The Dama Reminds Negan Who's Boss and Bombs Fly: ‘TWD: Dead City' Season 2, Episode 2 Recap
Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan), Ginny (Mahina Napoleon) and other recruits for the New Babylon Federation armed forces arrived at a dock where there was a small boat waiting for them.
Governor Byrd (Jasmin Walker), Colonel Perlie Armstrong (Gaius Charles), Benjamin Pierce (Keir Gilchrist) and Major Lucia Narvaez (Dascha Polanco) gathered in a tent to discuss the plans for their 'exploratory mission' to Manhattan. Startled by the sight of the ferry, Maggie rushed in to confront them, but she was quickly sent away by Lucia.
Perlie followed her outside, where she argued against the idea of crossing the bay.
'Croat is gonna see us coming from miles away,' Maggie told him. 'He already knows you're coming, thanks to you. You told him who you were, right? Where you came from? He's probably been prepping for an invasion since the second that you escaped. He's smart and paranoid. He may not know how or when, but trust me, he knows that you're coming.'
Negan's former prison guard, Victor (Logan Schmucker) found him sitting in his old cell. He started to play his violin and told him about how his father had forced him to learn the instrument as a kid – but none of the music resonated with him until he discovered Bach.
"So, even when my dad was being a tyrannical f--king a--hole. I always had Bach,' he said. 'If I could just focus on Bach, then maybe, I could get through another s--tty lesson.'
Later, Negan and The Croat (Željko Ivanek) met with The Dama (Lisa Emery) to discuss their plan to fight the New Babylon Federation. While The Croat seemed confident, The Dama pointed out that Christos (Jake Weary) and Bruegel's (Kim Coates) groups hadn't given them an official answer yet on if they would join them.
'Look, I think it's a solid plan … but it certainly isn't a death blow," Negan told her. "Like you said though, just the first wave. So, we just crank it up. We give them a fourth of July laser lights style spectacular. And not just for the ship, for their people back home … and for the folks that are on our side. You know, these gangs are having trouble making up their minds? … Let's just erase any lingering doubts, shall we?'
Maggie discovered a smoke signal made from a pile of burning tires. As she went in for a closer look, Hershel Rhee (Logan Kim) came out and confessed that he'd taken a horse and tracked them down because he'd been worried about her.
As Hershel asked her if the tires were a message meant for The Croat, New Babylon Federation soldiers surrounded them and took them to Lucia, who accused Maggie of desertion. Perlie said she was 'only following orders' to get proof The Croat knew they were coming. Frustrated that the smoke signal meant The Croat already knew their plans, Maggie said she was leaving with Hershel and going back home to The Bricks.
Lucia threatened to have her and Hershel hanged — to which Maggie responded in true Maggie form by punching her squarely in the face.
As they crafted bombs and other weapons in preparation for the attack, The Croat attempted to coax out the old cruel side of Negan that he knew back with The Saviors.
"Come on, Negan ... Why so glum?" he asked. "In the old days back at the Sanctuary, you used to relish the chance to take down anyone who crossed us.'
The Croat told Victor a story about how Negan once outsmarted a rival faction of survivors who had demanded their provisions by inviting them to a huge feast in their honor. Negan cracked a few smiles and even joined in on the conversation when he revealed that he had the butchers switch out the venison for Walker meat.
"Let's just say, by dawn, the Sanctuary's Walker moats had grown considerably," The Croat said. "My point is you protected us. And you gave our enemies exactly what they deserved."
Back at the bay, Perlie visited Maggie where she was tied up in the shaft alley of one of the boats. He said that he didn't agree with what Lucia had said and done, but that he didn't have any say in the matter because she'd hit a Major.
When Maggie argued that they needed to cancel the mission immediately, Perlie wouldn't back down on his loyalty to their cause.
'You have got this blind spot, all of you. You can't see it, but you're so obsessed with getting back what you lost that you overlook anything that gets in your way,' Maggie told him firmly. 'You underestimate me, fine, but do not underestimate The Croat. You know what he's capable of. Let us go. Let us all go.'
Perlie left the room.
Just as planned, the New Babylon Federation was caught in the Burazi's surprise attack of homemade bombs exploding around them in the bay.
Meanwhile, Ginny freed both Maggie and Hershel from the shaft alley and they ran to the upper deck to search for a means of escape.
As Negan continued to lead the attack on the boats, he appeared to begin to enjoy himself, but his demeanor shifted after spotting Hershel climbing into a life raft through his binoculars. Upset, he told the man next to him to wait to send another bomb in their direction. Once he confirmed that Hershel was a safe distance away, he allowed the attack to continue.
The Croat caught the interaction and gave Negan a dark, suspicious look.
The Dama congratulated both The Croat and Negan on their success, and it was revealed that Benjamin was captured in the aftermath of the attack. Just as swiftly as she doled out her compliments, The Dama's mood changed and she questioned Negan on who he'd been 'trying to spare' last night, implying that The Croat had told her what he'd witnessed.
Suddenly, Victor came into the room and The Dama instructed him to play her something on his violin.
'Take your time. It's not like your life depends on it,' she told him.
He started to play a Bach piece and Negan became more and more agitated as the song continued. At one point, he leapt up and admitted that he'd stalled the attack because he saw 'a random kid who didn't deserve to die.'
When the song was over, The Dama praised Victor's performance before pointing out that Bach was the best of his time, but only 'perfected' what everyone else had already done.
'Instead of taking us forward, he took us back. I am not interested in going back,' she said, then cut Victor's throat as Negan cried out in anguish.
Leaving Victor's body, she approached The Croat and whispered into his scarred ear that he'd done 'very, very good.'
Maggie, Ginny, Hershel, Lucia, Perlie and others arrived in Manhattan on life rafts following the attack. The following day, they heard a truck in the distance as they rested against a brick wall. Maggie warned them it was the Burazi and suggested they should hide at an overgrown park until sunset.
'She's right.' Perlie said. 'She's been right this whole time.'
Hershel and Maggie had a heart-to-heart as the teenager apologized for his recent behavior toward her. He admitted he'd been 'freaked out' and he was 'glad' that she was OK.
Ginny watched them as they embraced, then she dug into her bag and brushed her fingers across the grip of Lucia's gun.
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