that could be about? None other than The Croat himself. He is overjoyed to tell Negan and Simon that he finally retrieved the information they had been in search of, although he did have to use some drastic measures. The one thing that was specifically said by Negan and Simon was that they don’t kill kids, and that’s exactly what he did.
Negan snaps back to reality as Maggie starts talking to him. Amaia enters the room worried, claiming that no one has seen Luther. Tomasso assures her that he is his own person and can do whatever he wants, but that he probably “wanted to get a head start.” They collect their things and start their journey to the once Madison Square Garden sanctuary. Eerily beautiful landscape shots of decrepit Manhattan fill the next few scenes and really set the tone. They finally make their way to the tunnels (sewers) and Ginny quietly follows behind them, hoping to not be seen. Bodies of half-dead walkers fill the bottom of the trenches and the smell of methane gas fills the stale air.
The score playing in the background is especially exceptional in these next few scenes as everyone is silent in hopes of not being noticed or heard. They finally reach the exit of the tunnels and enter the sanctuary. As they are wandering down long hallways, Maggie and Negan stumble upon a room that has a young boy tied to a chair with his head down. Negan slowly approaches him and lifts his head, revealing a walker. Maggie’s eyes light up with relief and she almost bursts into tears, afraid that the boy was Hershel. Negan stabs him in the head with his knife, killing him.
Amaia discusses their plan one last time. “Get him alone. That’s when we start skull-bashing and throat-cutting the Barazi. You get your kid, we kill the psycho, everybody wins a prize.” An absolutely iconic line. Right before they split off, Maggie and Negan are alone, and Maggie says that she needs to tell him something. She pulls out Luther’s ointment cream from her backpack. Negan sighs and says that he can explain. She tells him that he’s already done enough explaining.
The scene cuts and we’re taken to a control room where The Croat can be seen speaking to Hershel and showing him how to insert a disc and when to start it. He recalls how it has been “such a joy” seeing him grow up after all these years and become such a strong and confident protector. He assures him to never be afraid of him. There’s a pause and a whistle can be heard in the distance. The mission has officially begun. Hershel inserts the CD and a five-minute countdown begins. The Croat grabs his coat and rushes off, calling out to Negan.
Maggie is trying to start an abandoned yellow taxi cab when she spots Ginny in the distance. She calls out to her but Ginny runs away. The Croat is following the trail of Negan’s whistling and is led to what seems to be a lot full of cars. Maggie catches up to Ginny just in time to meet up with Amaia, Tomasso, and the other Tribespeople. Negan hides in a different taxi cab as The Croat stands searching, the Barazi eventually meet up with him and load up in the cars.
Back in the sanctuary, Maggie and the Tribespeople find themselves in the arena. A melodic choir song starts to play in the background and hundreds of walkers swarm the arena. It was a trap all along. I really don’t know how The Croat knew, but maybe he’s smarter than we think. The Tribespeople along with Tomasso, Amaia, Ginny, and Maggie fend for themselves among the walkers, losing some members during the bloody battle. They lock themselves in the cage in the middle of the arena while The Croat and two members of the Barazi are still on the hunt for Negan, and getting a little too close for comfort.
Maggie, Ginny, Tomasso, and Amaia escape the walkers and take shelter in a storage room in the compound. In the rafters above the arena, The Croat and Negan finally come face to face, or should I say weapon to weapon. They do quite a bit of “catching up” as The Croat brings out Marshall Perlie and hoists him over the scaffolding. Hanging onto the ledge of the platform, Negan helps Perlie and The Croat exclaims “What are you doing?!” The two escape and make it to a nearby storefront. As soon as they are alone, Perlie raises his gun to Negan and states the laws that he has violated. Of course, Negan makes a sarcastic remark in feeling defeated. Back in the storage room, the four find a way to escape and descend back into the tunnels.
What do you think will come out of the next episode? Will Perlie suck up his pride and work together with Negan? Honestly, I think that is just about his only option right now. Tune into AMC Sunday, July 16th, for the premiere of the 5th episode of ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City.’
Stay up to date with “The Dark Side Of Pop Culture” by following MacabreDaily on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
