Three episodes down and it seems that season 2 of Dead City has fixed on its pace. While previous seasons of the gargantuan franchise have fumbled the ball by either racing to the end or slowing things to an absolute standstill, our latest slice of all things dead and walky seems to have locked in on a speed that somehow does both.
Not to sound too much like J.K. Simmons’ character from Whiplash, but the rather clunkily titled “Why Did The Mainlanders Cross The River” neither could be accused of rushing or dragging, but their are very noticable issues with what gear it’s has ultimately chosen. However, while we’ll pick apart those flaws in a moment like a zombie picking the last shreds of flesh from a cadaver, I have to say that on the whole, I’m not hating it… I’m not loving it either, but we’ll soon get to that. Cue the synopsis.
After having their ferry sunk out from underneath them thanks to the Croat’s superior firepower, the survivors of New Babylon’s already failed invasion force trudges on, looking for shelter while attempting to avoid both the attention of Walkers or any of the multiple gangs that have made Manhattan Island their home. However, one member of their party who is more conflicted than most is Maggie’s son, Hershal, who flashes back relentlessly to his time spent as the Dama’s prisoner. As we already know that it was he who alerted Manhattan to the arrival of New Babylon, we see how exactly the woman who rules New York got into his head thanks to their shared love of art, but less than being brainwashed, we find out that the young man actually shares her vision of the ruined city and how darkly beautifully it is in its currently ruined state.
Meanwhile, back in the here and now, Negan is still trying to shrug off the Croat’s fanboying to prevent himself lapsing back into older, more despotic ways; but as Maggie, Perlie, Lucia, Hershel, Ginny and the rest of the survivors make their way into Central Park, a brief reunion is bookended by numerous zombie attacks. You see, thanks to the famous park becoming seriously overgrown, it’s been labeled a no man’s land thanks to the fact that countless Walkers wander freely around in the long grass – but also lurking undetected within is an tribe of peaceful people called the Foragers who seemingly live side by side with the death in a way that’s way more humane than the Whisperers.
While we and the survivors witness several of their ways and customs, Lucia is already itching to recruit them into service for New Babylon to boost their flagging ranks, but after Hershel has a quick run in with Negan, his frustrations with his mother reach boiling point.
There’s obviously someone on The Walking Dead’s writing staff who just loves coming up with new tribes. Oh, I get that the most memorable came from Robert Kirkman’s run, but since then, the show has seemed more interested in concocting yet more groups of survivors than it did with its previous hobby – coming up with fucked up new Walkers. So now joining the likes of The Burazi, The Nest, The Civic Republic, and all the other communities that’s popped up in the last few years, is the Foragers and their introduction is actually the perfect way to explain Dead City’s pace issues. You see, while the show is moving slow enough to introduce an entirely new group of people that comes complete with their own distinctive look (burlap is so in this year), their own beliefs (keep quiet, mind your business) and even some rather thought provoking practices (their dead have their hearts removed and are allowed to rise from the dead and join the other Walkers), everything else moves so rapidly that none of the main story threads are actually ignored. Somehow, amongst everything else, we have more one on one time with the Croat to explain his devotion to the Dama, we have flashbacks show the Dama grooming Hershel, we have Negan going off on his own little mini adventure in the park and we even have a little time to squeeze in a bit more descension in the ranks concerning the fanatical Lucia. However, possibly most impressive yet is that we get an entire action sequence devoted to hapless survivors getting picked off in the long grass by the countless Walkers that wander within and while it’s a obviously shameless ripoff of a near identical sequence from Steven Spielberg’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park, it’s always nice when The Walkibg Dead remembers to focus on actual zombies rather than thrusting yet another community at us.
However, the problem is that while the show is taking just enough time to spend attention on all of its spinning plates, none of the actual main characters have seen their arcs progress at all. Maggie – arguably the main character, I’ll remind you – is still stuck in her worried-for-her-son-hates-Negan phase she’s been in for years now and while Negan himself is still doing that teetering thing between going full evil or remaining only slightly evil, we’re probably still a ways off until he actually picks a side. Its a shame for two of the franchise’s longest serving characters to be kept in a arc void until probably the later half of the season, but it’s also more of a shame for all the other characters who have to remain in a similar space until the leads decide whether to shit or get off the pot. I mean, just how long are they going to keep Lucia fuming in the corner after her latest suggestion for the good of New Babylon goes ignored; how long is Perlie going to sit on the moral sidelines; how long is Ginny going continue to add nothing? It’s strange to watch the show moves so fast around it’s players while somehow keeping them dead still.
However, despite all of this, Why Did The Mainlanders Cross The River? may not be entirely satisfying, but it isn’t boring either and the fact that the season refuses to sit still means it’s still watchable even if you’re not entirely hooked on what’s actually happening. Maybe my “whatever” attitude comes from years of being a slightly jaded Walking Dead fan who seen the show make the same mistakes over and over, but I just still can’t quite write it off. In fact, a sequence that sees Negan have to push his way through a tunnel that’s lined with Walkers trapped and entwined in overgrown vines as as strong and nightmarish an image as the show’s ever produced.
There’s still plenty of time for season 2 of Dead City to start making some seismic ripples within its cast, but even three episodes in, you feel like it might be better for everyone if the show makes a move sooner rather than later. The potential is certainly there with further drama from the likes of Lucia, Hershal and New Yorks other gangs waiting patiently in the wings, but for a show like The Walking Dead to play it safe just simply isn’t the New York way.
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