The Walking Dead is over – The Walking Dead continues. Six spinoffs thwart the farewell to the greatest horror series of our time. One of them is The Walking Dead: Dead City, starring Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan).
Inside is supposed to be Negan “fall into old patterns”. That’s an insult to his character development and heartbreaking dialogue with Maggie in the finale of The Walking Dead.
Negan is told, but The Walking Dead refuses to admit it
The character Negan is a major achievement for The Walking Dead. She started out as almost ridiculous cartoonish villain in Season 6. A lot of energy has been put into Negan’s years of steady development. At the end of the day, maybe he is most complex character of the series. A battered antihero, a father-to-be, a remorseful murderer.
AMC
The Walking Dead: Dead City
In the finale of The Walking Dead, there’s finally the Debate with Maggie, whose husband Glenn he brutally killed before her eyes. The conversation is one of the strongest of the series: Negan accepts that he can never make up for his murder. Maggie accepts that she will never forgive Negan. And together they accept that with this consent they can move on.
It is the perfect resolution to the greatest conflict in The Walking Dead, which we’ve been waiting for since the Season 7 opener. I myself didn’t want to accept Negan’s change for the better for a long time. But Season 11 hit just the right notes.
“I think he learned a lot recently when he knelt thinking he was going to lose his wife and unborn child,” says Jeffrey Dean Morgan himself about his character’s conclusion in an interview with Deadline. In the same interview, however, it also becomes clear that the prospective spin-off tramples on that legacy.
The Walking Dead is self-sabotaging – much to the chagrin of fans
The sequel Dead City was criticized from the start. Many fans were rightly upset when the announcement of the sequel spoiled the TWD finale: Maggie and Negan will definitely survive. Morgan backed the fans and apologized for the faux pas.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan tell Deadline about the series without spoilers. Dead City games several years after the finale of The Walking Dead in Manhattan, New York City. Negan has adapted to the harsh environment. However, Morgan does not reveal what happened to Negan during those years.
AMC
The Walking Dead: Dead City
Worst case scenario: Negan’s wife and child are dead. That would start the character from scratch. Best case scenario: They’re alive, but Negan is still an ass again for some reason. Both scenarios add nothing to Negan. On the contrary, they nullify its development.
Morgan tells about the plot that Negan “will fall into old patterns”. Negan be a “animal of habit”. We’ve been shown this in abundance in the parent series and getting away from his “patterns” was his greatest achievement.
But what about the loving family man who flashes through in the season 11 finale? Wouldn’t that be the much more interesting story? I want to see the vulnerable and self-sacrificing Negan, not the badass or even the sadist in survival mode. We’ve had this for years and it’s enough.
There is already the first teaser trailer for Dead City with Negan and Maggie:
The Walking Dead: Dead City – S01 Teaser Trailer (English) HD
The dynamic between Maggie and Negan is also an issue in the series. Lauren Cohan refers to Dead City as “deep dive”, yet it can’t get any more profound than the discussion in the finale. “These characters find it difficult to function with each other”, says Morgan.
Despite their dislike, Maggie and Negan must find a way to work together, according to the interview in Dead City. That might have been interesting after Season 7 of The Walking Dead, but not after the heartbreaking finale.
The fans’ initial skepticism as to how the narrative should work seems justified: Why isn’t Negan with his new family? Why does he get back at it with Maggie after the debate in the finale? Why does he fall back into old patterns?
Jeffrey Dean Morgan himself was only changed his mind at the last moment to shoot a spin-off. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the screenwriters don’t fall into old patterns and really tell something new about this unique character.
All 11 seasons of The Walking Dead are streamed on Disney+*. Dead City starts there on April 01, 2023.
Hear our live talk about The Walking Dead finale
My colleagues and The Walking Dead fans Max, Yves and Sebastian discuss the series and the grand finale one last time:
At this point you will find external content that complements the article. You can show it and hide it again with one click.
What was the best Rick moment? Which season stands out in the 11 years of The Walking Dead? How did we find the ending? Listen up!
*This Disney+ link is an affiliate link. By taking out a subscription via this link, you support Moviepilot. .