The Walking Dead: Dead City callback to season 1 of The Walking Dead
By Renee Hansen
The Walking Dead: Dead City has been an amazing addition to The Walking Dead universe, expanding the franchise into a new and more exciting landscape. This series has done a fantastic job of making die-hard Walking Dead fans feel comfortable with familiar callbacks to the original series while keeping things fresh. One fun callback appears in episode 5, “Stories We Tell Ourselves.”
Dead City already has familiarity with fan-favorite characters Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Fans know these characters well, and while this series expands their story, viewers still learn new information about them. At the same time, introducing new characters in a brand new setting of post-apocalyptic Manhattan has given this series a different feel than the original. All of these elements make for an amazing series.
Another thing Dead City has going for it is the flashbacks to the main series. Many viewers hid their eyes in shock when, twice, Dead City flashed clips of Negan’s lineup when he is brutally bashing Glenn (Steven Yeun) in the head with his favorite weapon Lucille. While brutal to watch, these clips reminded fans of Maggie’s mindset.
In episode 4, “Everybody Wins a Prize,” viewers were treated to the return of Simon, played by Steven Ogg. Simon was a member of Negan’s Saviors who would eventually lead a coup that resulted in his death. In the flashback, Simon and Negan were dealing with The Croat (Željko Ivanek), a former Savior who is now the villain in Dead City.
There have been many other nods to the main series, and episode 5 featured another, bringing fans back to The Walking Dead’s pilot episode.
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The Walking Dead: Dead City – Walking Dead callback
Episode 5 of Dead City found Negan in the custody of an injured Perlie Armstrong (Gaius Charles), marshal of New Babylon. Even after Negan saved his life, Armstrong was determined to bring Negan to justice for the murders of five men from New Babylon, including a magistrate. As they try to make their way out of Manhattan, Negan comes upon a door with familiar words.
This was a fun throwback to when Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) first woke from his coma and wandered around the hospital trying to understand what was happening. He comes upon a door with the words “Don’t Open Dead Inside” spray painted on it. As he approaches the chained-up door, he hears growls and sees fingers reach out. He steps back, visibly shaken, still not understanding what is happening but realizes it is best to leave whatever is behind the doors alone.
Including these callbacks is a great treat for The Walking Dead fans.
The Walking Dead: Dead City will air its season finale on AMC on Sunday, July 23, at 9 p.m. ET. AMC+ subscribers on July 20.
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